It’s amazing what little treasures one finds when sorting out art supplies….
Since I prefer to use dip pens more often than calligraphy fountain pens, these two little gems had migrated over to my “Art Supply Overflow” storage box.
I expect both these items are now obsolete, but still great calligraphy tools:
Pelikan Graphos
Primarily targeted for engineering and drafting, the Pelikan Graphos pens and nibs were available in a wide range of styles to accommodate lettering, drawing and sketching.
Pelikan Graphos Pen Set
It’s been so long I don’t remember exactly what originally was included with this set as it has a variety of nib styles ranging from straight cut (“T” series), oblique cut (“N” and “Z” series), ruling nib (?) (“A” series) and what looks like a sketching nib (“S” series).
Variety of Pelikan Graphos Nibs
The pen holders are designed to easily slip the nibs onto the front of the shank and have a “hole” in back for loading ink. As I’m guessing the original Pelikan tube ink has gone the way of the dinosaur, ink can loaded by removing the plastic insert reservoir and loading directly with a dropper instead of through the “hole.”
The nibs produce very sharp, crisp letters (“T”, “N”, “Z”) and the sketching nib is flexible enough for drawing.
While the ink cartridge is quite short and will not hold a lot of ink, and the nib must be removed from the pen before attaching the pen cap (I suspect this is by design), the overall quality is worth grabbing up a pen holder and a few straight/oblique cut nibs if the opportunity presents itself.
If you enjoy a well-designed nib and don’t mind a little extra maintenance work, the Pelikan Graphos pen might be found treasure.
A review of this pen (in Spanish) can be found at the estilograficas.net website.
Reform Calligraphy Pens
This set was given to me as a gift so I’m not sure where or when they were originally purchased.
Reform Calligraphy Fountain Pens
The nib sizes included are 1.1, 1.5, 1.9 and 2.3 – suitable for most calligraphy lettering projects. Each nib contains two vent holes and are marked with the nib size, “Italic Reform” and “Germany.” Nibs can also be unscrewed from the pen holder if necessary for cleaning or replacement.
The most interesting feature of this pen is the piston filling system – no ink cartridges or converters required! Simply turn the piston forwards, dip the pen nib into the ink, and turn the piston back to the starting position. No mess, no fuss! The clear “window” section shows how much ink is left so you don’t run out in the middle of letter.
The nibs produce very clean lines, the pen is comfortable to hold and handles very smoothly. The pen caps contain a seal and are screwed onto the pen barrel to keep the ink from drying out.
The “Instructions” paper lists Calligraphy, Lettering and Sketch pens. I have not seen the Lettering or Sketch pens, but I would love to try the “Extra Fine Sketch Pen” if one turns up somewhere.
A very nice addition for a Calligraphy Fountain Pen “collection” if you happen to find one or better yet, find an entire set!
The Calligraphy Pen 
pelikan graphos pen set
I have a “silver and gold” Reform Calligraphy Pen (made in Germany), that was given to me for a gift. It only has one hole in the nib and takes ink cartridges. Do you have any idea where the cartridges might be purchased? Thank you for your reply and by the way, your set is beautiful.
CheTan
I don’t believe these are available any more, but you might try an “international” size cartridge, or if you are lucky enough to have an old cartridge, refill it with bottled ink.
I found this company xFountainPens that lists cartridges to fit Reform, but I don’t know anything about them – you might want to call or ask someone who has experience with them before ordering.
I inherited a bunch of calligraphy pens from my grandfather, including a Reform 1.5. Does anyone know how to clean it properly? I would like to be able to use different colors of ink so want to make sure the ink section is nice and clean.
Thanks!
I own a Reform Calligraph EEF. I purchased it in Belgium in 1992, and today, as I have become an artist sketcher it is my finest fountain pen that makes markes equivalent to a marker Copic 0.03.
I would love to buy one of the same EEF size that I would use with another colour ink.
The shop where I purchased the pen has now close down.
Hi, I offered to address my niece’s wedding invitations, and i have month to learn calligraphy and write the invitations. What pen would you recommend? I have collected an assortment, and none seems right. Markers are much easier to use, but I can’t make the thin parts of the letters well.
Hello, are you still looking for EF Reform pens, I have 2, they are left over old stock in my husband’s storage area. He was in related fine art materials. We live in Sydney Australia.
I have an unused EF Reform Calligraphy pen! I wouldn’t mind trading it for 1.9.
I had a Platignum Calligraphy pen that served me well for many years. After a while, the pen started to leak and wasn’t as smooth-writing as before. Maybe it was clogged! (I live near a Bay in Long Island — some times I write in the sand with the pointer of a horseshoe crab – with big Copperplate letters. I Love it!