Welcome to Manuscript #5

I'm delighted to welcome you to this fifth edition of 'Manuscript', the official newsletter of Conway Stewart Pens. We have just passed our first company 'birthday' and can't believe how quickly the past 12 months have flown by!

Henry Simpole’s new Onoto Overlay

Just released... a reproduction of a 1907 'Exhibition' Onoto Plunger-filler

Issued in a worldwide limited edition of just 35 

What makes 'The Best of British'? Consummate design skills? Meticulous craftsmanship? Hallmarked sterling silver, rich enamelling and a smooth-as-butter nib? Combine them all and the result, shown here, is the closest you can get to British pen perfection. Add a plunger-filling ink reservoir that's more than double the capacity of a standard cartridge or converter and you'll understand why pen aficionados have been looking forward to its release for months! 
 
In this latest example of his exquisite craftsmanship, Henry has turned for inspiration to one of the earliest overlay examples ever made in the UK – a 1907 ‘Exhibition’ pen hand-crafted in Birmingham by a firm of silversmiths over an Onoto plunger-filler body. At that time, many silversmiths chose to make ‘exhibition’ pieces which they could use to display their talents at shows and exhibitions. The original pen was acquired by a private collector in 2013 and he was so impressed with its magnificent design and structure that he invited Henry to make a replica of it in a small limited edition.

An unquestionable pedigree  

The result, shown here, is a stunning tribute to British pen-making – with an unquestionable pedigree stretching back more than 100 years.
 
Issued in a limited edition of just 35, the 1907 ‘Exhibition’ pen is sure to be in great demand by Onoto collectors and fans of Henry’s superb craftsmanship around the world. Early reservation is advised.

A unique Spitfire tribute

Winston Churchill 'Spitfire' Cufflinks

A magnificent 75th anniversary tribute to 'The Few'

Two icons of the Battle of Britain

In the 75 years since the Battle of Britain took place in the skies above southern England in the summer of 1940, two icons of that period have become forever entwined in the fabric of British history: Sir Winston Churchill and the Supermarine Spitfire.

How appropriate then, that these legendary, war-winning companions should come together in these exquisite cufflinks to mark the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain… Churchill in his most pugnacious pose, cigar protruding, crafted from material recovered from a 1940 Spitfire.

Made from a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine recovered from a Spitfire

The metal used for the Churchill cufflinks has been recovered from the Mark III Rolls-Royce Merlin engine fitted to Spitfire X4276 KL-B which was flown throughout the latter stages of the Battle of Britain by RAF ace, Al Deere.

X4276 crashed on 28th December 1940 after a mid-air collision with another Spitfire during a training sortie in North Yorkshire. Deere baled out and parachuted to safety, landing in a cess-pit on a farm! The remnants of the Spitfire, including the engine, were excavated in the 1980s. The engine was subsequently acquired by TMB Art Metal, the company responsible for manufacturing these extraordinary cufflinks.

The cufflinks have been enamelled in deep blue on the reverse – a simple but enriching touch – and have sterling silver ‘arms’ engraved with the word ‘CHURCHILL’ on one side and ‘1940’ on the other. They are supplied in a high quality wooden case with an illustrated Certificate of Provenance.

Why cufflinks?

Conway Stewart Dandy in Woodgrain

An ebonite rarity

The Dandy has long been a favourite of Conway Stewart collectors. Its smaller size belies its classic styling and good looks and many agree that it's a perfect ‘writing’ pen that sits easily in the hand. This particular version is also something of a rarity too, as it’s manufactured from ebonite, a hard rubber material rarely used these days, but traditionally used by Conway Stewart and other manufacturers in the early part of the 20th century.

Another 'plus point' for the Dandy is that it takes the smaller Conway Stewart gold nib of which we hold plenty of stock. We currently have EF, IF, M, IM, B, IB, BB available - so there's something to suit most writing styles.

Hurry! Only one remaining

We had sufficient components to make up just 12 Dandys in Woodgrain ebonite of which 11 have already been sold, so you will need to place your order quickly if you'd like to add the remaining one to your collection. It's first-come, first-served and once it's sold there won't be any more.

Flexible nibs

After an overwhelming number of requests from collectors, we have decided to release a quantity of our new flexible nibs for direct purchase, so you can swap them with your existing Conway Stewart nibs. There is a choice of Fine, Medium or Broad flexible nibs which fit the majority of the recent CS core pens (everything except the Dandy and Coronet ranges).

To avoid complications with screwing in the nib/feeder, we have decided to supply each nib with a black acrylic nib holder section. (We simply do not have sufficient coloured acrylic sections to supply everyone with a matching coloured section).

If you would like to have your flexible nib ground to a stub, italic, oblique or any other custom finish, you can do so by indicating your exact requirement when ordering the nib. There is an extra charge for this custom grinding service.

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For now, Best Wishes

David Cooper

Editor