Chinese fountain pens and airbrushes

[Parsimonious]

Before my interest in fountain pens, I collected airbrushes. I have over 30 of them from various manufacturers. There are similarities between pens and airbrushes. Both are based on simple principals, but require precision to work well. And, both can be very attractive.

Like fountain pens, there are many low cost airbrushes made in China. Most are nicely finished, and, like fountain pens, if you are lucky, they work well. If you are not, they may have problems.

Here is an example. I got this red no-name airbrush for $12 and free shipping. It looks and feels great. The trigger is silky smooth. There was only one problem, it wouldn’t spray. Since I know something about how they work, I was able to fix it, and it is now a good airbrush. Someone with less experience would probably have to toss it.



Like many others, I have received Chinese fountain pens with problems too. I figure that’s part of the game. I look forward to the challenge. If I fail, it hasn’t cost me much and maybe I’ll learn something.

I suspect there are other products from China with similar characteristics. When I was in the Navy, I bought a beautiful little gold pocket watch in Hong Kong. It ran perfectly until we got out to sea. A jeweler later told me it wasn’t worth fixing.