Newest Acquisitions (Virtual "Show & Tell") ~ part 267

Today we're featuring a very short fountain pen with a very long history (link to excellent Kaweco 'Sport' history document), an immensely popular pocket pen made by the German company Kaweco. It comes in many colourful plastics, but this particular example is metal-bodied and it's owned by Lawrence, who sent in this write-up and photos for our blog:  

(all photos courtesy of Lawrence ~ please click on images to enlarge) 

Lawrence: "This is one of my admittedly non-grail-posse pens. It's the Kaweco Sport Brass and my one and only Kaweco pen."

"It looks beautiful and very compact. It's one of those pens that I do need to post when writing or it will be too short:"

"It's a bit heavy but I don't really mind it. I don't really write with this pen for extended periods (unlike my grail posse) so I can't say very much about how comfortable it will be for long writing periods. Also, just to add to the novelty even more, I got a 1.5 stub. It's actually my first stub-nibbed pen. I like this quasi-"formal" writing feel to the stub and this pen got me interested in them (I have since then gotten a few stub nibs because of this pen). This Kaweco sport comes in a more or less complete range of nibs from ef to stubs, and there are gold nibs available also (18k, I think). This one is stainless steel and has the usual Kaweco nib design."

"Because of its size, it takes smaller cartridges. I think cartridges are the way to go for this pen. I assume that this pen is meant as a "travel pen" of some sort. I did end up getting a small converter for it; it comes it two forms: a squeeze / dropper type and a conventional type. I got the conventional type:"

"It is not a twist but a pull up type (similar to some of the Parker ones):"

"However after using it, I would say that the converters are not the most practical. They are too small to fiddle around with and of course they don't hold too much ink. It would be better to use a cartridge (and maybe fill up that cartridge manually or something).

This Kaweco Sport line comes in all sorts of colours and materials. It's a good size to bring around and easy to store. They sell the pen clip and a pen sleeve separately, which I may consider getting eventually.

The pen writes well, the nib glides smoothly (but then it's a stub so it's not scratchy). However it sometimes burps and creates ink puddles on paper (the only pen that did that for me is a TWSBI that I own), perhaps because the nib is easily switchable, I may have accidentally loosened it up while writing. Being small and of the 1.5 stub, I don't really use this pen too much, but it is quite nice to look at. I may eventually switch the nib to an 18k fine or extra fine.

That's it from me. I'm not too familiar with the Kaweco brand so I don't have much to compare to and it's not fair to make judgements on a pen that I got mainly to "look at" LOL. But once I switch to a finer nib, maybe I will use it more."

Many thanks for the nice write-ups & pics, Lawrence! The Kaweco 'Sport' is a great fountain pen :)
For more info on the current Kaweco 'Sport' lineup, check out this JetPens' article -
Kaweco Sport: A Comprehensive Guide

Newest Acquisitions (Virtual "Show & Tell") ~ part 266

A couple of days ago, I got an email from longtime VPC member Christopher saying "Again, a really nice Parker 51 has come my way and gone straight into my collection after restoration and servicing." The email was accompanied by a photo and a nice write-up about it, and Christopher said I was most welcome to share them on this website, so without further ado...

Christopher: "My first big pen stretch was for a vintage Parker 51 and, ever since, I have never admittedly looked back. Parker spent years developing and designing this line of their pens to get them just right, so I think it is safe to say that the original ticks all of the boxes. But after many years of vintage pen collecting, I have become a lot more discerning about the vintage Parker 51s I want to retain in my collection. Of course, being totally addicted to Parker Vacumatics of any kind, the 51 Vacumatic is right out there in front. Not to say that the 51 Aerometric is any less in its perks, but when a vintage Parker 51 Vacumatic comes my way like this one, I consider it both a joy and a privilege to add it to my collection."

(photo courtesy of Christopher ~ please click on image to enlarge)

Christopher: "So what do we have here? Well this is an early Parker 51 single jewel Vacumatic finished in the Parker Cedar blue. It was one of the original colours for the 51 and is smartly offset with a Heritage 1/10, 12K Gold filled Signet cap. Signet being nine grouped chased vertical lines with gap, and engraved on the gold cap band a chased chevron design (similar to the Parker Vacumatic Major, which was being produced at the same time). The cap also sports a solid 14K gold Parker Arrow Blue Diamond warranty clip. The cap screw (Jewel), which is held in place by the cap bushing that secures the clip onto the top of the cap, is aluminum while at the other end of the pen, the Parker Vacumatic filler is the clear plastic button style. As for the nib, it is a fine writing 14K sold gold tubular style, which is 90% covered by a hooded grip section matching the barrel finish . 

As for dating, the Parker date code on the barrel reads 5. Or translated, the third quarter of 1945.This is also further qualified by a matching Parker date code on the side of the nib (if you remove the nib from the section, as I did to restore and service this fine pen, this code is clearly engraved). The overall condition is very fine and, better still, after an good R&R and polishing, inked up it works like a charm. Definitely a pen I will enjoy for many years to come." 

Christopher, congratulations on another great vintage find, and thank you for sharing this handsome vintage fountain pen with all of us!

Newest Acquisitions (Virtual "Show & Tell") ~ part 265

A few weeks ago,  I got a little surprise in the mail--a parcel from my friend (and fellow VPC member) Candice! In it were an assortment of cute stationery-related goodies ... and this cool pen - the HYL demonstrator fountain pen:

(all photos by Maja ~ please click on images to enlarge)

(My HYL fountain pen + the Pen & Ink "India Black" fountain pen ink in it)

The HYL is a clipless, torpedo-shaped demonstrator fountain pen made in China...and yes, it's a clone of the Moonman M2! At first glance, you might think they were actually the same model, but they do have some differences --the HYL is made of injection molded plastic (vs. the turned acrylic of the M2), the HYL and M2 inner barrel ends are different, their anodized aluminum metal barrel bands are marked with different manufacturer names, and -- most obviously (most importantly, perhaps, for some people??) -- the HYL is available with sparkly caps, sections and barrels (like mine), whereas the M2 barrels are all transparent, as of this writing :)

(Note: I don't own a Moonman M2, so this info was gleaned from the "University of YouTube")

One of the things the HYL and Moonman M2 do have in common are their filling systems - both pens are eyedropper-fillers; my HYL pen actually came with a flexible plastic pipette to draw up bottled ink---very handy! I thought that was a nice touch, especially for an inexpensive fountain pen.

The HYL does have a slightly larger barrel volume; because of its injection molding manufacturing process, the end of its barrel is "hollow" vs. the "filled-in" clear barrel end of the Moonman M2. This means that the HYL can hold a bit more ink than the M2 - a good thing, if ink volume is important to you. A drawback of this manufacturing process, however, is that the end of the HYL barrel might be more prone to breaking or cracking than its Moonman counterpart; I personally can't see this happening with normal usage, though. To prevent barrel cracking at the other end (when screwing the section on and off), there is a very small, transparent O-ring at the end of the section threads of the HYL fountain pen (as I don't own a Moonman M2, I don't know if it has one, as well).

As for aesthetics...well, some people may prefer the M2's solid clear plastic barrel end over the hollowed-out barrel end of the HYL pen, or vice-versa (it's nice to have a choice, though, isn't it? :)

(With the black ink inside, the HYL's sparkly barrel looks like a dark night full of stars - lovely!)

Interestingly, one YouTube commenter said that the HYL's material was inherently less prone to cap-cracking during posting than the M2's. When posted, it's around 15 cm long, but because it's so light (13.3 grams), it's still well-balanced. Without its cap, the HYL is about 12 cm long from nib tip to barrel end, so it can be used comfortably unposted. At 13.5 cm capped, it makes for a decently-sized pocket pen (if your pockets are a bit on the large side). 

The step-down from barrel to section isn't big (and the section isn't skinny), so I find it very comfortable to hold lower down the barrel, even though I'm usually a "high-gripper". The plastic surfaces are shiny, very smooth and feel nice to the touch, which make for a pleasant writing experience.

Its gold-plated steel #5 size nib is marked "Iridium Point" and "F" (for Fine) and is very smooth--a real joy to use. The HYL is available in three different nib widths---Extra-Fine (0.38mm), Fine (0.5mm) and "Fine Art Pen 0.7mm" (not sure what that means).  The Fine nib on mine is as stiff as a nail---no flex at all--and I only mention this because some folks might be looking for an economical flexy-nibbed fountain pen. You won't find it here, though! 

The nib lays down a nice, wet line, and the ink flow is excellent--the pen hasn't dried out once since I filled it three weeks or so ago. According to one of the YouTube videos I saw, the HYL and Moonman M2 fountain pens have identical nibs, feeds and sections (made by the same OEM - Original Equipment Manufacturer), so the writing experience should be the same, theoretically. 

Price-wise... Well, my pen was a gift so I don't know how much it cost to acquire, but I did find some other HYL fountain pens on Aliexpress (I was checking to see if they came with different cap band colours... and yes, they do!). There might be other sellers on Aliexpress or eBay who sell HYL fountain pens, but suffice to say, you can get one for less than $6 CAD including shipping (*** see recent update at the very bottom of this post for info on how to get one from Amazon.ca ! ***)

The Pen & Ink "India Black" fountain pen ink above (also shown in the first photo) was made by Art Alternatives in California. I picked it up recently at an art supply store in Tsawwassen and I like it a lot. It shows some feathering on cheap newsprint, but dries very quickly.

All in all, I really enjoy using my new HYL fountain pen---it's a great little demonstrator pen and a reliable writer with a nice smooth nib.  I've had it inked up since I got it and it always starts up without hesitation and lays down a nice, smooth line on any paper I use. Thanks again, Candice, for your thoughtfulness and generosity! :)

~Photos & review by Maja ~

Update! (Oct.19/2021) -- Amazon.ca sells the HYL fountain pens! You won't find them if you put "HYL" in the search field, though, as they are called the "Lenere 0.5mm Nib Fountain Pen" (link on Amazon.ca). 

They don't have sparkly barrels like mine, but they're available in two barrel band colours - blue and rose gold - and they both cost ~$9 CAD each (plus $4 shipping). I ordered in the rose gold-banded one very recently, and when it arrived, I was surprised to see that it said "HYL" on the barrel band! The pen was shipped by Amazon within Canada, so it arrived very quickly. One last thing--though the barrel band on mine was a pretty rose gold colour, its nib was yellow, not rose gold. The photos correctly show a yellow-coloured nib, but I was secretly hoping that it might be rose gold. I'm not disappointed, though--the pen writes well and was a good deal for $13 CAD shipped...and it does look pretty :)

Happy 35th anniversary, Vancouver Pen Shop! (Anniversary sale!!)

 (image courtesy Google Maps/Google Earth)

Update! Due to shipments of product being slow to arrive, the Vancouver Pen Shop's annual anniversary sale has been extended until after Remembrance Day, November 11th! (per their FB post)

The Vancouver Pen Shop is celebrating its 35th year in business, so their 2021 annual anniversary sale marks a very important milestone! The anniversary sale (which normally runs the entire month of October) has been extended to after Remembrance Day--see update above--- so if you're looking for a good deal on writing instruments/ink/paper/accessories, check out the selection at their newly-renovated store. It's still located at 512 West Hastings Street in downtown Vancouver, and is open six days a week (Mon-Sat) for your shopping convenience. They don't have an official website, but they have a very active Facebook page- https://www.facebook.com/vanpenshop/ -and according to their FB page, their store hours are (Update! I've been informed that they're now open until 6pm on Saturdays!):

(photo courtesy of their official Instagram)

Congratulations to Margot, Shannon, Fernie, Thomas, Marlon and Calvin (hopefully I didn't forget anyone!) on reaching this milestone :) Best wishes to the VPS for many more successful years!

Newest Acquisitions (Virtual "Show & Tell") ~ part 264

 As promised, here's another Italian-made beauty recently acquired by Jerred!

(all photos courtesy of Jerred ~ please click on images to enlarge)

Jerred: "This particular pen is an Invicta Murano. Invicta is best known (or perhaps notorious for) their large, garishly designed watches, though the company also owns the maker Glycine and makes more classic looking models through that brand. For some reason, about 6 years ago Invicta decided to release a series of italian-made fountain pens. They're mostly rather ugly, strangely designed models, but I think this particular one is quite attractive."

"Let's get this out of the way - this is a re-branded Signum Murano. Not only is the pen identical to the Signum Murano, there is a silver hallmark on the cap that corresponds to the maker Signum in Italy."

"The pen has a number of interesting design features. The most striking feature of this pen is the striped, solid glass body. There is a small metal inset that holds the threads for the section, but it only extends 2-3cm into the barrel, and the rest of the barrel is unlined."

"The glass is rather thick and heavy. This particular model also has a sterling silver cap, though in this case it's plated in ruthenium. This is not a design feature that I've seen in any other pen. The section is angular and metal, and also coated in ruthenium. Despite being metal and pretty shiny, I didn't find the barrel slippery or difficult to grip."

 "Finally, the pen has a pretty basic, #6 stainless steel nib. I believe the nib is made by Bock. It's rather simply engraved, and lacks the plating found on the cap and section. The nib is a smooth and very pleasant writer, and on the wet side."

Love the colourful stripes :) Thanks for the photos and write-up, Jerred, and congratulations on another interesting find!

Newest Acquisitions (Virtual "Show & Tell") ~ part 263

Today's virtual "show & tell" features an eye-catching Delta fountain pen recently acquired by Jerred...

(all photos courtesy of Jerred ~ please click on images to enlarge)

Jerred: "This is a Delta Alfa Romeo Trofeo Giulietta. The design of this particular pen is based on a fairly well-known Alfa Romeo car model, the Giulietta Trofeo. Delta had a long history of releasing pens based on car models and famous race tracks, most notably the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, a historical race track in Monza, Italy. This particular pen is in bright yellow acrylic, but it is more commonly found in bright red."

"The most striking feature of this pen is the pair of sterling silver bands that adorn the cap and body. The top cap has "Alfa Romeo" in relief, as well as a shield icon designed after the famous Alfa Romeo shield front grille."

"The body ring is engraved to emulate a checkered flag, used in racing to donate the final lap and winner of a race. These silver bands are hand-carved, and cast using the lost wax method. This allows for the intricate, three dimensional designs shown here."

"There is also a relatively intricate finial inset into the cap with Alfa Romeo's logo carved into it. For some reason, the finial is bronze coloured, even though the rest of the pen is bright yellow and sterling silver.

Finally, the clip on the pen emulates Alfa Romeo door handles, notably from the 70s and 80s."

"This particular pen uses Delta's #6 size, 18k gold "Millenium" nib with a heart shaped breather hole. As was often the case with Delta, the pen is a lovely writer. It is also a cartridge-converter filler."

Our thanks to Jerred for sharing the newest addition to his Delta fountain pen collection with us! On Saturday, we'll be featuring another Italian-made fountain pen belonging to Jerred :)

Newest Acquisitions (Virtual "Show & Tell") ~ part 262

And now, a lovely fountain pen belonging to VPCer Lawrence that came out in 2014 as part of Montblanc's "Writers" series and honours a famous English author - the Montblanc 'Daniel Defoe' Limited Edition fountain pen! Only 11,000 fountain pens were made -10,000 for individual sale, and 1,000 pieces that were part of a set consisting of fountain pen, ballpoint pen and mechanical pencil.

Without further ado, here are Lawrence's photos and thoughts about the pen...

(all photos courtesy of Lawrence ~ please click on images to enlarge)

Lawrence: "I have to admit that when Montblanc announced it with pictures, I was not at all very impressed with it. It actually looks like an obscene adult toy (with some Arabian twist to it....too). And at that time I really was not interested in getting Montblancs...I thought they are overpriced (I still do, but that perspective has been softened up since). I saw this pen at Charals WITHOUT the cap on, and that is what makes it pop for me. The pen is also a lot smaller than they show in pictures. Basically to sum it up, it is one of those pens that look way better in person than in pictures. They look delicate and pretty subdued (it is a more or less a dark/black pen which I was into at that time. e.g. my Visconti Michelangelo)."

"And although it looked awesome in person, I was not really intent on getting one of these MB pens (pretentious crap I used to call them and sometimes I still think that way, but now I do it with love LOL)."

"The details on the pen are exquisite and filigree (?) patterns are etched and appear BOTH on the cap and the barrel (the piston end) which makes it attractive when I hold it up while writing. Some pens are only beautiful with their cap on and look rather plain uncapped. And because I don't post my pens, this is perfect. And Charals did something they normally don't do with pens like this....they let me try it out...dipping of course. And I have to say, writing with this pen is heaven on earth for me (I have since owned a few other pens-both MB and other brands- and still none compares). This pen literally glides on paper, writes without effort and I don't even need to press sometimes; I get away with almost microscopically 'hovering' over the paper and I can write. The pen also feels comfortable, it has a wide enough girth and it's not too heavy (the infamous marketing term "precious resin" is the material used of course). The pen is a piston filler, it is very smooth, almost no friction. This is a pen that writes with one of my reddish inks."

"There is Daniel Defoe's signature on the cap. To be honest, I don't like it marring the finish; it disrupts the color. If this is really Daniel's personal etched signature, then fine, but this is a machine etched copy which does not mean anything but ruined the finish for me. I love the pen so much I do have more than one, I got it thinking that these are the only pens I will ever own forever....(of course that is not the case later on). But these Defoes are basically a regular part of my "grail pen posse". Because I have more than one, they go through their own "micro-rotation" within this grail group."

"The nibs come in the usual EF, F, M, B. My first one is a M nib. I had one in F, and another in EF (which was originally a botched attempt by MB but I ended up keeping it anyway...for the sake of guilt I will pretend that EF/F are one pen, so there...) The nib is very ornate and has a parrot on it."

"Unfortunately, MB screwed up big time with the plating so for the M nib the plating (Ruthenium?) chipped off and created a not-so-beautiful looking mess:"

"It breaks my heart but it does not diminish my love for the pen (s), considering I have more than one.. This sort of tarnished my view of MB. If they charge so much for a pen I expect it to not have this quality problem within a few months of use (yes, a few months). What is even more tragic is that I had MB exchange (replace) the first chipped M nib with a new one and this one ended up chipping as well (this is the one in the picture). So not only did I end up with a "different" pen (new nib = new pen) but I ended up with the same problem. The new nib still writes well and is just as good, but it is different. I have to say I regret exchanging it. I should have kept the first one, chipped and all.

Oh well, I'm still in love with these pens and I still use them regularly.

I got adventurous and bought a fake version of the pens....it is advertised as "fancy fountain pen". Although it has an overall resemblance, the workmanship is not so refined. It makes me feel better this way (sometimes I have encountered fake pens that not only look like the real stuff, but write just as well.....)."

Lawrence - as always, thank you for your interesting (and honest :) reviews about your new pen-related acquisitions! And thanks again to everyone in our club who has sent in photos and write-ups for our virtual "show & tell". Please keep 'em coming! 

Newest Acquisitions (Virtual "Show & Tell") ~ part 261

Although we're the Vancouver Pen Club, I think it bears repeating that we welcome enthusiasts of all writing instruments, both modern and vintage :)

For example, one of our longtime members (who is primarily a collector of vintage fountain pens) recently acquired a charming unbranded vintage mechanical pencil, and sent this in for today's blog post:

Christopher: "Right from the get go, admittedly, I had no great interest in collecting mechanical pencils, other then to complete sets that they would have originally been a part of. Still, over the years there have been some colourful oddballs which were just too interesting to pass up on. Case in point - out of a large pen and pencil lot we scored a while back was this advertising number for the Mount Angel Co-op Creamery. Mt. Angel, by the way, is in Oregon and while the Co-op was in business they produced a wide variety of dairy-related products. They also had a long history in that state. "

(photo courtesy of Christopher ~ please click on image to enlarge)

"Subsequently, the pencil I have added to my collection is very neat. The finish could not be more colourful in brilliant red and cream plastic with illustrated coloured branding on the barrel. Below the Cream coloured barrel is a red grip section slightly ribbed horizontally at the top for better finger purchase. The tip, as well as the clip, are 14K Gold Filled and the clip definitely dates this pencil to the mid 1930s. And having checked on the company’s history, it was definitely at a high point during those years. The clip is hump backed and ending in a flat ball but peaking with a diamond end."

 "But the best and most unique part of this pencil is at its top end. Mounted on a red band at the top of the barrel is a clear plastic tube capped with a small red plastic end. Inside of this clear plastic tube is a miniature pound of butter in its coloured and branded packaging. Everything about this pencil is neat and the quality indicates that it was made by an upper end manufacturer. I only wish that there was a matching pen but I am happy to retain the pencil and consider it a real addition to my collection."

"If you increase the size of the pencil in the snap you will see that the tiny packaged clear plastic covered pound of butter is an exact copy of the real size thing in the photo above. Very neat!"

 Thanks for sharing this lovely old advertising pencil with us, Christopher!

Newest Acquisitions (Virtual "Show & Tell") ~ part 260

Today we're shining a spotlight on one of Stuart's recent acquisitions - the fountain pen counterpart of an iconic Swiss-made ballpoint that was introduced in 1969 (surprisingly, the fountain pen didn't hit the market until 2017!)...

Here is manufacturer Caran d' Ache's description of their '849' fountain pen:

"There is a new addition to the famous assortment of sleek 849 ballpoint pens – the 849 Fountain Pen boasting a bright style. With its more rounded lines, the 849 Fountain Pen reveals a unique personality and comfort. The eye-catching, energising colours draw attention to the light yet robust aluminium body of the 849 Fountain Pen.

Four fluo colours – purple, green, yellow and orange - give the graphic lines an extra spark. The matt navy blue and black enhances the contemporary design and industrial aesthetics of these writing instruments. The varnished white brings an element of balance to this refreshing whirlwind of fun. While maintaining a 100% Swiss Made quality, the 849 Fountain Pen underlines the bold, creative spirit of Caran d’Ache." (source)

(photos courtesy of Stuart ~ please click on images to enlarge)

Stuart: "Here’s a couple of shots of the Caran d’Ache 849 FP. The colour just pops! It’s a nice smooth writer, especially with the Broad point." Like its ballpoint namesake, the '849' fountain pen is hexagonal in shape, and although it's a fairly narrow fountain pen, Stuart remarked that it was "comfortable to write with".

Stuart: "The second pic (above) includes the 849 Claim Your Style ballpoint, also showing the company’s propensity for eye-popping colour schemes."

Love those bright colours! Our thanks to Stuart for sharing his new '849' fountain pen with us :)

Newest Acquisitions (Virtual "Show & Tell") ~ part 259

As promised, here is Christopher's other recent vintage acquisition--a handsome all-black Parker 'Vacumatic' fountain pen...

(photo courtesy of Christopher ~ please click on image to enlarge)

 Christopher: "Admittedly, for years when I was first collecting vintage pens, I avoided the black ones. They just did not seem to have the magic that the other coloured pens had. Still, and in time, I did a complete 180 and began to welcome the jet coloured pens completely into my collection. Case in point - an exceptionally smart Parker Vacumatic US Major which just came my way. Over and above the condition of this pen, which is no less than spectacular, the make up is everything I could want. Offsetting the black finish, this pen has beautiful 14K Gold Filled fittings. The cap sports a clip with the Blue Diamond warranty well in place and, just as a finishing touch, the cap has a flawless black matching jewel. Further down on the barrel, it is marked with a clear and sharp Parker Date Code of the first quarter of 1946. Also to note, the long matching blind cap hides a clear plastic button topped Vacumatic filler. The transparency on this pen is red ambered but impressive. Needless to say, you sure know how much ink you have in the pen once it is filled.

That takes us to the nib, which was a real surprise. It seems when Parker was phasing out their Duofold line of pens, in support of the original Duofold warranty servicing, they produced a special replacement nib. This nib looked like a Vacumatic nib to the untrained eye, sporting the Parker Vacumatic arrow but devoid of the Vacumatic branding. Also, the feather configuration on the arrow was different and below a Parker Date code number, was the letter R for replacement. All of these features are in keeping with the nib in this pen and as a writer, it is medium and as smooth as glass. I took the liberty of resetting the nib quite far out on its feed and out of its grip but well within the realm of acceptability and proper capping. The letter R on the nib is usually hidden under the grips section of Duofolds, but I wanted mine to show on this Vacumatic. Over and above personalizing this particular pen to my liking, I could not be more pleased with it."

Christopher--thank you, as always, for your informative write-ups on the vintage writing instruments you've acquired! For more information on the special Parker replacement nibs Christopher talked about, check out this article by vintage pen expert David Nishimura - 'Replacement Duofold arrow-imprint nibs' article'.