The pen

Ebonite from a vintage formula, mixed the way hard rubber was from 1900 through the late 1920s. The rod's swirl runs its full length and surfaces at the crown of the cap, where a finial would have hidden it; no two are alike, and none can be printed. Turned by Logan Merrill at Little Hollow Customs in North Carolina; nib fitted and tuned at my bench in Maryland. The gold fill in the Heron's engraving marks a nib from one of the big five American makers of the pen's golden age: Waterman, Parker, Sheaffer, Wahl-Eversharp, or Conklin.

The nib

Every nib in this run is a restored vintage original: heat set to an ebonite feed, tuned, and written with until I stopped wanting to put it down. Decades of writing wear a tipping surface in a way no production line reproduces; the maker, measurements, and writing sample above describe this pen's nib alone.

Tested on Tomoe River 68gsm paper with Pelikan 4001. Writing sample in the gallery.

Gen 1 note

Gen 1 pens use a modified ebonite nib unit. Under aggressive flexing, ink flow can lag behind the nib. Everyday writing and moderate flex are unaffected. Gen 2 resolves this with a feed of our own design.

Where the money goes

All proceeds from the Heron's Hollow series fund CNC and milling equipment for a purpose-built vintage nib unit, first for these pens, then for any independent maker who wants one.