Faber Castell

A secret art of original aesthetics
Looking at the 2010 Special Edition, you are fascinated by the interplay of delicate engravings and elegant marbled steel parts.

Until the end of the 19th century, the marbling of steel was a sign of the high quality of a weapon, given the inimitable shine it provided. For centuries, this process was passed on by word of mouth and kept a jealous secret.

Metal surfaces were steeled by using charred leather, generating shifting color hues when cooled. To date, it has been found that up to 20 parameters converge to generate this surprising visual effect, among which are the thickness of the metal, the temperature and the cooling speed.

Shifting color hues
Extensive experience in craft work can influence results, but never accurately anticipate them. Thus, no two marbled metals are completely alike.

The metal surface is perfected according to an elaborate engraving process framed with 24-karat gold inlays. Today very few workshops can combine these traditional arts with the mastery required by the 2010 Special Edition.

Before tempering the steel, the pen of the year is engraved through a traditional process. The engraver hand chisels the dovetail guide into which the gold inlay is inserted for subsequent polishing. A final result that requires great skills and precision for perfection

An almost forgotten art
Making the highest quality horse hair weaving is an art that only a few master weavers have learned to master.
Few experts in Germany enjoy the status of Dorit Berger. “I always wanted to learn to spin. There is something magical about it. And the fascination has never left me ”. After thoroughly training as a master weaver, she discovered for herself the uniqueness of a material such as horse hair weft.

Horse hair texture is quite a challenge. The hairs on the tail are relatively short and stiff and cannot be spun in a continuous skein. They can’t actually be braided in a conventional way.

To create the filigree design of the 2009 Special Edition, the hairs must be carefully selected for uniform color and thickness. It takes 70 individually woven hairs to get one centimeter of weft. It is an extraordinarily laborious task that goes hair by hair creating a braiding with a changing texture, light and dark, in surprising contrast to the warmth of the platinum-plated metal parts. As the nuances vary depending on the position of the piece, each horse fur fountain pen becomes a unique work of art.

FABER CASTELL CLASSIC PLATINUM

The Classic range uniquely combines the warm, natural character of wood with the cool elegance of platinum-plated surfaces. In the different versions, they combine grooved bodies bathed in platinum or in Pernambuco, ebony or grenadille wood with platinum finishes. The natural variations in color and texture make each of the pieces made with these woods unique and unrepeatable.

Cartridge/converter system that is gently removed from the body by twisting the cap
Hand-tested bicolour 18-carat gold nib with iridium tip
The manufacturing process consists of more than a hundred steps, most of them done by hand

The Guilloche writing instruments made of precious resin are distinguished by a special process. Each one is engraved individually using a method otherwise reserved for jewellery or silver accessories. The barrel is then hand-lacquered and repeatedly polished.The result is a unique and most interesting surface texture. No two writing implements are identical: each is an individual example of the craftsman’s art.

• Cartridge/converter system
• Hand-made 18-carat gold nib, rhodium plated, “run in” by hand
• Manufacturing process involves over a hundred steps, most of them carried out by hand
• Available nib widths are M (medium), F (fine), EF (extra fine), B (broad), OM (medium/ left slent) and OB (broad/ left slent)