Tarred and feathered

[Empty_of_Clouds]

Just thinking about going into the next year and what loose plans I may have had for it pen-wise. (please chip in with your plans if you have any, it's always interesting).

Anyway, I've ramped everything down over the last few months. Very few if any pen acquisitions, mostly paper and inks and other stationery. After find 3 really nice vintage Pelikans I think that in the new year I may well fork out for a modern version - probably an M600. Beyond that I hadn't really thought about anything else. Then I decided to maybe have one more go at having a custom pen made. Sadly it seems that word of me complaining of the poor customer service (my perception) of one custom maker has being doing the rounds because I've now been outright ignored by another well-known maker and rejected by a third.

It's really disappointing that this kind of prejudice exists. That I am going to have pay for speaking out (when I felt I had an obligation to do so), over and over and over again. I guess the concept of people improving themselves, growing, evolving, overcoming their personal issues and so on, is utterly lost on the tar and feather gang. Really disappointing.

You can tell, I'm sure, that I am upset at this state of affairs and that this post has been created in that atmosphere.

I would be bloody ashamed if I had been told that I had treated someone else this way.

Grrrr!

[stub]

M600 is a darn tooting nice pen. I think you will love it.

Forget custom pens, that way lies more madness, specifically for you and just the way you are with pens. (& here I'll have to confess I am not entirely sure I would want your business either if I was a maker, sorry, just being honest).

You can flip an M600 if you don't like it (very easily). Custom pen, which you will inevitably be disappointed in, will involve a wait, more drama, sunk costs, and then rehoming it to someone who has the same taste as you in finish, nib and hardware. It just seems like more bother than it is worth when you have so many modern (& vintage) production line pens to choose from.

Or, in between, how about a Franklin Christoph? Their pens sort of have a custom vibe, nib choices a plenty and their international shipping is kind of insane. I am not even sure how they do it.

peas.

[jar]

Tarred and Feathered? I don't even see a Scarlet Letter. Too funny.

[Empty_of_Clouds]

M600 is a darn tooting nice pen. I think you will love it.

Forget custom pens, that way lies more madness, specifically for you and just the way you are with pens. (& here I'll have to confess I am not entirely sure I would want your business either if I was a maker, sorry, just being honest).

You can flip an M600 if you don't like it (very easily). Custom pen, which you will inevitably be disappointed in, will involve a wait, more drama, sunk costs, and then rehoming it to someone who has the same taste as you in finish, nib and hardware. It just seems like more bother than it is worth when you have so many modern (& vintage) production line pens to choose from.

Or, in between, how about a Franklin Christoph? Their pens sort of have a custom vibe, nib choices a plenty and their international shipping is kind of insane. I am not even sure how they do it.

peas.

As noted, I consider myself a progressive person, trying not to make the same errors repeatedly. The pen design is simple, and unless there was some lack of quality in construction there is no room for disappointment with the choice. The design is clear and improves upon the mistake I made before.

I too am an honest person. If there is something I am not happy about then I will say so. That doesn't make me a bad person. It works both ways. I have custom made dip pens and I am sure that the (several) makers will tell you I have been nothing but a model customer. However, if as a maker you treated me as if you were somehow doing me a favour by allowing me give you money...


Interesting thing about custom pen makers, they nearly all cater to the average hand. This would be less of a problem if their pens posted well but many appear not to. I have large hands and yet I can use a Pelikan 400 when posted, and it is surprisingly comfortable. I don't believe the M600 is likely to cause any adverse reactions in that respect, though I reserve opinion on the nibs (based on reviews) and may have to get that adjusted.

In general I have become a reluctant online buyer, more likely to restrict myself to well-established vendors (vintage or modern) even at the higher prices they usually demand.


Anyway, as always I appreciate your honesty, although it is based on a slight misconception I feel.

Look to the pens that I've given away over the last few years. I don't ask for similar in return, merely the opportunity to buy the pen I've always wanted. That's the extent of any kindness I would expect from others, and I will pay for it too (as is always the case).**

Edit: I won't buy F-C. Too many restrictions - lack of choice, wait lists etc.



**I had hoped that the last maker would have taken into consideration my upcoming wedding (in 3 months time) and extend at least this small kindness to a stranger at a happy time.

[Empty_of_Clouds]

Tarred and Feathered? I don't even see a Scarlet Letter. Too funny.

If every place you approached turned you away, even those who know nothing about you, what conclusion would you draw from this?

[SIR]

EOC - the solution is simple: set up a new email and place an order under an assumed name entirely unconnected and unrelated to your real/present one.

One more thing; you really should reconsider a pen from Franklin Christoph - a Masuyama stub, even in steel, is one of the best nibs available, modern or vintage.

[Empty_of_Clouds]

EOC - the solution is simple: set up a new email and place an order under an assumed name entirely unconnected and unrelated to your real/present one.

One more thing; you really should reconsider a pen from Franklin Christoph - a Masuyama stub, even in steel, is one of the best nibs available, modern or vintage.

1. I don't really like the idea of such subterfuge with regard to proper business dealings. Assumed names on internet forums are a different category. I realise that may sound a touch hypocritical.

2. Had a Masuyama nib (cursive italic) and found it dry and unforgiving. I have ground Jowo nibs from another source that I consider better (and were half the price). F-C won't make a pen from my preferred material.


If I simply wanted a Jowo nib holder there are plenty of overseas makers of generic pen bodies.

[SIR]

I don't really like the idea of such subterfuge with regard to proper business dealings.

Think of it firstly and at the outset as merely ordinary retail shopping, it is only 'proper business' if things get nasty...

[jar]

Tarred and Feathered? I don't even see a Scarlet Letter. Too funny.

If every place you approached turned you away, even those who know nothing about you, what conclusion would you draw from this?

That I had a lot of 'splainin to do.

[Lloyd]

You found FC has too many restrictions and a lack of choice but you like Pelikan?

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[Empty_of_Clouds]

Maybe, but personally I wouldn't hold someone to their past mistakes indefinitely, especially if it was clear that they had made efforts to improve. So far any effort has come from my side. I'd like to see the makers in question step up to the plate and try to be the better person.

Trying to see the good in people is not always easy of course, but I believe it is worth it.

Think of it firstly and at the outset as merely ordinary retail shopping, it is only 'proper business' if things get nasty...

Again, maybe. I strongly suspect that the three makers will actively block the making of any pen that looks similar to my design spec, irrespective of who is ordering it.

I'm actually really saddened that people behave this way.

Edit

You found FC has too many restrictions and a lack of choice but you like Pelikan?

Unrelated. I'm not asking Pelikan to make something for me, and Pelikan aren't presenting themselves as a "custom" maker of pens.

[Lloyd]

Why does the label of "Custom" matter? Shouldn't all that you care about be "do I like this pen"? Besides, FC isn't a custom maker; they're a maker with many models, many nib styles, and a few color choices per model.

[Empty_of_Clouds]

That's true. Either way the Pelikan part of equation is still unrelated.

Funny. I never thought I would ever see or like Pelikan pens (not exactly common in this country), and now I have 3 vintage models. Interesting how tastes can change. The custom pen though is a personal design choice. It would be lovely to put the past behind me and actually go into next year feeling content. To be honest I don't have much of a hankering for anything else; I like what I've got, and I am giving away or selling what is not getting used (just sent out a free Parker 51).

So I am calling on those makers to let the past go. Consider the act of allowing me to submit and paying for an order as a wedding gift if you wish. Whatever works.

[AzJon]

Sorry to hear that you're apparently being black-listed by pen makers. Though, now I'm really curious what the design/build of this custom pen is that caused such a kerfuffle.

As for wrapping up this year and looking to the year ahead: I've started to thin out my (already small) collection of pens down to the ones that I actually use or really want to have around. Time to move out old stock. At the same time, I'm still searching for "that pen". The perfect pen. The one that fits just right and works precisely how I want it. I kind of hope to make it to a pen show in 2018 to be able to test different pens. Until then, I just sort of have a rotating "buy a pen, try the pen, try to recoup funds on pen" cycle. Granted, it will take a great deal to save up the funds and then self-justify possibly buying something that is close to a months rent. So there's that.

[Empty_of_Clouds]

Oh, it's nothing to do with the design per se, more a conflict of perceptions. Even though I don't believe I was wrong to voice what seemed to me (as the customer) to be legitimate concerns. Since then I've attempted to build bridges. Others have made zero effort.


Neat plan for the new year, AzJon. If I lived in the US I likely would pursue a similar plan. International shipping though tends to mean that the turnaround losses are often significantly higher for those of us far-flung. Which means I have to choose more slowly and with a great deal more care. Did toy with the idea of a Nakaya Dorsal II... but at the end of the day it won't write any better than the nice (and much cheaper) pens I already have and it's hard to justify splurging two grand on lacquerwork that is more usually seen in common household wares.

[fountainpenkid]

What a shame. Have you contacted Brad Torelli? He does jaw-dropping work and, at least in my experience, is very interested in making things right by the customer.

[Empty_of_Clouds]

Yes, it is a shame, and no, I haven't contacted Mr Torelli, as from what I've read his prices far exceed the level that I would find comfortable. Not saying he is over priced, just out of range for me.

[fountainpenkid]

Yes, it is a shame, and no, I haven't contacted Mr Torelli, as from what I've read his prices far exceed the level that I would find comfortable. Not saying he is over priced, just out of range for me.

They can. He doesn't have set models, really (as it's all totally custom), but for a midsize acrylic pen (with gold nib, of course) my estimate would be slightly upwards of $500, if that helps. Any filling system you want. My guess is on average a pen of a certain size from him would cost half as much from one of the more mainstream custom makers--quite a large premium. It buys you limitlessness, if that's something you want. He's most impressive with metal of course, crafting titanium "51"s more seamless than the Parker originals.

[Empty_of_Clouds]

You mean costs twice as much.

At this stage I am reluctant to approach anyone else as it seems that custom makers pass their prejudices around. Kind of like an infectious disease.

[jar]

You mean costs twice as much.

At this stage I am reluctant to approach anyone else as it seems that custom makers pass their prejudices around. Kind of like an infectious disease.

Or enlightened self interest.