Author: rupertarzeian

Ashera Aeon Oleatus fountain pen review.

~ rupertarzeian ~ 1 Comment

Introduction

Back in February, Ashera invited me to review their Aeon fountain pen. My review can be seen here. It was sent to me on loan but I became so attached to the pen that I arranged to buy it, with a generous discount. It is one of my most special pens and the only one with my name engraved on it.

Ashera GmbH are based in Grünwald, near Munich. The team comprises creator Marius Visser and his co-founders Hans and Claudia Harenberg. Their website ashera-design.com shows that the brand has a strong commitment to sustainability and specialises in producing high quality pens turned from wood.

This autumn, Marius got in touch with me again, offering to send me a new version called the Aeon Oleatus to try out and review, but this time to keep as a “thank you.” This was most generous and unexpected. As before, I was able to select the wood type, the nib material and width from the various menu options for the pen, and finally, the engraving to appear on the titanium grip section.

However, I decided that I could not justify owning two such luxurious fountain pens, beautiful though they are, and instead requested that the pen be inscribed for a good friend in the fountain pen community, Jon Rabbett, founder of Pensharing, to whom I would pass it on after my review.

The Oleatus can be supplied in a choice of eight different woods. I selected the attractive Birdseye Maple. For the nib, given that my existing Ashera Aeon has the 14k gold nib in a fine, I wished to try something different this time and chose a platinum 950 nib in a medium.

Much of what I have written before about the design of the pen, its size, shape and weight and the stunning box that it comes in, applies equally to the Oleatus. The main difference is that whereas the Aeon’s wood cap and barrel are finished with eight coats of lacquer, each layer being dried and polished before applying the next in a painstaking process, the Oleatus instead has an unlacquered, oiled finish. Oleatus, AI tells me, means “oiled” or “moistened with oil” (from the Latin oleum (oil), but AI has already picked up that the term “also names a luxury fountain pen, (AEON Oleatus) from Ashera Design, known for its craftsmanship and wood/titanium build.”

Unboxing

I was very excited to unwrap the new pen when it arrived. The website advises that there may be a wait of around four to six weeks for the pen to be assembled and finished.

Ashera Aeon Oleatus.

As before, the pen arrived in a box which is solid walnut, cut into two slats with the pen nestled inside. You can see that it is made from a single piece as the grain aligns although alignment is not always perfectly continuous from piece to piece, partly down to natural variation. The box is beautiful, with a silky smooth matte finish, the name ASHERA engraved in one corner and a shallow recess on the top should you wish to place a pen on the lid. However a safer way to rest the pen is to use the deeper, shaped cutaway inside the box. A second pen can be placed in the similar cutaway in the upturned lid. Each half of the box can serve on its own as a desk pen rest. When closing the box, the two slats jump together with a satisfying “clack” and are held together firmly with pairs of magnets in each corner.

Ashera’s goal was to avoid the usual throwaway box and instead create something sustainable that meaningfully complements the pen. Of all the pen boxes I have owned, this is the most impressive, tactile and practical and the most likely to be afforded desk space.

Accompanying box in solid walnut.

First impressions

Picking up the Oleatus fountain pen for the first time, I had expected it to feel slightly waxy, from the “oiled wood” description, but it does not feel waxy or oily at all. On the contrary, the wood feels cool and smooth. I was thrilled with my choice of Birdseye Maple. It is stunning and has a chatoyancy, not apparent from photographs. If you hold the pen horizontal and then tilt it up and down to change viewing angles, the patterns appear to shift and to have a 3D effect. I read that this is caused by the denser, wavy wood fibres reflecting light differently from the softer areas. Figured Maple is particularly known for this and the effect is enhanced by the oiled finish.

Birdseye Maple, with titanium furniture.

The cap and barrel are flush and there is no interruption to the long, ellipsoid form except the titanium rings where they meet. There is no pocket clip or roll stop. The pen is a certain roll-risk, whether capped or uncapped and a pen rest should be used at all times.

The cap unscrews on a very short travel of just one third of a rotation. The grip section is in solid titanium. Whilst I am usually not a fan of shiny metal grip sections finding them slippery, I had no such issue with the Aeon or Oleatus. The titanium is polished, not plated. The metal section means the pen is nicely front-weighted, despite its very generous length. Whilst it may feel a little unfamiliar at first, like a precision tool, I soon found it a pleasure to use.

Polished titanium section and platinum nib.

An engraved name appears on the section, each side of the nib, visible whether held left or right handed. The section also has the only occurrence of the brand name on the pen, with ASHERA laser-etched in small capital letters just below the cap threads. I should mention that the cap threads, titanium on titanium, are likely to cause micro scratches to the grip section, as has occurred on my pen even after a few months’ careful use. However the threads are not uncomfortable unless you deliberately seek them out and rub them. The titanium rim of the cap is sharp to the touch. The cap should most certainly not be posted, but given that the pen measures about 154mm uncapped, there is no need to.

The Oleatus in Birdseye Maple (top) with my Aeon in Elm burl, (below).

The nib is of polished platinum and has no decoration to interrupt the simple beauty of the metal, other than the imprint “PLATIN 950.” This denotes 950 parts per 1,000 or 95% pure platinum. This maintains a bright, silvery-white lustre without needing to be plated. It does not tarnish. The remaining 5% is an alloy to add strength. The nib is mounted with a plastic feed. I understand that Ashera’s nibs are sourced from Peter Bock GmbH, now a subsidiary of Schneider.

The barrel threads are also titanium, for durability and precision. They can feel coarse and squeaky but do settle down with use. The pen takes standard international cartridges or a converter which is included.

Titanium threads throughout.

Initial trials

After a happy time spent admiring and photographing the pen, I was finally ready to ink it up and try it out. In particular I was keen to compare the feel of the platinum nib with my gold one and also to see the difference between my fine and this new medium nib.

Dipped!

I would like to report at this stage that everything was plain sailing, but I did encounter some teething problems, all of which I was soon able to resolve myself. First, the nib was slightly scratchy. I examined it closely under a loupe and could not see any obvious cause. I therefore deduced that it was simply a small burr or a proud edge on the tipping that would resolve itself in normal use from writing with the pen. However, I was impatient to remove the roughness and a very light smoothing on a fine micromesh pad soon solved the problem, after which the nib wrote beautifully. I am assured that every nib is hand-tested and polished.

Secondly, at one stage I somehow managed to get the barrel jammed on the section threads. I must have accidentally started to screw it on cross-threaded. The titanium-on-titanium threads are unforgiving and do require careful alignment. Fortunately with some gentle wriggling I was able to release the barrel. I then spent a little time in twisting the barrel back and forth on the section threads, starting from different points along the travel, with some gentle pressure either pushing or pulling. A few minutes of this seems to have smoothed out a few rough spots and I had no further problems.

The titanium threads are built to last.

Finally, I ran into ink-starvation problems, as the pen would gradually dry up and then stop writing after a few pages. This occurred a few times, whether I used a cartridge or a converter. After trying different inks, flushing and refilling the pen each time, including from a fresh bottle of Waterman Serenity Blue that I knew would not be to blame, the problem was at last resolved. Several times, I had cleaned and refilled the pen, releasing three drops of ink back into the bottle so as not to leave the feed saturated and air channels clogged, whilst at all times being extra careful not to get ink on my fingers which might then get transferred to the beautiful Maple body of the pen.

I was relieved when after several attempts, the issue disappeared and I was able to write non-stop for over an hour, covering six pages of an A5 notebook without the ink starvation problem returning and with no priming, shaking or tapping from me. From this I deduce that it most probably was simply a blockage or perhaps some residual grease on the nib or feed, which was eventually flushed away by the repeat filling. Ashera have since tightened their final inspection and flushing processes.

Platinum nib

As to the platinum nib, which is the first such nib I have ever used, I found it very firm. It feels more firm than the gold nib on my Aeon. I am not aware that a platinum nib offers any writing advantage over a gold nib. It does feel stiffer than gold, but its appeal lies more in the preciousness of the material, its durability and its visual harmony with the titanium section and fittings. Personally I have no objection to the pairing of the 14k gold nib with the titanium section.

Although Jon’s pen has a medium nib and mine is a fine, the difference between these two particular examples was minimal. I think both could be classed as fine-mediums.

Conclusion

The new, oiled wood version is a most welcome addition to Ashera’s line-up, bringing a new selection of woods, a luxurious satin finish and also a steel nib option. A gold or platinum nib of course adds a special value, but given that they are both firm nibs, there is perhaps less difference in the writing experience than if you were to opt for the steel nib. A well-tuned steel nib can provide an equally smooth and pleasant feel to precious metals. It is the final polishing, testing and quality control which is important.

I am most grateful to Marius and his team in gifting the pen to me and in answering the questions that I raised in correspondence with him. Regarding the oiled finish, I am told that ink generally can be wiped off without staining, since the wood has been treated with linseed oil. I have not dared try this but it is good to know. However, if the surface is exposed to strong solvents or cleaning sprays that degrease, it may lose its protective layer. In that case, lightly re-oiling with boiled, linseed oil and wiping off the excess after a few hours, will reseal the surface. Routine re-oiling is not strictly necessary and the oiled wood finish does not require any special maintenance.

As with the lacquered Aeon that I reviewed previously, Ashera has generously agreed to provide a 20% discount to readers of this blog, purchasing the Oleatus via this link and I receive a modest commission on such sales. The discount is applied automatically on adding to basket.

My NaNoWriMo experience, November 2025.

~ rupertarzeian ~ 5 Comments

In my previous post I talked about starting the NaNoWriMo challenge, as well as reviewing the notebook that I was using. Today the challenge ended and I thought I would check in here to share my thoughts on it.

To recap, this was the National Novel Writing Month, an annual event which was launched back in 1999. The basic idea was for participants to write a novel, of not less than 50,000 words, in the month of November. I had never taken part and only when looking into it this year, did I learn that it had closed down in 2025.

Nevertheless, I decided to take up the challenge to write 50,000 words in a month, without signing up to any online community. It would be NaNoWriMo ByMoSelf. Also, I was not going to write a novel (never having written any fiction and not having any plot in mind). That would have to wait for another year. Instead I would be a “rebel” and write on 30 daily topics from a list of writing prompts that I made. These were loosely biographical on such topics as parents, grandparents, holiday memories, childhood tv, hobbies and so on. I had a nice new notebook at the ready. I had pen cups full of eager fountain pens. A headful of memories. I just needed a writing project like this to put them all together.

This can be done by anyone at any time, of course. November seems a good month. It is getting cold and dark (in my hemisphere). Starting at the beginning of a 30 day month makes it convenient to always know how many days you have done and how many you have left.

Today I reached the end. I had kept it up each day, although once or twice I had a couple of pages left to complete from the day before. I got to the end of my notebook today. I had allowed eight pages per day of the B5 notebook until about half way through the month when I adjusted this to seven pages. Being handwritten, I do not have a word-count, but it is certainly over 50,000. From a few sample pages I have counted and averaged, I think the total is around 63,500.

I can recommend the notebook that I used – the Ryman, B5 Soft Cover Notebook (although I appreciate that this is not helpful if you are outside the UK). I liked the texture of the paper, (especially when low, wintry sunlight fell on the page, showing up the texture). The cream coloured paper was easy on the eye and the 8mm row height suits my preference.

Most of all, it has been a real joy to have this self-imposed task to complete each day and to spend some structured time with my fountain pens. For me, writing with a fountain pen was a big part of the draw. Thinking about which pen I would use, gets me out of bed in the morning!

Would I recommend the challenge? Yes, definitely – if you are like me. That is, if you are someone who likes:

  • Fountain pens; spending a solid couple of hours using a pen to see how it feels and performs and how well the ink flows; seeing filled pages at the end of the session.
  • Working on your handwriting;
  • Dipping into and exploring your memories;
  • Practising (or finding and developing) your writing style.

The NaNoWriMo challenge enables you to indulge all of these simultaneously.

I found that I am a morning person for all of this. Much has been written about the benefits of journaling or “morning pages” to free up the mind for the day ahead. Writing to a specific topic gives a basic starting point and theme although I often found myself digressing. I have not read it back yet and may wait a while before doing so!

I think also that this practice, as well as being a valuable habit to nurture, also meets a need to communicate. As a recently retired person, no longer having the society of my office colleagues, a notebook can take the place of someone else’s ears.

Finally, a word about the pens. I usually picked a different one from my pen cup each day, except for the new Asvine V800 vacuum filler, that I filled and used for five days in a row. Several of the pens used, and which were already filled, were also recent acquisitions such as my Arclayer double helix, eye-dropper, three vintage Parkers and the Aurora Style from the October pen show. One pen that I particular enjoyed using was the Faber-Castell Ondoro with smoked oak barrel that I bought in September. One of the beauties of fountain pens is that they are all different: picking up a different one each day was one of the pleasures of this exercise.

Ryman B5 Soft Cover Notebook review and my NaNoWriMo challenge.

~ rupertarzeian ~ 2 Comments

In September, a reader’s comment alerted me to a new Ryman notebook with 100gsm paper which was supposedly, fountain pen friendly. I was already familiar with their 70 gsm notebooks and have several of them in A5 in various colours in my stash. However I was keen to visit my local Rymans to check out their 100gsm version.

On 1st October, I paid a visit and found a shelf of these new notebooks in various sizes. The available colours were limited to “pink, mint or stone”. I opted for a B5 size in the stone, which is a very light grey. The book contained 240 pages of cream, 100gsm paper, ruled at 8mm row height (my favourite) and with 27 rows to a page. The cover has a smooth pleasant feel and offers some protection to the pages, but is a flexible, bendy cover, (not a hard-back like the versions with 70gsm paper). Crucially, the pages are stitched for open-flat use and the line spacing and the smooth soft feel of the paper are just as I like.

Ryman B5 Soft Cover Notebook. Pagination and margins added by me.

Other features of the notebook are rounded page corners, an expandable pocket inside the back cover and a single, white ribbon page marker. There are no page numbers (I added my own), no elastic closure and nothing to distinguish the front of the book from the back, unless you have a bit of the ribbon marker showing at the bottom.

The B5 size was £7.99, which I calculated gives a cost of just 3.33 pence for each of the 240 pages. I do not usually go for the B5 size, which falls between A5 and A4 (ideal for people who cannot decide which of those two sizes they prefer).

At home I tested the paper for fountain pens by writing with a Faber Castell Ondoro, medium nib inked with Graf von Faber-Castell Cobalt Blue. My note reads “Feels smooth but with some pleasant feedback. Lovely.” There was no bleed-through or feathering. I was delighted with the notebook and started using a few pages, starting from the back, to write various lists, including one list of some writing prompts that I had created and saved alphabetically in the app ColorNote.

Example of some writing prompts. The pen is an Aurora Style.

In October, after the London Pen Show my pen cups were full with inked pens. It was obvious even to me that I did not need any more pens, inks or notebooks for a while! What I needed was a writing project. I hadn’t undertaken a writing project as such, for a few years since I finished transcribing Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations.

And then, just at the right time at the end of October, I read in a blog about the NaNoWriMo challenge. I had never taken part in this before. The objective is to write 50,000 words, the first draft of a novel, in November. I understood that participants could register, and once signed up, receive some tips and support as part of the NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) community. However, I planned to tag along quietly on my own without signing up. This was just as well as I then learned that NaNoWriMo was no longer running, having closed down in April 2025.

Nevertheless, I really liked the idea of the challenge. The point of it, I think, is to get people writing regularly and to establish a writing habit. The emphasis is on completing 50,000 words, that is, on quantity rather than the quality. It is only a first draft.

I did not have an idea for a novel in mind and had never written any fiction. Instead, I decided to utilise the biographical writing prompts that I had already entered in my new B5 notebook and to use that notebook for the challenge. I would write every day with a fountain pen.

A few back-of-an-envelope calculations soon told me that 50,000 words in 30 days = 1,666 words a day. I had already written on the last 20 of my 240 pages, and allowing the first 2 pages as a frontispiece, I would have 218 pages available for the challenge and so need to average 230 words per page. The daily word count of 1666 words, at 230 words per page would mean writing for an average of 7.25 pages a day.

As of today, I have kept up. I have passed the one third point. I am really enjoying the writing exercise and like to start first thing in the morning, and so my NaNoWriMo is also a bit like doing Morning Pages. I pick a topic each day from my writing prompts list, and also pick a fountain pen. The idea then is to have a topic on which I can write continuously, rather than if I were copying from a book and needing to pause to look up and down all the time.

This challenge, apart from being satisfying day by day, has multiple other benefits. Just sitting to write with a nice pen and ink is a joy in itself. It is a way to practice and improve one’s handwriting. It is a way to test a fountain pen over an extended chunk of time (typically about two hours per day) and to check that the pen keeps up with the ink demand and is drawing ink down from the reservoir. You can spend time with a pen to remind yourself of why you like (or dislike) it. You write a pen dry in a few days and can then clean the pen with a clear conscience or else re-ink it if desired. It is a good mental discipline, the brain generating thoughts and words and the hand and eye keeping up with the flow of ideas. And I am getting to tell my little stories.

I am also enjoying the Ryman B5 notebook for this purpose. It is just the right length for the NaNoWriMo challenge. I have been using my lefty-underwriter (upright) style of handwriting whereby the book is level (not rotated) and so I do not have the problem of having to reach too far away from my body to use the right hand page: this might be a problem if I were to use my lefty over-writer style when I rotate the paper to the left: the left-hand page can then become smudged or creased. I found this to be a problem with A4 notebooks, whereas A5 notebooks are small enough to rotate without causing such an issue.

In conclusion I can recommend Rymans’ 100gsm paper notebooks. For my part, I am enjoying at least the spirit of the NaNoWriMo November writing challenge, in my own way.

Ryman notebook and Aurora Style fountain pen.

The London Autumn Pen Show 2025: my haul.

~ rupertarzeian ~ 7 Comments

As I am surrounded by pens that came home with me from the recent pen show, it seems timely to share my haul in a post.

I am embarrassed once again to be talking of a “haul” when I genuinely thought I did not need any more pens. And yet, here we are! This comes of blurring the distinction between needing and wanting. I ended the day with eight additional pens for myself, albeit of relatively modest cost. Only one of them (a lovely vintage Swan Self Filler) topped a little over £100.00.

First though, I had to haul myself to the Novotel, Hammersmith. Owing to anticipated travel disruption on the tube and overground railways, I decided to take an e-bike. This was both more enjoyable and quicker door to door, than public transport. The 10km journey took 45 minutes, including numerous stops at red lights (which I noticed, many cyclists ignore).

My ride.

On arriving in good time for the 10 o’clock standard admission, my first stop was to visit Mr Kirit Dal’s Aurora tables, to enlist his help in finding a suitable pen for my good friend in Melbourne. He had requested that I find him an Aurora, steel nibbed model as he was keen to try one and they are hard to find in Australia. I always enjoy browsing Kirit’s tables. He had a few steel nibbed pens from the Ipsilon and Style range, as well as a Duo-Cart. I settled on an Aurora Ipsilon in dark green resin and an Aurora Style in cream-white for my friend, with three packs of Aurora cartridges.

Next I looked at several tables of vintage Parkers. I had a thought of looking for a Parker Maxima Duofold, the largest of the Duofold range with its #50 gold nib with Parker arrow emblem. I did spot a couple of these but the prices seemed a bit high for their condition so I passed these by. Bear in mind that these are likely to be some 60 years’ old and to have seen some regular use.

Then at Mark Catley’s Vintage Fountain Pens’ tables, I chose a Parker 45 Custom (the Custom is the version with the rolled gold cap) in Burgundy with an unusual Right Oblique nib. I then dithered over whether to include a £5 bottle of NOS Waterman Blue Black ink. I already have a bottle of this opened from the last pen show. I decided (you’ve guessed) that I would buy the ink too. Mark kindly added it with the pen for no extra cost.

Parker 45 Custom with right oblique nib.

At the tables of Justin Janse van Vuuren (Van Vuuren Antiques) I then found another lovely Parker 45 Custom, this time in black with what turned out to be a superb 14k gold Medium nib. I have bought from Justin a few times now and it is always a pleasure.

Parker 45 Custom in black.

To complete a trio of vintage Parkers, I picked up a smart Parker Senior Duofold (#35 nib) in black; a classic if ever there was one. This one was from Carneil Pens and on dip-testing the pen, we agreed the nib to be “on the fine side of medium”, or vice versa. I do have a soft spot for Parkers, which still take me back to my school days in the 1970’s, especially when I find myself sitting in front of a pad of Basildon Bond letter writing paper.

Parker Senior Duofold, #35 nib.

Another enjoyable purchase was from Ms Kasia Stier (Pen-spa) where I picked out a Swan Self Filler from her table. The moment is captured on a reel on her Instagram @kasia.stier_penspa. I saw later that she had been able to buy a good stash of vintage pens for herself, to restore and put back into circulation.

Ms Kasia Stier at the LPS.
Swan Self-Filler fountain pen. (circa 1940’s?)

My pen club friends had arranged to meet up for a Thai meal at lunchtime at the nearby pub. This was a good opportunity to take a break, re-focus, compare notes and share our enthusiasm at what we had picked up thus far. Several were tempted by the 40% discounts from Joost, of Appelboom, over from the Netherlands.

My other purchases were a Pilot Parallel 1.5mm calligraphy pen and inks, a couple of 30ml bottles of Diamine ink in Ancient Copper and Earl Grey (which I had long wanted to try) from Cult Pens, and a pair of Schneider cartridge pens from a selection of designs and colours, priced irresistibly at £5.00 and £2.00, firmly within my “no-brainer” category.

My haul, group shot.

My shopping was almost over, or so I thought, when I sat for a chat with Christine, a keen journaler from our pen club, who showed me a beautiful pen that she had just bought: an Arclayer, 3D printed, eye-dropper filler with an intriguing demonstrator barrel showing a double-helix “DNA” ink reservoir. I had seen these at a distance, on the table of Arclayer, from India, but after closer inspection, I was overcome with FOMO! There was still time to bag one and I chose the clear demonstrator/double helix, DNA version. (There was also a ribbon spiral version and one with an hour-glass ink reservoir, narrowing in the middle, available in a clear, green or blue demonstrator versions). I was able to choose what nib I wanted and opted for an Extra Fine. The pen comes in an unusual cylindrical box, which I assume may also be 3D printed. The pen stands upright in the threaded, bolt-like base. The threaded lid can be placed on top of the base and released to spin down under its own weight.

Arclayer 3D printed pen, double-helix, now inked.

I later found that five of our pen club had bought one of these! I predict that Arclayer will do well.

So, another successful pen show concluded. This year for the first time, the London Autumn Pen Show took place over a whole weekend. It was expected that most would come on the Saturday and that Sunday would be quieter. I chose to go on Saturday only and apparently, the daily number attending hit a record. As always, my thanks are due to the organisers and all the stall-holders whose work makes the show so enjoyable for the rest of us.

Swan nib pic.

Finally as a post-script to this post: my friend in Melbourne unexpectedly gifted me the Aurora Style which I had picked out for him, whilst the Aurora Ipsilon is now on its way to him in Australia.

Aurora Style, cream white.

Rupert answers the #12PenPersonQuestions List

~ rupertarzeian ~ 5 Comments

Recently I enjoyed a post by Laura at The Well-Appointed Desk on 16 September 2025, Laura Answers the #12 PenPersonQuestions List, posed by Lisa at the Olive Octopus blog in her post, #12PenPersonQuestions, on 22 August 2025. I thought I would add my own replies.

1. If you consider the different ways you can engage with pens and stationery—as a user, a collector, a hobbyist, a creator, a maker, a vendor—which roles fit best and what percentage of 100% would you assign to each? Are you happy with the balance.

I think we can rule out “creator, maker and vendor.” I am someone who loves using fountain pens, along with stationery in general. I clearly have a weakness for pens, inks, enticing notebooks, mechanical pencils, colourful gel pens, pen pouches, rulers, art materials and other useful items. Where we draw the line between a passion and an obsession is a moot point.

A consequence of this obsession has been that I have accumulated more of these than I can realistically use, let alone need. I don’t think this entitles me to call myself a “collector”; an accumulator (if not, hoarder) is a more honest assessment. But having acquired a large number of fountain pens which represent a good cross-section of what is available, I think some percentage of “accidental collector” is in order. Putting percentages on these is difficult. Perhaps “hobbyist” covers it all. How about 100% hobbyist, comprised as to 75% user and 25% collector? I am happy with this.

2. What is something you want to understand better or develop more informed opinions about?

There are vast areas of knowledge on which I am ignorant, because my curiosity has not led me down those paths, or rabbit holes. Having retired after a working life in an office, I am not particularly practical but enjoyed taking the Writing Equipment Society’s Pen Repair Course last year, a side-effect of which was to learn how to use various tools of the trade. Also, a receiving an Ashera Aeon fountain pen for review this year, with its wood cap and barrel lacquered and polished eight times – led me to an interest in varnishing wooden bowls, boxes and furniture. There is no limit to acquiring knowledge, but I need to be more disciplined and methodical in how to allocate time.

3. In the pen community, what’s something someone has said or done that stuck with you?

There must have been thousands of comments heard or read over the years with snippets of wisdom which I have filed away and absorbed but it is surprisingly difficult to call them back to mind. I remember a sales lady in a pen shop in my village, over 50 years ago, gently explaining to me why a gold nib was good, as its softness gave expression to your handwriting. I had asked what the purpose was, given that the writing tip was a ball of iridium, not the gold itself.  

Another memorable comment came, not from a member of the pen community but from an actress, Nerys Hughes, who was meeting the public after attending a church carol service. Someone near me had asked her for an autograph but neither of them had a pen to hand. I passed her my Waterman Expert from my suit pocket. She exclaimed “Ooh that’s a posh pen, this must be a posh man!”

4. There are now 25 hours in a day, a bonus hour is available to use however you like as long as pens or stationery are involved—how do you spend your hour?

I often like the idea of doing something, more than actually doing the thing itself. The extra hour would be perfect although there is no reason why I could not allocate one of the existing hours! I would like to spend it in writing, with a fountain pen in a nice journal, to capture happy memories before they are lost.

5. In the pen community yearbook, what would your superlative be? (i.e. “Best ______”, “Most _______” “Most likely to _______”)

Although the pens I have accumulated include a fair selection of more up-market pens I sometimes think that my “superpower” amongst the pen community characters, is being the person “Most Likely to Enjoy an Entry Level Fountain Pen”. For the movie, I will need someone to come up with a snappier name for me.

6. How do you feel about your handwriting?

First off, as a lefty, I have two different styles of handwriting – depending upon the pen to hand and the amount of elbow room and space available to rotate the paper! I grew up as a lefty over-writer, with my paper turned well to the left so that I would be writing “uphill” away from my body and my hand would be kept away from the writing to avoid smudges. The writing itself was not too bad, with a slant to the right. With my current knowledge, it turns out that this is best suited to oblique nibs. I am conscious that the tails on my letters g and y, for example, are not parallel to my upstrokes but rather, billow outwards, which I would like to change.

My other style uses an underwriter grip, and produces an upright script, not slanting. This seems more legible yet it feels slower and less natural to me and my verticals are not uniform but lean a bit to the left or right.

Coincidentally I have just become a member of The Society for Italic Handwriting and so I hope to gain an  improving awareness and adjustment of my writing.

7. What is something you are proud of doing, achieving, or overcoming?

At the risk of being boastful, I am pleased to have set up this Fountain pen blog, in November 2016 and for it to have continued now for almost nine years, with over 290 posts and approaching 900,000 views. It has been a wonderful gateway to interacting with the friendly pen community that we all know and enjoy.

8. You’re going on a writing retreat anywhere in the world—where would you go, what would you write, and what would you write with?

My immediate reaction is to think of a chalet in the Swiss alps with views of snow-covered peaks. Or perhaps a lakeside cabin in Canada with a rowing boat hitched to the quay ready for a peaceful row in the silence and splendour, surrounded by forests and trails. As to the writing tool, it would be something simple, reliable, comfortable and easy to use and not distracting and attention-seeking. Perhaps, for example, my Caran d’Ache 849 if we are in Switzerland or the Cross Bailey Light if we are in North America. (I don’t think I have a Canadian pen although I could re-check my vintage Parker stash). A Parker 45 would be a good choice. But I could spend a long time choosing what to bring, as I do on any trip or even a day out.

This is the dream although in practice, I wonder if a writing retreat in seclusion would suit me or whether I would just nod off in a comfy chair. Sometimes a bit of stress is needed and some time pressure.

[Edit: I forget to say what I would write, but it would likely be autobiographical; see also replies to questions 4 and 9].

9. What’s a current or favorite creative outlet?

I love fountain pens and I also love exploring a lifetime of memories. Sitting with a nice pen and notebook to write “from life” is an opportunity to indulge both at the same time.

Also I enjoy sketching. This is a bit like problem solving: how to reproduce the image in front of you, or in your memory, in the confines of a sketch pad? As soon as you have made one stroke of the pen, or brush, the positions and scale of all the rest are determined and it is then a question of putting them in their respective places. I am very poor at this but get a disproportionate amount of joy from it.

10. What’s something that causes you benign envy—the kind of admiration and desire that leads to inspiration or motivation?

In pen terms, I admire the posts on Instagram showing different pen and ink combinations and different handwriting styles, such as by Kimberly Lau at @allthehobbies or Eli, at @eli.weisz. Scrolling Instagram also throws up musicians who I much admire for their amazing talent and proficiency, such as Joshua Lee Turner, Elle Cordova and Toni Lundgren, and Nathaniel Murphy at @zeppelinbarnatra – to name just a few.

11. What’s a comfort item, material, or color?

Definitely dark or Navy blue. It was the colour of my school uniform pullover (a Guernsey at ages 11-13) and I now favour this for clothing, back-pack and shoulder bag, and even a dressing gown. (“Do you have this in a pilot iroshizuku shin-kai?”)

12. What would be a dream collaboration, project, or partnership?

Despite 9 years of blogging, I have largely resisted collaborations, with the exception of Ashera pens for whom I provided a review and am soon to have another. I have not sought out collaborations, projects or ventures and haven’t given thought to what might be a dream one. Knowing me, I will probably think of one right after publishing this post.

Currently inked, 27 September 2025.

~ rupertarzeian ~ 16 Comments

Early today, as the September morning sunshine streamed into my dining room, I sat at the table and made a list of all the fountain pens in my pen cups, and their respective inks.

In the absence of a system, my currently inked pens had grown to 28. Making a list of these seemed a good first step towards taking back some control. I have since flushed and cleaned three of those pens, which had been inked for a very long time. It is only a start but it feels like a win.

Here is the list, warts and all, complete with mistakes and corrections, smudges and diffuse sunlight.

Currently inked, 27 September 2025.

Looking back at my list of posts on this blog, I had to go back over five years to find the last time I made a Currently Inked post, in August 2020 (unless I have missed any). But reading that old post again today, I was struck by the fact that my pen cups are still “allowed to develop organically” (to put it politely), which is to say, without any strategy, rules or plan. One obvious consequence of this is that the list immediately shows my preference for blue inks. Today’s list includes two reds and two browns but very little other variety. And no greens at all, just like in August 2020!

I thought it might be helpful to share this, if only as an example of how a pen cup might lay bare the absence of method when pens are inked on a whim. There must be a great many ways in which to manage a pen collection/accumulation in a way which rotates the pens on a regular basis. I wonder how many of us have a successful system to do this, to ensure that our pen cups also have a representative selection of our ink stash, at any given time (so that we at least have one green in use for example), as well as a few different grades of nib.

Instead of such a system, my pen cups always contain a few recently acquired pens, which I am playing with and getting used to as well as some old favourites, and a mix of modern and vintage. Then there are some costly pens which I feel need to be kept in circulation to justify their cost.

Of course, we would have a faster turnover of pens in the pen cups if (a) we wrote more and (b) had less pens in use at a time. I do not like to flush pens when they are still partly full, but I have found a solution to this: I jettison the ink (unless it is black) into an ink bottle, which contains the dregs from my unfinished fills for the year. Last year’s crop produced a full 50ml bottle which I called “Slops Blend blue black, 2024”. I am using that ink daily, in my Wing Sung 699 for my diary and have been using that combination all year. It is actually a very pleasing and unique blue black! Another bottle, Slops Blend 2025, is coming along. I know that this goes against all the usual advice about not mixing inks but I have been fortunate so far. My blends have not resulted in any obvious clashes. An advantage of using predominantly blue and blue black inks, is that they can result in creating a nice new shade at the end of a year.

To impose a system on the pen cups would require (1) a list of all the pens and (2) a list of one’s ink collection to be included, and (3) a table of pairings of pens and inks alongside a calendar to show when they due for changeover.

This would sound less daunting the smaller the number of pens we keep inked at any given time. But then, if we have just a handful of pens on the go at once, although they will get more concentrated use, it will take a long time to get round an entire lifetime’s accumulation of pens.

If all this sounds like too much work for a hobby which is meant to be fun, then we (I mean I) can go on as before, just filling or flushing a few pens here and there when the mood strikes me, or when I want to use a particular ink or a particular pen.
Recently, I inked up my Waterman Carene for the first time in a long while, simply because someone in my pen club had expressed an interest in trying one. I inked it with a cartridge of “Waterman Florida Blue” which goes to show how old the cartridges were, since Waterman’s Royal Blue ink has been called Serenity Blue for many years now. Half the ink had evaporated from the cartridge, but it still wrote beautifully. I had forgotten what a good pen it is.

Whilst it may be too much work to impose a strict rotation on the use of our pens and inks, the making of a “Currently Inked” list regularly does at least give us an opportunity to take stock. It is probably a good idea to be a bit more intentional about what is inked and why and for how long. Trying to keep the number from growing too high is also sensible.

Of course this would not be an issue if we had only one or two pens and a couple of inks. Having to think how to make good use of all our pens is the price we pay for allowing ourselves to accumulate too many of them. And it is with this thought that I shall try to be mindful and sensible at our coming London Pen Show.

The Cross Bailey Light gets a demonstrator.

~ rupertarzeian ~ 14 Comments

The purpose of this short post is to share the news that one of my favourite modern entry level fountain pens is now available in a new set of demonstrator editions.

At least, this was news to me, when I came across a display of them in a delightful stationery shop in Hitchin, Hertfordshire. I could not resist buying one. The assistant told me that she had only just put them out on display that morning and I was the first customer to buy one!

Cross Bailey Light Translucent, blue.

I am referring to the Cross Bailey Light. I first discovered these pens in our John Lewis department store back in October 2019 and then at the modest price of £20.00, for the fountain pen and two cartridges. The set did not include a proprietary, Cross converter which would therefore need to be bought separately but the pen takes their non-threaded (push-in) type. This adds appreciably to the cost, if you do not wish to use their rather pricey cartridges. Over the years, I have accumulated several more of these pens in their various colours. My favourite remains the royal blue edition which for a long time was my work pen and lived on my office desk, inked with Cross Blue. In 2023 I was away from work for a few months and missed this pen very much, as well as my colleagues of course.

Extra Fine nib only.

Until recently I was aware only of the pen being available in a range of opaque colours. It came as a surprise then, to see a glass cabinet showing a clear demonstrator version, as well as blue, pink and green demonstrator editions too.

As I have reviewed the Cross Bailey Light before, I will mention only the points of difference:

  1. Whilst there were several chrome highlights on the opaque editions, the demonstrators now get a smart, chrome ferrule to the barrel.
  2. As far as I know, the demonstrator versions are available only with an extra fine nib (marked XF on the nib).
  3. Having a see-through cap, barrel and section is a popular feature with many brands, for example from TWSBI, Pelikan, Platinum, and Lamy, to Aurora and Conid to name a few, but I think this may be a new departure for Cross. A clear barrel is the ultimate ink window. The clear cap shows the inner cap and, in particular, the way in which it clicks onto the ferrule when the cap is posted. Another benefit is that it will now be obvious if a spare cartridge is lodged in the back end of the barrel. I was asked several times in comments, why the barrel will not fit over a converter on a new Cross Bailey Light and this has invariably been the reason.
  4. A small change, but one which pleased me very much is that the demonstrator versions now include a production date code. Mine read 0225W which I take to be February 2025. I do not know what the W signifies. (I have been informed in the past by one reader that the digits on a Cross pen are not a date code – but the majority of my Cross pens do have numbers which would fit with their likely date of manufacture: perhaps there are some exceptions). The ink cartridges are dated too, which is helpful when deciding in what order to use them up.

As usual for Cross pens, it has a lifetime guarantee.

On their website, Cross call these new versions the “Cross Bailey Light Translucent” and the four colours are translucent clear, navy blue, green and pink sapphire. It comes in a simple cardboard gift box, in a cardboard outer sleeve (an improvement on the old plastic packaging).

Initially I tried the included Cross Black cartridge, but was a little disappointed that this ink feathered in the two notebooks that I had with me, a Stalogy and a Ryman A6. When I got home, I transferred the cartridge to a different Cross pen, and instead filled my new pen with Cross Blue, from a bottle, with a Cross converter – a much preferred option.

The obvious ink choice.

I was delighted with the “XF” nib which appeared to be perfectly set up, right out of the box. Despite owning numerous Cross Bailey Light pens now, mine had all been Medium nibs and so this extra fine is a refreshing change. The nib is firm and has a downward slope to it which worries some people but this is quite standard.

A perfectly tuned nib, right out of the box

I remain a big fan of the Cross Bailey Light. I recommend them to beginners as an affordable and professional looking alternative to the popular suggestion of a Lamy Safari, as the Cross pen does not have a faceted grip section and is, in my opinion, extremely comfortable and convenient to use, as well as looking smart and traditional.

A production date code? Or not?

Searching online, I found that the new versions are available on Cult Pens and Pure Pens although I bought mine for £29.00 at The Art and Stationery Store, 88-89 Bancroft, Hitchin, Hertfordshire.

“the art and stationery store”, Hitchin. (image from Google Maps)

Further thoughts and update on the Faber-Castell Ondoro, Smoked Oak fountain pen.

~ rupertarzeian ~ 10 Comments

In my previous post on this pen, I covered the buying experience and the brief passing phase of buyer’s remorse before coming to accept and enjoy the pen. I had owned it for not quite a week.

Now, at still only two weeks in, I feel it necessary to say more about the issues I have with the pen and to correct a few misconceptions. Although mine was an impulse buy, I would recommend trying the pen before buying if possible and also to read the many online reviews – from which I now see that this model has been around for over 10 years.

To recap, the potential issue arises from a combination of two design factors, namely the short grip section and the faceted barrel. If you do not wish to grip the pen around the metal, hourglass shaped section but higher up, then your fingers meet the facets. These are fine if they correspond with where you wish to rest your fingers: but if they do not, then you are instead holding a sharp ridge between two facets, which is uncomfortable and unsteady.

At the time of my first post, I explained that on my pen, when the barrel was fully tightened, the facets stopped with a ridge in the centre, or “12 o’clock position” (if viewing the nib head on).

Nib aligned with a ridge between two facets.

Of course, we want to hold our pens comfortably and in such a way that the tipping of the nib touches the paper at the smoothest angle, to write well without scratchiness or skipping – “the sweet spot.” Depending on an individual’s writing style, – whether they be left or right handed, whether an under-writer, over-writer or side-writer, facets may or may not be helpful.

The big news that I wish to share, is that the wood barrel sleeve is not attached to the metal inner barrel (which I presume is brass) and can be adjusted. At least, I am speaking for my own pen only and have not examined any other samples. Thus if the facets are not where you need them, simply twist the barrel firmly a little way beyond its tightest point. You do not need to move it far. You may line up the nib with the flat surface, or a sharp ridge, or perhaps half way between these points as a compromise.

I discovered this by accident when I noticed that after capping and uncapping the pen for a few days, the barrel ferrule was sinking down inside the barrel.

Barrel ferrule, retreating into the wood sleeve.

When I unscrewed the barrel, I found that the metal barrel liner, was beginning to protrude.

Barrel liner, pulled forwards by the act of uncapping the over-tight cap.

Having discovered that the barrel sleeve could move over its liner, I tried pushing the liner out further (using an empty plastic cartridge and pushing the barrel down against a hard surface):-

More of the barrel liner exposed.

The good news: You can therefore twist the wood barrel sleeve to adjust the position of the facets in relation to the nib, if you need to. For example, if a flat facet at the 12 o’clock position suits you best, just twist a few degrees and you are there. It is a bit like the feature of the Parker 75 which allowed you to rotate the nib for the optimum writing – a solution to the problem caused by adding facets to the grip section.

Barrel turned to align nib with a facet.

If you like the nib aligned with a facet, this also has the added bonus of enabling you to cap the pen with the pocket clip aligned to the nib or to post the cap thus aligned, (although writing with this cap posted will make the pen unbalanced).

The bad news: the barrel is not meant to move on the liner and moving it will soon make it loose. Two new problems are caused by solving the facet issue: (1) when you uncap the pen, the nib section and barrel liner, are pulled forward out of the barrel sleeve and (2) when you go to unscrew the section, instead of unscrewing, the barrel liner rotates in its sleeve.

Experimenting with nib-to-facet angles, I found myself suffering FOMO: this was made more complicated by having more than one writing style – whether under or over writing. “Am I missing out on a smoother writing experience, if only the barrel were turned a few more degrees?” The angle for one writing style was not the same as for the other. Imagine the distraction and stress of having this thought if you were taking an exam.

Already after only a few days of experimenting, my barrel was getting looser and I noticed a gap between the section and the barrel appearing, each time I pulled off the cap. It is a pity that there is not a screw, or a hex nut we can tighten in the barrel liner, to arrest this movement. I have stuck a little Sellotape on the barrel liner to try to make it a tighter fit.

In conclusion, I do actually like the pen. Theoretically having a facet against your finger, should give a steadier grip than if the only points of contact were rounded edges of a tube. The facets certainly look bold and attractive – especially as they are echoed in the metal cap. (Incidentally, the cap is made of metal, although the metal is thin and it has a plastic liner).

When I bought the pen, I was on my way to see a concert of music by Frederick Delius. The piece, a cantata entitled “A Mass of Life” is quite a difficult listen – a huge, powerful, exuberant, out-pouring of passion – which probably needs to be heard more times than I have yet given it, to enjoy and appreciate it properly. Meanwhile, you might think “Why bother with this, when there is more readily satisfying, melodious and recognisably-structured music available?” Perhaps there is an analogy here with the Ondoro: it is a challenge but there is nothing quite like it and it is worth the effort of persevering. Or perhaps I am just making excuses for a flawed pen or one that was not suitable for my particular grip?

The nib is excellent. When it is writing smoothly, I can happily write or doodle with it. I sometimes think that a writing sample reveals more about the comfort of a pen: how neatly can I write with it? If the writing is shaky and rushed, it suggests we cannot wait to put the pen down. If it is neat, then it shows the writer to be relaxed, comfortable and at peace with the pen!

If I were to give up on the pen, then at least the nib unit can be transferred to the Faber-Castell Essentio, a cylindrical and facetless aluminium pen that I bought last year. But it has not come to that yet!

Ondoro beneath a Faber-Castell Basic and the aluminium Essentio.

The pen does make a nice companion for my Ashera fountain pen, hand finished in multi-lacquered elm burl wood. The Ondoro is not lacquered and polished but its wood is faceted and is Smoked Oak (not just stained to look like it) – a chemical process which I imagine adds a bit to the cost. It is not correct to say that the wood is untreated.

The Oak and the Elm: the Faber-Castell Ondoro next to an Ashera Aeon fountain pen.

The Ondoro might not be my favourite pen – at least not today. But I am using it every day which is a good sign.

Early thoughts on the Faber-Castell Ondoro, Smoked Oak fountain pen.

~ rupertarzeian ~ 7 Comments

Faber-Castell is a well respected maker of pencils, pens and art supplies with a history dating back to 1761. For fountain pen enthusiasts, their nibs are among the best in the business.

None of this was on my mind as I breezed into Harrods one evening, for a quick browse around their Fountain Pen arcade on the lower ground floor, prior to taking my seat for a concert at the nearby Royal Albert Hall. I was off to see Sir Mark Elder conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra, massed choirs and four soloists, in a rare performance of Delius’ “A Mass of Life”, as part of the BBC Proms. I say “rare” because the piece had not been performed at the Proms for 37 years.

As always on my also-rare visits to Harrods, it was a triumph to locate the pen department. Once there, I enjoyed making a round or two of the displays, including Montegrappa, Chopard, ST Dupont, Caran d’Ache, Graf von Faber-Castell and of course Montblanc. There were notebooks and stationery from Smithson and Moleskine.

At the Graf von Faber-Castell counter, I spoke to the helpful assistant, Melvyn and chose a bottle of Cobalt Blue ink. I have almost finished my first bottle and this is probably my favourite “posh” ink. The rich dark blue ink, the attractive 75ml heavy glass bottle and packaging are all luxurious.

I then asked to take a closer look at the Faber-Castell Ondoro, in wood with a metal cap. I recalled seeing the pen some years ago with an orange barrel, but was not aware of this wood version. I enquired as to what the wood was and after consulting the catalogue, Melvyn informed me that it was “Smoked Oak”. It is an appealing, mid-brown with a dark grain. I have not yet discovered the significance of the “Smoked” in the title. I wondered whether it might perhaps be a process whereby the wood is heated, altering its enzyme constituents in a way which “ages”, dries and hardens the wood as Yamaha does for certain guitars in its range, to emulate the tone of a vintage guitar. However this was just a fantasy conjecture on my part. Presumably the oak is not smoked to improve its flavour like bacon or mackerel. Is it smoked just to give it a charred look? I am yet to find out.

Faber-Castell Ondoro, Smoked Oak fountain pen.

Edit: Since publishing this post, a Google search revealed that Smoked Oak is a term for oak that has been exposed to ammonia fumes, in a sealed environment, for a number of hours. The fumes react with the tannins in the wood, causing it to darken. The longer the exposure, the darker the wood, until black. The process also enhances the natural grain.

The Ondoro features a hexagonal cap and barrel. It is not very long, but is chunky. Aside from the hexagonal form, another striking feature is the hour-glass shaped grip section. This is a short section and so, if you use a pinch grip around the section, your grip will be close to the paper.

Posted and showing the dimpled nib and the hourglass section.

At first, I was undecided how best to hold the pen. A pinch grip around the section is a bit too low and too crowded for me. But if you hold it higher up, at the barrel, you have the issue of gripping around the faceted sides, which may or may not conform to your preferred way of holding a pen. Then there is the option of posting the cap. It does post securely but adds considerable weight and alters the balance such that you would want to hold the pen much higher up.

Finding my grip.

At £165.00, the pen looked to be a bargain compared to most of the others on display and might have been the most affordable pen in the showroom. I was drawn to the Oak material which may develop a lovely patina eventually. I was also mindful that I had enjoyed good experiences with steel nibs from Faber-Castell in the past with pens such as the eMotion, Grip and Loom. I was sufficiently intrigued by the pen to include it with my impulse purchase of the Cobalt Blue ink and I left with a smart Faber-Castell shopping bag and a smile on my face.

Later at the Royal Albert Hall, before arriving I had switched the pen and ink to my shoulder bag. At the entrance, halting for the security check, a torch was shone into my bag and the man pointed to the box and said “What’s in there?” “It is fountain pen ink” I replied. I got the impression that he did not get that answer very often.

I had the opportunity to fill the pen during the interval. The performance (both the concert and the pen) was excellent. It was necessary to crouch down and put the ink bottle on the floor of the Hall by my seat, as even I was not stupid enough to open an ink bottle in my lap. Once filled, I could take my seat again and test the pen in a small pocket notebook. The nib appeared to be perfectly tuned, right out of the box and wrote smoothly and well, as I have learned to expect from Faber-Castell.

Highly reflective cap.

However, within a fairly short time, I began to suffer from an attack of BR or Buyer’s Remorse. This was triggered by the realisation that the pen was lumpy and angular and unusual to grip. I soon discovered that I could have bought the pen and the ink considerably cheaper online. Then thoughts began to crowd in, that I had not needed the pen, that it was arguably not as comfortable, or as good value, as my recently purchased Asvine J16 – a titanium bodied piston filler pen made, we generously assume, as an homage to the Montblanc Meisterstuch 146.

The following day, the BR only got worse, exacerbated by a visit to a home furnishings superstore where I made the realisation that, if it was Oak that I was after, I could buy an attractive table for a modest sum of £99.00.

You get more wood in a table.

However, after a few days, I was over the worst of the BR. I realised that it is not helpful, thinking about a fountain pen’s value in comparison to other household items. Even comparing pens from different brands and countries, it is a mistake to think that we should acquire a new pen “at cost.” As for comparing values in recent pen purchases, of course some appear better value than others and it sometimes helps to combine the cost of a few pen purchases and then average their cost.

Happily, I soon grew to fully enjoy the Ondoro once again. The key to this, in my case, was finding a comfortable grip. I found this by resting the section on my second finger, and then gripping the pen between thumb and forefinger a little higher up at the bottom of the barrel. I found that I could hold the pen with the nib at the “sweetspot” (rotated inwards slightly) if I held the pen at the facets, leaving one facet in between.

Some writing with the Ondoro and Cobalt Blue ink on Stalogy paper.

On my pen, and I don’t know whether they are all like this, when the barrel is screwed on to the section tightly, the nib aligns with a ridge between two facets, not a facet itself. I could hold the pen comfortably with the nib rotated inwards (I am a lefty). Once found, the grip is actually very pleasant and a bit addictive!

It is normal to have both likes and dislikes about the design of a pen. A few of mine are as follows. Let’s hope the likes outweigh the dislikes:-

Likes:

  • Bold and unusual, attractive design;
  • Facets: the hexagonal barrel with flat sides, is like an oversized pencil; also prevents rolling:
  • The use of wood, as a warm and natural material – with a satin finish which may develop an attractive patina in use; I love having a piece of Oak in my hands;
  • Short, chunky proportions;
  • Weighty metal cap – with shiny plated finish contrasting with the satin finish of the wood;
  • Subtle imprint of name and logo on the top of the cap, with the words “since 1761” imparting a sense of history:
  • Comfortable hour-glass section on which to rest the pen;
  • Well-tuned steel medium nib writes smoothly and with excellent flow:
  • A Faber-Castell branded, Schmidt converter is included;
  • Fit and finish are excellent: brass liner and threads to barrel; metal threads on the section; plastic liner to cap;
  • Slightly domed metal barrel finial, protects the wood when pen is standing:
  • Cap can be posted (although making the pen back-weighted and heavy);
  • The tough, short and stocky feel of the pen make it well-suited for an EDC pen.

Dislikes:

  • Facets: Unless held around the section, gripping the pen at the barrel has a risk that the facets may not necessarily fall where you would wish to grip the pen. You may instead encounter a sharp ridge between two facets, or else have your grip dictated by the position of the facets, rather than by the best rotation of the nib to the “sweetspot.”
  • On my pen (and again this may not be same for all), the snap cap is very tight and it needs considerable force to uncap the pen: however this may ease eventually with use; meanwhile, if using the pen intermittently, the pen could be “soft-capped”, to reduce ink evaporation;
  • If posting the pen, the hexagonal cap has to align with the facets and, on my model, this means that the sprung pocket clip will either be to the left or the right of the nib’s centre line and not in line with it – a slight annoyance.

Weights and measurements.

The pen looks and feels, chunky, solid and dense! Capped, it measures around 127mm and uncapped, 123mm. Posted, it is around 157mm. The width of the barrel across opposite facets, is about 12mm. It weighs 44.5g capped, or 27g uncapped and 17.5g for the cap alone. Using the pen uncapped, the weight is very comfortable.

Conclusion.

I am fond of Faber-Castell’s steel-nibbed fountain pens such as the Grip, the Basic, the Essentio and Ambition and have in the past enjoyed the writing experience, particularly with a Faber-Castell Loom, in gunmetal grey, a long-term EDC. I recall the excitement of once buying a Faber-Castell eMotion in Fortnum & Mason, and then heading to the men’s room to ink the pen (with Waterman’s Harmonious Green) and on to the British Museum to write with it. Perhaps I was hoping to recreate that new Faber-Castell feeling with my Ondoro purchase.

This time, the purchase was followed by a wobble and a couple of days of regret, but having come through this, and having spent some time experimenting with different grips, I can now report that I am enjoying the pen and that my bond with it is perhaps stronger as a result of this emotional roller-coaster ride.

Naturally, it sometimes pays to shop around before buying. Also it is best to handle a pen before buying to check that it will be comfortable or whether you will need (and be able) to adapt to it and so there are advantages to buying from a bricks and mortar shop, if you have one. Also, it is human nature to forget to be sensible once in a while.

A gripping challenge, but worthwhile.

Some dos and don’ts on repairing a Parker Duofold button filler.

~ rupertarzeian ~ 2 Comments

Within the circle of my pen club friends, I am known for enthusing about vintage Parker fountain pens. These are plentiful at pen shows and can represent excellent value, when compared with their modern counterparts.

One of my friends bought a vintage Parker Duofold, button filler fountain pen at a recent pen show and asked for my help to get it working and to fix a bent nib. I had completed the Writing Equipment Society’s pen repair course, only last winter. The course was great but attendees still need to practice what they have learned, preferably on their own pens to start with, to gain experience and confidence before being let loose on someone else’s pen. My friend was aware of this but still content for me to have a go.

Having seen a photograph of her pen in pieces, I hoped that it might only need a replacement sac and I suggested that she order one from The Pendragons, whereupon I would have a look at the pen at our next monthly get-together.

Prior to attending the course, I had not even known what a button-filler pen was. It has an ink sac in the barrel. Alongside the sac, is a thin metal bar with a pressure plate. One end of the bar slots into a recess underneath a button (beneath a “blind cap”). When the button is pushed, the metal bar flexes, pushing a pressure plate against the sac. This forces air out of the sac, sending a stream of bubbles to your ink bottle. Then as the button is released, the sac regains shape and draws up ink.

When we met, my friend had already done the hard part, which was to disassemble her pen – remove the barrel, (which was a screw-fit), remove the sac which had perished and also remove the button from the barrel. She had not removed the nib and feed from the section but had purchased a replacement number 17 sac. The repair then went something like this:-

Replacing a sac on a Parker button-filler fountain pen (with a screw-on barrel):

  • Examine and clean the parts; the metal bar was free of corrosion; scrape off any residue of the sac from the sac peg;
  • Straighten out the nib to re-align the tines;
  • Trim the new sac to a length to fit in the barrel;
  • Tip: if the section screws into the barrel, there is a risk that, when a new sac is attached, the sac will become twisted as the section is turned; for this reason it is best to remove the nib and feed – either by pulling them firmly, or else by soaking or washing in an ultrasonic bath, applying gentle heat from a heat gun, and then knocking them out using a hammer, a drift and a nib knock-out block. Then, fit the new sac, and insert a rod up through the section and into the sac to prevent it from twisting as you screw the section into the barrel. The nib and feed are then replaced last. However, we did not do this as the nib and feed could not easily be removed.
  • I attached the new sac to the sac peg, with shellac and then dusted it with French Chalk;
  • Once the section went in the barrel, we could feel the sac twisting. However, it was only catching at the far end and we overcame this by snipping about 5mm off the sac and re-attaching it;
  • Once the section was in place, the spring bar was carefully inserted, guiding it through the hole where the button goes. This needs to be slid in with care to avoid catching on the sac. Again, the bar was liberally dusted with French Chalk.
  • The push button was then pushed back into the barrel. The pen was ready to fill.

Happily, the pen then filled. Bubbles could be seen and heard, which is what you want. The pen wrote smoothly and all appears to be well.

Being asked to repair someone’s fountain pen is a privilege and an honour but carries risk: a bit like being asked to baptise their child, you do not want to drop it! I was grateful for the honour and relieved that the repair was a success.

I do have one Parker Duofold button filler of my own, bought at the March London Pen Show. I had not used it much but thought that it was working. But on closer examination, it would write for only two pages before drying out. It appeared that this was just the ink retained in the nib and feed and that the sac was not filling. When pressing the button, no bubbles appeared in the ink bottle. With my newfound optimism, I decided to disassemble my Parker.

Old perished sac before replacement.

The steps were very similar to repairing my friend’s pen and so I will mention only the key differences:

Knock-out block, hammer and drift.
  • I soaked the nib and section in water for several hours and then applied some gentle heat from my heat gun, before attempting to remove the barrel. As my tutor used to say, “Soaked pens come apart; unsoaked pens break.”
  • After about 5 – 10 minutes’ heat, at around 160 degrees, the barrel separated from the section and, unlike my friend’s pen, mine was a simple push-fit, not threaded.
  • The sac had indeed perished and was hard and cracked.
  • The spring bar had a bit of rust, but was still usable; I dusted it with French Chalk;
  • I soaked the section in an ultrasonic, then removed the nib and feed, using a knock-out block with a hammer and drift;
  • The new number 17 sac went on nicely, attached with shellac and then dusted with French Chalk
  • I had not been able to remove the button, from the end of the barrel. Not wishing to apply excessive force, I left it in place. However this meant that the spring bar could not be inserted through the button hole, after the section and new sac were in place. Instead the spring bar had to be placed in the barrel from the open end, taking care to have the pressure plate facing inwards, before inserting the section with sac attached.
  • The pen went back together smoothly and I was ready to fill it.
New sac attached and dusted.

Since my pen had a push-fit barrel, it was not really necessary to remove the nib and feed and insert a rod into the new sac to prevent twisting when screwing the barrel back on, but it was nice to be able to clean and inspect the nib thoroughly.

Falling at the last hurdle.

However, pride comes before a fall. In my excitement at seeing the pen fill properly, I had neglected to support the pen sufficiently, whilst pressing down on the button. Without realising, I had driven the pen down into the glass bottle and bent the soft gold nib to a right angle.

Oh no! It’s Gonzo from the Muppets!

Perhaps I was lucky, but I was able to bend the nib back into shape and do some rudimentary burnishing, using the tools available, namely a wooden McDonalds’ tea stirrer and a table mat. I got the nib back in shape with the tines aligned as best I could. The pen wrote smoothly and well.

Now that the pen fills properly, I kept track of its output and noted that it wrote for 15 pages of an A5 notebook on one fill.

There is always more to learn, even in a seemingly basic task like replacing a sac or inking your pen! This is why it is best to practice and make your mistakes on your own pens first. With the button filler I tackled my friend’s pen first but I am glad that the Gods of pen repair were aware of this and saved this humbling blunder for my own.

A little battered but not beaten.