Visconti Homo Sapiens Fountain Pen - Dark Age (Custom Nib Grind)
Special Goulet exclusive! These fountain pens feature a custom Architect nib grind by nibmeister Mark Bacas.
For the Architect nib, Mark starts with a factory nib and grinds away the sides of it, polishing it smooth until it’s like the shape of a blade. This grind enables you to write with a thick cross stroke and thin down stroke, think of it as an inverted stub nib. Architect nibs are particularly dramatic in their line variation when writing print letters, though you can write whatever your personal style and see the variation in the line width pretty easily. They are sometimes also referred to as Hebrew grinds.
The Homo Sapiens is handmade from hardened basaltic lava sourced from the Mount Etna volcano in Italy, with an all-black trim. Visconti lava is virtually unbreakable, comfortable and warm to the touch - and slightly hygroscopic, absorbing moisture from your hand. The basaltic lava is mixed with resin to create this pen.
The pen caps using the Visconti 'Hook Safe Lock', a revolutionary capping system so you can cap a pen without worrying about the cap accidentally unscrewing in your pocket and leaking. The fountain pen's vacuum power filler is made of titanium to resist ink corrosion, and it features an oversized black 18k gold nib to match the trim color (note: our images may still show the old 23kt palladium nib).
Visconti has recently updated their branding and font used on their clips. During this transition, you may receive a pen with a slightly different font than what is shown here.
As these nibs have been modified, please contact us directly for any warranty issues.
- Condition
- New
- Brand
- Visconti
- Type
- Fountain Pens
- Color
- Black
- Demonstrator
Whether or not the barrel of the pen is translucent, allowing you to see the ink and filling mechanism inside.
- No
- Body Material
- Basaltic lava/resin
- Cap Type
How the cap is opened/closed from the barrel of the pen. Some common options include Snap-Cap, Screw-Cap, Magnetic Cap, or Capless (no cap).
- Hook Safe Lock
- Compatible inks & refills
Which ink this pen will accept. Choices include bottled ink and various styles of pre-filled ink cartridges.
- Bottled inks
- Filling Mechanism
How the pen fills with ink. Click here to watch our video tutorial on common filling mechanisms.
- Power Filler
- Grip Material
- Basaltic lava
- Nib Size
- Architect
- Nib Color
- Black
- Nib Material
- 18k Gold
- Postable
Whether or not the cap fits securely onto the back of the barrel when open.
- Yes
- Retractable
Whether or not the nib/tip can retract into the body of the pen (usually for click or twist-open style pens).
- No
- Trim
- Black
- Diameter - Body
- 14.3mm (0.6in)
- Diameter - Cap (without clip)
- 16.5mm (0.6in)
- Diameter - Cap (with clip)
- 21mm (0.8in)
- Diameter - Grip (mm)
Measured from the place most people choose to rest their fingers, which varies with each pen.
- 11.0mm
- Length - Body
The measurement from the back end of the barrel to the tip of the nib.
- 132mm (5.2in)
- Length - Cap
- 59.3mm (2.3in)
- Length - Nib
The measured length of the visible portion of the nib when it is installed in the pen, from grip to tip.
- 24mm (0.9in)
- Length - Overall (Closed)
- 146mm (5.7in)
- Length - Overall (Posted)
When the cap of the pen is posted onto the back of the pen body, this is the measurement of the entire pen including the nib.
- 173.4mm (6.8in)
- Weight - Body
If a converter is included with the pen, this weight is reflected in the total.
- 26g (0.9oz)
- Weight - Cap
- 17g (0.6oz)
- Weight - Overall (g)
- 43.0g
- Max Ink Capacity - Piston Vac
The maximum volume of ink that can fit in the pen when using the built-in piston or vacuum filling mechanism.
- 1.51ml
Customer Reviews
At first, I didn't love it. Was disappointed with extent of line variance. After using it a few weeks it became one of my fav pens because of the way it writes. Love the vac filling system and the heavy, solid feel of the pen. Owning several Visconti pens, I've learned the painful way about the poor quality from the factory; purchasing one that comes with a custom nib grind is the way to go to save one or more return/replace cycles.
I'm sooooo happy that I pulled the trigger and got this one. I have been looking at this pen for awhile and when I saw the custom grind that I also have wanted, it just made sense. Writes like a buttery dream. Can't say enough about how wonderful it is and well worth the cost. I can't seem to put it down and look for reasons to use it all the time. Currently inked with Iroshizuku, tsuki-yo and I couldn't be happier. Excellent shipping as always! Thanks again Goulet Pens!
I purchased the architect grounlnd nib. While I've found the pen writes well and is in good shape, the description is inaccurate. It states that Mark starts with a broad nib which is ground into the correct shape, however the nib I received was clearly stamped medium. It certainly writes well and isn't too thin by any means, however I have large, thick handwriting and would have preferred the broad base. As it stands the medium is fine and if not for that I'd have given this a higher rating.
This is a Beast of a pen. Made from Lava, are you kidding me? Totally awesome in every respect. It's a great heavy pen, but not too heavy. The custom nib (Fine Italic) provides an exceptional writing experience. The guidance and advice from Susan was extremely helpful and resulted in a second purchase of a Pineider Arco which is also an incredible writing instrument. Life long happy customer!
I am still trying to love this pen but worry I am coming up short. It's far more scratchy then I like, on all papers, and the angle of writing is not natural for me. I am still trying to like, or even love it, will be trying for a few weeks more. Worst case I will pass it along to another.
FAQs about Fountain Pens
How do I fill a fountain pen with ink?
It depends on the pen's filling mechanism, which you can find in the Technical Specs section above.
Here's a quick definition of the most common filling mechanisms:
- Cartridge - A small, disposable, sealed plastic reservoir that holds fountain pen ink. These come pre-filled with ink, and typically you just push to insert them into place and you'll be ready to write! Check out our quick guide here.
- Converter - A detachable and refillable ink reservoir that allows you to use bottled ink in a cartridge-accepting pen. Typically you will install the converter into the grip section, dip the nib/feed into the ink, and twist or pull the converter knob to draw ink into the converter. Here's a video for how to fill a cartridge/converter pen using a LAMY pen as an example.
- Eyedropper - A pen that utilizes the entire barrel as a reservoir for ink. Ink is directly filled into the barrel, allowing for a high ink capacity. Here's a video on how to do it!
- Piston - A type of filling system that uses a retracting plunger inside a sealed tube to draw ink into a pen. They are typically either twist or push-operated. These pens cannot accept cartridges or a converter, and only fill from bottled ink.
- Vacuum - A push-style piston that uses pressure to fill the large pen body with ink. They seal the ink chamber when closed, making it ideal for flying without risk of leaking. Check out our video on how to use a vac filler here.
Check out more info on these filling mechanisms including a video on how to fill each one on our blog.
How do I clean a fountain pen?
It depends on the filling mechanism, but it mostly comes down to flushing it out with water, and sometimes a little bit of Pen Flush if the ink is really stuck.
It's a bit easier to show than to tell, so we've put together a few quick videos showing you the process:
How often do I need to clean my fountain pen?
We recommend a good cleaning every 2 weeks, and any time you change ink colors.
Water will usually do the trick, but we recommend you use our Goulet Pen Flush if the ink has been left in the pen for a while and could have dried up, or when you’re switching ink colors.
My pen won’t write! What do I do?
First things first... make sure you have ink in the pen! Be sure that the ink cartridge or converter is seated properly in the pen, and that you aren't out of ink.
We always recommend you give your pen a good cleaning first, using our Goulet Pen Flush, or a drop of dish soap in some water. New pens often have some machining oil residue left in the feed, so a good cleaning often does the trick first.
If that still doesn't work, try priming the feed. This consists of either dipping your pen nib and feed in ink, or forcing ink from the converter down into the feed.
If it’s still not working after that, please reach out to us so we can help!
What's your return policy?
You can submit a return request within 30 days of your order date. You can read all our Return Policies here.
To initiate a return, please submit a request at the Return Portal. Our Customer Care team might reach out to you for more information.
Please note we are unable to accept a return of any Namiki or Sailor Bespoke fountain pen for any reason once it has been used with ink. Please thoroughly inspect and dry test the pen before use.