Messages

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Open Flourish | General Discussion / Re: Yoke Pen Restoration of Zanerian Fine Art Pen Holder

« on: October 09, 2018, 01:50:08 PM »

Thanks everyone for all the kind words and remarks. It was a great treat to do this restoration. Sorry I don't get over here as much as I used to 

Chris Yoke
www.yokepencompany.com

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Tools & Supplies / Re: Wrong oblique with the Nikko G?

« on: November 01, 2016, 10:10:39 PM »

That is correct angle for the flange placement. The foot on that pen is a bit wider, so the nib will come closer on a G nib due to the nib itself being longer. When you mass produce holders you have to compensate the flange to work with a multitude of nibs including very short ones, such as a EF66. This is why an improperly set flange will not allow the G nibs to align with the center axis, but that pen does, so it's just fine.

You dip the nib to just deep enough to fill the eyelet of the nib, so it will come close but can be dipped. Email me directly, [email protected] if you need more help, always happy to help

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Workshops & Conference News / Re: Spencerian Saga

« on: September 27, 2016, 02:46:08 PM »

Can't wait to meet you all!

I'll be putting as much as I possibly can into the truck before I leave. Including, as Mike stated, my pen holder collection. Also I know I will be bring several original specimens from the likes of Madarsz, Baird, Norder, Dennis, Kelchner, etc. Also an original copy of The Universal Penman, a few larger mounted pieces such as a Courtney Flourish, Original Zanerian Gold Seal Certificate, Lupfer's Zanerian Business Penmanship exemplar certificate, maybe a few more historic books, etc

Whatever I can remember to bring. 

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Open Flourish | General Discussion / Re: Buying a new oblique

« on: March 31, 2016, 10:15:42 AM »

Would love to, but they are way out of my league, and would also be a bit wasted on a beginner like me.

Don't know if you are aware but I also make budget priced pens which start at $44.99, which can also be custom ordered. These perform exactly the same as my more expensive pen holders.

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Open Flourish | General Discussion / Re: Cheap Oblique from China

« on: March 26, 2016, 09:46:30 PM »

Nope, they are different than Bill's, but very similar.

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Open Flourish | General Discussion / Re: Buying a new oblique

« on: March 25, 2016, 09:36:25 PM »

Correct the grip now used for high speed OP & Spencerian. That was traditionally how all people were taught to hold and use the pen, predating the Lupfer instructions.

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Open Flourish | General Discussion / Re: Cheap Oblique from China

« on: March 25, 2016, 09:07:53 PM »

Those are the same ones sold by PIA and John Neal. They are made in China and imported, the manufacturer is selling them direct to the public on eBay and for less money. Typically a no-no for a manufacturer to do that to your own distributor.

http://www.paperinkarts.com/turnobl.html

http://www.johnnealbooks.com/prod_detail_list/133

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Open Flourish | General Discussion / Re: Buying a new oblique

« on: March 25, 2016, 08:54:50 PM »

Thanks everyone for the kind words.

In regards to Connie's Pens, or any other ergonomic pen holder for that matter, there is one thing to consider. It forces your hand into a traditional grip, whereas your knuckles are facing up. This is a wonderful thing to learn, but most of the world does not have that grip by default. Below is a video I did on ergonomic grips and demonstrates what I am referring to.

FYI, I do own one of Connie's Pens (which are made by her boyfriend Jon) and it is great for that traditional grip and cosmetically different from most.

https://youtu.be/4pUSLJ1vAKA

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Tools & Supplies / Re: Advice & Ideas Requested

« on: March 08, 2016, 07:56:26 PM »

@empty of clouds I do recall sending you like two or three 604EF nibs in a normal envelope. I cut little sections out of cardboard and mailed it. That's a bummer they never reached you

In regards to 404 boxes being on eBay, I have seen several and passed on them. A few have went for a fair price too. I consider fair to be around $5.00 max per nib for vintage. Most of my nibs come from actively having others search for them on my behalf, business owners who have no affiliation with penmanship at all. It has been tons of networking and patience, but they are still out there. Trust me when I say I'm not in any cliques or secret groups, lol. I more often rub the cliques the wrong way instead of being part.

Also in regards to the other mentions of only having my friends have them, that is not what I mean by people I know. It would be people I know have the level of expertise and more importantly penmanship desire. I think the beginner comment is very valid in that most don't keep at it and also we have a large boom of interest in calligraphy. While I hope the interest continues, I honestly expect it to be somewhat of a fad created by online social media. This too makes me wary of just offering them up to people who haven't the desire to continue penmanship. This has turned into an interesting conversation of views.

Lastly, I wouldn't offer them as a bonus to buying a pen from me. If I sell five pens or fifty pens per month, I want it based upon the pen itself, not an incentive for the little piece of disposable steel you put in them.

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Tools & Supplies / Re: Advice & Ideas Requested

« on: March 08, 2016, 05:12:07 PM »

Wow, thanks for all the input and interesting to see different points of view. I like several of the ideas, but one thing REALLY stands out to me and was said by Evjo and really sums it all up for people new to Calligraphy. Vintage Nibs are a distraction! They are a distraction to learning. If you wanted to learn to play piano and just spent the majority of your time looking at piano models, instead of actually practicing, you would never improve!

The reality is a couple of nibs does no good, just as Melanie Jane said. If you just want the experience of writing with one, then pay the dumb eBay price for a single and get it over with.

Scap, I REALLY like your thought. Just sell in bulk and donate the extra profit to a worthwhile cause. That solves a lot of the issues.

I'm, still interested in other opinions

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Tools & Supplies / Re: Advice & Ideas Requested

« on: March 08, 2016, 10:13:38 AM »

I like Andy's idea in theory, unless I misunderstand, but I don't want it all based upon skill level necessarily. The bigger thing would be intent of use and also as you stated Jean a SERIOUS student or professional. Both are things which can easily be deceived by those wanting to make money instead of actually using the things, they are disposable tools after all.

Someone invent a lie detector for internet sales, lol. You put a finger in a slot and have to answer if you will resale, haha.

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Tools & Supplies / Advice & Ideas Requested

« on: March 08, 2016, 08:50:12 AM »

Hi All, coming to you for suggestions. Before I begin, PLEASE do not contact me regarding directly about wanting to purchase anything. This is NOT why I am asking. I want ideas to help me...

Ok, basically I have a HUGE stash of vintage nibs, more than I will ever use in my lifetime. I want to get some of these into the hands of people that will use them and faced with the dilemma of today's ridiculous vintage nib market prices. The nibs I am referring to are those such as Zanerian Fine Writers, Gillott Principalities, 604EF's, Vintage 303's and 404's, 601EF's, Musselman Perfections, etc...you know..the dream nibs...

Here is my issue, I do have money invested in them, quite a bit due to massive quantity, but never have I paid the plain rip off prices of $20 - $40 per nib. So I have the following issues and the only options I can come up with...

1. Sell at a decent price, then many people might buy just for the purpose of resale to make a fortune
2. Charge the ridiculous prices so people can't inflate the prices at resale
3. Make a small little package of just a couple of each nib and allow only one purchase per person
4. Sell in bulk only to people that I know for a fact will not resell and will make the best use of them. This would be a couple of people I know personally.
5. Keep them all for my children and hope their penmanship ability far surpasses mine, lol

Based upon these initial thoughts, I'm just stuck as to what to do. I don't want to feed the wolves and allow people to buy to resell on eBay for $30 + per nib. I want many people to have the chance to own and actually use them, but this may not be realistic. I completely understand I have no control of what people do with something once they buy it, but I just don't want to add to the pricing problem by providing a supply. I wish my supply was unlimited so I could just flood the market with them and force the prices down, but even as large of a supply that I have, it's still very limited.

My last concern is by selling them I'm also feeding the "vintage nibs are the best" thought. The reality is that modern nibs like the Leonardt Principal EF does anything these vintage nibs can do for most people. The truth is, that to use a nib like the Gillott Principality No. 1 and get it full potential, 99% of the penmanship world doesn't have the skill (including myself and why I don't use them) to use them effectively. The ability to gets it's full potential requires that basically when writing upstrokes only the ink touches the paper, which is beyond most people's penmanship skills. But this itself is a topic for another day.

Any thoughts or ideas would be appreciated. Any comments, messages or emails with anything like "Sell them to me!" will be ignored. I'm trying to solve the larger problem and come up with an overall solution. Thanks in advance!

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Tools & Supplies / Re: Best place to get an oblique holder for a crow quill?

« on: March 08, 2016, 08:01:47 AM »

Handmade doesn't have to break the bank. I could do a basic oblique crowquill holder for $44.99. A custom order from me just means you get what you want, there is no upcharge for being a custom order, it just reserves you a place in my schedule to make whatever it may be that you want.

If you want to try to make it yourself, just drop an email and I would help you through the process of making it. You could take a simple dowel and insert a flange without any carving and just have a very basic holder that would work well.

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Tools & Supplies / Re: wooden pen holders becoming waterlogged

« on: February 11, 2016, 09:30:12 PM »

Keep it out of the ink

Other than that you can seal the end of the holder with Beeswax.

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Tools & Supplies / Re: Help: My penholder stinks (literally)

« on: February 11, 2016, 09:28:43 PM »

My guess without seeing the pen is it is a wood with a fungus. Wood such as spalted maple has a fungus which kills the tree and will become "punky" smelling. The only way to kill the order is to completely encase the wood with a sealer. Typically this is achieved with stabilizing the pen.

I have a stabilizing setup and could help if you aren't able to get the smell out yourself.