The Calligraphy Pen

Incredibly, The Beatles have made an appearance on my Calligraphy Pen site and it’s for a legitimate reason. As part of the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the release of The Beatles’ White Album, a commemorative fountain pen has been released.

The fountain pen, which is white, of course, is being sold by Apple who directs you to beatles.com where you can pick one up for £399. The pen was part of a line of memorabilia that was created to honor the album.

It may not appease fans completely who are still waiting for a deluxe remastered version of The White Album which was first released in 1968.

A close look at the pen shows that it has the autographs of John, Paul, George and Ringo on the upper half of the barrel of the pen and it all comes packaged in a tasteful looking white collector’s box.

The Sheaffer Legacy fountain pens are distinctive for their inlaid nibs that have been die cut with a polished intricate design. The classic Sheaffer PFM design was the inspiration for the design of the Legacy range. The range of Legacy pens uses the Sheaffer design to its best advantage and gives each pen a timeless elegance.

These pens are carefully crafted so that they stand out as more than simple writing implements and continue to be the collectible items that have been popularly sought for years.

The collection is available in a range of finishes aiming to suit all kinds of tastes from the grand burnished gold 22K plated barrel and polished gold trim to the Palladium Straight Line Chase featuring deep-cut lines in the palladium plating of the barrel of the pen.

The Legacy can feel heavy in the hand due to the metal finish with which the body is created. This may take some getting used to although fans of the Sheaffer Legacy appreciate the weight and recognize it for the quality of craftsmanship with which it was made.

There have been a number of successive Sheaffer Legacy releases that we can refer to as the Legacy, the Legacy 2 and the Legacy Heritage. Each of these fountain pens is available for sale in their various finishes. Choose one from the selection of listings below.

Buy A Sheaffer Legacy Fountain Pen

Sheaffer Legacy 2 Brushed Gold Fountain Pen 18K Medium    US $325.00

Huge SHEAFFER White Dot Legacy NIB Fountain Pen NR    US $10.50

Sheaffer’s Legacy Fountain Pen    US $9.99

Sheaffer Legacy Fountain Pen Black Leather FINE nib    US $239.99

LEVENGER SHEAFFER PRELUDE FOUNTAIN PEN MEDIUM REFURB    US $39.95

SHEAFFER Legacy Fountain Pen with 18K Yellow Gold Nib    US $61.00

Sheaffer LEGACY 1 Brushed Gold Black New in Box    US $99.95

Classic Pens CP4 Set Civil War0099 1865 Sheaffer Legacy    US $1,688.00

There have been some notable differences between the various releases of each version of the Legacy. Some of these differences have been itemized below.

The original version of the Sheaffer Legacy fountain pen was made almost entirely by hand and this quickly becomes apparent when you pick it up and examine it. The exterior of this version of the pen was modelled very closely off of the renowned favourite Sheaffer PFM (Pen For Men). The obvious difference is that the PFM was made of injection molded plastic while the Legacy was made with a platinum finish.

There are small but noticeable differences between the original Legacy that was released in the 1990’s and the Legacy 2.

• The Legacy has squared corners at the cap and filler knob ends while the ends of the Legacy 2 are rounded.
• The Legacy has raised studs to retain the cap. The Legacy 2 has a compression ring and decorative gold accent ring, which provides a better air seal and is more attractive.
• The filler knob of the Legacy is plastic and has sharper edges than the rounded edges of the Legacy 2 filler knob which is made of metal.
• The nib sections of the Legacy and Legacy 2 are not interchangeable.

The Legacy and the Legacy 2 share the stylized look of the classic PFM snorkel filler. However the materials used reflect the modern technology available and the filling system utilizes the “Touchdown” system when filling from an ink bottle with the option of an ink cartridge also available.

Both the Legacy and the Legacy 2 have been replaced these days by the Legacy Heritage series of fountain pens. The Heritage pens do not utilize the “Touchdown” filler mechanism. It is also obvious that the Legacy Heritage has been streamlined in its construction to make its manufacture more economical.

It should also be noted to those who like a fountain pen with the option of a broad nib that the Sheaffer Legacy Heritage fountain pen is only available with fine or medium nib sizes.

One of Canada's foremost calligraphers is designer Martin Jackson who runs his own studio in Vancouver. He has lectured thoughout Canada and the US and has an impressive list of credits including commission pieces for the Prince and Princess of Wales, Poep John Paul II as well as the calligraphy on the wedding reception for Bill Gates.

He is available for all of the usualwork requiring high quality calligraphysuch as certificates, weddings, receptions, letterhead and invitations. Add to that commercial commissions such as wine labels, menus, business cards and the like and Martin creates some important occasion pieces of great quality.

The site contains a section where you can view instructional videos that give an introduction to italics, quill cutting and gilding. You have the opportunity of booking courses and lectures with Martin in all sorts of calligraphy disciplines.

Then there's the fine art work that he has produced, a gallery of which is available to view at his site.

When the Pilot Parallel Pen calligraphy pen was released it was hailed as a breakthrough in calligraphy pen design. The Pilot Pen Company's Parallel Pen was designed with a nib that consists of two parallel plates that gives the writer the ability to write with lines that are sharper that other calligraphy pens.

The Parallel Pen has proven to be a reliable, durable pen that gives you crisp edges proving suitable to both the beginner and experienced calligrapher alike.

A common problem with calligraphy pens, particularly the larger nibs, is skipping - where the ink is not delivered consistently. The Parallel Pen's construction is such that the ink is directed between two layers of metal forcing the ink to the entire writing edge without fail. If you choose to, you can turn the pen so that the nib is on its side and use it to produce fine handwriting

The Pilot Parallel Pen comes with both an ink cartridge and a bladder giving you the choice of whichever ink delivery system you prefer. Alternatively you can dip the pen or, if you want to try some color changes mid stream you canuse a combination of dipping and cartridge ink. Touching the nib of one Parallel Pen to the nib of a differently colored Parallel Pen will achieve that same effect.

The Parallel Pen is available in 4 different nib sizes - 1.5mm, 2.4mm, 3.8mm and 6.0mm. They are also supplied with a range of colored ink choices and these inks have been specially formulated for use with these types of nibs.

The Pilot Parallel Pen is just one of a number of low-cost alternatives examined here to choose from when buying a calligraphy pen such as the Sheaffer entry level pens, the Pelikan calligraphy pen, and the Rotring Calligraphy Art Pen.

The latest in my series of presentations of the sites of calligraphers takes us to the beautiful site called The Calligraphy Lady.

This is the home of calligrapher Dayna Bischof who provides an extensive array of services, notably wedding invitations of outstanding quality, as well as calligraphy services for envelopes, programs, menus, monograms, place cards, escort cards, table cards, stationery, corporate business needs among other things.

The site points out that although The Calligraphy Lady is based in Missouri, she has provided work for all 50 states and has even sent work to Germany and the UK.

There is a stack of samples of Dayna's work and it is quality indeed. Her calligraphy has been featured in Beverly Clark Elite Wedding Collection, Brides, The Knot, Martha Stewart Weddings, Cosmo Bride, Quest NY and City Wedding: a wedding planning guide for brides.

For those planning a wedding this definitely looks like one of the sites you should check out before making a final decision on your invitations and cards.