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Let's See Your Smallest Pens - 4 Inches Or Smaller Capped

Marlow

By Marlow
in Fountain & Dip Pens - First Stop

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Bo Bo Olson Ancient Artifact

Bo Bo Olson

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Agree lots more tiny pens than thought, especially modern. Had expected more old pens.

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

Ransom Bucket cost me many of my pictures taken by a poor camera that was finally tossed. Luckily, the Chicken Scratch pictures also vanished.

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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txomsy Antique

txomsy

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Nice thread. I already posted this on another thread -which BTW may be interesting to readers of this one, as well.

 

I have a few tiny pens: a "Peggy" pen (that's ~5cm, less than 2 in.) which may have been made by Salz Bros. though I ain't sure, a gold-filled EHCO (6.5 cm) and a Peter Pan (8.5 cm). All three are eyedroppers and great writers with flex nibs. I also have some small piston fillers, and of course Kaweco Sport and Liliput.

 

The black Peter Pan is currently inked with ESSRI: it can hold 1.5ml of ink and writes like a dream. Very comfortable posted too.

 

The gold-filled EHCO is a very odd one: it is an eyedropper, but seeminlgly you need to remove piston and nib to fill it. It's got an open back end, and I'd like to think that it might be possible that it were filled through the back, perhaps having a plug, and that perhaps the plug might have been lost and the back sealed (it looks like wax, but is most likely just aged ebonite).

 

The red mottled hard rubber Peggy Pen is the tiniest, with a flex nib, missing the ringtop, which leaves a hole on the cap end. I only tested the nib, and I'm waiting for a suitable solution to close the cap end gap to start using it, as I suspect it will be a delice.

 

The piston fillers are german pens of about ~10cm. Great writers too.

 

I have big hands, but find no problem using tiny pens. I actually enjoy them.

 

The links above are only worth while the listings last in the ended auctions list. So do not complain if they stop working.

 

Following are some pictures:

 

A Peter Pan, a gold filled EHCO and a Peggy pen. If you use the Peter Pan eyedropper as a reference, you can get an idea of the proportions and size of the two others. Actually, they look like double its size on my screen.

 

fpn_1558464274__20190521_181033.jpg

 

fpn_1558464335__20190521_181156.jpg

 

A Markant140 piston filler, 11cm long, side by side with a Kaweco liliput for size comparison. I know, 11cm is a little more than 4 in. but...

 

fpn_1558464536__20190521_203555.jpg

 

fpn_1558464782__20190521_203630.jpg

 

I know, my pictures are really crappy. I should learn to take better pictures.

If you are to be ephemeral, leave a good scent.

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majorworks Vintage

majorworks

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48080482503_5650afed4e_z.jpg

 

48080462251_0f5f9f3297_z.jpg

 

My pair of vintage Kaweco Sports. At bottom in both images is one I've had for a few years, a V16 with a springy steel F nib. At top is my latest new/old pen, a V16N with steel OB nib. Both measure 3-15/16" capped, so they barely qualify for the sub 4" club.

Edited by majorworks
Happiness is an Indian ED!
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svn New

svn

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My late Aunt's Moore ringtop looks very similar and is just a bit larger. I had it restored but haven't ever inked it.

Pray, try it. For me it was the absolutely eye-popping experience, to see a very decent flex in such small nib. Of course, not all small nibs are flexible, unfortunately. And it's Moore, not Wahl, but who knows?

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Marlow Extremely Rare

Marlow

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Pray, try it. For me it was the absolutely eye-popping experience, to see a very decent flex in such small nib. Of course, not all small nibs are flexible, unfortunately. And it's Moore, not Wahl, but who knows?

 

That reminds me.. I have 2 other interesting tiddlers to add to this discussion! Will update tomorrow once I get my light cube back up and running as need proper pics for these.

"Every job is good if you do your best and work hard.

A man who works hard stinks only to the ones that have

nothing to do but smell."

Laura Ingalls Wilder

 

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OMASsimo Vintage

OMASsimo

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Very nice, indeed! They made superb nibs in the early days. And size has more or less nothing to do with flex.

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OMASsimo Vintage

OMASsimo

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48080482503_5650afed4e_z.jpg

 

48080462251_0f5f9f3297_z.jpg

 

My pair of vintage Kaweco Sports. At bottom in both images is one I've had for a few years, a V16 with a springy steel F nib. At top is my latest new/old pen, a V16N with steel OB nib. Both measure 3-15/16" capped, so they barely qualify for the sub 4" club.

 

Nice and very usable pens. The predecessor, the Sport 12 had an open nib and probably was a tiny bit shorter. Unfortunately, mine disappeared during my recent move and hopefully will re-surface once I unpack the last few boxes. But there was an even smaller one, the Sport 11, the Lady size model of the Sport, which measures just 86 mm. This one, fortunately, re-surfaced already.:)

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mallymal1 Antique

mallymal1

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A couple of 3 1/2" Japanese pens...

 

48073920833_5d81f706c5_c.jpg

 

No makers name on the bodies, but the steel nibs are marked The Banira. The Kokeshi dolls are a really cute feature.

 

I thought that I'd have quite a few suitable Japanese pocket pens, but most of them measure over the magical 4".

 

:thumbup:

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majorworks Vintage

majorworks

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Nice and very usable pens. The predecessor, the Sport 12 had an open nib and probably was a tiny bit shorter. Unfortunately, mine disappeared during my recent move and hopefully will re-surface once I unpack the last few boxes. But there was an even smaller one, the Sport 11, the Lady size model of the Sport, which measures just 86 mm. This one, fortunately, re-surfaced already. :)

 

I've seen images of the older 11/12 models. While I like the idea of chased ebonite, which I often see, I prefer the sleeker look of the semi-hooded nibs in the V16/V16N models. But if an 11 or 12 model Sport were to follow me home someday, I wouldn't exactly complain. I like little pocketable pens like these. I find myself increasingly intrigued by the old Pilot and Platinum pens as well, but haven't any... yet.

Happiness is an Indian ED!
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OMASsimo Vintage

OMASsimo

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Do you refer to the barrel with "chased ebonite" or to the feed? The feed was ebonite in both cases, if I'm not mistaken. The barrel of the 11/12 is polished and faceted black celluloid and looks a lot like the V16 model.

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mallymal1 Antique

mallymal1

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A few Conway Stewart Dimkie's.

 

48073875356_c57bfa3d68_c.jpg

 

Mainly 540's, with the longest measuring 4".

 

:)

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majorworks Vintage

majorworks

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Do you refer to the barrel with "chased ebonite" or to the feed? The feed was ebonite in both cases, if I'm not mistaken. The barrel of the 11/12 is polished and faceted black celluloid and looks a lot like the V16 model.

 

Not the feed, but rather the barrel and/or cap. Maybe what I'm thinking of isn't the model 11 or 12. But some of the older Sports are ebonite and some were chased. I presume these older ones have cork pistons as well.

Happiness is an Indian ED!
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Bo Bo Olson Ancient Artifact

Bo Bo Olson

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Cork gasket pistons, if properly done, sized, then boiled in paraffin; a thicker mineral oil, and beeswax is the smoothest of all gaskets....then one slathers on silicon grease.

The trick with cork gaskets, it to use them regularly, so should last 70 or more years before the next time it will need a new cork gasket.

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

Ransom Bucket cost me many of my pictures taken by a poor camera that was finally tossed. Luckily, the Chicken Scratch pictures also vanished.

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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sidthecat Antique

sidthecat

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My tiniest pen - my gold-filigree Peter Pan - has a remarkably flexy nib. I've got small hands, but not quite small enough to use it comfortably. Pity.

 

I didn't put up pictures of my ringtop Dorics, but I have three: one in Morocco with a busted Adjustable nib - a paintbrush writer; a black one with a Mabie Todd dip nib and another Morocco with a Flexible nib...it may get a dip nib or another broken Adjustable in the fullness of time.

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City74 Rare

City74

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I think the only pen I have that small is my Kaweco Al Sport......I don’t have a tape measure handy but it’s pretty close to 4” I’d assume

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mallymal1 Antique

mallymal1

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A few Conway Stewart Dimkie's.

 

 

 

 

My bad.

 

That should read... "A few Conway Stewart Dinkie's."

 

Apologies. :blush:

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pen2paper Donor Pen

pen2paper

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My bad.

 

That should read... "A few Conway Stewart Dinkie's."

 

Apologies. :blush:

Thanks for taking the time to share these!

Absolutely no apology necessary. Eyes entirely focused on the nice collection of D's.

 

Edit to inquire do you use these? How do they compare to other small pens? My few include surprisingly comfortable with semi-flex Wahl, to tiny little nail but beautiful Sheaffer, sought after Parker also nail but smooth.

Edited by pen2paper

 

http://www.freesmileys.org/emoticons/emoticon-animal-007.gif~Hi! fountain pen enthusiast here~

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