Jot Magazine

Jot.

Waterman Still Going strong after almost 140 years

Muji Making a Name in Fountain Pens Youtube star Peter Draws brings a younger crowd to the Hobby 10 Affordable Fountain Pen Options that make great gifts Metallic Inks That You Need In Your Collection

Jot

Issue 25 - December 2021

An Interview

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Watermans Legacy

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A Guide into Penmanship

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A peek into Peter Draws Life

140 Years of Business and Counting

A Comprehensive Guide by Jake Weidmann

Your Next Pen

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A Photo Essay

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Pens With History

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Shimmer Ink You Need

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A Small Catalog of Great additions to your Collection

What Your Pen Says About You

A Historical Private Collection

Featured Pearlescent Inks

Muji’s Debut

Aluminum Body Fountain Pen

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Vector XL

For Bigger and Bolder Ideas

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Peter Draws Peter Deligdisch

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t what point did your youtube channel transform into a channel with such an imoportant view on different Pens?

“Peter Deligdisch (born: July 19, 1990 [age 31]), is an American artist and YouTuber who is known for his doodling vlogs and pen reviews”.

- Have you always loved pens? Or is this facination something that developed with the growth of your youtube channel?

“Peter’s oldest videos are timelaspes of him drawing. He would also post vlogs that explain his though process when drawing during the early days of his channel.

He would start to post more vlogs and start.”

A - Do you realize that your youtube channel has brought a younger crowd to the pen community?

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“Sadspost longer vlogs with commentary on art and philosophy. Most of his art is done with ink but he sometimes does pyrography and painting. His soft voice and commentary has given him an ASMR following.”

- What is your go to pen at this moment? ‘ “Peter also posts reviews of art pens as well as pen testings videos and advice of what to look for when shopping for art”.

- How do you feel about the success of your new fountain pen by Narwahl?

“Almost all of Peter’s work is in inks.

He specializes in abstract and fantasy art; drawing complex patterns and alien worlds.

Most of his paintings are in acrylic and are entirely abstract.

Lewis Waterman, an insurance salesman in New York City, invented the first truly function-

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138 Years of Waterman Pens and Ink Lewis Waterman, an insurance salesman in

New York City, invented the first truly functional fountain pen in the early 1880s. A typical pen of the day leaked all over a contract he had prepared for a large policy, and by the time Waterman returned with a new document, his client had signed with someone else.

[2] Later, Waterman was working as a pen salesman in New York for a new company founded in the spring of 1883 by a volatile inventor named Frank Holland. Holland abandoned his company after only six weeks; Waterman stepped in and took over, fitting the pens with a simplified feed of his own design.

[3] It was for this “three fissure feed” which his first pen-related patent was granted in 1884.

[4]

From the beginning, competition in the fountain pen industry was fierce, both in the marketplace and the courtroom. Despite later company literature that depicts Lewis E. Waterman as a golden-hearted innocent, all evidence indicates that he was a tough, savvy, and innovative businessman. In 1899 the L.E. Waterman Company developed the “spoon Feed” system which prevented overflow of ink, which also led to the company receiving the gold medal of excellence at the “Exposition Universelle” in Paris in 1900.

Nonetheless, it was after L.E. Waterman’s death in 1901 that the company took off.

Under the leadership of Waterman’s nephew, Frank D. Waterman, the Waterman Pen Com-

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pany expanded aggressively worldwide. While Waterman introduced its share of innovations, the company’s main selling point was always quality and reliability.

In 1905 Waterman patented their first permanently attached pen clip, allowing a pen to be held directly in a pocket. In 1908 Waterman released their first retractable-nib “safety” pen.

As the 20th century wore on, Waterman’s conservatism allowed its younger and more innovative competitors to gain market share— Parker, Sheaffer, and Wahl-Eversharp in particular. By the later 1920s, Waterman was attempting to catch up; it continued to struggle through and beyond World War II before finally shutting down in 1954.

Waterman’s French subsidiary, Waterman-JIF (Jules-Isidore Fagard) later Waterman S.A., continued to prosper, and eventually absorbed what remained of the American company and its British arm.

The Waterman company was acquired by the Bic company which went public in 1958 with a reverse merger; Bic would later sell off the Waterman division.[5] Successfully weathering the challenge of the ballpoint pen, it was acquired by The Gillette Company in March 1987 which grew overall sales by 40% with its aggressive North

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I Want To Get Into The Art of Calligraphy. Where Do I Start?

A Guide By Self Taught Artisan, Penman, and Craftsman; Jake Weidmann.

S

tart from the beginning. Perfect your basics. Here are links to Jake’s recommendations for books and supplies available on the market for beginning your endeavor into the art form.

For those looking for a place to start specifically with Spencarian script, this book is a must read!

There has never been so many resources for the art of calligraphy as there are today.

The art form has seen an uptick in popularity in recent years and there are many forums to participate in for those looking for education and community.

With all the various trades that I put my hands to, I am frequently asked what tools I use to create each work of art. So, in order to satisfy the curiosity of those who follow my work, I decided to begin with Calligraphy.

More specifically, the pointed pen. Starting from the surface up…

Writing Surface

Table This may seem obvious to some, but the type of writing surface sometimes varies from different styles of calligraphy. For the pointed pen or script calligraphy, you want to write on a flat, even surface (as opposed to a slant surface which is required for broad-edge calligraphy).

Table should have plenty of room for you to work, unencumbered by clutter and/or any sort of distractions.

Never allow yourself to write where your hand is elevated above the flat surface, i.e.,

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writing on a pad of paper. This will inhibit proper hand positioning and whole-arm movement.

Cushion Sheet Critical when writing script calligraphy as it provides elasticity to the writing surface, allowing the pen to kiss the page ever so softly.

Allows for very fine hairlines Brings forgiveness to to the writing surface and thus prevents less catching of the sharp tip of the pen into the paper.

I use a leather pad from Saddleback leather. I’ve used scrap leather in the past to get the kind of surface I wanted, but this leather desk pad has made for a sweet writing/desk experience.

Check out the Saddleback Leather Desk Pad here.

Paper You want your table flat and your paper smooth. An extremely smooth paper surface gives your pen the freedom to dance fluidly.

Avoid paper with fibers that will quickly absorb your ink, lift, and gum up your nib. Avoid paper that is too rigid and stiff, like card stock. These types of paper will negate the supple surface you created with your

-Life Co. Paper from Nanami Paper

2. Gillott 303 I recommend this nib for finer (smaller lettering) For Finished Work: work.

-Strathmore Bristol Plate This smaller nib allows you to create fine hair-Arches 90lb Hotpress Water Color Paper lines, and fairly large For black paper: Strathmore Artagain. shades.

3. Zebra G This is the nib I recInk There are endless varieties of paints and inks ommend to anyone that can be used. To make things simple, these new to the art. For the heavy-handed beginner, this pen is very forare the ones I use most. giving. It also has a sharp point and good flex.

For practice and correspondence, I suggest: 1. Iron Gall This is the choice ink of past masters as it of- Penholders The two primary characteristics to be mindful fers ideal viscosity and of when choosing a penholder are functionalfluidity for ornamental ity and comfort. Here are the top two (oblique) penmanship. Although penholders I recommend: this ink is acidic and 1. Ergonomic Oblique Penholder will cause faster wear As some of you know, I create my own and tear on your nibs, penholders, the Ergonomic Oblique being one it allows you to create among many. In the beginning of my calligrabeautiful hairlines and dark, bold shades. My two favorite brands are: McCaffery’s and Old phy career, I found many of the penholders available on the market to be unsatisfactory. I World. exclusively and whole-heartedly recommend 5. Sumi Ink my penholders as I have This is Japanese or Chinese Stick Ink. made them to be the My choice ink for finished pieces.

A carbon-based ink, which means it is archival very best, faithful tool I have ever known in the and is lightfast (opaque). art due to the care and Brand of choice: Moon Palace.

And what about other ink storage possibil- tailored craftsmanship that goes into each one. ities? Something like this would work well for My unique ergonomic design embodies keeping your ink in an air-tight container and at-the-ready for your next calligraphy project! functionality and comfort.

Encourages whole-arm movement and proper grip of the pen.

Nibs Lends as a gentle reminder of correct hand Again, there are countless types of nibs on position. the market, making it sometimes difficult to know which ones to choose from. Here are my These specific design elements lend well to both beginners and advanced calligraphers. top three choice of nibs: 1. Leonard Principle My Ergonomic Oblique Penholders are indiThis nib has a sharp point that allows fine vidually carved in various types of wood and hairlines yet is flexible enough to create thick hand-poured resin. They can be purchased shades.

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Pen: Esterbrook Estie Retail: $140 Ink: Esterbrook 50ml - Cobalt Retail: $25

Pen: Esterbotok JR Rocketpen Retail: $140 Ink: Pelikan Edelstein Onyx - 50ml Paper: Esterbrook Noveau Bleu Retail: $15

Pen: Esterbotok JR Rocketpen Retail: $140 Ink: Aurora 55ml - Red Retail: $25 Paper: Esterbrook Noveau Bleu Retail: $15 10

Pen: TWSBI Eco Retail: $32 Ink: Einstein 65ml - Magenta Retail: $38

Pen: Scriptorium Balideer Retail: $235 Ink: Montblanc 50ml -Psychadelic Purple Retail: $40

Pen: Ebonite Flex Retail: $84

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Pen Personality T

“ he fountain pen is the only writing system which adjusts to the writer”, says Managing Director Peter Utsch, who is responsible for Production at Lamy.

Thanks to its elasticity, the nib reacts to the hand’s writing pressure.

If you press too hard, you will find that writing comfort falls and the handwriting becomes untidy; if you don’t press hard enough, your handwriting will be expressionless and interrupted. If you then vary the pressure, style and speed, the pen will react immediately, producing clean, characteristic handwriting.

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Blue Satin Vertex Fountain Pen Blue Resin Finish

In 1848, American inventor Azel Storrs

Lyman patented a pen with “a combined holder and nib”.[13] From the 1850s, there was a steadily accelerating stream of fountain pen patents and pens in production. However, it was only after three key inventions were in place that the fountain pen became a widely popular writing instrument. Those were the iridium-tipped gold nib, hard rubber, and free-flowing ink.[9] Waterman 42 Safety Pen, with variation in materials (both red and black hard vulcanized rubbers or ebonite) and retracting nibs Parker Duofold, c. 1924 The first fountain pens making use of all these key ingredients appeared in the 1850s. In the 1870s Duncan MacKinnon, a Canadian living in New York City, and Alonzo T. Cross of Providence, Rhode Island, created stylographic pens with a hollow, tubular nib and a wire acting as a valve.[14] [15] Stylographic pens are now used mostly for drafting and technical drawing but were very popular in the decade beginning in 1875. In the 1880s the era of the mass-produced fountain pen finally began. The dominant American producers in this pioneer era were Waterman, of New York City, and Wirt, based in Bloomsburg,

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Pennsyloutmany up to

vania. Waterman soon stripped Wirt, along with companies that sprang fill the new and growing fountain pen market.

Waterman remained the market leader until the early 1920s.[16]

At this time, fountain pens were almost all filled by unscrewing a portion of the hollow barrel or holder and inserting the ink by means of an eyedropper – a slow and messy procedure.

Pens also tended to leak inside their caps and at the joint where the barrel opened for filling.[17] Now that the materials’ problems had been overcome and the flow of ink while writing had been regulated, the next problems to be solved were the creation of a simple, convenient self-filler and the problem of leakage. In 1890, W. B. Purvis patented a self-filler. Self-fillers began to arrive around the turn of the century; the most successful of these was probably the Conklin crescent-filler, followed by A. A. Waterman’s twist-filler.[18][19] The tipping point, however, was the runaway success of Walter A. Sheaffer’s lever-filler, introduced in 1912,[20] paralleled by Parker’s roughly contemporary button-filler.

Toxic Green Vertex Fountain Pen Green Resin Finish

In 1848, American inventor Azel Storrs Lyman

patented a pen with “a combined holder and nib”.

[13] From the 1850s, there was a steadily accelerating stream of fountain pen patents and pens in production. However, it was only after three key inventions were in place that the fountain pen became a widely popular writing instrument.

Those were the iridium-tipped gold nib, hard rubber, and free-flowing ink.[9] Waterman 42 Safety Pen, with variation in materials (both red and black hard vulcanized rubbers or ebonite) and retracting nibs

Parker Duofold, c. 1924 The first fountain pens making use of all these key ingredients appeared in the 1850s. In the 1870s Duncan MacKinnon, a Canadian living in New York City, and Alonzo T. Cross of Providence, Rhode Island, created stylographic pens with a hollow, tubular nib and a wire acting as a valve.[14][15] Stylographic pens are now used mostly for drafting and technical drawing but were very popular in the decade beginning in 1875. In the 1880s the era of the mass-produced fountain pen finally began.

The dominant American producers in this pioneer era were Waterman, of New York City, and Wirt, based in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. Waterman soon outstripped Wirt, along with many companies that sprang up to fill the new and growing fountain pen market. Waterman remained the market leader until the early 1920s.[16] At this time, fountain pens were almost all filled by unscrewing a portion of the hollow barrel or holder and inserting the ink by means of an eyedropper – a slow and messy procedure. Pens also tended to leak inside their caps and at the joint where the barrel opened for filling.[17] Now that the materials’ problems had been overcome and the flow of ink while writing had been regulated, the next problems to be solved were the creation of a simple, convenient self-filler and the problem of leakage. In 1890, W. B. Purvis patented a self-filler. Self-fillers began to arrive around the turn of the century; the most successful of these was probably the Conklin crescent-filler, followed

by A. A. Waterman’s twist-filler.[18][19] The tipping point, however, was the runaway success of Walter A. Sheaffer’s lever-filler, introduced in 1912,[20] paralleled by Parker’s roughly contemporary button-filler.

15

International Paper Vintage Click Pen Brass and Micarta Finish

In 1848, American inventor Azel Storrs Lyman

patented a pen with “a combined holder and nib”.

[13] From the 1850s, there was a steadily accelerating stream of fountain pen patents and pens in production. However, it was only after three key inventions were in place that the fountain pen became a widely popular writing instrument. Those were the iridium-tipped gold nib, hard rubber, and free-flowing ink.[9] Waterman 42 Safety Pen, with variation in materials (both red and black hard vulcanized rubbers or ebonite) and retracting nibs

Parker Duofold, c. 1924 The first fountain pens making use of all these key ingredients appeared in the 1850s.

In the 1870s Duncan MacKinnon, a Canadian living in New York City, and Alonzo T. Cross of Providence, Rhode Island, created stylographic pens with a hollow, tubular nib and a wire acting as a valve.[14][15] Stylographic pens are now used mostly for drafting and technical drawing but were very popular in the decade beginning in 1875.

In the 1880s the era of the mass-produced fountain pen finally began. The dominant American producers in this pioneer era were Waterman, of New York

City,

and Wirt, based in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. Waterman soon outstripped Wirt, along with many companies that sprang up to fill the new and growing fountain pen market.

Waterman remained the market leader until the early 1920s.[16]

At this time, fountain pens were almost all filled by unscrewing a portion of the hollow barrel or holder and inserting the ink by means of an eyedropper – a slow and messy procedure. Pens also tended to leak inside their caps and at the joint where the barrel opened for filling.[17] Now that the materials’ problems had been overcome and the flow of ink while writing had been regulated, the next problems to be solved were the creation of a simple, convenient self-filler and the problem of leakage. In 1890, W. B. Purvis patented a self-filler. Self-fillers began to arrive around the turn of the century; the most successful of these was probably the Conklin crescent-filler, followed by A. A. Waterman’s twist-filler.[18][19] The tipping point, however, was the runaway success of Walter A. Sheaffer’s lever-filler, introduced in 1912,[20] paralleled by Parker’s roughly contemporary button-filler.

MatteBlack Ed Gein Twist Style Pen Gunmetal Finish

In 1848, American inventor Azel Storrs

Lyman patented a pen with “a combined holder and nib”.[13] From the 1850s, there was a steadily accelerating stream of fountain pen patents and pens in production. However, it was only after three key inventions were in place that the fountain pen became a widely popular writing instrument. Those were the iridium-tipped gold nib, hard rubber, and free-flowing ink.[9] Waterman 42 Safety Pen, with variation in materials (both red and black hard vulcanized rubbers or ebonite) and retracting nibs Parker Duofold, c. 1924 The first fountain pens making use of all these key ingredients appeared in the 1850s. In the 1870s Duncan MacKinnon, a Canadian living in New York City, and Alonzo T. Cross of Providence, Rhode Island, created stylographic pens with a hollow, tubular nib and a wire acting as a valve.

[14][15] Stylographic pens are now used mostly for drafting and technical drawing but were very popular in the decade beginning in 1875. In the 1880s the era of the mass-produced fountain pen finally began. The dominant American producers in this pioneer era were Waterman, of New York City, and Wirt, based in Bloomsburg,

Pennsoon

sylvania. Waterman outstripped Wirt, along with many companies that sprang up to fill the new and growing fountain pen market. Waterman remained the market leader until the early 1920s.[16]

At this time, fountain pens were almost all filled by unscrewing a portion of the hollow barrel or holder and inserting the ink by means of an eyedropper – a slow and messy procedure. Pens also tended to leak inside their caps and at the joint where the barrel opened for filling.[17] Now that the materials’ problems had been overcome and the flow of ink while writing had been regulated, the next problems to be solved were the creation of a simple, convenient self-filler and the problem of leakage. In 1890, W. B. Purvis patented a self-filler. Self-fillers began to arrive around the turn of the century; the most successful of these was probably the Conklin crescent-filler, followed by A. A. Waterman’s twist-filler.

[18][19] The tipping point, however, was the runaway success of Walter A. Sheaffer’s lever-filler, introduced

Featured Metallic and Pearlescent Inks

Jacques Herbin 1670 Emerald of Chivor - 50ml Bottled Ink

This 50ml bottle of Jacques Herbin 1670

Émeraude de Chivor (Emerald of Chivor) greenblue ink has intense red sheen and gold flecks, and was originally released in August 2015. This is the fourth ink in the Jacques Herbin 1670 Anniversary Ink series.

Jacques Herbin is said to have kept an emerald in his pocket during his voyages as a good luck charm.

These precious gemstones have been treasured for centuries as protective talismans. One of the purest emerald deposits in the world, the Chivor mine was discovered in the middle of the16th century by Spanish conquistadors.

Chivor emeralds were much in demand, and the

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emperors and royalty of India, Turkey and Persia sought the New World treasures once the gems arrived in Europe. Emeralds were enormously popular with the Mughal Court, whose emperors referred to them as “Tears of the Moon” because of their opaque transparency.

This beautiful emerald green blue ink contains a red sheen with gold flecks throughout, enhancing your writing with an elegance and beauty that is unmatched by other inks. Each 50ml bottle is hand dipped in sealing wax with a stamped “1670” seal on the front and individually packaged in a collector edition box.

Jacques Herbin has been around since the year 1670, hence the name for their premium ink line. The

Pelikan Edelstein Golden Beryl -50ml Bottled Ink (Special Edition)

5 0ml bottle of Pelikan Edelstein Golden Beryl shimmering fountain pen ink. Set in a beautiful inkwell

glass bottle. Golden Beryl is Pelikan’s 2021 Ink of the Year and will be available in limited quantities.

Long time awaited and one of the most wanted out of the Top Ten list: The new shade of Edelstein Ink of the year 2021 Golden Beryl gets golden-sparkling!

For the first time an Edelstein Ink of the year is a shimmering ink with yellow-golden ink color and shimmering pigments.

The fascinating gem stone of the Beryl in its golden version is the name giver of this fascinating color. But this extraordinary ink needs to be treated extraordinary: before usage it is definitely necessary to shake the bottle well. When shaking it, you will be fascinated by the swirl of the shimmering flow.

Muji’s Aluminum Fountain Pen

Muji May Have Just Made TheBest Everyday Fountain Pen for Any Budget

I found a new pen to love. A few weeks

ago at knit night, Ana handed me a pen and told me to take it for a spin. The pen was a Muji, an aluminum round fountain pen ($15) from the Japanese company, Muji.

The pen is a super-slim, rounded aluminum pen with a textured grip, and a stainless steel nib. It has a snap cap that posts in sort of unique way; the edges of the cap are super thin and fit into a thin channel hollowed out at the end of the pen.

Mine is a fine nib and is marked “Iridium Point.” (Editor’s Note: Pretty sure that’s a Schmidt nib) The Muji comes with cartridges, and I decided to go ahead and use them. I skipped the black cartridge that came with the pen, and played what Ana calls “cartridge roulette” – I dug into a canister of cartridges that she had sent me and emerged with one that I believe is Kaweco Palm

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Green ($2.10 for 6 cartridges).

I loved everything about this pen. The pen is modern looking, slim and sleek at 20gms, but also has a surprisingly nice weight in my hand. The cartridge took almost no time to fill the pen, and it wrote immediately without problems. I spent a little time testing it on a Pebble Paper Design notebook (review forthcoming) and had no problems with it at all. My lines were clean; the ink didn’t bleed or feather.

Thanks to a dear friend, I recently came into possession of a Muji Fountain Pen. For those who are unfamiliar, Muji is a home goods and clothing company from Japan that focuses on simple, utilitarian items that are beautiful and totally functional. The fountain pen is brushed aluminum with a diamond grid texture embossed in the grip area. The brushed exterior is the exact same color and texture as the casing of my MacBook Pro, just so you know.

The cap snaps on rather than a threaded screw cap and can be posted on the end of the pen.

Capped, the pen measures 5.5” and 5” unposted.

If the cap is posted on the end, the pen is a lengthy 6.5” long making it long enough for even the largest hands. The overall width of the pen is about 3/8” which is just a tiny bit thinner than a standard Sharpie marker.

Muji Fountain Pen The pen weighs just 20 gms which is comparable to the Pilot Prera at 17 gms and the Kaweco Sport which weigh just 15 gms. The only other metal casing

it is not marked. I find that it behaves like a very fine stub adding a lot of character to my handwriting. Its has a little bit of friction when writing so its not quite as smooth and buttery on paper as the Kaweco pens but I don’t mind it. It will probably wear down over time.

Muji FP writing sample The Muji FP takes standard European cartridges but there appears to be enough room in the body for a standard converter though I have not tried it yet. I used a Kaweco stock blue cartridge which worked well with the pen.

Muji FP capped For the price of $15.50, there really isn’t any reason not to invest in one of the Muji fountain pens if you like the looks of it. I think it would make a great starter fountain pen for designers, architects and engineers. Its currently sold out on the Muji website but if you live in an area with a Muji shop, it would be worth the trip to pick one up or find a kind friend to pick one up for you! (Thanks to Cecelia for picking this one up for me!)

UPDATE: Stationery Art also stocks the Muji Fountain Pen. They are currently listing their price at $16.99.

pen in my arsenal is the Lamy Studio which weighs in at 27 gms.

The nib is iridium point and seems to be about a medium nib though

Pelikan

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