Information is gold; sometimes more than figuratively. We came across a lovely Victorian pen catalogue in our favourite collection, archive.org. Titled, in fine Victorian fashion, History of the invention and illustrated process of making Foley’s diamond pointed gold pens with complete illustrated catalogue[…] The first half of the book is an excellent catalogue of Foley’s […]
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Public Domain Pen Documents Now Online
For a look at a loud conversation about the legal and ethical issues pertaining to these documents, go to: http://fountainpenboard.com/forum/index.php?/topic/6174-public-domain-pen-documents-now-online It is always nice when someone decides to share. And when the thing shared is pen information, it is beyond nice: it’s a public service. We were browsing through our favourite host of online information, […]
Basics: Categories of Vintage Mechanical Pencils
The world of mechanical pencils isn’t what it once was. If you visit a stationery or office supply store today, you will generally find two sorts of mechanical pencils: click, and clutch. A click pencil is the one with skinny little leads, which are advanced with a “click”, by pushing the end button. Clutch pencils […]
On Lime Juice
Oxidation is often our enemy. When oxygen contacts metals, it reacts with the surface atoms to form what is known scientifically as an oxide, but more commonly as rust, or tarnish. While in the case of some metals—such as copper—oxidation can result in a beautiful green colour, in the case of silver or iron it […]
Re-purposing a Box—Part 6, Pen Storage & Conclusion
With our century-old box cleaned, finished, and re-lined, the only remaining job is to make a custom-fitted pen storage space, using the existing tray. Pens are designed to be used, but can also be inherently fragile, so this is an important detail if this box is to be truly functional. 1. Materials We need a […]
Re-purposing a Box—Part 5, Paper Lining
We are now well along in our work on this century-old box, and we now face the biggest challenge thus far. You may remember that we were unable to salvage the original green velvet lining due to both wear and animal damage. We do, however, have an excellent option for replacement: hand-marbled paper. Marbled paper […]
