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Discovering some vintage Indian pens

shrujaya

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shrujaya Rare

shrujaya

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Posted (edited)

Dear friends…

 

I have posted a couple of items on FPs on this forum…though the posts are mostly like reviews, I posted them here mainly because there were photos accompanying the posts…this time around, I am writing about some FP discoveries that I made in the pilgrim town of Gaya in Bihar, India…Gaya is my wife’s hometown and this time around, I was visiting her parents and I was there for a week…ok, before going there, FP buff that I have become now, I was wondering whether there would be some shop in this town that would have some FPs…I wrote to my good friend (and fellow FPN-ian) Hari (hari317), informing him that I would be going to Gaya and that I’d be on the lookout for FPs there…promptly, in his next mail, he sent me the address of a pen shop in Gaya…let me tell you briefly about Gaya…

 

Gaya is one of the important pilgrim centres of India, for both Hindus and Buddhists…13 kilometres from Gaya is Bodh Gaya, where Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree, the third or fourth generation of the original tree is still there…Gaya is a university town and houses the Magadh University and the town used to be an important cultural centre some 30-40 years back…lots of things have happened over the years…neglect, political apathy, etc., and the town has receded to the background…

 

It was with a great deal of scepticism that I went to this shop, Sainani Pen Corner, on the third day of my stay in Gaya…I imagined it to be a big shop, bustling with customers, and would have undergone changes and would now be selling Indian Parker Vector FPs and left over Camlin FPs, the ubiquitous FP brands that one commonly finds in common Indian stationery shops… if I was not on the lookout out of the car window, I would have missed it, the look of the shop turned out be an anticlimax…it was slightly more than a hole in the wall…what we call here as ‘it didn’t look any bigger than a pan (cigarette shop) shop’… what could I find here?

 

Anyway, Shruti and I went to the small counter and there was this man (Anjani Kumar Sainani)…I asked him whether he had any fountain pens…he gave me a recent model called Montex…I asked whether he had any ebonite old FPs…I think, that cooked my goose…he realised he had a mad FP fan…he said that he used to have such pens in the past and maybe one or two are still left over and that he’d have to search…the shop was stacked till the roof with old dusty cardboard pen boxes…he then proceeded to show me some really old Indian steel nibbed FPs…names like Kingson, Olympic, Wilson … I had heard of Wilson, who used to manufacture FPs in India with their HQ in Bombay…I asked him the price and he told me that the price list is with his brother and that he’d let me know…and all these were steel nibbed ones…he told me he also has Swans and Waterman and Pilot gold nib pens…and that he’d have them in the shop in a couple of days…and asked me to come back two days later…and then he showed me a brand called Plato…with 14 kt gold nib…it was really good looking, red in colour with a broad band on the cap…vintage… almost 40 years old…and the price he quoted was too much…I didn’t have the heart to buy the pen, though good looking, at that price…that day, I could buy only a Kingson FP, as that was the only FP that he was able to quote any price…in the evening, I called up Hari and told him about my visit and the pens that I saw and the prices that were quoted…my heart was really after the Plato G-Nib pen…Hari told me that the Wilson steel nibs were ok, but the price for the Plato was way beyond even the most inflated rates that anyone would quote…and Hari also requested me to buy spare specimens (if available) of any pens that I bought or saw…and Hari, ever practical, also asked me photograph the Plato gold nib pen, even if I didn’t want to purchase it…this was real good advice…with Hari’s various advices in mind, I went there two days later, with hope in my heart and a reasonable amount of money in my wallet…

 

I had kept aside a couple of Wilson and Olympic FPs earlier, and when he saw me, he took them out and told me the price…I was stunned…it was too much…he then showed me Swan (Cambridge) steel nib FPs and an ebonite Wilson…and a mottled orange flat top/bottom Wilson (this looks like ebonite, but I am not sure), also steel nib…I was sorely tempted…but the price he was quoting for these steel nibbed FPs was too much…once an FP addict, always an FP addict…with a heavy heart, I started selecting the proffered pens…he had two mottled orange and two zany designed Wilsons…I took them all…he had two Swan Cambridges…I took them too…and the Wilson mottled brown ebonite, he had only one…I took that…so, I had purchased 8 pens, along with the Kingson, two days back…I mentally counted the money I had and decided that I couldn’t afford the Olympic FPs…then I remembered Hari’s advice on photographing the G-Nib pens, and I asked him to show me the Plato…and wonder of wonders…apart from Plato, he proceeded to display some more G-Nib pens…an Indian Pilot GN, an Indian Waterman, and another Plato GN with piston pump filler…I was stunned…I have posted the photo of the shop and I think you can understand my reaction on seeing these pens…but the price that he quoted for each of these was astronomical…he was not willing to even reduce 1 rupee…therefore, buying them was out of question…so, following Hari’s advice, I managed to photograph them in their various poses…and have posted them here…

 

But the bigger and important point is that at one point in time in the 1960s, international pen makers like Pilot and Waterman and Swan had set up shop in India and were manufacturing these pens in India…and they were manufacturing machine made gold nibs here in India… and many old timers have said that they were using these pens, albeit steel nibbed ones, in their school and early college days…it also speaks a lot that an obscure shop in an out of the way town like Gaya has old stocks of these pens…and as Hari said, during one of our ‘pen-cussions,’ the Sainani Pen Corner must have had its glory days…but, all that is history now…these pens are no longer manufactured here and all that we have are some left over FPs and these photos…

 

This post, in many ways, is a companion post to the one posted by Hari, where he had put up photos of Indian Pilot, Swan, and Waterman FPs that he had discovered in Chennai…I thank Hari wholeheartedly…as you can see, he has been with this episode right from the start…giving me the name of this pen shop to offering various suggestions during the purchase and discovery of these pens, and finally for uploading all these photographs, so that I could post them…

 

Friends…these are photos of the pens that I did not buy…I will soon have a smaller post where I will post photos of the pens that I bought…

 

This post is written and photos are posted, more with a sense of history than anything else…a kind of glorious chapter in the history of Fountain Pens in India…

 

I hope this entire narrative was not too tedious for your reading pleasure…

 

Thanks…

 

Jayasrinivasa Rao

 

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii197/hari317/Gaya%20Pen%20Fotos-Jai/Plato-posted-2.jpg

 

Plato posted

 

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii197/hari317/Gaya%20Pen%20Fotos-Jai/Plato-posted.jpg

 

Plato posted-2

 

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii197/hari317/Gaya%20Pen%20Fotos-Jai/Plato-pistonwithcapcloseup.jpg

 

Plato-piston with cap closed

 

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii197/hari317/Gaya%20Pen%20Fotos-Jai/Plato-pistonopencloseup.jpg

 

Plato-piston with cap open

 

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii197/hari317/Gaya%20Pen%20Fotos-Jai/IndianWaterman-posted.jpg

 

Indian Waterman's 63 posted

 

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii197/hari317/Gaya%20Pen%20Fotos-Jai/IndianWaterman-nibsidecloseup.jpg

 

Indian Waterman's 63 nib side view

 

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii197/hari317/Gaya%20Pen%20Fotos-Jai/IndianWaterman-nibfrontcloseup.jpg

 

Indian Waterman's 63 nib front

 

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii197/hari317/Gaya%20Pen%20Fotos-Jai/IndianWaterman-capped.jpg

 

Indian Waterman's 63 capped

 

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii197/hari317/Gaya%20Pen%20Fotos-Jai/IndianWaterman-capcloseup.jpg

 

Indian Waterman's 63 cap close-up

 

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii197/hari317/Gaya%20Pen%20Fotos-Jai/IndianWaterman-capandbodyengravingc.jpg

 

Indian Waterman's 63 cap and body engraving

 

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii197/hari317/Gaya%20Pen%20Fotos-Jai/IndianPilot-Nibsidecloseup.jpg

 

Indian Pilot-nib side view

 

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii197/hari317/Gaya%20Pen%20Fotos-Jai/IndianPilot-Nibfrontcloseup.jpg

 

Indian Pilot-nib front

 

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii197/hari317/Gaya%20Pen%20Fotos-Jai/IndianPilot-Capped.jpg

 

Indian Pilot-capped

 

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii197/hari317/Gaya%20Pen%20Fotos-Jai/SainaniPenCorner-GayaBihar-1.jpg

 

Sainani Pen Corner, Gaya, Bihar, India

Edited by shrujaya

Writing and posting about fountain pens exclusively on www.jaisiri.blogspot.in ... recent posts on Hema Pens (Hyderabad), Haul at Majestic (Bangalore), and Asoka Pens (Tenali)...

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Carrie Antique

Carrie

Posted
Posted

Thanks for posting that, very interesting reading and photos. That Plato's not meant to look at all like a Parker is it :lol:

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georges zaslavsky Museum Piece

georges zaslavsky

Posted
Posted

very interesting post :thumbup: that plato looks like an English made Maxima but with a vac filling system. Wondering if the plato has a parker nib.

Pens are like watches , once you start a collection, you can hardly go back. And pens like all fine luxury items do improve with time

 

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kazoolaw Antique

kazoolaw

Posted
Posted

Thank you for posting a fascinating, and well written, story of the FP addiction in a part of the world that I will never see in person.

You and Hari both are to be congratulated for preserving a part of your culture,and sharing those interesting pens with us.

gary

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hari317 Museum Piece

hari317

Posted
Posted (edited)
  georges zaslavsky said:
... Wondering if the plato has a parker nib.

 

Hi, on the request of Jai I am posting the photos of the Plato nibs.

 

Georges, the nib does look a lot like the arrow parker nibs, but are made in India by Plato (a brand of Mhatre Pens and Plastics, Mumbai)

 

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii197/hari317/Gaya%20Pen%20Fotos-Jai/Plato-14ktgoldnibcloseup.jpg

 

and another Plato pen at Sainani

 

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii197/hari317/Gaya%20Pen%20Fotos-Jai/Plato14ktGNibI-posted.jpg

 

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii197/hari317/Gaya%20Pen%20Fotos-Jai/Plato14ktGNibI-Nibcloseup.jpg

 

 

 

Cheers,

Hari

Edited by hari317

In case you wish to write to me, pls use ONLY email by clicking here. I do not check PMs. Thank you.

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shrujaya Rare

shrujaya

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  • Author
Posted

Hi Stanley...Mr Sainani quoted Rs.4500/- (around 110 USD) for the 2 gold nib Platos and the blue Pilot; and Rs.2500/- (around 60 USD) for the steel nibbed Indian Waterman's 63...These pens can be had for much less if and when found in other shops in India...this is a proven fact, especially with the Waterman's 63...and even with Indian Pilot Gold Nib pens...

 

Thanks for responding...

 

Jai

 

 

 

  Stanley Lyndon said:
It would be nice if you can tell us how much he quoted for each in rupees. :)

 

Writing and posting about fountain pens exclusively on www.jaisiri.blogspot.in ... recent posts on Hema Pens (Hyderabad), Haul at Majestic (Bangalore), and Asoka Pens (Tenali)...

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shrujaya Rare

shrujaya

Posted
  • Author
Posted
  hari317 said:
  georges zaslavsky said:
... Wondering if the plato has a parker nib.

 

Hi, on the request of Jai I am posting the photos of the Plato nibs.

 

Georges, the nib does look a lot like the arrow parker nibs, but are made in India by Plato (a brand of Mhatre Pens and Plastics, Mumbai)

 

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii197/hari317/Gaya%20Pen%20Fotos-Jai/Plato-14ktgoldnibcloseup.jpg

 

and another Plato pen at Sainani

 

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii197/hari317/Gaya%20Pen%20Fotos-Jai/Plato14ktGNibI-posted.jpg

 

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii197/hari317/Gaya%20Pen%20Fotos-Jai/Plato14ktGNibI-Nibcloseup.jpg

 

 

 

Cheers,

Hari

 

 

Thanks for posting these pics, Hari...I wonder how i missed posting these photos...hope we find some alive and inking Platos for ourselves soon instead of pining over these photographs...ha ha...

 

Regards,

 

Jai

Writing and posting about fountain pens exclusively on www.jaisiri.blogspot.in ... recent posts on Hema Pens (Hyderabad), Haul at Majestic (Bangalore), and Asoka Pens (Tenali)...

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shrujaya Rare

shrujaya

Posted
  • Author
Posted
  gary said:
Thank you for posting a fascinating, and well written, story of the FP addiction in a part of the world that I will never see in person.

You and Hari both are to be congratulated for preserving a part of your culture,and sharing those interesting pens with us.

gary

 

Thanks Gary...for your encouraging response...in our own separate ways, we have been trying to dig out some forgotten facts and pens from the past...there are more such stories of 'extinct' FP brands and 'closed-down-due-to-lack-of-raw-materials' and 'closed-down-due-to-ball-pen-invasion' manufacturing units...i am tracking a couple of them...I will post their stories too soon...

 

Regards,

 

Jai

Writing and posting about fountain pens exclusively on www.jaisiri.blogspot.in ... recent posts on Hema Pens (Hyderabad), Haul at Majestic (Bangalore), and Asoka Pens (Tenali)...

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shrujaya Rare

shrujaya

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Hi Carrie...You are right, I didnt know this, but as soon as he saw these photos, Hari told me that the piston Plato is an imitation of a Parker model...I forget which one...hardened FP enthusiasts would be able to see a lot of similarities...lets be charitable, now that these pens are no longer being manufactured, and say that the iconic models 'inspired' these models...

 

Thanks for responding...

 

Jai

 

  Carrie said:
Thanks for posting that, very interesting reading and photos. That Plato's not meant to look at all like a Parker is it :lol:

 

Writing and posting about fountain pens exclusively on www.jaisiri.blogspot.in ... recent posts on Hema Pens (Hyderabad), Haul at Majestic (Bangalore), and Asoka Pens (Tenali)...

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Abhik Extremely Rare

Abhik

Posted
Posted

Shrujaya (& Hari),

Plato reminds me of UK made Parker Duofold! Clip, cap-band even nib design!

Who used to manufacture this 'Plato' pens? Where?

Thanks for sharing! Good photos too!

Enjoy your new collection!

Abhik.

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hari317 Museum Piece

hari317

Posted
Posted
  Abhik said:
Plato reminds me of UK made Parker Duofold! Clip, cap-band even nib design!

Who used to manufacture this 'Plato' pens? Where?

 

Yes it looks like an English Duofold maxima, The nib size looks smaller from the photographs. Plato was made by a company called Mhatre pens and plastics in Mumbai, now closed.

 

Regards,

Hari

In case you wish to write to me, pls use ONLY email by clicking here. I do not check PMs. Thank you.

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tknechtel Vintage

tknechtel

Posted
Posted

Jai, many thanks for your wonderful detailed account. That image of the shop and of the beautiful red pen make me wish I could be there! I really enjoy the writing and photos that you and Hari are posting about FPs in India, tracing that history while it's still available. Please keep them coming!

Tom

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shrujaya Rare

shrujaya

Posted
  • Author
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Hello friends...

 

Continuing from where I left off...I had written about the pens that I found in Sainani Pen Corner in Gaya...and posted photos of pens that I could not purchase...well...I did purchase some pens...5, to be precise...these are 3 of these are actually almost 50 year old Wilson Fountain Pens...one is an Indian Swan FP, called the Swan Cambridge...and the other one is an obscure brand called KIngson...i bought it because of its brushed look...

 

My heart started beating faster the moment I saw the Mottled Orange Wilson...it is such a beautiful looking pen...it almost says, 'aint I cute?'... short and sweet...but the clip fix on the cap looks damaged or maybe it looks like that anyway...I thought this was an ebonite FP, Anjani Sainai told me that it was ebonite, but to me it didnt smell ebonite... Hari feels that this could be a celluloid model...all the same...the other one is what I call the Wilson Zany (for its zany design)...this is a highly individualistic pen, I feel...it has this 'I dont care how I look' attitude, but knows that 'i am cool, irrestistible'...I like this one instantly...and it has a rhomboid colour jewel on the clip...gives it character...I dont know what material it is made up of...again I only have a clue from what Anjani Sainani told about these pens..."my father used to tell me that if and when these pens are burnt, you get the smell of camphor..." When Hari saw this pen, he said it looks like celluloid, and he said he could smell a faint camphor-ish smell from the opened barrel...so, 'camphor' gave me the clue to guess that this might be a celluloid pen... the Wilson Brown Ebonite was indeed a rare find...it has this solid look about it...almost saying, 'dont mess with me'... in all these pens, the nib, feeder, clip (except mottled orange, which has a lotus engraved at the top of the clip!!!), and barrel are all stamped with the manufacturer's name...

 

The Indian Swan Cambrdige is a real find, according to Hari...he has, i think, 3 kinds of Indian Swan models, and this would become the 4th...i have asked him to make a separate post on Indian Swans...anyway, one can see the legend of the Swan on the barrel...looks great and gives character to the pen...the cap is simple with the name engraved on the edge of the cap lip...the nib too is engraved with the Swan name...

 

Finally...Kingson...this must be a really obscure, region specific pen company...because unlike Wilson, Swan, etc., the name 'Kingson' is something that one doesnt come across as easily... and I bought this only because this has a brushed look on it reminding me of the brushed Deccan ebonite that I have...the sticker on the cap is still intact...but the nib doesnt carry the 'kingson' name, but of a more popular nib manufacturer called 'Ambitious'...

 

And here are the photos...there are too many I think...

 

Regards...

 

Jai

 

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/AllGayaPens-Sainani.jpg

All Pens-Group Photo-Capped

 

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/WilsonMottledOrange-capped-1.jpg

Wilson Mottled Orange-capped

 

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/WilsonMottledOrange-barrelengraving.jpg

Wilson Mottled Orange-barrel engraving

 

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/WilsonMottledOrange-barreldetail.jpg

Wilson Mottled Orange-barrel detail

 

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/WilsonMottledOrange-clip-lotusengra.jpg

Wilson Mottled Orange-clip-lotus engraving

 

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/WilsonMottledOrange-nibcloseup.jpg

Wilson Mottled Orange-nib close up

 

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/Wilson-zany-capped-2.jpg

Wilson Zany-capped

 

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/Wilson-zany-barrelengraving.jpg

Wilson Zany-barrel engraving

 

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/Wilson-zany-barreldesign.jpg

Wilson Zany-barrel detail

 

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/Wilson-zany-capbandengraving.jpg

Wilson Zany-cap band name

 

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/Wilson-zany-nibcloseup.jpg

Wilson Zany-nib close up

 

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/WilsonBrownEbonite-barrelwithengrav.jpg

Wilson Brown ebonite-barrel with engraving

 

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/WilsonBrownEbonite-clipwithjewel.jpg

Wilson Brown ebonite-clip with rhomboid jewel

 

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/WilsonBrownEbonite-nibcloseup.jpg

Wilson Brown ebonite-nib close up

 

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/WilsonBrownEbonite-nibfeederwithleg.jpg

Wilson Brown ebonite-nib feeder with legend

 

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/SwanCambridgeIndia-barrelengraving.jpg

Swan Cambridge India-barrel engraving

 

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/SwanCambridgeIndia-capengraving.jpg

Swan Cambridge India-cap engraving

 

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/SwanCambridgeIndia-nibclose-up.jpg

Swan Cambridge India-nib close up

 

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/SwanCambridgeIndia-uncapped.jpg

Swan Cambridge India-uncapped

 

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/Kingson-body-brushedsurface.jpg

Kingson-brushed body surface

 

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/Kingson-capengraving.jpg

Kingson-clip legend

 

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/Kingson-nibfrontcloseup.jpg

Kingson-nib close up

 

Writing and posting about fountain pens exclusively on www.jaisiri.blogspot.in ... recent posts on Hema Pens (Hyderabad), Haul at Majestic (Bangalore), and Asoka Pens (Tenali)...

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EventHorizon Antique

EventHorizon

Posted
Posted

I was in New Delhi and Gurgaon earlier this year and it stinks that I did not have time to explore. I think that the next time I go, I will make time. I know Gaya is a far cry from New Delhi but I have to think there are more of these small shops.

Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.

Isaac Asimov, Salvor Hardin in "Foundation"

US science fiction novelist & scholar (1920 - 1992)

 

There is probably no more terrible instant of enlightenment than the one in which you discover your father is a man--with human flesh.

Frank Herbert, Dune

US science fiction novelist (1920 - 1986)

 

My Pens on Flikr

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  • 5 years later...
sanyalsoumitra Vintage

sanyalsoumitra

Posted
Posted

Beautiful pens, nice to view. I feel like going off to Gaya this very moment!! Thanks for sharing.

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  • 11 months later...
cjpandya Mint

cjpandya

Posted
Posted

Beautiful post! Thanks for sharing. Good to know that a few more of our indian FP's from the bygone era found their place in caring hands; Else they would have been lost in a pile of junk of the cheap ballpoints. The wilson zainy had my heart racing! :wub:

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  • 1 year later...
sanyalsoumitra Vintage

sanyalsoumitra

Posted
Posted

I had visited this shop in Gaya yesterday. Sorry to inform they have just nothing other than a few Montex and Parker beta/ Vector contemporary pens. The elderly person told me he has all his older stock sold off and there would be hardly a future possibility of getting the older pens anymore!

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      Guess who loses
    • lamarax 11 Apr 0:30
      In Europe, the only (truly) American produced brand is Esterbrook AFAIK. Tariffs will make Esterbrook products compete on the same level as some high-end European brands (let's say Aurora), while clearly the product is manufactured to compete on a much lower price level.
    • lamarax 11 Apr 0:24
      So let's say you want to buy a Montblanc or whatever. You pay the current tariff on top of the usual price, unless your local distributor is willing to absorb (some) of the difference
    • lamarax 11 Apr 0:20
      Tariffs are paid by the importer, not the exporter.
    • TheQuillDeal 10 Apr 2:44
      Can anyone explain how the tariff war will affect fountain pen prices??
    • Penguincollector 30 Mar 15:07
      Oh yes, pictures are on the “ I got this pen today” thread.
    • lectraplayer 29 Mar 9:19
      Is it here yet?
    • Penguincollector 26 Mar 5:00
      I just got the tracking information for my Starwalker💃🏻
    • T.D. Rabbit 3 Mar 12:46
      @lamarax I am horrified... And slightly intrigued. But mostly just scared.
    • lamarax 2 Mar 20:38
      Oh well. In case of failure you can always wring the paper to have a nice -albeit somewhat stale- cup of coffee back.
    • T.D. Rabbit 2 Mar 10:20
      @Astronymus I could use cornstarch... Or i could distill it and make it very concentrated.
    • T.D. Rabbit 2 Mar 10:20
      @lamarax That's what I used! (In reply to black coffee).. But the milk might not be good at all for paper.
    • Grayfeather 2 Mar 0:08
      Good day, all.
    • Gertrude F 20 Feb 17:58
      Sorry think I posted this in the wrong place. Used to be a user, just re-upped. Be kind. 😑
    • Gertrude F 20 Feb 17:56
      Looking to sell huge lot of pretty much every Man 200 made - FP, BP, MP, one or two RBs. Does anyone have a suggestion for a bulk purhase house? Thanks - and hope this doesn't violate any rules.
    • lamarax 17 Feb 18:05
      Cappuccino should work. Frothy milk also helps to lubricate the nib. But it has to be made by a barista.
    • Astronymus 17 Feb 16:19
      YOu might need to thicken the coffee with something. I admit I have no idea with what. But I'm pretty sure it would work.
    • asnailmailer 3 Feb 17:35
      it is incowrimo time and only very few people are tempting me
    • lamarax 31 Jan 21:34
      Try black coffee. No sugar.
    • T.D. Rabbit 31 Jan 8:11
      Coffee is too light to write with though I've tried.
    • Astronymus 29 Jan 21:46
      You can use coffee and all other kinds of fluid with a glas pen. 😉
    • Roger Zhao 29 Jan 14:37
      chocolate is yummy
    • Bucefalo 17 Jan 9:59
      anyone sells vacumatic push button shafts
    • stxrling 13 Jan 1:25
      Are there any threads or posts up yet about the California Pen Show in February, does anyone know?
    • lamarax 10 Jan 20:27
      Putting coffee in a fountain pen is far more dangerous
    • asnailmailer 9 Jan 0:09
      Don't drink the ink
    • zug zug 8 Jan 16:48
      Coffee inks or coffee, the drink? Both are yummy though.
    • LandyVlad 8 Jan 5:37
      I hear the price of coffee is going up. WHich is bad because I like coffee.
    • asnailmailer 6 Jan 14:43
      time for a nice cup of tea
    • Just J 25 Dec 1:57
      @liauyat re editing profile: At forum page top, find the Search panel. Just above that you should see your user name with a tiny down arrow [🔽] alongside. Click that & scroll down to CONTENT, & under that, Profile. Click that, & edit 'til thy heart's content!
    • liapuyat 12 Dec 12:20
      I can't seem to edit my profile, which is years out of date, because I've only returned to FPN again recently. How do you fix it?
    • mattaw 5 Dec 14:25
      @lantanagal did you do anything to fix that? I get that page every time I try to go to edit my profile...
    • Penguincollector 30 Nov 19:14
      Super excited to go check out the PDX Pen Bazaar today. I volunteered to help set up tables. It should be super fun, followed by Xmas tree shopping. 😁
    • niuben 30 Nov 10:41
      @Nurse Ratchet
    • Nurse Ratchet 30 Nov 2:49
      Newbie here!!! Helloall
    • Emes 25 Nov 23:31
      jew
    • Misfit 9 Nov 2:38
      lantanagal, I’ve only seen that happen when you put someone on the ignore list. I doubt a friend would do that.
    • lantanagal 7 Nov 19:01
      UPDATE - FIXED NOW Exact message is: Requested page not available! Dear Visitor of the Fountain Pen Nuthouse The page you are requesting to visit is not available to you. You are not authorised to access the requested page. Regards, The FPN Admin Team November 7, 2024
    • lantanagal 7 Nov 18:59
      UPDATE - FIXED NOW Trying to send a pen friend a reply to a message, keep getting an error message to say I don't have access. Anyone any ideas? (tried logging our and back in to no avail)
    • Dr.R 2 Nov 16:58
      Raina’s
    • fireant 2 Nov 1:36
      Fine-have you had a nibmeister look at it?
    • carlos.q 29 Oct 15:19
      @FineFinerFinest: have you seen this thread? https://www.fountainpennetwor...nging-pelikan-nibs/#comments
    • FineFinerFinest 24 Oct 8:52
      No replies required to my complaints about the Pelikan. A friend came to the rescue with some very magnification equipment - with the images thrown to a latge high res screen. Technology is a wonderful thing. Thanks to Mercian for the reply. I had been using the same paper & ink for sometime when the "singing" started. I have a theory but no proof that nibs get damaged when capping the pen. 👍
    • Mercian 22 Oct 22:28
      @FineFinerFinest: sometimes nib-'singing' can be lessened - or even cured - by changing the ink that one is putting through the pen, or the paper that one is using. N.b. *sometimes*. Good luck
    • Bluetaco 22 Oct 22:04
      howdy
    • FineFinerFinest 21 Oct 5:23
      I'm not expecting any replies to my question about the singing Pelikan nib. It seems, from reading the background, that I am not alone. It's a nice pen. It's such a pity Pelikan can't make decent nibs. I have occasionally met users who tell me how wonderful their Pelikan nib is. I've spent enough money to know that not everyone has this experience. I've worked on nibs occasionally over forty years with great success. This one has me beaten. I won't be buying any more Pelikan pens. 👎
    • FineFinerFinest 21 Oct 4:27
      I've had a Pelikan M805 for a couple of years now and cannot get the nib to write without singing. I've worked on dozens of nibs with great success. Ny suggestion about what's going wrong? 😑
    • Bhakt 12 Oct 5:45
      Any feedback in 100th anniversary Mont Blanc green pens?
    • Glens pens 8 Oct 15:08
      @jordierocks94 i happen to have platinum preppy that has wrote like (bleep) since i bought it my second pen....is that something you would wish to practice on?
    • jordierocks94 4 Oct 6:26
      Hello all - New here. My Art studies have spilled me into the ft pen world where I am happily submerged and floating! I'm looking to repair some cheap pens that are starving for ink yet filled, and eventually get new nibs; and development of repair skills (an even longer learning curve than my art studies - lol). Every hobby needs a hobby, eh ...
    • The_Beginner 18 Sept 23:35
      horse notebooks if you search the title should still appear though it wont show you in your proflie
    • Jayme Brener 16 Sept 22:21
      Hi, guys. I wonder if somebody knows who manufactured the Coro fountain pens.
    • TheHorseNotebooks 16 Sept 13:11
      Hello, it's been ages for me since I was here last time. I had a post (http://www.fountainpennetwork...-notebooks/?view=getnewpost) but I see that it is no longer accessible. Is there anyway to retrieve that one?
    • Refujio Rodriguez 16 Sept 5:39
      I have a match stick simplomatic with a weidlich nib. Does anyone know anything about this pen?
    • The_Beginner 15 Sept 16:11
      dusty yes, glen welcome
    • Glens pens 11 Sept 1:22
      Hello, Im new to FPN I'm so happy to find other foutain penattics. collecting almost one year ,thought I would say hello to everyone.
    • DustyBin 8 Sept 14:34
      I haven't been here for ages... do I take it that private sales are no longer allowed? Also used to be a great place to sell and buy some great pens
    • Sailor Kenshin 1 Sept 12:37
      Lol…
    • JungleJim 1 Sept 1:55
      Perhaps it's like saying Beetlejuice 3 times to get that person to appear, though with @Sailor Kenshin you only have to say it twice?
    • Sailor Kenshin 31 Aug 21:06
      ?
    • Duffy 29 Aug 19:31
      @Sailor Kenshin @Sailor Kenshin
    • Seney724 26 Aug 22:07
    • Diablo 26 Aug 22:05
      Thank you so much, Seney724. I really appreciate your help!
    • Seney724 26 Aug 21:43
      I have no ties or relationship. Just a very happy customer. He is a very experienced Montblanc expert.
    • Seney724 26 Aug 21:42
      I strongly recommend Kirk Speer at https://www.penrealm.com/
    • Diablo 26 Aug 21:35
      @Seney724. The pen was recently disassembled and cleaned, but the nib and feed were not properly inserted into the holder. I'm in Maryland.
    • Diablo 26 Aug 21:32
      @Seney724. The nib section needs to be adjusted properly.
    • Seney724 26 Aug 18:16
      @Diablo. Where are you? What does it need?
    • Diablo 26 Aug 16:58
      Seeking EXPERIENCED, REPUTABLE service/repair for my 149. PLEASE help!!!
    • Penguincollector 19 Aug 19:42
      @Marta Val, reach out to @terim, who runs Peyton Street Pens and is very knowledgeable about Sheaffer pens
    • Marta Val 19 Aug 14:35
      Hello, could someone recommend a reliable venue: on line or brick and mortar in Fairfax, VA or Long Island, NY to purchase the soft parts and a converter to restore my dad's Sheaffer Legacy? please. Thanks a mill.
    • The_Beginner 18 Aug 2:49
      is there a guy who we can message to find a part for us with a given timelimit if so please let me know his name!
    • virtuoso 16 Aug 15:15
      what happene to the new Shaeffer inks?
    • Scribs 14 Aug 17:09
      fatehbajwa, in Writing Instruments, "Fountain Pens + Dip Pens First Stop" ?
    • fatehbajwa 14 Aug 12:17
      Back to FPN after 14 years. First thing I noticed is that I could not see a FS forum. What has changed? 🤔
    • Kika 5 Aug 10:22
      Are there any fountain pen collectors in Qatar?
    • T.D. Rabbit 31 July 18:58
      Ahh okay, thanks!
    • Scribs 29 July 18:51
      @ TDRabbit, even better would be in Creative Expressions area, subform The Write Stuff
    • T.D. Rabbit 29 July 11:40
      Okay, thanks!
    • JungleJim 29 July 0:46
      @T.D. Rabbit Try posting it in the "Chatter Forum". You have to be logged in to see it.
    • T.D. Rabbit 28 July 17:54
      Hello! Is there a thread anywhere 'round here where one can post self-composed poetry? If not, would it be alright if I made one? I searched on google, but to no avail...
    • OldFatDog 26 July 19:41
      I have several Parker Roller Ball & Fiber Tip refills in the original packaging. Where and how do I sell them? The couple that I've opened the ink still flowed when put to paper. Also if a pen would take the foller ball refill then it should take the fiber tip as well? Anyway it's been awhile and I'm want to take my message collection beyond the few pieces that I have... Meaning I don't have a Parker these refills will fit in 🙄
    • RegDiggins 23 July 12:40
      Recently was lucky enough to buy a pristine example of the CF crocodile ball with the gold plating. Then of course I faced the same problem we all have over the years ,of trying to find e refill. Fortunately I discovered one here in the U.K. I wonder if there are other sources which exist in other countries, by the way they were not cheap pen
    • The_Beginner 20 July 20:35
      Hows it going guys i have a code from pen chalet that i wont use for 10% off and it ends aug 31st RC10AUG its 10% off have at it fellas
    • T.D. Rabbit 19 July 9:33
      Somewhat confusing and off-putting ones, as said to me by my very honest friends. I don't have an X account though :<
    • piano 19 July 8:41
      @The Devil Rabbit what kind of? Let’s go to X (twitter) with #inkdoodle #inkdoodleFP
    • Mort639 17 July 1:03
      I have a Conway Stewart Trafalgar set. It was previously owned by actor Russell Crowe and includes a letter from him. Can anyone help me with assessing its value?
    • Sailor Kenshin 15 July 17:41
      There must be a couple of places here to share artworks.
    • T.D. Rabbit 15 July 12:45
      Hullo! I really like making ink doodles, and I'd like to share a few. Anywhere on the site I can do so? Thanks in advance!
    • Sailor Kenshin 6 July 17:58
      Pay It Forward.
    • AndWhoDisguisedAs 6 July 16:59
      where would I post wanting to trade bottle of ink straight up?
    • JungleJim 3 July 16:14
      @Bill Wood-- just look at the message below you that was posted by @PAKMAN. He is a moderator here on the forums.
    • Bill Wood 2 July 14:24
      Just checking on a classified section and where we are with that. Many thanks. Bill
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