Kalam & Kali
Drop an ink
Two drawers of pens and two of inks. Open one and the counter below shows only what is inside.
Six pens and six inks this month. Each pen shows how its nib size writes; each ink is shown as a swab on cotton paper.
12on the counter
PenEbonite
Brown ripple ebonite · eyedropper · 1.1 mm steel stub
Turned from one rod of brown ripple ebonite, with a stub nib that writes thin across and broad down. An eyedropper: fill the whole barrel and write for weeks.
InkBright inks
Blue with a red sheen where it pools
The blue of the sky over the Hooghly just before the rain. Pools into a red-violet sheen on smooth paper with a broad nib.
PenBrass & steel
Solid brass · pocket length · fine steel nib
A short brass pen that grows to full length when posted, darkens in the hand over the years and takes a standard converter.
InkIron & earth
Writes blue, dries to grey-black
An iron gall ink made the old way, with tannin and iron. It goes on blue and darkens to a permanent grey-black on the page over a day.
PenEbonite
Red & black ripple ebonite · medium steel nib
Red and black ebonite turned so the ripples run the length of the barrel. A medium nib for everyday letters and long lists.
InkBright inks
A deep teal that shades lighter
Green-blue river water at low tide. Shades from pale to deep inside a single stroke.
PenBrass & steel
Black resin · gold-tone trim · medium nib
A balanced desk pen with a screw cap and a medium nib, for long afternoons of letters.
InkIron & earth
Writes grey, dries to black
Our oldest recipe: an iron gall black for ledgers, letters and anything you mean to keep.
PenEbonite
Matte black ebonite · broad gold-plated nib
Plain black ebonite polished to a soft matte, with a broad nib that lays down a wet, generous line.
InkBright inks
A warm red with a gold sheen
The red of a wedding parting: bright on the page and edged with gold where it pools.
PenBrass & steel
Brushed steel · fine steel nib · converter
A plain steel pen for school notes and first fountain pens. Light, sturdy and easy to rinse clean.
InkIron & earth
A brown like old paper
The brown of second-hand books on College Street, warm and quiet on cream paper.
Nothing in this drawer right now.
The same words at four nib sizes, in the ink you pick. A round nib keeps one width; a stub writes broad on the downstroke and fine across.
“the rain came down on college street”
Two cities, four pairs of hands and one rod of ebonite.
A rod of hard rubber is turned on a family lathe in Rajahmundry; barrel, cap and section come from one length so the ripples line up.
In Kolkata the nib is set in its feed, the tines aligned under a loupe and smoothed on a slow wheel until it glides.
Our inks are mixed upstairs in batches small enough to stir by hand, then rested for a week before they are bottled.
Each pen is filled and written with, then rinsed, dried and wrapped — so the nib you chose is the line you get.
Ask about nib sizes, ink colours or a pen turned in an ebonite of your own. Or climb the stairs on College Street and try every nib at the desk.
No products match.
We have received your order and emailed you a copy.