Don’t laugh: Platignums.

[Robalone]

693586935969360

More Platignums to come

[penwash]

Reminds me of the Sheaffer school pens, also from the 60's.
But instead of a hooded nib, this guy has a small conical (steel) nib.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50283789823_f8e285f21e_c.jpg

** Not trying to derail or hijack the Platignum theme of this thread, the photo is just for comparison's sake :)

[Robalone]

Yeah cool 👍🏻 Looks like it’s from a similar time …great how they still turn up occasionally like this..

[An old bloke]

I grew up using Platignum pens. They still have a special happy place in my heart.

[Chrissy]

There is nothing wrong with Platignums. I have a couple and even a couple of spare Platignum 14ct gold nibs. :)

[eachan]

Of course many Platignums are awful. I had some that applied more ink to my fingers than to the page. Perhaps the best thing about those ones is that they broke quite quickly. But as Rob shows there are others that are good pens. I have a 50s/60s lever filler with a gold nib that's a good pen and comes around in my rotation. Never fails.

[Robalone]

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[Robalone]

There is nothing wrong with Platignums. I have a couple and even a couple of spare Platignum 14ct gold nibs. :)

There’s a person on 'the bay' who seems to have an inexhaustible supply of new packets of Platignum nibs in various configurations….
And to make something of a mockery of the sellers putting up one nib …or a couple, for quite unrealistic prices, this person sells whole boxes of 'new old stock (?) for AU$20 !!! ….regularly!
I must admit, I’ve grabbed a few myself, umm….just in case ?!
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[Sailor Kenshin]

The 'Regal' nib reminds me of Osmiroids.

[An old bloke]

The 'Regal' nib reminds me of Osmiroids.
There's a reason. I'll leave it to the OP to explain.

[Sailor Kenshin]

The 'Regal' nib reminds me of Osmiroids.
There's a reason. I'll leave it to the OP to explain.


I love my Osmiroids.

[Robalone]

The 'Regal' nib reminds me of Osmiroids.

Did you mean the italic nib on the one above the Regal ? The Regal's nib , the folded tip steel one is pretty similar to quite a few of the cheapo pens of that era.

, I’m pretty sure the early Osmiroids had a very similar screw in nib unit… I may even have had one or two back in the day, but haven’t now .
I do have a couple of their later …swappable nib and section jobs, and the medium / broad italic nib profile is pretty much identical to the Platignum italics.

Ps. The Osmiroid..Rolatip 'fine soft and medium soft' screw in nib units were very fine nibs indeed !
There’s a person on the bay selling these and left oblique and italic brand new ….and they seem to have lots !!
I’ve bought a couple ..and love them.

[Robalone]

69425So, today.
Here’s a couple of 'new in box' offerings from Platignum's last gasp ; probably around 66/7 ?
There were a couple of better ones from the same time…but these must have been party favours. 🤣🤣🤣 because even though they look quite smart in the pic, they are actually, pretty cr*p. They’re very thin and badly moulded/machined? Plastic, and feel flimsy in the hand.
I’m guessing they were built down to a low low price , maybe for a child’s birthday from a granny ?
I think I’d’ve been insulted even as a child if I’d been presented with these !!

[Sailor Kenshin]

Awww…but….matching pencil! ❤️

[mizgeorge]

I can remember winning a lot of these at school - Platignum were huge sponsors of things like poetry, prose and handwriting competitions - the higher the prize, the better the pen. I probably have one or two lurking at the back of a drawer somewhere. They were superseded by Parker 25s in the mid 70s - and of course these appealed far more to the boys as well.

I didn't like either, remaining loyal to my P51 and Pelikan 120 that I'd used pretty much since I started to write.

I did like my Osmiroids though (the screw in versions, not the quick change units) - and still use a 75 with a copperplate nib regularly. I like the fact they are completely interchangeable with my Esterbrooks, and always keep a stash of assorted nibs just for fun.

[welch]

Robalone, were the school Platignums only cartridge pens? How do you fill it? "Inject" ink into an old cartridge? Incidentally, the Platignum cartridge, like the Parker cartridge, looks larger than what is typical today.

[eachan]

There were lever-fill Platignums in my schooldays. The ones I had then were without exception bad. I frequently broke or lost pens so my parents got tired of buying better ones.

[Jon Szanto]

Ok, at this point, two asides:


Every time the title to this thread pops up with a new post, I start laughing. I can't help it.
I am aware of the "aluminum" vs "aluminium" spellings. Is "platignum" an alternative to "platinum", or is it just a company name?

[An old bloke]

Ok, at this point, two asides:


Every time the title to this thread pops up with a new post, I start laughing. I can't help it.
I am aware of the "aluminum" vs "aluminium" spellings. Is "platignum" an alternative to "platinum", or is it just a company name?



To the best of my knowledge as a user, 'Platignum' is only the company name as, I believe is 'Onoto'. Neither word appears in the OED.

[Robalone]

Robalone, were the school Platignums only cartridge pens? How do you fill it? "Inject" ink into an old cartridge? Incidentally, the Platignum cartridge, like the Parker cartridge, looks larger than what is typical today.

Hi. Apart from the very earliest 'Platignums' ( which I have a post about coming up !). The late sixties models had , to my knowledge, four different filling systems.
The first post I did shows the cartridge filler. These were a bespoke , I think, plastic cartridge, which because we thought resources were infinite and life was good, were designed to be thrown away and replaced when empty.

The next three iterations were a push button ,internal aerometric arrangement, the more familiar and very common press bar aerometric one.
And as in the Regal , a standard lever filler.

I believe the Platignum cartridge was bespoke at the time , as it’s often referred to as 'the Platignum cartridge' (?), but I think it’s about the same size as the long international cartridge, ( as opposed to the more common 'short international' one.

The history of the cartridge is quite an interesting subject , and worth a bit of research…. I have examples of pretty much all of them from the very first glass job made by Eagle, through the Waterman glass ones and on to the plastic ones , started I think by Waterman with the CF model.

[Robalone]

69501

[eachan]

Ok, at this point, two asides:


Every time the title to this thread pops up with a new post, I start laughing. I can't help it.
I am aware of the "aluminum" vs "aluminium" spellings. Is "platignum" an alternative to "platinum", or is it just a company name?



In the long ago, Jon, when Mentmore decided to start a new range of economical (read "cheap") pens, they wanted to call them Platinum. The story goes that the powers that be told them that they couldn't use the name of an element so they went ahead and stuck a "g" in there, which has annoyed people ever since. Obviously the same rule did not apply in Japan.

[Robalone]

69508

[eachan]

Quite so, Empty, but I'm not ignoring people, I'm ignoring a nasty unpleasant troll who is deliberately messing up the board.

[An old bloke]

Quite so, Empty, but I'm not ignoring people, I'm ignoring a nasty unpleasant troll who is deliberately messing up the board.
👍🙂👍

[Jon Szanto]

In the long ago, Jon, when Mentmore decided to start a new range of economical (read "cheap") pens...

Aha! The first English pen I owned, thrown in as a free extra when I bought a couple other pens, was a Mentmore. It started my fascination with some of the lesser-known English pens.

[eachan]

In the long ago, Jon, when Mentmore decided to start a new range of economical (read "cheap") pens...

Aha! The first English pen I owned, thrown in as a free extra when I bought a couple other pens, was a Mentmore. It started my fascination with some of the lesser-known English pens.

They're good, well-made pens but not for those of the flex persuasion.

[Sailor Kenshin]

69508

I'm in love with this handwriting.

[Prettypenguin]

Hmm, I have a mysterious Platignum. I bought some NOS Platignum cartridges for it and they don’t fit. I’m kinda at a loss as to what carts would work for it. It’s an old thrift store find. If anyone can tell me anything about it, I would be very grateful (Sorry about the stained ink towel background).

[Robalone]

, I have a mysterious Platignum. I bought some NOS Platignum cartridges for it and they don’t fit. I’m kinda at a loss as to what carts would work for it. It’s an old thrift store find. If anyone can tell me anything about it, I would be very grateful (Sorry about the stained ink towel background)

———————//——————-

Hey . The pen itself looks like one of their later models ….I’m by no means a Platignum collector, and really only know about the few I have, but they went on to make pens for quite a while after the 'shoddy' period …and that looks like it is one of those , albeit with a familiar italic nib.

My thoughts are that it’s unlikely that the company would have changed the specs for the cartridge/ feed interface, and then I remembered that sometimes, with other makes of cartridge too, you do have to actually push the cartridge in quite hard to break the seal ……
If one didn’t know that it could appear that the cartridge wasn’t going in ??? Just a thought .

[Sailor Kenshin]

, I have a mysterious Platignum. I bought some NOS Platignum cartridges for it and they don’t fit. I’m kinda at a loss as to what carts would work for it. It’s an old thrift store find. If anyone can tell me anything about it, I would be very grateful (Sorry about the stained ink towel background)

———————//——————-

Hey . The pen itself looks like one of their later models ….I’m by no means a Platignum collector, and really only know about the few I have, but they went on to make pens for quite a while after the 'shoddy' period …and that looks like it is one of those , albeit with a familiar italic nib.

My thoughts are that it’s unlikely that the company would have changed the specs for the cartridge/ feed interface, and then I remembered that sometimes, with other makes of cartridge too, you do have to actually push the cartridge in quite hard to break the seal ……
If one didn’t know that it could appear that the cartridge wasn’t going in ??? Just a thought .

Yes....I've had some cartridges that had to be pierced with a thumbtack.

[Robalone]

Hmm, I have a mysterious Platignum. I bought some NOS Platignum cartridges for it and they don’t fit. I’m kinda at a loss as to what carts would work for it. It’s an old thrift store find. If anyone can tell me anything about it, I would be very grateful (Sorry about the stained ink towel background).

PP, super curious as to how you came across these nibs !!!! Apparently they were not even put into production, as I mentioned previously, so anyone with one of these pens has something very rare . Hang onto them !

Oh and from my research, the nibs in MT combos were all ‘ordinary nib' shaped , albeit usually with no breather …..

[Prettypenguin]

I found this in a store all the way in Portland, Oregon named Really Good Stuff. The store actually burnt down last year. It was in a bin of old fountain pens that I wish I had just bought the whole thing, as there were a few old pens in there that are probably gone forever. It was a dollar 15 years ago.
In regards to the cartridge, I will try again but it seemed like the bore size was too small for the part of the feed that pierces the cartridge.

[Robalone]

6978369784

[eachan]

I agree with your date, Rob. I had one very similar to your lower version but it was sadly cracked beyond compare. Like you, I take these pens to be the only examples of true Red Ripple apart from Waterman's. The Platignum version does not lose colour in the way the Waterman does.

[Medievalist]

A lot of my British writer friends have fond memories of their Platignum "school" pens.

[calamus]

I have and love Platignums and Osmiroids. When I was in school, my parents bought me -- ugh! -- Scripto fountain pens, that leaked, burped, scratched, had hard starts, stopped inexplicably, and the rest of the time REALLY misbehaved. Made me hate fountain pens for years; it's a wonder I ever found my way back. Here's a picture of one up on eBay right now for $15. Looks pretty, but AAARRRRGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/uooAAOSwmb9hcZDR/s-l1600.jpg

[eachan]

Yes, Scripto pens were undoubtedly worse! Also, there were very cheap Italian pens, mostly syringe fillers, around that time. They loved to break when you had a good fill of ink, destroying your homework and getting you into trouble.

[Prettypenguin]

So to follow up on my mysterious Platignum, it takes Sailor cartridges. It feels super cheap, but I like the way my writing looks with it.

[Marsilius]

I never laugh at Platignums or Osmiroids. They were my first "art" and "calligraphy" fountain pens way back once upon a time and I felt like the King of the Magic Writing and Drawing World.

[An old bloke]

I have to ask, is Marsilius your real name or a pen name? It is a superb choice either way.

[Chrissy]

I have to ask, is Marsilius your real name or a pen name? It is a superb choice either way.
I completely agree. :) It is a superb choice. :thumb:

[Marsilius]

I have to ask, is Marsilius your real name or a pen name? It is a superb choice either way.


It is the name of a scribe who signed and dated their manuscript in 1487. The manuscript is called I-Bc Q.16 Museo Internazionale e Biblioteca della Musica di Bologna, Bologna, Italy, or just called Q16 (because it is the 16th manuscript in Cabinet "Q").

I specialize in the music of this generation, and this is the manuscript that sealed my fate . . . so I have a sentimental link to this scribe about whom we know nothing more.

You can view and download the complete manuscript here:
https://imslp.org/wiki/Manuscript%2C_I-Bc_Q.16_(Various)

(Try doing a search for "chansonnier and IMSLP" to see how many old music manuscripts are now available online.)

You can out more about this (and other music manuscripts) here:
https://www.diamm.ac.uk/sources/1387/#/

(And consider subscribing or donating to DIAMM and IMSLP)

And here is the signature "Do9: 1487 Marsilius", presumably "Dominus 1487 Marsilius" (a bit too pixilated):
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[Marsilius]

Back on topic: in the 1970s I was given both two pen sets: Platignum (for lettering) and Osmiroid (for drawing). The Osmiroid sketch nib was pretty darn good, and came in a green box with a white? pen. I remember the Platignum coming in a green box, but also remember the pen being green . . . but I don't see those around so assume my memory is conflated/faulty. (I also used a lot of green ink then, which I now know could have been a sign of something): https://blog.penvibe.com/green-ink-the-colour-of-eccentrics-and-spooks/

It made me wonder if anyone has compiled a document for identifying Platignum (and Osmiroid) pen set changes over the years. For example, interchangeable nib unit styles and colors, pen colors, cases, filler mechanisms, etc. (Probably my cursory search has missed something obvious.)

[Robalone]

Nice ! I’ve wondered the same thing. Given the profusion of differing pen styles, models, and the length of time they’ve been around from say Mentmore right up to quite recently, it would be great to see a labour of love from someone , covering this venerable make.

[top pen]

This my selection of slightly more attractive Platignums. I don't collect them. But they have come in lots with other thing I wanted.

70914

I had a handful of Osmoiroids once but was shocked that 3/4 them had cracks. However people still want the surprisingly.

[Robalone]

Nice 👍🏻 Couple of uncommon coloured Regals, and two I haven’t seen !!
What are the two outside ones ?

[top pen]

Hi,

The top and bottom woodgrain ones are a Visi- ink and Petite. I have been looking for a pressure bar for the Petite but have never found one. They are I think they are from 1930-40 so are better made unlike the metal cap ones.

[moggy]

A Platignum almost made me bounce off fountain pens entirely!
I had always remembered fondly the love/hate relationship we had with the notorious Parker Jotters when I was at school, and so a few years ago when I noticed this in a stationery shop I picked it up on a whim.
Once I sat down with it I found the grip is made of some kind of odd slightly tacky material that feels persistently dirty and to remove the cap brings with it the improperly secured liner.
It was a cheap pen (maybe £7 5-10 years ago) so I still wasn't deterred until I inked it up and found I just couldn't get it to write properly. Hard starts and constantly skipping.
I threw it in a drawer and decided that fountain pens must universally be nothing but hassle and would probably still be of that belief if I hadn't tried a Lamy last year.

https://i.imgur.com/tCGUo2S.jpg

I still think it's a neat little pen though. It's got a nice weight (28g with no cartridge/converter) and it's right at the limit of what I could comfortably use unposted in terms of length.
What about that cute hooded nib as well?

[Deb]

At least Platignum is consistent. They've been turning out hopeless pens since 1927.

[Sailor Kenshin]

At least Platignum is consistent. They've been turning out hopeless pens since 1927.

😂

(But I still want that white one above!)

[TSherbs]

A Platignum almost made me bounce off fountain pens entirely!
I had always remembered fondly the love/hate relationship we had with the notorious Parker Jotters when I was at school, and so a few years ago when I noticed this in a stationery shop I picked it up on a whim.
Once I sat down with it I found the grip is made of some kind of odd slightly tacky material that feels persistently dirty and to remove the cap brings with it the improperly secured liner.
It was a cheap pen (maybe £7 5-10 years ago) so I still wasn't deterred until I inked it up and found I just couldn't get it to write properly. Hard starts and constantly skipping.
I threw it in a drawer and decided that fountain pens must universally be nothing but hassle and would probably still be of that belief if I hadn't tried a Lamy last year.

https://i.imgur.com/tCGUo2S.jpg

I still think it's a neat little pen though. It's got a nice weight (28g with no cartridge/converter) and it's right at the limit of what I could comfortably use unposted in terms of length.
What about that cute hooded nib as well?That gross Lamy nib collar needs explanation! :)

Sent from my moto g power using Tapatalk

[moggy]

That gross Lamy nib collar needs explanation! :)
I thought a banana coloured Safari for scale would be apposite but it was the first time I'd taken the cap off in a week or two and it's a bit of a mess.
I'm guessing it had something to do with that little "hottest day in recorded history" thing we had here a couple of weeks ago.
Diamine Steel Blue is such a fun colour though--perhaps even fingers, shirts and keycaps can be improved by it...
I'll get cleaning :)

[TSherbs]

It hit 96F here in Maine on Sunday. Feel your pain....

Sent from my moto g power using Tapatalk

[moggy]

I sat there with a spray bottle and misted myself like a houseplant while I prayed for night >.<
Although it was hot, it actually wasn't too humid this year, and as always with British summers it was over in a week.
I think the humidity where you are is much worse? Good luck!