Some quickie penporn for the weekend. The 14K nib on a Platinum #3776 Century that is a favorite. It’s one of the best pen gifts I have ever received and it came from Luxury Brands. Nice, eh? The background is a bit of doodling with Bodu-Undo graphite watercolors and Holbein gold gouache.
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.
In my email this morning was an announcement from the distributor that “Noodler’s is going back to where it all started, the Catfish! Most of the new ink labels have the classic Noodler’s label of the Catfish. Some labels have descriptions below the catfish picture explaining the ink properties.”
To be honest, when I think of Noodler’s, I always picture the catfish. Certainly there have been other memorable labels, but the catfish is the one that stays with me.
Here is a peak at what is to come.
Sometimes I do dumb things, but then something good comes of it. This time I filled a Delike New Moon fountain pen with Platinum Classic Lavender Black and forgot about it. Such things happen as we grow older. (sigh)
Lavender Black was in the pen for a month without use and with most inks, that would be perfectly fine. But this is an iron gall formula so OMG did I kill my pen? Not even close. It wrote immediately and cleaned easily with just a water rinse. In fact it cleaned up more quickly than one of my favorite inks in a Moonman pen that was just as ill-treated. That nib is still soaking 24 hours later.
This isn’t a recommendation for any ink other than Platinum Classic Lavender Black and I am delighted with it. Much appreciation to Luxury Brands USA for sending it and feeding my ink addiction.
Luxury Brands of America sent a Waldmann Xetra Vienna Black fountain pen for review quite some time ago and now it’s time to share some thoughts about it.
The Xetra Vienna is a handsome pen that has a layered, lacquer finish and hand engraving that makes every pen unique. The Vienna pattern sparkles against the black finish. To say it stands out on my desk would be an understatement.
With certainty, it is one of the most well-built pens I have ever used. It is both elegant and solid. It is not a large pen, but heavy for its size. Given its length, diameter and balance, I still found it useable even though I prefer pens that are half its weight. It posts securely and has a spring clip that grips snugly.
The broad, iridium tipped, rhodium plated, stainless steel nib is very wide creating lines that are bold and strongly colored. There is no definition as is found with a stub, so it is a true, round nib. Initially it experienced hard starts, but that has disappeared with use. In fact, after over a month of idleness, it wrote as soon as put to paper though that was with the very well-behaved Waterman Blue-Black ink. Writing more slowly than usual allowed the ink flow to keep up with the broad nib, but I have found that to be helpful with wide nibs in general.
Quite a few retailers carry Waldmann pens, so it should be easy to find this model. It comes in white as well as black, both neutrals so any ink will look fine with it. Admittedly, I am partial to the black and silver that puts my matchy-matchy urge to rest. One of these days I’m going to introduce it to a pale pink or orange and see how the wide nib handles a softly colored ink. It should be very pleasing and appropriate come spring.
The Waldmann Xetra Vienna Black would make a beautiful addition to any collection. Thanks Luxury Brands for sending such a fine pen for review.
Dimensions from Waldmann:
Fill Mechanism: Cartridge/Converter Cartridge Type: Standard International
Waldmann Xetra Vienna Fountain Pen Unboxing.
The BENU Scepter has received a lot of attention and interest, and rightfully so. If you like colorful pens, these can’t be topped and sporting Schmidt nibs, they write well, too.
Fountain Pen Quest has an in depth review including measurements and a performance comparison between the Scepter II and the Grand Scepter X. I would concur except for the nibs.
The Scepter has a #5 medium nib that writes a bit wider than expected with significant flow. The Scepter Grand has a #6 fine nib that is perhaps slightly wide for a fine with just the right amount of flow to make it a pleasure to use. I usually like wider nibs, but in this case, the fine beat the medium for my purposes.
These pens are surprisingly lightweight. The only real differences between them are the patterns and the nib size. The Scepter I is red, blue and gold and the Grand Scepter IX is blue and pink. In my hand, the Grand was a little over-balanced due to the angle required to use the large nib. It is comparable in size to the nibs on the Platinum Century pens that I use daily, so the larger nib doesn’t deter me. It’s that I had to adjust to the balance between the nib and barrel for the best writing experience. The smaller nib on the Scepter just fit my hand from the first mark on the paper. It is such a personal thing that other writers might never even notice. Both nibs had a touch of feedback, but were still quite smooth.
The pens wrote well with Iroshizuku ink, but Noodler’s Eel Blue was a little too free-flowing for the Grand’s medium nib. So like all pens, it’s trial and error to find the best ink, but isn’t that part of the fun?
Given the brilliant colors of BENU pens, it was challenging to find inks that suited them without detracting from the stunning barrels. Colorverse Glistening Stars and Stripes worked well in the Scepter. The Grand eventually got filled with Iroshizuku yama-budo and the Scepter was complemented nicely by asa-gao. Both are deep colors without sheen or other special characteristics. Too little inventory here to find matches of that sort beyond the Colorverse ink.
As for the pen, it is eye-candy of the highest order. There are a number of color combinations available making it easy to find a BENU that is just right for you.
Note that the wide barrel end makes the cap too narrow for posting and that might make the pen a bit short for really large hands. The section is average sized, but I hold pens quite far from the nib so the threads fell under my fingers. With a light grip, this was not a deterrent for short writing sessions. There is no clip, but the hexagonal shape prevents rolling. On my cluttered desk, that is a definite advantage.
The BENU Scepter is an eye-catching pen that writes well and could make a worthy addition to your collection. Or do you already have one? If so, what do you think of it?
Thank you Luxury Brands USA for sending the Scepters and Colorverse ink. I am now firmly spoiled for any other colorful pen. In other words, none need apply.
It is way, way, way too easy to blow your budget when there are so many goodies calling your name. Can you resist or have you been enabled?
Camellias through my kitchen window and matching pen.
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