Edison Huron in Yellowstone

27 September 2009

The Edison Pen Company is an American boutique pen-making company owned and operated by a great craftsman named Brian Gray.

This post was originally published on FPN.

The first Huron made from Yellowstone Acrylic, my pen is one of the handful of prototypes Brian sold before launching the Huron. I’m happy to write that the Yellowstone material is offered as a standard choice for the Huron.

Having seen an Edison Herald in the same material I contacted Brian Gray to ask about a custom pen. I shared my concerns about Edison pens being too large for my small hand, and told him about the types of pens I was using. As luck would have it he was working on the prototype of what would become the Huron, a somewhat thinner pen with a more tapered section than his other pens. When I saw the photos of the ebonite prototype I was sold.

Ultimately I wanted to use this pen as an eyedropper. At the time I ordered this pen, Brian was not yet offering a piston filling option other than on the Brockton LE. I ordered the premium converter as a backup filling plan.

Appearance and Design

The pen is beautiful. The acrylic has a wonderful depth to it. It’s gold and yellow and caramel and green-but-not-really-green-but-yellow. When I look at it, I feel like I’m standing creek side watching the pebbles underneath the water.

The pen is clipless by my choice (thanks again to Brian’s patience!). The pen looks great with a clip too.

The nib is a single-tone yellow 18K nib. Again, personal preference there with the single-tone nib. Brian offers a variety of nib options. The nib is imprinted with Brian’s logo. I felt if I was going so far to have a customized pen it should have the Edison logo. (The steel nib does not come with the Edison logo as of this writing.)

On the barrel is a simple, tiny imprint on two lines: Edison Pen Co., 2009. Because the pen is a prototype there is no “Huron” imprinted on it. The imprint is so small as to be almost unnoticeable on the barrel.

The cap seems quite long and that is my only not-very-serious grievance with the pen. It could be a tad shorter and still have plenty of room for the nib.

Dimensions

Length 5.75” - 14.6 cm Length Uncapped 5 .125” – 13 cm Length Posted 7.4” – 18.8 cm Diameter .550” – 1.4 cm Diameter of Cap .610” – 1.5 cm

Pen Weight - YMMV

(using a basic digital scale) With the premium converter in place: Uninked: 15g w/out cap & 23g w/cap. Inked: it’s the same as uninked on my scale. The premium converter weighs 3g!

As an eyedropper: Uninked: 12g w/out cap & 20g capped. Inked: 15-16g w/out cap & 24 capped.

Filling System

I used this pen with the converter for two months because I was afraid of using it as an eyedropper. For this piston-loving pen user a c/c pen is a little frustrating because I run through the ink too fast. But, hey, it works fine with a converter if that’s your thing.

I’ve never had an eyedropper pen before. It took me two months to get up the nerve to finally put the converter away. I was worried about the acrylic staining. Brian warned me that even though the pen is not translucent the ink might make my pen appear darker when inked. (He also assured me he had some ideas should I begin to freak about staining. No freak outs thus far.) The pen does look slightly darker as an eyedropper, but for me the beauty of the Yellowstone acrylic is enhanced.

Once I turned the pen over to being an eyedropper, I was thrilled with the ink capacity. The conversion was painless (eyedropper users already know this): remove the converter, and put a little silicon grease on the external section threads, and fill the barrel with ink. The barrel holds about 5 converters worth of ink. Nice.

I told Brian that this pen would be perfect if it had a built-in piston. Now that I’m using the pen as an eyedropper, I’m rather enamored of that little barrel filling ritual, and the lack of a piston has become moot.

Nib

The pen has a smooth 18K fine nib that writes (to me) very wet. Initially I thought the nib might lay too wet of a line, and Brian offered to adjust it to my liking. Deciding to take a week or so to write with the pen, I quickly came to appreciate the nib. I’m also using an ink that tends to be more dry (Diamine Raw Sienna).

Cost and Value

Costs of a pen are facts (see the Edison Pen website). Value of a pen is subjective. The value of this pen is that I can write with it for long periods without my hand tiring, the pen performs flawlessly, and the Yellowstone acrylic gives me a lot of pleasure while I’m using it.

Conclusion

I wouldn’t mind another one of these pens with one of the steel nibs offered. Let’s see…the pen holds a lot of ink when used as an eyedropper. It comes in a great color. It’s lightweight and comfortable in my hand. It performs flawlessly. It comes backed by Brian Gray. Cool.

featured photo: Edison Huron with cap and section removed next to a Diamine ink bottle and a glass eyedropper