Pens and Inks for Summer
06/17/2010For the last two weeks, my pens and inks have taken on summer hues. Inks more than pens but black is a neutral, right?
Summer Pens 2010
While other inks and pens will surely get added over the next few weeks, my current rotation includes
- Mabie Todd ‘Jackdaw’ Stub with J. Herbin Lie de The
- Sailor Sapporo with Iroshizuku Ku-Jaku
- Namiki Falcon SF with Diamine Violet
- Lamy Vista 1.1 italic with J. Herbin Rouille D’Ancre
- Lamy Safari Custom Cursive Italic with Montblanc Racing Green
- Montblanc 220 with J. Herbin Larmes de Cassis
- Pilot “Isaac Newton” with Rohrer & Klingner Solferino
- Pilot Blue Flower Pocket Pen with J. Herbin Bleu Pervenche
- Yellow Levenger True Writer with Rohrer & Klingner Alt-Goldgrun
- Retro 51 Scriptmaster II in Clementine with Iroshizuku Yu-Yake
There are five fine nibs, four stub/italics and lastly one lone, flex nib. Not until I completed the list did I realize how well it represents my usual choice in nibs. Unintentionally, I picked just the right mix of pens.
Summer Ink Palette 2010
The inks were a bit more considered but still without a true plan. Summer weather does call for lighter, cheerful shades like orange and turquoise. Larmes de Cassis fits the season as well. So the inks skew a bit softer than my usual rotation.
Just to keep things from getting into a rut, I’ve also have at the ready two Levenger True Writers with fiber tip refills, one black and one blue. Veering even further from the fountain pen fold, a couple of Pigma Microns showed up in orange and evergreen. Those two will make colorful notes on anything including an old Moleskine Cahier with paper that just doesn’t play fair with fountain pen ink.
Well, that’s my seasonal kit. Varied and colorful it invites playful use which is just the thing for the lazy days of summer.
How about you? Do you have a group of pens and inks that suit this time of year?
An Inkophile's Blog 
Great post and colour chart – love these summer colours!
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Thanks. It really is a pared down list. No black, red, true blue or blue-black. The only shade not represented that should be is a bright green like Diamine Kelly Green, JH Lierre Sauvage, Sailor Green or Iroshizuku Shin-Ryoku. Maybe next month I’ll add one of those. For now, simple is better.
Do you have a summer rotation?
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Hi inkophile,
To left of the Lamy Vista, there two pens, they look like sailors. I think the silver trimmed one is Pro Gear, and the other is ? KOP maybe__?
Take Care,
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Good guess in that one is indeed a Sailor. The list of pens below the photo is in the same order as the pens in the image. The gold trimmed pen is a Namiki Falcon SF and the rhodium trimmed pen is a Sailor Sapporo F. They have very different nibs and are always in my regular rotation. For overall quality and value, the Sapporo tops my list. I am especially fond of the rhodium trim and nib and probably ought to pick up another someday.
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Very pretty choices. Like the idea of a seasonal color selection. I’m about ready to ink up some pens and I’ll try to go bright for all the heat and sunshine we’ve been having.
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Would like to see what goes on your list. No green or brown but how about turquoise, rose, pink and orange?
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I love it that someone else chooses inks/pens according to the season! I’ve been in the mood for turquoise ink and bright floral hues like pink, orange and purple. As far as the pens, I just got some random, inexpensive fountain pens from France that I’m trying out just because they are new to my collection.
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New pens are always cause for an inky celebration. What ink/pen duos are you considering?
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Hello,
Sorry I didn’t noticed the pen list. I was too much focused to the inks at that moment. Anyways thank you. 😉
take care
sound
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No problem. Those inks are pretty eye-catching. 🙂
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A delectable palette. I like Larmes de Cassis in particular.
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Okay that Mabie Todd is in my favorite brown! Lovely ink palette.
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[…] For the last two weeks, my pens and inks have taken on summer hues. Inks more than pens but black is a neutral, right? While other inks and pens will surely get added over the next few weeks, my current rotation includes Mabie Todd 'Jackdaw' Stub with J. Herbin Lie de The Sailor Sapporo with Iroshizuku Ku-Jaku Namiki Falcon SF with Diamine Violet Lamy Vista 1.1 i … Read More […]
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Very nice color chart and pen assortment. I have been trying to guess which pen has the flex nib. Your choices of pens, as far as nibs go, are what I would select. Fine and stub/italic are good for a variety of uses. I haven’t tried flex nib yet.
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Thanks for the kind words. The only flex nib in the bunch graded as such is the Namiki Falcon. It has a soft fine (SF) nib. There isn’t a lot of flex to the nib when new but with use it becomes soft enough to lend a little character to the down stroke. The fine is a tad sharp and can dig into paper with even very slight pressure so some folks prefer the medium. I have no experience with it but would assume the wider nib is easier to wield.
The Mabie Todd ‘Jackdaw’ has some flex to it but it has been customized. It is much more in the fine stub/italic category when I use it so that is how it was counted.
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I love your Pilot Elite…ok…I love Japaneese Pocket Pens. I did not know the pen is having a nickname (Isaac Newton)
I am glad to see other people that me generate seasonal selections of inks/pens
Thanks for showing!
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