Pen Links That Banish Boredom

Are you staying busy? Not a problem for me. My wish list has grown dramatically thanks to so much free time. Paper in particular has my interest so the massive list from Fountain Pen Love is getting a second look. After all, what good are fab pens and inks if they don’t have a proper playground?

• Richard’s Books: Japanese Pocket Pens, The world’s first publication devoted to Japanese pocket pens!
• Fountain Pen Love: The Massive List Of Fountain Pen Friendly Paper Ratings (So many good brands of paper.)
• Filling A Journal Page
• The Gentleman Stationer: The Best Paper for Everyday Writing
• Conklin eyecandy
• Fountain Pen Blog: A look at the Visconti Van Gogh Starry Night fountain pen
• The Well-Appointed Desk: Notebook Review: Nanami Café Note B6 Slim Grid
• Getty-Dubay Italic: Letter of the Day
• The Well-Appointed Desk: Montegrappa Elmo Fantasy Bloom Edition Review
• From the Pen Cup: Not that I need more ink, but…
• Fountain Pen Quest Trail Log April 12, 2020
• Fountain pen blog: The Cross Apogee fountain pen, revisited.

This may be from the archives but a Platinum pen never goes out of style.

 

Ink, Pens, Paper And A Norbert

Some good stuff and a dog…

• Quick Fountain Pen Review: Top 5 Chinese Fountain Pens 2019
• Anderson Pens: TACCIA LIP COLOR Ink
• Noodler’s Ink has a new website.
• The Well-Appointed Desk: Eye Candy: Yamamoto Paper Tasting (No, that isn’t a typo.)
• Create A Simple Landscape Using Fountain Pen Ink And Water
• fude fan: Japan pen trends in 2019
• From the Pen Cup: Just Right: The Theme System Journal
• A goblet full of chocolate or is it?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Bent Nib Fountain Pen Has Taken A Hike

Phooey. Apparently one of my bent nib fude* pens has run away from home. Most assuredly this was an unauthorized departure although I suppose it could be in hiding in the jumble that passes for my office. Not that it is likely to find its way to you, but should it make the trek, please tell it to go home. It might not be my ideal mate, but we did have fun together and there could be many more adventures to come. However, it has to return to make that happen.

Duke Guan Yu Calligraphy Fountain Pen

Just in case the truant does not decide to come home, I looked for possible replacements at Amazon and was surprised to find several. The length of the nib tip varies, but there are a few models to consider for less than $30.

• The Duke 551 Confucius is similar to my Guan Yu model. Both are metal and quite heavy but attractive enough to start conversations while doodling at a local cafe.
• Sailor offers an inexpensive model with either a high angle or a low angle nib and a long barrel so it can be held like a paintbrush. It does not come with a converter.
• For a more traditional-looking pen, Sailor offers a Profit with a fude nib. It is a high angle model with no converter.

A long fude tip like mine is better at drawing than writing. The shorter tip is easier to control but produces less dramatic lines. Leigh Reyes wrote about this nib several years ago. Her post would be a great place to start if the fude intrigues you. It certainly enabled me!

*From Wikipedia fude (foo day) means sequences of letters or drawings that you write or draw without removing your pen off the paper.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_counter_word

Sweet Deal On A Pilot Vanishing Point At Goldspot Pens

Goldspot Pens is offering the metallic Pilot Vanishing Point at an excellent price that includes a free bottle of Iroshizuku ink as well as free shipping. If you have ever wanted to buy a VP, this is the best deal I have ever seen for this pen. Grab one while you can!

Sunday Reads: Pens And Horses

In my youth, I was horse crazy. Fond memories. I still love horses, but these days I rarely get closer than the two Baoer Eight Horses fountain pens below.

• The Gentleman Stationer: Platinum #3776 Revisited: My Thoughts 2+ Years Later (Permanent member of my top five list.)
• The Pelikan’s Perch: The Story Of Günther Wagner’s Danzig-Langfuhr Factory and the Danzig 100N
• Fountain Pen Blog: First impressions of the new Platinum Procyon fountain pen
• Life Imitates Doodles Giveaway
• Watch if you agree that horses are delightful creatures.

Five years ago, this was my rotation.

Platinum #3776
Platinum #3776 Century
Lamy AL-Star
Pelikan M400
Pelikan M215
Pilot Namiki Falcon
Sailor 1911
Sailor Sapporo
Baoer Eight Horses in Bronze
Baoer Eight Horses in Copper
Pilot Custom 742FA

Sunday Reads: Pens, Hummingbirds, and Elephants

Elephants and hummingbirds fascinate me so this past week offered some special treats. A watercolor demonstration has inspired me to try painting elephants. It’s way outside my skill level, but fun nevertheless…

• Draw Tip Tuesday: Fountain pen and ink (illustrated filling of an FP)
• Brotherly Love
• Hummingbird Pool Party
• Fountain pen manufacturing a forgotten empire of Akron
• Elephants demonstrate courage, compassion and intelligence
• Wired: Ink Different With These 7 Sensibly Priced Fountain Pens
• Search engines that aren’t Google
• Love at first sight!
• Elephants in three colors

Anyone else a sucker for demos?

If You’ve Ever Wanted To Try A Pilot Kaküno

The Pilot Kaküno is one of my favorite bargain fountain pens. The white barrel with a soft blue cap is just right for a number of blue inks and looks rather sassy with orange. Pink and magenta are attractive colors for it, too. It writes well and is the most lightweight pen in my collection. That is all to the good.

While perusing Amazon for other items, I discovered the blue Kaküno has earned an Amazon’s Choice ranking and is currently listed at less that $10 for either the fine or the medium nib. I ordered mine with a three-pack of CON-50 converters though the pen comes with a cartridge that can be refilled via pipette or syringe.

Hey, what’s not to like about a nib that winks at you!