The Wilson Aerofil And The Mhatre Doric, Skyline Clones From India

[hari317]

Further to my review of the Skyline homage by Gama here: link I decided to document the other Skyline clones in my collection. Mhatre pens and plastics and Wilson pen are long defunct companies. Here are two examples from these two companies. The photos are self explanatory.

 

Mhatre was the manufacturer of the Indian TTK-Mabie Todd and Co. Swan, Indian Waterman's, and their own house brands Plato, Clipper, Writer, Doric etc. I suspect Mhatre had access to or was in some sort of tie up with Eversharp since they used the name Doric etc and even the feeders are very similar to the eversharp ones. Mhatre also made a clipper pen similar to the Eversharp 5th avenue pens. Follow the links to read the previously documented models.

 

http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj582/hari-317/IndianSkylineClones/IMG_0068.jpg

 

http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj582/hari-317/IndianSkylineClones/IMG_0069.jpg

 

http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj582/hari-317/IndianSkylineClones/IMG_0071.jpg

 

http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj582/hari-317/IndianSkylineClones/IMG_0072.jpg

 

http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj582/hari-317/IndianSkylineClones/IMG_0074.jpg

 

http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj582/hari-317/IndianSkylineClones/IMG_0073.jpg

 

http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj582/hari-317/IndianSkylineClones/IMG_0075.jpg

 

http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj582/hari-317/IndianSkylineClones/IMG_0076.jpg

 

Even the feeder :

 

http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj582/hari-317/IndianSkylineClones/IMG_0077.jpg

 

http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj582/hari-317/IndianSkylineClones/IMG_0078.jpg

 

Cheers!

Hari

Edited June 30, 2014 by hari317

[WDP4BAAZ]

Thanks Hari ,

 

Wilson pen looks interesting .

What about ink carrying capacity as compared to Hero Pens ?

 

Regards,

 

BAAZ

[shrujaya]

Oye... I too have the Wilson Aerofil in my collection, but I didn't make the connection until you posted this...and of course, I didn't know about the Skyline model itself, so, it is not surprising...and it is here that you, Hari, become an invaluable source of information and an expert in Indian fountain pens...

 

Carry on inspiring...

 

Jai

[hari317]

Thanks Hari ,

 

Wilson pen looks interesting .

What about ink carrying capacity as compared to Hero Pens ?

 

Regards,

 

BAAZ

Thanks Baaz, I don't have a Hero pen to compare with.

[hari317]

Oye... I too have the Wilson Aerofil in my collection, but I didn't make the connection until you posted this...and of course, I didn't know about the Skyline model itself, so, it is not surprising...and it is here that you, Hari, become an invaluable source of information and an expert in Indian fountain pens...

 

Carry on inspiring...

 

Jai

Thank you Jai. I believe I bought this pen from Hyderabad only.

[rwilsonedn]

Great information! Did either of these companies offer semi-flex nibs comparable to the ones Wahl was offering on the Skyline?

ron

[hari317]

Great information! Did either of these companies offer semi-flex nibs comparable to the ones Wahl was offering on the Skyline?

ron

Thank you. Hardly any were offered with solid gold nibs, the nibs i have seen on these are all rigid steel ones, all with F points. Flex has no merit in Indian scripts, it is an unwanted feature here, Many a times the shopkeepers would tell me that they switched out the "weak" nib from the pen(waterman/swan) to put in this nice long lasting (rigid) nib. I would then ask them to search out the original nib from their nibs box.

[Abhik]

A good timely review Hari. Keep going.

[hari317]

Thank you Abhik.

[rwilsonedn]

Thank you. Hardly any were offered with solid gold nibs, the nibs i have seen on these are all rigid steel ones, all with F points. Flex has no merit in Indian scripts, it is an unwanted feature here, Many a times the shopkeepers would tell me that they switched out the "weak" nib from the pen(waterman/swan) to put in this nice long lasting (rigid) nib. I would then ask them to search out the original nib from their nibs box.

 

Wonderful story! That's enough to start a nib-fancier dreaming, maybe even salivating!

ron

[hari317]

 

Wonderful story! That's enough to start a nib-fancier dreaming, maybe even salivating!

ron

I have found my share of the flexible Eversharp nibs in India, mostly the bodies were beyond repair but the nibs and feeders were good to reuse. Some I have fitted to the smaller Deccan pens and one completely intact section I had Deccan transplant into a Brahmam celluloid pen where they fashioned a nice squeeze filler at the end to prevent the celluloid from contacting ink directly.

[Anne-Sophie]

Thank you for sharing Hari!

 

A fascinating interpretation of the Roaring Twenties era fountain pens.

What kind of mechanism does the aerofill use, is it like the sac filler of the older Parkers converters?

 

I don't know anything about vintage pens and filling mechanism and it shows.

 

Good for you, the businesses and those beautiful flex gold nibs to get a new life.

 

Would you mind sharing pictures or pointing at the pictures you already posted of the pens with the flex gold nibs.

 

Again, thank you so much for being an historian, a great photographer and advocate of Indian pens!

[bk123]

Thank you for sharing Hari!

 

an historian, a great photographer and advocate of Indian pens!

I'm lucky and proud that Hari belongs to India.

[hari317]

Thank you for sharing Hari!

 

A fascinating interpretation of the Roaring Twenties era fountain pens.

What kind of mechanism does the aerofill use, is it like the sac filler of the older Parkers converters?

 

I don't know anything about vintage pens and filling mechanism and it shows.

 

Good for you, the businesses and those beautiful flex gold nibs to get a new life.

 

Would you mind sharing pictures or pointing at the pictures you already posted of the pens with the flex gold nibs.

 

Again, thank you so much for being an historian, a great photographer and advocate of Indian pens!

 

Thank you. The aerofiller works like the parker squeeze fillers. I tried to look, it seems I have not yet uploaded the pics of the flex nibbed pens, I must do it when time permits.

 

I'm lucky and proud that Hari belongs to India.

Thank you.

[WDP4BAAZ]

I was using Wilson jotter refill ballpoint pens in my school days approx 15 years back . When did company stopped production ?

[hari317]

I was using Wilson jotter refill ballpoint pens in my school days approx 15 years back . When did company stopped production ?

They packed up 3-4 years back

[hani]

Wilson were the Market Leaders in india in the 1955-1970 , after the sepration of Owners(brothers) the company went down like anything.Officially they closed down before 3-4 yrs but after 1970s itself they were very less seen.