Review by Laura Cameron
During Inkmas, Ana shared a special ink from the Ferris Wheel Press Kickstarter campaign. You can see her Sunshine Yellow Brush Fountain Pen ($138 USD) in some of her photos, but she didn’t specifically review the pen. However, she brought it to a knit night for me to try and I had to have one. I managed to sell a pen during the Arkansas Pen Show and immediately sent away for a Brush Fountain Pen of my own!
Ferris Wheel Press bills itself as “a stationary lifestyle brand where the whimsical sights, sounds and nostalgia of the carnival dances with the rat-tat-tat of a traditional print shop.” This gives them a bit of a vintage, steampunk feel. The Brush Fountain Pen is a copper bodied fountain pen with a stainless steel nib, and brass trimmings. It is available in three colors: Crème Glacée White, Printmaker’s Teal and Sunshine Yellow. Each pen comes with a numbered certificate of authenticity, in a cute little box bearing the gold foil logo.
The pens themselves are 5.67″/14.3 cm in length, capped and weigh approximately 23g putting them well within the common weights of TWSBI’s and Lamy AL-Stars’s and slightly lighter than Pilot Metropolitans.
The pen is sleek, fairly light weight and easy to hold. The cap rim is a brass nut! The cap isn’t postable however – posting it may cause scratches in the shiny painted finish on your pen.
My favorite part about these pens are the brass sections and nibs. I love that the nibs are stamped with the logo, and the section is printed, but not etched, making it lovely to hold.
Part of what made me want this pen was that Ana’s wrote beautifully! The pens come with medium nibs and her was like butter. Mine isn’t quite there (I’m still playing with it and deciding if I want to tune it), but it’s still a delightful experience.
Overall I love this pen and I’m really glad I picked one up for myself!
- Papers: Maruman Mnemosyne N182A Inspiration Notebook A5 ($10.50), and Ghost Paper Notebook ($25)
- Ink: Robert Oster Honey Bee (50ml for $17.00)
DISCLAIMER: I purchased the Brush Fountain Pen from Ferris Wheel Press with my own funds. However, some of the other items included in this review were provided to us free of charge for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.
Why is is called a “brush” fountain pen?
That’s not something they address on the website, but I’m guessing it’s the brushed metals (copper/brass) that are incorporated into the pen body.
It’s because it’s been designed to be redolent of a paintbrush (pen body tapers along the length).
Thanks!
If the section design is printed and not etched, is there any worry that it will rub off over time?
I bought the turquoise one. I really wanted to love it, but I find the nib a bit too scratchy.
I bought one today Stacy and I agree. I’m even wondering if this medium nib is a fine. I’m also having severe issues with hard starts. I have to scratch the paper EVERY time before the thing writes. It’s too expensive for that!