My favorite pen store in Paris is Mora Stylos. I’m sure you can see why. The trays hold pens that carry their age better than many pens decades their junior. Many pen stores have modern writing instruments, but only a few display Waterman safeties and filigree overlays and Parker 51s alongside Nakaya pens. In fact, this might be the only one.
The base of blue ebonite is beautifully marbled with turquoise, red, green and cream. The clip is made by lost wax casting, and the nib is a no. 7 in 18k, both given an antiqued copper finish. Christine at Mora Stylos told me that the patina can react with ink, and I said, that’s the point, isn’t it? Wabi sabi might be a Japanese phrase, but the sentiment can be universal.
I couldn’t resist grinding the nib of the Oldwin down to a fine. All Oldwin pens have medium nibs. It’s not a bad thing, but medium nibs are not my thing. And I wanted to see if the flex would be more noticeable. I have it down to half of its previous width, but the …
Why? Because: 1) Pens get cold too. 2) Crochet calms the mind. 3) A handmade sweater is appropriate for a handturned pen. 4) Pen kimonos are more graceful, but less snuggly. 5) It’s tiny, but huggable. I love that Joey made the cap red, the barrel black, and crocheted in a red “end jewel.” The …
I slapped my forehead. Of course, why didn’t I think of that? Four Nakayas now nestle in the five-pen case. (The araishu, which I use least often, stays in its kimono.) The Oldwin has to remain in the largest slot, and even then has room to wiggle. The Nakaya pen kimono is one of the …
I first had two lists: top ten modern pens and top ten vintage pens. That I had acquired enough pens in 2008 to make two lists plus have others that didn’t make it to either list gave me pause. I decided to stick to one list. That was harder than I’d expected. What about the …
I love red rubber. Mottled, woodgrain, ripple, it makes me think of bikers in flames. It’s a classic material in pens, like vinyl in bondage wear. The earliest hard rubber pens came in any color you wanted, as long as it was black. Then manufacturers brought on the bling – repoussé bands, filigree overlays, full …