Sunday Reads: Pens, Inks and Paper. Oh, my!

Want to expand your collection? There are eight reviews in this lot to help you choose what’s next.

• The Pen Cup: Diplomat’s Excellent Excellence (I love Mary’s handwriting.)
• The Clumsy Penman’s InKfusion Site: J. Herbin – Vert Olive (Beautiful photos.)
• Ed Jelley: Baron Fig Confidant Plus Notebook Review
• The Well-Appointed Desk: Fountain Pen Review: Aurora Style Gemstone Aquamarine EF Fountain Pen
• Page Flutter: Rhodia Webnotebook for Bullet Journaling: The Definitive Review
• Alt. Haven: traveler’s notebook – olive edition
• The Pen Addict: Platinum Classic Ink Lavender Black Review
• The Serial Doodler: Review: Kyo No Oto Kokeiro
• Little Conkers: Rediscovering My Fountain Pens
• Mattias Adolfsson on fountainpens

From the archives…

Sunday Reads: Pens, Paper And Stuff For Lefties

Recently, Rodney sent a letter affixed with sealing wax, a delightful surprise. Admittedly and not for the first time, I almost succumbed to yet another hobby. Then I ran across GeekTells post about his descent into the cauldron. Is resistance futile?

• Manuscripts on Pinterest
• Handwriting Resources for Lefties
• Lori McNee: 12 Compelling Reasons Why Artists Should Use Twitter
• Lawyerist.com: The Best Legal Pad for Legal Work
• KenCrooker.com: Platinum 3776 Balance Maestro Fountain Pen Review
• ScribbleJot.com: Hero 395 soft fine nib review
• PenHabit.com: Waterman Carene Review
• GeekTells.com (a red-blooded American male): And Then I Fell Into a Cauldron of Sealing Wax
• Elise & Thomas: Falcon Has Landed
• Leigh Reyes: In Pursuit of the Rare

A Comparison of Two Namiki Falcon Nibs

Sunday Reads: Handwriting, Pens And A Puppy

The six-second smash down brought smiles from everyone but Macy who did not get the joke. Some dogs just don’t see things the way their humans do…

• A presidential salute to the 40th anniversary of National Handwriting Day
• The Well-Appointed Desk: Pen Review: Pilot Custom 912 Waverly Nib

 

Just stop already… pic.twitter.com/KoiQkBYftg

— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) January 29, 2017

 

Sunday Reads From Pens To Handwriting To Irish Tea

What will you do for National Handwriting Day?

• The other drinking habit – An Irishman’s Diary on tea and the Irish
• Ruth Beeley: Journaling at the National Gallery
• The Pelikan’s Perch: 2016 In Review: A Look Back At Pelikan’s Line-up
• Personal Geographic: Collecting Fountain Pens
• 5 “DISPOSABLE” Web Accounts to Keep Your Identity Safe
• The Blog of the London Pen Club: National Handwriting Day 2017

Sunday Reads From Pens To Cursive

A few bits I ran across this past week…

• Leigh Reyes: Introducing journal guides!
• Fountain Pen Links
• Richard Binder: Are Modern Pens As Good As Old Ones?
• The Comeback of Cursive

Conklin Duragraph 1.1 mm stub

If you like what you see, the Duragraph is available at Amazon in blue, green and amber.

A Noodler’s Flex Pen Meets Gorgeous Ink

Ever wondered what you could do with a Noodler’s Standard Flex pen?

Noodler’s Standard Flex with Noodler’s Black Swan In Australian Roses.

Isn’t the ink pretty in a clear barrel?

Namiki Falcon And J. Herbin Meet Clairefontaine

A Namiki (Pilot) Falcon sporting a soft fine nib makes a lovely bridge between J. Herbin Eclat de Saphir and Clairefontaine French-Ruled paper. This isn’t calligraphy, but rather whimsical, swirly lettering that suits the way the nib likes to dance over the smooth surface of the paper. The ink provides proof that the pen and paper came together.

If you want the trio, Writer’s Bloc carries the pen, paper and ink. Nibs.com carries the pen and will modify it in amazing ways. John Mottishaw is their nibmeister and he may well be the best at his craft.

If you want to experiment with a flex nib but not tax your budget, Noodler’s makes fountain pens that will give you a sense of what it’s like to achieve thick and thin in the same stroke. Amazon offers the range in various colors though my clear Standard Flex is hard to beat when it comes to showing off ink to its best advantage.

 

So go have some flex fun filling lots and lots of pages, but don’t be surprised if it becomes an addiction. It’s a fat-free, guilt-free one and will even keep your hand out of the cookie jar while you doodle away. Cool, eh?