Silverburl Pens Review
October 14th was my bi-annual pilgrimage to the London Pen Show. These days, having so many pens and inks, I mostly go for the social, catching up with friends and fellow pen enthusiasts. But, temptation is never far away at the LPS. Stopping by John Sanderson’s stall, Silverburl Pens, I succumbed. Of course I did! Why wouldn’t I? John makes lovely pens from beautiful materials, so I fell at virtually the first hurdle (I had been there, oh, all of 15 minutes) and picked up this beauty.
In truth, it was not an easy choice. I could quite happily have come away with at least three similar models in various colours, and let’s not go there with the other models on display. An array of gorgeousness in every colour, argentium silver trims and stunning materials, including Fordite. But, I had a budget of, notionally, zero, and more realistically, £100, so that was that. Budget blown in one. Of course it was.
First impressions
The material of this pen is truly beautiful. The pearlescent blues and greens have an almost jewel-like glow as they catch the light. The pen has simple lines and no step between the barrel and section, with unobtrusive threads. The cap can be removed in one turn or so. There is no other furniture – no clip or roll stop. This is not a problem as it is hard to put the pen down once it is in your hand. I’m also delighted that John’s pens do come with a converter.
The nib on this particular pen is also in keeping, with blue and purple hues resulting from heat treatment.
I couldn’t remember what John had said the pen model and material was called, so I dropped him a note to ask. The conversation went something like this:
John: I call that model a Simply Elegant Stepless 14mm.
Me: The name is a bit of a mouthful. I think I’ll just call mine Audrey (as in Hepburn).
John: That’s a Jonathan Brooks blank, Crime Does Pay! No, you wasn’t robbed!
Indeed, I wasn’t! Crime Does Pay is a name that glimmers with mischief, but there’s nothing criminal about this material or the price of the pen. Though in light of this revelation, I did wonder whether I should rename the pen after Grace Kelly, who starred in To Catch A Thief. Ah, but Audrey had been in How To Steal A Million, so it’s all good and Audrey she remains!
Writing Experience
I was fortunate in choosing a pen that came fitted with a Wancher nib. I usually prefer Fine or Extra Fine nibs, but this Medium has a fairly fine Japanese line and is, if you’ll pardon the pun, fine with me. In fact, it glides across the paper in a most satisfactory manner and I have greatly enjoyed writing with it. I try to make my first fill in a new pen a Pilot Iroshizuku ink*. Besides, Ku-Jaku struck me as an apt colour.
The pen is surprisingly light and therefore longer writing sessions are not going to be an issue. One of the deciders for my choosing this particular pen was the very slightly longer section, which I suspect is not standard for the model, but a delightful find for me. I dislike screw threads beneath my fingers.
In Summary
I have reviewed a number of Silverburl Pens previously, here and really can’t fault John’s work. As they are hand-made, there are likely to be slight variances between pens, such as the section length. However, I cannot imagine that anyone would not be pleased to own one of John Sanderson’s pens. The really cool thing is that you can get one custom made and so specify any features that you would really like or not. What’s not to like?
The lowdown
You can see John’s currently range of pens, including the Simply Elegant models, on his website at Silverburl Pens website. Silverburl Pens normally come fitted with Jowo nibs and a Schmidt standard converter.
Prices range from £80-£140 for the Simply Elegant range, is very reasonable for a hand-crafted pen. Other models featuring Argentium silver and rare materials going up to £390 are available. John also makes custom pens, so if you don’t see what you like, drop him a note with your requirements.
* I’ve lost count of the number of pens I have filled with other inks, captivated by their colour, and then despaired at the writing experience. Then, giving it one more chance before writing it off, with Iroshizuku, only to find the pen behaves perfectly. The reason for this is apparently that the ink contains some additive that cleans the pen of manufacturing detritus and oil. So I do recommend it for a first fill. This is not a review for Iroshizuku though.
