Crescent

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The Conklin Pen Co. introduces the Mark Twain Crescent Collection, an exact replica of the original Conklin crescent filler used and promoted by Mark Twain (read more here). In 1903, MARK TWAIN, the legendary American author, began his relationship with The Conklin Pen Co, the great American pen manufacturer. As a spokesman for Conklin, Twain advertised and promoted the famous Conklin Crescent Filler.

Mark Twain expressed the virtues of this unique self-filling fountain pen in a series of advertisements in which he stated "I prefer it to ten other fountain pens, because it carries its filler in its own stomach, and I can not mislay even by art or intention. Also, I prefer it because it is a profanity saver; it cannot roll off the desk." Some other vintage Conklin ads can be seen here.

The Conklin Pen Manufacturing Co. was one of the real fountain pen innovators at the turn of the 20th century. The Conklin Crescent is also considered the first successful, mass-produced self-filling fountain pen, and was the first to make use of a flexible rubber ink sac as a reservoir.

"Hi, Norman (your Inky Lordship) - I was just reading the most recent HisNibs.com update and wanted to send you a quick email to say thank you for then pens I've purchase from you over the years. I've got something like 10, of various makes and prices. The shining star is, of course, my Conklin Crescent! Still, I have an abiding fondness for the Pilot 78Gs, the Duke Blue Spyder, the Heroes (329s and Victorian) - I could go on, but you get the picture. In other words, all of them. They have given (and continue to give) me hours of writing pleasure. I'm not in the market for anything new at the moment, but rest assured I will return to make purchases as budget permits. Thank you for making such a unique assortment available. I will always be a devoted fan! Your faithful customer (and vassal)"
L. K., Chicago, IL
 

                                                                     NOTE: New colors coming shortly!

Conklin Crescent Spring Green/Gold Leaf Marble fountain pen        $165.00    $132.00   Permanently sold out

Conklin Crescent Midnight Black fountain pen        $165.00    $132.00   Permanently sold out

Conklin Crescent Red Desert Stone Marble fountain pen        $165.00    $132.00    Permanently sold out

Conklin Crescent Yellow/Blue Marble fountain pen        $165.00    $132.00    Permanently sold out

The fountain pen that America's most famous writer personally endorsed makes its return again. Measuring a substantial 5-1/2" capped, 6-3/4" posted and 5" with cap held aside, it's size makes for stress-free writing, as it's made from a special cellulose acetate, and so is light in the hand.

The Conklin clip is certainly one of the most recognizable in fountain pen history, but the engraving leaves little doubt as to the manufacturer. Likewise, the cap band and crescent bar are also adorned with 'Conklin'.

On the reverse of the cap band however, is the signature of Mark Twain, while the reverse of the crescent bar says 'Crescent-Filler Trademark'.

The crescent filler itself is very easy to use, but takes longer to describe than fill!:

Unscrewing the cap reveals the two-toned steel nib, with it's distinctive crescent-shaped breather-hole. 'Conklin' is engraved in a gold oval, and the nib also says 'Toledo' and 'USA'. Finally, on the side of the nib is marked the size. The nibs are available in B, M, F or the new stub sizes (the stub nib is monotone). I've found that the new, large Conklin nibs run about a size smaller than typical western nibs. Hence, I'd classify the B nib as a typical medium, the M as a fine and the F as an x-fine. The stub is a 1.1 mm medium. Please specify the nib size you'd like, by letter or 'stub' only, to avoid confusion when ordering.
 

Filing the Crescent filler fountain pen

1. Turn the C-shaped locking ring so that the opening is under the metal crescent on the barrel.
2. Press the crescent and hold. This engages the attached pressure bar to deflate the internal ink sac.
3.While keeping the crescent depressed, insert the nib into an ink bottle.
4. Release the crescent, wait a few seconds, the depress again. While keeping the nib submerged, repeat the process 3 to 5 times to fill completely.
5. After filling, remove the nib from the ink bottle and wipe any excess ink with a soft cloth or tissue.
6. Return the locking ring to closed position by turning 180 degrees so that the locking ring opening is on the opposite side of the crescent. Keep in locked position to avoid accidental depression of the crescent.

The same process can be used with tepid water for cleaning, especially when changing ink colors, or...as with all new pens, I recommend to run a dilute solution of dishwashing soap (two or three drops to a small bowl of water) through a new pen a few times, followed by water only. Step one is effective at removing manufacturing oils that can tend to make the ink less than enthusiastic in heading from the converter/filler to the nib, and step two removes the traces of the detergent you've used...which tends to have the opposite, diuretic effect.  The large blue Conklin gift box and warranty card and filling instructions are included.

MARK TWAIN BALLPOINT COLLECTION

Taking its design cues from the fountain pen, the ballpoint version doesn't sport a crescent bar, but does reprise the appearance of the locking ring -- creating a very distinctive ballpoint.

Conklin Crescent Spring Green/Gold Leaf Marble ballpoint pen        $125.00    $100.00  Sold out

Conklin Crescent Midnight Black ballpoint pen        $125.00    $100.00

Conklin Crescent Red Desert Stone Marble ballpoint pen        $125.00    $100.00   Sold out

Conklin Crescent Yellow/Blue Marble ballpoint pen        $125.00    $100.00    Sold out

The ballpoint pens measure 5-1/2" in length and are twist-action. They take Parker-style ballpoint, gel or rollerball refills.

IMPORTANT SERVICE NOTE: Every nib that ships from His Nibs is closely examined under high magnification and tuned or adjusted if needed. About 85% of modern nibs need some adjustment out-of-the-box from the manufacturer for an optimal writing experience. Most commonly, the tines of the nib are misaligned -- which would cause scratchiness at the minimum; the slit between the tines is partially or fully closed -- which would starve the nib of ink and at best cause skipping; or the slit between the tines is too wide -- which will either again cause skipping, or conversely, flooding. There are other factors  -- such as separation of the nib from the feed -- that are inspected and repaired before any pen leaves the Palace.

The only 100% guarantee of course comes when the pen is actually filled with ink and written with for the first time, but our pre-shipping inspections and tunings have eliminated 99.99999 (my finger is getting tired) of the frustrations that a customer experiences when first using a new fountain pen. Although this can be time-consuming on occasion, it affords our customers a much more pleasant experience when receiving a fountain pen from His Nibs -- and saves us the frustration of dealing with returns!

Ordering Procedures & Returns

International customers, please note, we will not falsify shipping documents

Please send your order and shipping address (along with any questions) to:

orders@hisnibs.com
(on PayPal transactions, the email address may also display as stonebri@verizon.net)

We will email you back with your order total (PA residents please add 6% sales tax)

Credit cards, for the quickest fulfillment of your order, are accepted through PayPal, a secure site allowing you to use your credit card without us even seeing the information. If you'd like to make use of this credit card service, please let us know when you email your order and address, and we'll email you the appropriate Request for Payment, and instructions for the simple payment procedure (you don't need to join PayPal to use it).

If you would like us process your credit card directly instead, then please email us:

1. Card # (dividing this number in two, between two emails, will ensure security)
2. Expiration date
3. Name on card
4. Address for billing statement
5. Card verification # (3-digit number printed on the back of your card. It appears after and to the right of your card number, or 4-digit number on the front of your AMEX card).
 

If you'd rather pay by money order or check, kindly make payable to:

His Nibs.com
  434 N. Leh St., 1A
  Allentown, PA 18104

We ship via insured Priority Mail
(email for cost)

Warranties and returns

If an item proves to be defective, in most cases the manufacturer's warranty will apply. However, please email us first so that we can determine the easiest way to resolve the problem to your satisfaction. In the case of fountain pens -- which are a bit more individualistic than other writing instruments -- what may at first appear to be a defect (hard starting or poor flow for example), can in almost all cases be resolved with a few simple 'tweaks' to the nib, which we'll be happy to guide you through or perhaps suggest returning to us for adjustment.

Should you wish to return a non-defective item within 3 days of receipt because it doesn't suit you for some reason, again please email us and we'll arrange an exchange, credit or refund (minus any shipping/insurance charges), if the item is returned in an 'as new' condition. If you've dipped a fountain pen to try its writing characteristics, kindly clean off any ink residue prior to shipping -- to save us both a nasty surprise .

We want you to be happy with your purchase from HisNibs.com and hope to have you join the ranks of our many long-term, repeat customers!

Revised: August 19th, 2023

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