Visconti Wall Street: Crooked Banding?

[Miles R.]

I just got a Visconti Wall Street LE. Beautiful pen overall, but the bands of the celluloid are highly irregular. Most are approximately horizontal, but some go off in entirely different directions. This photo shows one of these warped parts. Is this common, or have I been sold a defective pen? I am certainly surprised that a limited-edition pen would be sent to market with this sort of workmanship, but I can't say that I know much about the manufacture of celluloid barrels.

 

Edited July 23, 2017 by Miles R.

[zaddick]

Looks like poor quality control. If new yout shd be able to send it back. It should only affect the look, however, and not the function.

[zaddick]

I had 5 of the pens and one was a little off, though not as much as yours shows.

[Miles R.]

Thanks, Zaddick. I looked at videos and photos of pens of this model on the Web and none had a pattern as warped as mine. So I've sent a message (with a photograph) to the vendor to ask for a replacement. I told them: "It looks like a 'factory second'--something that surely should never occur with a pen in a numbered, limited series."

[Ghost Plane]

I think it's kind of cool. A reminder there was a human behind the machine. But I didn't shell out with expectations, either.

[langere]

Yes, I am not sure it is a defect. it is just the quirky side of this Italian pen. If it bothers you, go ahead and exchange it. But I agree with Ghost Plane - It's kind of cool.

 

Erick

[PAKMAN]

Lots of Parker Vacs from back in the day had the same issue with off kilter stripes. Most folks don't mind. I'm a bit OCD and pass on Vacs like that. If my Wall Street had looked like yours I would have not purchased it. (I was able to see mine in person prior to purchase.) So I would sent or take it back if it was me.

[Miles R.]

Here is a fuller view. I have looked at many photos and videos of this model on line and in none of them have I seen such a degree of distortion in the direction of the bands.

 

[Barkingpig]

It isn't really important what other people think about your pen; it is YOUR pen & as PakMan says, it is important that it be pleasing to you. It would make me crazy & I collect Folk Art & appreciate the nuances that make a handmade piece unique. This pen was NOT handmade, but was from a production line & if offered to you as a choice, you would not have chosen it.

 

I filled today a pen, my first "Bespoke," purchase; which upon arrival from England, I immediately noticed the clip was a "bit off center," & despite the material, fittings I selected, a WONDERFUL customised nib, has always bothered me. The Company who made it went "out of business," shortly after I received the pen & I knew it would not be a situation that could be addressed. I will always suspect the "Bespoke offer," was tendered @ a time when the Company was perhaps "not doing normal business" & it would not have been addressed if returned overseas. It is the first thing I notice when I fill the pen, use it, uncap it, or see it in a pot of other pens. I suspect you will feel the same way about the irregularity of your pen's patterns & would be happier to have a different pen, that is more like the one you chose to purchase.

 

My Father & Grandfather were very "car proud," & both seldom were happy if their car needed body repair, if involved in an accident. They were NEITHER going to be happy with the repair & always claimed to notice the difference, trading the car for a newer model, despite the mileage. I am NOT the same way about a car, mine has been involved in two accidents; I was just grateful the repair was possible because the body style of my car, changed the year after my purchase & I like mine best. But I realise how they felt when I look @ my pen.

 

Besides, after your pen is replaced, just know you have given someone who prefers the unique character of your pen, an opportunity to purchase it!

[Miles R.]

Besides, after your pen is replaced, just know you have given someone who prefers the unique character of your pen, an opportunity to purchase it!

 

The way I think of it is that the person to whom the vendor resells the pen may well complain about it as I did, at which point the vendor will understand that I was not just being pernickety!

[Miles R.]

Update: I got the pen replaced by the vendor. The pattern on the replacement is much less skewed.

 

 

The nib was so dry that the pen was skipping at first: one had to press it against the paper to get a consistent line. But after a bit of adjustment, it writes very nicely. So now it is both beautiful and well-behaved.

[Miles R.]

Now that I've used the pen, I have a problem in cleaning it. The grip section seems to consist of two layers: the outer celluloid and an inner transparent sleeve. The nib, mounted in a sleeve of its own, can be unscrewed. But I am dismayed to find that ink (Private Reserve Tanzanite---maybe not the best choice of ink to put into this pen, it occurs to me now) has seeped in between the two layers, as shown in the photo below. I have soaked the pen in water and worked the filling mechanism many times, mopped it with a cloth and swabbed the inside of the sleeve with a cotton swab. This removed some ink but left the grip section looking as you see in the photo below. Has anyone got any advice for removing those stains or am I stuck with them?

 

 

Let me emphasize that the ink is NOT on the surface that you see but underneath it.

Edited August 22, 2017 by Miles R.

[zaddick]

I learned to live with it. It is part of the design. You would not notice if the grip was not see through.

 

You can try to put a little water in there and use your thumb to cover the hole (nib out as shown) and try to use the plunger rod to create a vacuum to pull some of the ink out, or at least dilute it. I have done this with Pelikan pistons where it is a little more straight forward to create the suction. I hope it helps.

[Miles R.]

You can try to put a little water in there and use your thumb to cover the hole (nib out as shown) and try to use the plunger rod to create a vacuum to pull some of the ink out, or at least dilute it. I have done this with Pelikan pistons where it is a little more straight forward to create the suction. I hope it helps.

 

Thanks for the suggestion. So far I have not gotten any effect.

 

I'm rather dismayed to have the stain in there because I may want to resell the pen eventually, and I fear this will detract considerably from its value.