Pens Still Made In Uk As Of 2019?

January 28, 2019

Re: Newhaven Parker Duofolds - if you would like to be able to see how much ink you have left, you could consider the aerometric Duofold models. They use clear plyglass (PVC) sacs, and many still retain enough sac clarity for you to make out whether you're running low on ink, despite their age. The aerometric Duofolds came in various sizes, though the largest one (Maxima) can get a little spendy.

January 28, 2019

Thanks I'm learning a lot about UK pens here.

January 28, 2019

The Swan 2060 has a No 6 nib, not a No 8. The Swan 8 is huge and very rare and by the 1950s had not been manufactured for many years. This photo showing Swan 2, 4, and 8 nibs with their feeds, should give you an idea of the relative size -

Cob

Thanks Cob it's very cool to see the nibs compared!

January 28, 2019

I think you would get best value by buying vintage, especially Newhaven made Parkers, 51s, 61s, 65s, 105s ...... Modern Duofolds would probably exceed the budget but plenty of choice in the others, on eBay and from UK online sellers like penamie.co.uk (Brian Toynton. A 105 flighter might suit you as it is fairly chunky and was only made in the UK. As was the 65. And these pens use a converter, including modern Parker converters, so you can then see what ink is left.
Conway Stewarts, Mentmore etc. from the 1950s are good writers and the big Swan 2060 is an almost 149 size pen with a great number 8 nib if you can find one. And lever fillers do have the benefit of being easy to repair.

Thanks for the link. That is a nice shop! It's too bad it doesn't have a way to sort by model or price just brand, but it's still nice and has some very clean looking pens. I expect I will buy a pen from them at some point!

January 29, 2019

I am surprised to read what you ahve written about Newhaven Parker nibs. I have always found them to be nails, with the very occasional semi-flex. For flexibility I have found the Canadian Parker nibs to be the best generally. One or two Vacs I have had had really quite nice nibs.

Cob

Perhaps we have different groups of pens. Most of mine are 1930s Duofolds and Mk I Victories and they aren't as rigid as their U.S. counterparts of similar style or time period. They aren't semi-flex or even demi-semi flex but they aren't rigid nails like the nibs on my U.S. Duofolds.

January 30, 2019

Thee Worcester Pen Company website infers they are closer to a one man band like John Twiss or Powerful Signature, rather than a small manufacturer like ONOTO or Bespoke British Pens (Conway Stewart). Hoping they will be at the LWES in March as I fancy taking a closer look at their pens and maybe buying one.

January 30, 2019

It's strange that I didn't think the pen industry in the UK would not be much different then in the US. These days over here is not a real pen manufacturer any more like there was in vintage times. The only non-vintage pens in my collection right now that were actually made in the US are from Franklin-Christoph which is a small company. Nothing like the companies in Germany or Japan.

I did order two vintage pens. I ordered a Parker 61 capillary filler from someone on another forum, and I'm in progress on getting a Parker Victory Mk IV A/F from Writetime.co.uk, Barry Rose is on his way to New York for a trip and is bringing the Victory with him and we will finish up payment and shipping it to me from there. At least the Victory will help me dip my toes into English vintage pens. If that works out maybe I will pick up a vintage CS, ONOTO, or Swan. It's a little strange to think of Parker as an English pen with its American brand name, but it's a start. Currently my only other Parker is a 45 that is one of the US made ones.

http://www.writetime.co.uk/large/Par731.jpg

January 31, 2019

Thee Worcester Pen Company website infers they are closer to a one man band like John Twiss or Powerful Signature, rather than a small manufacturer like ONOTO or Bespoke British Pens (Conway Stewart). Hoping they will be at the LWES in March as I fancy taking a closer look at their pens and maybe buying one.

You are quite correct in assuming Worcester Pens are a micro company. When I'm busy I get some help from a couple of very experienced old boys.

Worcester Pens won't be attending the new London pen show date in March, due to my youngest Grandson's first birthday celebration.

You can catch us in Bristol this Sunday for the South West pen show, and all the other UK pen shows later this year.

January 31, 2019

It's strange that I didn't think the pen industry in the UK would not be much different then in the US. These days over here is not a real pen manufacturer any more like there was in vintage times. The only non-vintage pens in my collection right now that were actually made in the US are from Franklin-Christoph which is a small company. Nothing like the companies in Germany or Japan.

I did order two vintage pens. I ordered a Parker 61 capillary filler from someone on another forum, and I'm in progress on getting a Parker Victory Mk IV A/F from Writetime.co.uk, Barry Rose is on his way to New York for a trip and is bringing the Victory with him and we will finish up payment and shipping it to me from there. At least the Victory will help me dip my toes into English vintage pens. If that works out maybe I will pick up a vintage CS, ONOTO, or Swan. It's a little strange to think of Parker as an English pen with its American brand name, but it's a start. Currently my only other Parker is a 45 that is one of the US made ones.

Good choice. Victories are excellent pens and come in a variety of styles. I especially like the one you have chosen.

Edited January 31, 2019 by eachan

February 7, 2019

Just a follow up... Today I got my new Parker Victory MK IV A/F in the mail from Barry Rose at Writetime.co.uk and I love it. He is actually in the United States for three weeks and brought the pen from the UK in case I wanted it. Everything has worked out nicely working with him and the pen was as described.

The pen is a Q2 1952 production and writes with a nice M line. The 14k N nib is very smooth and a tiny bit of softness to it. I currently have the pen filled with Montblanc Made for BMW Blue ink. I sure like filling via button better then a lever. I was cleaning out a lever filler last night and it still hurts where the lever jammed in under my finger nail.

It's a comfortable pen that I expect I will enjoy for a long time. Thanks guys for suggesting going vintage and the pointer to Parker Newhaven models.

http://driften.dragonsightsoftware.com/images/ParkerVictoryMkIV-1.png

http://driften.dragonsightsoftware.com/images/ParkerVictoryMkIV-2.png

http://driften.dragonsightsoftware.com/images/ParkerVictoryMkIV-3.png

http://driften.dragonsightsoftware.com/images/ParkerVictoryMkIV-4.png

February 27, 2019

Looking on Australian e-bay, there are a number of older Conway Stewart pens available at very reasonable prices, however, there are three things to consider:

1. Do I want to purchase this pen as a showpiece vintage example, or as an every day writer, or as both?

2. If I want to purchase a pen as an every day writer and don't care too much about maintaining original configuration, then after-market nibs and conversion fillers can be purchased to meet your requirements.

3. If you want to own the pen in its original form and fulfil all your stated requirements within the one purchase, then you will need to be patient, do some research and wait for a good purchasing opportunity to arise.

The saying that good things always come to those that wait is never truer than when buying vintage pens, especially in Australia, where really good bargains often appear in deceased estate auctions and the like.

If a good writer is all you need, then I'd definitely look at a vintage Conway Stewart, either online or from local auctions. The Bespoke Pen company in England still source their nibs from the same company that supplied Conway Stewart - and most excellent nibs they are! Replacement with this or some other preferred nib should therefore be fairly straight forward and can be accomplished within a budget of your choosing.

With a converter, you will need to ensure that the connection within the pen you purchase is an industry standard and that the barrel of the pen is long enough to accommodate a modern converter.

The essence of a pen for me is the nib. If the pen that accommodates a nib provides a good ink delivery system and is comfortable to hold, then all else should easily fall into place. The craftsmanship on the older name brand pens was generally very good and if undamaged, should continue to work well for many years. When purchasing vintage pens which have been out of use for many years, a thorough clean is all that is usually necessary to get things ship shape and Bristol fashion again.

A lot of satisfaction can be gained from taking something old and giving it a new lease on life - just a shame it doesn't work so well with humans!

Hope this helps.

February 27, 2019

Looking on Australian e-bay, there are a number of older Conway Stewart pens available at very reasonable prices, however, there are three things to consider:

1. Do I want to purchase this pen as a showpiece vintage example, or as an every day writer, or as both?
2. If I want to purchase a pen as an every day writer and don't care too much about maintaining original configuration, then after-market nibs and conversion fillers can be purchased to meet your requirements.
3. If you want to own the pen in its original form and fulfil all your stated requirements within the one purchase, then you will need to be patient, do some research and wait for a good purchasing opportunity to arise.
....
Hope this helps.

Thanks for the comments. I have decided to get back into some vintage pens. Since starting this thread I have bought three English made Parkers. Victory MK IV, Victory MK V, and coming in the mail in the next couple of days a Sr Duofold Aerometric. The Newhaven nibs are nice. Somehow I've gotten over not having ink windows or a way to see ink levels. I think I might also buy a Duofold Maxima Aerometric, but those run more money then the ones I already bought.

I do think I will try a Conway Stewart I just need to work out the sizes of the different model to find one that has a thickness in the section I would like. Just part of the learning process

February 28, 2019

Exactly - and it's fun!

At the end of the day you have to work with what you find. The older Conway Stewarts are nearly all lever fillers with ink sacks, so I don't think converting them to a more modern system is really viable. On the other hand, some of the more contemporary models are converter ready, but making the available parts fit is always a challenge and needs planning.

Last year I purchased a busted CS 388 for pretty much zilch. Strangely enough, the body and furniture were all in excellent condition, but the nib and ink sack were shot. I managed to purchase a synthetic replacement sack which also happens to be transparent. This was of interest because I wanted to find out how effectively the lever filling system works. As it turns out, they're not bad at all and I've now kept the sack going for a while with no issues. Having fitted a nib of my choosing, the pen now writes beautifully, although using a smaller sized pen with very large hands becomes tiring, so it's not an everyday carry.

I was so impressed with CS performance however, I've just ordered a brand new "Winston" model from the BBPC. This by all accounts is an enormous pen and should work out to be an ideal everyday carry for me. Isn't life just absolutely fabulous!!

February 28, 2019

Thanks for the comments. I have decided to get back into some vintage pens. Since starting this thread I have bought three English made Parkers. Victory MK IV, Victory MK V, and coming in the mail in the next couple of days a Sr Duofold Aerometric. The Newhaven nibs are nice. Somehow I've gotten over not having ink windows or a way to see ink levels. I think I might also buy a Duofold Maxima Aerometric, but those run more money then the ones I already bought.

I do think I will try a Conway Stewart I just need to work out the sizes of the different model to find one that has a thickness in the section I would like. Just part of the learning process

Take a look at Andy's Pens in the UK: https://www.andys-pens.co.uk/vintage/conwaystewart.shtml

Some quite nice CS pens at to be had at reasonable prices.