Stanhope, the medium hidden in a pen
When I was a primary school student in the early 1980s, my friend Lisa brought a strange pen to school. There was a tiny hole at the end of the pen, into which, when glanced, erotic images with content incompatible with socialism appeared. It had a rotating ring, which meant that several enlightening slides appeared when a tiny ring was wound around it. At the time, I had no idea that I was holding the last reminder of a fashion that was almost 100 years old.
Ringed Eversharp
repair of a broken Eversharp fountain pen
Some objects we are so attached to that we would give anything to have them repaired. Especially if a gift from our parents or grandparents is damaged. That's not the case here. The Eversharp pen in the picture was recently purchased from me by my client, but two weeks later it broke. The seemingly hopeless situation was resolved. I will detail the repair of the fountain pen below.
<
Waterman Carene fountain pen nib repair
French-based Waterman pens have been a hallmark of high-quality writing instruments for decades. I use the past tense because I have encountered numerous cases of inferior quality modern Waterman pens being used for fountain pen repairs. Most of the time, either the inside of the nib was eaten away by rust or the metal quality was poor and easily warped. Many of the inscriptions are laser engraved by the Waterman company, which also seems to be a poor quality job compared to other brands. The Carene type is one of the higher quality pens, although the 18 carat gold tip is also laser engraved. However, gravity acts on all nibs, meaning that if dropped, the damage cannot be sustained by even the best quality nib. This was the case with the nib in the picture, but someone had previously tried to repair this nib without much success (the nib would not come out), but the repaired nib had to be repaired again because it often had a problem writing. The top picture is the one taken, the bottom picture is the one of the finished nib. But the work was not easy...
Kivi-Lyme biopen
creative use of the tick
At the temporary exhibition of the National Museum, I came across the aerial photographs of Milán Radisics, entitled Our Footprint - Man's Impact on the Planet (worth seeing as part of the World Press Photo exhibition). Because we rarely look from above, aerial photography alienates and beautifies our environment. From above, only the play of colours, lights and shadows prevails, and only we on the ground suffer the fine details. From a distance, distracting details disappear, but up close, a slice of reality can be shocking. That's how we might see this pen, which looks like a cheerful, lively kiwi, but on closer inspection...
Handwriting after printing the book
The inspiration for my short story is the exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts (Szépművészeti Múzeum) in Budapest. In some of El Greco's paintings, we can see some of the handwriting of the period, and we also have the opportunity to observe the master's handwriting on a page. After seeing the pictures, I wondered how handwriting could have survived in the 15th and 16th centuries after the invention of printing. Surprisingly, it made a big difference!
Two misplaced fountain pens
mistakes at the Money Museum (Budapest)
On 15 March 2022, the Money Museum, founded by the Hungarian National Bank, was opened on Széll Kálmán Square (the political opposition name for it is Moscow Square, although this has now been given a special meaning), in the former Postapal Palace. An exhibition on the history of money is housed in a quarter of the building's floor space. Unfortunately I was unable to make it to the opening ceremony, but I recently made up for it by visiting the museum. During my trip, I came across two fountain pens on display. I shouldn't have.
The magical Parker 61 fountain pen
Like most other pen companies, Parker had been working for decades to find the perfect filling system, and when the Parker 61 pen was finally introduced in 1956, it was truly as otherworldly as it was initially advertised. It had many features in common with the then predominant Parker 51 fountain pen, but it was thinner and, most importantly, it filled itself. No one knew how it worked, but it worked. 
- 🇺🇸 Visit to the Prime Minister Viktor Orbán
- 🇺🇸 Response from Buckingham Palace
- 🇺🇸 Fountain pens of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
- 🇺🇸 Star is born / Montblanc fountain pen repair
- 🇺🇸 Exploding fountain pens
- 🇺🇸 Shadow of a star / Ilie Nastase
- 🇺🇸 Interview with Tamás Szűcs fountain pen restorer
- 🇺🇸 The Pen Weapon / Fountain Pen as a Revolver
- 🇺🇸 World Congress of Fountain Pen Manufacturers in Budapest
- 🇺🇸 Would you sell?
- 🇺🇸 Fountain pen and ballpoint pen repair in Budapest
- 🇺🇸 The danish pen maker Chistian Olsen
