TL;DR: I enjoy very much drawing with pocket pens. But how long have they been here for? In a previous post, we saw that Sailor made their first Mini at the latest in 1960. But, as it turns out, pocket pens have existed for over 100 years now. This post showcases three pocket pens, from around 1911, 1960, and 2021, so 110 years apart.
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Pallas’ cat, the grumpiest in the world -OR- PILOT Elite with 18k F nib (1974)
TL;DR: Did you know Pallas’ cat is the grumpiest in the world? It must be true, because that’s what David Attenborough said during his Frozen Planet II coverage of this grumpy cat (for the whole series, start here). Great subject for a PILOT Elite tryout!
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Nibs of the 1960s: Sailor, part II
TL;DR: In this series of posts, I explore the nibs of the 1960s. First up: the nibs produced by Sailor, starting with their pocket pens.
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Nibs of the 1960s: Sailor, part I
TL;DR: In this series of posts, I explore the nibs of the 1960s. First up: the nibs produced by Sailor, starting with their pocket pens.
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PILOT Elite E95S EF (2010s) -OR- In which a cat chases a bee
TL;DR: I fished from my pen drawer a pocket pen. Turns out it’s a PILOT Elite model E95S, in Burgundy red, with an enormous 14k-gold nib, EF-tipped, stamped with “P921”. I bought it last year and never got to try it out properly. Today’s the day!
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Sailor Mini 21 with Zoom Nib (1970s)
TL;DR: In the 1970s, Sailor made its Mini line with 21k-gold nibs. Better, they equipped these pocket pens with various nibs, of which the Zoom is the nib that produces different strokes depending on the writing angle: Hold the pen higher, closer to the vertical, and it writer thinner; hold the pen closer to the ideal hold at 45- to 50-degrees, and it writes thicker. Here is such a Sailor Mini 21 with Zoom nib.
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Two Pilot Capless Pens, Fifty Years Apart
TL;DR: Here, side by side, are two Pilot Capless pens, made fifty years apart (1966 and 2016).
The Pilot Capless is one of the iconic fountain pens. The Capless has sleek, innovative design: push-button (knock-on) mechanism to reveal or hide the nib, mobile hatch to prevent drying yet allow the need to appear when actuated, large clip so the grip and nib stay upward in the pocket.
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Drawing of a maple leaf with a PILOT SUPER 200 with 14k POSTING nib
TL;DR: Drawing this maple leaf was a pleasure. The main drawing instrument for this is a PILOT SUPER 200 with a 14k-gold POSTING nib. The prop fell from a tree just a couple of days before the drawing took place.
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A 1970s PILOT Elite fountain pen with fingernail 18k SCRIPT nib goes to Basel
TL;DR: And here is this pen, 1970s PILOT Elite fountain pen with ‘fingernail’ 18k SCRIPT nib, visiting Basel, CH.
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