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Conway Stewarts - levers 180 deg from nibs?


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#1 Readymade

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Posted 01 January 2014 - 04:21 PM

Is it true that CS pens had their "levers aligned on the underside, 180° away from the nib surface"?

Came across this on one of Binder's websites (http://www.richardsp...replacement.htm).
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#2 Jos

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Posted 01 January 2014 - 04:37 PM

Hi,

It might be true for some particulate CS models but the Conway Stewart book of Stephen Hull ("Fountain Pens for the Million: The History of Conway Stewart: 1905 - 2005", Stephen Hull, 2010) shows various pictures of CS pens where the lever and nib surface are in the same line. That can also be seen on many vintage CS advertisements and CS dedicated websites (among others: http://conwaystewartpens.co.uk/; http://jonathandonah...book/cslist.htm).

 



#3 AndyR

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Posted 01 January 2014 - 06:29 PM

I've heard this before but I don't think I have ever seen any evidence for the alignment being 180 degrees. Most of the pictures from 1920s and very early 30s advertising show something like a 45 or 60 degree 'misalignment' on many of the pens if you look very carefully at the illustrations. I have had several pens from this period (apparently untouched since manufacture) that are aligned in precisely this way. Others though are shown in the advertising with nibs and levers in line, and I have had pens like this as well so it doesn't seem to have been a hard and fast rule. From about 1932 onwards, nibs and levers are always shown in line.

 

I have definitely seen (somewhere!) that CS did advise not to carry pens with clip and lever in line, so as to avoid catching the lever on the edge of your pocket as you put the pen away, sensible advice indeed if you want to avoid inky pockets.

 

Andy

 

Edited to remove rubbish suggestion regarding the reason for the misalignment!


Edited by AndyR, 01 January 2014 - 06:47 PM.


#4 Deb

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Posted 01 January 2014 - 09:13 PM

This is just one of those myths that continue to plague the pen world.






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