RomilloPens. 2007-2018

In 2015 I wrote a report on Romillo pens. Now, four years later, and with the operation stopped it might be worth to revisit some of the pens of this short-lived pen brand based in Madrid, Spain.

It started in 2007, created about 10 models –mostly made of SEM ebonite, made in Germany--, implemented Bock and in-house nibs, and disappeared around 2018 (see note at the end) leaving behind a big mess in terms of unpaid commitments.

The body of work left behind, though, deserves some attention.

The following pictures show some of the models by this company.

From left to right: Nervión, Essential Writer, Sil, Eo, and WiPens Toledo.

From left to right on the previous picture:
– Model Nervión in terracota ebonite. A size 8 Bock nib (18 K) with ebonite feed. Eyedropper. Made in 2011.
– Model Essential Writer in black ebonite. Size 6 Bock nib (18 K), plastic feed. Eyedropper. Made in 2010.

Sil model.

– Model Sil in red ripple ebonite. Size 6 Bock nib (18 K), plastic feed. Eyedropper. Friction-fit cap. Made in 2012.

Model Eo with a size 9 nib.

– Model Eo in blue ripple ebonite with celluloid band. In-house size 9 nib (18 K), ebonite feed. Eyedropper. Made in 2013.

WiPens Toledo. An unsuccessful attempt to create a secondary brand.

– WiPens Toledo. Black ebonite. Size 6 Bock nib (14 K), plastic feed. Cartridge-converter. Made in 2013. This pen was not marketed under the Romillo brand, but as WiPens, an attempt to create a second brand for more inexpensive models.

Starting from the bottom, two Essential, a special version of the Essential with a two tone nib, and an Essential with the in-house flexible nib named K.

This second collective picture shows a collection of pens of the model Essential. From bottom to top:
– The first two are from 2009. They implement size 6 Bock nibs of 18 K gold with plastic feeds. Eyedropper fillers.

A very customized version of the model Essential made in 2015.

– The third is a special model made in 2015. The nib is an in-house size 7 made of 18 K gold. Ebonite feed. Eyedropper.

The in-house K nib. Flexible, but it never worked satisfactorily due, possibly, to an inadequate feed. Essential made in 2012.

– The fourth (on top) is from 2012. It sports an in-house flexible nib named K, made of 18 K gold. Plastic feed. Eyedropper.

Romillo pens were expensive pens, with an average price of EUR 1000. Was that justified by the quality of the product? The pens here shown are very simple in their structure. Being eyedropper pens they had no movable parts or sacs to be adjusted. Internally, though, we see that all the threads (save in the case of the much more inexpensive WiPens Toledo) are made of brass, and there are elastic seals in the ink deposit to prevent leaks. Were those elements needed or effective?

Were these pens better that, say, most Indian eyedroppers also made of ebonite?

As eyedroppers, both Indian pens and Romillos have the same problem—the tendency to blob ink and ruining the document in progress.

Another problem of several of the Romillo models (Essential, Nervión, Eo) was the basic structure of the pen, with the cap attaching to the section instead of to the barrel. On these pens, uncapping them could result in unscrewing the barrel from the section and opening the ink deposit. This, in an eyedropper pen, is a very serious design flaw.

The cap attaches to the section instead of to the barrel.

Paradoxically, the cheapest of the models produced by the Romillo family –the WiPens Toledo- had solved these problems at the price of making a much more conventional pen.

RomilloPens was, all in all, a short-lived operation that left behind a small bunch –about 450-- units of expensive and attractive pens. Despite their flaws.


My thanks to Croma, Eliperin and ValenSpain; all of them members of Spanish pen community.


NOTE (26/Dec/2019): I have corrected the date of cease of activities of RomilloPens to 2018 after some sources mentioned that they could buy some pens as late as that year. Since late 2015 or early 2016, the Romillo family avoided Spanish customers and focused on foreign markets while continuing fixing and tuning nibs. However, this situation did not last for too long and is currently shut down.

WiPens Toledo – Montblanc Irish Green

Bruno Taut
Nakano, December 24th 2019
etiquetas: Romillo, Spain, WiPens

Japanese Skylines

After reviewing a couple of Japanese copies of the Wahl-Eversharp Doric it is only natural continue with another copy of an iconic American pen—the Wahl-Eversharp Skyline (1941-1948).

Platinum did make such a copy, as we can see on the pics.

Wahl-Eversharp or not?

According to Masa Sunami, Platinum marketed this pen in 1948 in the Uruguayan market. And the pens here shown were indeed sent to Uruguay, as the import sticker clearly shows. On it we can read that it had been imported and taxed in conformity with the law passed on September 15th of 1952.

Quite a faithful copy...

The sticker from the tax office of the República Oriental del Uruguay.

In contrast, it seems that Platinum does not have records of these international operations –Platinum in Uruguay, Presidente in Spain, Joker in Greece, Hifra in South Africa--, and these labels and pens are the few actual documents anyone can have. However, they pose many more questions—why Uruguay? Were they sold in any other country? How big the production was? Between which years were these models manufactured?…

These Japanese Skylines are very close to the original model, as can be seen on the pictures. The differences are on the filling system —aerometric on the Platinum, lateral lever filler on the Wahl-Eversharp—, and on the nibs —more cylindrical and made of steel on the Platinum.

Skyline Standard on the front, and four Platinum copies on the back. Platinum bodies are engraved: " PLATINUM / TRADE (logo) MARK / R. NO. 374902 ".

Steel vs. gold. Steel for the Platinum copy, gold for the original Wahl-Eversharp. Note the number on the Platinum nib: P.96216. I do not know what it means.

These are the dimensions

	.Platinum "Skyline".	.Wahl-Eversharp Skyline Standard.
.Length closed (mm) __	132	132
.Length open (mm) __	117	125
.Length posted (mm) __	135	146
.Max Diameter (mm) __	14.6	14.6
.Weight, dry (g) __	16.0	16.0

My thanks to Mr. Sunami

Yamada raden and ivory – Noodler's Beaver

Bruno Taut
Nakano, December 17th 2019
etiquetas: Wahl Eversharp, Platinum, Uruguay

Japanese Dorics

To my friend Croma, after a nice conversation in Madrid.

Copies are part of any industry, and therefore part of the pen industry. What is not tradition is plagiarism, some say...

On these pages we have already seen some examples of Japanese pens that were inspired –what an euphemism!- on models of success (see, for instance, ::1::, ::2::, and ::3::). So, this is nothing new, but there are always more models to describe, and some of them are very interesting.

Today I will call the attention to two different makers caught in the act of copying the same model—the Wahl Eversharp Doric (1931-1940).

The first example is a Sailor.

This is a plunger filler made of semitransparent celluloid. Its general shape is indeed close to that of the Doric. The clip, to name a detail, is remarkably similar.

Gold nib: "14 CRT GOLD / Sailor / REGISTERED / PATENT OFFICE / -1-".
On the clip, "SAILOR".

And engraved on the body, "SAILOR FOUNTAIN PEN".

Sailor manufactured this pen in 1937.

These are the dimensions:
Length closed: 123 mm
Length open: 110 mm
Length posted: 150 mm
Diameter: 11 mm
Weight: around 13.5 g (broken filling mechanism)

The second pen belongs to a very secondary maker called Order, about which nothing can I say.

An Order pen, signed on the cap and on the nib. On the cap, the inscription reads '"ORDER" / FOUNTAIN PEN'.

On this case, the pen is a lever filler, and also implements a golden nib. These are the dimensions:
Length closed: 120 mm
Length open: 112 mm
Length posted: 155 mm
Diameter: 13 mm
Weight: 16.3 g (dry)

On the nib: "ORDER / 14 KT / 5 / GOLD PEN".

These two pens show how copying was, and still is, a universal shortcut. And that Japan was paying close attention to what was happening beyond her borders.


My thanks to Mr. Sugimoto and Mr. Shobutsuen.

Yamada buffalo horn and silver – Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Brown

Bruno Taut
Nakano, December 13th 2019
etiquetas: Wahl Eversharp, Sailor, Order

On Manu Propria

Manu Propria is the brainchild of Martin Pauli, the Swiss craftsman behind the watch brand Angular Momentum founded in 1998. In 2013, searching for larger canvas to display his ability with urushi, and frustrated with the current state of affairs in the watch industry, Martin Pauli created the Manu Propria, a pen brand.

These pens are, in general, made of ebonite –mostly Japanese, occasionally German. But Martin Pauli also uses wood and bamboo on his pens, and is not shy about combining materials —metal and ebonite, wood and ebonite— to ensure the durability of the pen.

Manu Propria at the Madrid Pen Show in 2015.

But the fundamental characteristic of Manu Propria pens is the urushi-e decoration. Urushi-e, as opposed to the sprinkled motifs of maki-e, are colorful patterns formed by layers of urushi of different thickness, with the occasional use of seeds or other materials. There are hundreds of these patterns, and Martin Pauli has used well over 100 of them.

Pen-wise, Manu Propria pens are usually cartridge-converters, but they can also be inked as eyedroppers as the metallic parts in direct contact with the ink are gold plated. A couple of models, though, are exclusively eyedroppers.

Nibs and feeds are JoWo, which guarantees a reliable, even if boring, performance.

Manu Propria pens are not signed and look anonymous to the less trained eye.

Manu Propria pens at Itoya Ginza in March of 2018.

Negoro nuri is one of the traditional decorative techniques employed by Pauli. On it, the upper red urushi layer looks worn out by use, revealings the underlying black layer.

That is the decoration of the following pen—a pocket model. As a pen, it is a cartridge-converter with a size 6 JoWo nib of 18 K gold. And it can also be inked as an eyedropper.

Pocket pen of the Negoro Nuri Series by Manu Propria.

The pen performs correctly, albeit with no particular character. It is solidly made--the metallic parts on cap and section really contribute to that feeling. The ebonite threads, however, are too sharp and could take some polishing. There are also numerous cut shavings inside the pen that could be understood as a sign of a craftsman's product. In some markets, though, those shavings mean an unclean and unfinished good. That is the case of Japan.

A cartridge-converter pen that can be eyedropped.

These are the dimensions of the pen:

Length closed: 111 mm
Length open: 97 mm
Length posted: 133 mm
Diameter: 17.3 mm
Weight: 23.3 g (dry)
Ink deposit: 0.6 ml (cartridge); 2.3 ml (as eyedropper)

Of course, this pen posts well. In fact, it must be posted.

All in all, it is an interesting pen, but expensive and not particularly refined on its machining. The Japonesque look might help to succeed in the current market, albeit no sane mind would claim these were Japanese.

Manu Propria pocket Negoro Nuri – Pelikan Black

Bruno Taut
Nakano, October 2nd 2018
etiquetas: Manu Propria, Suiza, urushi-e, JoWo

Sapporo Green

One of the current strategies of the Sailor Pen Company is the production of "original" pens and inks. These pens and inks are unique and exclusive for that particular shop, who ordered them. The reasons for those shops to order these unique goods are easy to understand--they have something new and unique to offer to their customers and that differentiates them from the rest of retailers. This proliferation of unique pens and inks, allow me to add, was one of the key elements of the success of the Tokyo International Pen Show and of the Inkunuma Fair in the last months.

In comparison, the other two big pen companies in Japan are very shy--they barely offer any original pen for other companies. They ocasionally do --Platinum Izumo for Kingdom Note and Pilot Custom 845 for Asahiya Kami Bungu and Nagasawa are some examples--, but just not that often.

One of these rare examples is the following Pilot Custom 74 Sapporo Green in transluscent green.

Pilot made it in 2018 for the stationer Miyoshi-ya, in Sapporo, on the ocasion of the 60th anniversary of this company. 100 unnumbered units were released with three different nib points--F, M and B.

The pen carries a special engraving on the cap ring -"MIYOSHI 60th"- instead of the regular "PILOT CUSTOM 74". The nib -the usual size 5 in 14 K gold- is also personalized with the figure of a squirrel by a laser.

The price, as is often the case of these original pens, is more expensive that the regular model: JPY 20000 vs JPY 10000 (that became JPY 12000 earlier this year).

This transluscent green Custom 74 is an attractive pen although it does not offer anything new over the regular model. But collectors strive for the rarity and 100 units are a powerful argument.

Opus 88 Koloro – De Atramentis Beethoven

Bruno Taut
Shinjuku, October 30th, 2019
etiquetas: Pilot, mercado, Miyoshi

Industria Brasileira

Years ago, in 2013, I wrote a Chronicle on the Brazilian plant built by Pilot in 1954. I inserted some local ad and some reports published on the Pilot Times, the internal magazine of the company.

Pilot pens and inks made (or assembled) in Brazil.

Now, six years later, I want to complete the information with the description of a pen produced in that Brazilian plant of Pilot´s--the Pilot 77.

This pen is indeed a member of the Super family of pens made by Pilot in the late 1950s and early 1960s. In fact, its nib is remarkably similar --if not the same-- to the unit present in the model Super 150, a late arrival to the family. The difference is that the Brazilian nib is made of steel instead of gold, and is not dated.

Pilot 77´s steel nib. No gold, no date.

Pilot Super 150´s steel nib. 14 K gold, JIS mark, August of 1962.

The filling system is the well-known "hose-shiki" that we can find in Pilot pens between 1955 and 1964. The body, made of plastic, carries the inscription "PILOT 77 / IND. BRASILEIRA".

The engraving reads "PILOT 77 / IND. BRASILEIRA".

Two questions arise in here: When the pen was made, and whether it was manufactured in Brazil or just assembled with parts made in Japan.

To the first, my best guess given the simmilarities with the Super 150, is that this Brazilian (Super) 77 was made in the mid 1960s.

To the second, I am inclined to think that the parts were Japanese and were assembled in Brazil. The reason being that there are no differences between the components of this pen and those seen on the Japanese units.

These are the dimensions of this pen:
Length closed: 132 mm
Length open: 118 mm
Length posted: 147.5 mm
Diameter: 11.2 mm
Weight: 13.9 g (dry)
Ink deposit: 0.6 ml

Pilot do Brasil remains in business as producer of stationery goods. However, and despite the new manufacturing plant open in 2013, Pilot do Brasil does not make fountain pens nowadays, and the only fountain pen-related item produced in that plant is fountain pen ink in blue in bottles of 500 ml (::1::, ::2::).

Pilot ink made in Brazil.
(Picture taken from http://www.pilotpen.com.br/).

My thanks to my friend Panchovel.

Romillo WiPens – Montblanc Irish Green

Bruno Taut
Madrid, November 24th, 2019
etiquetas: Brasil, Pilot, tinta

Madrid Pen Show 2019

The 16th edition of the Madrid Pen Show finished last Sunday and I want to offer some personal reflections on the event.

The bare numbers are not very different to those of the 2018 edition: about 1650 visitors, 65 traders (2 more than in 2018) on 73 tables. The estimates speak of a business volume in the area of EUR 500,000 with an average of EUR 7000 per trader.

The good news is the cntinuous success of this event. Being the biggest pen show in Europe is not an easy accomplishment before countries with a powerful pen industry and a very rich pen tradition.

The less positive news is the relative old age of most visitors. Fountain pens seem to attract people of certain age... in the Old World. But that is not the case in East Asia, where there is a big body of young aficionados. Then, the question is whether there was anything that could be done to expand the hobby among younger generations in Spain and in Europe in general.

But so far, the current formula works very well, and the Madrid Pen Show is the annual festival of the Spanish pen community. A party where everybody is welcome, as the increasing number of foreign visitors shows.

Romillo Eo – Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-budo

Bruno Taut
Madrid, November 21th, 2019
etiquetas: Madrid, evento