Gama's Homage To The Skyline

[rwilsonedn]

Fascinating information and beautiful work as always! Thanks.

ron

[hari317]

Thank you Ron.

[vikramguliya]

Thanks for the info !!

[Scribblesoften]

Thank you for another great review. I have two on their way to me now. Your modification with the steel Pelikan nib units looks great. Your mod would also allow vintage 400 size flexible nib units to be fitted. That would be quite interesting. I have some vintage #2 nibs that are waiting to be fitted to these pens. My only concern is whether the section is too thin/narrow for daily comfort. We shall see. Thank you again for your review and photos.

Edited July 1, 2014 by Scribblesoften

[hari317]

Thank you for another great review. I have two on their way to me now. Your modification with the steel Pelikan nib units looks great. Your mod would also allow vintage 400 size flexible nib units to be fitted. That would be quite interesting. I have some vintage #2 nibs that are waiting to be fitted to these pens. My only concern is whether the section is too thin/narrow for daily comfort. We shall see. Thank you again for your review and photos.

Thank you. I am pleased with the results as well, it was tricky as the section is very narrow and the diameter just below the section flare is just 8.0mm where as the section had to be bored to 7.5mm ID leaving a wall thickness at that spot of just 0.25mm, madness. The green one with the m200 B nib is my pen for today.

 

Can you remind me the dimensions of the vintage #2 nibs that you propose to fit? length, width and feeder diameter please.

 

Thanks!

Hari

[OakIris]

Nice, Hari! Your modding the pens to fit Pelikan nibs has probably raised this pen up to a whole new level; I bet they write wonderfully.

 

For those of us unable or unwilling to "reinvent" the section to fit the nibs, what - relatively inexpensive - friction fit nibs do you think might work well in the Airborne? I believe that a #5 is what Gama used - too bad, because I think as one of the Goulet #6 nibs would be nice in this pen.

 

I am also going to look for reviews discussing the stock Gama/Indian IPG nibs to see if they are generally considered OK or awful. Swapping out the nib probably makes the Airborne a nicer pen, but perhaps it isn't immediately necessary for those of us without a stock of extra nibs from which to choose.

 

Holly

[rwilsonedn]

Nice, Hari! Your modding the pens to fit Pelikan nibs has probably raised this pen up to a whole new level; I bet they write wonderfully.

 

For those of us unable or unwilling to "reinvent" the section to fit the nibs, what - relatively inexpensive - friction fit nibs do you think might work well in the Airborne? I believe that a #5 is what Gama used - too bad, because I think as one of the Goulet #6 nibs would be nice in this pen.

 

I am also going to look for reviews discussing the stock Gama/Indian IPG nibs to see if they are generally considered OK or awful. Swapping out the nib probably makes the Airborne a nicer pen, but perhaps it isn't immediately necessary for those of us without a stock of extra nibs from which to choose.

 

Holly

 

This is just one person's opinion, but I find that the stock Gama nibs write beautifully. On the few I own, I've given them a visual inspection under the loupe, aligned the tines, and given them just a touch-up with very fine abrasive. The result has always been a nib as smooth as just about anything I can afford--certainly in the same class as my MB 146 or most of my Pilot-Namiki pens.

The feed is a different question. The stock feed is adequate, but very simple. It tends to be a little too wet on the first few letters after a pause. And it has the well-discussed problems with flooding if you are using the pen as an ED and you get careless. On some of my pens I have changed out the original feed for the feed from a Sheaffer NoNonsense, and on others I have not. The Sheaffer feed is unquestionably more consistent and solves the flooding problem with the large ED pens. I assume the Pelikan nib units, which include their own modern, high-buffering feed, would give you the same benefit. So you would get a better feed, more consistent flow, and a wonderful nib--but not necessarily a better nib than the original until you get into very expensive nib units indeed.

Just my two cents.

ron

[Scribblesoften]

I like the stock nibs as well but I am an inveterate fiddler, so other nibs will be tested.

 

Hari, I will do my best to measure a couple of nibs and see if I can get some approximate measurements for you. These will be vintage #2 nibs.

 

Meisternibs sells both steel and 18K #5 nib units. I suspect if you pay, they will custom grind the nibs for you, but part of the cost is the feed and housing. If you are going to remove the nib and friction fit it with the stock feed, you are wasting some money. The steel units are $18 USD and the 18K are $90 USD. I have a Noodler's non flex f/m nib in my Eyas. It was $2 USD from Goulet pens. It is not greatly smoother than the stock nib but I like it.

[OakIris]

Thank you for your informative post, ron. You have given me hope for the stock nib, though it would appear that some tweaking may be needed to get the best out of the nib. I have not yet had an eyedropper so your info about the feed not quite keeping the flow consistent does give me pause - I can make enough of a mess with ink and pens, I don't need the pens adding to the mess on their own by burping, but then I am aware that this is a "known" problem with a lot of eyedroppers so it sort of goes with the territory. I have read that if you keep an eyedropper "topped up" with ink it does help with the burping, but

 

Did the No Nonsense feed fit with no need of further modification? If so, that means the No Nonsense nibs might fit too (do they??) which might be nice if you want to play with some of their calligraphy nibs...And there are a lot of No Nonsense pens available, too, so picking up an extra feed should be easy and not too expensive.

 

Obviously, I have to get one of these pens and try it out stock before deciding whether or not the nib needs work/replacement, but thank you for the ideas! Given the price and the appearance of the Airborne, ron's comments about the nib and Hari's comments about how comfortable the pen is to write with, I imagine one of these pens will eventually find its way home to me.

 

Holly

 

Edit - and while I was fiddling with writing my post, you added your entry, Scribblesoften, another positive view of the stock nib and other ideas for replacement nibs.

Edited July 1, 2014 by OakIris

[rwilsonedn]

OakIris:

Yes, NoNonsense nibs and feeds should slip into the section with no modification. It just takes a bit of warm heat and gentle pulling/pushing. But I would encourage you to try the original nib and feed first.

You are absolutely correct that keeping the pen topped-up helps--in fact, it completely solves the burping problem unless you subject the pen to extreme temperature changes. (It won't necessarily solve the issue of heavy flow for the first few letters after a pause, though.) And as Hari wrote in another thread, even when the pen is nearly empty, just taking the cap off and holding the pen nib-up in your hand until it warms up will solve most of the burping problems. In my limited experience, the burping problems with ED pens and simple feeds are easy to resolve with just a couple of simple habits--regular filling and pre-warming. I think you should definitely try the pen and see for yourself, knowing that if you really have issues with the ED behavior you can resolve them by just switching out the feed later.

ron

[OakIris]

OakIris:

Yes, NoNonsense nibs and feeds should slip into the section with no modification. It just takes a bit of warm heat and gentle pulling/pushing. But I would encourage you to try the original nib and feed first.

You are absolutely correct that keeping the pen topped-up helps--in fact, it completely solves the burping problem unless you subject the pen to extreme temperature changes. (It won't necessarily solve the issue of heavy flow for the first few letters after a pause, though.) And as Hari wrote in another thread, even when the pen is nearly empty, just taking the cap off and holding the pen nib-up in your hand until it warms up will solve most of the burping problems. In my limited experience, the burping problems with ED pens and simple feeds are easy to resolve with just a couple of simple habits--regular filling and pre-warming. I think you should definitely try the pen and see for yourself, knowing that if you really have issues with the ED behavior you can resolve them by just switching out the feed later.

ron

Excellent advice and good tips, ron. This will be my first eyedropper so your information is very helpful. And yes, I will try out the pen stock first before deciding to fiddle with it, lol - I may be perfectly happy with it as is. Now to wait until they have more colors available again so I can decide which Airborne to get!

 

Holly

[Anne-Sophie]

Thanks for sharing Hari.

 

I am sorry the black pen was broken, is there any way to fix it?

[hari317]

 

This is just one person's opinion, but I find that the stock Gama nibs write beautifully. On the few I own, I've given them a visual inspection under the loupe, aligned the tines, and given them just a touch-up with very fine abrasive. The result has always been a nib as smooth as just about anything I can afford--certainly in the same class as my MB 146 or most of my Pilot-Namiki pens.

The feed is a different question. The stock feed is adequate, but very simple. It tends to be a little too wet on the first few letters after a pause. And it has the well-discussed problems with flooding if you are using the pen as an ED and you get careless. On some of my pens I have changed out the original feed for the feed from a Sheaffer NoNonsense, and on others I have not. The Sheaffer feed is unquestionably more consistent and solves the flooding problem with the large ED pens. I assume the Pelikan nib units, which include their own modern, high-buffering feed, would give you the same benefit. So you would get a better feed, more consistent flow, and a wonderful nib--but not necessarily a better nib than the original until you get into very expensive nib units indeed.

Just my two cents.

ron

 

Very detailed and useful, thanks Ron.

 

I like the stock nibs as well but I am an inveterate fiddler, so other nibs will be tested.

 

Hari, I will do my best to measure a couple of nibs and see if I can get some approximate measurements for you. These will be vintage #2 nibs.

 

.

Thank you.

 

Thanks for sharing Hari.

 

I am sorry the black pen was broken, is there any way to fix it?

Thank you. A new section will have to be made for the black pen.

 

Best

Hari

[visvamitra]

I've just received my two Gama Airbornes. They're really nice and the quality of service of ASA pens is remarkable

[Scribblesoften]

I've just received my two Gama Airbornes. They're really nice and the quality of service of ASA pens is remarkable

I entirely agree.

[hari317]

I've just received my two Gama Airbornes. They're really nice and the quality of service of ASA pens is remarkable

 

 

I entirely agree.

 

the pens are so well priced, no one can buy just one!

[Scribblesoften]

We have become so accustomed to very large pens that these seem small. However, when compared to historic pens, these pens are a very normal size.

[hari317]

We have become so accustomed to very large pens that these seem small. However, when compared to historic pens, these pens are a very normal size.

 

Very true. Small pens are underrated. Having said that, I would have personally loved it for my purposes if the section of this pen were at least one mm thicker than the present 8mm at the narrowest point. Ideal would have been a 10mm section like on the Pelikan M200s.

 

I think the functionality and beauty of a small pen is not lost on the major pen makers and I believe there is a good market still for the smaller pens which is why Montblanc continues to offer the Mozart, Pelikan the M300, Pilot the wonderful Elite 95S and Yard O Led the Pocket Viceroy.

 

http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn307/hari-b/PilotElite95S/IMG_8728.jpg

 

http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn307/hari-b/PilotElite95S/IMG_8730.jpg

 

L-R:Pilot Elite 95S, Pelikan M320 Ruby, MB Mozart, English Parker Lady, Omas Extra.

 

Best

Hari

[OakIris]

Good to hear from happy new owners. And, as someone who doesn't really see the appeal of oversized (and often overpriced, ) pens, I think one of these will suit me admirably!

 

Holly

[visvamitra]

My Airbornes tohether:

 

http://imageshack.com/a/img539/9067/98b63d.jpg

next to Eversharp Skyline

http://imageshack.com/a/img540/2517/0d512d.jpg

http://imageshack.com/a/img904/9427/bc7664.jpg

And here you check the line width compared to some other pens

http://imageshack.com/a/img661/9433/220007.jpg