My first Pelikan

[Scrawler]

I have friend who is in his 90s, who I meet for coffee from time to time. He told me that "if you don't have a Pelikan, you don't have a pen". Pelikans are so rare around here that I had previously only handled two of them. I went to visit a friend a few days ago and I related this to him, and he produced a 6 pen wrap with 7 Pelikans in. He was very insistent that I take his M400 NN, though I do not feel good about taking people's nice things, I did, after refusing it many times, eventually take it. So I have cleaned it up and filled it with Edelstein Jade ink. This pen dates to the early 1950 period. I can tell this from the stripes, the feed and the nib. Before I go any further I want to say that if I were allowed only one pen, it would be this. A number of things surprised me about it. The barrel has transparency, like a Parker Vacumatic, so you can see how much ink is in it. The nib is a springy (rather than flexy) stub. It has quite a bit of feedback, to the point that it actually squeaks from time to time. The feedback means that this pen never feels out of control and difficult to hold back, like some buttery smooth pens I have used. Unposted this is a very nice size in my hand. It seems to hold quite a lot of ink. I will see how long one filling lasts. I like the interchangeability of the nib. Just like Esterbrook, nib changing is just a matter of screwing a new one in. In my opinion, this is a highly practical pen. Engineering design and function appear to be the first consideration, with its appearance and aesthetics being large a result of "form following function". The black cap with gold trim, and green barrel make for a very classic looking pen. The piston apparatus is smooth and easy to operate. It makes the pen very easy to flush and fill. It is much easier to flush than the 1940 Parker Vac that it is currently sharing a pouch with. So far it has had no difficulty starting and tracks my very fast signature with ease.

[tandaina]

Welcome to the Pelikan obsession. I adore my birds, every last one of them. They are just plain wonderful pens and the old ones like yours are the best.

[Ernst Bitterman]

LONG before I held one, I had a notion of Pelikans of that era as something close to the Platonic fountain pen (a similar notion about the 1940s Sheaffers bearing triumph points suggests that the idea of Platonic ideals doesn't quite hold water). Since I got a 140 in hand, this notion has been gaining ground. That's a rather excellent friend you've got.

[RuiFromUK]

I have friend who is in his 90s, who I meet for coffee from time to time. He told me that "if you don't have a Pelikan, you don't have a pen".

Please tell him that he is absolutely right!

Eventhough I like very much my MontBlanc pens ny weakness is Pelikan in all forms.

[dr.grace]

Enjoy your pen! I love my 400 NN (as I do my other Pelikans).

[tarheel1]

Congrats on your Pelikan. I only have one, M805 IB, but it is a great pen.

[Scrawler]

I wish I had discovered German pens earlier. I am beginning to think that I may have to sell a couple of my antique Waterman pens and buy another Pelikan, with a finer nib.

[tandaina]

Do try some more Pelikans, or at least more *nibs* (they screw out!). The big wide ones, like BB or OBB had such flat iridium they are essentially really smooth italics. Best nib I own, hands down, without equal is a 1940s 14k OBB nib for the 400/400NN. Cannot be beat! *

*This post refers entirely to antique Pelikan nibs. Modern Pelikan nibs have enormous balls of irridium and I find them unusable and totally without character. Stick to the oldies. They're the best.

[Mags]

Congratulations on the lovely gift Scrawler. My first Pelikan was special too. An old Anglican priest convinced me to buy and use Pelikans. I have purchased the 200, 600, 800 and 1000 and want to explore some vintage pens like the 400 NN in the future. Maybe I will find one in DC.

[littletim]

My first Pelikan too
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/07/11/u9ajatab.jpg

[Austin_Malone]

Just from the short while I have handled other peoples, it seem that Pelikan Feeds are superior to all others, keeping up with the fastest strokes, even under extreme pressure.

[Chi Town]

My 1st Pelikan is a M600 in Blue, and unfortunatly she is not writing very well right now. I am working to correct this and in the past she was a beautiful writer!

[Scrawler]

Just from the short while I have handled other peoples, it seem that Pelikan Feeds are superior to all others, keeping up with the fastest strokes, even under extreme pressure.

It seems to be the case with this one. It has no trouble either writing slowly very quickly.