Heinz Pen Company B24 Starry Night Review: A Bespoke Fountain Pen With Real Character

Introduction

The Heinz Pen Company is the work of Jim Hines, a Texas-based pen maker who has been crafting pens for around 20 years. He spent much of that time producing kit pens before transitioning into fully bespoke work about seven or eight years ago, and the B24 is one of those fully bespoke designs. He regularly appears at pen shows, and his table is worth seeking out if you are attending one.

The B24 arrives in a simple cardboard box with a sliding lid, no extra theater, just the pen inside. It is a cartridge converter fountain pen priced between roughly $200 and $250 depending on the material and other options, which feels like an appropriate point for a bespoke pen of this quality.

A Look at the Starry Night Resin

The resin on this pen is part of the Starry Night line, created by Jim’s partner Elise, whose material work is used by a number of pen artisans beyond the Heinz Pen Company. This particular material is called Granite, though it reads more like marble: pearlescent white with subtle sparkle and wisps of darker black threading through it.

The cap carries a larger share of the black material, which creates a nice contrast against the more white-dominated barrel. The black vein on the cap visually travels down into the barrel, making for an interesting transition, and the sparkle in the material gives it real life in hand.

Design, Fit, and Finish

The cap top carries the Heinz pen logo, and the clip is a decent length with appropriate tension to accommodate pockets and materials of varying thicknesses. The cap profile is essentially straight, with a slight upward angle on the finial and a slight downward angle at the end. The barrel transitions from the cap at a medium-sized joint, angles up just a hair, extends straight, and then tapers toward a rounded, flat end.

The cap twists off with two full rotations. The section begins with a rounded, blocky flare, is slightly concave, and then transitions into the resin threads and a small step up to the barrel. That flare does a good job of keeping a grip from slipping off the end, and the section overall is not slippery.

The pen is fairly light, well balanced, and plenty long enough to use unposted. That matters, because it is not designed to post, and the design makes that clear rather than leaving you wondering. It accepts standard international cartridges in both long and short formats, and a converter is included. With a one-piece barrel and a lack of metal parts, eyedropping should also work fine if you take the appropriate precautions.

The Nib and Writing Experience

The pen uses a number six stainless steel JoWo nib in black, engraved with the Heinz pen logo. The choice of black is wise here: a silver or two-tone nib would have looked awkward against the black-and-white theme. It is available in extra fine, fine, medium, and broad, plus 1.1 and 1.5 mm stubs.

In use, the medium nib is very pleasant. It has a little bit of feedback, but the kind that reads as good feedback rather than scratchiness. It is decently smooth without being glassy, and ink flow is fair for a medium. Reverse writing is slightly scratchy but workable, and the feed keeps up fine during fast writing. Do not expect much line variation from a stainless steel nib, but for everyday writing it gets the job done comfortably.

Writing Sample and Ink Performance

For the writing sample, the medium nib was inked with Diamine Poppy Red, a bright, vibrant red with plenty of pop. It also handles a richer red like 3 Oysters Chili Red nicely, and older inks such as Thornton’s Red, a solid, classic red that has become harder to find, look good through it too.

The pen starts reliably and keeps a consistent line, which is exactly what you want from a steel JoWo nib paired with a well-made feed. Nothing in the writing experience gets in the way of daily use.

Buying Advice

If you are considering this pen, a few points are worth weighing:

• Buy it if you want a handcrafted, one-maker fountain pen with distinctive resin work at a bespoke but not unreachable price.
• Size it up in person if possible. Jim regularly shows at pen events, and seeing the resin in person is worthwhile since each piece varies.
• Pick your nib deliberately. The range from extra fine through broad, plus 1.1 and 1.5 stubs, means you can tune the writing experience, but the steel JoWo character is a touch of feedback rather than pure smoothness.
• Plan to use it unposted. It is comfortable and well balanced that way, and the pen is simply not designed to post.

At around $200 to $250 depending on the material, the B24 sits at a sensible point for what it offers: thoughtful design, quality materials, and hand-built construction from a maker with two decades of experience.

Conclusion

The Heinz Pen Company B24 in Starry Night resin is a considered, well-executed bespoke fountain pen. The marble-like resin with its flowing black veins and subtle sparkle is genuinely attractive, the black JoWo nib suits the theme perfectly, and the ergonomics are sensible for everyday writing. If distinctive handcrafted resin and a no-nonsense writing experience appeal to you, this one deserves a spot on your shortlist, and checking out the maker’s site or pen show table is time well spent.