PDA

View Full Version : Conway Stewart 14



DrChumley
April 16th, 2014, 11:34 AM
You can find the full review, video, and additional photos here: http://penhabit.com/2014/04/16/vintage-pen-review-conway-stewart-14/

10858

I found this 1950s era Conway Stewart 14 several months ago on eBay. The pen had been fully restored, and arrived quickly from the UK (where the seller resides). Unfortunately, there were a couple of issues with the restoration that made the pen not completely usable. The seller graciously offered to take the pen back to finish the repairs, but I decided that, as this wasn’t a tremendously expensive pen, this might be the perfect opportunity to work on some of my still shaky repair technique. There were a few times I nearly chucked the pen down the garbage disposal in frustration, but after some patience and some online research, I was able to get the pen fully functional and writing nicely.

The Body

Length (Uncapped): 114mm
Length (Capped): 127mm
Barrel Width: 11.3mm
Section Width: 8mm

The Conway Stewart 14 is a very, very small pen. At only 114mm uncapped, it is a requirement that I be able to post this pen to write with it. Unfortunately, this pen does not post well. Friction will hold the cap in place, but not terribly securely, and I’m always afraid that I’m going to damage the cap by trying to force it onto the barrel.

10859

The burgundy marbled material (casein, acrylic, celluloid?) is stunning, with a lot of depth and shimmer. The pen has a gold-plated clip with the CS logo at the top and a diamond-shaped “ball” at the tip. The clip is springy, but not overly stuff. There is a gold-plated band around the cap, and a gold-plated filler lever. There is a black “jewel” on the top of the cap, and the bottom end of the pen comes to a slight point as well. The barrel contains the standard Conway Stewart imprint, still quite crisp.

The Nib

10861

There’s no other way to put this: this nib is miniscule. Conway Stewart sizes this 14k gold nib as a 1A nib. The nib itself doesn’t have any tip size indicator, but I’m guessing by the line this pen puts down that this is a broad nib, or possibly a medium stub nib.

One of the major issues I had with the pen in trying to get it to work properly is that this 1A-sized nibs are not very long. They don’t extend very far below the edge of the section. As a result, if the section is a little loose, or if the nib and feed aren’t in quite far enough, the pivot point of the nib against the section is in such a place that the nib will rock back away from the feed with next to no pressure. Making sure that the nib and feed are properly seated in the section, and that the feed is properly heat set against this nib will help quite a bit, but if you put too much pressure on the nib, you run the risk of levering the exposed portion of the nib away from the feed.

In terms of flexibility, there is a touch of springiness to this nib, but because the nib and the tines are so short, there is not much in the way of flexibility.

Writing Experience

The writing experience with this pen is different. As someone who usually does not post his pens, having to post this pen to use it takes a little getting used to. Additionally, the exceptionally short nib means that holding the pen by the section prevents the nib from being able to actually touch the paper. As a result, I find myself having to hold the pen by the barrel rather than the section. Normally this bugs me a lot, but in this case, it’s not so bad because the barrel is a much more comfortable 11.3mm to the section’s too-narrow 8mm.

The pen leaves a nice, juicy line, that is on the stubbish side of a “round” nib. (i.e., the horizontal lines are distinctly narrower than the vertical lines). I find that allowing this pen to set causes the ink to pool between the nib and feed, so the first couple of sentences after the pen has sat for a while are almost too wet. I also find that this overt wetness of the pen can result in going through ink relatively quickly.

Once you get used to these idosyncracies (some of which I have since fixed by more properly heat-setting the nib and feed together), the pen writes quite nicely. Despite its wet lines, the feed never has a problem keeping up with long, fast writing sessions. And once I got used to holding the pen on the barrel with the cap posted, I found I could write several pages without getting cramped or tired. This is not a pen that’s mean for someone with long fingers (like mine) or large hands. But for someone with smaller hands, it would be a very nice fit.

And don’t forget that stunning material. Vintage Conway Stewarts are still quite affordable in the marketplace, which astonishes me. Their vintage pens had some of the most unique and beautiful materials I have seen on any pen. Why they aren’t more popular is simply beyond me.

10860
Another view of the pen

10862
Size Comparison to a Conway Stewart 24 (Green Hatched)

Deb
April 16th, 2014, 11:54 AM
The CS 14s are casein.

cwent2
April 16th, 2014, 02:24 PM
The CS 14s are casein.

Is that the material that if the pen is soaked in water it will dissolve?

DrChumley
April 16th, 2014, 04:55 PM
I think, from my reading, that it will swell up and become disfigured, but I don't think it dissolves. (But I'm hardly an expert, so I defer to more experienced folks.)

Deb
April 16th, 2014, 04:55 PM
If you soak a casein pen it will soften and distort. Chances of putting it right are slim to none. That doesn't mean you can't wipe it clean with a damp cloth.

cwent2
April 16th, 2014, 06:01 PM
http://www.pentrace.net/penbase/Data_Returns/full_article.asp?id=276

Thanks, Your information and this link made the cat curious happy!

Cw

dr.grace
April 16th, 2014, 06:27 PM
I have a #36 and had similar problems with the tiny nib.

To make posting more secure, you can try placing a small piece of office-supply translucent tape inside the barrel, above the threads. I got this tip from Rick Propas and it worked well with one of my Pelikans.

Bogon07
April 16th, 2014, 06:52 PM
Nice review Dr Chumley, as are all your Conway Stewart ones in particular. A very pretty pen too.
How is the ink capacity ? Does the tiny nib help the ink last longer.

My CS73 has a #4 nib (what ever that means) & is a very wet writer so it need refilling fairly frequently compared to my other pens.


http://www.pentrace.net/penbase/Data_Returns/full_article.asp?id=276

Thanks, Your information and this link made the cat curious happy!

Cw

Casein does not seem to be an ideal material to make fountain pens from, as it is hydroscopic and expands with the absorption of water. Fortunately fountain pens sections are never made from Casein so immersion in ink is not a problem. Using a casein fountain pen in a climate with high humidity is another story. Walter A. Sheaffer, in his memoirs, recounts how his firm produced a line of coloured casein pens which proved quite popular until the weather turned hot, whereupon the casein swelled to the point that the sections fell out (it is suspected the swelling had less to do with the heat than with the humidity of a Midwestern summer). The pens had to be exchanged, and Sheaffer states that they were subsequently recycled as loaners – presumably for cool weather use!

Now I'm feeling a little uneasy for my CS73 about next summer in Sydney when the heat & humidity reach tropical proportions.

cwent2
April 16th, 2014, 07:07 PM
Wonder if the crisper section or the cheese/egg section of a refrigerator would help or hurt the pen - non inked of course

Robert
April 16th, 2014, 07:20 PM
Gorgeous pics, Doc - - and a very nice review, too.

Crazyorange
April 16th, 2014, 08:11 PM
Wonderful review and pics. Thanks for sharing.

DrChumley
April 16th, 2014, 09:44 PM
How is the ink capacity ? Does the tiny nib help the ink last longer.

It's got a decent capacity, but this nib has proven to be quite wet, so it can go through ink pretty quickly. If it had a finer or drier nib, I suspect the ink capacity would be more than sufficient. As it is, I don't worry about becoming too bored with whatever I've got it inked with... :)

Deb
April 17th, 2014, 03:48 AM
It's true that casein doesn't survive well in warm and humid climates. It's also a bad idea to soak it. Other than that it's actually a pretty good material. After all, any Conway Stewart 14 must have been in existence for around 50 years and many of them are still in excellent condition. Back in the day, pen users didn't dump their pens in a basin of water. That pernicious habit is of more recent date.

No other material can replicate the depth of colour that casein provides. It doesn't discolour from the outgassing of decaying sacs as celluloid does. There's no need to be concerned about casein if you live in a cool, dry, or maritime climate and keep your pens out of water.