What Pen Did You Get Today?

[Vanrensalier]

My first Laban Mento arrived today. Actually - my first Laban anything. Swisher had a great sale and I couldn't resist. The colors are amazing. It is huge - makes me want to smoke a cigar! This one is a Tiger Eye swirl, which is so striking that you almost don't care if it writes well - OK, yes you do. I filled it with Noodler's Rattler Red and it writes well.

 

It has that generic German Iridium nib with the scroll work on it that is common to so many pens. What's up with that any way? Who makes those? I've discovered that those nibs can write well or terribly - depending on the ink. For example, my wife got me a Taccia Portugese with generic German Iridium nib, which writes wonderfully with J Herbin's Cacao Du Bresil ink.

 

Anyway, very happy with my recent Swisher purchase - wish I had bought two.

[alborticus]

My first Lamy (2000, EF) and my first Pilot (M90, F)!

[Chthulhu]

Two Parker Vectors, a red one and a black one (the black one has two cracks at the thread end of the barrel, alas); a Bic XPen (I was expecting the Stypen branding);

 

and a Jinhao "missile pen" (the blue mark in the photo is the oil from my thumbprint; it's that shiny!).

 

I've inked the red Vector (smooth, probably supposed to be an F nib, but a bit fat), the XPen (not bad, a rather wet M nib, on a par with my old Parker Reflex) and the Jinhao (very nice, very smooth, very wet EF, very short, solid metal pen!). While inking the red Vector, I found that it, too, has some small cracks around the thread end of the barrel. Does anyone know what the plastic is? I may be able to repair or reinforce the barrel if I can avoid using the wrong solvents.

 

Addendum: the Jinhao was purchased from eBay seller ahai006 for $4.90 with free shipping (16 days from Shanghai). I will most likely be buying from him again.

 

More photos:

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_FT7FxXt9Ig8/SqNJbk_ibiI/AAAAAAAADm4/kY8yLA2lwYg/s800/Img_0566a.jpg

The nib with a wee bead of Noodler's Black ink; skin oil really shows on the pen even after a polishing.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_FT7FxXt9Ig8/SqNJbtrolpI/AAAAAAAADm8/w6a5Y8i_WzQ/s800/Img_0567a.jpg

The finger grips on the section, and the ring of the threaded barell bushing; there's a dollop of some sort of adhesive visible at the top in this image, but I don't know why it's there.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_FT7FxXt9Ig8/SqNJgkYZ6DI/AAAAAAAADnA/iFeTJko62J0/s800/Img_0568a.jpg

The feed and more Noodler's Black; at the upper edge of the feed are some tiny bubbles in the ink (I mistakenly shook the bottle up).

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_FT7FxXt9Ig8/SqNJgu9_-KI/AAAAAAAADnE/a8COpSK3FuU/s800/Img_0569a.jpg

Even the clip is pretty. :-)

Edited September 6, 2009 by Chthulhu

[Vanrensalier]

Thanks for the tip. I just put a bid on a Jinhao bullet pen!

[McPete]

Ooo! Tell me how you like the zoom nib!

 

I had a go of a zoom nib last week, on a 1911 Standard.

 

They're very, very special nibs... The fine side is perhaps a little bolder than a standard Pilot Medium (My Pilot Knight is my reference there), about the same smoothness too, so quite good.

The bold side is a big, fat, wet line... It's so fun! Maybe 2-3mm line width, so much fun! Very smooth too, just glides on a carpet of ink.

It does feel a little odd writing with the fine side of the nib, I will say, but if you're after a pen to do notes and big bold signatures... hey, this is it!

A zoom nibbed Sailor is the next thing, after my "61" arrives!

 

[Chthulhu]

Thanks for the tip. I just put a bid on a Jinhao bullet pen!

 

It's odd that the seller isn't offering any of them as "Buy it Now" anymore, but has several available for bidding ...

[ImperialSheaffer]

I received from the States a blue Dolphin 500. I already have a red 800, so wanted to have the younger brother

 

Gilles

[wvbeetlebug]

This past Friday I picked up a Charcoal Lamy Safari for myself and a matching mechanical pencil for my son.

[jleeper]

Got a Conklin Mark Twain Cresent Filler 'M' nib in Blue/Yellow. My first 'western' pen, everything before it has been Chinese and Japanese. Got a great deal on it and and enjoying it immensely.

[McPete]

My Parker 61 set is a few hundred metres away, inside the local post office... unfortunately, I got home after they closed, so I wasn't able to pick it up...

*frustrated*

[wvbeetlebug]

Received yesterday from Ron Zorn my blue P51 Special, Sheaffer Snorkel and Sheaffer Vac Fill. Squeal like a girl!

[HokieGeek]

Last night I got my Visconti Van Gogh Midi Musk Green which I had sent to MikeItWork to get its nib ground to a Cursive 4° Left-Foot Oblique Italic 0.7mm. I think that because of the stiffness of the nib, it really lays down a 0.5mm line, but I still LOVE it!!

[GeeTee]

A pelikan M620 Grand Place. Sorry for the poor telephone pic. The Shanghai is another recent acquisition.

[daclark52]

Received my Parker Premier Black and Silver with a fine point. Have not had a chance to even open it yet.

[LDB415]

A Lamy Vista for me and a Safari orange for my Longhorn daughter.

[diplomat]

A Snorkel Statesman in black (box & papers, Australia!) and a Lamy Safari Savannah! Ok, user grade but still in nice condition.

 

Ciao

[steveh6883]

A Baoer 501, very nicely weighted, nice writing (M nib advertised as Broad/Bold) Chinese pen. Feels substantial & looks more than it cost

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...=STRK:MEBDIX:IT

[McPete]

My Parker 61. Took some provocation to get it going, and it's a bit dry , but it's perfect in my hand. Lightweight, sleek, fairly slim... Just needs to be a bit more generous with the ink!

[Aysedasi]

I received a Parker 65 today bought on Ebay at the weekend. I thought the nib looked interesting when the seller (who I bought a magnificently nibbed Duofold from a year or so ago) described it as 'stubbish'. That sounded good to me and it also looked promising in the photo. Well, it's a beautiful pen alright, in great condition - not a mark on it - but it has an oblique nib which is at least broad - possibly even OBB - and it's soooooo sweet! I'm made up! :)

[Pen2009]

I just got those.