Visconti

[raging.dragon]

[...] The problem of course, is how I'll explain it to my wife when a package lands on the doorstep, after I had said I was done with buying FP's until Visconti release the next batch in the current Van Gogh series (later this year apparently). [...]

She probably didn't believe you anyway!

[Bogon07]

With the arrival of Blue pen it is time for an up date of the Millenniums.

Rebecca Moss Millennium Green
Rebecca Moss Millennium Onyx
Millennium Arc Red
Rebecca Moss Millennium Amber
Rebecca Moss Millennium Blue
VanGogh Maxi Musk
Travelling Ink Well
Ashford Pearl Onyx
8735

[kaisnowbird]

That blue one is gorgeous, Mr Bogon.

[kaisnowbird]

After a recommendation at FPN about a place in Sydney that has reasonable prices for pens, I wandered off to Peters of Kensington, and now have a Van Gogh from the earlier series in the mail on it's way to me.

The colour is described as Musk and it looks really good in the photo's (can't wait to see the real thing). The problem of course, is how I'll explain it to my wife when a package lands on the doorstep, after I had said I was done with buying FP's until Visconti release the next batch in the current Van Gogh series (later this year apparently).

So while I contemplate how to do that, can anyone with experience of both of the Van Gogh series give me their opinions on how they compare.

I don't have one of the new Van Gogh's but I do have an older Van Gogh (Tortoise Maxi) (http://fpgeeks.com/forum/showthread.php/2378-What-is-your-latest-pen-acquisition?p=51711&viewfull=1#post51711), also from PoK. I suspect the older ones are heavier and bigger.

The Musk Green is very attractive, IMO; the 14K F nib that PoK mostly carries for these Viscontis seems a little dry for me. It's much better now after some coaxing.

[Bogon07]

After a recommendation at FPN about a place in Sydney that has reasonable prices for pens, I wandered off to Peters of Kensington, and now have a Van Gogh from the earlier series in the mail on it's way to me.

The colour is described as Musk and it looks really good in the photo's (can't wait to see the real thing). The problem of course, is how I'll explain it to my wife when a package lands on the doorstep, after I had said I was done with buying FP's until Visconti release the next batch in the current Van Gogh series (later this year apparently).

So while I contemplate how to do that, can anyone with experience of both of the Van Gogh series give me their opinions on how they compare.

I don't have one of the new Van Gogh's but I do have an older Van Gogh (Tortoise Maxi) (http://fpgeeks.com/forum/showthread.php/2378-What-is-your-latest-pen-acquisition?p=51711&viewfull=1#post51711), also from PoK. I suspect the older ones are heavier and bigger.

The Musk Green is very attractive, IMO; the 14K F nib that PoK mostly carries for these Viscontis seems a little dry for me. It's much better now after some coaxing.

The old Van Goghs came in three sizes Mini, Midi & Maxi. The Maxi is quite a looking hefty pen although both feel a similar weight.
The barrel is a larger diameter than the new Van Gogh. The old VG has a smooth round barrel while the new version has a faceted barrel also the new has a magnetic cap vs a screw in the old.

As an example the Van Gogh Musk Maxi from PoK beside a Salvador Dali (which is the same size as the new Van Gogh).
Most obviously the nib is a different size.
8768
As per Kai, my 14K-F nib too has been the driest of all my Visconti 14K nibs. And I would suggest you may need to try a range of inks to find the best combination for it.

[Tracy Lee]

With all Visconti now back in the house, taking some pictures of the gang altogether. Here they are by trays so far:

The Operas
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/01/19/uza7emyz.jpg

From Voyager style through Divina, a Dragon for luck, a Blue Ripple, and two Homo Sapiens:

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/01/19/adu9asuv.jpg

Rembrandt, Wall Street, Art Ellenic, Art Nouveau, Van Gogh new and several old, a Millennium, a Gulliver, and the Pericles old and older.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/01/19/abybu7y8.jpg

I will take some better ones as I go, but right now we are enjoying the patio.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

[reprieve]

Tracy, you have an impressive collection! I like your taste in lovely pens. :rockon:

[Tracy Lee]

Ran out of creative juices, so here is a shot of all of them together.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/01/19/agutu4eh.jpg

[Tracy Lee]

Well crap. After all that I missed one Opera! This one!http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/01/19/syqy8u6u.jpg

[Llewellyn]

That's a very impressive collection there Tracy Lee, thanks for showing us. I took the plunge on one of the Vanilla Van Gogh's that PoK had for sale. I wasn't really sure about the Vanilla colouring as it looked a bit bland in the picture on the website but I found some other pictures that show it to be quite an attractive pen. So, at the price PoK were selling them, it looked like too good a deal to pass up.

They are a different beast to the newer Van Gogh's

[Tracy Lee]

That's a very impressive collection there Tracy Lee, thanks for showing us. I took the plunge on one of the Vanilla Van Gogh's that PoK had for sale. I wasn't really sure about the Vanilla colouring as it looked a bit bland in the picture on the website but I found some other pictures that show it to be quite an attractive pen. So, at the price PoK were selling them, it looked like too good a deal to pass up.

They are a different beast to the newer Van Gogh's

They are a better beast by far in my opinion. Excellent decision on your part, it is a beautiful pen.

[kaisnowbird]

That's a very impressive collection there Tracy Lee, thanks for showing us. I took the plunge on one of the Vanilla Van Gogh's that PoK had for sale. I wasn't really sure about the Vanilla colouring as it looked a bit bland in the picture on the website but I found some other pictures that show it to be quite an attractive pen. So, at the price PoK were selling them, it looked like too good a deal to pass up.

They are a different beast to the newer Van Gogh's

Yes, PoK has further discount on those - having a hard time resisting.

Be sure to post a pic and let us know how you like the ivory. :)

[Llewellyn]

I don't have one of the new Van Gogh's but I do have an older Van Gogh (Tortoise Maxi) (http://fpgeeks.com/forum/showthread.php/2378-What-is-your-latest-pen-acquisition?p=51711&viewfull=1#post51711), also from PoK. I suspect the older ones are heavier and bigger.

The Musk Green is very attractive, IMO; the 14K F nib that PoK mostly carries for these Viscontis seems a little dry for me. It's much better now after some coaxing.

Mine seems to run a bit dry as well. How did you "coax" yours?

[kaisnowbird]

I don't have one of the new Van Gogh's but I do have an older Van Gogh (Tortoise Maxi) (http://fpgeeks.com/forum/showthread.php/2378-What-is-your-latest-pen-acquisition?p=51711&viewfull=1#post51711), also from PoK. I suspect the older ones are heavier and bigger.

The Musk Green is very attractive, IMO; the 14K F nib that PoK mostly carries for these Viscontis seems a little dry for me. It's much better now after some coaxing.

Mine seems to run a bit dry as well. How did you "coax" yours?

Well, I'd make sure to flush the pen very thoroughly - diluted lukewarm soapy water followed by several rounds of clean water. I'd dry the nib and feed and ink it up with a well behaved ink (eg. Waterman Serenite, etc) and start writing loopy loops with varying pressure to see how problematic it still is. In my case, it became pretty clear that the tines were pressed too hard together. I looked at it with a loupe against a light source to verify this.

I then did what was recommended in post #8 of this thread from FPN (http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/66996-tines-too-close-together/#entry646237). I went gently and patiently, test writing after each try until it was decidedly better. I stopped at medium flow.

After some weeks of not using the pen, the tines seem to have gone back just a little - there is a touch of dryness now. I'm not bothered as I trust it will get better with regular use. Besides, this time it's got a drier ink in it.

Good luck. :)

[raging.dragon]

Well crap. After all that I missed one Opera! This one!http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/01/19/syqy8u6u.jpg

That's a nice colour. And one I don't think I've seen before.

[Tracy Lee]

It is a LE made for Fahrneys, called Carnival I think.

[Woody]

Where is the best place to buy Visconti ? Many thanks

Bill

[Llewellyn]

Where is the best place to buy Visconti ? Many thanks

Bill

Marco at Novelli.it has a good range and is a first class fellow to deal with. Same for Susanna at Giardino (except that she's a lady, not a fellow :))

Usual disclaimer - no connection with either, just a satisfied customer.

I don't know about the US stores

[Tracy Lee]

In the US I buy from Fountain Pen Hospital in New York, Fahrneys in Washington, DC, and Bertram's Inkwell in Maryland. Also, Bryant Greer of Pen time/Chatterley is an outstanding source for lots of Italians and he will give you great prices. He is a pleasure to deal with. On EBay, I have had good success from Italian Pens in south Florida, and a few others that escape me right this second.

[Llewellyn]

. Also, Bryant Greer of Pen time/Chatterley is an outstanding source for lots of Italians and he will give you great prices. He is a pleasure to deal with.


Aaahhh, I forgot about Bryant. Agreed, he is great to deal with and highly recommended

[Chi Town]

Visconti? I have 13 of them......I love them all, but not all are pens? I have the roll top pen case, actually two of them, and I believe the rest are pens.....with the latest purchase being the 25th Anniversary Homo Sapiens Maxi in a Stub with a Palladium 23kt. PD 950 DreamTouch Nib.

[raging.dragon]

Where is the best place to buy Visconti ? Many thanks

Bill

I've bought most of my Viscontis from Bryant at Chatterly Pens. I've also had good experiences with: Fountain Pen Hospital, The Ink Flow, italianpens (an ebay seller), Regina Martini (http://www.martiniauctions.com/), and probably a few others I've forgotten. The latter all carry Visconti, though as it happens I've only bought other brands from them. You'll find the best prices in the US and Italy, but if you prefer a Canadian seller, Stylo.ca occassionally have good sales and the Canadian Visconti distributor have a web store (www.lsfgroup.ca/). Finally, if you'd prefer a brick and mortar retailer, here's the best list I've found of Canadian retailers:

http://www.marcuslink.com/pens/stores1a.html

[Mags]

Well crap. After all that I missed one Opera! This one!http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/01/19/syqy8u6u.jpg

Love this style Visconti. Beautiful colour.

[Llewellyn]

There was a thread over on FPN that included a tip on how to restore the nice black finish on the Homo Sapiens if it gets that whiteish tinge that mine got on the barrel.

Hand cream!! Just rub a small amount of hand cream into the affected area to restore its nice original black finish. I tried it and it looks like new again.

[Bogon07]

There was a thread over on FPN that included a tip on how to restore the nice black finish on the Homo Sapiens if it gets that whitish tinge that mine got on the barrel.

Hand cream!! Just rub a small amount of hand cream into the affected area to restore its nice original black finish. I tried it and it looks like new again.
If you used a scented hand cream you would then end up with a nice smelling pen or not depending on the scent.

Seriously I would be concerned about the long term effects of using hand creams on the pen's materials.
Some are very oily and is there a possibility of some soaking into the feed and interfering with the ink flow as well ?

[Llewellyn]

There was a thread over on FPN that included a tip on how to restore the nice black finish on the Homo Sapiens if it gets that whitish tinge that mine got on the barrel.

Hand cream!! Just rub a small amount of hand cream into the affected area to restore its nice original black finish. I tried it and it looks like new again.
If you used a scented hand cream you would then end up with a nice smelling pen or not depending on the scent.

Seriously I would be concerned about the long term effects of using hand creams on the pen's materials.
Some are very oily and is there a possibility of some soaking into the feed and interfering with the ink flow as well ?

Apparently the recommendation came from Dante Del Vecchio himself. But I agree about scented creams, unscented ones might be best.

[Bogon07]

There was a thread over on FPN that included a tip on how to restore the nice black finish on the Homo Sapiens if it gets that whitish tinge that mine got on the barrel.

Hand cream!! Just rub a small amount of hand cream into the affected area to restore its nice original black finish. I tried it and it looks like new again.
If you used a scented hand cream you would then end up with a nice smelling pen or not depending on the scent.

Seriously I would be concerned about the long term effects of using hand creams on the pen's materials.
Some are very oily and is there a possibility of some soaking into the feed and interfering with the ink flow as well ?

Apparently the recommendation came from Dante Del Vecchio himself. But I agree about scented creams, unscented ones might be best.

Really ! Perhaps the next HomoSapiens LE will come with an ink-bottle of Visconti hand cream :)
9016

[Llewellyn]

Hehe

And if you want to buy a bottle here in Australia it will cost you a hundred bucks, or you'll be able to buy it online for twenty :)

[kaisnowbird]

How about applying your favourite hand cream to your hands first, just a little more generous than usual and then proceed to caress your Homo Sapiens lovingly, focusing particularly on the affected areas?

[raging.dragon]

Hehe

And if you want to buy a bottle here in Australia it will cost you a hundred bucks, or you'll be able to buy it online for twenty :)

It'd probably come in a $200 handmade crystal glass bottle with a solid silver hand engraved cap - beautiful, but expensive (just like the Visconti's non-Travelling ink wells).

[Murfie]

I've just taken delivery of two more Visconti, courtesy of Gary Lehrer (gopens.com, no affiliation, etc). The pen at top is a 2004 honey/almond Kaleido Voyager, converter fill, 18kt gold fine nib. The pen at bottom is a red swirl 2002 Rebecca Moss Verona LE (8/365), vacuum piston fill, 18kt gold EF nib. Both pens were NOS.

9033

9034

The Verona has been filled with Diamine Syrah, as per a suggestion from Jon Szanto in a recent post. Good one, Jon!

9035

These two acquisition trebles my Visconti stock.

[Jon Szanto]

Wow, Murf, those pens *pop*! I hope it doesn't hurt your feelings that I'm loving the Voyager even more than... that red one. ;)

I think the Syrah looks great in there, too. I realize a lighter red might look like more of a match (Diamine Poppy Red or something similar), but I find those kind of reds hard to use except for special purposes (like Christmas cards or something). Syrah is a great ink to write with, and that EF nib should put down a nice, serious dark line.

Congratulations on some beautiful family members.

[Murfie]

I hope it doesn't hurt your feelings that I'm loving the Voyager even more than... that red one.
Not in the least Jon. They are both very attractive pens, and I'm extremely pleased with them. And both have a wonderful feel in the hand with that superb subtle combination of weight and balance that makes you want to write and write and ... (well, I did do 18 pages of A4 at the weekend for my penpals).

[Jon Szanto]

18 PAGES? Color me impressed.

[Bogon07]

Double congratulations on your two new swirly acryloid(?) pens. The Verona has a fearsome point to it. :)
You should have measured the ink capacity of the Verona while you were fiddling around with it.

Your Voyager has that utterly lovable "dead jellyfish wash up on the beach" colour too.

Great pictures.

[Chi Town]

There was a thread over on FPN that included a tip on how to restore the nice black finish on the Homo Sapiens if it gets that whitish tinge that mine got on the barrel.

Hand cream!! Just rub a small amount of hand cream into the affected area to restore its nice original black finish. I tried it and it looks like new again.



Visconti has their own polish, I should know as I just bought some!

[Llewellyn]

There was a thread over on FPN that included a tip on how to restore the nice black finish on the Homo Sapiens if it gets that whitish tinge that mine got on the barrel.

Hand cream!! Just rub a small amount of hand cream into the affected area to restore its nice original black finish. I tried it and it looks like new again.



Visconti has their own polish, I should know as I just bought some!

It's probably repackaged hand cream!!

[kaisnowbird]

Hi Murfie. Great to see that both of them arrived safe and sound, and sitting pretty. The Honey Almond is even lovelier than I had imagined - Just the right amount of translucency. The gold clip and cap ring are very graceful. Congratulations!

Did 18 A4 pages of writing use up a single fill of the Verona?

[Murfie]

Did 18 A4 pages of writing use up a single fill of the Verona?
Hi Kai. I didn't get to find out as the letter writing was spread over the whole inked roster. My growing group of correspondents are notorious for producing letters in all colors of the rainbow with rarely more than a page written with the same pen/ink combo. Great fun to read, and to write for that matter. Still THE best way to communicate.

[Llewellyn]

My Vanilla Van Gogh has arrived!! Not as monchromatic as I feared but it doesn't have quite as much brown in it as some others I've seen. But it's a very attractive pen nonetheless

This one seems to run a bit dry as well. I'm hoping it will "free up" with some regular use. And I think that's it for these ones for me, there's no more room in my pen box to fit any more. If there was I was I think I'd be scouring the usual places for some of the others.

[Tracy Lee]

My Vanilla Van Gogh has arrived!! Not as monchromatic as I feared but it doesn't have quite as much brown in it as some others I've seen. But it's a very attractive pen nonetheless

This one seems to run a bit dry as well. I'm hoping it will "free up" with some regular use. And I think that's it for these ones for me, there's no more room in my pen box to fit any more. If there was I was I think I'd be scouring the usual places for some of the others.

Buy a bigger box! ;)

[Tracy Lee]

There was a thread over on FPN that included a tip on how to restore the nice black finish on the Homo Sapiens if it gets that whitish tinge that mine got on the barrel.

Hand cream!! Just rub a small amount of hand cream into the affected area to restore its nice original black finish. I tried it and it looks like new again.
If you used a scented hand cream you would then end up with a nice smelling pen or not depending on the scent.

Seriously I would be concerned about the long term effects of using hand creams on the pen's materials.
Some are very oily and is there a possibility of some soaking into the feed and interfering with the ink flow as well ?

Apparently the recommendation came from Dante Del Vecchio himself. But I agree about scented creams, unscented ones might be best.

I have confirmed this advice with Visconti this morning. They say any type of lotion is fine, it doesn't matter, as the hygroscopic properties of the lava will manage it fine. I am now inclined to give it a try with something unscented and relatively benign. Do they make such a thing? :-)

[Bogon07]

There was a thread over on FPN that included a tip on how to restore the nice black finish on the Homo Sapiens if it gets that whitish tinge that mine got on the barrel.

Hand cream!! Just rub a small amount of hand cream into the affected area to restore its nice original black finish. I tried it and it looks like new again.
If you used a scented hand cream you would then end up with a nice smelling pen or not depending on the scent.

Seriously I would be concerned about the long term effects of using hand creams on the pen's materials.
Some are very oily and is there a possibility of some soaking into the feed and interfering with the ink flow as well ?

Apparently the recommendation came from Dante Del Vecchio himself. But I agree about scented creams, unscented ones might be best.

I have confirmed this advice with Visconti this morning. They say any type of lotion is fine, it doesn't matter, as the hygroscopic properties of the lava will manage it fine. I am now inclined to give it a try with something unscented and relatively benign. Do they make such a thing? :-)
Are you going to try it out on your Cosmos ? I'm too chicken. Bork Bork bork

[Tracy Lee]

I wouldn't try this on anything but the unique

[Tracy Lee]

Surface of the HS is what should be at the end of that. My other Visconti stay nice and shiny!

[Llewellyn]

My Vanilla Van Gogh has arrived!! Not as monchromatic as I feared but it doesn't have quite as much brown in it as some others I've seen. But it's a very attractive pen nonetheless

This one seems to run a bit dry as well. I'm hoping it will "free up" with some regular use. And I think that's it for these ones for me, there's no more room in my pen box to fit any more. If there was I was I think I'd be scouring the usual places for some of the others.

Buy a bigger box! ;)

I just knew someone would say that!!

[Carole]

There was a thread over on FPN that included a tip on how to restore the nice black finish on the Homo Sapiens if it gets that whitish tinge that mine got on the barrel.

Hand cream!! Just rub a small amount of hand cream into the affected area to restore its nice original black finish. I tried it and it looks like new again.
If you used a scented hand cream you would then end up with a nice smelling pen or not depending on the scent.

Seriously I would be concerned about the long term effects of using hand creams on the pen's materials.
Some are very oily and is there a possibility of some soaking into the feed and interfering with the ink flow as well ?

Apparently the recommendation came from Dante Del Vecchio himself. But I agree about scented creams, unscented ones might be best.

I have confirmed this advice with Visconti this morning. They say any type of lotion is fine, it doesn't matter, as the hygroscopic properties of the lava will manage it fine. I am now inclined to give it a try with something unscented and relatively benign. Do they make such a thing? :-)

Heavens to Murgatroyd! They sure do.
There's Dr. Bronner's Baby Mild Organic Baby Balm: unscented and organic. And if that's too emollient, there's Seventh Generation, Aveeno, and A Star is Born unscented baby lotions.

I know that vintage pen people sometimes advise using olive oil on BHR pens, but I don't think that would work.

[raging.dragon]

My Vanilla Van Gogh has arrived!! Not as monchromatic as I feared but it doesn't have quite as much brown in it as some others I've seen. But it's a very attractive pen nonetheless

This one seems to run a bit dry as well. I'm hoping it will "free up" with some regular use. And I think that's it for these ones for me, there's no more room in my pen box to fit any more. If there was I was I think I'd be scouring the usual places for some of the others.

That just means it's time to get a bigger pen box!

[Carole]

Has anybody tried this yet? I have some unscented Dr. Bronner's but I think I need a Lava support group to actually make the commitment and do it. Maybe there could be a live Skype event or something. So if somebody has a problem (this would likely be me), help would be standing by. :baby:

[Tracy Lee]

Yes, yesterday I used a small amount of my cold cream, actually, and the pen just took it all in. It left no greasy residue, and the faint benign smell of the cold cream faded almost instantly. I inked it and have been using it and it feels clean and smooth in my hand and looks REMARKABLY better. Mine was very frosted in appearance. That lava resin is truly remarkable stuff. The cap needs a bit more touch up, but it is otherwise lovely and black like it should be.

[Carole]

Cold cream! I don't have that. Although....I'm in northern Ohio and the Polar Vortex is blasting through these parts. So everything is cold, including hot chocolate.
Glad this worked out for you....frosted pens where you live, imagine!
Molte grazie!

[Tracy Lee]

They say any hand cream. I just used my Ponds because it is the first thing I thought of that isn't greasy and doesn't have much of a smell. I used a pretty small amount on a tissue.

[Llewellyn]

Has anybody tried this yet? I have some unscented Dr. Bronner's but I think I need a Lava support group to actually make the commitment and do it. Maybe there could be a live Skype event or something. So if somebody has a problem (this would likely be me), help would be standing by. :baby:

I just used some Avon cream that was sitting in a drawer, and it worked absolutely brilliantly. I wasn't as refined as Tracy Lee and just put some on my finger and rubbed it in. I had the same result she did, and my pen now has it's lovely black finish restored.

Dante Del Vecchio himself recommended the hand cream trick so it's come straight from the horses mouth.

[Tracy Lee]

LOL, refined. If you only knew how utterly NOT refined I am, but thanks!! :-)

[Carole]

Has anybody tried this yet? I have some unscented Dr. Bronner's but I think I need a Lava support group to actually make the commitment and do it. Maybe there could be a live Skype event or something. So if somebody has a problem (this would likely be me), help would be standing by. :baby:

I just used some Avon cream that was sitting in a drawer, and it worked absolutely brilliantly. I wasn't as refined as Tracy Lee and just put some on my finger and rubbed it in. I had the same result she did, and my pen now has it's lovely black finish restored.

Dante Del Vecchio himself recommended the hand cream trick so it's come straight from the horses mouth.

Thanks, much, everyone--I'm just overly skittish, I know. Because lava that's survived a Sicilian volcano can certainly handle Ponds or Avon ok. :big_boss:

[Tracy Lee]

The rest of the Cosmos Collection arrived at my house today. Just. WOW!! And now to have all three? Well, a far cry from priceless but so worth it.

Black Stardust, BB nib
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/06/gera5e6a.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/06/ezury8e3.jpg

Purple Nebula, BB nib

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/06/jage5aru.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/06/apyqudyd.jpg

The whole Cosmos
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/06/nu8yqy4a.jpg

Happy, happy girl!! :-)

[Llewellyn]

Lovely collection Tracy Lee. I'll be very interested to read your thoughts on them after you've done a bit of road testing. I need birthday ideas to give my wife so one of these might be on the list.

Would you mind doing me a quick favour and measuring the pen capped - I need to know if it will fit in my pen box before I put in a request. Ta muchly

[Bogon07]

TRIPLETS !

Congratulations on the complete set. :grouphug:

Your Black Stardust should be renamed Black Golddust there is a significant amount of gold showing on your one.

The Purple Nebula is so pretty. Like one of those enhanced deep space pictures.

Those BB nibs look as wide as a Stub !

And the American Dream still looks wonderful too.

[Llewellyn]

TRIPLETS !

Congratulations on the complete set. :grouphug:

Your Black Stardust should be renamed Black Golddust there is a significant amount of gold showing on your one.

The Purple Nebula is so pretty. Like one of those enhanced deep space pictures.

Those BB nibs look as wide as a Stub !

And the American Dream still looks wonderful too.

The purple one would be my choice. Although my wife might find it hard to bring herself to buy it for me as she has a hatred of purple that borders on the pathological!!

[Tracy Lee]

Lovely collection Tracy Lee. I'll be very interested to read your thoughts on them after you've done a bit of road testing. I need birthday ideas to give my wife so one of these might be on the list.

Would you mind doing me a quick favour and measuring the pen capped - I need to know if it will fit in my pen box before I put in a request. Ta muchly

Call it 14.5 centimeters capped.

[Tracy Lee]

TRIPLETS !

Congratulations on the complete set. :grouphug:

Your Black Stardust should be renamed Black Golddust there is a significant amount of gold showing on your one.

The Purple Nebula is so pretty. Like one of those enhanced deep space pictures.

Those BB nibs look as wide as a Stub !

And the American Dream still looks wonderful too.

The purple one would be my choice. Although my wife might find it hard to bring herself to buy it for me as she has a hatred of purple that borders on the pathological!!

I don't love purple either, but this is just beautiful and does look like a nebula with the swirls in it.

[Tracy Lee]

TRIPLETS !

Congratulations on the complete set. :grouphug:

Your Black Stardust should be renamed Black Golddust there is a significant amount of gold showing on your one.

The Purple Nebula is so pretty. Like one of those enhanced deep space pictures.

Those BB nibs look as wide as a Stub !

And the American Dream still looks wonderful too.

Ha ha, these nibs are both soaking wet and fat, fat, fat!!! Very different from a stub, but I like them! Also, turns out that while they made 88 of the black and blue (each), but only 68 of the purple. I am thrilled with the Stardust, even more gold than the one I saw in Fahrneys. Really lives up to its name. I am just such a happy girl. I may never need another pen.

Okay, we all know I'm lying about that. But TODAY I am totally satisfied. :D;)

[Bogon07]

TRIPLETS !

Congratulations on the complete set. :grouphug:

Your Black Stardust should be renamed Black Golddust there is a significant amount of gold showing on your one.

The Purple Nebula is so pretty. Like one of those enhanced deep space pictures.

Those BB nibs look as wide as a Stub !

And the American Dream still looks wonderful too.

Ha ha, these nibs are both soaking wet and fat, fat, fat!!! Very different from a stub, but I like them! Also, turns out that while they made 88 of the black and blue (each), but only 68 of the purple. I am thrilled with the Stardust, even more gold than the one I saw in Fahrneys. Really lives up to its name. I am just such a happy girl. I may never need another pen.

Okay, we all know I'm lying about that. But TODAY I am totally satisfied. :D;)
Glad you are enjoying the BB as you now have two of them.
It is odd about the purple being a lower count than the other two....I recall reading it was a different type of material to them as well.
You really have a very gold Stardust ...it looks very spectacular.

Will these keep you going for at least a month before you need a new pen hit ?

[Tracy Lee]

TRIPLETS !

Congratulations on the complete set. :grouphug:

Your Black Stardust should be renamed Black Golddust there is a significant amount of gold showing on your one.

The Purple Nebula is so pretty. Like one of those enhanced deep space pictures.

Those BB nibs look as wide as a Stub !

And the American Dream still looks wonderful too.

Ha ha, these nibs are both soaking wet and fat, fat, fat!!! Very different from a stub, but I like them! Also, turns out that while they made 88 of the black and blue (each), but only 68 of the purple. I am thrilled with the Stardust, even more gold than the one I saw in Fahrneys. Really lives up to its name. I am just such a happy girl. I may never need another pen.

Okay, we all know I'm lying about that. But TODAY I am totally satisfied. :D;)
Glad you are enjoying the BB as you now have two of them.
It is odd about the purple being a lower count than the other two....I recall reading it was a different type of material to them as well.
You really have a very gold Stardust ...it looks very spectacular.

Will these keep you going for at least a month before you need a new pen hit ?

At least a month. My mister is likely hoping for several months given the investment in these. :eek: But he was impressed, and studied them both.

[raging.dragon]

TRIPLETS !

Congratulations on the complete set. :grouphug:

Your Black Stardust should be renamed Black Golddust there is a significant amount of gold showing on your one.

The Purple Nebula is so pretty. Like one of those enhanced deep space pictures.

Those BB nibs look as wide as a Stub !

And the American Dream still looks wonderful too.

The purple one would be my choice. Although my wife might find it hard to bring herself to buy it for me as she has a hatred of purple that borders on the pathological!!

The purple would be my first choice too, and the star dust a close second.

[raging.dragon]

It is odd about the purple being a lower count than the other two....

The purple was previously used in Visconti's commemorative pen for Queen Elizabeth's diamond jubilee, limited remaining supplies of the material probably limited how many of these pens they could make.

[kaisnowbird]

Ha ha, these nibs are both soaking wet and fat, fat, fat!!! Very different from a stub, but I like them! Also, turns out that while they made 88 of the black and blue (each), but only 68 of the purple. I am thrilled with the Stardust, even more gold than the one I saw in Fahrneys. Really lives up to its name. I am just such a happy girl. I may never need another pen.

Okay, we all know I'm lying about that. But TODAY I am totally satisfied. :D;)

Awesome trio, worthy additions to that very respectable collection of yours. Many congratulations!

[Bogon07]

Ha ha, these nibs are both soaking wet and fat, fat, fat!!! Very different from a stub, but I like them! Also, turns out that while they made 88 of the black and blue (each), but only 68 of the purple. I am thrilled with the Stardust, even more gold than the one I saw in Fahrneys. Really lives up to its name. I am just such a happy girl. I may never need another pen.

Okay, we all know I'm lying about that. But TODAY I am totally satisfied. :D;)

Awesome trio, worthy additions to that very respectable collection of yours. Many congratulations!

TracyLee, how many is that now? About 37 Viscontis which would mean you need another three before the end of the year. :dirol:

[Tracy Lee]

Ha ha, these nibs are both soaking wet and fat, fat, fat!!! Very different from a stub, but I like them! Also, turns out that while they made 88 of the black and blue (each), but only 68 of the purple. I am thrilled with the Stardust, even more gold than the one I saw in Fahrneys. Really lives up to its name. I am just such a happy girl. I may never need another pen.

Okay, we all know I'm lying about that. But TODAY I am totally satisfied. :D;)

Awesome trio, worthy additions to that very respectable collection of yours. Many congratulations!

TracyLee, how many is that now? About 37 Viscontis which would mean you need another three before the end of the year. :dirol:

Yes, 37 and I came to the same conclusion, darn you! :D. I can't possibly stay with an odd number like 37.

[KrazyIvan]

Ha ha, these nibs are both soaking wet and fat, fat, fat!!! Very different from a stub, but I like them! Also, turns out that while they made 88 of the black and blue (each), but only 68 of the purple. I am thrilled with the Stardust, even more gold than the one I saw in Fahrneys. Really lives up to its name. I am just such a happy girl. I may never need another pen.

Okay, we all know I'm lying about that. But TODAY I am totally satisfied. :D;)

Awesome trio, worthy additions to that very respectable collection of yours. Many congratulations!

TracyLee, how many is that now? About 37 Viscontis which would mean you need another three before the end of the year. :dirol:

Yes, 37 and I came to the same conclusion, darn you! :D. I can't possibly stay with an odd number like 37.

You must have 42. No more, no less.

[Tracy Lee]

If you are suggesting I sell 5 pens that is blasphemy! But 42 really is the answer I know . . .

[raging.dragon]

If you are suggesting I sell 5 pens that is blasphemy! But 42 really is the answer I know . . .

I think the suggestion was to buy 5 more pens :).

[kaisnowbird]

Ha ha, these nibs are both soaking wet and fat, fat, fat!!! Very different from a stub, but I like them! Also, turns out that while they made 88 of the black and blue (each), but only 68 of the purple. I am thrilled with the Stardust, even more gold than the one I saw in Fahrneys. Really lives up to its name. I am just such a happy girl. I may never need another pen.

Okay, we all know I'm lying about that. But TODAY I am totally satisfied. :D;)

Awesome trio, worthy additions to that very respectable collection of yours. Many congratulations!

TracyLee, how many is that now? About 37 Viscontis which would mean you need another three before the end of the year. :dirol:

Yes, 37 and I came to the same conclusion, darn you! :D. I can't possibly stay with an odd number like 37.

37 is a prime number though... just saying.

[youstruckgold]

My suggestion is to stop counting - numbers can ruin enjoyment :bump2:

[Llewellyn]

I've received an email from Susanna at Giardino that my blue Michelangelo is on it's way, and according to Fedex it's in transit somewhere between Italy and Oz

I'm looking forward to receiving this one, but it will have to be the last for a while (expensive couple of months coming up :mad:)

[Llewellyn]

I've received an email from Susanna at Giardino that my blue Michelangelo is on it's way, and according to Fedex it's in transit somewhere between Italy and Oz

I'm looking forward to receiving this one, but it will have to be the last for a while (expensive couple of months coming up :mad:)

It's arrived. I can't wait to try it out.

My wife took the arrival of the Fedex van rather well

[Bogon07]

I've received an email from Susanna at Giardino that my blue Michelangelo is on it's way, and according to Fedex it's in transit somewhere between Italy and Oz

I'm looking forward to receiving this one, but it will have to be the last for a while (expensive couple of months coming up :mad:)

It's arrived. I can't wait to try it out.

My wife took the arrival of the Fedex van rather well

Congratulations. Have you played with it yet ?
A nice pen but perhaps soon to be a collector's item according to this post by from Novelli Pens who indicate the existing dark blue with silver & black with rose gold pens are to be discontinued.
Replaced by two blacks with silver or ruthium and a lighter blue with gold. (photos in the FPN post)
http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/244037-visconti-michelangelo/?p=2901174

[Llewellyn]

I've received an email from Susanna at Giardino that my blue Michelangelo is on it's way, and according to Fedex it's in transit somewhere between Italy and Oz

I'm looking forward to receiving this one, but it will have to be the last for a while (expensive couple of months coming up :mad:)

It's arrived. I can't wait to try it out.

My wife took the arrival of the Fedex van rather well

Congratulations. Have you played with it yet ?
A nice pen but perhaps soon to be a collector's item according to this post by from Novelli Pens who indicate the existing dark blue with silver & black with rose gold pens are to be discontinued.
Replaced by two blacks with silver or ruthium and a lighter blue with gold. (photos in the FPN post)
http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/244037-visconti-michelangelo/?p=2901174

Unfortunately I haven't been able to play yet. With luck I'll flush it and load it up tonight. I have some Faber Castell Cobalt Blue that will go perfectly with it. I really like the Van Gogh type body with a Palladium nib

[writingrav]

A question for all my Visconti aficionado friends: All of a sudden the magnetic snap on the cap of my Rembrandt is not working. I have no idea how this could have happened. I don't generally take the pen out of the house and haven't recently. I picked it up out of the pen box and the snap sound and feel were gone and haven't returned. Ideas? I know Tracy has sent pens for repair. Where does one send them to? Thanks.

[ChrisC]

Coles of London for repairs.

http://www.colesoflondon.com/index.php?route=information/information&information_id=18

[Bogon07]

A question for all my Visconti aficionado friends: All of a sudden the magnetic snap on the cap of my Rembrandt is not working. I have no idea how this could have happened. I don't generally take the pen out of the house and haven't recently. I picked it up out of the pen box and the snap sound and feel were gone and haven't returned. Ideas? I know Tracy has sent pens for repair. Where does one send them to? Thanks.

Maybe there is something inside the cap preventing contact between the magnets.

Have you somehow de-magnitised it ?

[Llewellyn]

I didn't realise that the Rembrandt caps were magnetised. The "pull" on mine is nowhere near as pronounced as the Van Gogh's

[Llewellyn]

I saw a post on FPN about the new Van Gogh Pollard Willows that's being released in May / June. It also had the first decent sized photo I've seen of it .

Oh my :jaw: - that's definitely going on my "to buy" list

[Bogon07]

I saw a post on FPN about the new Van Gogh Pollard Willows that's being released in May / June. It also had the first decent sized photo I've seen of it .

Oh my :jaw: - that's definitely going on my "to buy" list

Here are some more pictures of the VanGoghs to ogle if you scroll down to see the set and select each pen.
http://www.stilografica.it/Visconti/Visconti_Pens/Visconti_Van_Gogh_25th_Anniversary_Van_Gogh_DOCTOR _GACHET_3224.htm

[Tracy Lee]

My heart broke today, along with my coveted Blue Ripple. :-( I know they will fix it but still. . . It is so depressing to uncap one of your favorite, freshly inked pens and have there be no nib where it should and ink spilling out. It has been a rough day and this just didn't help any.

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/03/14/ypuzu8u4.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/03/14/upuze6an.jpg

[writingrav]

So sorry:(

[tiffanyhenschel]

:( Heartbreaking

[cwent2]

Tracy Lee My heart broke today, along with my coveted Blue Ripple. :-( I know they will fix it but still. . . It is so depressing to uncap one of your favorite, freshly inked pens and have there be no nib where it should and ink spilling out. It has been a rough day and this just didn't help any.

I tried to shed some tear's for you on Twitter but space is limited :cry::cry::cry:

[Bogon07]

Oh no not your BlueRipple, that is tragic. He was one of your real favourites.
It looks to be sheared off near the ink window section thingo.

Wishing your BlueRipple quick & speedy repair and recovery.

[raging.dragon]

My heart broke today, along with my coveted Blue Ripple. :-( I know they will fix it but still. . . It is so depressing to uncap one of your favorite, freshly inked pens and have there be no nib where it should and ink spilling out. It has been a rough day and this just didn't help any.

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/03/14/ypuzu8u4.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/03/14/upuze6an.jpg

Cracked ink window threads?

[Llewellyn]

You must be gutted Tracy Lee. I hope they can restore it to it's former glory

[kaisnowbird]

That's too sad. I'm so sorry Tracy Lee. :cry:

How could this happen? Is it because the pretty pearly material in this pen is more brittle than the usual acrylics or has the ink window adhesive failed?

[john]

My heart broke today, along with my coveted Blue Ripple. :-( I know they will fix it but still. . . It is so depressing to uncap one of your favorite, freshly inked pens and have there be no nib where it should and ink spilling out. It has been a rough day and this just didn't help any.

Tracy, it's sad to know it, very sorry.

[Tracy Lee]

That's too sad. I'm so sorry Tracy Lee. :cry:

How could this happen? Is it because the pretty pearly material in this pen is more brittle than the usual acrylics or has the ink window adhesive failed?

I handed the pieces to one of my engineers, and he studied the sheared end. He can see the flaw in the material that would have weakened it over time. A very small failure that was likely a bubble he thinks, has seen similar flaws before in other contexts. He pointed it out, and the surface of that part of the break is in fact very different looking, it doesn't show signs of a break it is smooth so there was nothing touching that part, it was a void.

[KrazyIvan]

Wow, sorry for your loss but to have access to an NASA engineer to look over your pens is :jaw:

[Tracy Lee]

A job perk. I thought about taking it to my friend over in the material failure analysis lab but decided that was probably inappropriate. :-) But you can't stretch out your arms at my job and not hit a handful of super smart people. It comes in quite handy and they are fascinated with my preoccupation. :-)

[Titivillus]

I had a transparent anniversary that the section snapped as well the cap. They insisted there was no structural issues that the pen would not Crack on such a cause. They fixed it but it was a crap job. Sold the pen for parts as I couldn't look at it without seeing the flaws and way the company treated me.

K

[Tracy Lee]

Wow, I have had nothing but outstanding repair experience from Visconti. That is so unfortunate.

[Titivillus]

It was years ago so I can only think that it got better.

[raging.dragon]

Wow, I have had nothing but outstanding repair experience from Visconti. That is so unfortunate.

My experiences with Visconti's warranty service have also been positive.

[Tracy Lee]

Wow, I have had nothing but outstanding repair experience from Visconti. That is so unfortunate.

My experiences with Visconti's warranty service have also been positive.

A couple of years ago I sent them a voyager with a really strange broken cap with a long note saying it was my fault, dropped on a porcelain tile floor. Asked them to let me know in advance what the bill would be. I paid the customary $35 for shipping and I can't tell if they fixed the cap or gave me a new one but the pen is back to its beautiful self. But not a dime was billed to me despite admitting it was my fault, and it was purchased years before that.

[Murfie]

Wow, I have had nothing but outstanding repair experience from Visconti. That is so unfortunate.

My experiences with Visconti's warranty service have also been positive.

Companies that provide that level of loyalty to their customers will always be revered and the loyalty reciprocated. Stories - like this thread contains - have had a huge bearing on my own Visconti purchases. Too often I have purchased expensive fountain pens from well-known companies that do not write properly out of the box and the support to resolve such issues is sadly lacking, sometimes non-existent. It is so refreshing to buy from a company who walks the talk when it comes to real support.

[raging.dragon]

Wow, I have had nothing but outstanding repair experience from Visconti. That is so unfortunate.

My experiences with Visconti's warranty service have also been positive.

A couple of years ago I sent them a voyager with a really strange broken cap with a long note saying it was my fault, dropped on a porcelain tile floor. Asked them to let me know in advance what the bill would be. I paid the customary $35 for shipping and I can't tell if they fixed the cap or gave me a new one but the pen is back to its beautiful self. But not a dime was billed to me despite admitting it was my fault, and it was purchased years before that.

Similarly, I've had a nib I damaged replaced with a new one when I sent the pen to Visconti for a filler repair (it was an NOS pen and the plunger rod seized up over the years it sat unusued).

[Popcorn]

Just to add another data point on the Visconti warranty service:

I had my visconti voyager sent to Coles for repairs in the cap (there was a crack) - they said they had to send it out to Italy for repairs. Pen finally came back a few days ago after being out of my hands for a few months, but the crack was still there. Not sure what the folks in Italy did (if anything), but I had given them instructions to not replace the pen and to send it back if they could not repair it. But no note was included stating what repair work was done (if any), which is a bit frustrating.

In the end, Coles refunded me the $35 repair fee, but it was a disappointing experience for me.

[slow35th]

I just sent a Homo Sapiens Bronze in to Cole's for a nib exchange. As far as I can tell they just sent me a new pen. Other than having to align the nib with the feed a bit (it was not perfectly aligned), I am certainly pleased with the service which was free.

[Tracy Lee]

I bet it's your pen. They treat and polish everything. How does it seem different? Just curious, so glad you are happy. The email from Coles yesterday says the Blue Ripple has begun its journey to Italy.

[slow35th]

I bet it's your pen. They treat and polish everything. How does it seem different? Just curious, so glad you are happy. The email from Coles yesterday says the Blue Ripple has begun its journey to Italy.

It probably is, it just looks brand new.

[Nomdeplume]

Just received my Homo Sapiens Bronze.
I am in love!

I feel a bit like Sumgal....my timing must have been right...got an excellent price and free shipping.

[Llewellyn]

My green Voyager arrived today

OMFG (oops, can I say that here?) :jaw:. It is just stunning, a swirly emerald green colour.

There are definitely more Voyagers in my future!!!!!

[Tracy Lee]

Hee hee, I think acronyms are fine here. Glad you are so thrilled with the Voyager! We would love pictures ifyou get a chance and even if they can't do it justice.

[Llewellyn]

Hee hee, I think acronyms are fine here. Glad you are so thrilled with the Voyager! We would love pictures ifyou get a chance and even if they can't do it justice.

I'll see what I can do :)

[PlasticFantastic]

I got a HS Bronze not long ago as well
AMAZING !

[Llewellyn]

I just knew I couldn't resist!!!!! I weakened and bought an Amber Voyager to keep my green one company. It is just as gorgeous as it's sibling.

I promise I will try and do pics over Easter. The last few days have just been bonkers

[Llewellyn]

I have a question for the more experienced Viscontier's here about one of my older Van Gogh's. If I put it down, even for a few seconds, it is often reluctant to start writing again and I usually have to do a few short scribbles to get it flowing. Once it starts again it's fine.

I'm using a Rhodia webbie notebook. The paper is quite smooth, and for that first split second it feels like the nib is gliding over the paper rather than making contact with it. Does that sound like a nib that might need some attention, or maybe something else? My other Van Gogh of the same era is fine (but it has a different ink).

[Llewellyn]

I got a HS Bronze not long ago as well
AMAZING !

A fantastic pen with a well-deserved reputation. I love mine.

Don't forget the hand cream!!!

[Bogon07]

Congratulations on the Amber Voyager - it is even better than the seller's photos isn it ?


I have a question for the more experienced Viscontier's here about one of my older Van Gogh's. If I put it down, even for a few seconds, it is often reluctant to start writing again and I usually have to do a few short scribbles to get it flowing. Once it starts again it's fine.

I'm using a Rhodia webbie notebook. The paper is quite smooth, and for that first split second it feels like the nib is gliding over the paper rather than making contact with it. Does that sound like a nib that might need some attention, or maybe something else? My other Van Gogh of the same era is fine (but it has a different ink).

Do both pens have the same size nib ? Have you checked the nib for a baby's bottom effect or tine mis-alignment ?

I sometimes have similar problems with my Musk Green Maxi with a fine 14K nib. It feels different to all my other Visconti 14K F nibs too. Mine is particular about which ink is in it. Its not too bad with Noodler's Nightshade but it hated Edelstein Adventurine. It didn't cope well with dot grids either.
Also found running a shim along the slot seemed to improve it a bit too.

[Llewellyn]

Yep, the photo's don't show just how gorgeous it is. And the shipping was so fast. I bought it on Sunday, it was sent Monday, arrived at my front door Tuesday afternoon :) He is a great seller - I'm going back for more.

Both the Van Gogh's are fine nibs, but I'm not sure how to check for a baby's bottom or tine mis-alignment. Any suggestions on how to do that would be very welcome. I use Toucan Sienna in it, the other one is loaded with Graf von Faber Castell Moss Green. I've used a shim to improve the flow before and that worked wonders.

[Bogon07]

Llewellyn,
Have a peek at Richard Binder's nib workshop notes - pages 5-7 should help.
http://www.richardspens.com/pdf/workshop_notes.pdf

or
Doc Brown's Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tquFBCKlqh8

Brian Gray also has a helpful PDF for checking & viewing nibs.
http://fpgeeks.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Nib-Smoothing-Notes.pdf

[ChrisC]

Careful not to create a flat foot on the nib though. I have heard it said that just figure eights can do that.

helpful tips:
http://fpgeeks.com/forum/showthread.php/467-Nib-Grinding?p=3246&viewfull=1#post3246

[Murfie]

I've just ordered a musk green Van Gogh maxi with a fine nib to join my other Visconti - a HS Steel Age maxi, a honey almond Kaleido Voyager, and an RM Verona LE. This has come about because I've become a victim of more 'Bogon07 influence'. :redface:

Well, that's my excuse for this rush of blood anyway. If it writes anywhere near as good as the ones I already have and enjoy, then I will be delighted. It feels good to support a company that is interested in looking after its customers. :applause:

[kaisnowbird]

I've just ordered a musk green Van Gogh maxi with a fine nib to join my other Visconti - a HS Steel Age maxi, a honey almond Kaleido Voyager, and an RM Verona LE. This has come about because I've become a victim of more 'Bogon07 influence'. :redface:

Well, that's my excuse for this rush of blood anyway. If it writes anywhere near as good as the ones I already have and enjoy, then I will be delighted. It feels good to support a company that is interested in looking after its customers. :applause:

I love the old Van Gogh's materials and hope you'll be delighted with yours.
Mr Bogon's enabling/influencing powers are quite alarming, especially when it comes to Visconti pens.

[Murfie]

Mr Bogon's enabling/influencing powers are quite alarming, especially when it comes to Visconti pens.
Amen to that statement, Kai. But his enthusiastic and very helpful guidance and advice is invaluable, very much appreciated, and a testament to the quality of fellow pen enthusiasts that I have been so fortunate to meet via this forum.

[Bogon07]

Hi Murfie, while you are at it you may as well go for an even half dozen Visconti. You are almost there already !


Mr Bogon's enabling/influencing powers are quite alarming, especially when it comes to Visconti pens.
Amen to that statement, Kai. But his enthusiastic and very helpful guidance and advice is invaluable, very much appreciated, and a testament to the quality of fellow pen enthusiasts that I have been so fortunate to meet via this forum.

It is wonderful to be egged on in our obsession by other genuinely helpful unfortunates. Share it around I say.
And a big thank you to everyone here for their useful help and insights. Especially Tracy Lee the Queen of Visconti & Delta.

[pentorch]

I don't think this question is worth a new thread, but let me know if I need to take it out of this thread:

I was wondering if you could change the nib on the Visconti Opera Blue Typhoon? I like the double reservoir power filler, but the Smartouch nib, as smooth as it is, just isn't lively enough. Maybe if I could put an 18k nib on it :confused:

Thanks!

[Alex2014]

I must say that my experience with Visconti's Italian retailers were disappointing. They took the FP with one hand and post it with another. I bought in February a new VG that had big ink leakages. I sent it back to repair and from then on I wait.The seller said to me that they have no responsibilities (?).

[Murfie]

I must say that my experience with Visconti's Italian retailers were disappointing.
I would have to suggest that you change your retailer. My experience with Visconti and Marco at Novelli (Rome) is second to none. Plenty of comment in this thread about how Visconti stands by their product. Other FPG members deal with other Italian retailers and the feedback is excellent. So I think you have been unfortunate to strike a retailer who is not delivering on service. Don't let it affect your opinion of the brand.

[Llewellyn]

I must say that my experience with Visconti's Italian retailers were disappointing.
I would have to suggest that you change your retailer. My experience with Visconti and Marco at Novelli (Rome) is second to none. Plenty of comment in this thread about how Visconti stands by their product. Other FPG members deal with other Italian retailers and the feedback is excellent. So I think you have been unfortunate to strike a retailer who is not delivering on service. Don't let it affect your opinion of the brand.

+ 1 from me. Marco at Novelli is top-shelf. I've also had good service from Susanna at Giardino. They are my first choices if I'm buying Visconti's. They'd be my first choice for other brands as well but I only buy Visconti's :)

[Alex2014]

I've also had good service from Susanna at Giardino. They are my first choices if I'm buying Visconti's. They'd be my first choice for other brands as well but I only buy Visconti's :)

My experience with Giardino is not at all good. I got a bad Visconti from them. I sent it to repair and I am still waiting, after more than 2 months. If you could name it a "good service', I doubt. Giardino is a handler of FPs and nothing more.Perfectly disappointing. The only answer was I still have to wait.

[Murfie]

My experience with Giardino is not at all good.
Sounds like I should stick with Marco at Novelli. My experience (both in person when I was in Rome, and later via email contact) with him has been exceptional.

[Llewellyn]

My experience with Giardino is not at all good.
Sounds like I should stick with Marco at Novelli. My experience (both in person when I was in Rome, and later via email contact) with him has been exceptional.

My only contact with Marco has been via email but he certainly sounds like a really nice fellow. If I were ever to go to Rome I'd love to go into his shop. Admittedly my dealings with Giardino have only been on the purchasing side and both times it has been absolutely fine. I've never had to deal with a warranty issue so can't comment about that. But then again, I wasn't impressed with the local shop that sells Visconti when it came to a warranty issue, and haven't been happy with their sales service in general.

That's why Marco will be my first choice for my Visconti purchases (and he's cheaper than the local place too)

[Murfie]

If I were ever to go to Rome I'd love to go into his shop
Novelli is just a few minutes walk from the Trevi Fountain. I was treated so well, being offered any number of pens that I would like to try. Marco's stock is quite extensive and at no stage did I feel hurried. Nothing was too much trouble for Marco. I can't speak highly enough of the experience - a real treat.

[Bogon07]

If I were ever to go to Rome I'd love to go into his shop
Novelli is just a few minutes walk from the Trevi Fountain. I was treated so well, being offered any number of pens that I would like to try. Marco's stock is quite extensive and at no stage did I feel hurried. Nothing was too much trouble for Marco. I can't speak highly enough of the experience - a real treat.

Luckily you don't live in Rome otherwise you could have more Visconti pens than all of us combined. And it is only a short train ride to Florence too. :)

[Murfie]

Luckily you don't live in Rome otherwise you could have more Visconti pens than all of us combined. And it is only a short train ride to Florence too.
Yes, I did take the very fast train from Rome to Firenze and back for a day trip and the train service is just fantastic - especially if you come from Oz and are starved of access to modern trains. The only bummer was that I went on a Monday - the one day of the week that Visconti is shut! The hip pocket benefited greatly, but the pen collection suffered. But I'm now making up for it as there are four more on the way (2 Rembrandts and 2 Van Goghs). I'm now on short rations till the end of Winter (southern hemisphere).

[Murfie]

I've just taken delivery of a NOS older model musk green Visconti Van Gogh as pictured below. This and more photos can be seen in the FPG Photos Forum (http://fpgeeks.com/forum/showthread.php/6824-Musk-Green-Visconti-Van-Gogh?p=77222#post77222). I'm very pleased with this one, courtesy of the usual Bogon07 enabling. :)

[Tracy Lee]

Murfie, these are great pens, I have several and they are among my favorites. Enjoy, and thanks for sharing pictures! More, more, more!!

[Murfie]

More, more, more!!
As soon as my next shipment arrives from Marco at Novelli in Rome (dispatched via FedEx yesterday), your wish will be my command, Tracy Lee.

[Tracy Lee]

More, more, more!!
As soon as my next shipment arrives from Marco at Novelli in Rome (dispatched via FedEx yesterday), your wish will be my command, Tracy Lee.

Can you post the tracking info so we can watch for it too? I AM TOTALLY KIDDING!!! But I look forward to seeing more Visconti always! :D

[Murfie]

Can you post the tracking info so we can watch for it too? I AM TOTALLY KIDDING. :D
Are you SURE about that now? Tracking a purchased pen as it winds around the globe on its journey to Oz is one of the highs of purchasing another fountain pen. And FedEx is good as they have scan events for every leg no matter how short.

Then after all that, when the pen arrives we have to tune it to write upside down which Bogon07 avoids because he writes upside down here so the orientation of his pens doesn't alter! :crazy_pilot:

[Llewellyn]

Can you post the tracking info so we can watch for it too? I AM TOTALLY KIDDING. :D
Are you SURE about that now? Tracking a purchased pen as it winds around the globe on its journey to Oz is one of the highs of purchasing another fountain pen. And FedEx is good as they have scan events for every leg no matter how short.

Hehe, too true. I've watched my shipments from Marco go from Rome to Roissy, then to Guangzhou, and eventually to Perth. I've driven my wife nuts with regular updates on their progress :)

[Llewellyn]

Not strictly FP related, but certainly Visconti related. My wife has always really liked my Bronze Homo Sapiens, but doesn't like fountain pens. But she caught me digging around Novelli and noticed that the HS came in a rollerball version.

"Oooh, that's nice" she said. Great!!. Her birthday is in June and I didn't have a clue what to get her. But I do now, and a Fedex van will be dropping a parcel off at my workplace very soon

[Bogon07]

My overseas pens seem to spend a lot of time hanging about in airports or doing road trips across the US.


[QUOTE=Tracy Lee;77302]
Then after all that, when the pen arrives we have to tune it to write upside down which Bogon07 avoids because he writes upside down here so the orientation of his pens doesn't alter! :crazy_pilot:

No wonder my wrist hurts after writing letters.

[kaisnowbird]

But I'm now making up for it as there are four more on the way (2 Rembrandts and 2 Van Goghs). I'm now on short rations till the end of Winter (southern hemisphere).

Two of each on top of recent acquisitions? Sounds like some kind of Visconti harvest. So indulgent... good for you, Murfie.
I guess the two Van Goghs are from the new line?

[Bogon07]

But I'm now making up for it as there are four more on the way (2 Rembrandts and 2 Van Goghs). I'm now on short rations till the end of Winter (southern hemisphere).

Two of each on top of recent acquisitions? Sounds like some kind of Visconti harvest. So indulgent... good for you, Murfie.
I guess the two Van Goghs are from the new line?

I keep expecting to see an important News-Break on TV advising of a Visconti Tsunami heading for south east Australia. :bathbaby:

I think Murfie is splitting the VanGoghs into old and new.
And I've suggested a Millennium Arc several times to now avail.

[Murfie]

I think Murfie is splitting the VanGoghs into old and new.
Correct! I've already received the old Van Gogh - the musk maxi that I've already posted photos of - and there's a new impressionist series Portrait Blue coming from Novelli (the package is currently at Roissy), along with two Rembrandts (orange EF flex and black B). I'll post pics when they arrive early next week.


And I've suggested a Millennium Arc several times to no avail.
If Bogon was operating on a thoroughbred racetrack he would be deemed an "urger" and warned off. :stop: Fortunately, along with his urgings there is always very helpful information about where to acquire one at the lowest price going. The only thing preventing the acquisition of a Millennium Arc is the attraction of other Visconti models that are very hard to ignore.

[Tracy Lee]

Correct! I've already received the old Van Gogh - the musk maxi that I've already posted photos of - and there's a new impressionist series Portrait Blue coming from Novelli (the package is currently at Roissy), along with two Rembrandts (orange EF flex and black B). I'll post pics when they arrive early next week.


And I've suggested a Millennium Arc several times to no avail.
If Bogon was operating on a thoroughbred racetrack he would be deemed an "urger" and warned off. :stop: Fortunately, along with his urgings there is always very helpful information about where to acquire one at the lowest price going. The only thing preventing the acquisition of a Millennium Arc is the attraction of other Visconti models that are very hard to ignore.

Excuses, excuses . . . :rolleyes::)

[Llewellyn]

I have my Voyager twins and if luck goes my way there will be a third one to join them. They might well be among my favourite Visconti's (and that's saying something).

[Bogon07]

I have my Voyager twins and if luck goes my way there will be a third one to join them. They might well be among my favourite Visconti's (and that's saying something).

The Voyage is a wonderful & comfortable shape combined with some delicious nibs.
You have a green & an amber already don't you ?

I'm anxiously awaiting an Aqua Opera Club like this one of TracyLee's.
http://fpgeeks.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=5817&stc=1&d=1380732950

[Llewellyn]

I have my Voyager twins and if luck goes my way there will be a third one to join them. They might well be among my favourite Visconti's (and that's saying something).

The Voyage is a wonderful & comfortable shape combined with some delicious nibs.
You have a green & an amber already don't you ?

I'm anxiously awaiting an Aqua Opera Club like this one of TracyLee's.
http://fpgeeks.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=5817&stc=1&d=1380732950

Yes, my twins are amber and green. I'm hoping for a black and burgundy. I fear they won't be the last Voyagers to be added to my collection. And you're right, there is just something absolutely right about the combination of shape, weight and balance..............and that nib :):)

That's a nice Opera Bogon. I'm planning on getting one of those at some stage too :cheers:

[Murfie]

Can you post the tracking info so we can watch for it too? I AM TOTALLY KIDDING. :D
Are you SURE about that now? Tracking a purchased pen as it winds around the globe on its journey to Oz is one of the highs of purchasing another fountain pen. And FedEx is good as they have scan events for every leg no matter how short.

Hehe, too true. I've watched my shipments from Marco go from Rome to Roissy, then to Guangzhou, and eventually to Perth. I've driven my wife nuts with regular updates on their progress :)
Tracy Lee please note! What a journey the latest package is having - Rome, Somma Lombardo, Roissy, New Delhi, Guangzhou, to Singapore. Expect Sydney, then Melbourne to go before hitting the local FedEx depot for delivery early next week. Fancy a grown man getting a high watching a pen traverse the globe ... hopeless ... but it's a lot of fun! :)

[Tracy Lee]

Can you post the tracking info so we can watch for it too? I AM TOTALLY KIDDING. :D
Are you SURE about that now? Tracking a purchased pen as it winds around the globe on its journey to Oz is one of the highs of purchasing another fountain pen. And FedEx is good as they have scan events for every leg no matter how short.

Hehe, too true. I've watched my shipments from Marco go from Rome to Roissy, then to Guangzhou, and eventually to Perth. I've driven my wife nuts with regular updates on their progress :)
Tracy Lee please note! What a journey the latest package is having - Rome, Somma Lombardo, Roissy, New Delhi, Guangzhou, to Singapore. Expect Sydney, then Melbourne to go before hitting the local FedEx depot for delivery early next week. Fancy a grown man getting a high watching a pen traverse the globe ... hopeless ... but it's a lot of fun! :)

Isn't it unfair the traveling our pens tend to do while we are stuck at home? The injustice of it all. . .

[Tracy Lee]

My Titanic has arrived. It is so lovely!!
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/02/dazy5anu.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/02/y3eduquh.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/02/6e4ytyde.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/02/emuhadam.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/02/u2e4amun.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/02/ry6aga8u.jpg

[Bogon07]

It is stunning Tracy Lee. A nice bicolour 18k B nib too. The blue appears so intense in your photos & so lovely. The bronze "Islands" have a nice textural look about them.
the pen looks heavy.
congratulations.

[kaisnowbird]

What a journey the latest package is having - Rome, Somma Lombardo, Roissy, New Delhi, Guangzhou, to Singapore. Expect Sydney, then Melbourne to go before hitting the local FedEx depot for delivery early next week. Fancy a grown man getting a high watching a pen traverse the globe ... hopeless ... but it's a lot of fun! :)

Man that's a lot of stops. :jaw:

[tiffanyhenschel]

Gorgeous pen, Tracy Lee. It is reminiscent of a Waterman Patrician in turquoise, but I think I like the clip and cap on yours even more.

[Llewellyn]

Can you post the tracking info so we can watch for it too? I AM TOTALLY KIDDING. :D
Are you SURE about that now? Tracking a purchased pen as it winds around the globe on its journey to Oz is one of the highs of purchasing another fountain pen. And FedEx is good as they have scan events for every leg no matter how short.

Hehe, too true. I've watched my shipments from Marco go from Rome to Roissy, then to Guangzhou, and eventually to Perth. I've driven my wife nuts with regular updates on their progress :)
Tracy Lee please note! What a journey the latest package is having - Rome, Somma Lombardo, Roissy, New Delhi, Guangzhou, to Singapore. Expect Sydney, then Melbourne to go before hitting the local FedEx depot for delivery early next week. Fancy a grown man getting a high watching a pen traverse the globe ... hopeless ... but it's a lot of fun! :)

Sigh....by comparison, Mrs Llewellyn's HS rollerball is having quite an uneventful adventure -Rome, Roissy and Singapore so far.

[youstruckgold]

Picking up a pen like that; don't you get a sinking feeling?:)

[youstruckgold]

My Pininfarina has come back from Mike Matsuyama and is now absolute heaven to write with (although quite broad, so ink runs out fairly quickly!):crazy_pilot:
http://youstruckgold.smugmug.com/Pens/Viscontis/i-668GVqj/0/M/IMG_1500-M.jpg

[Murfie]

My latest shipment from Marco at Novelli in Rome arrived today, so here's some pictures to share with you all.

The top one is a Van Gogh Impressionist Series 'Portrait Blue' with a steel F nib. Visually stunning, comfortable size, excellent performance from the steel fine nib.

The middle pen is a black Rembrandt with a steel B nib. Wonderful variation in the resin. Again a great size and a very smooth and wet steel broad nib.

The lower pen is another Rembrandt, this time orange with incredible color variation throughout the resin. Very attractive pen. This one was purchased with the EF flex nib from the calligraphy set which is available in a single Rembrandt. On arrival this nib was extremely scratchy and actually cut into the paper. After a quick smooth on the micromesh, it is now ultra smooth and found to be slightly cursive, with the horizontal line a little narrower than the vertical (see last photo). It is not really a flex nib but does have some softness and is a real delight to use.

I'm delighted with the three of them and they all passed expectations. For steel nibs, all three of them are quite exceptional, with the EF being a stand-out. Each came with a converter and all take international size cartridges if required.

[Bogon07]

Youstruckgold - your Pininfarina is a unique looking pen. A very techno style.

Murfie - Congratulations on your latest batch of three Visconti. The good think about procuring the EF nib this way is the chrome rather than black plastic section.
All three have very attractive resins. Are you intending to stub the B nib or leave it as is ?
Does the black Rembrandt has silver or grey streaks ?

[Llewellyn]

A burgundy and black Voyager and a Midi Van Gogh Sandals will be landing on the Llewellyn doorstep within the next day or so :) How Mrs Llewellyn will react to this arrival is as yet unknown.

My dealer in Melbourne and I are now on first name terms. I don't even have to ask about having a fine nib fitted, he does it automatically for me. :)

[Llewellyn]

Oh, and Mrs Llewellyn's HS rollerball has arrived at it's secret destination !!

[Murfie]

The lower pen is another Rembrandt, this time orange with incredible color variation throughout the resin. Very attractive pen. This one was purchased with the EF flex nib from the calligraphy set which is available in a single Rembrandt.
I would also like to point out that the other special nib from the calligraphy set - a 1.5mm cursive italic - is also available in a single Rembrandt. I have just placed an order with Novelli for another Rembrandt - this time in blue - with the 1.5mm nib. These steel nibs are very impressive.

[kaisnowbird]

Murfie, loving your pics of the Visconti trio, especially the nib shots.

I had no idea that you could order the EF flex nib like that. Brilliant! Are the sections on the van gogh and rembrandt interchangeable?

Hearty congratulations!

[kaisnowbird]

The lower pen is another Rembrandt, this time orange with incredible color variation throughout the resin. Very attractive pen. This one was purchased with the EF flex nib from the calligraphy set which is available in a single Rembrandt.
I would also like to point out that the other special nib from the calligraphy set - a 1.5mm cursive italic - is also available in a single Rembrandt. I have just placed an order with Novelli for another Rembrandt - this time in blue - with the 1.5mm nib. These steel nibs are very impressive.

Oh boy, you are unstoppable. I need to get on to this Rembrandt bandwagon. I like the blue, red and that more elusive purple.

[Murfie]

I had no idea that you could order the EF flex nib like that. Brilliant! Are the sections on the van gogh and rembrandt interchangeable?
Ha, you can't sleep either, Kai. And the 1.5mm nib is available as well, see my post above. The steel nibs come in a screw in nib unit that are compatible with the Van Gogh.

[Murfie]

Murfie - Congratulations on your latest batch of three Visconti. All three have very attractive resins. Are you intending to stub the B nib or leave it as is? Does the black Rembrandt has silver or grey streaks?
I did intend to stub the B nib, but now I am vacillating as it writes very well as it is. The black Rembrandt has streaks of purple, white and many shades of grey (not 50 though). There is no silver however. Quite a speccy pen in a subtle way.

[Bogon07]

Llewellyn, congrats on the two new Voyagers.




Murfie - Congratulations on your latest batch of three Visconti. All three have very attractive resins. Are you intending to stub the B nib or leave it as is? Does the black Rembrandt has silver or grey streaks?
I did intend to stub the B nib, but now I am vacillating as it writes very well as it is. The black Rembrandt has streaks of purple, white and many shades of grey (not 50 though). There is no silver however. Quite a speccy pen in a subtle way.................................
I would also like to point out that the other special nib from the calligraphy set - a 1.5mm cursive italic - is also available in a single Rembrandt. I have just placed an order with Novelli for another Rembrandt - this time in blue - with the 1.5mm nib. These steel nibs are very impressive.



Wow the black sound like it has some nice resin. Visconti must have saved the silver streaks for the blue Dali.

Another Rembrandt :blink: .......you'll have half the set !
So you only need:
Red
Purple
Ivory
Girontondo per il Meyer
I hope you don't do the same with the VanGogh Impressionist series there are 12 of those.

The regular Visconti steel nibs are super smooth aren't they.

[Murfie]

The regular Visconti steel nibs are super smooth aren't they.
Amen to that, Bogon. Best steel nibs I have used. Peter Bock is doing wonders.

[Llewellyn]

Mrs Llewellyn was reading through my journal (fine by me, we have no secrets) and she found my note about my two arrivals that came yesterday!! She was rather calm and relaxed about it :)

She's a wonderful woman. :)

[Bogon07]

Mrs Llewellyn was reading through my journal (fine by me, we have no secrets) and she found my note about my two arrivals that came yesterday!! She was rather calm and relaxed about it :)

She's a wonderful woman. :)

Mrs Bogon's work roster means she has 2-3 days Monday-Friday at home and any pen package at a greater than even chance of being intercepted by her.
She has given up on remediating my pen buying and taken to ordering yarn on-line as therapy.

One of the four incoming pens is for her anyway.

[Murfie]

More wallet damage done today. Old model vanilla Van Gogh Midi with a fine nib, coming from eBay seller Rozmenko, followed by a blue Rembrandt with 1.5mm calligraphy nib, from Marco at Novelli in Rome. After this I have to retreat into pen hibernation for the winter to allow the financial crisis to resolve. At least I will enjoy writing about the problem, ha,ha,ha. I will post the appropriate photos upon receipt of said pens.

[Bogon07]

Nice work Murfie you've certainly harvested a bumper crop of Visconti this month.

Mrs Bogon took delivery of a small box from Pen&Beyond in Louisiana via NY today. It contained a well travelled Opera with a 14K-F nib.
Similar to Tracy Lee's Aqua Opera but perhaps a little more of a greenish turquoise in colour. Naturally it has now been filled with Visconti Turquoise ink.

[Llewellyn]

Wow, that's an interesting coloured Opera Bogon. How do the Opera's compare to, say, the Voyagers for handling. An Opera or two is on my hit list

[Llewellyn]

I've relieved Rozmenko of four Visconti's in the last 6 weeks - his site is a treasure trove for a Visconti addict like me. Guido and I are on first name terms and he knows to fit a fine nib to anything I buy.

His service is on a par with Marco IMO - parcels from Melbourne to Perth in less than 24 hours - can't ask for better than that

[Bogon07]

Wow, that's an interesting coloured Opera Bogon. How do the Opera's compare to, say, the Voyagers for handling. An Opera or two is on my hit list

With the same 14K nib they are very, very similar.
The newer Palladium Dreamtouch nibs impart a different writing experience to the 14K gold. And the Canadian Opera different again due to it's steel nib.

The c/c Voyagers I have are slightly bigger but lighter pens than the regular Operas or WallStreets probably due to the Opera & WallStreet's chrome grip sections.
The Opera is perhaps a little heavier with the chrome end cap on the barrel compared to the Wallstreet which does not.
They are all great pens but to be totally honest I think the Voyagers feel a bit better balanced and also more natural to write with. They also have a longer grip section.

[Tracy Lee]

Wow, that's an interesting coloured Opera Bogon. How do the Opera's compare to, say, the Voyagers for handling. An Opera or two is on my hit list

I love the Opera pens, I have six of them. Very weighty, but so comfortable to write with. My Operas all have different nibs - some 14k like the Voyagers, a couple with Dream touch and one with the smart touch nib. They are smaller than most Voyagers (except the Typhoon which is as big or bigger than Voyagers other than the Cosmos Collection) so just a different experience altogether. You just can't go wrong having at least one of each. Or three or four of each . . . :-)

Bogon, that is a beautiful Opera. Maybe a little more green? But really a stunner. Dan just finished tweaking the nib on mine which had flow and other issues, so I am excited to get it back and be able to use it.

[Murfie]

Yesterday I took delivery of another attractive Visconti, this time a new vanilla Van Gogh midi from the old Van Gogh model range, now discontinued. This one came from eBay seller Rozmenko (no association other than being a very happy customer) as did my recent Aurora 88.

I now have several Visconti models turned from resin blocks that have amazing degrees of color variation ensuring that each pen would be like a fingerprint and pretty much unique. This one is no exception. While I was expecting some variation, I was surprised how many different colors are evident in the resin. I can discern whites, bones, creams, tans, a little green and muted oranges. In places the resin is translucent. I have included within the photos below, my musk Van Gogh maxi for a size comparison, and while it also has resin variation, it is nowhere near the extent seen in the vanilla resin of the midi.

So here's a bunch of photos to show this colorful resin. The last photo includes both the maxi mentioned, plus a Pelikan M200 to give some impression of relative sizes. The midi is smaller than the maxi but is a good size pen in itself when you compare it to the M200.

Unlike the maxi (which comes with a 14kt gold nib), the midi has a Bock steel nib and I specified an F for this one. These particular steel nibs are ultra smooth and wet and apart from being more rigid, come very close to gold nib performance.

[Bogon07]

Murfie another stunning addition to your Visconti collection. The variation in the resin patterns on your pen are such that the first two photos could be of different pens !
It looks almost edible or drinkable like a wonderful coffee confection.
The Midi doesn't look too much smaller than the Maxi. Nice looking yellow Pelikan too.

Once again congratulations on your new pen and thanks for sharing the excitement via your fantastic photos.

[Tracy Lee]

My Blue Ripple is home! It is whole and beautiful and I am so happy. Writes beautifully just as it always has.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/17/4adyguba.jpg

[Murfie]

Nice looking yellow Pelikan too.
That's a fairly rare German Galeria Kauthof limited edition that has never been inked. I'm open to offers if anyone wants to make me one. :)

[Murfie]

My Blue Ripple is home! It is whole and beautiful and I am so happy.
Stunning pen, Tracy Lee. You will be obviously delighted to have it back. Thanks for the photo.

[Bogon07]

My Blue Ripple is home! It is whole and beautiful and I am so happy. Writes beautifully just as it always has.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/17/4adyguba.jpg
Interesting, does it have a larger "frosted" section just abarft of ink window?
it is a very pretty pen. It was quite a limited edition wasn't it ?

[Tracy Lee]

My Blue Ripple is home! It is whole and beautiful and I am so happy. Writes beautifully just as it always has.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/17/4adyguba.jpg
Interesting, does it have a larger "frosted" section just abarft of ink window?
it is a very pretty pen. It was quite a limited edition wasn't it ?

I haven't looked at photos from before. But whatever they did, it is remarkable and you would never know it had ever been in two pieces. The weight and balance is fantastic, the nib is the same wonderful nib. I am penning a thank you note this afternoon, this one was far above the call of duty.

[kaisnowbird]

Nice looking yellow Pelikan too.
That's a fairly rare German Galeria Kauthof limited edition that has never been inked. I'm open to offers if anyone wants to make me one. :)

An offer will depend on the nib. ;)
Congratulations on your many admirable Visconti purchases recently.
Like Mr Bogon, I too was surprised to see how close in size the Van Gogh midi is compared with the maxi. I guess the steel nib is smaller.
I'm looking forward to your photos if the blue Rembrandt, if I ever buy one from that line, it'd have to be the blue one.

[Llewellyn]

Oh dear, another Voyager will be joining the Llewellyn household. A black one this time. I love these pens.

[Murfie]

Oh dear, another Voyager will be joining the Llewellyn household. A black one this time.
Crikey, sounds like we've caught a similar disease. Seriously, I know I caught it off Bogon. Well, that's who I'm blaming in order to offset his similar claim about catching a Delta affliction from me. Tit for tat! :)

[Bogon07]

"a Black Voyager will be joining the Llewellyn household" - does this complete all the Voyagers from Victoria now ?

I'm still claiming TracyLee sprinkling Visconti & Delta dust into an InCoWriMo letter last year started it all and you Mr Murfie didn't help with your encouragement this year.

All the recent talk of the Rembrandt Calligraphy set "encouraged" me to buy a Visconti 60th Anniversary Diamond Jubilee Imperial Ruby rollerball with the idea of using one of the extra nibs & sections from the Calligraphy set with the barrel. The fountain pen version of this pen comes as a completely different power filler not this Impressionist VanGogh, Dali, Michelangelo & Unity of Italy style of barrel. The resin is an amazing deep burgundy with subtle gold swirls and enhanced by sprinkles of green/gold glitter. I was surprised Visconti didn't use this type of resin in on of the Cosmos series.

The was a slight problem with my plan in not being able to remove the RB component of the section & replace it with a nib component so I've gold hardware with chrome section & steel nib..
Also the end of the barrel has a mechanism to hold the rollerball refill in place which prevents the use of a converter so it will be loaded with a short cartridge.

The Visconti rollerball is a very smooth and silky 0.7mm - Mrs Bogon was instantly attracted to it so I had to distract her with a Retro51 Tornado rollerball.

[Llewellyn]

Well, that will be four Voyagers, which might just be quite enough. But stuff me, if they aren't just such a beautiful pen to write with :) Of course if another one in a colour that I can't resist just happens to pop up somewhere, then all bets are off.

I have an urge to try an Opera, and some of the other Divina's are exquisite. So I don't think I'm done yet.

I fear I was on the slippery slope even before I wandered into this place, but Tracy Lee, Bogon and various others have done nothing to help arrest that slide. For which I am eternally grateful :)

[Tracy Lee]

Well, that will be four Voyagers, which might just be quite enough. But stuff me, if they aren't just such a beautiful pen to write with :) Of course if another one in a colour that I can't resist just happens to pop up somewhere, then all bets are off.

I have an urge to try an Opera, and some of the other Divina's are exquisite. So I don't think I'm done yet.

I fear I was on the slippery slope even before I wandered into this place, but Tracy Lee, Bogon and various others have done nothing to help arrest that slide. For which I am eternally grateful :)

You must have an Opera - wonderful pens ( I am up to 7?) and the Divina is a must as well. At least one, the newest ones are quite lovely! I am more the push you into the slide kinda gal so yea. . .

[Llewellyn]

I have a Desert Springs and one of the 25th Anniversary limited editions (a gorgeous blue with silver strips). Both are wonderful to write with and they have the lovely Dreamtouch nibs, although they both need using every couple of days otherwise they can be difficult to start writing if left for say a week or so.

The brown and black versions are calling to me.

[Silverbreeze]

My Blue Ripple is home! It is whole and beautiful and I am so happy. Writes beautifully just as it always has.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/17/4adyguba.jpg
Interesting, does it have a larger "frosted" section just abarft of ink window?
it is a very pretty pen. It was quite a limited edition wasn't it ?

I haven't looked at photos from before. But whatever they did, it is remarkable and you would never know it had ever been in two pieces. The weight and balance is fantastic, the nib is the same wonderful nib. I am penning a thank you note this afternoon, this one was far above the call of duty.
Did it go all the way to its home castle or was it repaired closer to it's new world home? I actually would like to know :-)

[Tracy Lee]

All significant repairs go to Italy. The Ripple spent about 30 days convalescing over there.

[raging.dragon]

Wow, that's an interesting coloured Opera Bogon. How do the Opera's compare to, say, the Voyagers for handling. An Opera or two is on my hit list

With the same 14K nib they are very, very similar.
The newer Palladium Dreamtouch nibs impart a different writing experience to the 14K gold. And the Canadian Opera different again due to it's steel nib.

The c/c Voyagers I have are slightly bigger but lighter pens than the regular Operas or WallStreets probably due to the Opera & WallStreet's chrome grip sections.
The Opera is perhaps a little heavier with the chrome end cap on the barrel compared to the Wallstreet which does not.
They are all great pens but to be totally honest I think the Voyagers feel a bit better balanced and also more natural to write with. They also have a longer grip section.

I find the Operas with metal blind caps (barrel ends) are top heavy. For some this will be fine, but it bothers me, and I ended up trading my Opera Master Demo as a result.

[raging.dragon]

Wow, that's an interesting coloured Opera Bogon. How do the Opera's compare to, say, the Voyagers for handling. An Opera or two is on my hit list

I love the Opera pens, I have six of them. Very weighty, but so comfortable to write with. My Operas all have different nibs - some 14k like the Voyagers, a couple with Dream touch and one with the smart touch nib. They are smaller than most Voyagers (except the Typhoon which is as big or bigger than Voyagers other than the Cosmos Collection) so just a different experience altogether. You just can't go wrong having at least one of each. Or three or four of each . . . :-)

Bogon, that is a beautiful Opera. Maybe a little more green? But really a stunner. Dan just finished tweaking the nib on mine which had flow and other issues, so I am excited to get it back and be able to use it.

I believe the Typhoon is pretty much the same size as the Opera Master? If the Cosmos is bigger than that, I wonder if they're based on the Titanic instead of Voyager.

[raging.dragon]

Well, that will be four Voyagers, which might just be quite enough. But stuff me, if they aren't just such a beautiful pen to write with :) Of course if another one in a colour that I can't resist just happens to pop up somewhere, then all bets are off.

I have an urge to try an Opera, and some of the other Divina's are exquisite. So I don't think I'm done yet.

I fear I was on the slippery slope even before I wandered into this place, but Tracy Lee, Bogon and various others have done nothing to help arrest that slide. For which I am eternally grateful :)

You must have an Opera - wonderful pens ( I am up to 7?) and the Divina is a must as well. At least one, the newest ones are quite lovely! I am more the push you into the slide kinda gal so yea. . .

My favourite Divina is the original Divina Proportione in burl wood celluloid, or the recent 25th anniversary remake of it. Another is the Visconti Cosmopolitan, an LE made for Chatterley Pens (Bryant), is Divina without the silver strips and made from stacked elluloid (like the wallstreet) in red, green or grey each with Rhodium or Gold plated trim. I had one in red with Gold trim that I sometimes regret trading away.

[Llewellyn]

And...................................a Vanilla Van Gogh Midi will also be making the journey across the Nullabor.

Does this addiction ever stop?

[Tracy Lee]

Well, that will be four Voyagers, which might just be quite enough. But stuff me, if they aren't just such a beautiful pen to write with :) Of course if another one in a colour that I can't resist just happens to pop up somewhere, then all bets are off.

I have an urge to try an Opera, and some of the other Divina's are exquisite. So I don't think I'm done yet.

I fear I was on the slippery slope even before I wandered into this place, but Tracy Lee, Bogon and various others have done nothing to help arrest that slide. For which I am eternally grateful :)

You must have an Opera - wonderful pens ( I am up to 7?) and the Divina is a must as well. At least one, the newest ones are quite lovely! I am more the push you into the slide kinda gal so yea. . .

My favourite Divina is the original Divina Proportione in burl wood celluloid, or the recent 25th anniversary remake of it. Another is the Visconti Cosmopolitan, an LE made for Chatterley Pens (Bryant), is Divina without the silver strips and made from stacked elluloid (like the wallstreet) in red, green or grey each with Rhodium or Gold plated trim. I had one in red with Gold trim that I sometimes regret trading away.

Love the Cosmopolitan. Way better celluloid than the Wall Street, hard to explsin until you hold one. Priced a little high which I don't understand. I should ask him about that. Or not. They are all just gorgeous but I swooned a lityle harder over the green.

[Tracy Lee]

And...................................a Vanilla Van Gogh Midi will also be making the journey across the Nullabor.

Does this addiction ever stop?

No. But it was cute you thought to ask. :) It is way too late for you now.

[Bogon07]

And...................................a Vanilla Van Gogh Midi will also be making the journey across the Nullabor.

Does this addiction ever stop?

You & Murfie are twins now he bought one of those last week. There is one in a shop here in Sydney it looks wonderful but way too expensive.

I'd say you have too much momentum to stop now. :)


Love the Cosmopolitan. Way better celluloid than the Wall Street, hard to explain until you hold one. Priced a little high which I don't understand. I should ask him about that. Or not. They are all just gorgeous but I swooned a little harder over the green.

I do notice the striped Rebecca Moss Hampton/Veronas have a more lustrous celluliod than my regular Wallstreets.
I wonder if the WallStreet regular & LE have different celluloids ?

[Bogon07]

I believe the Typhoon is pretty much the same size as the Opera Master? If the Cosmos is bigger than that, I wonder if they're based on the Titanic instead of Voyager.

The mosquito filler Opera Master Typhoon is slightly longer & slimmer than the Cosmos. Unlike some of the other Opera Masters it does not have a metal end cap but a resin one on the the barrel & it feels better balanced than my normal Operas. The Cosmos is the same length as a Verona/Hampton but still slightly wider and with different thread positioning.

TracyLee does have several Cosmos to compare to her Titanic :boink:

[Tracy Lee]

I believe the Typhoon is pretty much the same size as the Opera Master? If the Cosmos is bigger than that, I wonder if they're based on the Titanic instead of Voyager.

The mosquito filler Opera Master Typhoon is slightly longer & slimmer than the Cosmos. Unlike some of the other Opera Masters it does not have a metal end cap but a resin one on the the barrel & it feels better balanced than my normal Operas. The Cosmos is the same length as a Verona/Hampton but still slightly wider and with different thread positioning.

TracyLee does have several Cosmos to compare to her Titanic :boink:

Maybe one or three. . .

[ChrisC]

Opera Club/Elements feel top heavy to me as well. I find the Wall Street regular editions to be perfect, since they are all plastic/celluloid other than the usual metal section. The bottom-heaviness is actually a boon, imho, since it lets the pen do all the work while your hand just glides across the page.

[Tracy Lee]

Personalized a few pens today at Fahrneys in DC.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/22/uzyta3y5.jpg
The gold looks like an F, so I need yo swap it out again. Two dragons (Chinese zodiac but they were cool)
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/22/qu8atane.jpg
A gem and a scorpion.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/22/2y5u7aqu.jpg

It was fun. Got some ink that was priced too high, and a pen wrap for one pen that struck my fancy.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/22/yneruped.jpg

[Llewellyn]

You & Murfie are twins now he bought one of those last week. There is one in a shop here in Sydney it looks wonderful but way too expensive.

I'd say you have too much momentum to stop now. :)



Haha, too much momentum and not enough willpower :)

[Bogon07]

Tracy Lee,
Oh the pink glitzy Divina is out and about.
The gold letter definitely looks like an 'F' or a 'J' rather than a 'T'.
Nice haul along with the Shin-kai & pen wrap.

Thanks for sharing you trip to Fahrneys in DC.

[tandaina]

Tracy Lee,
Oh the pink glitzy Divina is out and about.
The gold letter definitely looks like an 'F' or a 'J' rather than a 'T'.
Nice haul along with the Shin-kai & pen wrap.

Thanks for sharing you trip to Fahrneys in DC.

Oddly, when I'm journaling that's exactly how I make my capital Ts. I thought it was only me. Apparently Visconti agrees with me!

[Tracy Lee]

The F got turned into a T today! I ran by first thing for the swap.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/23/5erada5y.jpg

[Silverbreeze]

The F got turned into a T today! I ran by first thing for the swap.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/23/5erada5y.jpg

Who sells the dragons Tracy???

[raging.dragon]

Love the Cosmopolitan. Way better celluloid than the Wall Street, hard to explsin until you hold one. Priced a little high which I don't understand. I should ask him about that. Or not. They are all just gorgeous but I swooned a lityle harder over the green.

It's the same celluloid; however, the Cosmopolitan showed it off better. Probably because of the Cosmopolitan's shape and lack of a metal sleeve.

The Cosmopolitans Bryant has in stock now are all number 1/x and he's selling them at full MSRP. Previously they were available for alot less, though still not inexpensive (around $800 if I recall correctly).

[Tracy Lee]

The F got turned into a T today! I ran by first thing for the swap.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/23/5erada5y.jpg

Who sells the dragons Tracy???

I did all of this at Fahrneys so any store that does the My Pen system may have them. It is all a big kit. Seems to have both initials and zodiac and some other things. Years ago I got a malachite topper for my Divina but I can't remember where I bought that one. There are lots of types and it may just depend on what they have.

[raging.dragon]

I believe the Typhoon is pretty much the same size as the Opera Master? If the Cosmos is bigger than that, I wonder if they're based on the Titanic instead of Voyager.

The mosquito filler Opera Master Typhoon is slightly longer & slimmer than the Cosmos. Unlike some of the other Opera Masters it does not have a metal end cap but a resin one on the the barrel & it feels better balanced than my normal Operas. The Cosmos is the same length as a Verona/Hampton but still slightly wider and with different thread positioning.

TracyLee does have several Cosmos to compare to her Titanic :boink:

I've found the Typhoon tempting due to it's lack of a metal blind cap. However, lately I've been spending my pen budget on completing my OMAS 360 collection.

[Bogon07]

I've found the Typhoon tempting due to it's lack of a metal blind cap. However, lately I've been spending my pen budget on completing my OMAS 360 collection.
I've always been tempted by the translucent LE 360s.

Silverbreeze : Here is a link to the range except the initials - see the Category menu at the upper left 12x each of Western Zodiac/Oriental Zodiac/Natural Stones
http://www.viscontipens.co.uk/cms/index.php/catalog/category/view/s/pen-system/id/13/

You'll need a reasonably strong magnet to pull them on & off the pen cap.

[Tracy Lee]

I've found the Typhoon tempting due to it's lack of a metal blind cap. However, lately I've been spending my pen budget on completing my OMAS 360 collection.
I've always been tempted by the translucent LE 360s.

Silverbreeze : Here is a link to the range except the initials - see the Category menu at the upper left 12x each of Western Zodiac/Oriental Zodiac/Natural Stones
http://www.viscontipens.co.uk/cms/index.php/catalog/category/view/s/pen-system/id/13/

You'll need a reasonably strong magnet to pull them on & off the pen cap.

Or a well placed fingernail, most of mine have come up pretty easily.

[cwent2]

I've found the Typhoon tempting due to it's lack of a metal blind cap. However, lately I've been spending my pen budget on completing my OMAS 360 collection.
I've always been tempted by the translucent LE 360s.

Silverbreeze : Here is a link to the range except the initials - see the Category menu at the upper left 12x each of Western Zodiac/Oriental Zodiac/Natural Stones
http://www.viscontipens.co.uk/cms/index.php/catalog/category/view/s/pen-system/id/13/

You'll need a reasonably strong magnet to pull them on & off the pen cap.


Or a well placed fingernail, most of mine have come up pretty easily.


Tracy

We all do not have long skinny finger nails ..... I used an exacto blade tip.

Cw

[Tracy Lee]

That works great too, actually. My point being something slim with an edge. Some seem tougher than others to left, depends on the pen.

[ChrisC]

Hey I was debating between the Wall Street LE and the Homo Sapiens bronze. How do the ink capacities compare, and does the Wall Street's transparent stripes allow you to view the amount of ink you have?

[Tracy Lee]

Comparable. Both a nice amount of ink. I haven't ever seen enough transparency to really guage levels of ink through the pen.

[youstruckgold]

Now there's a person after my own heart! (in reply to raging dragon's 360 aspirations)

[youstruckgold]

Hey I was debating between the Wall Street LE and the Homo Sapiens bronze. How do the ink capacities compare, and does the Wall Street's transparent stripes allow you to view the amount of ink you have?

Very different looking pens. I agree with TL; they have comparable ink capacities (maybe a little more with the Wall St). There is no transparency to the stripes - but if you get a limited edition, they come with an ink window :)

[ChrisC]

Aw that's too bad. I wonder why they didn't have the vac mechanism seal direction against the celluloid barrel. I can see the converter through my normal Wall Street's barrel. I guess they must've used some sort of sleeve, which also explains why the ink window isn't perfectly transparent.

edit:
http://monbonvoyage.com/pfs/Wall-Street-Uncapped.jpg

What's that rod that appears in the barrel? Is the pen transparent are not?? confused...

[Silverbreeze]

Aren't the LEs Vac fillers???

[Llewellyn]

I am weak.

A black Voyager and a Vanilla Midi Van Gogh arrived yesterday, along with a complimentary bottle of blue Visconti ink. I tried to tell my wife that the Voyagers are like coat hangers - you leave them on their own and they breed like crazy. But she was having none of it.

I think I may have cleared my dealer out of all the Visconti's that I want - although he does have a Honey Almond Opera that looks tempting.

I. Must. Resist.

[raging.dragon]

Hey I was debating between the Wall Street LE and the Homo Sapiens bronze. How do the ink capacities compare, and does the Wall Street's transparent stripes allow you to view the amount of ink you have?

Most of the main ink reservoir has a metal liner inside the stacked celluloid (Visconti felt this showed off the celluloid better, especially when the pen was filled with dark ink), approximately 1cm / 0.5" is clear and can be used as an ink window of sorts. The secondary reservoir is made of clear acrylic and doubles as an ink window.

[raging.dragon]

Aw that's too bad. I wonder why they didn't have the vac mechanism seal direction against the celluloid barrel. I can see the converter through my normal Wall Street's barrel. I guess they must've used some sort of sleeve, which also explains why the ink window isn't perfectly transparent.

edit:
http://monbonvoyage.com/pfs/Wall-Street-Uncapped.jpg

What's that rod that appears in the barrel? Is the pen transparent are not?? confused...

Perhaps some prototypes or early production pens were made without the metal sleeve.

[raging.dragon]

Now there's a person after my own heart! (in reply to raging dragon's 360 aspirations)

I really should update my 360 thread on FPN, and copy it here too.

[Bogon07]

Now there's a person after my own heart! (in reply to raging dragon's 360 aspirations)

I really should update my 360 thread on FPN, and copy it here too.

Yes please. :thumb:

[raging.dragon]

Aren't the LEs Vac fillers???

If you mean the Wallstreet LE's: yes, they're double reservoir power fillers.

[Tracy Lee]

I am weak.

A black Voyager and a Vanilla Midi Van Gogh arrived yesterday, along with a complimentary bottle of blue Visconti ink. I tried to tell my wife that the Voyagers are like coat hangers - you leave them on their own and they breed like crazy. But she was having none of it.

I think I may have cleared my dealer out of all the Visconti's that I want - although he does have a Honey Almond Opera that looks tempting.

I. Must. Resist.

The honey almond Opera is lovely, I have one of those, but it looks pretty not lovely when you put ink in it. The converter shows through and dark inks make the pen look dirty/muddy. Kind of an unfortunate little quirk.

[Llewellyn]

I am weak.

A black Voyager and a Vanilla Midi Van Gogh arrived yesterday, along with a complimentary bottle of blue Visconti ink. I tried to tell my wife that the Voyagers are like coat hangers - you leave them on their own and they breed like crazy. But she was having none of it.

I think I may have cleared my dealer out of all the Visconti's that I want - although he does have a Honey Almond Opera that looks tempting.

I. Must. Resist.

The honey almond Opera is lovely, I have one of those, but it looks pretty not lovely when you put ink in it. The converter shows through and dark inks make the pen look dirty/muddy. Kind of an unfortunate little quirk.

Thanks Tracy Lee. I've also seen a Ragtime which looks appealing. Do you have one of those and how do they stack up?

[Bogon07]

There are several variants of Ragtimes including the green/blue Fountain Pen Hospital which I recall Tracy Lee has.

I have a 20th Anniversary Ragtime in gold,black & white. It is a wonderful pen and a great writer....it has a gold nib but not the 20th Anniversary one maybe that was why it was slightly discounted. The nib is about the size of the Rembrandt/Impressionist VanGogh/Dali/Michelangelo not the larger Opera/Voyager/WallStreet.
Some people may find the pen a little heavy for its size.

BUT the enjoyment of the pen is spoilt at filling & cleaning time by it having a captive converter. :mad:

If you check out Tandaina's thread about her Ragtime you can see the converter inside after the barrel was removed by Pentime. The photo also gives you an idea why the pen weighs so much with the extended metal sleeve/tube around the converter.
http://fpgeeks.com/forum/showthread.php/4085-Visconti-Ragtime-update-and-Dallas-Pen-Show
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/09/22/thumbnail/8e7azy2a.jpg

[Llewellyn]

There are several variants of Ragtimes including the green/blue Fountain Pen Hospital which I recall Tracy Lee has.

I have a 20th Anniversary Ragtime in gold,black & white. It is a wonderful pen and a great writer....it has a gold nib but not the 20th Anniversary one maybe that was why it was slightly discounted. The nib is about the size of the Rembrandt/Impressionist VanGogh/Dali/Michelangelo not the larger Opera/Voyager/WallStreet.
Some people may find the pen a little heavy for its size.

BUT the enjoyment of the pen is spoilt at filling & cleaning time by it having a captive converter. :mad:

If you check out Tandaina's thread about her Ragtime you can see the converter inside after the barrel was removed by Pentime. The photo also gives you an idea why the pen weighs so much with the extended metal sleeve/tube around the converter.
http://fpgeeks.com/forum/showthread.php/4085-Visconti-Ragtime-update-and-Dallas-Pen-Show
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/09/22/thumbnail/8e7azy2a.jpg

Wow, that's doesn't fill me with confidence. And it's enough to put me off a Ragtime. Looks like an Opera will be next - I don't have any of those yet

[ChrisC]

I wonder if the same can be done to a Homo Sapiens Steel Age, to disassemble it?

and like I said before, don't get an Opera if you don't like back heavy pens. That metal bit at the back is quite a bit of weight. I like my Wall Street much better.

[kaisnowbird]

I wonder if the same can be done to a Homo Sapiens Steel Age, to disassemble it?

and like I said before, don't get an Opera if you don't like back heavy pens. That metal bit at the back is quite a bit of weight. I like my Wall Street much better.

I'm not a fan of back heavy pens, but I found the Opera fairly well balanced, not particularly back heavy. YMMV.

Some limited edition Opera doesn't use a metal end cap though -- like this one:
Visconti Opera Tramedautore
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/03/25/buseze9y.jpg

[Bogon07]

The Operas with a metal endcap (finial?) definitely feel more back heavy than the similar WallStreet. You probably could replace the metal converter with a plastic one if you want to save the total weight and change the balance.
However some of the bigger Operas like the Typhoon Mosquito do not have metal end caps and being power fillers have a better weight distribution.

[VertOlive]

Dear Italian Pen Geek Gurus: I'm looking at two pens from ebay seller "rozmenko". One is the Aurora Asia and the other is an odd little John-Pierre Lapine Attila AT35F.

Does anyone know much about the seller [his price on the Aurora seem great even with shipping] hes has 100% feedback, but only 170-ish sales.

Does anyone know much about the John-Pierre?

Many thanks ahead of time for your tutelage!

[Llewellyn]

Dear Italian Pen Geek Gurus: I'm looking at two pens from ebay seller "rozmenko". One is the Aurora Asia and the other is an odd little John-Pierre Lapine Attila AT35F.

Does anyone know much about the seller [his price on the Aurora seem great even with shipping] hes has 100% feedback, but only 170-ish sales.

Does anyone know much about the John-Pierre?

Many thanks ahead of time for your tutelage!

I have cleaned Rozmenko out of 6 Visconti's over the last couple of months. He is actually the Australian distributor for Visconti (and presumably some other brands) and I guess he's using Ebay to clear excess stock.

Guido is as top-shelf as they come. Everything I bought was sent the next day by TNT Express and arrived on my doorstep the day after that, and he was more than happy to swap nibs for me (I prefer fine nibs). You can buy with complete confidence. I'd be buying more if he had some other pens I was after.

[VertOlive]

Aha--I was hoping this is the seller you'd mentioned. Thanks for the confidence boost!

I bought two Jean-Pierre pens from him: the Lepine Indigo Pink Marble and the Lepine Attila Jade Green. Stephen Brown had a very good review for these little pens on his site, so I went for it. The colors are awesome! Pics up later if I can manage it.

So I guess I'd better get off the Italian Pen thread with this, eh?

[Bogon07]

As Llewellyn says eBay "Rozmenko" or Guido is highly recommended. Fast shipping & for us no PayPal currency conversion charges in PayPal.
Murfie has also had dealings with him too.

I've bought four pens from him so far, Visconti, Fiorenza & Aurora. All in excellent condition.


Vert Olive, congratulations on your two Jean-Pierre pens the Lepine Indigo Pink Marble and the Lepine Attila Jade Green.

[VertOlive]

As Llewellyn says eBay "Rozmenko" or Guido is highly recommended. Fast shipping & for us no PayPal currency conversion charges in PayPal.
Murfie has also had dealings with him too.

I've bought four pens from him so far, Visconti, Fiorenza & Aurora. All in excellent condition.


Vert Olive, congratulations on your two Jean-Pierre pens the Lepine Indigo Pink Marble and the Lepine Attila Jade Green.







Thank you! -pics up on the "What Pens Are You Waiting For" thread...

[ChrisC]

The Opera Crystal LE has threads in the back by the blind cap, so obviously it can be disassembled like a TWSBI Vac 700 (not precisely, but it must be vaguely similar, yes?) Anyone attempt this yet? It would be nice if the various power fillers could be maintained by the user rather than go back to Visconti or its dealers.

[dannzeman]

The Opera Crystal LE has threads in the back by the blind cap, so obviously it can be disassembled like a TWSBI Vac 700 (not precisely, but it must be vaguely similar, yes?) Anyone attempt this yet? It would be nice if the various power fillers could be maintained by the user rather than go back to Visconti or its dealers.

I'm curious what maintenance you think needs to be done?

[ChrisC]

I never had a vac filler before, so I'm wondering if it needs to be lubed like a piston filler does.

[Tracy Lee]

I never had a vac filler before, so I'm wondering if it needs to be lubed like a piston filler does.

Mine have been in use for years at a time with no additional maintenance. They behave as smoothly as ever. I don't think they are designed to be regularly disassembled.

[ChrisC]

Are the Smartouch and Dreamtouch nibs interchangeable?
I just saw a Homo Sapiens with a Smartouch nib on FPN:

http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/262178-visconti-x5/?p=3008984

[Bogon07]

Are the Smartouch and Dreamtouch nibs interchangeable?
I just saw a Homo Sapiens with a Smartouch nib on FPN:

http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/262178-visconti-x5/?p=3008984

"It is..... And as far as being interchangeable.... Not sure what they did to install it... But the shop I bought it from, the man who I dealt with is very close with visconti... So I guess they worked magic for him... Pretty fancy I thought. "- premedj
I wonder if that HS came with a mosquito filler too.

Very interesting. I suppose they would be if you are able to remove or unscrew the whole nib/feed unit & the threads matched.


The Smartouch 1.3 stub is a real beauty.

Once you get it out you can then put a dab of silicon grease on the rubber washer thingy of the the power filler with a long toothpick or skewer, manipulation and a lot of swearing.

[broadoblique]

I have another very happy Visconti repair story. I sent my Opera Elements Air to Coles to get a broken cap looked at. They informed me that it was sent to Italy.
In only about two months time, sooner than I expected, I had the pen back in mint condition. Like others before me, it looks like they sent a new pen with my nib installed.
There was no extra charge beyond the initial $35.

Service such as this means a lot to me, and is something I certainly take into consideration when looking at purchase price. In my calculations it adds a lot of value to the already wonderful styling and feel.

I'm not looking forward to breaking one of my other Viscontis, but I certainly feel comfortable, thus enjoy more, having them in a carry rotation.

[Bogon07]

Replaced the standard Visconti cap top with the Malachite VMPS natural gem on the Turquoise/Aqua Club Opera.

[Bogon07]

I suffered a bit of a Visconti Opera spending spree last week and these two arrived on Thursday.
Aida in blue candy stripes celluloid with an 18K-M converter. Also an empty crystal ink bottle.
Kakadu in dark brown and caramel acryloid also 18K-M DoubleReservoirPowerFiller.

Surprisingly the Aida is much larger than a standard Opera converter filler being almost as big as the Opera Typhoon Mosquito filler.
It is also unusual in having an octangonal section like the barrel rather than the normal round section. There 1871 in this edition.

The Kakadu was released for the Australian market in an edition of 100. This pen is even bigger than the Typhoon Mosquito filler being both longer and slightly wider but very comfortable to write with.

The last photo gives an impression of the relative sizes of the pens.
From top to bottom:
Aqua/Turquoise Opera Club.
Aida
Typhoon Mosquito Filler
Kakadu

[Llewellyn]

Not FP related, but certainly Visconti related. I gave Mrs Llewellyn her Homo Sapiens rollerball for her birthday yesterday. She loves it.

[Tracy Lee]

Replaced the standard Visconti cap top with the Malachite VMPS natural gem on the Turquoise/Aqua Club Opera.

My one malachite is hideous compared to that one, wow!! I got a serious dud.