Waterman Carene

Carene in French means “hull” of a boat. The streamlined design of Carene looks like the hull of a racing yacht. 

The silver cap with engraved lines look like waves and the gold furniture complements both black

resin and silver cap.

The 18k inlaid nib is a smooth writer.

At 33.4 gms and 5.69” it is a mid sized nicely balanced pen. 

The spirit of waves, the hull of a boat and inspiration from the ocean inspired me to pair it with  J Herbin 1670 Blue Ocean Ink.

It is a luxury to be indulged in, in terms of visual, tactile and writing quality. I am absolutely besotted by my Carene.

Kan Write Heritage Flex Pen Review

I bought this pen through e-bay last month for Rs 1275/- (approximately $19) and as advised, flushed it out before inking it. It is a clear demonstrator with a push plunger filler, which holds a lot of ink. The fit and the finish of the pen is beautiful. It is made of some celluloid derivative but the transparency is flawless. It has a steel nib with a long slit in the middle which is supposed to give it the flex. It is 5 1/2 inches capped and 6 3/8 inches posted. It sits very well in the hand .

I inked it with Sheaffer’s Scrip Purple ink. The plunger filler is very easy to operate, more like a syringe. So you dip the pen in ink and pull up the plunger…

The nib was smooth but a little grinding and adjustment of feed to get the right flow was what did the trick. Now the nib is buttery smooth and the flex, although a little more pressure is required in comparison to my Swan,Eversharp or Waterman, whom I give 10/10, this would be 8.5/10. 

It goes from Medium to Double Broad when flexed creating delightful inflections in the script (see sample ).

Value for money flex pen, especially for people who want to learn penmanship with flex nibs!! I got to know that it is manufactured at Kanpur, in India. 

A pen worth its weight in gold! I am going to order a few more so that they can be filled with different coloured inks and sit on the desk, ready for the work!!!

German researchers find that majority of fountain pen collectors are middle aged, highly educated males

German researchers Professor Dr. Michael Steiner at the University Witten / Herdecke and Christine Arden from the University of Muenster conducted a study in late 2014 to gain insights into fountain pen collectors’ next intended purchases and their reaction when facing an out-of-stock situation. Inky Passion received a PDF copy of the report through email yesterday.

The study enlisted the help of manufacturer Pelikan and was publicised on a variety of online sites. It found that a majority of fountain pen collectors are middle aged, highly educated males who possess at least 7 high priced writing instruments.

A total of 1823 respondents were surveyed from eight countries which included the USA, Germany, Canada, UK, Australia, Singapore, Austria and the Netherlands. The participants were recruited through the Pelikan Newsletter, FPGeeks.com and a variety of online sites and forums.

Among other things, the survey found that the average age of fountain pen collectors was 42 years old, and that 80% of them were male. A majority of respondents were highly educated, with at least 88% having graduated from high school and 59% holding at least a university degree.

On average, the respondents owned a total of 22 writing instruments. However, the mean value was affected by outliers who owned up to 500 writing instruments. A median 50% of respondents possessed at least 7 high priced writing instruments.

Brands cited as respondents’ next intended purchase included (in order) – Pelikan, Mont Blanc, Pilot, Visconti, Nakaya, Sailor, Lamy, Namiki, Omas, Parker, Graf von Faber Castell, Waterman, TWSBI, Caran d’Ache followed by other brands. The findings were however noted to be unrepresentative because a substantial amount of respondents were recruited via a Pelikan newsletter.

The survey also found that the internet is today a major distribution channel for fountain pens, but that retailers still play a crucial part. It noted that many consumers rely on online forums and corporate websites for information about fountain pens.

The study analysed consumers’ reactions when a product was out-of-stock. One significant finding was that regular products which were out-of-stock “increases negative emotions towards the brand and ultimately decreases in its re-purchase probability”. It added, “negative emotions have a significantly stronger negative effect on re-purchase probability” of Special Edition products.

It concluded that a situation where a product was “out-of-stock also influences brand perceptions as it increases respondents’ interest in a brand. Out-of-stocks thus have a negative as well as a positive effect. However, overall, the negative impact prevails.”

Meteore

Meteore fountain pen by a French pen manufacturer "La Pluma de Oro" was the rage in 1920s as they made very high quality nibs. This pen with 14k solid gold trim and semi-flex nib in marbled ebonite was a star of 1923. The other great pens by Meteore after the success of this pen were Pullman and Safety. 

This Meteore 62 has a shamrock shaped side filler with Meteore 
etched on it. The cap and barrel also has Meteore, D&D, Paris, Unis 18 France and 62 printed on it. I have cleaned out the pen, buffed it slightly and re-sacked it. Now it is writing like a dream. 

The cap and barrel also has Meteore, D&D, Paris, Unis 18 France and 62 printed on it. The company, sadly closed down in 1956, as it could not withstand the ball-pen onslaught.

I have cleaned out the pen, buffed it slightly and re-sacked it. Now it is writing like a dream. 

Pelikan Souveran M600

Pelikan is a German, yet Swiss-incorporated manufacturer of fountain pens and other writing, office and art equipment, credited with the invention of the differential-piston filling method. Their "true" history began with the model "100" and the modified 100N (both fountain pens), which sparked the genesis of the company's distinctive styling.

The modern-day range includes a flagship line called the Majesty, a sterling silver and palladium plated fountain pen, rollerball pen and ball pen. The more popular Souverän (meaning Sovereign) line consists of the very small M300, small M400, medium M600, large M800 and oversized M1000. Pelikan is notable for manufacturing many of their pens using Cellulose acetate, instead of the more modern plastics used by most other major pen makers.

There is also a more modest "Classic" (née Traditional) line of pens, which is really an extension of the Souverän line. They are mechanically very similar, but less elaborately decorated, and shipped with gold-plated stainless steel nibs, rather than the solid gold nibs of the Souverän pens. This line includes the 200 and 150. The Souverän and Classic lines are also notable for their easily replaced nibs, which are mostly interchangeable. Many of the pen models are also available as ballpoints, mechanical pencils; their model designations have the same number as the corresponding fountain pen, but a different prefix letter. M for the fountain pens using the piston filling mechanism; P for the fountain pens which take ink cartridges, K for ball pens, R for rollerball and D for mechanical pencils. Pelikan is also a manufacturer of Limited Edition pieces, their first being the acclaimed "Blue Ocean" Demonstrator in 1993 leading to current 'Eternal Ice'.

Pelikan also makes entry-level fountain pens and fountain pens for school pupils, for example "Pelikano" and "Future,". Pelikan's entry level fountain pen ink is called Pelikan 4001, while it has a higher grade ink called Edelstein Ink. Pelikan also makes Pelikan Fount India, a deep black Indian ink which, unlike most Indian inks, can be used in fountain pens. It is very water-resistant.

My Souveran M600 with 14 k broad nib

Parker Duofold

The Duofold is the pen that actually made the Parker Company one of the greatest pen-manufacturers of the world. Until the Duofold few pens were made of anything but black rubber. Parker found a method to make the rubber in a red-orange colour, and when the pens began to sell they really sold. The Duofolds had their world premier in early 1921. Within a few months the Duofold was the best selling high priced pen on the market. the red Duofolds was something of a risky venture since Parker previously, in the early 1900's, had tried marketing a red pen, the Red Giant, which was disastrous. Especially the cap proved very brittle and the guarantee became very expensive. The production came to an abrupt halt.

In 1928 the cap bands on the Senior and Junior Duofolds were split into two to match the Lady, which broad band earlier had been split into three. The overall design, however, stayed the same.

Here is my 1928 Parker Dufold Senior, "the Big Red", with a medium 14k nib...a wonderful inheritance!

Ganesh - The Divine Scribe

Ganesha, the elephant-headed one, is one of the most popular deities of India. All auspicious events begin with an invocation to him. He is invoked before an act of business or trade, or before laying the first stone of a new building.

Ganesha is usually portrayed as having the head of an elephant and the body of a huge-bellied man. In some depictions he is standing, whilst in others he may he dancing or sitting. As with the iconography of other Indian deities, the number of heads or arms an image of Ganesha possesses may vary. Ganesha is often shown wearing a serpent for a girdle and riding a mouse.

Significantly, unlike other deities of the Hindu pantheon, there are no strict rules or canons binding the form his worship may take. He may be revered in any form. Ganesha is addressed in hymn and prayer by many different titles such as Vinayaka (remover of hindrances), or Vakratunda (of the twisted trunk). Prayers to Ganesha ask for the removal of obstacles from the path of the devotee, and for success in one’s endeavours.

Ganesha is considered to be the Lord of letters and learning. In Sanskrit, the word buddhi is a feminine noun that is variously translated as intelligence, wisdom, or intellect. The concept of buddhi is closely associated with the personality of Ganesha, especially in the Puranic period, when many stories stress his cleverness and love of intelligence.

The most interesting story concerning Ganesha is the belief that he was the scribe who wrote the Mahabharata. Maharshi Ved Vyas was instructed to write the epic by the Gods. He wanted it to be written down by the most knowledgeable one in the universe. Lord Brahma asked Maharshi to visit Lord Shiva and beg for his son SIDDHIDATA GANESHA to be allowed for the task. Lord Ganesha had a clause: While reciting the verses, if Ved Vyas stopped for a while, and Ganesha would have to stop because of the same; he would terminate his writing of the epic and Maharshi would have to search for another writer.That is, Maharshi would have to recite the entire epic at one go, without pausing at all.

Maharshi Ved Vyas agreed to this. However he himself put forth another condition: He told the Lord that he would have to understand every hymn, every verse before penning it down. He put this condition with the idea that he would be reciting something very tough; and while Ganesha would be pondering upon its meaning, he would get a scope to take a few moments of rest

However that was not the case with Lord Ganesha. He completed penning down the sacred hymns even before the sage had thought of the next. In the mean time, the pen He used for writing down the verses, began to wear away. Aware of His earlier condition, and not finding out any other alternative, the Lord pulled out his left tusk and used it to complete writing the great epic Mahabharata.