Pens and Paper

And the universe is stapled together ...

This is a Duo-Fast pocket stapler. It's about as big as a medium-sized pen, and when you close up the stapler, you put the cap over it, and it sits in your pocket just like a pen. It appears they were made from the 1950s to the 1970s. This one's new in the box, with instructions and staples.

Now, you have to understand that I just had to buy it, and because if I hadn't, I might have sent the entire universe tumbling out of whack. There was just too much going on that day to leave it at the yard sale where I spotted it.

You see, I was checking Facebook one morning, and noticed a post from pen dealer Richard Binder. It seems a friend made him a gift of one, and he started his post by saying, "I'll bet none of you have one of these." About two hours later, a friend called and said she was at a yard sale, and there was a table filled with pens. So I went. And the first thing I spotted was this.

Now, two hours prior, I had no idea such a thing existed, and here I was looking at the second one to cross my path--one virtual, one in front of me. Had I left it there, I'm sure a wormhole would have opened in the sky above me and taken me off to some weird hell where books are all electronic, and you can only write with your thumbs. So I bought it. I know better than to tempt fate.

The Freemason handshake? It might have been an Eversharp!

Each month, Richard's Pens puts a tray of vintage and restored pens online. They go really quickly - usually within a few minutes of the initial posting - but this Eversharp Skyline Demi sat around for a day and a half. I was going to be good, but then ... well, my evil "you need this" side came through.

It probably didn't catch too many eyes because engraved pens aren't all that popular with collectors. This one commemorates the Freemason Logan Lodge in Altoona, Pennsylvania, which according to Richard Binder is still active. The engraving reads, Logan Lodge #490 - F. and A.M. - 1871 May 1st 1946. I have no idea why that date was important, but this is a really neat lever-fill pen, and it writes very nicely.

The Eversharp company is long gone, but the name has been revived on a series of pens that looks close to the original.

Updated - I contacted the Freemasons, who told me that the date was the lodge's 175th anniversary. I was also told that the Masons love anniversaries and collect items commemorating them, so this would have been made up for that.)

The Belmont Pen: Simple, speedy, satisfying!

I just bought a Belmont from Richard Binder Pens, and oh my. This is proof that while intricate can be fascinating, you just can't beat simplicity.

Richard makes the Belmont using a system originally patented in 1893. The pen is basically a syringe, and it works the same way as a needle. There's a plunger under the blind cap. Put the nib in the ink bottle, push the plunger in (to expel the air), pull the plunger out, and the pen fills.

That's it. And it's just as simple to flush it clean.

Oh, and did I mention that it writes like a dream? Richard's pens always do for me (he tweaks the nib before he ships each pen). I think I've found a new favorite writer!

The New Dunn, in "Tattler" configuration

I love pens with unusual filling mechanisms, and this one fits the bill. The New Dunn was patented in 1920, but went out of business in 1924. Richard Binder has created a modern version, which retains the "little red pump handle."

To fill it, you pull out the handle, submerge the pen in ink, pull it back out again, and wait three seconds while the pen draws fluid. It takes about 12 to 15 pumps to fill the pen completely. It's very simple and it works very well, and it holds a lot of ink. There's a solid black one available, but I wanted the clear "Tattler" one so I could see the mechanism. It looks a bit odd when it's not completely full, but it writes very well.