Quite a few weeks ago, in the middle of the Coronavirus lockdown, I ordered an oblique pen holder to help with copperplate writing. I actually ordered the Speedball holder at the same time, but this particular one I spotted on Amazon so decided to order it as well. The pen I went for was the Hongma Wood Dip Pen. £8.99 from Amazon.
Well, it finally arrived! Given that it was an overseas shipment I can understand it taking so long to be delivered, considering the tough working restrictions some countries have had to work under.
It supports my nib of choice, the Gillott 404, perfectly fine – had to use my microfibre cloth to grip the nib to push it into the flange (to protect the nib from the oil on my skin, and to protect my skin from the fairly sharp edges on the sides of the nib!), but once it got a little bit of give it firmly slotted right into place.
It’s got a satisfying weight in the quartzy-looking bulb section in the middle, which the Speedball lacks, making it quite comfortable to hold and write with for a longer period of time.
Very happy with this purchase!
Jim Scribbles 