The Sketch Inspired by The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi located in the heart of the historic -- and very lovely -- Santa Fe downtown area. I also tried to depict the beautiful big spruce tree in front of the cathedral. The Pen Simply a fountain pen, which was used to create the sketch, what's so special about it? It's an old fountain pen made in the 1930s -- which means it's a nonagenarian today -- and yet, it is still beautiful due to its condition. As a vintage fountain pen restorer and collector, I appreciate it for its rarity (especially in this almost mint condition) and elegance. The next two sections contain the photos which I took during the short trip. The Film Photos First up, photos from a roll of film that I took with my Leica M4-P. I haven't used that camera since I switched hobby from photography to fountain pens almost a decade ago. The Leica's small form is perfectly suited for walking around and Santa Fe + Taos area are rich with int
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