31 Friday Jan 2020
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Here’s one to think about on a Friday. How you decide what pens you use. I was considering an update on my daily carry, except I realised there was no change from last time, which was back last November. Personally, where things have changed is at my PC/desk, where the number of pens grows and shrinks depending on what’s new and if I’m reviewing something. Continue reading
29 Wednesday Jan 2020
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Just a few weeks back I posted my review of a Yard-O-Led Astoria Grand I picked up at last October’s London Pen Show. I mentioned how I had contacted YOL over the history of the pen and the possibilities of replacing the clip band with the correct sterling silver one (with hallmarks). Within a day I had a reply.
25 Saturday Jan 2020
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People tend to mistakenly think that when Parker moved their manufacturing to India and Platignum (not to be confused with Platinum) appeared to cease to be, that fountain pen production in the UK had halted. However, even before that time, a number of small craftsmen were already starting up. One of these, in 2003, was Bryan Lucas at the Worcester Pen Company.
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21 Tuesday Jan 2020
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Let’s be honest. It was not just the textured pattern of the Kumpō limited edition 3776 Century pen from Platinum that made it so popular. It was also the turquoise colour. A colour that did not quite match any of the inks out there. Except …..
17 Friday Jan 2020
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Astoria yard-o-led astoria, English, fountain pen, Yard-o-Led, Yard-O-Led Astoria, Yard-O-Led Astoria Grand
These days most people associate Yard-O-Led (YOL) with a range of sterling silver writing implements hand crafted from a workshop in the Jewellery Quarter of Birmingham, UK, however back before the 2015 buyout from their previous owners Letts, they had other pens in their inventory.
12 Sunday Jan 2020
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When I started this blog (and moved my travel stuff of old across), not long after the 2018 London Writing Equipment Show I was going to create just one post every fortnight at best. Rapidly it became once a week except during a short period around my operation.
This week I can but apologise for a lack of content, even my occasional musings. Alas work and another of my hobbies (see my bio) have eaten up just too much of my time, so the planned review of either the Yard-O-Led Grand Astoria or Worcester Pen Company Serenity in OMAS acrylic (both bought at the last London Pen Show in October just gone) will have to wait another week.
Now to finish brewing a pot of tea – toodle pip.
04 Saturday Jan 2020
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japanese, maki-e, Mount Fuji and Ship, namiki, Nippon Art, pilot, urushi
I’m far from alone in liking maki-e and appreciating the skills and processes that go in to the creation of this form of art. As with many I often thought that my only options would be the ‘cheap’ commercial screen print pens, which are approximately £100 a pop, as the far more attractive alternatives I saw were all high end in the four figure price range and with releases been limited to single digit numbers of pens. Discovering the Namiki Nippon Art range was a revelation. Sure these pens are still £400+ outside of rare deals, but they are also much more affordable for a hand drawn piece of work.
24 Tuesday Dec 2019
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Delta were around from 1982 to 2016/7. During that time their most famous model was the Dolcevita. Traditionally available with an orange body and black cap, grip, and blind cap, a latter day alternative was launched, the Oro, in a stunning crushed orange resin. Available in silver and vermeil trims, it also should have come with either a 14k gold nib, or the infamous Delta Fusion nib (steel with a gold triangle glued on top ‘for heat dissipation’). In the last days of the company, pens were fitted with what was available just to try and get money in. The result, a Dolcevita Oro Stantuffo with a steel nib.
11 Wednesday Dec 2019
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What happens when an artist and sculptor moves in to the fountain pen world, making every component bar the nib/feed unit. This is what happened with Andy Deschacht of Garcia-Deschacht from Belgium. The net result is a range of unique pens with an attention to detail and visual aesthetics.
06 Friday Dec 2019
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Back in December 2015 an interesting pen appeared on Kickstarter, the VENVSTAS Carbon V. Designed by architect Lucio Rossi it was of an unusual design and construction and suffered from a troubled start. Some people loved it, others had great problems. One was leant to Stephen Brown who infamously lambasted it, which Lucio Rossi did not take too well on the FPN forums. Still it resulted in a growing range of pens, ending with the D’Art. I’m not sure what then happened as the company is still going, but the Kickstarter account was suddenly deleted and Lucio Rossi started a new company and Kickstarter account, U75 as well as a new pen, The Edge.
dapprman 