Restoring a classic model from Aurora Introduction This pen was designed, made and marketed to compete with the famous Parker 51. While there were many pens that were "inspired by" the 51, the Aurora 88 stands out as one of the better built ones. Even just holding the pen, you can feel that this pen was not a by-product, rather, a well designed one; made with enough material thickness that conveys the substantiality. Originally released in 1946 by Aurora in Italy, who enlisted a famous designer Marcello Nizzoli for this model. This 88 model is the first, followed by a few other varieties, including some which are not piston fillers. And because this pen is a piston filler, I slightly prefer it to my 51, plus the gold nib on these are sometimes flexible (in a crisp and nice way). As in the case of this particular sample. Before we start with the restoration story, here's a bit of glossary on the parts that make up a piston filling system: A dial (or knob). This is the par
It is probably difficult for non- fountain pen hobbyist to fathom the common anxiety of choosing the pens to bring with on a road trip. A road trip, usually spans a few days to a week or so, ideally visiting a place that we have not been to or haven't visited for decades. Given that context, those of us who likes to journal, sketch, or both, are faced with the dilemma of which pen(s) -- and ink, and notebook/sketchbook/paper/etc. -- to bring from our collection. Naturally, the more pens we collect, the harder it would be for us to decide. I have many fountain pens, most of them are vintage (made in the eras when fountain pens were common household item ca.1880-1960s), which I bought and restored to be usable again today. I even have a website where I find new homes for some of my pens. The Road Trip So here is where the chronicle began. Last week my family and I trekked the Pacific Northwest in search of nice Summer weather, hiking trails, and awesome vistas. So which pen did I b