Adding To The Flock

[DilettanteG]

I rolled this into my German order to justify the shipping: a Pelikan (obviously) MC110 Calligraphy set. It was produced in the mid eighties I believe and I promptly destroyed its perfect mint in the box condition by inking it up. It's a surprisingly nice pen for a Calligraphy kit. Honestly, I mostly bought it to cannibalize the nibs for some of my new M205 demonstrators. There are gold plated italics available, but they don't match the silver colored fittings and they cost almost as much as most M200/M205 pens on eBay.

 

So, this is how it came:

 

 

 

 

 

Here's a picture of the nibs next to the M200 Gold Plated nibs I bought in the same order:

 

 

 

And here's a writing sample:

 

 

 

A very nice little set and the nib tool is quite handy for gently loosening or tightening the nib without cracking the barrel or getting inky fingers.

 

Final Note: I think Pilot Parallel's nibs are better designed with less finicky feeds and an easier to disassemble fill system. Pelikan, however, has the superior fill system and ink reservoir. I always prefer Pelikan's Piston to any converter.

 

[DilettanteG]

And here's the 2.0mm MC 110 nib on my M205 Rose Quartz:

 

 

Compared to the factory gold plated 1.5 mm Italic nib on my Golden Beryl:

 

 

The Wider Italic nibs really show of the shimmer and the shading of the Edelstein Golden Beryl Ink. You can see it a bit better here, but in person the Gold shimmer is much more noticeable than the shaded yellow that most of my pictures show:

 

 

And fair disclosure: These italics are a lot more finicky than the Pelikan factory IB nibs which write more like a cursive italic. I've needed to hold the nib near perpendicular to the paper and write slowly for the 1.5mm and 2mm ink feed to keep up. The 1mm seems a better size for the M200/205 out of the box. These MC 110 nibs might just be old, but they're also not as sharp as a crisp italic nib. I'm quite pleased with them, but calligraphy pens were my gateway into fountain pens.

[N1003U]

@DilettanteG, I am impressed with your creative use of a calligraphy nib on the M2xx chassis.

 

I agree that Pilot Parallel pens are great fun for calligraphy, but it must be fun to pullout a normal-looking Pelikan and create those broad strokes.

[DilettanteG]

@N1003U Thanks! I was really delighted to find out the M2XX, M4XX, M6XX, M101N, MC 110, and I believe the M150 all use the same size nib units. It makes me feel even better about all my extra Pelikans.

[N1003U]

4 hours ago, DilettanteG said:

@N1003U Thanks! I was really delighted to find out the M2XX, M4XX, M6XX, M101N, MC 110, and I believe the M150 all use the same size nib units. It makes me feel even better about all my extra Pelikans.

Yes, the ease with which one can swap nibs might be an under-appreciated feature of Pelikans. I have for that reason a variety of Mxxxs, with nibs in both two-tone gold and rhodium, so I can swap as desired for line width/personality desired on any given body.

 

yes, all of those bodies use the same size threads on the feed, but I find not all nibs look good on all pens, and I am not sure all nibs can be capped properly on all pens they fit (may have to verify that).

[inkstainedruth]

Oooh!  Knew that the nib units on the M200 and M400 size pens could be swapped out between models, but didn't know about the other ones, like the M600 size....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[DilettanteG]

My clear M200 demonstrator arrived today. My last for awhile, as I’m still trying to acquire the last two for my collection: the M200 Anthracite and the elusive M205 Amethyst.

 

[RedPie]

16 hours ago, DilettanteG said:

@N1003U Thanks! I was really delighted to find out the M2XX, M4XX, M6XX, M101N, MC 110, and I believe the M150 all use the same size nib units. It makes me feel even better about all my extra Pelikans.

I don't think there is something like "extra Pelikans" 

[inkstainedruth]

Yeah, I think the correct term might be "hatchlings".  

After all, if you have more than one people start referring to them as a "flock"....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

[DilettanteG]

Well, my shopping spree is just about over. I've got one in the mail and one on order, both Pelikans, and I just couldn't be more delighted with these pens. This is one I never expected to own: a Limited Edition 1935 Jade from the Originals of Their Time series produced in 1998. Usually, I restrict myself to the Special Editions, so this is a bit of a treat. Anyway, I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

 

Here's some info from the Pelikan Limited and Special Editions 1993-2020 book by Michael Silbermann:

 

 

Here it is compared to the M101N Brown Tortoise:

 

 

 

A writing sample with Pelikan 4001 Dark Green. It has a bit of flex:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All in all, a nice addition to my Pelikan Flock.

[N1003U]

That is an absolutely gorgeous pen.

[DilettanteG]

7 minutes ago, N1003U said:

That is an absolutely gorgeous pen.

Thanks! The entire Original of Their Time series is pretty nice. I'd love to get the Toledo version, but I think spending several thousand for a pen is a bit beyond my comfort level. 

 

Let's not talk about what I spend on my horse hobby.

 

Edited to add: It's even numbered on the cap! I just noticed as I was checking out the Pelikan and 4 chick cap engraving.

[N1003U]

4 minutes ago, DilettanteG said:

Thanks! The entire Original of Their Time series is pretty nice. I'd love to get the Toledo version, but I think spending several thousand for a pen is a bit beyond my comfort level.

Between your photos, and my experience with modern M101Ns and a few vintage M100s I an intrigued by the series now.

 

4 minutes ago, DilettanteG said:

 

Let's not talk about what I spend on my horse hobby.

I suppose there is a reason it’s called the sport of kings…😛

[DilettanteG]

2 minutes ago, N1003U said:

Between your photos, and my experience with modern M101Ns and a few vintage M100s I an intrigued by the series now.

 

I suppose there is a reason it’s called the sport of kings…😛

You could totally bankrupt a small country indulging this hobby.

[Christopher Godfrey]

The "Sport of Kings", of course, refers to <racing>, specifically -- about which I know something: I used to sell shares in general partnerships to race at the top level.  It was great fun and probably very indulgent for many of the investors; but success in a big one thoroughly makes the day for an owner or partner...

 

Anyhow, forgive the small red herring, DilettanteG.  (I didn't start it!)  😉

 

Lovely pen, of course: goes without saying.

[carola]

@DilettanteG It IS pretty. And again I am grateful they didn´t do the N version, because then I would need to buy one.

[DilettanteG]

35 minutes ago, carola said:

@DilettanteG It IS pretty. And again I am grateful they didn´t do the N version, because then I would need to buy one.

Thanks! But bad news, I've got a M101N Lizard on order. And if they come out with a M101N Toledo we're both in trouble.

[DilettanteG]

@Christopher Godfrey Ah yes, horse racing is an excellent way to make a small fortune... by starting with a large one.

[DilettanteG]

On 1/3/2024 at 4:10 AM, RedPie said:

I don't think there is something like "extra Pelikans" 

Well, you can only write with one, maybe two at a time if you use both hands like DaVinci ? I'll have to work on getting more dexterous toes, I suppose.

 

[carola]

On 1/7/2024 at 8:35 PM, DilettanteG said:

Thanks! But bad news, I've got a M101N Lizard on order. And if they come out with a M101N Toledo we're both in trouble.

 

Oh boy, we are... 🙈