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Uranus/DUKE Unfall Old Man

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"Norman; Just a quick note to let you know that my Unfall Old Man arrived yesterday in pristine condition.  Writes beautifully, looks great, and the presentation box is gorgeous (it's a box that says "Here is a cool pen!"). Another satisfied customer!" T.H., Centreville VA
 

Uranus/Duke Unfall Old Man FP    $45.00    Sold out

What comes in a DUKE pen box, has a clip and body emblazoned with 'Uranus' and sports a DUKE nib and piston converter? What combines a super-smooth, matte palladium-plated finish, interspersed with sections of a rubberized material that evokes a pebble garden? What's named after a rounded Chinese toy (called the Daruma in Japanese), decades before the 'Weeble' wobbled, which bears absolutely no resemblance to its namesake? Why, it could only be a pen with a name as confused as it is -- the Unfall Old Man .

Why DUKE chose this name for the pen, neither I nor my wife -- who is from Hong Kong -- can fathom. Unless the Chinese characters, which translate into English as 'Unfall Old Man' were meant to imbue the pen and its user with the good fortune and moral character outlined here. It's a name that's just too good to change!

The pen itself measures 5-1/4" capped and 6" posted, and is actually quite a handsome creation when its disparate textures are brought together. The spring clip is engraved with 'Uranus', which is likewise imprinted in italic script upon one of the palladium panels on the barrel.

Removing the slip cap, which re-seats with a secure 'snap', reveals a section with incised grooves which become larger as one moves away from the nib. These provide a firm grip while writing, as well as adding an arresting visual statement. The nib, as mentioned before, is engraved with 'DUKE' (lest you really think this is a Uranus model ), '22KGP' (for 22K gold-plate), the DUKE 'crown' logo, and to add to the confusion -- two rearing horses! I'd rate the point as a light-medium.

 

Unscrewing the all-metal fittings between the section and barrel displays the DUKE piston converter, for bottled ink. The pen comes in a DUKE gift box, which reprises the black pebbled motif of the pen itself.

All-in-all, an amalgam deserving of its name...I think!

 

 

 

 

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 "Daruma" is a symbol of  resilience in the face of difficulty.  It is a small round head and face, that when knocked over, bounces back to an upright position.  An American equivalent is a "Weeble," a toy that American children are familiar with.  It is a small character that you can knock over, but it always rebounds and stands upright again. Children like to chant "Weebles wobble but they don't fall down" when they push this little toy over. The Japanese tradition is to paint one of the two eyes with a wish, and when the wish is attained, to paint the other eye showing that the wish has come true." Quoted from 'Goshengolly' here.

 

 

 

 

 

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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