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Sunday, February 10, 2008

The Omas 360 Snake Wood Fountain pen combines the triangular form and full size of this pen with a snake wood overlay. Omas has solved a problem that plagued their wood pens in the past. Because wood is a natural material that shrinks and expands with the time because of changes in humidity, it was vulnerable to cracking, especially at the cap lip and at the edge of the barrel. This new wood fountain pen is banded at the cap lip and secured at the barrel edge, greatly minimizing this possibility. Even though snake wood is hard and dense, and the wood is sealed with varnish, please note that all wood pens need special care to avoid staining the wood with ink.

Notice how different the color of the barrel wood is from that of the cap and from the filling knob. Even though it is cut from the same block of wood, this pen illustrates the range of appearance within this organic and variable material.
The OMAS 360 isn't the most expensive wooden fountain pen in OMAS' regular series, but it is certainly the most distinctive and radical-looking. While most Italian pen makers these days (including OMAS, to a large extent) have settled into a comfortable routine of ornate "throwback" designs, here's one pen that you definitely don't see every day.
The distinctly triangular shape of the 360 makes it a pen you either love or hate because of the way it fits your hand (or doesn't fit) for writing.

Wax will help protect this natural wood grain from incidental stains and hand oils. The change to the surface is hardly noticeable.
The fit and finish on these caps and barrels is remarkable. The milled wood surfaces beautifully match the metal. If you want a perfect gift for a colleague or friend, then have a look at this marvelous Omas wooden fountain pen!