Posts filed under Fountain Pens

Woodshed Pen Co. Fountain Pen Review

I can’t believe it has been less than two years since I first heard of Woodshed Pen Co.. I may not have heard of Mike Allen and his company back then either if it weren’t for a reader asking me about a certain “Cracked Ice fountain pen” project on Kickstarter in the middle of 2017. I’m glad I got tipped off to it, because I have been able to enjoy my Woodshed pen, and make a new friend along the way.

The materials were what sold me on Mike’s first fountain pen Kickstarter. He started out as a kit pen turner, who transitioned into turning his own fountain pens. It was a small start to be sure - I was one of only 26 backers of the project - but the quality of the end product set Woodshed off on the trajectory he is on today. Onward and upward!

Today, Mike continues to turn pens in off the shelf materials, and has begun mixing his own blanks as well. On top of that, he is trying to perfect the coating of black fountain pen nibs. That’s a tough challenge to be sure, and is what prompted me to write this review.

*New, “Wildfire” model on top. Original Kickstarter “Roses and Violets” on bottom.*

But before that, let’s talk about the pen, and specifically, the barrel shape. Woodshed Pen Co. offers just one. That’s it, and I can appreciate that decision. Luckily for me, that one shape is right on the money. You could be tricked into calling this a small pen, but in reality it isn't at all. It is “just right sized” in my book. The overall length may fall short of some of the standard pens in your rotation, but it is plenty long enough for most people to use unposted. The pen diameter falls in the standard range as well, including the grip section.

I think the section it what makes the entire pen body work honestly. It is slightly longer than you would expect for a pen this length, and makes for a comfortable writing experience for all grip styles.

My second, and newest Woodshed Pen does have a slightly different body shape than my original Kickstarter model. The overall length is shorter by about 1/4”, and there is no taper towards the ends. I prefer this current shape for the overall size of the pen. While my original is great, the shape made it feel like a bit of a tweener in it’s overall size. The newer shape is perfect.

*Top to bottom: Sailor Pro Gear, Woodshed, Kaweco Sport.*

The fit and finish of the pen is perfect as well. It takes pen makers a while to get everything dialed in, and I’m sure many will say that they never do, but my Woodshed pen feels complete. The edges are smooth, the threads are clean, the polish is even and shiny - it’s a real joy to use.

So about that black nib. Mike asked me before this year’s Baltimore Pen Show if I would help him test a coating he is working on for his black nibs. For any of you that have used black nibs in the past you know that the coating wears down over time, or during repairs, showing a lighter grey, down to silver, color once they get worn.

*It’s hard to see the black coating difference in pictures, but you can tell in person.*

That’s has never been an issue for me. I’ve always assumed the finish of any coated nib would wear over time, and that was part of the deal when owning one. Mike, on the other hand, wasn’t happy with that result, and has set out to stop, or at least slow down, the wearing effect on black nibs.

I’m only a month into my testing, which isn’t nearly enough time for a test like this, but the black nib Mike gave me for this pen looks brand new through a few different inks and cleanings. Mike is taking things a bit further with testing than I am, and is committed to get this right. I certainly applaud the effort, and I’ll keep hammering away at mine as well and will keep everyone updated.

If there is any hangup with Woodshed Pen Co. right now it is that Mike doesn’t make it easy to buy a pen from him. You can see his latest work and make a purchase through Instagram, or catch him at a pen show, like Atlanta in two weeks. But I’m taking this opportunity and platform to implore him to get that website up and running. Get those pens into our hands Mike!

I’m a Woodshed Pen fan, and I consider Mike a friend, so read this review with that in mind. But good products review themselves, and make my job easy. This is one of the good ones.

(I paid full price for my Roses and Violets Woodshed pen, and Mike gave me the green model, which I call Wildfire, at no cost.)

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Posted on March 25, 2019 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Woodshed, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Old but New to Me: The Waterman Edson Sapphire

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

In my early pen collecting days, I purchased several vintage pens. Unfortunately, I had no idea what I was doing, and I wound up with some real stinkers--a jimmied together Waterman lever-filler that never worked correctly, a few vintage Pelikans, a vintage Parker or two. I had such bad luck with these pens--bladders failing, horrible nibs, pistons sticking--that I eventually swore off vintage pens altogether.

Recently, however, I began purchasing a few vintage and pre-2000 pens. I found a vintage Waterman with a steel music nib for a great price on FPN. I bought a Parker 51 on eBay that so far is working well. I purchased an incredible 1970s Montblanc that I’ll be reviewing soon. And I lucked out on a Waterman Edson Sapphire.

I actually found a new-in-box Waterman Edson Sapphire for sale, and I was about to purchase it, when one of my awesome pen friends told me he had a user-grade Edson that I could buy much more cheaply. Since I always want pens I can use (I don’t collect pens to keep them under glass), I was happy to get the user-grade Edson.

When it arrived and I opened the box, I gasped. It is stunning.

The cap is gold plated with a soft, buffed finish. It has a unique clip that wraps around the top of the cap--it sort of reminds me of the nose of an airplane. The clip itself has an interesting cut out design. It’s hard to describe in words, so see the photos below. I think it’s one of the coolest cap designs I’ve ever encountered.

The cap is engraved at the bottom with “Waterman” and “Paris.” It snugly snaps on, held by three gold posts that are also a brilliant part of the design.

As I examined it more closely, I discovered that the cap was once engraved with someone’s name, but it has been sanded down and buffed off. I’m intrigued by this hint of a previous owner. I can’t read the name, but I love the ghost of it remaining on the cap.

The body of the pen is a deep blue resin that is transparent if you hold it up to light.

The grip is a really dark black/blue color and it feels almost rubberized. I’m not sure if this is due to use and age (perhaps ink permeating the material over time), or if this is how all Edsons feel. Regardless, it makes the pen easy to hold because it isn’t slick.

The 18k gold inlaid nib is incredible. Just look at the details: the V shape that extends to the grip, the gorgeous “W” logo on the otherwise simple nib, the rounded feed. I could stare at this nib all day.

The Edson is a cartridge/converter filler. My pen didn’t come with one of the original converters, which were also sapphire blue. But that really doesn’t matter to me. The converter I have works well and supplies plenty of ink to the nib.

The Edson is a large pen. It measures 5.9 inches/150mm capped, 5.2 inches/132mm uncapped, and 6.1 inches/155mm posted. There’s no way I would try to write with it posted. The Edson is a weighty pen at 46 grams with the cap. Without the cap it’s a more reasonable 26 grams. Most of that weight is in the nib end, but the barrel actually has brass threads that also give the pen some weight in the middle.

I love writing with this pen. I inked it with Iroshizuku Kon Peki which is a great match. The medium nib is super smooth and juicy, but it has absolutely no bounce or flex. I knew that before I bought the pen, so this was not a disappointment. I find the large grip and the weight of the pen to suit me perfectly. Writing with it is a pleasure.

I am absurdly in love with this Waterman Edson. I adore its retro looks, the clean lines, the color, the weight, the ghostly remnants of a previous owner’s name. It’s like owning a retro sports car--it handles well, is really solid, and shines like a jewel.

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Posted on March 22, 2019 by Susan Pigott and filed under Waterman, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Franklin-Christoph Model 46 in Autumn Oak: A Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

The Franklin-Christoph Model 46 is a new design based on the smaller Model 45 but with a #6 size nib. It’s a sleek design with smooth lines tapering to flat finials. Uncapped, the barrel drops gently to a large, curved grip. Even though there’s a distinct edge between the barrel and grip, it’s not sharp and it doesn’t interfere with writing.

The cap is clipless and is a bit shorter than other FC caps. I like this design choice because it suits the pen’s simple aesthetic and shows off the beautiful acrylic. Etched near the base of the cap is “Franklin-Christoph 46,” but the etching is so light you can barely see it except in bright sunlight.

The top finial is etched with the FC logo.

Model 46 currently comes in three colors: black, Autumn Oak, and Winter Pine (at the time of this review Winter Pine appears to be out of stock). Although I initially thought about buying Winter Pine, I decided on Autumn Oak. It’s a beautiful reddish-brown acrylic with flecks of gold and darker brown. The pen shimmers in sunlight and has depth reminiscent of celluloid.

The pen is a cartridge/converter filler and comes standard with a Franklin-Christoph converter. As with most FC models, you can turn the pen into an eye-dropper by rubbing a little silicone grease along the threads. After a few disastrous “middle-age” moments when I unscrewed an eye-droppered Franklin-Christoph, spilling ink everywhere, I just use the converter. Pens like the Opus 88 that have built in rubber O-rings are much easier to use as eye-droppers in my opinion (it also helps if the pen happens to be a demonstrator). Regardless, the FC converter holds a good amount of ink and works really well.

I chose a medium steel nib with a Masuyama stub grind for this pen. I’ve found that Franklin-Christoph’s steel nibs are every bit as good as their gold ones, especially when you get a Masuyama grind. The tines on this stub are perfectly aligned and the nib is decorated with beautiful scrollwork and a tasteful FC logo.

I inked the pen with Diamine Autumn Oak, because, duh! I mean, if you have a pen that is called “Autumn Oak” why wouldn’t you ink it with Diamine Autumn Oak? I wrote with the Diamine ink for several days and was dissatisfied with how dry the pen wrote. I feared that perhaps the nib and feed were ink-stingy.

I decided to switch inks to see if the pen wrote better. I chose Kyo-Iro Higashiyama Moonlight, and it made a world of difference. The nib writes wet and smooth with this ink.

The Franklin-Christoph Model 46 is a medium/small-sized pen, measuring 5.25 inches/133.35mm capped, 6.65 inches/168.91mm posted, and 4.95 inches/125.73mm unposted. It is the smallest member of my FC collection (I don’t own any pocket models).

I am quite pleased with the Model 46. It has a distinct shape and style that sets it apart from my other FC pens. It exudes typical Franklin-Christoph quality, and the color is exquisite.

You can purchase a Model 46 from Franklin-Christoph with a regular steel nib for $150 (music nibs cost $10 more). With a SIG nib, the pen costs $165, and with a Masuyama nib, the cost is $175. This model with a gold nib costs $240.

(I paid for the Franklin-Christoph Model 46 with my own funds.)

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