My Beautiful Brahmam

July 21, 2015

My recent three and a bit month excursion to Asia, alas, turned up no fountain pens at all (I saw a couple of battered Vacumatics in Yangon, but the seller wanted far too much money for them), though I was able to buy some lovely notebooks and marbled paper in Thailand. So once I'd got my feet back under the desk, after a day of catching up with emails and getting work scheduled for the next week, it was time to go and take a look at ebay in the hope of remedying the lack of calamophile acquisitions,...

What was this lovely little Brahmam doing on ebay France?

http://i1058.photobucket.com/albums/t411/amk-fpn/P1110024.jpg

I duly bid, and got it at the opening bid amount (which was a nice surprise; I was sure someone would pip me at the post). I'm very pleased - this was one of the gaps in my Indian pen collection, as I started collecting seriously after Brahmam stopped producing pens.

It's a really lovely ebonite, not a finicky ripple design but with big, bold diagonal stripes. If tigers wore camouflage they would look like this.

Like many Indian pens it appears to combine different influences - the Parkerish arrow clip and tassie (a little too prominent to be pleasing, just a millimeter flatter would look better), but a Sheaffer-like two-tone nib with the little scalloped division between the colours. I love the detail of the section, with its really quite sharp lip; very stylish and well turned. The workmanship on the pen is quite impressive.

http://i1058.photobucket.com/albums/t411/amk-fpn/P1110026.jpg

A small mystery to me is the acronym on the nib "SDCV" - does anyone know what that means and who produced the nib?

I haven't fired this pen up yet as I have far too many pens inked on my desk already, but I've dip tested it and the nib writes quite nicely with a tiny bit of feedback - a fine to medium as usual with Indian pens. I'm very glad to have it join my little flock, although I will for ever wonder about its mysterious wanderings from India to France.

July 21, 2015

So, you are the one!! I was on that one, but passed.

Congratulations.

I'm very glad to have it join my little flock, although I will for ever wonder about its mysterious wanderings from India to France.

His father collected fountain pen, already. He has continued. His father didn't use them, he doesn't either. They were "pickers" - he doesn't even know it was ebonite, or what Bhramam signifies.

He is selleing every pen because his aughters don't care about them.

This Brahmam was given to his father by someone.

Edited July 21, 2015 by fountainpagan

July 21, 2015

Hi Amk, thanks for sharing. You might be interested to know that Brahmam is a common surname in the goldsmith community of Andhra, in fact Ratnam pen works (different from Ratnamson) are registered as KV Brahmam and bros. GL Rao of Guider once told me that there are a few people who make pens under the Brahmam name. So we don't know if this Brahmam is the same one as the Brahmam-Leader famous for their lovely nitro-celluloids.

No idea about the nib, it appears to be a folded tip.

Best

Hari

July 21, 2015

Congratulations, that I'd a lovely pen. You've managed to get a Brahmam in francs while I'm still on the hunt for one here in India!

July 21, 2015

Looks like I did well - fountainpagan, you missed a lovely little pen. I hope you find something equally nice for yourself!

Thanks for the info, Hari. I had no idea there might be more than one Brahmam company. Looks like I had better get myself one of those celluloids too if I want my collection to be complete... which will mean a lot of prospecting, and a lot of luck. That's the great thing about pen collecting - you're never finished!

Edited July 21, 2015 by amk

July 22, 2015

Looks like I did well - fountainpagan, you missed a lovely little pen. I hope you find something equally nice for yourself!

Yes, you did well.

Oh, don't worry Amk, I have some Ratnamson, Kim, Guider, Gama, and other costum indian pens which are very very nice.

Edited July 22, 2015 by fountainpagan

July 23, 2015

My recent three and a bit month excursion to Asia, alas, turned up no fountain pens at all (I saw a couple of battered Vacumatics in Yangon, but the seller wanted far too much money for them), though I was able to buy some lovely notebooks and marbled paper in Thailand. So once I'd got my feet back under the desk, after a day of catching up with emails and getting work scheduled for the next week, it was time to go and take a look at ebay in the hope of remedying the lack of calamophile acquisitions,...

What was this lovely little Brahmam doing on ebay France?
http://i1058.photobucket.com/albums/t411/amk-fpn/P1110024.jpg
I duly bid, and got it at the opening bid amount (which was a nice surprise; I was sure someone would pip me at the post). I'm very pleased - this was one of the gaps in my Indian pen collection, as I started collecting seriously after Brahmam stopped producing pens.

It's a really lovely ebonite, not a finicky ripple design but with big, bold diagonal stripes. If tigers wore camouflage they would look like this.

Like many Indian pens it appears to combine different influences - the Parkerish arrow clip and tassie (a little too prominent to be pleasing, just a millimeter flatter would look better), but a Sheaffer-like two-tone nib with the little scalloped division between the colours. I love the detail of the section, with its really quite sharp lip; very stylish and well turned. The workmanship on the pen is quite impressive.

http://i1058.photobucket.com/albums/t411/amk-fpn/P1110026.jpg

A small mystery to me is the acronym on the nib "SDCV" - does anyone know what that means and who produced the nib?

I haven't fired this pen up yet as I have far too many pens inked on my desk already, but I've dip tested it and the nib writes quite nicely with a tiny bit of feedback - a fine to medium as usual with Indian pens. I'm very glad to have it join my little flock, although I will for ever wonder about its mysterious wanderings from India to France.