News: M805 Clear Demonstrator

February 27, 2015 By Joshua in News Tags: Demonstrator, Fountain Pen, M805, New Release, Pelikan 8 Comments

M805 Clear Demonstrator

First broke by Iguana Sell, a luxury pen retailer located in Spain, we now have news of yet another, long rumored, new model release from Pelikan. This is the third new model for 2015 and I understand that this most recent one has been on the wish list of many enthusiasts. With a target release date of late April, Pelikan is going to bring us the M805 Clear Demonstrator. Similar in styling to the M1005 released in 2011, this release will feature a clear demonstrator with an all rhodium trim, including an 18C rhodinated nib. Many have long appreciated the M1005’s styling which won it the renowned French Le Trophée du Stylographe award following its release. While the M1005 is held in high regard, its size and price point does not suit everyone. The new M805 will help remedy that to some extent and it will reportedly come in two variants. The first will be a standard, clear demonstrator available in nib sizes F, M, and B. The second variant will have engravings in English on the barrel identifying the various components of the mechanism similar to the prior M800 clear demonstrator special edition. The second variant will be available in F and M nib sizes. The packaging looks like it will be similar to the M1005 and includes a gift box with a transparent window allowing for immediate visualization of the pen and its transparency.

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Review: M200 Café Crème 2015 Special Edition

February 25, 2015 By Joshua in Reviews Tags: Cafe Creme, Fountain Pen, M200, New Release, Pelikan 20 Comments

It seems as if it were just yesterday that Pelikan announced a new M200 model for 2015 and, two months later, we now have the Café Crème (pronounced kah/fay krehm) in hand. The company has been producing many special editions in recent times within both its Classic and Souverän lines. For the M200 line, Pelikan gave us the clear transparent demonstrator in 2012 which they followed up in 2014 with the cognac transparent demonstrator. Both of those releases were nice pens but ultimately were little more than re-releases of prior M200 models with a slight upgrade of the cap top trim. While this was welcomed by many due to the relative scarcity of examples from the original release on the secondary market, the new models overall have felt uninspired and stale. What’s more is that pen collectors/users are very polarized over demonstrator models with one camp loving them and another loathing them without much middle ground in between. This years release does not feel rehashed but instead seems to offer a truly new and unique pen that brings back some excitement to Pelikan’s entry-level line-up. Inspired by the world of coffee, this pen is anything but stale and whatever your taste may be, this release hopefully signals a game change from the creative minds at Pelikan.

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Touring Pelikan’s Factory & The Wish Nib

February 23, 2015 By Joshua in Reference Tags: Customization, Fountain Pen, Nibs, Pelikan, Tour 3 Comments

Have you ever wondered how your Pelikan fine writing instrument came to life? What technologies are involved and how does Pelikan retain the craftsmanship that only skilled human workers can provide in an otherwise automated process? For a collector or enthusiast, the chance to discover the answers to these questions can greatly enhance one’s connection with the brand. For some, such a trip would rival that of Willy Wonka’s own chocolate factory. Thankfully, you don’t have to buy any Wonka Bars or find a “Golden Ticket” to get in. As of February 2014, Pelikan has begun to offer tours of its manufacturing plant in Vöhrum, Germany which is approximately 25 miles east of Hannover (manufacturing moved in the 1970’s due to a need for more space). The tour purportedly last 90 minutes and encompasses all of the major steps in the manufacturing process of Pelikan’s high-end writing instruments. These tours are not a daily occurrence though and they do have to be booked in advance. This can be accomplished through Pelikan’s website via a simple online booking process. One Friday a month is set aside by the company and all of the tours start at 9:30am. The price for the tour is just 15 € (including the 19% Mehrwertsteuer, a German tax similar to the VAT) at the time of this post (approximately $17).

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Chartpak & Their Policies

February 18, 2015 By Joshua in Reference Tags: Chartpak, Fountain Pen, Pelikan, Repair, Warranty 20 Comments

One of the reasons that Pelikan has such an ardent following is the fact that their pens are durable and dependable. Pens that are 50+ years old can continue to write problem free if cared for properly. Despite their durability, there are pens that will experience failure in various situations. Also, even the best quality control is not infallible and products not quite up to standards will make it past the factory floor and into a consumer’s hands. Since so many of our purchases occur electronically these days due to the scarcity of brick and mortar stores, there really is not an opportunity to identify many of these flaws before purchase. Thankfully, there is a system in place for when service is required. In the United States and Canada, that service is provided by Chartpak, Inc.

If you peruse Chartpak’s website, you will learn that they were first established in 1949 as a graphic and design products company within the United States. They have been innovators with products for artists and draftsmen and have expanded their reach over the years by designing products for the engineering and visual communications fields. The Chartpak of today is described as a global leader in the creative product enterprise and reportedly has 9 brands with 38 product lines that span 17 categories of art materials, fine writing, craft & hobby and office products for home, school, and office.

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The M200 Silver Pearls

February 8, 2015 By Joshua in Reference Tags: Fountain Pen, M200, Pelikan, Silver Pearls 5 Comments

The grey marbled M200, a finish also known as the silver pearls, is a frequently encountered variation of Pelikan’s Classic line. These are quite commonly found for sale on the secondary market and are, in my opinion, one of the more distinguished appearing variants of the M200. It likely made its debut sometime around 1988 in the ‘old-style’ trim variant which was distinguished by a derby cap top, double cap bands, and the absence of a trim ring at the piston knob. This finish also was utilized in an older run of M250’s for the export market. In the M200 line-up, this model persisted along with its blue and green marbled siblings up until and through the revision of the line in 1997.

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How-To: Disassemble & Clean a Pelikan Cap

February 1, 2015 By Joshua in How-To's Tags: Cap, Fountain Pen, How-To's, Maintenance, Pelikan 8 Comments

I recently had a question posed to me about condensation forming on the inside of the cap of a demonstrator and how to best address it. This got me to thinking about a related issue which is ink that can get trapped between the outer and inner caps. It is not uncommon for condensation to form inside a cap and the nature of the demonstrator is to make this phenomenon quite noticeable. The science behind the formation of condensation is fundamental and depends on warm air meeting a cool surface. Pens that are kept close to the body, i.e. a shirt pocket, are warmed to body temperature and condensation forms when the outside of the cap cools faster than the air surrounding the nib. This has no effect on the pen’s performance and usually can be easily wiped away with a cotton swab or towel. More troublesome can be ink that works its way between the outer and inner caps which cannot be easily flushed away with a simple soaking.

The remedy for trapped moisture/ink can be the disassembly of the cap which allows the inner cap to be separated and removed to facilitate cleaning. While I do not recommend that this procedure be considered part of routine maintenance, it certainly can be pulled off relatively easily and without any negative consequences. I will describe the procedure below as well as leave you with some thoughts afterwards.

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