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Pens, Paper & Ink - Offical OCAU club/thread

Discussion in 'Other Toys/Hobbies' started by Akh-Horus, Aug 14, 2012.

  1. Uncle Fester

    Uncle Fester Member

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    Ringwood VIC
  2. OP
    OP
    Akh-Horus

    Akh-Horus Member

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    There's a lovely selection isn't there!
     
  3. Uncle Fester

    Uncle Fester Member

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    New Pen Day! Pelikan M405 Souverän

    View attachment 35907


    View attachment 35909

    edit
    The post after this one is from the seller, humble fellow isn't he :lol:
    (Thanks Moose!)

    Review:
    Sold to me after not being used often enough, the piston was a bit stiff (no quoting!)
    Out with the nib unit, in with some silicon (not that petro stuff) and then ink, Blackstones Barrier Reef Blue.
    As per description the M nib is closer to Broad, no line variation at all.
    Seems weird for a gold nib but maybe that's just me being used to vintage gold...

    The nib is a little rough, but that will be fixed, maybe
    The nib sings; I know you'll think me mad, but the damn thing makes a noise when writing
    that's hard to describe, it sings...

    Absolutely beautiful to look at, Palladium-plated-Gold furniture, blue barrel, black cap, how over-the-top is that?

    Nice pen :thumbup:
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Apr 28, 2021
    MagicMoose likes this.
  4. MagicMoose

    MagicMoose Member

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    Looks great! :thumbup:
     
  5. Uncle Fester

    Uncle Fester Member

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    New pen day!
    shark1.jpg
    Jinhao Shark Pen. One for me, one for a co-worker's daughter who's just got their "pen licence"
    tripletail.jpg
    Noodlers Triple Tail. This one just for me, yet to ink it, looking forward to some flex

    and 18 ink samples...
     
  6. MagicMoose

    MagicMoose Member

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    Just saw your edit above. Did the silicon help the piston? It was pretty stiff from new as I recall.

    Lack of line variation is unfortunately common with basically all modern nibs - the true flex nibs of yesteryear are no more :(

    Strange that you're feeling scratchiness, are you left handed? Also I'm not familiar with that particular ink, have you tried a more free-flowing ink (I've found Iroshizuku is normally good in any troublesome pens).

    The shark pen looks fun, shame I've stopped buying pens!
     
  7. OP
    OP
    Akh-Horus

    Akh-Horus Member

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    Never stop buying pens. What are you thinking????????
     
  8. MagicMoose

    MagicMoose Member

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    Hahaha you have a point! I have enough expensive hobbies already so needed to clear some funds (and space).
     
  9. OP
    OP
    Akh-Horus

    Akh-Horus Member

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    Easy solution- trade them and get new ones!
     
  10. Uncle Fester

    Uncle Fester Member

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    The silicon fixed the piston problem and using some decent Rhodia paper made the scratch go away.
    The shark pen cost is US$3.95, go on, buy one :lol:
     
  11. MagicMoose

    MagicMoose Member

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    The cheap ones are my kryptonite, I buy them because "ooh shiny" then never end up using them because my nice pens are, well, nicer :lol:
     
  12. pelmen

    pelmen Member

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    The Chinese are at it again, though they never stopped. Full on fake of the Lamy Dialog 3 fountain pen. Its not even pretending to be something like a Lany, every identifier on the pens and nib is identical to the genuine Lamy so expect dodgy sellers trying to pass it of as the real thing.

    Comparison on my site
     
  13. Uncle Fester

    Uncle Fester Member

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    Thanks for the heads-up pelmen :thumbup: I still half want a Lamy Dialog...

    New Pen Day
    Mentmore Diploma 1940 ish, 14ct gold nib, no line variation, but nice to look at
    Aparently one of Mentmore's cheaper pens, but the damn thing is gorgeous! (to me:))
    The incised layer under the celluloid! $46 from ebay, pen fun this weekend!
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Jul 2, 2021
  14. Uncle Fester

    Uncle Fester Member

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    My work is having an Olympics opening social thing tomorrow, being a sporting goods company and all

    They said 'bring a pen for the quiz' OMG! They ask a pen-dork to bring a pen?!

    So far, the loadout is:

    Platinum Curidas, for the retractable goodness
    Pelikan M405 for the quality
    Kaweco Sport for the reliability
    Fisher AG7 in case everything goes to shit

    Carried in 1 x Galen Leather 2-pen case and 1 x Rickshaw 2-pen Coozie

    I'm off to Rickshaw Bagworks or maybe Galen for some more pen cases, because one shouldn't need to carry 2 cases...:lol:
     
    holdennutta likes this.
  15. holdennutta

    holdennutta Member

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    Couple of new pens here last few weeks. I got myself a Vanishing Point in that matte blue and black version with a F nib. It writes really smoothly and I really enjoy it!
    Also picked up two of the TWSBI Vac700R Iris in F and EF. I took the F and the wife the EF. They look beautiful but I find the nib a little less than ideal. Not scratchy or anything but requires a bit of force to move across the paper.

    Also the Pilot Pensemble 5 pen roll. That thing is lovely!
     
  16. pelmen

    pelmen Member

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    VP great choice, my favourite pens and probably the perfect pen IMHO. Also find TWSBI same, good look/build but writing lacks smoothness.
     
  17. holdennutta

    holdennutta Member

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    It’s pretty damned good. I agree!
    TWSBI is a steel nib and unlikely to have much of a chance to feel as nice as gold. I suspect the coating they have on the nib for the colour treatment is affecting the feel a little.
    I have a TWSBI precision in EF with a plain steel nib and even being EF it’s much smoother.
     
  18. Uncle Fester

    Uncle Fester Member

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    Welcome to the VP owners club!
    Fine nib on mine, it's sweet-spot is narrow, but nicely smooth. Great pen
    It's raised some eyebrows in meetings and shit: retractable? WTF? :lol:
     
    holdennutta and Akh-Horus like this.
  19. pelmen

    pelmen Member

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    I think you could be correct on the nib coating. I have a bunch of vanishing points and the uncoated gold nibs write best, the blackened and rhodium plated of the same nibs are slightly different flow feel with the same ink. The tiny thickness the layering adds I suspect effects the flow and feel. Could also be tiny differences to the nib tip shape itself. I’m no nibmeister and not keen on trying to tune my nibs to figure it out. Steel nibs I find universally lesser but you are paying less too. Not that steel nibs are horrible and unusable either, I use them a lot. Personally I prefer a good flow of ink, no stutters or problems starting. The nib feel I can get used to. My handwriting is crap so I don’t need to show off my flourishes,Most of my writing is on crap paper too. Its just a tool, I need to write something down quickly right now, I’m not showing off to anyone and paper is whatever is within reach. I will say that the feel of a nib does change over time. Some is me getting used to the pen, but no doubt some is rough paper smoothing the tiny sharp angles on the nib over time along with my pressure spreading the tines to give me the line flow I prefer. I dont ever force the tines, I just write and let me and the nibs adjust together. Forcing the tines apart anyone can do but if you mess up it may not not be possible to bring them in again so they write consistently for anyone. Plus if you use any inks with “features” expect a change in pen characteristics maybe forever if not well cleaned afterwards from stuff in the tines as well as the feed. For a pen that stands up to everything I’ve thrown at it, look to a Noodler’s Ahab with flex (music?) nib. Its been a reliable pen for me, shimmer inks and all, nothing seems to trouble it ever.
     
  20. holdennutta

    holdennutta Member

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    Thanks - very nice pen. Has immediately shot up to my #2 favourite (behind Lamy 2000 I've had for a decade).

    Price you pay for fancy looking nibs I guess. It's not bad it's just not great.

    I had to get this done on my Lamy 2000. Sent it off - came back great.

    I definitely prefer steel for quickly scratching something down. Or having on my desk at work - a colleague picked up my VP the other week thinking it was a ballpoint. Stress!

    There's this Oxford branded paper from Office Works - $7 an A4 spiral pad. It's actually really good for fp writing and cheap enough to use for scratch.

    I've got some Noodler's ink. Only put it in my Lamy Safari though after hearing some interesting stories about the his ink's ingredients.
     

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