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<img class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="05ca70d9270d74a8345c8115f81ebd34" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="d91f5" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTkyMzA4Mi9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MTkwODQ5MX0.Nz4LoATQVvP5pFHQtOtRtCeUBfAj12nZZKERhV60r70/img.gif?width=980"/>
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</p><br style="clear:left"/><em>Watermans, early 1900's: red ripple and hard rubber, gold and silver overlay</em><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="adc6d48683783abb8550147eda4bf7b8" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="38353" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTkyMzA4My9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2MDQ0MTcwMH0.uQf759UtquZ39iTz4l5mbw5iqVdD7PgfheclvBCW69A/img.gif?width=980"/>
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</p><br style="clear:left"/><em>1800's dip quills: Warren "Penny Quills", Samson Mordan & Co. steel nib dip pens, ivory map pens</em><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="632ba5633d75a48ff3baee02608aa08e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="898f1" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTkyMzA4NS9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY3MDQ4NTg5Mn0.whhtbXSb7_AkRq2aBZ5kmzticz0wWiOn37VgVm36xsE/img.gif?width=980"/>
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</p><br style="clear:left"/><em>Japanese figural pen, early 20th century</em><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="32a5627360f8390b97c3ddd2b22ecc4a" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="e8192" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTkyMzA4Ni9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NTA0ODA1Mn0.s8OrL7D17bnVPwZBHzTt1zBMeUrQoqpRLDSbI_L9On8/img.gif?width=980"/>
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</p><br style="clear:left"/><em>A typical lever-filler pen, ca. 1903 Waterman 52-1/2V</em>Many antique and vintage fountain pens are lever-fillers. To fill one, lift its lever (as shown on the disassembled example, above) and submerge its nib in ink. Depress the lever and count to ten before removing the nib from the ink bottle.A plate inside the lever box presses against a rubber bladder; when the lever is depressed the plate relaxes and allows the bladder to inflate, thereby taking in ink through the nib.The flake seen above is of orange shellac; it melts under a heat gun and is used to affix rubber bladders to feed sections. A spare bladder is seen as well.<br style="clear:left"/><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9d3fcc39a7f43e446f05474bd2d4aef9" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="4b668" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTkyMzA4Ny9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NzU3MTk5NX0.Sxavo2JZ30B35nFgphxHGyQPN2S6Kmjz_tmEFCC_kHo/img.gif?width=980"/>
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</p><em>Gold, Platinum, Rhodium nibs (L-to-R): Montblanc 149, Sailor Professional Gear, Pelikan M1000, Waterman Exception</em><br style="clear:left"/><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="77cb3fe0f4b490c62b0c9638716064ce" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="51ab0" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTkyMzA4OC9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NDg0Mjk4Nn0.j79MFHxXx-41cUIGtkNf5NqUqxeuLSrYdDxGsiF2acw/img.gif?width=980"/>
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</p><br style="clear:left"/><em>Ink Drawer</em>One of the nice things about a fountain pen is that if you can't find the ink color you want for it, you can always mix it yourself. My favorite shade is a deep burgundy made by mixing Noodler's Azure Blue with Foxy Red. I add 5% white to give the ink a glossy appearance.<br style="clear:left"/><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6d2b017e470ebee731a921f264649a66" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="13b3c" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTkyMzA4OS9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MDMwNzU4OX0.-yYAIMgtkIx9Pz_jlO2TLD7XZdTF8k9cKnLNm0bCiCs/img.gif?width=980"/>
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</p><em>Inkwells: Victorian, traveller, burst-tops</em><br style="clear:left"/>The full essay is <a href="http://www.rmabercrombie.com/collectibles/fountainpens.html">here</a>.<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>
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