Vintage Fountain Pens + 90s Bic Find

Found these pens while cleaning out our garage. This Bic pen was something we've had around in the family since the early to mid 90s. It's got a cool paint job on it that looks like splattered paint. I tried getting the pen to work and it will work for a few lines but then it stops working again, the ink is likely mostly dried up. It has a pink ink color to it. I apologize for the poor quality of the close-up photos. My camera was refusing to cooperate with the up close macros.

The fountain pens are a vintage Yankee and a vintage Moore. Specifically, the Yankee fountain pen states: "YankeE, Michael-George Co., Grand Haven, Mich. - Pat."

Yankee Fountain Pen

The Moore Pen states: "Lever Self-Filling. The Moore Pen Co. Boston Mass U.S.A."

I did some research on them, and found that the Yankee is likely from the 1920s as they started making them in Grand Haven in the early to mid 1920s and the company moved to Illinois shortly thereafter. I do not know how old the Moore pen is and I don't know much about the company. I saw a similar one in the same condition sell for around $40 on eBay. Both of the nibs on the pens are still in good shape, but I have no experience in restoring fountain pens, so unless I find someone that can restore them, I will likely keep them in my collection as they are, not working and old.

-Derek (ThirdeYe)

Pentel Sharplet-2 0.9mm A129 + Excellent Pencil Artwork

I ordered a Pentel Sharplet-2 on eBay after wanting a decent 0.9mm pencil. I was drawn to its simplicity and affordable price. Not only is it affordable, but it appears to be of very high quality considering its seemingly simple initial appearance.

The 0.9mm Sharplet-2 in all of its glory.

The Sharplet-2 comes in 0.5, 0.7 and 0.9mm variations. The 0.9mm version I have comes in a surprisingly good-looking brown and caramel color theme. On the clip are the words "Pentel" and "Japan" on the part connecting the clip to the pencil. The grip is a simple ribbed plastic, but is surprisingly comfortable. Unlike other cheap 0.9mm pencils I've used, such as the Paper Mate Top Notch Grip and the Bic Matic, the lead seems to retract more evenly and reliably. For some reason with cheaper mechanical pencils I've used, you never really know how much lead is going to come out of the pencil. Sometimes you can click it twice and have too much, and other times too little. This one is consistent and gives just the right amount of lead in 2 clicks. The eraser is small, but I do not plan on using it anyways as I typically use a stand-alone eraser with most of my nicer mechanical pencils.

According to the box of 12 that these come in, it is filled with 2 pieces of Pentel's Hi-Polymer 0.9mm HB lead. It does write very smooth and bold, especially for being HB lead. One thing I've found with more narrow grades of lead is that sometimes HB isn't quite dark enough for me. This lead size and hardness is just right for me, though.

If you're looking for an affordable, entry-level drafting pencil, then definitely consider the Sharplet-2. For the price (less than $3) it's hard to beat. Highly recommended! Also, be sure to check out Dave's review over at Dave's Mechanical Pencils for his review of the 0.5mm version here.

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For the second half of this post, I wanted to share with you a work of pencil art that was on exhibit at the Grand Rapids Art Museum during ArtPrize. It was done entirely using a 2H pencil. Thought it was incredible:

Click to enlarge

-Derek (ThirdeYe)

New Additions to my Collection

Here are some of the recent additions to my collection:



From top left to bottom right:
Pentel Sharplet-2 .9mm
1984 Pentel Rolling Writer + Sharplet-2 from the 1984 Olympics
5 Assorted Pentel EnerGel Refills (Thanks Pentel!)
4 Uni-Ball Jetstream .7mm pens w/black ink
3 Bic Velocity pens (2 black, one blue)
Ritter Eco-Pen from ArtPrize (local Grand Rapids art competition)
2 Bic AI Ball Pen w/Easy Glide (blue ink)
2 Bic Atlantis Pencils .7mm with erasers + lead

My next post is going to be a review of the new Pentel Sharplet-2 I received, stay tuned!

-Derek (ThirdeYe)

Dumpster Dive Finds

Found these in a dumpster in front of a house where someone apparently passed away. They threw all of their stuff out, and there were a lot of nice things in there, but I was mainly interested in these. I'm sure there were a lot more things in there but I could not get to them under the countless amounts of stuff.

From top to bottom:
-Carter's Marks-A-Lot (not working)
-Red Bic Cristal Made in U.S.A. (not working)
-Vintage Sheaffer's Twist/Screw-style Pencil (not working, does anyone know how to fix it?) c.1940-1964
-Bixby Easy-Rite Pencil
-Sanford Saga Retractable Pen (missing refill, will order some soon)

Pentel Energel .5mm Needle Tip Review

Considering this is my first post, I thought I would start out with a review of one of my favorite pens. I own a number of Energel pens and I've always been impressed with how dark, consistent and smooth they are. This is my review of the Pentel Energel .5mm Needle Tip. 

Pentel Energel .5mm Needle Tip Retractable Pen

Ever since I bought my first pack of Energel .5mm pens a few months ago, I was hooked. They write smooth, dark and consistent. The ones I originally bought were the capped "stick" versions but I eventually purchased a box of 12 retractable ones on eBay. The refill will even fit in the Pentel Excalibur RX15! The only real downside I have with the ink is that it is not water resistant. When I was finishing up my final semester of college, I would use this pen to write notes due to the quick drying time allowing me to highlight key phrases without having to wait a lengthy period of time. Pentel also makes the Energel in a .7mm tip, but as of the time of writing this, I haven't tried it. I have some on the way however, so look for that review in the near future. Currently, the .5mm needle tip is one of my favorite pens.

-Derek (ThirdeYe)

Welcome to my Pen & Pencil Collection

Hello,

My name is Derek and I'm hopelessly addicted to all things that involve writing instruments. The main things I like to collect are Pentel, Bic, Uni-Ball, Scripto and Pilot. I also enjoy Sharpie, Zebra and Paper Mate items.

Firstly, I would like to give credit to George at My Supply Room for the inspiration to start my own blog dedicated to my love of writing instruments. I'd also like to thank my girlfriend for putting up with my obsession and always being supportive.

Soon I will start to post about things I find and/or buy, pen & pencil reviews, and musings about items in my collection. I do not know exactly how many items I own, but it is well into the hundreds.

Thank you for visiting my blog and please come back again soon!

Derek

Update 3/18/11 Things have changed a little since I first started this blog! I have broadened my horizons, and now fountain pens & inks have come into my life and take up a large portion of my collecting.