Collectible Fountain Pens

The dividing lines among custom, vintage and collectible fountain pens often get blurred. A vintage pen can be customized and added to a collection. Collectible fountain pens may include vintage, custom-made and customized vintage pens. Any fountain pen, new or vintage, customized or ordinary, qualifies for collection if it appeals to the fountain pen collector. A simple and plain look, a gaudy design or an ancient technique can enthuse a pen collector. There is no limit to the criteria for a fountain pen collection. The reasons could be as varying as the number of fountain pens. Costs do not deter fountain pen lovers from possessing their objects of desire.

Collecting new pens is easier, just like buying coke from the supermarket. Vintage pen collecting is a bit like hunting. Estate sales and flea markets are the places frequented by fountain collectors. Old jewelers and stationers come up with collectible fountain pens sometimes. The best way to buy collectible fountain pens is from a pen show, where hobbyists and collectors buy and sell pens to each other. These shows started as a place to swap pens. But now these shows are complete conventions with advertisements, sales and auctions. And, of course, one can buy collectible fountain pens on the Internet.

An online auction is a way of buying collectible fountain pens. This is different from the regular auction. In online auctions, a third person might come from nowhere and take away the object of desire. The chances of the same thing happening are also present regular auctions, but there it?s a little more predictable. Buying collectible fountain pens online can be distressing as some facts or features of the pen may be misrepresented, and in the absence of testing, it may be difficult to vouchsafe the quality. Buying a collectible fountain pen from a dealer is the safest way.

 

Custom Fountain Pens

Most people write differently and many prefer particularly designed fountain pens. Fountain pens to suit an individual?s writing needs are called custom fountain pens. Custom-made fountain pens are wonderful combinations of the creativity of the manufacturer and the individual needs of the user; they are manufactured out of wood, glass, precious metal, hard rubber and celluloid according to a specific design (sometimes ordered). Engraving of names and messages are also a part of the custom fountain pen manufacturing process. Precious metals like gold and diamonds may enrich a custom fountain pen. Cost is not often a deterrent to the user who wants a particular design.

Adjusting the tip of the nib to write cursive right obliquely, cursive left obliquely, cursive italic, straight italic, straight right oblique, straight left oblique, stub and round pointed are a few custom fountain pen varieties. What can be achieved by customizing the nib is that it can be made narrower, or its size can be increased by retipping.

Most custom-made pens are preordered. Many manufacturers offer custom-made pens in bulk, while only a few are willing to take up orders for custom-made pens in ones or twos. The best way to promote a company is through gifting away pens. Corporate offices may gift away custom-made pens with name, message or company logo engraved on the pens to their employees or clients. Engravings are done on the nibs, barrels, caps and clips.

Of the various materials used in custom-made pens, deer antler is the most difficult one to craft. There are custom fountain pens made of ivory, too. While it is common to have nibs of gold and silver, the clip is also made of gold and studded with diamonds in some fountain pens.

A custom-made pen may be gifted or preserved, adding to the collection of exquisite pens.

 

Vintage fountain pens

There are so many different and unique things for people to collect. Some of the things are worth money, while there are others that do not have much money value, but do have personal worth for one reason or another. There are some people that do enjoy collecting different items and have a lot of fun searching for them. One item for collecting is a fountain pen. There are so many unique and classic styles of these pens to choose from. Fountain pens were used in the early years as a method of writing. They came shortly after the quill pen. The defined body styles of some of the vintage fountain pens of the past are certainly something to hold on to. There are many places that you can find the fountain pens that you want to collect. One way to find them is online. There are many auctions and other places on line to find great fountain pens at good prices. You can find many of the older styles of pens for little money. You can try the antique shows and look there for you fountain pens. You may find old vintage fountain pens there that are worth something to someone someday. For now, though, you will have a good start to your collection at a very good price. There are also things like fountain pen shows you to take a peak at. This is the easiest way to learn about this fascinating hobby. There are a lot of people that know a whole lot of information about fountain pen collecting and they will be able to answer any of your questions. At these pen shows, you will see that there are many choices of fountain pens to choose from. You will find that a lot of the pen shows also have vintage fountain pens for sale. You can find these gold or silver plated pens in these shows and get them for a great price. These are the vintage pens that you want to hold onto. They have great designs and no matter what shape they are in, they will be worth something. When you find these ancient and fascinating pens, you should hang on to them. You can always worry about fixing them up later. As long as you have the pen, you are going to have your start for your vintage fountain pen collection. You can start slow and work your way up. All you need to do is find one and you will be on your way to a fabulous collection that will be worth so much to you and to many others as well.

Agust Hauksson is a regular contributor of articles to many online publications. Find more great information at: http://www.fountain-pen.biz/ and http://www.promotional-pen.biz/

Fountain Pens and Bad Spelling Equal Huge Bargains

Most fountain pen seekers take a stroll through eBay looking for great deals. However, one secret to huge bargains are fountain pens up for an auction that are spelled wrong. There are a lot of people that have no clue what that fancy pen they found at home or inherited is worth, so they put it on eBay.

Many people misspell words. They wonder why there are no bids. Here's why . . . the item does not show up in eBay searches . . . nobody knows it's there. Many times you could be the only bidder.

You can find numerous "eBay Misspelling Tools" available online.

People have no idea what they are actually offering, not only do they misspell the name, they haven't a clue how to describe the fountain pen or take a compelling photo. It's recommended that you email the seller any question you might have.

However, make sure the pen has at least one bid (preferably yours) on it . . . before you tip off the seller that they actually have a fountain pen of substantial worth up for an auction. Once a bid has been made, the seller cannot change the price or description of that item.

You can find many of these pens in great condition, minimal brassing, clean and correct nib, a lever box in great shape, etc.

There is 'safe trading' advice offered by eBay that you should take to heart. By reading this advice you will be able to eliminate the anxiety of buying a product you can't personally check out, while buying it from some stranger.

Warning: there are a lot of fake fountain pens up for an auction on eBay. Do you know how to spot one?

- Does it have a serial number?

- Where should the serial number appear on the pen?

- Is the country of origin spelled correctly?

- Name of a manufacturer spelled correctly?

If you are still unsure on what you are looking for, there are many fountain pen forums online. These experts will be more than happy to answer any question you might have, just type in "Fountain Pen Forums" into any search box and then look around.

Not only should you be aware of fake pens, but be aware of bidder scams. Although rare in fountain pen auctions, it still happens. This type of scam is run by one person in control of two eBay accounts or two people with separate accounts. One eBay account will place a small bid on your fountain pen. Then another eBay account will place a very high bid. Right before your fountain pen auction is about to close, the high bidder will cancel or withdraw their bid, leaving the low bid as the winner. Setting a "reserve price" on your fountain pen will avoid this scam.

Hopefully, this information is beneficial to you in your quest to find a great bargain and not get taken, when shopping for fountain pens at the world's largest flea market.

Mark Kessler is the owner of "Fountain Pens 411" a comprehensive free Fountain Pen resource, including Fountain Pen news, hard to find Fountain Pens, custom and discount fountain pens, Waterman, Mont Blanc, Parker, Vintage, Antique, articles and links

What is a fountain pen?

A fountain pen is a pen that has a reservoir of water-based ink. The ink is usually fed to the nib of the pen through a tube and uses a combination of gravity and capillary action. Filling a fountain pen reservoir with ink is a difficult process. You have to replace a disposable ink cartridge or in some cases, you may have to use an eyedropper to fill in the ink. Most of the modern day, pens can use the disposable cartridge with a screw or piston that is used to fill the pen. Fountain pens were more commonly used in the early years of writing. Prior to these items being introduced, people used the quill pen as their writing tool. Most of the pens before the fountain pen were not good enough. The either left marks on the paper or leaked out ink. The fountain pen is the one pen that made the cut and has lasted throughout the changing times. Fountain pens are still wanted and used among many people. There are some people that still use one of these pens on a daily basis as their main writing tool, while there are others who like to collect these pens and learn the history of which they originated. Many of the fountain pens today are found in the higher-class establishments. There are certain banks, restaurants, and hotels that like to use these unique pens to create a wonderful atmosphere in their place of business. Today the fountain pen is not used as much anymore with the creation of the Bic pen and the pens that come with ink in them and when they run out, you simply throw them away and use another. However, the fountain pens that people have today are more for collectable reasons. There are many people who like to collect the unique and fun styles of pens that were once so important. There are a lot of vintage pens that people still collect and cherish. The collectors of these types of fountain pens keep them safe and do not change anything about them. It is best to keep them in the original condition so that the keep their value. There are many brands of fountain pens that people like to collect also. Along with the name, the age of the pen is also important to the collector. The material or what the pen is made out of is also a good factor in a collector's eye. If the pen is gold or silver-plated, it is another good reason that the pens are so desired in some people's eyes. As long as the pen is in decent shape, it will be valuable to someone someday.

Agust Hauksson is a regular contributor of articles to many online publications. Find more great information at: http://www.fountain-pen.biz/ and http://www.promotional-pen.biz

The War Of High Quality Writing Instruments - The Fountain Pen

High quality writing instruments have been around for centuries and continue to exist; from the first pencils in 1584, to the quill pen, to the reign of the fountain pen from 1925 to 1940.

These high quality and highly functional writing instruments were being made around the world in beautiful styles and with an elegance and class not previously seen in a writing instrument.

The early fountain pens were not effective at providing a consistent and even supply of ink. You would have either too much ink which caused blots or too little which caused skips.

In 1870 Waterman developed a 3 channel feed which meant the ink flow was controlled during writing, making the pen a choice as a portable writing instrument. Today collectors refer to these pens as eyedroppers because of how they were filled.

Eyedropper pens leaked because the caps didn't fit really secure and the joint became worn from use, so in 1907 Waterman came up with a solution. It worked like a lipstick tube with a barrel that twisted and a point that could retract into the barrel. It was called the safety pen. These pens remained popular well into the 1920s.

Parker and Sheaffer developed their own advancements; Parker with the button filler and lever filler, and Sheaffer with similar systems that also included what was called a blind cap.

During the war the pen market continued to grow at an incredible rate. Pens were made from ebonite or vulcanite, which was a hard rubber material that was very easy to work with. Pens were decorated with engravings, swirls of color, wood grain, and even mottled colors. Black was the most popular base color but sometimes other colors were produced, especially red. The high quality pens had 14k solid gold points and gold pocket clips.

Men's pens were had a clip, while ladies were slightly smaller and had a ring top so they could be attached to a chain, a vest pocket, or a watch chain.

But competition was fierce and quality writing instruments were everywhere, so to stay competitive the manufacturers were forced to produce a pen that had fashion appeal. So along came pens such as the Duofold with its striking red orange colors, Bakelite, tortoise shell, and horn.

Sheaffer introduced a line of pens in 1924 that were made from celluloid which were an instant hit even though they were expensive. Within 5 years they were the #1 selling pen. Celluloid was available in unlimited colors and patterns which made it perfect for the Art Deco times and styles.

Many of the pen manufacturers ran into trouble during the 1930s but Parker, Wahl-Eversharp, Waterman, and Sheaffer all kept their heads above water and Parker did especially well.

In 1932 Parker introduced a vacuum filler system which eliminated the need for an ink sack. Parker continued to work towards new innovations and in 1941 introduced the fast drying Parker Superchrome ink which required some design changes to their pen.

Sheaffer created two filling systems; the touchdown and snorkel which remained popular into the 1960s. In fact just recently they have been reintroduced to the market. Waterman introduced the disposable cartridge for the fountain pen and perfected it during WWII. But the final achievement in fountain pens belongs to Parker who in 1956 introduced the capillary filling system.

High quality writing instruments have been demanded by civilization for centuries. It's interesting to follow the changes in design that have occurred over the centuries and what we once considered high quality, compared to what we now consider high quality writing instruments.

Gray Rollins is a featured writer for PensCenter.com. To learn more about fountain pens and other fine writing instruments, visit us.

The War Of High Quality Writing Instruments ? The Fountain Pen

High quality writing instruments have been around for centuries and continue to exist; from the first pencils in 1584, to the quill pen, to the reign of the fountain pen from 1925 to 1940.

These high quality and highly functional writing instruments were being made around the world in beautiful styles and with an elegance and class not previously seen in a writing instrument.

The early fountain pens were not effective at providing a consistent and even supply of ink. You would have either too much ink which caused blots or too little which caused skips.

In 1870 Waterman developed a 3 channel feed which meant the ink flow was controlled during writing, making the pen a choice as a portable writing instrument. Today collectors refer to these pens as eyedroppers because of how they were filled.

Eyedropper pens leaked because the caps didn?t fit really secure and the joint became worn from use, so in 1907 Waterman came up with a solution. It worked like a lipstick tube with a barrel that twisted and a point that could retract into the barrel. It was called the safety pen. These pens remained popular well into the 1920s.

Parker and Sheaffer developed their own advancements; Parker with the button filler and lever filler, and Sheaffer with similar systems that also included what was called a blind cap.

During the war the pen market continued to grow at an incredible rate. Pens were made from ebonite or vulcanite, which was a hard rubber material that was very easy to work with. Pens were decorated with engravings, swirls of color, wood grain, and even mottled colors. Black was the most popular base color but sometimes other colors were produced, especially red. The high quality pens had 14k solid gold points and gold pocket clips.

Men?s pens were had a clip, while ladies were slightly smaller and had a ring top so they could be attached to a chain, a vest pocket, or a watch chain.

But competition was fierce and quality writing instruments were everywhere, so to stay competitive the manufacturers were forced to produce a pen that had fashion appeal. So along came pens such as the Duofold with its striking red orange colors, Bakelite, tortoise shell, and horn.

Sheaffer introduced a line of pens in 1924 that were made from celluloid which were an instant hit even though they were expensive. Within 5 years they were the #1 selling pen. Celluloid was available in unlimited colors and patterns which made it perfect for the Art Deco times and styles.

Many of the pen manufacturers ran into trouble during the 1930s but Parker, Wahl-Eversharp, Waterman, and Sheaffer all kept their heads above water and Parker did especially well.

In 1932 Parker introduced a vacuum filler system which eliminated the need for an ink sack. Parker continued to work towards new innovations and in 1941 introduced the fast drying Parker Superchrome ink which required some design changes to their pen.

Sheaffer created two filling systems; the touchdown and snorkel which remained popular into the 1960s. In fact just recently they have been reintroduced to the market. Waterman introduced the disposable cartridge for the fountain pen and perfected it during WWII. But the final achievement in fountain pens belongs to Parker who in 1956 introduced the capillary filling system.

High quality writing instruments have been demanded by civilization for centuries. It?s interesting to follow the changes in design that have occurred over the centuries and what we once considered high quality, compared to what we now consider high quality writing instruments.

Gray Rollins is a featured writer for PensCenter.com. To learn more about fountain pens and other fine writing instruments, visit us.

The 10 tips for a good maintenance of fountain pens

A decalogue for a good maintenance of fountain pens, extract from the Stipula's experience.

1)Wash your pen every few weeks and whenever changing ink color. 2)Use only cold or tepid water when washing the pen. Demineralised water will work best (tap water sometimes contains particles which may clog the feed).
3)Never use hot water, alcohol or solvents as these will damage the feed or other parts of the pen irreparably.
4)Wash the pen by filling and emptying it with water (repeat this until the water is clear). If the pen uses a cartridge/converter, soak the nib section in water for some hours.
5)If you do not plan on using your pen for a prolonged period of time, empty and wash it out before storing it away.
6)Avoid using chemically treated paper, which usually has a slick feel, because it does not absorb ink well and leaves residues on the point of the nib which might clog the ink flow.
7)If travelling by plane, it is a general rule to follow with fountain pens to fill or empty them completely and keep them stored in vertical position with the point upward. This will avoid leakage.
8)Do not loan your pen to anyone, as the nib adjusts only to your own writing style (i.e.: pressure and angle).
9)When not using the pen, keep it stored vertically with point upward to prevent ink from settling in and clogging the feed.
10)If your pen does not write immediately (after not having been used it for more than a month) the ink has probably dried and clogged the nib and feed. To restore the ink flow either wash the nib with water or fill and empty it with ink of same color. If it does not write yet, wash it with tepid water.

Simone is a staff writer of PenEmporium.com The Stipula online Store http://www.penemporium.com

Titanium - a versatile alloy for fountain pen nibs

Titanium ore was first discovered in 1791 in Cornish beach sands by the English clergyman and mineralogist, William Gregor. The new element was not purified until 1910, however, and another 40 years were to pass before it began to be refined and produced in marketable quantities.

In his periodic table of the elements, first published in 1869, Dmitrii Mendeleyev assigned titanium the atomic number 22, which places it in the first main transition series of elements, metals which are mostly hard, strong and lustrous.

Today we know that this light-weight, high-strength metal possesses a number of extraordinary properties that make it one of the materials of greatest technological interest in many sectors. Titanium is practically immune to corrosion by saline solutions and shows exceptional resistance to an extremely broad spectrum od acids, alkalis and other aggressive chemicals agents, both synthetic and natural.

Its strength and excellent corrosion resistance make Titanium an ideal candidate for use in manufacturing fountain pen nibs, which are subject to continual contact with one of the most aggressive of all commonly-used substances: pen ink.

Simone is a staff writer of PenEmporium.com The Stipula online Store http://www.penemporium.com