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Executed in ivory white casein, this edition is certainly an eye catcher! The black cap and barrel ends serve to anchor the expanse of white, and the gold trim goes nicely with the color of the pen. In terms of appearance, it's a winner. That's assuming that you like the idea of a white pen, of course! White is definitely an unusual color for a pen, and that choice alone would have set this pen apart.
The use of casein for the cap and barrel goes another step further. Casein formaldehyde (the full name of the material) is a plastic made from natural protein from milk. It was first created in 1897 by Adolph Spitteler and W.Kirsche who began with whey and formaldehyde and tested the action of an enzyme on them. The resulting material was patented in Baveria in 1899.The product was introduced under the trade name Galalith and was first shown at the Paris Universal Exhibition in 1900. It should be noted that Galalith could be made so that it looked like celluloid, ivory, and sometimes artificial horn. A common use was in the production of buttons and knitting needles, but it was very popular for use in many applications. Including, of course, fountain pens. In 1930 worldwide production had reached 10,000 tons. Casein can be made in a wide variety of colors, from very pale shades to bright combinations of vivid colors marbled together. The principle drawback to the use of this material is that it is very sensitive to moisture. Differing levels of humidity can cause the material to swell or shrink slightly, and of course, you definitely don't want to stir your coffee with a pen made of casein! The advantages to casein are more subtle. It's a material with very pleasing physical aspects, both in terms of it's looks and it's tactile properties. Unlike acrylic plastics, casein has a much warmer feel in the hand. It also tends to be more subtle in terms of the shading of the colors. And of course, given the very limited number of pens still being made with this material, there is a bit of cachet due to exclusivity. The ivory casein used in this pen has faint lines running the length of the cap and barrel. It's not "pure" white, but rather a combination of ivory white and a very light cream white. It's very striking in appearance, without being too "loud". It's unusual, but unlike say a strong primary color, it's still a very elegant material. This pen doesn't feel "flashy" or loud, which is one of the things that endeared it to me right from the beginning. I like the way it's set apart from most pens without being something I feel uncomfortable using in a formal setting. When it comes to use, the Casein Churchill is a great pen, as is the regular version of the Churchill. This model has served Conway Stewart as their flagship for several years now, and it's easy to see why. It's large, classic in design, and is even available in a lever filler version. Nibs can be had in grades to suit almost any taste.
The sample we tried out has a medium italic nib, and this is one of the nicest "specialty nibs" we've tried. It gives a nicely varied line, but it isn't so wide as to be unusable when writing a check or filling out paperwork. The tip is very smooth, with even ink flow. Although this is marked as an italic nib, it's not cut quite as sharp as some italic nibs. The line might be a bit less sharp, but the nib is also much easier to use when writing quickly. The sharper the edge on an italic nib, the crisper the line width variation, but the need for constant attention to the angle at which you hold the pen also increases.
The slight taper towards the section means that despite it's being what would be considered an "oversize" pen, the Churchill section is closer to what would be considered "mid-sized". If you find the Montblanc 146 or Pelikan M800 to be right for you, the Churchill is in the same size range when it comes down to the section. This, coupled with the light weight (and that great medium italic!) made the Casein a very usable pen. The Churchill Casein LE is available exclusively from World Lux, and the edition size is limited to only 50 pieces. 40 fountain pens, available with the full range of Conway Stewart nib grades (extra fine through double broad, and three italic grades), and only ten rollerballs. copyright 2005 William Riepl |
World
Lux began as a small fountain pen repair company in 1973 called Seattle
Pen Repair. Over the years their business has grown, and with it, they
have expanded from a small retail shop into one of the largest online
retailers of luxury products. In the last few years, they have begun
to offer exclusive editions of popular pens in custom colors and materials.
Their latest offering is a stunning version of the Conway Stewart Churchill.
The
World Lux Casein LE shares the wide choice of nib grades, design, and
size of the regular Churchill. The only difference is that the fountain
pen is available only as a cartridge converter. Given the nature of
the casein material used on the barrel, that was a necessity. There
are also ten pieces of the World Lux Casein LE available as rollerballs.
The
Casein Churchill somehow feels lighter than the regular acrylic Churchill,
despite being only about a gram or so lighter. Maybe it's the color
throwing me off! In any case, this pen does balance well in the hand
without posting the cap. The cap is light enough that it doesn't really
change the feel of the pen much, although visually it is much more imposing
with the cap posted. 