Reviews of some vintage fountain pens (will update)

[Andrew_Lensky]

Hi friends! I'm a big fan of fountain pens, both modern and vintage. I got carried away by fountain pens in 2016 and first bought various vintage pens. Some pens was in work condition, but some is not. I learned to repair them, fix nibs and regrind them to different sizes if it needed. Over the 5 years, many impressions and photos I accumulated in my archives. 4 years ago I decided to systematize my knowledge and made my blog dedicated to fountain pens and everything about this theme and share it with other fans of fountain pens or do easier choice for beginners. Last year I did over 60 review and tests. If the community is interested, I will post in this thread announcements for reviews, I can even for those that already exist and were written by me earlier. This is my second thread in which I plan to show vintage pens. A little earlier, I started thread about modern fountain pens ( https://fpgeeks.com/forum/showthread...-(will-update) )

A little spontaneously I decided to sell one of my wonderful vintage Waterman’s, because I have only two hands, and just only one head and they are not enough for all my pens. And before shipping, it was necessary to test the tool. And while I was testing old sensations flooded on me .. and, and … I couldn’t stop .

Waterman’s “Standard”(B – big?) with glass cartridges (made in France) 1945-1953.

The instruments are a cygar shape made of black bakelite. The filling system is a cartridge of its proprietary format and yes, this is the very first (!!!) cartridge invented by Monsher Perot back in 1926 (as soon as 100 years ago). To access the cartridge, you can use two parts of the body by unscrewing either the blind cap or the entire body with the barrel. The main cap is also on the thread, two-start threads, closure in 1.5 turns.







Full review: http://lenskiy.org/2020/03/watermans...ss-cartridges/

ps: I modified the system to "captive converter" without damage and therefore it can be reverted back to the glass cartridge version anytime.

[Igraine]

I would be very interested in seeing more posts like this, and also in knowing what one could expect to pay - a general price range, doesn’t have to be exact, for a pen in good working condition.

[Andrew_Lensky]

The posts will be, but with prices are much more harder! In vintage pens, a lot depends on the state, name, rarity, country of origin, year of manufacture and the properties of the nib itself.

[eachan]

Not bakelite but celluloid and this isn't the first cartridge. That honour goes to The Eagle Pencil Company in the first decade of the 20th century. Beautiful pen and wonderful drawings.

[Andrew_Lensky]

Yes of course, it would be more correct to write the first industrial cartridge for easy to use(userfriendly). But I pointed out about the early developments in the article, you just readed fluently.

PS: In general, of course, to be honest, Waterman and Perot were not the pioneers of the cartridge filling system, and the first was the Eagle Pencil Company of New York, well-known in narrow circles (among pen lovers), which patented the glass cartridge in 1890. However, the company did not grow to a large one and did not have a large dealer network, so few people knew about this innovation, and given the fact that the patent expired in 1907, the horizons for use were open. The next major attempt at using this idea was made by John Hancock from Boston, who used copper tubing to make the cartridges. And since the copper was rather thin, therefore, the idea did not get the proper use because the cartridges were easily deformed during installation or dismantling. But this is exactly what it was before Waterman .

Is maybe there were different versions? My pen isn't celluloid, it doesn't smell like it but and doesn't look like plastic. I also doubt Bakelite, but I haven’t come up with a better idea yet. Thank you.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Beautiful! I am fascinated by glass cartridges and how you managed a 'captive converter,' and I'm also wondering what ink you used.

[Andrew_Lensky]

I'm also wondering what ink you used.

Thanks. This is mix of Pelikan Edelstein Ink (Olivine 2018 + Star Ruby 2019, 2 to 3). I see this mix as Grapes

[Andrew_Lensky]

Kharkov’s “Avtoruchka” AR #1900(?) (Minpribor, SoyuzOrgTechnika, Made in USSR) 1952

The shape of this fountain pen is cylindrical with smooth tops, the silhouette, as shown earlier, resembles the same Pelikan 100N. The fillig-system is aerometric with direct-acting pipette hidden under the blind cap in the end. The cap, section and blind cap are made of hard rubber, but central part(ink reservoir) is a transparent plexiglass. Cap on thread, 2-start thread, closing/opening in 2 full turns.







Original nib "spoon" type



Full review: http://lenskiy.org/2021/06/kharkovs-...-ar-1900-2-52/

[Yazeh]

What a handwriting! What a delightful pen. I love how you dismantle pens and take photos of them. Bravo

[Andrew_Lensky]

Bravo

Thanks. I am doing this for the general knowledge base of the fountain pen community.

[Andrew_Lensky]

Kharkov’s “Avtoruchka” AR #1900 (Minpribor, SoyuzOrgTechnika, Made in USSR) 1954

The shape of this pen is the same cylindrical with smoothed ends, the silhouette is less reminiscent of Pelikan due to the reduced and shortened cap top. The filling system is aerometric with a direct-acting pipette hidden under the blind cap at the end. The cap, section and blind cap are made of hard-rubber, and the central part(ink reservoir) is a transparent plexiglass. Cap on thread, 2-lead thread (interestingly asymmetrical), opening/closing in 1 turn.







visual comparison between higher and younger AP #1900 models.



Full review: http://lenskiy.org/2021/06/kharkovs-...-ar-1900-4-54/

[Yazeh]

Did any of the Soviet Pens had flex nibs?

[Andrew_Lensky]

Yes, of course, according to the era of production.
Of the last ones produced in the 70-80s, these are AR-95 and AR-96 (replicas of Montblanc Wing and Nail nibs), AR-102, AR-816.
The pre-war(WWII) fountain pens are very rare and I didn't have one, but in theory they are all have flexible nibs.

[Cyril]

Kharkov’s “Avtoruchka” AR #1900 (Minpribor, SoyuzOrgTechnika, Made in USSR) 1954

The shape of this pen is the same cylindrical with smoothed ends, the silhouette is less reminiscent of Pelikan due to the reduced and shortened cap top. The filling system is aerometric with a direct-acting pipette hidden under the blind cap at the end. The cap, section and blind cap are made of hard-rubber, and the central part(ink reservoir) is a transparent plexiglass. Cap on thread, 2-lead thread (interestingly asymmetrical), opening/closing in 1 turn.







visual comparison between higher and younger AP #1900 models.



Full review: http://lenskiy.org/2021/06/kharkovs-...-ar-1900-4-54/

This thread is beautiful and I love your fine penmanship and writing ink.
And of course all the pens you reviewed here. They are beautiful tools and in the hands of a master they make wonders.
That is what you showed here and thanks a lot. I really enjoy your work.

[Cyril]

The first waterman looks a simple jewel Love your penmanship and the pen drawings too.

[Andrew_Lensky]

The first waterman looks a simple jewel Love your penmanship and the pen drawings too.

Thanks, I still have some interesting pens

[Andrew_Lensky]

Greetings friends! Today I am a little confused, and in general, everything is always difficult with the Pilot brand . Just like last time I did not know where to attribute the Pilot Myu: it is too old for modern pens, and still too young for vintage ones, and now, I don’t know where to define this wonderful model.

Pilot Justus first edition (made in Japan) FJ-1000R-B

This fountain pen is made in a straight cylindrical design with rounded ends and deep, longitudinal grooves(stripes). Body material is black plastic. The filling system is cartridge-converter, of its own proprietary Pilot format. Cap on click. The nib with feed mounted in section on friction, the feed is traditionally made of translucent original plastic of a bluish hue.







Full review: http://lenskiy.org/2021/07/pilot-justus-first-edition/

[Yazeh]

Andrew...thank you.. ..that drawing... the pen....I'm out of superlatives.....

[Andrew_Lensky]

Hello everybody! Today I want to show an inexpensive “Pocket size” fountain pen from the mid-70s with a funny history of advertising that few people know about outside of Japan.

Pilot Elite S (made in Japan) 1976

The shape of this pen, I don’t even know how to describe it, when folded, looks like a cigarette with a slightly enlarged middle. The “Pocket pen” format is characterized by the fact that it has a short body, a long section with elongated cap, therefore, when folded, the pen becomes very compact. When you open cap and posted, the length of the pen turns into a full-size and very comfortable for the hand. The material of the section and short body is made of black plastic, while the cap is made of light and thin metal with covered by black lacquer. Some people write that it is aluminum, others that it is brass – I will not argue, but the cap does not magnetise. This pen with posted cap looked for me as space rockets of build time, of course to a lesser extent than Pilot Myu, but still a rocket! 🙂 The filling system is cartridge-converter, by proprietary Pilot format, and completed with Con-20 squeeze converter. Cap on friction.







Making lost ring



Full review: http://lenskiy.org/2021/08/pilot-elite-s/

[Jon Szanto]

Yes, the "long/short" pen design was made in many, many variations from a number of Japanese manufacturers in that time period. There are so many models it might be very hard to catalog all of them! Almost all of them that I have owned have been reasonably good writers, and a number of them have been exceptional. Great carry pens and for note-taking, at least for me not the best pen for long writing sessions. One that I prize is a Platinum early model from the collection of Susan Wirth.