Sunday, May 1

Skeletons ...

... Demonstrators.
Transparent pens.
I quite like knowing how things work, I've pulled a few pens apart, just to see what went where and why. Hell, I've even watched a few pen-repair videos on youtube.com, just to see the pen gizzards. So, you can imagine how a pen you can see through would attract the magpie in me.
Attract to the point I've now got four of the buggers.
Allow me to introduce you (and I'll link to nice, reliable dealers where you can buy one for your very own if that should be your fancy).First, not because it's the first one I bought, but because that's the way the photos uploaded, a Pilot Custom Heritage 92 Skeleton. It's a nice clear plastic piston filler, with nice smoke resin points at each end. It comes with a 14K nib, mine's a medium as Japanese pens tend to the fine, so I don't end up with a thick, wet line. It's a lovely writer, smooth, clear, juicy but not wet, and it lets me write fast. This is not actually a good thing, I tend to the messy end of the handwriting spectrum unless I'm forced to slow down.The ink, by they way is a beauty, which doesn't show in the picture. It's J Herbin's 340th Anniversary limited edition. A fantastic deep blood red with gold/brown undertones. There's a lot of pigment in the ink, and this tends to settle when the pen's left lying on its side. Still, a few gentle shakes fixes things up, something you wouldn't think to do unless you could see inside the pen!Next, another Pilot, a Pilot Custom 74 Clear Demonstrator. Quite like the 92 only with rounded ends! Another 14K medium nib, but this one uses the cartridge/converter filling system. For me that means converter, it may be much more fiddly and messy, I may end up with inky fingers, but I don't care. I love feeding my pens properly, from a bottle, not by inserting a horrid plastic tube. The ink in this one is Diamine Golden Brown. It's a fabulous golden green, a bit like the algae that grows on the smooth mud in dams, or did when I was growing up and splashing around for tadpoles and yabbies anyway.
Next is actually the first transparent pen I ever arranged to be mine! A Pelikan M205 Blue Demonstrator. Another piston filler, with the cute little pelican head/beak clip. A German pen this time, Pilot being a Japanese company, and beautifully engineered. Apparently made with cellulose acetate instead of 'ordinary' plastic, though I'm not 100% sure that's the case for this model. It's a steel nibbed pen, this one's medium.
This one writes quite differently from the Pilots, not quite as smoothly across the page. I've notice this with my other Pelikan, so it may be a trait to the brand. It's not enough to be a bother or to make me not pull it out of the case on a regular basis.
I've filled this one with Noodler's Periwinkle Blue, a strange, opaque ink that smells like Perkins Paste or poster paint. It's almost gluggy, not my favourite Noodler's Ink to use but it is a lovely colour. I think I'll give the Ottoman Azure a go next time.
And now the newest member of the family, the cute little Stipula Passaporto Clear Demonstrator. My this is a gorgeous pen, and so wee. Not dainty though, it's hand-turned resin and quite a fat little fellow, weighty in the palm of your hand.
It comes in at only 9cm long but it's beautifully made as you would expect of the Italians. The band round the middle has a raised silver leaf, set in enamel, which (mostly) stops the pen from rolling off your desk when you put it down. It has no clip you see, unlike it's brothers.
It's also my first eye-dropper filling pen, which had me a little worried about leaking and suchlike but none so far.
It's a fine nib too, as I've found Stipula nibs tend to the fatter line. I've two beautiful ebonite pens from Stipula too, and plan to add a Davinci Carbon T to the collection.
This ink in this fat little grub of a pen is Sailor Brand Jentle, Blue Black. More blue than black, the perfect colour for a velvet dress. Stains like a bastard though, don't get it on your kitchen bench tops!So, there you are. I promise not to do this very often.

9 comments:

Zoomie said...

I learned more about pens in the few minutes it took to read your post than I ever knew before. I have a few nice fountain pens but mostly type on the computer these days. Get mine out to write thank you notes, mostly.

Ms Brown Mouse said...

Zoomie, you should get them out more, like pearls they thrive on use ;)

Pink Granite said...

You have lovely handwriting!
The pens are very nice as well.
;o)
- Lee

P.S. As a nearly teen, I was so taken with a see-through, take-apart dump truck that I asked for one for Christmas. Santa (you know who!) got me a different, non-see-through dump truck.
Sigh...

cookiecrumb said...

Your photos are wondrous! Good work!
Skeletons, hah! I thought "demonstrator" was a funny enough name.
Cranky has now received his SECOND fountain pen from me. What a rogue.

Ms Brown Mouse said...

Lee, thank you, I wrote carefully and slowly ;)
Santa got it wrong? You really can't trust anyone can you?
Cookie, I ordered the Davinci today and told Mr Brown about it - he's asked me to order him one too!
Husbands, cheeky monkeys!

cookiecrumb said...

That da Vinci is da vine! Cheeky husband and I like it a lot. And it's birthday month.

Ms Brown Mouse said...

Cookie, the davinci is quite like the Lamy dialog 3 in its opening/closing action. Can't WAIT!

e said...

Very nice collection of see through pens, so interesting! And what great handwriting you have. Pretty. Perfect for writing with fountain pens, as it happens.

Ms Brown Mouse said...

E - Why thank you :)