Manuscript Master Italic - Copperplate Flex Next?

[Scribble Monboddo]

Manuscript have received quite a bit of attention here in the past for their very crisp italic nibs, which are much favoured by calligraphers it seems - and also some brickbats for putting them in poor-quality bodies. Now they have a new body out, marketed as the Master, which provides these British nibs with a German-engineered home. It's a pretty good pairing, and if you get one at 'street price' (which you don't do by buying direct from the manufacturer in this case), quite a bargain I'd say - I found one for £15 on Amazon here in Blighty, and it's got a lot more character than anything Lamy could rustle up at that price point I'd say.

 

This doesn't mean I can lay claim to any great calligraphic prowess with it myself, mind - you can see my experimental scribbles and a pic of the pen here: http://scribbledemonboddo.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/manuscript-master-11-italic-nib-2014.html

 

I'd be interested to hear what other FPN users think of the Master, if anyone else picks one up (and if you're an italic fan, they seem a good bet). It has also got me thinking about how interesting it would be to have some of Manuscript's copperplate nibs served-up in a handy converter-fed body a bit like this... which is an idea I can put directly to Manuscript if there's interest. What do you think? Something they should try?

[brunico]

The few Manuscript fountain pens I've seen have always had cheaply-done caps and barrels, not dissimilar to the sort of calligraphy set you could get in Poundland, though I'm sure the innards are perfectly fine, so it'd be good if this is a step up. The section looks to be not thin and nasty to hold, like some I've seen.

 

I'm an italic fan, so I liked your review. Not sure, though, why you should say it's a "little too stiff for jotting notes." I can write rapidly with completely unyielding nibs, but then I'm not in the habit of pressing down, so a nib that does spring a little is for me just a metallurgical trait, a party trick the pen can perform, and not something that has any practical effect.

 

I've come across your blog before, reminiscing about the old Platignum school pen with the long barrel and the tiny cap. Wish I'd kept mine, and my Stypen, and my Berol handwriting pen, and my Osmiroid calligraphy set, and...

[Gloucesterman]

Where can I find out more about the Manuscript Copperplate and flex nibs.

 

Any links are welcome.

Thanks

[brunico]

Where can I find out more about the Manuscript Copperplate and flex nibs.

 

http://www.scribblers.co.uk/acatalog/Leonardt_Pointed_Nibs_for_Copperplate.html (Manuscript owns the Leonardt brand)

[Scribble Monboddo]

Thanks for all the responses! I can write reasonably fast with this, but not as fast as with my trusty Twsbi, for instance. To compare it to the old Platignums, it doesn't have quite such sharp corners so it doesn't really snag as often, but it can still 'catch a crab' as the rowers say if you try to take a bend too quickly.

 

This is indeed the same outfit responsible for some very cheap calligraphy sets (one of which I did review here: http://scribbledemonboddo.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/manuscript-calligraphy-pen-2012.html), but the Master really is a different proposition altogether - I wouldn't say 'de luxe' exactly, but definitely much more solid and well-made.

 

If anyone else is interested in gathering some popular support for putting copperplate/flex nibs into a similar body, let me know - FPN's the place for a bit of a positive support campaign if Manuscript need it!

[lan02]

Can anyone recommend a converter to UAE with the Manuscript Master? I tried a standard international one I had in but it didn't fit right. Any particular brands that work, maybe Pelikan?? Thanks.

[lan02]

Impressed with the Master so far but only using Manuscript cartridges.

[Scribble Monboddo]

As promised, here's a clue to what Manuscript could achieve with a flexy nib: http://scribbledemonboddo.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/manuscript-flexy-frankenpen.html

[DonLeone]

Can anyone recommend a converter to UAE with the Manuscript Master? I tried a standard international one I had in but it didn't fit right. Any particular brands that work, maybe Pelikan?? Thanks.

At the risk of resurrecting a more than 6 month old thread... it's just that I found this thread on google... anyway...

 

Waterman converters fit perfectly.

 

I have some international converters but they don't seem to be all that international. Rotring seems to fit international accepting pens, so does waterman. Maybe I just have fluke international ones myself...

 

But the waterman converters fit the Manuscript Master pen.

 

If you just bought the master pen, be sure to remove the hidden cartridge inside so you don't accidentally jam it in.

[Arrighi]

 @DonLeone

Fully aware that I'm resurrecting a 7 year old thread, I want to:

 

1) thank you for sharing that the Waterman converters fit Manuscript pens perfectly, and

 

2) share that the really cheap lightweight Manuscript Beginner's Calligraphy dodec pen feels significantly nicer with the extra heft from the Waterman converter, for whoever else finds this in the future.  I'm happy with the nibs, but the pen felt really cheap.  Now it feels less-cheap. 🙂