Three Chinese Extra-Fine Fountain Pens

My exploration of inexpensive Chinese fountain pens is moving along nicely and has proven that there are good choices if you can live with the time it may take to receive your new companion. I found a good selection on eBay and quite a few at Etsy. Amazon has U.S. inventory of some models though others are only available through Chinese retailers. My pens have come from all three sources with a few taking over a month to arrive. Patience is a virtue that I lack so Amazon worked best for me.

To keep it simple, the Delike New Moon 2, marketed under several names including Majohn and Moonman, has the smoothest and widest nib. The Jinhao 82 has earned tons of admirers not only for its nib but for its bargain price and variety of colors. It is smaller, slightly more fine and less substantial than the New Moon. The Wing Sung 659 wrote the finest line of the three and is the same length as the New Moon but a tad more narrow in diameter. Its flow was somewhat inconsistent with Diamine Sepia but it is a shading ink so that may have contributed to that issue.

All of the pens wrote best with a light touch. Extra-fine nibs are sharp and will dig into paper at the slightest invitation. If that isn’t your cuppa, go for a fine nib. I have two due to arrive this week and will write about them soon. JanineScribbles on Instagram has some beautiful writing samples including comparisons of the New Moon and the Jinhao fine and extra-fine nibs.

This won’t be my final remarks on these three pens but I will say that the quality at the price point exceeded my expectations. The New Moon 2 remains my favorite but the Jinhao 82 is a very close second. The Wing Sung 659 lacks the visual style of the other two, and the nib due to its extremely fine tip, required more care in its use. For line drawing, it will do nicely, but would not be my choice for everyday writing. I don’t want to think about how to use the pen in my hand. I just want to write and the other two pens are better at that. Two Jinhao including converters for $15 at Amazon? Dang, I hate it when I enable myself.

It would only be fair to state that these pens can have issues including less than perfect nibs. My New Moon 2 EF came with a damaged nib that the seller replaced with a nib that is perfect. The three bent nibs that I have in that model are excellent as is the build quality for all of them.

A green New Moon bent nib/fude has been in my regular rotation for nearly three years so I am sold on that one. The Jinhao has only been here for a month or so and will require more use to decide whether or not it is a pen I might enjoy daily. A Jinhao medium nib and a New Moon fine nib should arrive this week to round out my nib tests or at least that’s what I told myself when I purchased them. Don’t remind me that there is yet another Jinhao that looks mighty appealing. Collectors gotta collect as if you didn’t know that already.

Ink Samples Saved Me A Bundle

Ink samples from Federalist Pens saved me a bundle. Eight of them and not one suited my regular rotation so bottles of these inks would have gone to waste.

 

Edelstein Apatite and Laban Zeus are saturated colors that will please many people. Colorverse Butterfly and NGC 6302 along with Laban Hermes are pale and performed best on absorbent paper like the Strathmore Windpower Sketch used for the swatches. Laban Apollo, Aphrodite, and Poseidon are mid-range colors in terms of saturation. I might give Aphrodite a whirl someday, most likely in a pen with a narrow nib like the burgundy New Moon 2. That one just got a fill so Aphrodite will have to wait her turn.

A friend tested the Laban Hermes and found a normally smooth, fude nib to be scratchy. That was telling. However, The Well-Appointed Desk had a different experience with Colorverse Butterfly and NGC 6302. Unlike Jessica, I saw no sparkle or glisten from the Butterfly ink sample. It is possible the bottle from which the sample was taken could have benefitted from a good shake to distribute any reflective material. I am not a sparkle enthusiast so that is no loss for me.

Sometimes I just want to use familiar inks. This week it’s Diamine Eau de Nil, Raw Sienna and Merlot. But it’s good to try something new and samples are the best and most economical solution for me.

What works for you? Do you dip a toe in and buy samples or jump in with both feet and purchase bottles?

 

 

Pantone Color Of The Year Meets Diamine Merlot Ink

A discussion following my original post, Pantone Color of the Year for 2023, prompted a search through my inventory for an ink that would be similar to Pantone’s magenta. Diamine Merlot is close enough to suit me. With an almost full bottle and a matching pen, the burgundy Delike New Moon 2, this was an easy pairing.

What do you think of Merlot as a match for Pantone’s magenta? Which ink would you choose?

Paper And Pens For 2023

Organizing for the new year is a great opportunity to search out the best tools in your collection and put together a satisfying setup that makes you happy every time you look at it. It should also encourage you to pursue your goals whatever they may be. 

Note that most of the product links are to Amazon where the items were purchased. If you buy from these links, Inkophile might earn a tiny commission that helps keep this blog going.

Five fountain pens, one mechanical pencil, and one gel pen are more than enough for me.

Blue Marble Delike New Moon 2 Fude with Diamine Eau de Nil

Green Marble Delike New Moon 2 Fude with Diamine Dark Brown

Burgundy Marble Delike New Moon 2 Extra-Fine with Diamine Earl Grey

Platinum #3776 Century Medium with J Herbin Poussiere de Lune

Lamy Studio Fine with Noodler’s Black Swan in English Roses

Uni Alpha-Gel Shaker Mechanical Pencil – Black/Soft Grip 0.5mm

Faber-Castel Fast Gel Z 0.5 Black

Seven notebooks might seem like a lot, but that number allows subjects to be separated. An undated Traveler’s planner has been my choice for years. A Traveler’s Notebook Refill 013, Lightweight Blank Paper, 128 Page is all I need for a journal. Blank Traveler’s notebooks suit collages though I have found an economical substitute that has slightly heavier paper and is perfect with fountain pen ink. The A6 and A5 notebooks are for work and project notes. Attractive dividers and good paper make these a perfect fit. The two cuties are the bottom hold 6 x 8 cm paper that is surprisingly good with fountain pen ink though they are primarily used for collages. The covers are ones I made that can easily be swapped for extra variety at my desk.

A few other tools are consistently on my desk including scissors, tweezers, clips and a stylus. All except the stylus were new in 2022 and have proven to be indispensable, especially the tweezers for delicate tasks.

Also on my desk are a craft knife, a six inch metal ruler or a very small tin of six watercolor pans. Not in the tool category but ever-present is a mood-setting Wick candle with a wooden wick that crackles as it burns. 

Still to acquire is an A5 clipboard for times when an open notebook would take up too much space. This one caught my eye but Santa might have a different idea.

Ta-da. That’s my plan for 2023. We shall see how long it lasts. What will be on your desk to start the new year?

 

 

Wancai Mini Eyedropper With Diamine Aurora Borealis

Eli on Instagram used a combination of pen and ink that looked very appealing to me so I decided to try the same duo, a Moonman (Majohn) Wancai Mini Eyedropper with Diamine Aurora Borealis It would be my first eyedropper filler and was destined for use in my journal. For $20, it was worth a gamble. Note that the color and swirls called Daydream give the pen a happy vibe that encourages use so that is another plus in its favor.

The body is a little odd in that even posted it is short but the body circumference is greater than the pens I usually use. Finding a balanced, comfortable position for it has been tricky especially since the nib is not the smoothest. It isn’t bad but it isn’t as smooth as the Delike New Moon 2 EF used for comparison. Surprisingly, the Wancai Mini F writes finer than the Delike EF. The latter has slightly more flow so that might account for the line difference. Maybe.

In terms of appearance, the New Moon is colorful if traditional. The Wancai Mini is an eye-catching cutie. From the swirls to the size, it looks like a pen that was meant for fun.

Note that the Mini has no clip so it does tend to wander around the desk but a pen rest will keep it anchored.

 

Moonman Wancai Mini Transparent Pocket-Size Eyedropper Fountain Pen with Fine Steel Nib 0.5mm

Dimensions: Length closed is 87mm and posted is 122mm. The diameter is 14mm. Net weight is 11.9g.

Cap screws on. Eye dropper filler or ink cartridges.

Material : Acrylic Resin.

 

Delike New Moon 2 with Extra-Fine 0.38mm (Rose Red)

Dimensions: Length closed is 132mm and posted is 155 mm. The diameter is 12mm. Net weight is 23g.

Cap screws on. Cartridge or converter filled.

Material: Acrylic Resin.

 

What I learned from experimenting with the Wancai is that eyedropper fillers are easy to use and hold a ton of ink which is perfect for journal writing in my favorite Traveler’s Notebook.

A pen with a cap that needs to be screwed on to give it adequate length for writing is frustrating and awkward. My pattern is to write a few sentences, pause, then write a few more. Unscrewing the cap from the back then screwing it on the front then screwing it on the back again just to write another sentence or two was too disruptive. A standard twist cap is interruptive enough. However, an eyedropper would be useful. Attractive as it is, the Mini is headed for the pen drawer though on occasion it might get a peak at daylight just for fun.

Diamine Aurora Borealis is good just like all Diamine inks are though it will have to find another mate. Perhaps one of my Platinum #3776 pens with a clear barrel would be happy to show off an aqua mate. Except when testing ink, I do not fill multiple pens with the same color so the Plat will have to wait until the Wancai Mini is empty. That is taking forever thanks to the bottomless eyedropper. I think the pen fairy must be refilling it when I am not looking. Sigh.

 

Fountain Pen Day 2022

Happy Fountain Pen Day! On my desk to mark the occasion are Delike New Moon 2 pens with Diamine Ink. Two have fude (bent) nibs while the third has a fine nib. The variety of line widths will cover all of my writing needs. The inks aren’t showy but suited to general writing tasks, and of course Diamine is always reliable. Funny how I picked the colors and then realized they were all from Diamine. We are very old friends to be sure.

What’s on your desk today?

A Dozen Favorite Fountain Pen Inks

In no particular order, these are my most frequently used inks based on color rather than other properties. Already in my collection, this group is in line with my plan to use what I already own. A few have been here at least ten years which probably means I don’t write enough. Maybe this year will be different.

• Iroshizuku syo-ro
• Platinum Classic Lavender Black
• Diamine Sepia
• J. Herbin Poussiere de Lune
• J. Herbin Cafe des Iles
• J. Herbin Vert Empire
• Diamine Steel Blue
• Sailor Tokiwa Matsu
• Sailor Sky High
• Noodler’s Lexington Gray
• Diamine Eau de Nil
• Noodler’s Kiowa Pecan

A few inks almost made the list including Diamine Macassar and Merlot, Platinum Classic Citrus Black, Noodler’s Apache Sunset, Iroshizuku tsuki-yo and kon-peki, and Stipula Calamo Saffron and Moss Green, but that’s twenty and crazy even for me.

What’s on your list?