Are You An Esterbrook Fan?

Are you an Esterbrook fan? If so, you aren’t the only one.

Review: Anderillium Inks

Federalist Pens and Paper sent samples of all sixteen inks offered by Anderillium. That’s a lot of ink!

Swatches on Tomoe River paper made with a cotton swab and the name written with a dip style fountain pen reveal clear, bright colors and a well-rounded selection. I did not see any sheen though other reviewers have. The paper and pen combination can make such a difference.

All of the inks were well-behaved with average to slightly dry flow though I do not have a pen that would properly test their abilities to tame a truly excessive flow. In the past, some inks have been inclined to release a tad too much ink from the pen used for the writing samples. Not the case with any of the Anderillium inks. I could also write at least a half page with one dip making the inks especially useful.

For my own uses, Pompadour Cotinga Burgundy, Colossal Squid Dark and Cuttlefish Brown are likely prospects. The Cotinga and my burgundy Delike New Moon F ought to get along very well while the Colossal Squid should be right for the Lamy Studio F. Cuttlefish Brown could be destined for the Platinum #3776 Music Nib but the Platinum Century Nice M might also make a good mate. So many choices. So many pens clamoring for attention. What’s an inkophile to do?

Caveat: In all my years of writing reviews, I have never had so much trouble getting ink swatch photos to accurately reflect colors. We tried two cameras with a lightbox as well as sunlight in addition to scanning them, something I haven’t done in ages. I will post some of the results, but for the true colors check the manufacturer’s website. Or order ink samples from Federalist Pens. That’s the best way to know what you are getting before making an investment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Review: Anderillium Inks Cephalopod Series by KraftyChloé.

Are You A Pen Collector?

What prompts you to purchase yet another pen? That’s a legitimate question that I examined recently as my online wanderings took me into learning about a line of pens about which I knew nothing. For a few hours, it seemed that a new pen was in my immediate future. Eventually, it struck me as it has many times before, that I did not need another pen. There are pens in my collection that I love but purchases that have thrilled me have been rare. Hey, I can only write with one at a time so why have a hundred of them and want even more?

I grew up in the home of collectors who loved the thrill of the hunt and the satisfaction of bagging anything from fine paintings to tchotchkes. With the exception of a dozen art books, I did not own multiples of anything until I discovered the ease with which a collection could be amassed buying stuff on eBay. From then on, I was doomed.

Using a fountain pen daily prompted me to upgrade from an uninspired modern pen to a vintage Parker ’51’ aerometric with a medium-fine nib. After that I was hooked. When at work, an Esterbrook in a pen holder on my desk was my weapon of choice. When writing for pleasure, either the ’51’ or an even older Vacumatic helped me fill page after page in journals. But why acquire a hundred more? I’ve sold at least fifty to get down to that hundred and that is crazy. True, many were gifts or the spoils from writing reviews. Thus my investment is nowhere near what it could have been. However, storage space is at a premium here and yet my collection grows.

Are you a collector? What makes fountain pens such an easy target of affection?

Improve Your Writing With A Handwriting Journal

3.3 million views for a handwriting video is impressive. The use of a Lamy fountain pen, Aurora black ink and a Traveler’s Notebook add to its aesthetic presentation. Need a bit of encouragement to try your hand at something new? This might be just the thing to get you started.

One of the most useful points made is that it takes repetitive effort to create muscle memory. Just keep practicing and that new style of lettering will become natural. My suspicion is that the first style is the most difficult and successive ones are more easily learned.

Another useful point is to write slowly. That breaks writing habits associated with one’s usual handwriting.

Kudos to the video’s creator, MyLifeinaBullet on YouTube, for inspiring writers to write and for using a fountain pen to do it.

 

 

 

There’s A Problem With My Platinum Century Pen

My beautiful Platinum #3776 Century Nice has a problem. Due to the “Slip & Seal” mechanism, ink never dries out. The pen can lay idle for months and months and still write without hesitation. Knowing it is so trouble-free, I often forget it is inked. Not for the first time, it has been filled for so long that I have completely forgotten which ink is in it. My log has been no help. The ink is a medium brown that works very well with the rose gold appointments and medium nib. The combination is so well-matched that it bears repeating, if only I was certain of the ink.

After delving into my archives, I found a photo of the pen along with others in rotation a year ago that says at that time, it was filled with Noodler’s Kiowa Pecan. Can it really have been filled for a year and write perfectly without a single skip? Perhaps I have forgotten an ink change and that brings into question the ink that is currently in it. Is it NKP or something else?

It may not be Kiowa Pecan, but that ink will do for the next fill of the Platinum Century. Plus my recording of which pen is filled with which ink needs to more consistent. How do you keep track of pens and inks? Suggestions are welcome.

Review: A Few Chinese Fountain Pens

Over a year ago, I decided to expand my collection of fude nibs. During the research phase, I ran across the Delike New Moon 2. Nothing in my collection was as fine as the Delike fude appeared to be and I was willing to gamble $20 to find out if this pen would fill that niche. In its favor was a very appealing design and color. Even the size and weight of the barrel are in my preferred range. So I plunked down my money and waited for its arrival.

When the package showed up at my door, I wasted no time and opened it immediately. First impression? Wow, what a beautiful pen! After a thorough rinsing, I filled the converter and was delighted to find that the nib was as good as the rest of the pen though it took several tries to find its best ink mate, Iroshizuku syo-ro.

More than a year later, this dynamic duo has been my daily companion completing nearly 300 pages in my journals. It has been filled dozens of times and is still going strong.

The green cracked ice pen was so enjoyable to use that I bought a blue marble so I could have two colors of ink ready to write. That pen has a tad more feedback, but otherwise is identical in performance. Rumor has it that the fudes are hand ground from Dlike extra-fine nibs and I wondered if the standard nibs were as good. So I bought a burgundy marble extra-fine that was beautiful but had a nib that was a stinker. After several emails with the seller, they decided to send a replacement nib that works perfectly.

Despite being the happy owner of three new pens, I decided to explore a little further and purchased a purple wave Moonman S1 with a fine nib. That pen had flow issues from the beginning that I addressed by widening the slit. I overdid it and the flow is a bit excessive. The build quality is not as good as the Delike New Moon 2 and feels more like a $20 pen that I could lose and not care about the loss.

Recently I noticed that Jet Pens carried the Moonman N6 though their inventory was low. I zoomed in on a photo of the nib and to my surprise the fude had the same imprint as the Delike New Moon. However, the design of the pen was quite different with no metal furnishings, not even a clip. Such a lightweight pen might be handy in my handbag or on days when my grip is uncooperative. So I ordered one along with a bottle of matching ink, Private Reserve Shell Pink, two packets of Tomoe River paper and a corner punch to make the paper look more like stationery when I want to write a letter. The pink pen came with a glass dip nib that I haven’t tried yet. Maybe someday my fascination with the fude will subside and I will swap the nibs. Or not.

Just to see what would happen, the blue fude and the burgundy extra-fine were set aside filled with Colorverse Crystal Planet and Andromeda. After seven weeks of no use, they both wrote instantly though the flow from the EF was a tad light for the first few words. Perhaps I just hit on the ideal combination of pens and inks, but it is still an impressive result.

This is not a full review because the pens have become difficult to find in the last six months and generally my reviews are about currently available products. However, I promised a review of the Delike so here it is. The bottom line is that these pens are inexpensive but the build quality varies. You might hit the jackpot as I did with my first two or you might get a stinker. If the retailer is one you can count on to back up its products like Jet Pens does, your risk is reduced. The Delike is hard to find, but there are a few at Amazon and eBay. At the price point, there are a number of other options including the Pilot Metropolitan. I have three of them and all of the nibs are good but none is a fude. The Delike fits my hand better and has more visual appeal so the Pilots are in the pen drawer. However, I am fickle so that is always subject to change.

More about the New Moon from Rupertarzeian at Early thoughts on the Delike New Moon bent nib fude pen

and More thoughts on the Delike New Moon fude nib fountain pen.

Pen Vibe: The Beginners Guide to Delike Fountain Pens

JanineScribbles: Delike New Moon fountain pens

Fountain Pen Blog: Early thoughts on the Delike New Moon bent nib fude pen.

 

 

Favorite Pens And Inks Updated

Today I updated my lists of favorite pens, inks and paper plus some of the best combinations I have used. Some items are vintage and others have been discontinued so you might not find them at your local retailer.

What are some of your favorites? Is your list subject to frequent changes or is it stable?

Favorite Fountain Pens

Favorite Inks

Favorite Paper

Favorite Matches