Category Archives: Pens

PIF Kickstarter Franklin Christoph Model 31

15 Friday Mar 2019

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OK I admit it.  I’m a bit of a Franklin Christoph fanboi.  There said it.  Being the wrong side of the pond to attend US pen shows, means most of mine have been bought directly from the website, so purchases tend to be carefully thought out and I wait for specific colours, rather than just going for what is available.  However, the limited editions, in more recent times made from Jonathon Brooks acrylic rods, can grab me.   I ignored two of real interest as I had this pen lined up and all things Kickstarter take time and tend to run late.

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Wancher True Urushi Dream Pen

08 Friday Mar 2019

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On the 25th of January 2018, Wancher launched the Kickstarter project ‘The Dream Pen‘, with three options, True Ebonite, True Urushi, and True Maki-E.  The launch was accompanied by a series of very positive reviews by various bloggers and vbloggers, resulting in a heavy subscription, including from yours truly (I blame you Figboot).  A year and a bit later mine arrived and has been used for the last three weeks.

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Pens For Sale

06 Wednesday Mar 2019

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For Sale

As this hobby can be a combination of Aladin’s Cave and black hole, from time to time I may look to sell a number of my pens.  At present it’s not going to be very often, but who knows what the future holds.  After all selling pens is a great way to justify buying new ones, and we’re all like kids in a candy store in this hobby.
All pens will be tested and cleaned.

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Pens you feel you need then wonder why

02 Saturday Mar 2019

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There are several things to note about our hobby.  First we tend to like shiny things, second we see lots of nice shiny things on blogs and YouTube.  Third we play with shiny things at pen clubs.  As a result there seems to be a list of pens many of us get (and then sometimes sell), almost as if by very gentle peer pressure, and then later wonder why.  Here’s a list of those I’ve observed, many of which I seem to have as well.  Feel free to reply with any you feel I have missed off or your views.

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ScriBo Feel

17 Sunday Feb 2019

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One thing Luca Baglione, CEO of Srittura Bolognese (ScriBo) is keen to point out is, while he and many of the staff came from OMAS after it’s closure, ScriBo is not a phoenix or a restart, but a new company which is built upon the DNA of the former company (along with some of the manufacturing tools).  Initially we first saw a new  pen materialise as a store specific limited edition for Write Here in Shrewsbury, UK, a new looking pen using the OMAS specified Bock nibs we saw and loved from the latter days of OMAS.  During the summer of 2018, post a couple of high end collector models, ScriBo announced a new consumer model, the Feel, which I saw at the London Writing Equipment Show.  My first impressions were captured here (note I’ve since found out the nibs are now produced by Scribo themselves using the old OMAS machinery, and not by Bock) and also in this video of myself and Penultimate Dave interviewing Luca.  There are two versions, one in the ScriBo corporate colours of blue/grey, and the other a dark blue.  Both look very smart and could be used in any business environment as well as casually. The pens are made from resin, as are those from a number of top German manufacturers, and each one is turned by hand from an individual rod.

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Late Late Musings for the Week

11 Monday Feb 2019

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We’re now at that quiet time of the year when we’re getting over the start of 2019, with the associated blues.  The weather is poor and transportation tends to break.  Visiting the London Fountain Pen Club at the start of the month it was noticeable with only nine of us attending.  Low numbers but I seem to remember it was the same last year.  Certainly the winter blues had hit a few people but it was still a good sociable meet up.  The photo of the day must have been the Platinum Preppy alongside the Pilot Kakuno by me on Instagram, two great pens and a fraction of the cost of others we generally see.  Actually the Kakuno, with its smiley face, is probably an ideal February pen with a warm coloured ink loaded up in it.  I can see one being added to my collection.

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Powerful Signature Marine Ltd Edition

03 Sunday Feb 2019

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I first came across Rob van Nigtevecht and Powerful Signature on a UK based Facebook fountain pen group, where he posted pictures of pens he was making in various stages of creation and assembly.  In early 2018 he produced a dark blue pen with appropriate roundels on both finials to help celebrate the centenary of the RAF.  This attracted my attention and stirred me on to look at his website.  I think by then both RAF pens may already have been sold, but he also had a Marine edition, made from Conway Stewart rods which caught my eye and the rest, as they say, was history.

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If two pens touch for too long do you get a baby pen?

26 Saturday Jan 2019

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I think most of us of done it.  Looked at a pen case and wondered if the interior material will micro-scratch our pens, or if elastic/leather securing hoops will leave the pens loose and knocking against each other.  Occasionally a picture will be posted online of pens touching resulting in responses of horror and counter responses of teasing.  Continue reading →