What pen(s) are you using today?

[lfmarsan]

On 3/10/2022 at 12:45 AM, Chi said:

Really nice! I'm going right now to ink my 1950s Pelikan 120... Your OBB reminds me how my pen writes and it's lovely.

[lfmarsan]

ASC Studio Lapis Lazuli F nib with Karkos Turquoise ink

[essayfaire]

I am testing out a newly arrived Conway Stewart No.475!! It has a medium nib with some flex.  I have no other flexible nibs. So far I am very pleased!  It's beautiful, too, but I could tell that from the picture. I could not tell how it would feel in hand.

[OldTravelingShoe]

On 3/10/2022 at 12:45 AM, Chi said:

Very nice pen, @Chi! (But I've already said this 😄

) 

[OldTravelingShoe]

On 3/9/2022 at 9:07 AM, DvdRiet said:

I love the weight and feel of this pen! I wonder if Diplomat would make something like this for their 100th anniversary this year?

 

@DvdRiet, I didn't know Diplomat made such colorful (and celluloid-based) pens. I saw their Zepp, but are there any rumors about a(nother) possible 100-year pen? 

[OldTravelingShoe]

I started learning how to use a nice Sailor pen today, but I want to cover here the arrival of a set of Diplomat pens. 

 

Figure 1. Three diplomats enter a bar...  

 

Figure 1 shows an overview of my first experiences with these pens. The Skyline (blue) Excellence A2 has an M nib and writes surprisingly nice. I've added Figure 2 about it, for the curious. 

 

The two Esteems have smaller nibs, one a good but bit scratchy F, the other, alas, an M (instead of a B, as I thought I acquired, and as the webshop description and the label on the box promise).

 

Figure 2. The Diplomat Excellence A2 Skyline / chrome blue fountain pen. (top) Zoom on the nib. (bottom) The pen and my first attempts to do justice to its writing capabilities. 

[ParramattaPaul]

2 hours ago, essayfaire said:

I am testing out a newly arrived Conway Stewart No.475!! It has a medium nib with some flex.  I have no other flexible nibs. So far I am very pleased!  It's beautiful, too, but I could tell that from the picture. I could not tell how it would feel in hand.

I have a 475.  They are excellent pens and a joy to use.  It, and a 479 are two of my favourite vintage Conway Stewarts.

[inkstainedruth]

Today it's been:

1) Noodler's Cobalt Creaper, flex nib, with KWZI Brown Pink.

2) [newly restored] Mabie Todd Swan ringtop, Lucky Curve nib, with Waterman Mysterious Blue.

3) [newly restored] Morrison sterling filigree overlay ringtop, with Waterman Purple.  (Hmmmm....  Looks as if I'm gonna have to buy a bottle of Wateman Purple now.... )

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[essayfaire]

1 hour ago, ParramattaPaul said:

It, and a 479 are two of my favourite vintage Conway Stewarts.

Aren't these the same pen but with different trim?

 

4 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

2) [newly restored] Mabie Todd Swan ringtop

Must be UK pen day on FPN!

[ParramattaPaul]

1 hour ago, essayfaire said:

Aren't these the same pen but with different trim?

I'll let you decide for yourself --- A book of Conway Stewart numbers - page 6 (wesonline.org.uk)

[dms525]

Arrived last night. Inked immediately.

 

 

 

David

[inkstainedruth]

1 hour ago, essayfaire said:

Must be UK pen day on FPN!

Well, I'm not sure about that.  The Mabie Todd DOES have a Parker nib on it, after all.  And Mabie Todd started as a US based company....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Mercian]

A ‘Made in England’ late-1970s Parker 25 (blue trim), unmarked nib I think is an ‘M’ - Parker Quink ‘Washable Blue’ (for a completely school-tastic experience).

 

A ‘Made in England’ late-1970s Parker 45 ‘Flighter’, steel ‘M’ nib - Sailor ‘Kiwa Guro’.

 

Edit to add:

In a contrast to some other FPN members, my own use of ‘Made in England’ late-1970s pens is not worthy of remark.

I, after all, was ‘Made in England’ in the early-1970s 😉

[AmandaW]

TWSBI 580 Rose with a fine nib. No idea what the ink is. My Log says Pelikan Edelstein Smoky Quartz, but it's way too pinky-red for that.

Doesn't matter. It's almost empty and due for a clean.

[essayfaire]

1 hour ago, AmandaW said:

My Log says Pelikan Edelstein Smoky Quartz, but it's way too pinky-red for that.

I feel better knowing I am not alone in occasionally having a log that clearly doesn't match reality.

[DvdRiet]

11 hours ago, OldTravelingShoe said:

The two Esteems have smaller nibs, one a good but bit scratchy F, the other, alas, an M (instead of a B, as I thought I acquired, and as the webshop description and the label on the box promise).

 

Great review! And glad to see you are having fun getting to know them! I haven't inked mine yet but will soon. 

 

But I am sorry to hear about the scratchy F nib. I don't have many F nibs but I have never had a scratchy one that hadn't been messed with by someone. You may want to check it to see if the tines might have somehow become misaligned during handling. But otherwise, I generally find them to be very smooth with just a hint of feedback, as you mention. (I like to feel the pen writing but without any drag.  )

 

And oddly, I have the same issue of ordering a B nib but receiving an M in a B box! But I suppose that is the risk of buying through one of these deep discount deals. I'm not sure how it works, as this was my first time using it, but I assume I would only be able to return it for a refund and not for a correct replacement. I would have preferred a B for the variety because I already have so many M nibs, but I don't mind too much either way luckily, so I will just go ahead and keep it. 

[DvdRiet]

12 hours ago, OldTravelingShoe said:

@DvdRiet, I didn't know Diplomat made such colorful (and celluloid-based) pens. I saw their Zepp, but are there any rumors about a(nother) possible 100-year pen? 

 

Diplomat did make some striped celluloids in the past. Not sure when but my best guess would be somewhere in the 50s, maybe 40s. (I have yet to acquire any as they do not come up for sale often.)

The only time that they produced these marbled type of resin pens (looks like the old celluloids but is acrylic) as far as I have been able to discover was for their 75th anniversary in 1997. This orange and blue one is said to have been a sample of one that didn't go into production. The LE anniversary pen that did go into production is more yellowish green and black. It was available in gold trim (75 pieces) and silver trim (925 pieces) and was designed by Achim Velte, who now makes pens under his own name. (See the first photo on this page: Schreibgeräte - Schreibgeräte Achim Velte Germany (achim-velte.de) ) There was another anniversary pen (5000 pieces) that was a mottled grey lacquer, but it is a metal pen rather than resin.

 

As for the 100-year anniversary this year, I am also super curious as to what they will present. I do hope it is not something as outrageously expensive (and frankly, odd-looking) as the Zepp. It would be nice to be able to afford to buy one, whatever it is!

 

[mallymal1]

13 hours ago, essayfaire said:

I am testing out a newly arrived Conway Stewart No.475!! It has a medium nib with some flex.  I have no other flexible nibs. So far I am very pleased!  It's beautiful, too, but I could tell that from the picture. I could not tell how it would feel in hand.

 

Congratulations on the 475. Would be great to see a pic of it.

[Collezionista]

Mb 146 solitaire steel 

 

 

[essayfaire]

19 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

The Mabie Todd DOES have a Parker nib on it, after all.  And Mabie Todd started as a US based company...

I stand amended! 

11 hours ago, mallymal1 said:

Congratulations on the 475. Would be great to see a pic of it.

Ask and you shall receive: 

and @ParramattaPaul, the similarly coloured late 479 looks just like this with different trim, don't you think?