Suggestions For A Modern Pen That Gives Me A Vintage Writing Experience

[TheDutchGuy]

 

The above was written with a 40s Boston pen that my mother in law used for most of her life. This is probably my favourite pen, but I cant really take it out of the house because it is old, precious, fragile, has a very small ink reserve and occasionally splatters inside the cap.

 

What I would like to have, is a modern pen that gives me this kind of spontaneous, subtle semi-flex behaviour with minimal pressure. The nib is comparable to a modern EF-side-of-F, but when subtly flexing it becomes a M-side-of-F. Its simply awesome.

 

Is there anything new out there that writes similar to this? Thanks!

Edited July 5, 2019 by TheDutchGuy

[Karmachanic]

Pablo at FPNibs can make you a #5 or #6 14k semi-flex nib that fits your description.

I have a #5 on a Koloro.

Edited July 5, 2019 by Karmachanic

[TheDutchGuy]

^-Thanks for the suggestion!

 

^-My Homo Sapiens has some of it, but requires just a bit more pressure than I would like, so the line variation doesnt really show up during normal writing. This writing sample of my Homo Sapiens was created with just a bit more pressure than usual, though still not much compared to what some people subject their nibs to.

Edited July 5, 2019 by TheDutchGuy

[cunim]

Pablo's semi flex is great, but it is not really like vintage. It has better flex (amazing actually), is very soft, and has fairly poor snap back. Snap is what sets a good vintage nib apart from an ordinary one, so the FPnibs product is a mixed bag. I do love mine, but I am not sure it is what you want.

 

For about the same price you could go to a pen show and try some vintage pens to find one you like. Just stay away from the expensive collector's items and buy for the nib. I have a cheap little Wahl Oxford, for example, that has a great nib and that is one of my favorite pens to carry.

[Karmachanic]

Don't observe the need for sharp snap-back on the OPs above written example, just subtle line variation arising from natural pressure change when writing normally; the spontaneous, subtle semi-flex behaviour with minimal pressure, that Dutch Guy mentioned. This matches my experience with Pablo's nib. Which, of course, does not negate your experience with the Wahl Oxford.

Edited July 5, 2019 by Karmachanic

[TheDutchGuy]

For about the same price you could go to a pen show and try some vintage pens to find one you like.

I do visit pen shows and am the proud owner of several vintage pens, including some that offer nice line width variation. Not necessarily by means of flex, but by grind. Such as this one, a wonderful ca. 1947 Onoto 5601 in green marble with #3 stenographer’s nib:

 

 

I’m not keen on taking such vintage pens to work, for reasons I described in my original post above. Which is why I am looking for a modern alternative.

[TheDutchGuy]

This matches my experience with Pablo's nib.

Perhaps he could make one for my Kaweco Dia2, which currently has a replacement Bock #076 in it. I love the size, shape, look and durability of the Dia2 and am still looking for a nib that does it justice.

[sansenri]

I tend to find that among modern pens, I get subtle semi-flex, or even slightly less but noticeable bouncyness, with Pelikan M200 nibs.

The nib in my 120 iconic blue is also very bouncy.

Not sure if that comes close, but if you have ever tried a M200 nib you'll know what I mean.

At higher cost my Visconti Opera 14k nib has similar slight semi-flex.

[TheDutchGuy]

I tend to find that among modern pens, I get subtle semi-flex, or even slightly less but noticeable bouncyness, with Pelikan M200 nibs.

The nib in my 120 iconic blue is also very bouncy.

Thanks! I’ll check them out! Bounce is nice, but it’s subtle line variation that I’m looking for.

[zaddick]

Peyton Street Pens in California often put vintage nibs onto new pens. They are getting into pen making now and have supplies of old nibs. i am not sure it is what you want, but I would recommend at least taking a look. They also sell restored pens with a 1 year warranty at good prices.

[inkstainedruth]

Take a look at Desiderata Pens -- Pierre Miller is making modern pens but putting flex dip pen nibs on them. I have one of his prototypes, and while I didn't like the Zebra G nib (or the fact that I couldn't post the pen) I think he's fixed some issues since then (plus, I apparently just had a bum nib, and would definitely be willing to give the pen another chance, after trying some of his tester pens the last time I went to DCSS three summers ago).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[sansenri]

Thanks! I’ll check them out! Bounce is nice, but it’s subtle line variation that I’m looking for.

well some of my M200s do give some line variation, oddly quite noticeable on some B nibs.

[como]

I actually baby my modern pens a lot more than my vintage pens. My vintage pens are mostly lever-fillers and button-fillers and are rather robust. They survived 70-80 years looking great and working great, and mostly cost no more than $200 (some rare patterns are exceptions). Modern pens that cost $800 don't stand up to the vintage writing experience. So why not just take a nice but not so rare vintage pen out of the house. Even if you lose the whole thing, it would cost less than repair bill of some modern pens. I do carry all my pens in a pen case well protected.

 

Modern pen with vintage experience: apart from putting a vintage nib onto a modern pen, taking a bouncy modern nib and having it ground to a stub/italic would give a pleasant vintage like experience too, and for practically no effort of trying to flex it (which I am no good at and don't really have patience for).

[Bo Bo Olson]

I think a '50-65 Pelikan 400/400nn is modern enough. That will be a semi-flex or if you are lucky a maxi-semi-flex.

That is a vintage pen, and I have a number of that era pens, and do not feel that the Pelikans are old, they are not fragile.

Best buy in semi-flex would be the Geha 790 for @ E 60.It too is a very sturdy pen.........'59-72, and not the least bit old. The nib is a slight tad better than Pelikan....but Pelikan is a bit prettier.

 

Would take my '50-65 400 or 400nn as the world has ended, run. They have @ 2.0ml in ink!!!!

Got to remember to measure which ever of my 790's I have inked, the next time I ink it to see how much ink it holds....but for sure the '50-65 400/400nn holds an adequate supply of ink.

[TheDutchGuy]

Thanks, everyone! I will check out the M200/M205 today, because that would be a robust and affordable pen. The Peyton website blew my mind (thanks for pointing that one out to me) but so did their prices - being in Europe, if you add the import duty then what I’d have to pay would be unrealistic. I’ll also look into ‘50s Pelikan M400 and am still considering a Pablo nib for my Dia2. Lots to investigate, should be fun.

[KaB]

okay, trying to just give an answer to the op's original question: have you consicered/tried a pilot falcon?

(I tested it once at Akkerman and for me, it was too flexible for my regular fast-writing)

[Karmachanic]

Thanks! I’ll check them out! Bounce is nice, but it’s subtle line variation that I’m looking for.

 

Bock Ti will also render the subtle line variation you seek

[TheDutchGuy]

okay, trying to just give an answer to the op's original question: have you consicered/tried a pilot falcon? (I tested it once at Akkerman and for me, it was too flexible for my regular fast-writing)

Uh, no. That pen was totally below my radar, so thanks for pointing that out! I’ll be sure to check it out!

[Bo Bo Olson]

Dutch,

You can get a semi-flex Geha 790 on German Ebay for @ E-60 or less. The 'Best Buy' in semi-flex. A very good sturdy vintage looking pen....like the 140 or 400nn. Has the Geha reserve tank, good for another page or two when you run out of ink. I just wish they came in other than black and gold.....there are rare full stripped 780's and the once flagship medium-small half stripped 760 costs 20% more. Medium small was also very IN in that era.

But the 790 is cheaper.

It is a well balanced pen. I have 3 790's and a 760. And I want a few of the early '50's ones, which are slightly different, having an Geha emblem on the cap ring.

It too has screw out nibs.................the school pen nibs don't fit the 790/760.

 

The Geha nib is a slight tad better...a tad more springy in semi-flex than the same era Pelikan. A couple posters whose opinions I respect reported that and I tested my 4 790/760's vs the same era Pelikan and it was so.

A semi-flex '50-65 400/140 can be had for E-100, and with luck a 400nn the same, but lately have been running up to E20 more...........................as long as you stay auction only and stay far from the Buy Now Idiot button. I have seen 400nn's go for the same price as a regular 400. The 400nn, has a slight tad better balance....took me some two years of comparing to give the nod to the 400nn over the 400.

 

A 200, even the tad springier W.Germany 200 Is Not Semi-Flex. It is a nice springy regular flex...................does have a clean line, and is 1/2 a width narrower than modern fat and blobby 400/600/800&1000.

I like my 200's, they are a bit more universal for two toned shading inks, being a drier nib than semi-flex where one needs a better ink to paper match to get good shading to go with the better line variation.

If all you want is F, then the Geha School pen from E-12 to E19 is the best buy in regular flex or the Japanese 'soft'. Looks the same as the 790 but has only the clip ring, no two or three rings like higher classed Gehas. It outsdie the clip ring only and the serial number looks just like the 790.

 

What ever you do, don't buy a Geha cartridge pen....In Geha was the first cartridge pen in Germany they had a propriety spike fitting, and later changed their cartridge so it was double ended, fitting Pelikan on the other side................you can not get cartridges for it. Geha stopped making pens in 1972.

 

790 Geha, the one with three true rings is from @ 1959, the one with the three faux rings '60-72. It is a standard sized pen. Torpedo shape was so very IN in the '50-60's. Swan, MB 146/9, Pelikan 140, 120, 400nn And Geha 790 or 760.

 

Again why go for second class when you can get first class semi-flex nibs on very sturdy vintage pens, that are not the least bit old.

Showing the faux three rings.

 

The three rings polished up well, is a picture I take when I buy the pen. The torpedo shape....invented by Sheaffer's New Balance, or the 1948 Swan not the 1950 MB 146/9.

Edited July 6, 2019 by Bo Bo Olson

[TheDutchGuy]

Thanks, Bobo! I’ll check Geha out on Ebay!