20-year anniversary

The last few months have been more than usually hectic. So much so, that I entirely forgot the twentieth anniversary of www.vintagepens.com, which went online at the end of January 1997 (first snapshot at the Wayback Machine is from June). It was one of the first __pen sites on the web, predated slightly by Jonathan Steinberg's www.vintagepen.com, and launched in parallel with friend and colleague Simon Gray's Battersea __pen Home site at www.penhome.co.uk (we shared ideas and software -- FrontPage, way back then).

Despite longstanding intention to give the site a complete revamp, it remains more of a palimpsest. The most recent major structural change was to the catalog and Pen Profiles sections to make them mobile-friendly. Carrying over those same changes to the rest of the site is on the to-do list, though a full redesign may arrive first.

Looking back, one of the biggest changes between then and now is the ease of online commerce today. Back then, we were turned down for a credit card processing account because we didn't have a bricks and mortar store. Assets, credit rating, established business -- none of that mattered. For the first months we processed online credit card orders (received by fax, for security) through the merchant account of a friend with a local antiques store. We were running more sales through his account than he was, but we couldn't get our own account until bank policy changed several months later. Not that that account was much of a deal, with all the added charges and surcharges and hidden charges and overpriced required processing equipment. It's all so much easier, cheaper, and more transparent now.

Then there was all the time spent on shipping. No online postage then -- we had to take our packages to the Post Office, waiting in line at the end of the day to mail them at the counter. We pretty quickly set up multiple printers to handle labels, including the multipart labels for Express Mail, Registered Mail, and customs (two different labels for the latter, large and small), but there was no getting around those lines. That was one reason we long maintained a rather high minimum order threshhold, so that we didn't get overwhelmed with small orders that would push our Post Office time to unacceptable levels. As I recall, I did look at postage meters, but at the time they were both expensive and insufficiently flexible, especially as regards international shipments.

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Currently Inked #31 | 26 February 2017

• 4:15 – How can you use a fountain __pen with lower-quality paper and still have a good writing experience?
• 6:30 – Is the Sheaffer Skrip ink on the shelves behind you still available in that packaging?
• 8:10 – Do you have recommendations on a good, really black ink?
  • Aurora Black
  • Sailor Kiwa-Guro Pigmented Black
  • Platinum Carbon Black
  • Private Reserve Velvet Black
• 9:35 – An exploration of ink starvation on a Pilot Vanishing Point
• 13:15 – Currently Inked #1 – Classic Pens LB3 Jupiter w/ Monteverde Yosemite Green ink
• 15:00 – What editing software do you use for your videos? Final Cut Pro vs. Adobe Premiere
• 17:20 – Are there people who can re-tip nibs?
  • Nibs.com (US – California)
  • Gregminuskin.com (US – California)
  • goldnibs.com – (Spain)
  • fpnibs.com – (Spain)
• 19:40 – Local stores in the Seattle area for pens
  • Silberman Brown Stationers
  • Kinokuniya
  • University of Washington Bookstore
• 22:10 – Currently Inked #2 – Scriptorium Pens Conway Stewart Wellington Homage – Robert Oster Melon Tea
• 23:55 – After the passage of time and with more experience, have you changed your experience of the Montblanc 149
• 26:55 – Have we reached “peak ink?”
• 32:50 – Have you ever considered taking on a partner for The __pen Habit?

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@FisherOfPens Apollo Giveaway

So, I’ve been meaning to get to this giveaway for a long time, and I know a lot of you have been desperate to enter it as well, based on the number of times people have asked me when the giveaway is going to start. So, it’s now time to give away this lovely Fisher of Pens Apollo. This is a wonderful pen, made by an excellent custom __pen maker, Carl Fisher. This __pen comes with your choice of a medium or extra fine steel nib. This giveaway will be accepting entries through 11:59PM on 25 February 2017

In addition to the pen, I will be providing the winner with an Inky Fingers Notebook Variety Pack in their choice of Pocket size or Traveler’s Size.

A reminder about pen Habit Giveaways through Rafflecopter:

• You only have to do one of the types of entry listed below to be entered, not all of them.
• Each additional method (follows, emails, newsletter signups, etc) counts as 1 additional entry “ticket.”
• I verify every winner, so if you don’t follow instructions (e.g., when you post a comment you don’t answer the question, you don’t use the proper subject when you send your email entry, etc.) you will be disqualified. Usually every contest I have to disqualify the first two or three winners for not following the rules.
• Due to the volume of entries I get, I am unable to verify that entries worked or “went through” properly ahead of time.

And now for the Terms & Conditions:

Terms & Conditions: The prizes for this giveaway was provided free of charge by Fisher of Pens and Inky Fingers LLC. Giveaway ends February 25, 2017 at 11:59 PM PDT. Winners will be selected at random by Rafflecopter.com and verified by The Pen Habit. Winner will have 72 hours to respond before prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Inky Fingers LLC will be responsible for shipping all prizes to the winner. Neither Fisher of Pens nor The Pen Habit/Inky Fingers LLC will be responsible for prizes that are not received by user. No purchase necessary to enter. By providing your information in this form, you are providing your information to The Pen Habit only. I do not share or sell personal information and will use any information only for the purpose of contacting the winner unless otherwise specified.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Lamy AL-Star Pacific Giveaway from @GouletPens

The good folks at Goulet Pens have very graciously provided two sets of the new Lamy Special Edition Pacific AL-Star and ink. One __pen comes with a Fine nib, the other __pen with an extra-fine nib. The Pacific is a beautiful turquoise blue aluminum pen that is the the brand’s 2017 color. These pens usually sell out quickly, and they almost never come back again, so this is an exciting giveaway. This giveaway ends on 18 February 2017 at 11:59PM

In addition to the pen and ink, I will be providing each winner (there will be two) with an Inky Fingers Notebook Variety Pack in their choice of Pocket size or Traveler’s Size.

By way of reminder about pen Habit Giveaways through Rafflecopter:

• You only have to do one of the types of entry listed below to be entered, not all of them.
• Each additional method (follows, emails, newsletter signups, etc) counts as 1 additional entry “ticket.”
• I verify every winner, so if you don’t follow instructions (e.g., when you post a comment you don’t answer the question, you don’t use the proper subject when you send your email entry, etc.) you will be disqualified. Usually every contest I have to disqualify the first two or three winners for not following the rules.
• Due to the volume of entries I get, I am unable to verify that entries worked or “went through” properly ahead of time.

And now for the Terms & Conditions:

Terms & Conditions: The prizes for this giveaway was provided free of charge by Goulet Pens and Inky Fingers LLC. Giveaway ends February 18, 2017 at 11:59 PM PDT. Winners will be selected at random by Rafflecopter.com and verified by The Pen Habit. Winner will have 72 hours to respond before prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Inky Fingers LLC will be responsible for shipping all prizes to the winner. Neither Goulet Pens nor The Pen Habit/Inky Fingers LLC will be responsible for prizes that are not received by user. No purchase necessary to enter. By providing your information in this form, you are providing your information to The Pen Habit only. I do not share or sell personal information and will use any information only for the purpose of contacting the winner unless otherwise specified.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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A hidden nib imprint

Slip-cap eyedropper-fillers are common enough in black hard rubber, and it's not unusual to see examples in mottled. Red hard rubber is another story.

When this __pen came our way, it seemed possible that its maker could be identified by its details of construction, even though it was unmarked and carried a plain warranted nib. The cap with its circumferential groove looked somewhat Waterman-like, while the feed was not inconsistent with Aikin Lambert. The material, however, pointed in a different direction, as it was not a bright, clean orange but somewhat darker with black specks.

Identification ended up coming in an unexpected place: the underside of the nib, shown above. The imprint references  US patent 772193, issued October 11, 1904 to De Witt C. Van Valer, and assigned to Frazer & Geyer. The patent describes a method of giving a gold nib resilience by compression using dies and a hydraulic press, rather than the traditional hammer-tempering.

Frazer & Geyer (also referred to as "Frazer Geyer" in contemporary records) manufactured fountain pens under their own name, the "Lincoln" being one of their best-known models. But not all Frazer & Geyer pens were so marked. Most notably, Frazer & Geyer became the maker of  A. A. Waterman pens by 1901, when William G. Frazer and Hobart W. Geyer formed a separate partnership with Arthur A. Waterman, as A. A. Waterman Co. (see Chapman v. Waterman, 1917). Although some have written that Arthur A. Waterman was  forced out of the company by his partners in 1905, more recent research has shown that the dissolution of the partnership in May of that year was due instead to his partners' financial and legal issues. The Chapmans, who had been lending money to Frazer and Geyer, ended up taking over their interests in settlement, including both the Frazer & Geyer Company, and Frazer and Geyer's position in the A. A. Waterman Co.

So how to classify our pen? While it is closely connected with A. A. Waterman, calling it one is more than a bit of a stretch. Frazer & Geyer it will have to be -- though there is no telling whether it was made before or after the Chapmans took over the company. I'm inclined to after, however, judging from the contours of the cap and barrel. The __pen is clearly modeled on the market leader, the Waterman 12, but on the version made towards the end of the decade and later, with flatter and less domical ends. And while we are discussing A. A. Waterman's copying of Waterman designs, I should also mention a couple of Waterman 20 clones that Dick Johnson sold many years ago, both of A. A. Waterman (Frazer & Geyer) manufacture.

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Currently Inked #30 | 7 February 2017

This episode of Currently Inked is sponsored by Vanness Pens at http://vanness1938.com. Head there for all your fountain pen, ink, and paper needs. Now featuring specialty nib sizes of the limited edition Aurora 88 Sole and the new Lamy AL-Star Pacific Blue.

• 5:04 – How do you find vintage pens online, and what warning signs do you look for to avoid duds?
  • Flexinibpens.com
  • PeytonStreetPens.com
• 8:30 – Have you ever used Twiss pens?
• 9:10 – Currently Inked #1: Stylo-Art Negoro w/ Franklin-Christoph Urushi Red
• 11:30 – Currently Inked #2 – Parker Vacumatic Oversize Golden Pearl w/ Waterman Inspired Blue
• 13:45 – My wooden __pen case came with packets of activated carbon and silica gel. Would you keep these? Would they hurt the pens?
• 15:55 – My handwriting quality varies based on the pens and inks I use. Have you noticed the same thing?
• 18:00 – Sponsor Spotlight – Vanness Pens
  • Lamy AL-Star Pacific
  • Aurora 88 Sole
• 22:00 – Currently Inked #3 – Platinum 3776 Celluloid Jade w/ Caran d’Ache Grand Canyon
• 23:20 –  Currently Inked #4 – Mango __pen w/ Robert Oster Fire & Ice
• 25:15 – A bit of self-promotion – Pens for Sale, Inky Fingers Notebooks
• 27:05 – Can you recommend some pens with wider grips?
• 29:50 – What makes paper fountain pen friendly?
• 34:25 – My Monteverde Impressa won’t fill up properly. Any idea why?
• 36:05 – Currently Inked #5 – Franklin Christoph 45 Italian Ice w/ F-C Philly Show Orange
• 37:35 – Currently Inked #6 – Montegrappa Linea NeroUno w/ Montblanc Lucky Orange
• 42:30 – What’s your preference for storing inked fountain pens?
• 44:15 – What is your opinion about Lamy Inks, particularly considering the price difference between different inks?

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Xezo Eternal Flame Giveaway

I’m very excited to be kicking off what promised to be a veritable flurry of giveaways here on The __pen Habit.  The first __pen up on the block is this lovely Xezo Eternal Flame fountain pen. You can read my review of it here. This pen was provided by the good folks at Xezo USA for review and giveaway and comes with a lovely fine steel nib and its original packaging. This giveaway will be active through 11:59PM PST on Valentine’s Day: February 14, 2017.

The winner will also be receive their choice of an Inky Fingers notebook variety pack in either Pocket Notebook or Traveler’s Notebook size.

As a reminder about Pen Habit Giveaways through Rafflecopter:

• You only have to do one of the types of entry listed below, not all of them.
• Each entry type (follows, emails, newsletter signups, etc) counts as 1 additional “ticket.”
• I verify every winner, so if you don’t follow instructions (e.g., when you post a comment you don’t answer the question, you don’t use the proper subject when you send your email entry, etc.) you will be disqualified. Usually every contest I have to disqualify the first two or three winners for not following the rules.
• Due to the volume of entries I get, I am unable to verify that entries worked or “went through” properly ahead of time.

And now for the Terms & Conditions:

Terms & Conditions: The prizes for this giveaway was provided free of charge by Xezo USA and Inky Fingers LLC. Giveaway ends February 14, 2017 at 11:59 PM PDT. Winners will be selected at random by Rafflecopter.com and verified by The Pen Habit. Winner will have 72 hours to respond before prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Inky Fingers LLC will be responsible for shipping all prizes to the winner. Neither Xezo USA nor The Pen Habit/Inky Fingers LLC will be responsible for prizes that are not received by user. No purchase necessary to enter. By providing your information in this form, you are providing your information to The Pen Habit only. I do not share or sell personal information and will use any information only for the purpose of contacting the winner unless otherwise specified.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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