TL;DR: Purchasing pens made for a different market can mean some changes are needed to make them fit. In the Japanese market, I often find F nibs thinned to EF and tuned to write glass-smoothly. But, sometimes, I find nibs further turned downward, closer to the Sailor Concord specialty nibs than to the narrow down-turn of the Pilot Falcon or Posting nibs. This rare example of a Montblanc 121 Burgundy with 18k nib, ground from F to EF, turned into a Concord shape, has had artisanal work in these two directions.
Read More
Urban Sketching in Tarragona -OR- Enters a Geha 722 (1970s)
TL;DR: Urban sketching (usk) is what got me to try out fountain pens. This time, I’m usking in Tarragona, UNESCO World Heritage site with, among others, Roman vestiges. The result? See Figure 1.
Read More
Parker “51” Mk I (1950-51) with Greg Minuskin nib (2022)
TL;DR: What’s better than an iconic fountain pen? An iconic fountain pen with an iconic nib. Made by an idiosyncratic nibmeister. Hence, this Parker “51” with a Greg Minuskin (crisp) italic BB nib. Excellent, thanks, Greg!
Read More
Hedgy -OR- Pilot Custom Grandee, Music Nib (1979)
TL;DR: Hedgehogs appear next to wet noodles – juicy, long, flexible creatures. So, when a late-1970s Pilot Custom Grandee shows up equipped with just this kind of nib, a music nib no less, the Hedgy is bound to show up.
Read More
(Over) One Hundred Years of Pocket Pens
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.
Read More
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!
Read More
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.
Read More
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!
Read More
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.
Read More