Andy’s Pens shop opens in Tonbridge

It is heart warming to see a new fountain pen shop open, especially one that will be stocking vintage pens. I’m looking forward to be able to visit.

Andy's Pens - 8, Tollgate Buildings Hadlow Road Tonbridge Kent TN9 1NX

Andy tells the story here on his website. It looks like a great product line up, and a promising experience to buy there. Somebody who is interested in the pens, not just the sale. I have a few fountain pens that have been restored by Andy. They’ve been fantastic. Great condition, good craftsmanship from Andy and very enjoyable – no disappointments.

As I said I’m really looking forward to visit and I’ll make sure I have some money in my pocket to support them (well, that can be my excuse to support my addition).

I wish them lots of success.

The Parker Archives

Tony Fischier was very priviliged recently to be invited to visit the Parker Archives in Newhaven. If you are not familiar with the Archives, they contain the history of the Parker Pen Company and it's products. An astounding collection, that has been completed by the hard work of a few dedicated Parker employees, particularly Dave Ruderman, the caretaker of the archives, and others

Tony has published a fantastic account of his experience, available here on his website. Well worth a read.

Eleven years to like a fountain pen

Does a nib need breaking in? Well, its not something I've really considered in the past. I think pens can get smoother as you write, though some are beautiful straight out of the box. They gradually wear to your own particular way of holding it and the tip can be polished through lots of use. But its takes some time. Certainly, I don't think you should ever be worried about someone using your pen, though many people appear to do so. "Oh, its a fountain pen, I can't use that, it's tuned to how you write and I wouldn't want to alter it". Anyway, today one of my colleages made me smile. She turned round and said I've noticed I have the same pen as you (a Lamy Safari), and "Do you know its taken me eleven years to like this pen, its only now that its smooth". Now that's dedication to using a pen.

Getting things done

I’ve been in work for about twenty years now – marketing to be precise. Office bound, lots of meetings with clients and suppliers, multiple projects on the go along with lots of planning and endless lists of things to do. Everything has deadlines looming. Yet, I still seem to lack commitment to a time and task management system. This is a great cause of consternation. Particularly, as my wife points out, I don’t seem to have the best of memories. Though, it does seem capable of remembering lots of obscure facts about fountain pens. I’ve been through lots of phases; I’ve used nothing, day books, Time System™, PCs, a Palm VI, an iPaq, a Blackberry (currently mandated by the company I work for), Black and Red. I’ve read '7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ by Stephen Covey and lately I’ve even read ‘Getting Things Done' by David Allen to see what all the fuss is about. It has helped, but I’m still not there. For most of the last ten years I have used a black, rubber Filofax type thing (supported by the various gadgets). But the way I use it does change too. Sometimes it contains a written to-do list, sometimes the to-do list is on a ‘device’ and sometimes, like now, that to-do list is printed out and in my organiser. I use it with Filofax pads, and the paper seems very fountain pen friendly. The thing is, I want to write. I want to use my fountain pens and a great note pad. I want to look back and see what I’ve been doing. It works for my personal life, so why not at work. Maybe as David Allen says it comes down to confidence (a huge abbreviation on my part of David’s writings). Confidence in the system you use. Its pay-day today so maybe I am going to take a trip and by myself a Rhodia pad. What a great excuse. Now where was that book on Procrastination I said I would read.

Vintage Parker 45 DeLuxe fountain pen review

This is the fountain pen that started it all for me, as I outlined in one of my first blog posts. It’s a vintage Parker 45 DeLuxe (or sometimes known as the GT). The Parker 45 was introduced in 1960, and this model with the plastic cap was introduced in 1964. The Parker 45 has been hugely successful and is still manufactured today (I believe), a product lifespan of almost 50 years. It was Parker’s first cartridge filler and is a robust workhorse for everyday use. But I must also add, do not confuse this vintage model with those made this century though. For me, there is a world of difference.

Parker 45 – New at the top, vintage at the bottom

Design The Parker 45 has a classic, no-nonsense look; a streamlined shape, which tapers at the barrel and cap. Though simple, it is quite an elegant design in a functional sort of way. It has a nice look when the cap is posted, the long taper pointing towards the semi-hooded nib. Design 7/10 Feel This is a very light pen. It is not made from the most expensive of plastics, but there is a certain quality to the way it has been made. The push-fit cap fits snugly and lightly clicks into place, it posts well, the threads in the barrel just seem right and don’t come loose – its as though all the components have just the right level of tolerances in manufacturing. It has a good balance and is good to write with though nothing spectacular. Personally I do find the section a little slim for my fingers, meaning I hold it much higher up the barrel than I would another pen. I also find I adopt quite a light grip and use light pressure when writing. Dimensions: 136mm (5 3/8”) capped, 143mm (5 5/8”) posted Feel 7/10 Nib 14k gold. Stiff, fine (though not that fine), pretty smooth and workmanlike. It works well for those with a light touch. The great thing about the Parker 45 nibs however is the ease of interchangeability. They simply unscrew out and screw in. There is quite a wide variety of different nib grades available. Fine and medium are fairly common, but others can be harder to find. Particularly if you’d like to try an italic. Nib 7/10 Filling It’s a Parker, so naturally is uses Parker’s propriety cartridges and convertors. Though the convertors don’t hold that much ink. Sadly, this one came without a converter so I had to put in a modern one rather than the original metal cage version. Filling 7/10 Cost There is a collector base for these pens, but the long production run and popularity of this pen means there are lots about. Mint condition, boxed examples are readily available at quite reasonable prices. I got this one off ebay a few years back for about £8 if I remember correctly. And apart from the lack of convertor and a somewhat scratchy nib it is in mint condition. Clean and glossy. A great price, but you must remember this is a budget pen. Cost 8/10 Overall A good everyday user at a good price, and a good one to collect if you like them – lots of different variants and affordable. Overall 36/50

Forgotten Waterman pens

I’ve recently discovered a category of pens which I’ve found a delight to use, and beautiful to look at. But, I see very few mentions of them in the pen collecting community. This may just be my perception though, and I’ll probably find quite a number of ardent Waterman specialists who will tell me otherwise!

The pen community talks about the Parker 51, Vacumatics and Duofolds, a whole range of Sheaffers, the Wahl Eversharp Skyline, Ringtops, The Waterman 52, Red Ripples, Patrician and 100 Year pen, Conway Stewart Dinkies and 58s to name but a few of the stars, but seldom talk about the Watermans of the 1940s. A time which was tough for Waterman.

What’s more interesting is you see plenty of them about on Ebay and pen selling sites. The pens I’m talking about are the English W2, W3, W5 and a few other similar pens from the same era made in the States and Canada. The pictures here show a good ol' US of A version.

I’ve now got a number of these, and I love them. I wonder if they get overlooked because they are quite functional – or they appear so in the photography of sites selling them. But in the flesh, the plastics used are wonderful. Reflective, deep, changing colour when viewed in different light. The nibs on each one of mine are a delight to use too, fine with varying degrees of flexibility and fun.

Best of all, they’re not particularly expensive. You should try one. Hmmm. Maybe this is another secret I should have kept to myself?