Bounty of Pens

An interesting package came today. But it was one of those double-edge sword kind of things. I’ve had much of the afternoon to examine, clean and polish most of fifteen different fountain pens, a fun and also educational afternoon for me any way you look at it. The other side of it is, the pens are not mine and there is a measure of covetousness about handling so many classy fountain pens that have to go back to the owner in a week’s time.

This past Friday while in town for the day, a friend wondered if I would be willing to take a look at his collection of fountain pens and give him some idea of what he has. That might impress you as odd, someone with a fine collection of pens, but with little knowledge of exactly what it is he has lined up in a glass showcase. But this is someone who likes the look of fountain pens, finds the shape, the design and colors interesting, though isn’t driven to write with the pens, or to even ink them in some cases. At least five of the pens I looked at today have never been inked. Maybe his fascination with the pens is a little like my own interest in tobacco related objects. I don’t smoke, but am drawn to the paraphernalia of smoking.

Of the fifteen fountain pens (and one Montblanc ballpoint), so far I have only looked closely at ten of them, and have not written with any of them. For the moment, the ten are all newly cleaned and polished, but still without ink. Filling the pens and trying them out is something I will do over the next couple of days.

The ten I have chosen to showcase here are as follows, from left to right:

1. Lamy AL-Star with a fine nib

2. Montblanc Meisterstuck 146 / B nib

3. Montblanc Marcel Proust / M nib

4. Porsche P'3110 / M nib

5. Alfred Dunhill, model unknown / M nib

6. Visconti Voyager / B nib

7. Mabie Todd Swan Leverless / No. 4 Eternal nib

8. Louis Cartier, model unknown / M nib

9. Waterman Philéas / F nib

10. Visconti Van Gogh / M nib

I took photos of two pairs that I particularly like, though a writing test will come later. The first pair (second photo) is the Montblanc 146 and the Marcel Proust. I have a 146 of my own, but without the silver cap. The Marcel Proust is from the famous writers series and is very handsome.

The third photo shows the Swan Leverless, one I like because of its vintage look. It is paired with the Porsche P'3110, which has a very unusual barrel of woven gold and silver bands.

I will say more about these fountain pens after I’ve had a chance to try them out on paper with an assortment of inks. Stay tuned.

The Pearl of Inks

I have long yearned for a solid gray ink with a degree of saturation that doesn’t leave me straining to make out the words. In my experience this is a rare quality in gray inks. In addition to the Montblanc Oyster Grey being reviewed here, I have four other grays—Sailor Jentle Ink Gray, Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu-syogun and Kiri-same, and J Herbin’s Gris Nuage—all rarely used. The reason is, none of them have a saturation that makes reading easy, but often require squinting or holding the paper under my nose. I mean, let’s face it, gray almost implies vagueness; it’s a diluted shade of black, the hue most often described as colorless. Unless the ink blender is very, very careful, the mix is going to end up pale and hard to read.

Des Atramentis hit upon a brilliant stroke when they added a dollop of green to gray and created the very readable Charles Dickens famous name ink. That green is the key to its easiness on the eyes. The Jentle Ink Gray from Sailor never worked for me, and after an initial infatuation, the two Iroshizuku inks paled. The J. Herbin Gris Nuage I used once and promptly forgot about. But along came Montblanc Oyster Grey and I am once again excited about a gray ink. In talking about a visit to the Montblanc store yesterday, I described the Oyster Grey as an elegant and aristocratic shade of gray. It also has the saturation necessary to make the color easy to read. The shading also impresses me, though I realize there are some who prefer less obvious deviation in the flow of ink. The Montblanc Grey gives what you could call shading plus.

I tested the Oyster Grey in two pens on four different kinds of paper: First, a Montblanc Meisterstuck 146, and then a Sailor 1911 Professional Gear, each pen on Clairefontaine, Moleskine, Life Noble Note, and common 20 lb white copy paper. The opinion of three people reflected a like choice. Oyster Grey in the Sailor 1911 (Medium 14k gold nib) on Clairefontaine 90g Triomphe stationery was the pick for ease of reading.

But here’s what surprised me—this ink is completely waterproof. I wrote three lines, allowed it to dry for ten minutes and then held the paper under running water for no less than thirty seconds. Every letter, every word was perfectly clear and legible at the end of that bath. Drying time for the ink is not so terribly slow, and might work fine for even left-handed writers. No bleed through, feathering or nib creep was there with either pen, on any of the four papers.

The feeling now is that I’ve found a gray ink I will go back to on a more regular basis.

MONTBLANC OYSTER GREY INK • 60ML BOTTLE • $16.00 AT MONTBLANC

The Pelikan Experience

Long before discovering Pelikan, Montblanc was the fountain pen in my pocket. At the time, it was nothing more than a serviceable tool for putting words to paper on occasion. The pen was a Meisterstuck 146 and went through two nib changes before I could even say I liked it a little. Nothing like enthusiasm, and certainly no passion surrounded the pen, or my use of it. I saw it simply as an okay kind of fountain pen that had cost too much money. Well, about Montblanc and that old Meisterstuck 146 my opinion has done an about face, but that’s another story.

After a few years of using the Montblanc, a friend led me to a small pen shop in Tokyo and urged me to try a Pelikan Souverän. I mark that as the day my eyes were first opened to the beauty and craft of fountain pens. I experienced then the particular Pelikan joy of written words generated by a well-made fountain pen. That day I bought my first Pelikan, a Souverän 600. I have never wavered in my enchantment with Pelikan, and since that first Souverän have added another five Pelikan fountain pens to my treasure box of pens.

I like all of my Pelikans, but view one of them as the jewel in the crown. A year ago I bought a vintage Pelikan 100N from a dealer in Budapest, Hungary. The pen came to me in excellent condition, and from the first day became a special member of my collection.

The Pelikan 100N (N for ‘neu’ or ‘new’) was a modification of the 100, and was first produced in 1938. Some say that the 100 and 100N marked the beginning of Pelikan’s distinctive styling. The company produced the pen in a number of different versions, or models. For example, the export model was slightly different from that produced for domestic use. It was during Germany’s war years, and that fact determined things like available materials. During those years, the pens were all made with nickel or steel nibs and pocket clips.

My own 100N was manufactured in the years immediately after WWII, between 1947 and 1951. The barrel of the pen is marbled gray celluloid with a bottle green ink window (a post war feature). The cap is black with a 14 carat gold plated pocket clip and single band—both with a fluted design. The nib is 14 carat and the size is M. The logo on the top of the cap shows the traditional Pelikan design, with two chicks in the nest, and is white-filled engraving. Around the top of the cap (not seen in the photos) is ‘Pelikan PATENT’ also in white-filled engraving.

The pen measures 12.3 centimeters (5.24 inches) and 15.5 centimeters (6.1 inches) posted.

I have written in an earlier post (Rainy Day Favorites) a brief description of the 100N’s quality of writing. I will repeat that brief description here: The 100N makes a sound that I like very much as it moves across the paper. Other Pelikan pens have nibs that flow across the page without a murmur, but for some reason (related to age?), the 100N whispers to the paper in a soft susurrus as the words unfold. Ears as well as eyes bear witness to the pen’s writing.

This is one that I expect won’t allow my enthusiasm for fountain pens to wane.