For over a century talc has been used as a standard dry lubricant for rubber fountain pen sacs. The slippery mineral dust helps to protect the sac from friction damage when it is depressed by a pressure bar. This lubrication is also essential for Parker Vacumatics and other pens where a sac is folded in […]
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What’s Wrong With My Parker Pencil?
When it comes to congenital defects, time always tells. This past week we have had four Parker pencils on the bench, and each had the same problem. And that problem was the result of a design flaw that would only reveal itself over time. The Design From the time Sampson Mordan first patented the propelling […]
Hey, Where Is Your Contact Info?
Many people in the pen community, and in society in general, like to make a direct connection with each other. They want to personally get to know others with their interests. And this is especially true if they are considering sending off their valuable and sentimental pens! Some time ago, we made the choice to […]
Book Review: Estonian Knitting 2: Socks & Stockings
Anu Pink Estonian Knitting 2: Socks & Stockings Saara Publishing House (2018, Türi, Estonia) 36.80€; isbn: 978-9949-7268-2-0 384 pages, illustrations, photos, diagrams; hardcover. With the huge popularity of knitting, hundreds of books are published on the subject each year. Many of them are similar, and our eyes begin to glaze over just looking at them […]
Solved: Who Made the Pens of Birks Jewellers?
Like most Canadian jewellers at the turn of the twentieth century, Henry Birks & Sons, of Montréal, sold pens. While they don’t often turn up today, occasionally we have one cross our repair bench. While a Birks pen is usually not of the highest quality, they are good, solid pens, usually with the nice flexible […]
