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At the last meeting of the Arkansas Pen Club, Andrew McCauley brought his collection of jumbo Japanese fountain pens, and Shawn Newton of newtonpens.com explained their filling system to us. Noting that the Opus 88 filling system was similar, he later put his thoughts in an email and graciously allowed us to share it here. Somebody sent me this Opus to auction for the scholarships and thought I'd grab some photos to show you guys how this style of eyedropper with shut off valve works. In this first photo the pen is closed. The knob is screwed down against the barrel, so the black seal at the front of the long rod is touching the back of the section, blocking any ink from going to the nib.  Opus 88 filling system, seal in place. The second photo shows the pen open. There's space between the black seal and the knob is unscrewed a few turns. You have to do this to use the pen.  Opus 88 filling system, seal open Knob pulled back more with section removed. Neat huh?  Opus 88 filling system Seal inside of the barrel.  Opus 88 filling system, seal close-up Back of section, you can sort of see where the seal, uh, seals. So when the knob is closed, the black seal is stuck against the inside back of the section, preventing ink from flowing to nib. This is just like those Japanese Jumbo pens from pen club. Easy to use. Restoration usually just means cleaning out old ink and tuning the nib if it needs it. I had a little clear one from the 60s or 70s a few years ago, but sold it to fund my pen turning venture 8 years ago.  Opus 88 filling system, back of section
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It's no secret we're fans of Spors pens, and by extension the whole line up of crazy mail order goodness Spors offered. We've recently come across this 1931 Spors' Book for Salesman, and we thought we'd share it here in its entirety. Coconut oil shampoo? Page 9. Fabric Patch-It Paste? Page 20. Rubber hot-dog? Page 64. And yes, the beloved "Crystal Point" glass-nibbed pen, as well as page after page of other pens, pencils and inks, begins on page 34. Enjoy!  Sanford's Ink Eraser, c. 1900-1910 We recently came across this vintage tin of Sanford's Ink Eraser and couldn't pass up the opportunity to share some photos. It dates to 1900-1910, and was one of the first products marketed to remove ink.  Sanford's Ink Eraser, c. 1900-1910 The bottle lids were numbered 1 and 2. The bottles themselves were imprinted with First and Second, and molded so as to only fit in the tin in the correct order. Directions on the tin: For Paper - First apply No. 1, rubbing gently until the ink has softened, then blot off and apply No. 2 until the ink has disappeared, then apply No. 1 again until the two fluids are neutralized and dry with a blotter. For Clothing - Use equal parts of Nos. 1 and 2 and absorb with a clean, damp sponge.  Stanford's Ink Eraser, c. 1900-1910 Here's an advertisement for them from the February 24, 1900 issue of The American Stationer. You can read more about Sanford on the Made in Chicago Museum website.  Advertisement for Stanford's Ink Eraser in The American Stationer, February 24, 1900. |
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