Advice on 1930s accessories

Shangas · Dec 2, 2011

True. But a 1930s suit was almost always a 3-piecer and he mentioned a pocketwatch, so it's not too much of a leap to expect there to be a waistcoat present, and therefore, a lack of requirement for a tie-clip.

samtemporary · Dec 2, 2011

Having been in the USMC, a tie clip is a must, whether a waistcoat is worn or not, and I still use my gold Corps tie clip. Sorry; but old habits die hard

Also, +1 for the flask.

avedwards · Dec 2, 2011

Shangas said:
True. But a 1930s suit was almost always a 3-piecer and he mentioned a pocketwatch, so it's not too much of a leap to expect there to be a waistcoat present, and therefore, a lack of requirement for a tie-clip.

I don't think that generalisation can be made. Whilst 3 piece suits were preferred by some English gentleman, I don't think they were the only or even necessarily the predominant style of suit.

Shangas · Dec 2, 2011

Well I'm sorry for my mistake, then.

Emporator · Dec 3, 2011

I'm absolutely loving the suggestions - a hip flask and a pen are spot on the money. I have a little leather-bound notebook, and a period pen would complement it perfectly.

In regards to the tie clip, I think I'd be tending towards Shangas' line of thinking - seems almost redundant wearing one 'neath a waistcoat. Either way, it'd be a shame to cover up a nice tie clip. Best to take the waistcoat off I'd think, or keep the waistcoat and go sans tie clip. I think I'd be more inclined to the latter. I did indeed have a 3-piece suit in mind, so you were quite right in your assumption Shangas.

Anyway, in keeping with the theme of this thread, I've come to the conclusion that the cigarette case I have simply doesn't cut it Art Deco wise. It's nice, but it lacks that '30s panache. Time for a new one I thought. I scoured eBay and came across this delight:

Needless to say, I bought it. Quite nice, albeit in need of a polish on the exterior. Hopefully it'll arrive before Christmas! A Vesta case just might have to be my next acquisition.

Shangas · Dec 3, 2011

I don't approve of smoking, but boy if they didn't have some nice accessories. That would go nicely with a silver vesta-case.

1930s fountain pens include ones such as the...

Parker Duofold (came out in 1921, actually).
Parker Vacumatic (1933).
Sheaffer Lifetime (1920).
Sheaffer Balance (1929).
Wahl Art Decos (Early-mid 1920s).

Or you could get something older, from the 1900s-1910s. The oldest pen in my collection is a 1904 Waterman eyedropper.

Emporator · Dec 4, 2011

Hey Shangas,

I agree - a nice vesta-case would complement the case nicely. The hunt is on! I wonder how reliable a 1930s cigarette lighter would be? I'd toyed with the idea of getting one, but I've heard they're finicky, or at least, can be. The vasta-case and matches seems like a more dependable method.

You've really picqued my curiosity with the pens. I just had a look on eBay and there's a nice Parker 'Challenger' up for grabs. There's also another which caught my eye, a Geha-Schulfuller from Germany. Lovely.

I'd love to see a picture of your 1904 Waterman. Do you use it often?

Shangas · Dec 4, 2011

I use it every now and then, yes. I use all my pens every now and then. My current scribbler is a ca. 1910 Waterman eyedropper.

Here's the 1904 Waterman with original box and papers (papers may be a bit hard to see):

Here's the other Waterman:

Emporator · Dec 4, 2011

Hi Shangas,

These are absolutely wonderful! Thank you kindly for posting the pictures. I hope you haven't gone to any bother.

I'm keen to know what this style of pen is like to use. Is it weighty to hold? It must be a treat to write with!

I've been kicking the tyres on an idea all afternoon. I have a small leather-bound notebook I use to record details of 1936-37 Cord motor-cars. Hardly riveting reading, particularly if you don't have a battered tool box marked "Do not touch". I'm thinking a pen of this kind would be ideal for jotting down engine numbers, etc.

What kind(s) of ink have you tried in your Waterman pens?

Shangas · Dec 4, 2011

Emporator said:
Hi Shangas,

These are absolutely wonderful! Thank you kindly for posting the pictures. I hope you haven't gone to any bother.

I'm keen to know what this style of pen is like to use. Is it weighty to hold? It must be a treat to write with!

They're lots of fun to write with. These PARTICULAR pens are not weighty. But you can find fountain pens which you could hammer a nail with. The weight is dependent on the size, the complexity of the pen, ink-reservoir and of course, the materials used.

But regardless of that, the most important thing when using a fountain pen is to NOT APPLY PRESSURE. Especially with the older pens which have flexible nibs. That's a surefire way to spring the nibs and render the pens unusable.

I've been kicking the tyres on an idea all afternoon. I have a small leather-bound notebook I use to record details of 1936-37 Cord motor-cars. Hardly riveting reading, particularly if you don't have a battered tool box marked "Do not touch". I'm thinking a pen of this kind would be ideal for jotting down engine numbers, etc.

What kind(s) of ink have you tried in your Waterman pens?

Fountain pen ink. Nothing else.

Emporator · Dec 5, 2011

I've never penned (dreadful pun, I know) a word with anything fancier than one of those gel type pens. Very nice and easy to use, but it's a bit like comparing a Toyota to a Packard I suspect. I'm interested now to learn just what it's like to use a pen like this. The 1904 Waterman I would be too scared to use, but some of the others I've seen I feel as though I could employ with a reduced apprehension! My handwriting is extremely odd, so I'm thinking a pen like this is spot on the money for my strange penmanship.

Is there a good "beginners" pen you could possibly recommend?

I'm getting somewhat technical, and probably carrying on a bit, but are there differing grades or types of fountain pen ink? What about different colours? Can one go from one colour to another?

Oh, is that a pocketwatch I spy in your avatar?

Shangas · Dec 5, 2011

Emporator said:
I've never penned (dreadful pun, I know) a word with anything fancier than one of those gel type pens. Very nice and easy to use, but it's a bit like comparing a Toyota to a Packard I suspect. I'm interested now to learn just what it's like to use a pen like this. The 1904 Waterman I would be too scared to use, but some of the others I've seen I feel as though I could employ with a reduced apprehension! My handwriting is extremely odd, so I'm thinking a pen like this is spot on the money for my strange penmanship.

Is there a good "beginners" pen you could possibly recommend?

I'm getting somewhat technical, and probably carrying on a bit, but are there differing grades or types of fountain pen ink? What about different colours? Can one go from one colour to another?

Oh, is that a pocketwatch I spy in your avatar?

Several companies manufacture entry-level fountain pens. Waterman, Sheaffer, Parker, Lamy and Pilot are particularly favoured for their cheap, but good-quality entrance-level pens. They don't cost a great deal of money and they should work just as good as any high-end pen.

You should ONLY use fountain pen ink (which is water-based) in your fountain pens.

Fountain pen inks are differentiated by COLOUR (Duuuh!!) and by BRANDING. Every company generally produces its own inks. So you can buy Quink (from Parker), Skrip (from Sheaffer) or you can buy ink from Waterman, Lamy, Visconti...hell, even Montblanc. There is also an American-based company called Noodlers that also manufactures fountain pen inks. Noodlers are well-known for their WIIIIIDE variety of colours. They're sold in bigger bottles and cost significantly more, but they do provide inks in colours that other companies might not.

Whatever company you buy your ink from, make sure that it IS for fountain pens. Don't go down to your local craft-shop and buy Windsor & Newton's writing-ink. Put that stuff into your pen and you'll end up with a pen-shaped paperweight.

One can certainly go from one colour to another (say blue to black, black to red, red to green etc). It's just a matter of flushing (cleaning out your pen with cold, clean tap-water) beforehand to prevent mixing and contamination of ink-colours.

Here's the photo which my avatar comes from:

That is a pocketwatch. It's a 1950s Ball railroad chronometer. It's my daily timepiece. It's behind me, ticking away right now as I type this.

Woodfluter · Dec 9, 2011

Shangas said:
Because friction-matches ignited the moment they were rubbed against anything significantly rough, it was dangerous to keep them loose in your pocket. One scratch against loose change, or your keys, or the case of your pocketwatch would set the matches on fire.

So to transport them safely, they were stored in these little cases. You'll notice the underside of the case has a ribbed striking-surface. You'd open the case, take out a match, close the case, turn it upside-down and strike the match on the bottom of the case to light it.

You can still buy friction-matches today. Try camping/survival supplies stores. They're also called strike-anywhere matches (I prefer 'friction match' just because it sounds so much nicer).

Ahh...this brings back memories.
I lived and worked in south Texas in the late 1970s.
In the moderately dry air, you could strike a match on the seam of your blue jeans if you did it right.
Had to raise the leg a bit to stretch the denim tight over the thigh.
That was sort of the thing to do, ya know. So folks carried the strike-anywhere blue tips.

Never a cigarette smoker, but still smoke pipes and the occasional cigar.
So, when in a bar, I'd pull out a cigar and trim it while the other guy was racking up the pool balls.
(Standing casually right opposite, you understand.)
Just as he got ready, I'd strike the match on my pants with a big sweeping motion and light up.
Never saw anyone get a good break after that. Still not sure why, but it always worked.

John in Covina · Dec 9, 2011

With fountain pen ink many people will stick with using the brand of ink with thw brand of pen like Parker ink in a Parker pen only. However, all of the major brands of ink are well made and you will usually not have any trouble using another brand ink in your pen. Note that inks sometimes will cause problems if mixed with other inks so if you change brands or even colors best to rinse out your pen. I like Private Reserve they have tons of colors and are made to be blended to make your own special color. In Black I like Aurora a lot too. Namiki blue is way up on my list. If you want to blend different brands they say use a small bottle mix and let sit for a few days, then look to see if any stuff settles out of the mixture, if it does don't use it as it may clog your pen.

VintageEveryday · May 5, 2017

John in Covina said:
With fountain pen ink many people will stick with using the brand of ink with thw brand of pen like Parker ink in a Parker pen only. However, all of the major brands of ink are well made and you will usually not have any trouble using another brand ink in your pen. Note that inks sometimes will cause problems if mixed with other inks so if you change brands or even colors best to rinse out your pen. I like Private Reserve they have tons of colors and are made to be blended to make your own special color. In Black I like Aurora a lot too. Namiki blue is way up on my list. If you want to blend different brands they say use a small bottle mix and let sit for a few days, then look to see if any stuff settles out of the mixture, if it does don't use it as it may clog your pen.

I actually once mixed brown ink with grape juice (long story) and it produced a rich maroon colored ink that (amazingly) didn't gum up the works of my pens in any way. And now whenever i open the bottle to refill my pens, it smells like wine! XD

VintageEveryday · May 5, 2017

Shangas said:
I wear waistcoats on such a regular basis that I'd never have a use for a tie-clip.

But how about a Poirotesque Bouttoniere?

his pocket square is folded in an unusually similar manner to the late '40s "television square", which, I believe, was named after the way early TV hosts would fold theirs up for the camera.

Tiki Tom · May 5, 2017

Very interesting stuff. I had never before heard of vesta cases. Today maybe you could use them to hold a memory stick!

Not to spoil the party, but I read somewhere to be careful of over-accessorizing. I think the piece I saw said that anything beyond one (or maybe it was two) accessories starts to clutter the picture and look ostentatious. Of course that's just someone's opinion: anything goes and it all depends on personal taste and how everything works together and if it looks natural, as opposed to forced.

That said: How about spats? White ones with buttons!

On reconsideration, spats are more 1920s (or even earlier.) Almost stepped in it with that suggestion.

sola fide · Aug 19, 2017

I have a couple of pocket watches, one from the early 20s and one from the late 20s. My watch maker friend who repairs all of my watches(mechanical) said that pocket watches were already going out of style by the 30s once the convenience of wrist watches was discovered. A nice 30s wrist watch would be a nice option especially if you aren't wearing a waste coat. My crown jewel so far is a 1937 Gruen Curvex 50mm long with Breguet hands( dial is not perfect, but I like it). Have fun building your wardrobe.

VintageEveryday · Aug 19, 2017

sola fide said:
I have a couple of pocket watches, one from the early 20s and one from the late 20s. My watch maker friend who repairs all of my watches(mechanical) said that pocket watches were already going out of style by the 30s once the convenience of wrist watches was discovered. A nice 30s wrist watch would be a nice option especially if you aren't wearing a waste coat. My crown jewel so far is a 1937 Gruen Curvex 50mm long with Breguet hands( dial is not perfect, but I like it). Have fun building your wardrobe.

All I have is a quartz replica from the 90s. Why are they so expensive, by the way?

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