When it comes to describing antique and vintage items, there are no standards. This is both a blessing, and a curse. For example: the term wet noodle. This term is used by some to describe a pen which writes with a high ink flow, and whose nib is extremely flexible. But there are some real […]
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Cracked Wood: Problem, or No Problem?
The other day, we came across a lovely writing box. We’ve seen all kinds, and sometimes we take them on, sometimes we don’t. But this one was nearly perfect. Around two hundred years old, and made for the aristocracy: solid rosewood case, mahogany interior; mother-of-pearl inlay and pewter stringing; ebony moulding along the perimeter of […]
Book Review: The Richardspens Guide to Fountain Pens, Volume 1: Glossopedia
Richard Binder The RichardsPens Guide to Fountain Pens, Volume 1: Glossopedia 2013, self-published. $5.99; isbn-10: 0988407906, isbn-13: 978-0-9884079-0-9. 258 pages, illustrations; epub, iBook, Kindle. Richard Binder is a name well-known in the North American fountain pen community. A self-made pen repair and nib-modification guru, his Nashua Pen Spa recently ceased repair operations, causing many to […]
We’re Moving…
We are migrating our website to new servers, in an attempt to avoid irritating creeping slowness. So, if things look a bit strange, or completely inside out, over the next week or so, we apologize in advance. The end results will be worth it! update All of our files and postings have been successfully moved […]
Waterman’s “Ideal” Fountain Pen Ephemera
Ephemera—the various pieces of paper that are a part of everyday life—are, by definition, disposable. In many cases (thinking of my shopping lists), that is no great loss. However, there are times when it would be more than just idle curiosity to see what is on those old papers. Being the sharing types, when we […]
The Great Inkwell Experiment Part Six—Fourth-Week Results
glass well with a simple gravity-closing hinged lid; glass well with a silver snap-close hinged lid; metal well with glass insert and a hinged outer cover (thus with space between the insert and the cover); wooden well with glass insert and an unhinged cloth-lined wooden lid; glass writing-box bottle, with threaded brass lid; pottery ink […]
