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Hmm, maybe I should just get used to my Cross ATX whenever it arrives. It's not that the prestige of owning a Mont Blanc attracts me, I just think it might be perfect for me. Having a Meisterstuck 146 just seems, right. I'll have to own one to really find out though.
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iTunes on Power Mac G4 > ESI Juli@ > Blue Jeans Cable LC-1 > Corda Arietta > HD650
WTB: HeadRoom Desktop Amp w/ Home DAC
From left to right:
Waterman Kultur Christal Demonstrator (that's a 20yrs old pelikan black cartridge in the barrel), Waterman Phileas(fits only waterman carts); Parker Frontier; Pelikan Pelikano Lefthanded; Waterman Audace Enchanted Garden; another Parker Frontier; Waterman Apostrophe Green Marble; Lefthanded Pelikan schoolpen from the 80s, don't know the model.
Capless
The Waterman pens:
Both the Parker Frontiers:
And such a lovely picture quality.
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If you have a older pair of PX100 and find it dark you might wanna try my PX100 mod.
Hmm, maybe I should just get used to my Cross ATX whenever it arrives. It's not that the prestige of owning a Mont Blanc attracts me, I just think it might be perfect for me. I'm also interested in other makes like Waterman, Shaeffer, and Parker, so I'm not biased. Having a Meisterstuck 146 just seems, right. I'll have to own one to really find out though.
There is a certain aura of prestige surrounding Mont Blancs. When I had mine (145P) for a couple of months, I did get a sense of pride and importance Whenever I used it (on a daily basis to take notes in lectures), people would gaze at it and sometimes even comment on how nice it looked. Of course that made me feel good
Then came my Pelikan M600 (green). IMO, it offered the same level of quality, but at a much lower pricepoint. I paid 430USD for the 145P and less than half of that for the M600, yet the build quality and level of craftsmanship seemed to be at least as good, if not even better! The M600 did draw a fair amount of attention, but not as much as the Mont Blanc. Neither did most people know what make it was. Nevertheless, I sold the 145P and the M600 has become my one and only pen that I use on a daily basis.
The P51 I just bought was a Demi Aerometric with a 12k GF cap in Navy Grey, F nib.
I hope to be able to acquire another P51 within the next day - Vacumatic with a 16k GF cap in Cordovan Brown, F nib.
Nothing wrong with modern Mont Blancs, but I've never been satisified with one bought at full retail. I had, at various points, a new 146, 149 and Boeheme, and I was left with a serious bad taste in my mouth after getting them home and using them. Fine pens, no doubt, but personally, I couldn't rationalize $500 for a new 149 when I could get one in NM condition for half of that, if not less. Plus, NONE of the 3 pens wrote perfectly out of the box. I do love some of the metal bodied variants, but they are tres expensive. I'm also particularly fond of many of the author series pens, especially at the eBay prices. My favorites are the less popular editions & understated editions, such as Voltaire and Dostoevesky. Now that I think of it though, I don't even know which ones have come out in the last few years, since Kafka (love that ****roach nib!). I do have a new 146 that writes very well after being tweaked by Richard Binder, but I got that substantially cheaper than MSRP on eBay.
Consider also that for less than most new MBs will cost, you can have Nakaya in Japan make you a custom fountain pen, laquered and made for your hand.
As far as vintage MBs go, they are, as stated before, a totally different animal. Think a vintage Rolex Explorer vs a blinged-out Yachtmaster. It feels more like a quality crafted tool vs the luxury-brand-icon'ness of the new ones. The good examples are in a different league than the new pens, but many of those are either very expensive, very hard to find, or both. If you read a bit and get an idea what you are looking for, and then spend some time hunting on eBay and the boards, you can find some very nice writing & looking examples for under $300 though.
Vintage MBs are a different animal, and I'd say that the good examples are better
Originally Posted by wanderman
does anyone know where I can find a pen that has a line thickness close to that of a .5mm pencil despite the ink bleed?
A vintage Esterbrook with a firm extra fine should be pretty damn close. Nibs like that were made for accounting & bookkeeping and were surprisingly fine. Paper will have a hand in ink bleed too, though. Esties are pretty cheap, shouldn't cost you more that $30-35 and definitely under $50. Or you can try an extra fine japanese pen, as japanese nibs are generally 1 size finer than US/Euro nibs.
Originally Posted by jjhatfield
I'm not sure if you know Rick "The Penguin" Propas, but you might could shoot him an email. Pelikans of all models are his specialty: http://www.angelfire.com/mac/penguin0/ And a warning before anyone goes to that webpage: LOTS of really, really kick ass Pelikans, vintage and modern. Sorry about your wallet.
I'll have to check him out, thanks for the tip. That Pelikan (and a couple of the MBs) are due for the chopping block soon, but I need to get it fixed first.
Originally Posted by milkpowder
I hope to be able to acquire another P51 within the next day - Vacumatic with a 16k GF cap in Cordovan Brown, F nib.
does anyone know where I can find a pen that has a line thickness close to that of a .5mm pencil despite the ink bleed?
What price point are you looking for? I have several pens with extra fine nibs that can give a line close to that of a 0.5mm pencil. The Lamys in particular have great extra fine nibs, I think. The Lamy Vista/Safari/Al-Stars with extra fine nibs that I have can do it for under $25 (a great daily wear-and-tear pen). As long as you use a quality extra fine nib with a good, smooth ink that doesn't feather, you can get a line that comes quite close to the 0.5mm pencil.
What price point are you looking for? I have several pens with extra fine nibs that can give a line close to that of a 0.5mm pencil. The Lamys in particular have great extra fine nibs, I think. The Lamy Vista/Safari/Al-Stars with extra fine nibs that I have can do it for under $25 (a great daily wear-and-tear pen). As long as you use a quality extra fine nib with a good, smooth ink that doesn't feather, you can get a line that comes quite close to the 0.5mm pencil.
as long as it is cheaper the e4's I'll be happy.
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Herding my meese to prevent the squabble over the single rouse.
pewpewpewpewpewpewpew, riding towards insanity one jabberwocky at a time team because it feels good
The Lamy Studio with extra fine nib is very nice. For a pen that's as narrow as a mechanical pencil, I also like the Lamy st with extra fine nib. These are available under $100. As you can tell, I love Lamy
I'd also highly recommend the Namiki/Pilot Vanishing Point pens. Their fine nibs are close to extra fine, and they have a retractable mechanism. I have seen ones that are upwards of $200, but there are very nice models for around $100-120.
As far as inks, my personal favorite black ink is Aurora black. No feathering at all, and it's great with an extra fine nib. Noodler's inks are also a solid choice (waterproof, too) as are Private Reserve inks. In fact, Private Reserve Midnight Blues is one of my favorite navy inks, and they have a nice bright American Blue too.
The Lamy Studio with extra fine nib is very nice. For a pen that's as narrow as a mechanical pencil, I also like the Lamy st with extra fine nib. These are available under $100. As you can tell, I love Lamy
I'd also high recommend the Namiki/Pilot Vanishing Point pens. Their fine nibs are close to extra fine, and they have a retractable mechanism. I have seen ones that are upwards of $200, but there are very models for around $100-120.
As far as inks, my personal favorite black ink is Aurora black. No feathering at all, and it's great with an extra fine nib. Noodler's inks are also a solid choice (waterproof, too) as are Private Reserve inks. In fact, Private Reserve Midnight Blues is one of my favorite navy inks, and they have a nice bright American Blue too.
I like Lamys too. The Lamy Studio is such an amazing looking pen. I used to have the Lamy Studio Palladium finish, but I sold it because it had a broad sharp italic on it I couldn't write with. I'm looking to getting one of the less expensive Studios, either in the blue or black.
A second vote for the Namiki/Pilot Vanishing Point. A really, really fantastic pen if the clip doesn't drive you crazy. The clip drove me nuts for a while, but then I realized I've been holding my pen incorrectly since I was a kid, and the Pilot clip actually made me start gripping all my pens properly. I have an M nib which is more like an Western F nib.
If you do buy a VP, its a good idea to buy one from Richard Binder at www.richardspens.com. He'll test the pen for you and make sure the nib is okay, and if it isn't he is a nibmeister so he can tune it for optimum flow.
Some of my favorite inks are Private Reserve American Blue, Noodlers Black, Noodlers Ottoman Azure, Noodlers Blue-Black, Waterman Blue Black, and Waterman Florida Blue. I pretty much only write with blues and blacks, though I do own bottles of ink in other colors.
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Analog: Technics SL1200MK2 -> Denon DL-103 -> Cinemag SUT -> Bottlehead Seduction Digital: Cambridge Audio 840C Cans: HD650, HF-1 Amp: Wheatfield HA-2, Rockhopper Balanced Beta22 (inc) Speakers: Cambridge Audio 840A -> Quad 22L
Team Collins-Era Genesis
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So freakin' beautiful! I'm so proud of my sniping skills. 25 seconds-put in bid -> 10 seconds left put in max...
That is a beautiful 51! Seller knows what they are talking about as well, which is always a good sign. Be sure to tell us how you like the way it writes.
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Analog: Technics SL1200MK2 -> Denon DL-103 -> Cinemag SUT -> Bottlehead Seduction Digital: Cambridge Audio 840C Cans: HD650, HF-1 Amp: Wheatfield HA-2, Rockhopper Balanced Beta22 (inc) Speakers: Cambridge Audio 840A -> Quad 22L
Team Collins-Era Genesis
Team Halloweenhead
Team Southern Lord
Whenever I used it (on a daily basis to take notes in lectures), people would gaze at it and sometimes even comment on how nice it looked. Of course that made me feel good
