What Was Your Last Impulsive Pen Acquisition?

[chravagni]

I was going through a flea market last week, looking for books for me and for the daughter. Then I saw an Aurora Hastil ❤. Steel body, 14k nib.

I love thin Auroras: have a Marco Polo, a Magellano and a "Ferrari made by Aurora". Missing just the Hastil.

 

New, with box and papers. Price ok, 50euro. Now I have the Aurora Hastil as well. It is a beauty.

[SquelchB]

Replacement section maybe... those inlaid nibs are practically cast into the section. (I'm surprised they didn't heat the nib and melt it into the section).

Yeah, that's what I meant, poor choice of words on my part.

 

They do look beautiful, though..

[Steveg58]

A very dirty Parker 17 at a local antique shop for $45 last Sunday. The owner helpfully lent me a loupe to inspect the nib. It looked good and the sac looked modern so I grabbed it. Cleaned up nicely and writes well. Very pleased with that impulse!

[inkstainedruth]

Only sort of an impulse buy, since I was on the hunt for one anyway, but I picked up a very nice Dove Gray 51 Vac over the weekend at the OPS, from FPN's very own gweimer1. Lovely restored pen (it was even inked up so people could see how it wrote) for a good price. Then when I got back to my hotel room and looked it over carefully, I noticed it had a very odd date code: T7 with 2 dots. Couldn't do much in the way of research till I got home Sunday night (I had forgotten to pack the power cord for my laptop, so I was babying the battery and only really doing minor stuff like catching up on email all weekend). But it turns out that there is a really interesting story about the "T" marked pens (there's an article on David Nishimura's website). And even more interesting, MOST of the T pens have a 1946 date code, while mine is a '47. Which makes it a little unusual, apparently.

I'm not a C-worder by any stretch of the imagination, but I do like delving into the story behind the item. The same way that I tried to get information about the pens which I have that have engraving on them, because I'm interested in the story (if I can find it) about the former owners.

The impulse buy I ALMOST made was in an antiques mall I stopped at on the way out to Columbus on Thursday: a black M200 marked "West Germany". I didn't buy it because I didn't want to trail back around to the parking lot in the pouring rain to get my loupe; considered stopping back in on Sunday after going to another place, down in the German Viiiage neighborhood in Columbus, but when I checked after getting out that place, the place I saw the M200 was closed. And it's probably just as well because there are a whole lot of bills that have to get paid before the end of the week.... And I probably spent too much money at OPS (besides getting the 51 Vac, I had two pens repaired, and bought 8 bottles of ink and several converters, including ones that will fit the two Skripserts ).

And I'm trying to be good and NOT drive back out to see if that M200 is still there (muttering "Not buying another black pen, not buying another black pen....")

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[corgicoupe]

I acquired a cordovan T7 with two dots at a pawn shop about a year ago for $50, and had Danny Fudge restore it for another $20 or so. It has a brushed stainless cap but a gold plated clip with a blue diamond. Nice looking pen. I suppose it was an impulsive buy since it was tagged $150 and I offhandedly offered $50.

[Bibliophage]

And I'm trying to be good and NOT drive back out to see if that M200 is still there (muttering "Not buying another black pen, not buying another black pen....")

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

It's not black. It's Obsidian. You can put it next to the Jet pen, which is next to the Ebony and Onyx. Don't forget the Charcoal.

[Bibliophage]

I acquired a cordovan T7 with two dots at a pawn shop about a year ago for $50, and had Danny Fudge restore it for another $20 or so. It has a brushed stainless cap but a gold plated clip with a blue diamond. Nice looking pen. I suppose it was an impulsive buy since it was tagged $150 and I offhandedly offered $50.

Cool. You have a 1947 Second Quarter Tractor pen!

[inkstainedruth]

It's not black. It's Obsidian. You can put it next to the Jet pen, which is next to the Ebony and Onyx. Don't forget the Charcoal.

 

And if I belonged to the Black Pen Society, I'd have bought it right off, no question....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[inkstainedruth]

@ corgicoupe and Bibliophage -- wow. And here I'd just been reading that the T7 Tractor pens were less common than the 1946 production ones.... And now two in less than a week (my Dove Gray one and corgicoupe's Cordovan).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Biber]

A burgundy Parker 51 Special courtesy of the FPN classifieds. More a retail therapy purchase than one of impulsiveness.

[JotterAddict62]

I'll let you know after the weekend what I pick up......

[Honeybadgers]

I'm now thinking about sending off my aurora 88 flex for grinding to a japanese EF. It feels like a shame since the thing writes just so perfectly, but I feel like it'd be a lot more fun like that, since I love japanese EF and needlepoints most anyways, and a western F always feels slightly too wide for a thin line but not quite wide enough for a fat one.

 

I kinda hate that my preferences for nibs are on the extreme ends of the spectrum. Italics/double/triple broads and japanese EF/needlepoints, and nothing in between.

Edited November 8, 2019 by Honeybadgers

[ethernautrix]

Honeybadgers, couldn't you buy a separate nib for your Aurora? Then you'd have your perfect flex when you'd want it.

 

As for my last impulsive pen purchase -- I gotta laugh, cos the Moonman M2 was not an impulse buy. A couple of local pen folks (in Wrocław) showed me theirs, and I was impressed with the nib, so I ordered one. I'd also ordered, and received, a Moonman Wancai Mini, but the nib was 0.5mm, not 0.38mm (boooo!), so I ordered some $3.00 Chinese pen... was it impulsive? Maybe not, since it was meant to supply a nib to the M. Wancai Mini.

 

But it turned out to be a Wing Sung 9158 (pretty sure that's the number) which uses a Lamy-style nib.

 

And I LOVE that nib! Can't use it in the Moonman, but I rectified that problem by purchasing a couple of Moonman replacement nibs.

 

How about the TWSBI Van Mini (last month)? Had considered it off and on for the past however many years since TWSBI introduced it, but I had had two TWSBI Minis (piston-fillers)--and sold them, cos they were taking writing time away from my Nakayas.

 

Yeah, and after the TWSBI VM arrived, I realized... It's the perfect OTR pen (On The Road). So, for two weeks (!), I had zero Nakayas inked (only inked a Naka-ai yesterday).

 

I think this should go in the "pen surprises" thread, but it's almost four in the morning, because I'm cooking for my lovely friend's birthday tomorrow (today), so I'm rambling and not looking for specific threads. Sigh.

 

And that ~$3.00 Wing Sung -- I don't know how durable it is (seems durable), but dang if I'm not impressed by that Lamy-style nib!

[Honeybadgers]

Honeybadgers, couldn't you buy a separate nib for your Aurora? Then you'd have your perfect flex when you'd want it.

 

As for my last impulsive pen purchase -- I gotta laugh, cos the Moonman M2 was not an impulse buy. A couple of local pen folks (in Wrocław) showed me theirs, and I was impressed with the nib, so I ordered one. I'd also ordered, and received, a Moonman Wancai Mini, but the nib was 0.5mm, not 0.38mm (boooo!), so I ordered some $3.00 Chinese pen... was it impulsive? Maybe not, since it was meant to supply a nib to the M. Wancai Mini.

 

But it turned out to be a Wing Sung 9158 (pretty sure that's the number) which uses a Lamy-style nib.

 

And I LOVE that nib! Can't use it in the Moonman, but I rectified that problem by purchasing a couple of Moonman replacement nibs.

 

How about the TWSBI Van Mini (last month)? Had considered it off and on for the past however many years since TWSBI introduced it, but I had had two TWSBI Minis (piston-fillers)--and sold them, cos they were taking writing time away from my Nakayas.

 

Yeah, and after the TWSBI VM arrived, I realized... It's the perfect OTR pen (On The Road). So, for two weeks (!), I had zero Nakayas inked (only inked a Naka-ai yesterday).

 

I think this should go in the "pen surprises" thread, but it's almost four in the morning, because I'm cooking for my lovely friend's birthday tomorrow (today), so I'm rambling and not looking for specific threads. Sigh.

 

And that ~$3.00 Wing Sung -- I don't know how durable it is (seems durable), but dang if I'm not impressed by that Lamy-style nib!

 

Does aurora sell nib units? I can imagine they're not a great value, when I got the whole optima flex, brand new, #190/330 from an authorized retailer for $220.

 

Either way, I don't think I really need to. I just don't love western F's, and while it is perfectly tuned, I have a strong suspicion that it'll go from "amazing" to "top five" if I get the line reduced to a nice everyday japanese EF.

Edited November 8, 2019 by Honeybadgers

[ethernautrix]

 

Does aurora sell nib units? I can imagine they're not a great value, when I got the whole optima flex, brand new, #190/330 from an authorized retailer for $220.

 

Either way, I don't think I really need to. I just don't love western F's, and while it is perfectly tuned, I have a strong suspicion that it'll go from "amazing" to "top five" if I get the line reduced to a nice everyday japanese EF.

Well, I've seen Aurora nibs for sale at fpnibs.com. Not sure about the 88, though.

 

I did read another thread in which you said you'd have Gena modify your Aurora 88 nib. Sounds like a smart plan. I would have most of my nibs ground to a Pilot PO if the Pilot PO could be replicated. (I use the "reverse nib" for fude-ish line variation.)

[Honeybadgers]

Well, I've seen Aurora nibs for sale at fpnibs.com. Not sure about the 88, though.

 

I did read another thread in which you said you'd have Gena modify your Aurora 88 nib. Sounds like a smart plan. I would have most of my nibs ground to a Pilot PO if the Pilot PO could be replicated. (I use the "reverse nib" for fude-ish line variation.)

 

if it takes a #5 or 6, Pablo at FPnibs makes a meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeean PO nib from JoWo. I have one in a penbbs 380 that I adore.

[peroride]

Impulsive ?

 

Already bought 4 pens, leaving the country sated, one quick glance then mesmerizms penmerizms

 

yes: Japan Blue Oita Made

[ethernautrix]

 

if it takes a #5 or 6, Pablo at FPnibs makes a meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeean PO nib from JoWo. I have one in a penbbs 380 that I adore.

I've had two of Pablo's wonderful PO nibs (a PO/F and a PO/EF that I use in two Danitrios) for at least a couple of years.

 

As good as they are, they aren't Pilot. Pilot's PO nib has a smooth sharpness to it that is so far, in my exploration, unparalleled. I would love to find exact copycat PO nibs to use in more pens, and less expensive would be great.

[sansenri]

it's the next one...

I resisted today. I'm in Frankfurt on business. I visited the Faber Castell flag ship store downtown (rather small as a flag ship store, but they do have a lot of pens though). I looked at all the pen show cases, very nicely presented, the Ambitions, the Intuitions, the Bentleys, the Potys!...

still I resisted, I just gave up on ink and bought a bottle of Cobalt blue, that I was longing to try...

So it's not this one,

but I know it's the next...

[Honeybadgers]

I've had two of Pablo's wonderful PO nibs (a PO/F and a PO/EF that I use in two Danitrios) for at least a couple of years.

 

As good as they are, they aren't Pilot. Pilot's PO nib has a smooth sharpness to it that is so far, in my exploration, unparalleled. I would love to find exact copycat PO nibs to use in more pens, and less expensive would be great.

 

I haven't had the chance to pick up a pilot PO nib because I always kinda chicken out since they're on the more higher priced models.

 

a PO on the custom 74 or 91 and I'd have bought one already.

 

But if you like yours that much, I might have to. I'm a sucker for razor thin lines since I do a lot of chemical and mathematical formulas.