Pen World v26.5

The Universe of Writing Culture Classic Pens and Paul Rossi:

out of this world

David Oscarson honors fellow Swede

Carl Linnaeus AUGUST 2013 $6.95US $7.95CAN

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74851 08282

08

9

inks to keep your pens humming

C A R B O N G R A F I T E

“passion is our excellence�

Limited Edition of 930 fountain pens and 930 rollerball pens Unidirectional carbongrafite material 18 Chrome Tubular Smartouch nib Retractable cartridge or converter filling system Retractable Carbongrafite case

USA Distributor: Coles of London LLC - 8510 McAlpine Park Drive, Suite 107- Charlotte, NC 28211 - Tel: 561 620 3022 - sales@colesoflondon.com - www.colesoflondon.com www.visconti.it

AUGUST VOLUME 26, NUMBER 5 ON OUR COVER: LR6 Planets and LR7 Moonlight by Classic Pens Inc. and Paul Rossi

59

38 the pen and ink link

How to find the inks that work best with your pens.

42 express yourself!

Ink color can be a visual tool or a means of self-expression.

62

49 what’s in store?

Shopping in a brick-and-mortar pen store offers a unique experience.

56 it’s a natural

Penmaker David Oscarson goes once again to his Swedish roots for inspiration.

59 the art of Artus

A Russian company is creating a stir among art pen lovers.

66

62 natural beauty

Swiss maker Von Moos uses the fruits of Planet Earth to produce luxury pens.

66 paean to Parker

A pillar of American penmaking celebrates a milestone: Parker at 125.

70 return to lever-land

Go back in time to the land of the leverfiller and its plethora of variations.

52 universal truth

Classic Pens Inc. and Paul Rossi offer you the moon... and the stars and the planets.

56

departments WHAT’S HOT NOW

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so many words, so little time

08 mail

our readers speak

10 news 14 now 26 date

people, places and events

new pens and other products

mark your calendar

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30 note 33 shop 45 strokes

favorite things

45

Vienna, Austria

Heather Victoria Held

74 test 76 network 78 source 80 imho

Visconti Opera Smartouch

classified advertising

guide to products and services

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14

words to live by

Fahrney’s Exclusive!

Thomas Jefferson Limited Edition Poplar Knife

view

So many words...

So ittle L Time ith every issue of PW, I grow more respectful (and more in awe) of the vast well of information we have from which to draw. I have stopped trying to explain when some hapless new acquaintance, upon finding out what I do, asks how we can possibly fill a magazine—an entire magazine!—with material about writing instruments. I just laugh and show them a copy. I tell them that I’ve been associated with the magazine in one form or other for eighteen of its twenty-six years, and one problem we have never had is a lack of things to write about.

First, there’s the long history of writing instruments and a huge variety of materials, mechanisms, processes and human interest stories inherent to each one. You’ll find plenty along those lines in this issue, including articles by Richard Binder on lever-fillers and by Barry Robinson on the 125th anniversary of Parker Pen. Our testers try Visconti’s Smartouch nib, inspired by the Parker 51 nibs of the past.

Then there’s the creativity of today’s penmakers and their myriad sources of inspiration. In this issue alone, you’ll find pens inspired by the moon and the planets (our handsome cover pens by

W

Feel the presence of our nation’s early history in your pocket! Fahrney’s presents the second in its series of exclusive limited edition knives custom-made by the artisans at William Henry Studio. The handsome knife is inlaid with the natural wood from a Tulip Poplar tree widely believed to have been planted by Thomas Jefferson at his beloved Virginia home, Monticello.

Fine details on the Jefferson knife include the intricately hand-carved frame in sterling silver and the damascus steel blade. Limited to 50 pieces. Please call us or visit our website for more details.

Catalog Requests Call 1-800-624-PENS Shop Online: www.FahrneysPens.com Visit our Retail Store: 1317 F St. NW OYk`af_lgf$ <; *(* .*0 1-*-

Visit Us at the DC Pen SuperShow Sat. & Sun. August 10th & 11th

Classic Pens and Paul Rossi), a worldfamous botanist from the eighteenth century (David Oscarsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s homage to Carl Linnaeus), and rare woods and precious stones (luxury pens by Von Moos of Switzerland), and everything from religious iconography to nature scenes (Artus).

And then of course thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the question of where to purchase fine writing instruments: Sam Hettiarachichi takes us shopping in Vienna, and June Kasperski Wild compares in-store and online shopping.

Of course, pen lovers are interested not just in pens but with all manner of writing equipment and supplies. We offer help in choosing fountain pen ink, and Julian H. Kreeger examines ink preferences. Deborah Basel continues her series on calligraphers with Heather Victoria Held.

Considering all that, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d have to say that finding something to write about is the least of our worries! It is a thrill and a privilege to be part of this creative environment. It nourishes my soulâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and I hope it does yours.

editor@penworld.com

Classic Pens Inc. and Paul Rossi team up once again.

lanets in Your

Pocket

BY LAURA CHANDLER

The LR6 Planets with the “sun” in yellow pearl inlaid at the top of the cap.

lthough it is quite possible to design and produce pens as a lone wolf—and some penmakers have done so very successfully— Andreas “Andy” Lambrou often prefers to work with others as a way of combining strengths. He carefully chooses working partners from among those companies and artists he respects, with the hope that together they will be more than the sum of their parts. One such partnership is with the artist Paul Rossi, with whom Lambrou will launch a new collection in August.

A

52

Lambrou first met Rossi at the 1991 Los Angeles Pen Show— Lambrou’s first in the United States. At the time, Lambrou was living and working in England and had established a thriving pen repair service. He was at the show to search for parts. “A slim man, who dressed and looked like a typical artist, approached our table,” Lambrou recalls. He was, of course, Paul Rossi. They ended up trading some pens, and Lambrou remembers being impressed by Rossi’s knowledge of pen design.

Rossi grew up in the small town of Solothurn, Switzerland, and served an apprenticeship from 1964 to 1968 as a toolmaker before coming to the United States in 1973. “I liked American things,” he tells PW. “I drove a Pontiac and Oldsmobile”— brands that in Switzerland were as prestigious as Lexus and Mercedes are in the United States. Once in the states, he got a job in a machine shop making, among other things, prototypes of parts for the aerospace industry.

The LR7 Moonlight. The gold stars interspersed among the silver stars will remain bright, while those in silver will lose some of their brightness and develop an attractive patina.

But his artistic nature soon took over and he began making jewelry. By the early 1990s, Rossi, who grew up using and loving high quality writing instruments, was beginning to try his hand with pens, first creating intricate metal overlays with Parker Duofolds as the base pens.

He was quickly “discovered” by the burgeoning fountain pen community, and began making pens for private clients, a few retailers and for himself.

From the beginning, he decided to remain an independent artist, enjoying the freedom to pick and choose his projects.

Lambrou was impressed with his work and asked him to design and make two filigree overlays in exchange for a Breitling watch Rossi had admired at a pen show but which was beyond his means at the time. In 1998, Rossi had the pens delivered to Lambrou, who was extremely pleased with the work. In 2000, Lambrou moved to Los Angeles, California, not far from Rossi’s home, and soon afterwards suggested that they collaborate on a collection of silver filigree designs for Lambrou’s newly formed U.S. company, Classic Pens Inc. Classic Pens showed examples of Rossi’s work to Parker Pen officials and asked permission to use the Duofold as the base pen for the LR collection—the “LR” signifying Lambrou–Rossi (Lambrou consistently attaches the initials

of his partners to their joint projects). With Parker’s blessing, they proceeded to make five overlay designs on the Duofold, which was then available not only in black but also in jade green, jasper red and lapis lazuli. The color of the base pen was chosen to complement the designs, which were, in chronological order, the Eagle Chief, featuring an Indian chief in full headdress; the Harvest, with wheat and morning glories; the Woodland Oak, with leaves and acorns; the Muse, inspired by the face of a woman from ancient Greek mythology; and the Alaska, featuring a family of eagles. Requiring 120 man-hours of work from Rossi, the Alaska turned out to be one of his most elaborate creations. The pens were launched in 2001 at the Los Angeles International Pen Show. Ten pieces in each design were offered, and it took Rossi four years to create them.

No sooner had he finished than the two began a new project that resulted in the creation of two new pen model designs that Classic Pens has used extensively—the trademarked Legend and the Mythos. Lambrou and Rossi also jointly created the Classic Pens necktie-shaped clip and the company logo. The logo’s two diamond shapes joined at the tip “represent the positive relationship between Classic 53

Previous Lambrou-Rossi collaborations, as seen in PW, June 2001: the Eagle Chief (above) and the Harvest, Woodland Oak, Muse and Alaska (below, left to right)

Pens and its working partners, be it individual artists or international pen manufacturers,” says Lambrou.

The new collection is an extension of the 2001 silver filigree designs on the Duofold and the 2007 Jupiter pen, created on the Legend pen body. The Jupiter, in dark blue diffusion bonded acrylic, featured inlay work by Rossi in a series of 100. The two new designs—called the LR6 Planets and the LR7 Moonlight—use diffusion bonded acrylic in Space Blue on the oversize Mythos model, which is 6 inches long when closed, although customers will also be able to order it in 5.8- and 6.25-inch sizes. To maintain a consistent distance between the end of the clip and the top of the cap band, the width of the cap band will vary: it will be 8 mm wide on the 5.8-inch pen, 9 mm on the 6-inch pen and 10 mm on the 6.25-inch pen. Rossi makes the pen bodies, including the clip, and does the inlay work.

The Planets, with sterling silver trim, is to be a limited edition of fifty pieces available in a choice of fountain pen and rollerball/ballpoint for $3,750. Additional writing units, either fountain pen or rollerball/ballpoint, may be purchased for $450 so that users can have a three-in-one writing instrument. Each piece will be hand-signed and hand-numbered by Rossi.

The Moonlight is also created on the large Mythos pen style at 6 inches. The Ursa Major and Ursa Minor constel54

lations are depicted on the cap in silver stars; smaller silver stars are also inlaid in the cap and barrel. On the barrel, the moon is represented with an inlay, and an intricate overlay on the barrel depicts rocks and trees.

To complete the nighttime scene, some Indigo Fire acrylic has been inlaid to depict the sea, and the effect is that of the moon’s reflection in the water. The clip has been carved in a rock pattern.

The Moonlight, also offered in a choice of fountain pen or roller/ballpoint writing units, will carry a retail price tag of $6,750. As with the Planets, additional writing units are available at $450. The Moonlight is limited to twenty-five hand-signed and hand-numbered pieces.

The difference in pricing between the Planets and the Moonlight is a reflection not so much of the additional silver required to make the overlays—sterling silver isn’t that expensive—but of the time required to make them.

Whereas a Planets pen requires thirty-five man hours to complete, the Moonlight requires almost double that: sixtyfive man-hours. “Mistakes cost time,” says Rossi. He explains that a flub made while turning a pen can be rectified quickly, but a mistake in an overlay usually means starting all over—and losing whatever time has already been invested in the work.

Besides requiring lots of time, making the overlays calls for a certain calmness in his surroundings. This is where Rossi’s independence as an artist has paid off: he can take on only the projects he likes. He does all of the machine work at the machine shop where he was first employed. Aside

Three views of the final artist’s proof for the LR6 Planets. In this variation, the yellow pearl representing the sun is bonded to the top of the cap rather than inlaid, as in the version on p. 52.

from that, he says, “I can work at home, listen to music and smoke my pipe,” allowing that, at age sixty-four, his vision isn’t what it used to be and he works for shorter stretches at a time.

Does he have any plans to retire? “Artists don’t retire,” he replies. “As long as they have ideas, they can create.”

It doesn’t seem likely that there will be any dearth of ideas from either Andy Lambrou or Paul Rossi—and that is good news, indeed. It means that we can look forward to much more from them in the future, whether individually, as a team or in partnership with others.

Evolution of a Design Most pen designs go through numerous changes on their way from concept to finished product. The same is true of the LR6 Planets.

The Planets started out with a different name—the Galaxy—in a blue acrylic called Indigo Fire, which represented the Milky Way. Six “planets” were inlaid—Venus and Mercury were shown on the cap in gold and green, respectively; Jupiter, in red, was located below the clip on the barrel, which also featured Earth in light blue, Neptune in olive and Uranus in light mauve. The constellation Pegasus can be seen on the barrel in gold stars—other stars are in silver.

First artist’s proof

But Lambrou and Rossi decided to use a different acrylic, Space Blue. Since the acrylic no longer resembled the Milky Way, the pen’s name was changed from Galaxy to Planets. Five planets are shown on the second version, with Neptune and Uranus being eliminated, Mars being added in light brown and Earth taking the prominent position directly under the clip held by Jupiter on the first proof.

Third artist’s proof

The third and final proof was changed in only one respect: Mars, since it is the red planet, is now represented in red pearl.

But wait! There’s more. Since PW first spoke to Lambrou and Rossi, the decision was made to add Saturn on the barrel and the sun on the cap top. To make space for Saturn, the Pegasus constellation on the barrel was replaced with the smaller Orion. The six planets on the pen body will be inlaid relative to their distance from the sun: Mercury and Venus on the cap, and Earth, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn on the barrel.

Lambrou reports that the diffusion-bonded acrylic will experience none of the shrinkage associated with regular acrylics.

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