A Newbie's Questions About British Fountain Pen Brands

[Conservative Eccentric]

 

I am completely ignorant of pen brands; other than the handmade fountain pen I use at the moment, the only other fountain pen I have ever used was a Parker, but I would like to begin exploring what else is available.  What British fountain pen brands use wood or natural resins for the pen body?  I dislike the feel of plastic, or anything with a similar feel to plastic (acrylic, lacquer, etc.), generally try to avoid synthetics, and am adverse to metal due to its weight and temperature-conducting properties.

[IThinkIHaveAProblem]

In think you’ll find very few fountain pen companies (regardless of country) use wood in their pens in general. the overwhelming majority of pens are some sort of plastic or hard rubber (ebonite)

 

good luck in your search

[ajoe]

You might try Mr. Pen, I think they make mostly metal pens, but they have pretty wide range and might have others. Very good company, by the way.

[Conservative Eccentric]

Well, I do very much like my current fountain pen, which is wood, so perhaps instead of exploring other pen brands, I should simply be exploring kit compatible nibs, feeds, and converters to see what I like best with it.

[mizgeorge]

I would suggest looking at some ebonite pens. If you want something UK made, perhaps https://www.pen7.co.uk/ 

 

Howevever, you could do a lot worse than getting something from Ranga - they come from India, but have a fantastic range, will customise to your wishes and have an excellent choice of nibs. Ebonite, and in particular matte or semi-matte ebonite has a lovely hand feel and a unique 'warmth' in use. 

 

1 hour ago, ajoe said:

You might try Mr. Pen, I think they make mostly metal pens, but they have pretty wide range and might have others. Very good company, by the way.

I think all the Mr Pen offerings are metal or metal based. They have a nice range of nibs, but their pens are very heavy, and most have metal sections as well.

[Conservative Eccentric]

I do not mind the section of a pen being metal; I just would not go for one that has a metal body.

[PAKMAN]

Many pens were produced in England including Parkers, and Burnham, Conway Stewart, Dunhill, Italix, Mentmore, Onoto, Osmiroid, Platignum, Simpole, Summit, Wyvern, Yard-O-Led

[Conservative Eccentric]

Via people's suggestions and reading more about the materials, I am broadening my criteria to include ebonite and celluloid pens.  What brands that are not defunct should I look at for stub/italic nib pens?  I have small hands and long fingers, so I prefer pens that are neither chunky nor short.

[IThinkIHaveAProblem]

Afaik no one is really regularly making celluloid pens anymore, as i am under the impression no one is making celluloid (for pens) anymore. 
 

ebonite: ranga and fountain pen revolution (indian manufacturing) are the names i most often see associated with current production ebonite pens. I have no experience with them. 

[dachin]

Welcome newcomer!

 

For wood pens the only major manufacturer I am aware of is Faber Castell (https://www.faber-castell.com/fields-of-competence/fine-writing) - a german company. Physical retail stores likely have them to see in person, but they are on the pricy side.

 

Celluloid nitrate (the "old celluloid" that is quite flammable) is not used anymore, but I'm pretty sure celluloid acetate is still used in pen production, as it is still produced for plastic eyeglass frames. If you cannot easily go to a pen store I suggest going to an eyeglass store and try picking up frames made of celluloid acetate. The material is super smooth and warm to the touch, with a soft and slippery feel that some describe as slightly oily.

 

Both ebonite and celluloid pens can be bought from Indian manufacturers per comments above. I have not used ebonite so I cannot comment on their feel. I'm pretty sure the inexpensive Noodler Ahab pens are some sort of celluloid acetate since they have that distinctive smell but I am unsure.

 

I suggest going to a physical store to see and feel the materials. I for one became quite happy with the textured fibreglass body of my Lamy 2000 - it feels like fine grained wood.

 

In any case good luck - and most importantly, have fun!

[Conservative Eccentric]

Thank you!

 

Thank you for all the information; I am learning so much from people here and their recommendations, I am very glad I joined this site.

 

Out of curiosity, what are the oldest fountain pen manufacturers that are still in business today?

 

Edited February 16, 2023 by ConservativeEccentric

[Kas]

You could try this 

 

https://www.graf-von-faber-castell.co.uk/products/shop-our-products/fountain-pen-magnum-caucasian-wood-edition/fountain-pen-magnum-caucasian-wood-edition/

 

Not all wood but the barrel is walnut so might suit your needs. 

 

Or of course you can go the bespoke method, check this company out.

 https://irishpens.ie

[Conservative Eccentric]

Thanks very much.

[stan]

Platinum Pen of Japan makes celluloid pens. https://platinumpenusa.com/luxury-writing/3776-series-precious-metals-gathered-and-ebonite/. They used to make what they termed ReCelluloid pens in the late 1990s and early 2000s but modified the formulation to what they now call celluloid. Formulation was modified for environmental and plant safety reasons, they say. A bigger issue may have been long-term shrinkage making the barrels difficult to appach to and remove from the section.

 

Platinum also makes wood pens noatably models of Yakusugi cedar and the Izumo models. Pilot and Sailor pens also made wood pens in the recent past.

 

Good luck.

[Duffy]

On 2/13/2023 at 5:53 AM, dachin said:

Welcome newcomer!

 

For wood pens the only major manufacturer I am aware of is Faber Castell (https://www.faber-castell.com/fields-of-competence/fine-writing) - a german company. 

 

 

While not a major company, here is an Irish independent company who make wooden pens.

 

https://irishpens.ie/pages/about-us

Edited August 8, 2023 by Duffy