I
told this to Hari recently that what he is doing is the best thing that has
happened to the handmade Indian Fountain Pen in recent times. I am not exaggerating. The concept is so simple that once one sees
it one feels like saying, ‘why didn’t I think of it!’ Hari has been doing this re-engineering for
some months now and the results (along with wonderful photographs) of his
efforts are all over Fountain Pen Network and has generated a lot of interest
and praise …
A
lot of fountain pen enthusiasts on Fountain Pen Network are charmed by the
concept of handmade Indian ebonite ED filler pens and many have bought pens
made by Deccan Pen Stores (Hyderabad), Gama from Gem & Co. (Chennai),
Ratnam and Guider (Rajahmundry), Ranga (Chennai), etc., and have enjoyed the
experience. But many of them are not
comfortable with the concept of ED filler pens because of their tendency to
leak and blob out ink as the volume of ink starts coming down in the
barrel. Some of them have reservations
about the custom nibs fitted on to some of the brands.
What
Hari is doing is this … he takes a Gama fountain pen (or a Deccan Advocate) …
and creates a threading in the section which will then enable the section to
carry a Pelikan Souveran screw-in nib … and lo and behold, we have a super-efficient
fusion pen combining the best of both worlds, as Hari himself puts it … a smooth
tried and tested and vouched-for nib brand on to an handmade ebonite barrel …
the feeder in the screwed in nib unit regulates the flow of ink and controls leaking
and the nib ensures a smooth writing experience … the huge ink capacity in
these handmade ebonite pens ensures a very long writing experience too …
As
soon as Hari started this experiment he sent me some photos and told me how the
whole thing works … he started experimenting with various Gama models and the
Deccan Advocate … I was impressed with the Gama Kambar and told him so and he
informed me that he would keep one aside for me … and since I have a Pelikan
M800, I have a ready-made screw-in nib unit that could be fitted on to the
Kambar … I waited …
It
is only recently that I got to see a live example … Hari came to Hyderabad on a
two-day visit and as he was very busy, we couldn’t do our customary Deccan Pens
visit and I also missed our dinner together, something we add on after our
Deccan visit … but anyway, I was not to be thwarted, and Hari ensured that I
got my pen … the place where I live in Hyderabad is on the way to the airport
from where Hari was put up … and we agreed to meet for a brief while on the
roadside … and that is where he gave me the Gama Kambar designed to take a
Pelikan M800 nib …
In
my excitement, I inked the pen that night itself and so couldn’t take photos of
the nib-less pen … but here are the photos of the fabulous Gama Kambar with the
Pelikan M800 nib …
I
want to call these fusion pens made by Hari on the Gama models as GAMHAR models
…
The Gama Kambar came in this nice black pouch ...
Out of the pouch ... the clean lines show a lot of character and restraint ... very beautifully made pen in brushed black ebonite ... solid pen with seemingly inexhaustible ink capacity ...
Look at the clip ... it is still better live ...
Gama on the barrel ...
The polished cap top and barrel end ...
Aah ... here is the nib ...
A view of the formidable Pelikan Souveran feeder ...
Alas ... kuch paane ke liye kuch khona padtha hai ... my nibless Pelikan M800 ...
4 comments:
Hi,
What are the prices of these pens like? Any idea where I can find them in Bombay?
Tx!
Dear Anonymous Visitor...thanks for visiting...please visit http://asapens.in/ and get in touch with Mr Subramanyam who runs the site ... they deal exclusively with Gama pens online...
Jai
Hi,
Very well elaborated. This is a great pen and Hari deserves all credit for creatively modifying these to take these units...now there is no end to possibilities..kudos!
Thanks Subbu for visiting and for your comments ... yes, Hari is doing a magnificent job with the Gamas...
Jai
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