Gama's Homage To The Skyline

[hari317]

My Airbornes tohether:

 

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

.

Gorgeous green. wow! The recent Indian Ebonite rods that are coming out look really good IMHO and they seem to have overcome the blowholes problem that was seen in the last few years to a very large extent, thanks to the renewed demand for pen grade Ebonite, Good going!

 

Thanks for the nice pics, I have run out of my image hosting bandwidth quota which will take atleast another 10days to reset.

Edited July 19, 2014 by hari317

[a_m]

@visvamitra very nice pics

[OakIris]

Oh, those are nice photos, visvamitra. Now I know why I haven't pulled the trigger - have to wait until Gama has the green back in stock!

 

Nice to see the comparison between the Airborne and the Eversharp Skyline, too. (All I have left of my Skyline after a disastrous attempt to replace the nib, is the cap. ) I found the Skyline quite comfortable to write with and the Airborne seems to be very slightly bigger so the size will suit me fine as in, not too small. (Since it is an eyedropper, the Airborne probably holds more ink, too. Also, thank you very much for the comparison writing samples showing the 'end product' of the different nibs.

 

@Hari - Do you happen to know as to when the Airborne with the German nibs might be available at asapens? Hopefully they will offer it as an option so you can get one of each type of nib (one German, one Gama/Oliver) to find out which one you prefer.

 

Holly

[hari317]

 

 

@Hari - Do you happen to know as to when the Airborne with the German nibs might be available at asapens? Hopefully they will offer it as an option so you can get one of each type of nib (one German, one Gama/Oliver) to find out which one you prefer.

Holly, at the moment, I have no information, but I will surely share if I get to know of any new development.

[OakIris]

^^^^ Thank you, Hari. ^^^^

[rwilsonedn]

Just to follow up on the discussion about eyedropper pens with simple ebonite feeds. I usually change out the feeds in my new Indian EDs for Sheaffer feeds. But I recently inked a Gama Supreme Round-Top in which I had decided not to change out the original nib and feed, just to see how it would perform. This is a really, really big ED pen, and the feed is quite simple, so I expected that there would be difficulties once the pen was about half-empty. So I religiously adopted Hari's suggestion of warming the pen in my hand, nib-up, for a minute or two before writing. Result: no problems at all. I actually wrote the pen dry--to the point that when I opened and emptied it only a drop ran out of the barrel--with no drops of ink onto the paper, except one that occurred after the pen had been harshly shaken during transport. So I have to conclude that with a small change in habit, the feed in the big Gama pens is capable of delivering problem-free writing even when the pen is nearly empty.

ron

[arcadeflow]

I ordered one of these yesterday, to replace my now defunct Kaigelu 356. I've never used an Indian pen before, so I am curious and with some expectations. I believe the Skyline design is beautiful, so I got hooked when I saw those pics and the price of the pen. I also never experienced ebonite before, nor an eyedropper. I doubt I will use this outside home, to avoid any cumbersome behavior that I couldn't expect.

[mhguda]

Just to follow up on the discussion about eyedropper pens with simple ebonite feeds. I usually change out the feeds in my new Indian EDs for Sheaffer feeds. But I recently inked a Gama Supreme Round-Top in which I had decided not to change out the original nib and feed, just to see how it would perform. This is a really, really big ED pen, and the feed is quite simple, so I expected that there would be difficulties once the pen was about half-empty. So I religiously adopted Hari's suggestion of warming the pen in my hand, nib-up, for a minute or two before writing. Result: no problems at all. I actually wrote the pen dry--to the point that when I opened and emptied it only a drop ran out of the barrel--with no drops of ink onto the paper, except one that occurred after the pen had been harshly shaken during transport. So I have to conclude that with a small change in habit, the feed in the big Gama pens is capable of delivering problem-free writing even when the pen is nearly empty.

ron

In the summer, if you have no airconditioning where you write with the pen, I would expect no problems even if you don't do that. I have changed none of my Gama's feeds/nibs, and while I have not had all of them long enough to finish a full barrel of ink, the ones I have finished the ink, I wrote them dry. I get a little warning that the pen is nearing the end of the fill, because just before there's no more ink reaching the paper, the flow seems a little more abundant. And that's all...

[hari317]

I received 4 pens in the mail today, one in each color of the big sized variant of Gama's homage to the Skyline.

 

The dimensions are as under (original smaller pen's dimensions are in brackets).

 

Closed: 138mm (133mm)
Open: 128mm with nib (122 with nib)
Posted: 152mm (153mm) This one is a surprise!
Section dia: 11mm tapers to 9mm and flares to 10.5mm at base of nib (9mm tapers down to 8mm and flares up to 9mm again at the base of nib)
Barrel dia: 12.6mm steps down to 11.6mm for the cap lip (11mm steps down to 10mm for cap)
Cap dia: 14mm (13mm)

 

The clips are identical.

 

Pictures:

 

http://i1313.photobucket.com/albums/t543/hari_317/GamaSkylineBig/IMG_0135.jpg

 

http://i1313.photobucket.com/albums/t543/hari_317/GamaSkylineBig/IMG_0136.jpg

 

http://i1313.photobucket.com/albums/t543/hari_317/GamaSkylineBig/IMG_0138.jpg

 

http://i1313.photobucket.com/albums/t543/hari_317/GamaSkylineBig/IMG_0139.jpg

 

http://i1313.photobucket.com/albums/t543/hari_317/GamaSkylineBig/IMG_0140.jpg

 

http://i1313.photobucket.com/albums/t543/hari_317/GamaSkylineBig/IMG_0143.jpg

 

http://i1313.photobucket.com/albums/t543/hari_317/GamaSkylineBig/IMG_0144.jpg

 

The Nib:

 

A bigger, wide shouldered nib has been used. The origin and make of the nib is unclear.

 

I think I will like the wider girth offered by this pen, it will also be useful to me for my nib transplant experiments. A special thanks to the owner of ASA pens, my pen purveyor in Chennai, who kindly arranged these pens for me to buy.

 

Regards

Hari

[Scribblesoften]

Thanks for posting this. I like the look of the step at the end of the section. If they offer these, I will have to make another order.

[hari317]

If they offer these, I will have to make another order.

 

Just drop him an email, I am pretty sure he will be glad to arrange for you.

[arcadeflow]

I received my black Gama Airborne today. My first impression was "Wow! A handmade pen!". It has a very nice artisan feel. I did not flush it, I put some Sheaffer Skrip Black in it, and at first it didn't flow, so I dipped it into the bottle and things started going. The nib is the scratchiest I've ever tried. It does not cut paper, but it has a lot of feedback. On better paper it gets a little better. I ordered it along with a Oliver nib so I might try it later (I'll see if my Kaigelu nib fits too).

 

Two things that I am concerned about. There is a hole on the cap, it probably means this will dry up the nib in a week or less. Is that true? Also, I picked up the silver clip and now I have a bit of regret, because they don't come with a silver nib. I totally did not think about this possibility when I ordered. I can't complaing about burping yet, I hope it doesn't happen to me so I can carry this outside someday.

 

Overall, it was a nice experience to check this pen out, but a 78G is a better buy for the money for regular use, or a first pen.

[Uncle Red]

Have you used a loupe to check the alignment of the tines?

[arcadeflow]

I tried the Oliver nib and it seems to be very similar to the Gama one. It feels like those nibs are not polished enough. Maybe one day I will try to get a nib grade fine grit and try something. I believe some people like it this way, they feel very rigid (now I understand what is a nail nib) and I feel like I am writing with more pressure (even though I am not pressing the paper). I wrote a page and my arm started feeling like I was using a ballpoint. It is strange what feedback can do, it takes more effort even if you aren't pressing hard, it is the nib fighting against the paper. I checked the tines and they seem fine, but I don't have a good loupe, mine is the same that Goulet Pens sell and it is really not a good loupe for fine nibs. It is ok for western medium and bigger nibs only. The Kaigelu nib did not fit very well, so I had flow problems, but it was butter smooth compared to the Indian nibs, maybe I will try it again after I learn to position the feed better.

 

I forgot to take a picture of the pen before removing the feed, and now I am not sure if I fit the nib correctly, because it can go in deeper if I want. I tried to press it until the "bump" at the end of the feed channels gets very close to the section. It seems like this "bump" should be aligned with the section hole, I am not sure. Basically I am leaving the feed side channels all out, so there is the feed tip very near the nib tip on one side, and the bump at the end of these side channels almost touching the section hole. It is working but I am not sure if the flow is as good as before, but I am using a different nib as I said.

 

Also, I see Fountain Pen Revolution has chrome plated nibs (or plain steel, I don't understand why they call it chrome), I could order one to make the match with the chrome clip I chose, but that would cost an extra $6, not sure if I want to pay that for another nib with feedback, maybe I will look for an European made nib that will fit, someday.

[PDW]

I'm about to ink my Airborne for the first time. Has anyone measured the correct amount of ink to fill the pen properly - due to the length of the standard feed it must be somewhat less than usual ED practice with a much less intrusive feed.

[a_m]

The Gama nibs marked G are inconsistent. If their tines are set right, they write smooth. If tines are not correct then it would feel scratchy.

 

The tipping point of Oliver nibs is very small. I have often felt that the nibs of Oliver are like Camlin. Meaning - I have found these nibs to have terrible bleed through effect.

 

If Gama nibs marked G tines are set right, it should give a good writing experience.

 

The only Oliver pen with good nib (compared to usual Oliver nibs), I have found is Oliver Nirvana. Its nib is very smooth.

 

http://asapens.in/eshop/oliver-nirvana-eyedropper-fountain-pen

Edited September 20, 2014 by a_m

[hari317]

I'm about to ink my Airborne for the first time. Has anyone measured the correct amount of ink to fill the pen properly - due to the length of the standard feed it must be somewhat less than usual ED practice with a much less intrusive feed.

personally If i were to use the stock setup, I would cut off the excess length of the feed with a mini hacksaw. just a 15 second job and eliminates the guesswork out of filling... HTH

[rwilsonedn]

I've been using a new Airborne for about a week, and have a few initial observations. First, in preparing the pen, I found that the barrel was full of detached and partially-detached ebonite shavings from the boring operation--as if no one had smoothed or cleaned the hole after initial drilling. Some of these I could clean out, but some remain, and will undoubtedly make flushing-out slower.

Second, the nib has a bit more than usual tooth. It can be a smooth writer, but only in a very narrow sweet spot. If you rotate a tiny bit, the nib begins to scratch, and if you rotate just a bit more, it will not start at the beginning of a stroke. I'll have to do some work on it.

Third, the nib does dry out slightly over the course of a few days on the shelf, but not enough to require anything more than a few preliminary strokes on scratch paper.

Fourth, like most pens with simple feeds, the pen does not like to be tossed around. It prefers a gentle ride to and from work, nib-up. Otherwise it may have a little surprise for you shortly after you begin writing.

All in all, it is quite a small pen, with a very high cute-factor, and the potential to be a good writer. But it's not my favorite Gama pen yet.

ron

[hari317]

Ron, your observations are a valuable input and valid. Thanks for sharing.

[Sudhir]

Hi Hari

 

Thanks for sharing the pictures and the review. A usual, it was informative and eye-candy.

 

I got the mottled brown Airborne - standard size. My question is - how does one get the larger size airborne? Is it likely to be generally available or does one need to put in a special request?

 

Thanks and cheers

Sudhir