Presentation Pens

[Scrawler]

There was a time when many Chinese made pens were made to be presented to people, not to actually work. They were quite literally made to look good, then be placed in a drawer and forgotten. The pen reflects aspirations of education and is symbol of literacy. Many were made with feeds that would successfully sign a name when first filled, then dry up. It was the appearance, not the general function that mattered. This is reflected in peoples common complaint of "quality control" issues. Such pens were made to look nice and were a part of a culture of congratulatory gift giving. To this end manufacturers have used the finest western pens as examples. The important thing was that the presentation item looked as good as the congratulation it was meant for. The materials did not matter as long as they looked good. To this end pens were commonly built on a brass tube and covered in all sorts of lacquers. A significant departure from this started to happen a few years ago when people actually wanted their pens to work and pen clubs started to exert influence. Now you can buy such pens with a reasonable expectation that you will have a fine writing instrument, that looks nice, but but does not cost the earth.

Although the majority of my pens are plain black plastic or hard rubber, I am a sucker for pretty things and sometimes need a pen that has "flash". So I bought a Kaigelu styled after Montegrappa. As a result I got quite good at adjusting feeds and flossing nibs, and mine now works quite well, though does need the nib wetting to get it started after lying for a while. That does not make it very good for signing ceremonies.

I have an interesting problem with mine. If I fill the C/C, then not use the pen for a while, the ink disappears. I do not know where it goes. It is not in the cap. There must be a some dried in the feed, because if I draw water into it, I have ink again. I cannot see how the ink is evaporating. There are no holes in the cap. This is in complete contrast to my everyday pen, which is a simple plain black one ring early 1940s Waterman Confuser. That is always ready to start, and does not seem to evaporate the ink.

I would like to solve this if I can, because my public use of fountain pens has attracted a few people to using them, and this particular pen attracts attention, such that people have asked to try it. I will not let newbies and inexperienced people use my Waterman, despite its plain unadorned appearance, because the nib is soft and gently flexible, and anyway its appearance is not so attractive. I would however happily let anyone try even the flashiest looking Chinese pen, because the stiff nibs are nearly indestructible.