I got this pen today

[PithyProlix]

Antiquing haul for today - all for $60.

• A Sheaffer with a Touchdown filler and a 14k Feathertouch nib, somewhat flexible. Sac is still good, so it must have been replaced at some time. Haven't tried to fill it yet but the filler does seems like it is creating a vacuum when pulling out the plunger, as it should.
• Five dip pens, all with flexible nibs. The one in back is decorated in with a cloth cover and says "BAHIA BRASIL".
• Full bottle of Quink Permanent Royal Blue.
• Half-full bottle of Quink Permanent Violet - has a strong chemical smell and is pretty viscous so I will need to be careful with it. (After I took this photo, I discovered the label for the bottle is in the box.)
• Virtually empty Skrip Permanent Blue Black but I think I can reconstitute it a little bit.
• Full bottle of Waterman Blue Black.

I found the Sheaffer, the dip pens, all the four ink bottles in separate locations in the same consignment antique store, all within the first 10 minutes after I entered the store. I spent about two more hours there and found nothing else worth purchasing.

 

[OldTravelingShoe]

On 12/2/2022 at 3:09 AM, PithyProlix said:

I've been in North Carolina for two weeks dealing with a family emergency and had some time today. So, I decided to go 'antiquing' and this is what I found, all for less than $100.

 

 

Cordovan Brown Parker 51 Vacumatic Demi pen/pencil set, a Sheaffer lever-filler with Feathertouch nib (1920s or 1930s or ...? I don't know the model yet. Stay tuned in the Sheaffer sub-forum.), and two bottles of Jet Black Skrip.

 

It's been a rough couple of weeks and it was nice to have a good, productive time hunting for pens.

Excellent finds! 

 

Stay strong, will get better. 

[OldTravelingShoe]

8 hours ago, PithyProlix said:

Antiquing haul for today - all for $60.

• A Sheaffer with a Touchdown filler and a 14k Feathertouch nib, somewhat flexible. Sac is still good, so it must have been replaced at some time. Haven't tried to fill it yet but the filler does seems like it is creating a vacuum when pulling out the plunger, as it should.
• Five dip pens, all with flexible nibs. The one in back is decorated in with a cloth cover and says "BAHIA BRASIL".
• Full bottle of Quink Permanent Royal Blue.
• Half-full bottle of Quink Permanent Violet - has a strong chemical smell and is pretty viscous so I will need to be careful with it. (After I took this photo, I discovered the label for the bottle is in the box.)
• Virtually empty Skrip Permanent Blue Black but I think I can reconstitute it a little bit.
• Full bottle of Waterman Blue Black.

I found the Sheaffer, the dip pens, all the four ink bottles in separate locations in the same consignment antique store, all within the first 10 minutes after I entered the store. I spent about two more hours there and found nothing else worth purchasing.

 

Another good set, waiting for someone with sense and knowledge to claim the find. Well done, thanks for sharing, @PithyProlix! 

[OldTravelingShoe]

TL;DR: A 1960s Pilot Elite long with 18k MANIFOLD nib that acts like it's medium-tipped. (The pen was introduced by Pilot in 1968, afaik.)

 

Technically, did not arrive today, but it's been so incredibly busy at work that I couldn't try it earlier and, worse, say something about it on FPN earlier. There will be better times. Or we'll invent days longer than twenty-four hours. 

 

The pen is a lovely writer, with surprisingly nice feel. I always assumed MANIFOLD nibs are very rigid and - don't know why - scratchy, but this one is sturdy but smooth and even with a bit of delightful line variation. Figures 1-3 try to tell the story. 

 

Figure 1. The pen. 

 

Figure 2. The nib. 

 

Figure 3. The body of crime. 

 

Enjoy the weekend! 

[Chimera01]

Today's haul: Opus 88 Pearl Stripe 1.5 nib, purchased secondhand. 

[PithyProlix]

8 minutes ago, OldTravelingShoe said:

TL;DR: A 1960s Pilot Elite long with 18k MANIFOLD nib that acts like it's medium-tipped. (The pen was introduced by Pilot in 1968, afaik.)

 

Technically, did not arrive today, but it's been so incredibly busy at work that I couldn't try it earlier and, worse, say something about it on FPN earlier. There will be better times. Or we'll invent days longer than twenty-four hours. 

 

The pen is a lovely writer, with surprisingly nice feel. I always assumed MANIFOLD nibs are very rigid and - don't know why - scratchy, but this one is sturdy but smooth and even with a bit of delightful line variation. Figures 1-3 try to tell the story. 

 

Figure 1. The pen. 

 

Figure 2. The nib. 

 

Figure 3. The body of crime. 

 

Enjoy the weekend! 

 

Great find!

 

Some of these had accordion (bellows) fillers. Does yours? Pilot introduced (what I think is) an externally identical pen in 1970 but with the (now) conventional Pilot filling system (but the barrel is too small for a CON-70).

 

Your observations on the nib are supportive of my theory on Japanese Manifold nibs, which is contrary to the conventional wisdom that they are nails. More on my theory here:

 

[OldTravelingShoe]

6 hours ago, PithyProlix said:

 

Great find!

 

Some of these had accordion (bellows) fillers. Does yours? Pilot introduced (what I think is) an externally identical pen in 1970 but with the (now) conventional Pilot filling system (but the barrel is too small for a CON-70).

 

Your observations on the nib are supportive of my theory on Japanese Manifold nibs, which is contrary to the conventional wisdom that they are nails. More on my theory here:

 

Thank you for your kind words. It's my first of this kind and I've tried acquiring one for nearly a year. This time it worked 😄

 

Very good points, @PithyProlix!

 

1/ The pen came without an accordion filler, but the internals included a little ring without which the regular pilot cartridge or converter (e.g., CON-40) won't fit. So I find it likely the original structure was something different, perhaps an accordion filler. 

 

2/ I can only agree. I will look at more MANIFOLD nibs, because I have quite a few from Pilot, Sailor, and Platinum, on long-short and long pens, or various shapes and sizes. (May take a while until I get through.) 

[Number99]

10 hours ago, PithyProlix said:

 

Great find!

 

Some of these had accordion (bellows) fillers. Does yours? Pilot introduced (what I think is) an externally identical pen in 1970 but with the (now) conventional Pilot filling system (but the barrel is too small for a CON-70).

 

Your observations on the nib are supportive of my theory on Japanese Manifold nibs, which is contrary to the conventional wisdom that they are nails. More on my theory here:

 

Pilot fountain pen manifold nibs were introduced in 1929.

The manifold nib you are discussing is a product from about 1960 onward, when ballpoint pens already existed.

 

If possible, it would be interesting to compare a manifold nib from 1929 with a manifold nib from the 1960s.

 

Depending on the outcome, I may endorse both your and @ksmakura-pens's theories.

 

Often, products do not change their popularized product names even though their properties change.

 

 

Postscript.

This is a Japanese article describing old copying writing instruments different from fountain pens.

They are rather hard writing instruments with animal bone or glass nibs.

 

https://www.buntobi.com/articles/entry/series/taimichi/015291/

 

 

Edited December 11, 2022 by Number99
Added link.

[PithyProlix]

6 hours ago, OldTravelingShoe said:

1/ The pen came without an accordion filler, but the internals included a little ring without which the regular pilot cartridge or converter (e.g., CON-40) won't fit. So I find it likely the original structure was something different, perhaps an accordion filler. 

 

If it is not too much trouble to share a photo, I would be very interested to see.

 

6 hours ago, OldTravelingShoe said:

2/ I can only agree. I will look at more MANIFOLD nibs, because I have quite a few from Pilot, Sailor, and Platinum, on long-short and long pens, or various shapes and sizes. (May take a while until I get through.) 

 

Thanks - please report back!

[PithyProlix]

2 hours ago, Number99 said:

This is a Japanese article describing old copying writing instruments different from fountain pens.

They are rather hard writing instruments with animal bone or glass nibs.

 

https://www.buntobi.com/articles/entry/series/taimichi/015291/

 

Interesting article - thanks for sharing.

[A Smug Dill]

12 hours ago, Chimera01 said:

Opus 88 Pearl Stripe 1.5 nib, purchased secondhand. 

 

Your Opus 88 Shell pen is nicer than mine! I got the plain version without the stripes (or chessboard ‘pattern’) from Cult Pens, because that was the only variant discounted to that level at the time. Competent writing instrument, with a cap that seals well, if you like a hefty pen in your hand.

 

[PithyProlix]

On 12/4/2022 at 1:18 PM, inkstainedruth said:

Nice score!  I paid more than that at an antiques place for just a 120 (although it was in great condition and seemed to be pretty clean when I flushed it out).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

This Pelikan 120 was clean, the piston works great, much of what I thought was corrosion on the clip was just gunk that I was able to clean off, I was able to get the clip bent back, and, best of all, the nib writes like a fine stub and is quite a nice writer. I've been carrying around this pen and enjoying it quite a lot. (Hmm ... do I dare fill it with the pigmented PenBBS ink I've been using lately?)

[Tyroker]

On 12/8/2022 at 7:27 PM, Misfit said:

@Tyroker Aw, the TWSBI Eco. It’s hard to only own one. I got the black version before the white version. I looked at reviews of the white version, and most put blue inks in theirs when they reviewed it. I hope you enjoy your new pen for many happy years to come. 

So far it's way smoother than my Lamy Safari, also with a fine nib (but it may be the ink). I'm still new to fountain pens, it's weird how the ink can play a huge role in how smooth a pen feels as well. The difference between the Lamy Blue and the Lamy Black cartridges was weird for me.

[Misfit]

So true @Tyroker  nibs, inks, paper: each plays a part in the experience.

[OldTravelingShoe]

6 hours ago, Number99 said:

Pilot fountain pen manifold nibs were introduced in 1929.

The manifold nib you are discussing is a product from about 1960 onward, when ballpoint pens already existed.

 

If possible, it would be interesting to compare a manifold nib from 1929 with a manifold nib from the 1960s.

Very interesting. We would need then at least one more person in this, because I only have Japanese pens from 1950s onwards, and my focus is really the period 1960s-1970s. @Nikolaos, do you have perhaps pens from Japan from before the 1950s, maybe even before 1929, with MANIFOLD nibs? If so, would you join such a test sometimes until, say, February 2023? The same question applies to anyone else who'd like to - and we should switch the deeper discussion to another thread. 

 

6 hours ago, Number99 said:

Depending on the outcome, I may endorse both your and @ksmakura-pens's theories

Oh, I have no theory at the moment, really. It may develop, data-driven, but I have too little expertise to develop a model and then a model-driven theory. (Plus, I really don't want to compete with @kamakura-pens, he's one of the reasons I joined FPN, alongside @A Smug Dill and a handful of others.) 

[OldTravelingShoe]

4 hours ago, PithyProlix said:

it is not too much trouble to share a photo, I would be very interested to see

Sure! Figures 1-4 depict the various parts currently in the pen. 

 

Figure 1. The filling system currently has three parts: (left) the feed nipple, (middle) the adapter, a small piece of black pastic that I forced into regular, modern Pilot cartridge, and (right) a (metallic?) sheath(?) that was already attached to the barrel of the pen. 

 

Figure 2. Zoom-in on the feed nipple. The adapter can be seen a bit on the right. 

 

Figure 3. Zoom-in on the sheath(?). On the left, the adapter protrudes from the common Pilot cartridge.

 

Figure 4. Zoom-in on the sheath(?). 

 

I would be happy to speculate more, but this really looks like a problem in need of expertise. Perhaps @Bruno Taut would be so kind as to chip in. I know I read about the accordion filler first on his Crónicas Estilográficas (many thanks, excellent material and outstanding knowledge base!). 

 

Enjoy the weekend! 

[PithyProlix]

6 hours ago, OldTravelingShoe said:

Sure! Figures 1-4 depict the various parts currently in the pen. 

 

Figure 1. The filling system currently has three parts: (left) the feed nipple, (middle) the adapter, a small piece of black pastic that I forced into regular, modern Pilot cartridge, and (right) a (metallic?) sheath(?) that was already attached to the barrel of the pen. 

 

Figure 2. Zoom-in on the feed nipple. The adapter can be seen a bit on the right. 

 

Figure 3. Zoom-in on the sheath(?). On the left, the adapter protrudes from the common Pilot cartridge.

 

Figure 4. Zoom-in on the sheath(?). 

 

I would be happy to speculate more, but this really looks like a problem in need of expertise. Perhaps @Bruno Taut would be so kind as to chip in. I know I read about the accordion filler first on his Crónicas Estilográficas (many thanks, excellent material and outstanding knowledge base!). 

 

Enjoy the weekend! 

 

Hmm, this one is a bit of a mystery to me. My very tentative first guess is that yours had a accordion filler that was removed, including the outer part of the feed nipple/peg.

 

The metal sheath might actually be part of an accordion filler. Do I see threading inside the mouth of the sheath? If yes, then it wouldn't match mine. Here's a photo of the accordion filler on mine (with an ossified sac, before the filler was repaired). I'm wondering if the metal sheath on yours matches. (?)

 

 

Here's the feed peg on mine. (That's a long breather tube extending from the feed peg. I'm not sure but it is likely too long for a standard Pilot cartridge.)

 

 

You can see that the mouth of the filler is wider than a standard Pilot cartridge so, unless the feed peg was altered - e.g. the outer part of the feed peg removed - it would be impossible to fit a standard Pilot cartridge onto it.

 

 

 

[Chimera01]

16 hours ago, A Smug Dill said:

Competent writing instrument, with a cap that seals well, if you like a hefty pen in your hand.

Even secondhand, at under £100 I thought it was a bargain  And it is much prettier than expected! I inked it yesterday with Herbin Gris D'Orage and it's a smooth solid writer. I try to be careful with shimmer inks and which pens I use them in. But the nice broad 1.5 works a treat! I love it.

[Chimera01]

16 hours ago, A Smug Dill said:

I got the plain version without the stripes (or chessboard ‘pattern’) from Cult Pens

I see you're in Sydney. Just curious... do Cult Pens ship ex-VAT? 

[inkstainedruth]

19 hours ago, PithyProlix said:

 

This Pelikan 120 was clean, the piston works great, much of what I thought was corrosion on the clip was just gunk that I was able to clean off, I was able to get the clip bent back, and, best of all, the nib writes like a fine stub and is quite a nice writer. I've been carrying around this pen and enjoying it quite a lot. (Hmm ... do I dare fill it with the pigmented PenBBS ink I've been using lately?)

OOOH.  That nib sounds GREAT!  Love to see a writing sample posted.

Why can't I ever find stubs in the wild?   Or even a regular ol' broad nib?  

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth