Old Friends From My Stash

It was a dark and gloomy weekend. Not really. Sunny and comfortable but evenings at my desk were uninspired until I put together paper, pen and ink that haven’t seen the light of day in ages. To my delight the Rhodia No 13 pad, Sailor Sapporo fine nib and Diamine Mediterranean Blue ink were made for each other.

Mediterranean Blue has been a frequent companion to a Platinum #3776 music nib, but never a narrow nib. Not surprising for a Diamine ink, it has excellent flow and color from a fine nib, too. I never post a cap. Ever. However, the Sapporo works better in my hand with the extra length and weight. So doing something different from in the past made an unused pen usable.

I didn’t have to spend another dime to put a Sapporo into my rotation and I didn’t have to wait for a delivery. All I am suggesting is to mix things up especially in unexpected ways. You might get as pleasantly surprised as I did.

Facebook Proves Analog Is Better

Using a fountain pen on paper is the perfect antidote to the reach of Facebook’s tentacles. Zuckerberg and his minions have vowed to implement changes that should have happened years ago. If the current promise of reform makes you feel safe from data miners and prying eyes, you might believe in unicorns and fairies as well. Now wouldn’t that be an interesting world, but the one we currently inhabit lacks such elegant creatures and the fantasy that goes with them. Mere mortals, we have the reality of Facebook and its “privacy settings” that are arcane and obscure.

Should you want to lower your Facebook profile, here are some links to info about how to do it.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqkVjhCr79o
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulajdbHLyHc

Now put those fountain pens to best use. Shred what needn’t be preserved and file what must be kept. Unless co-workers, family and friends decide to rifle through your shelves and drawers, your data will be secure though posterity may look askance at your rants and musings. I have put some doozies here and there in my journals. Should anyone ignore my instructions to burn the lot, they will get an earful/eyeful that ought to make them wish they hadn’t delved into my private thoughts. Oh, would I like to be a fly on the wall for that comeuppance!

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!

 

New Ink Samples From Anderson Pens

Look at some of the loot that came from Anderson Pens yesterday.

Flat toothpicks made the squiggles on Rhodia paper.

The samples are 3 ml and enough to get acquainted with an ink before investing in a full bottle.

This is my first foray into Robert Oster’s Signature line and I’ve already fallen for the Red Orange. That took all of 2 seconds. More later on the brand after we spend some quality time together.

 

Moleskine Surprise

When it comes to journals, Moleskine has set the standard for form. Sturdy, but lays flat. Natural white paper. Ribbon marker. Elastic band and rear pocket. The size is just right in the hand. But in recent times, the paper has left much to be desired when it comes to fountain pen ink.

When I started using Moleskine some twelve years ago, my pens were quite happy with it and the few inks I owned would cozy up to the paper and leave marks with clean outlines. Extra-fine and fine nibs were perfect, especially a vintage Parker 51 fine-medium that was the pen I carried everywhere.

Skip forward a few years and the paper quality suffered. Spidery feathers bloomed from every letter and blobs of ink showed through on the backs of pages making them worthless. One-sided writing cut the value of the pricey journals by half. Moleskine betrayed my trust and I swore off for good.

To be fair, paper sources can change over time and being ever hopeful that the company had come to its senses, I tucked a squared notebook into a recent Amazon order. The wrapper says “Mix. Paper from responsible sources.” What does that mean? It also says the notebook was manufactured in China. Lots of paper comes from China, but most of it isn’t fountain pen friendly. Hoping to be surprised, I put the Moleskine to the test.

Every instrument except the fountain pens worked well enough that both sides of the paper were useful. Clean outlines and almost no feathering with only very faint ghosting from the Sharpie Pen and the Pentel Touch make the Moleskine an excellent choice.

The scan shows a new Moleskine at the upper left with a Rhodia notebook to the right. The bottom two are Moleskine journals purchased several years ago. The recent Moleskine has paper that is more white than in the past which is another indication that the paper is from a different batch.

Fountain pen ink produced mixed results. To the good, feathering has been reduced. Not gone entirely, but spidery offshoots did not happen. That is a significant improvement over the Moleskine journals I last purchased. Outlines are less jagged though under magnification still imperfect with some inks. It isn’t Rhodia quality, but it will do.

Bleed-through on the reverse proved frustrating, but ink and nib width made a difference. Noodler’s Black in a fine nib was perfect. Sailor Peach Pink did not bleed even from a Platinum #3776 Music Nib. J. Herbin Bleu Azure from a Platinum Century B Nib left only a couple of dots. Other inks in wide nibs left so many spots that the reverse was unusable at least by my standards. However, a dry nib or an extra-fine to fine nib should have less trouble. The narrow nib for many users will be more suitable for the size of the journal and the 5 mm grid spacing anyway.

The bottom line is Moleskine has improved the quality of its paper at least in the grid notebook I tested. Some pen and ink duos will work beautifully on both sides of the paper. If you only write on one side, use any pen and ink. With the feathering reduced, Moleskine is no longer off my list. Is it time to put it on yours?

 

 

 

Zebra Mini Ballpoint Pen

When space is scarce and tiny tools are in order, the Zebra Mini Ballpoint could be the perfect fit.

At 3.25 inches closed, this pen can fit in the smallest of spaces. It extends to a useful length of 4.25 inches when it is time to go to work. Pair it with a mini journal for a truly pocket-sized traveling companion.

Zebra Mini Ballpoint (BA55):

• Sturdy metal barrel – no plastic parts
• Rated as fine but writes extra fine
• Ink dries quickly
• No cap to lose
• Very little pressure needed to write a consistent line
• Narrow barrel isn’t the most comfortable, but okay for lists or short passages
• Pen available in black, gray, white, silver, pink, light blue, mint green and navy
• Ink refills available in black, blue, red and green
• Close the barrel and twist off the tip to install a refill
• Small enough to fit in some wallets

Sometimes really small is just right.

Pilot Kaküno Review

Recently, a Pilot Kaküno found its way into a small Amazon order. For $10 and change, it was a steal of a deal. The soft blue and white are a refreshing combination for the summer ahead, but looks aren’t everything. So what else does it have going for it?

Key points:

• clean, simple design
• very light weight
• no clip
• octagonal shape keeps it from rolling on a flat surface but it has a tiny stop molded into the cap as well
• medium-sized section is comfortable in hand
• long enough to use without posting
• slip cap posts securely without overbalancing
• despite three holes in the cap and two in the barrel, ink does not dry out in the nib
• smiley face on the nib is cheerful and a nice touch
• comes in a variety of colors
• workhorse nib is stainless steel and solid
• can pop the cap off one-handed which is very convenient
• comes with a single cartridge so purchasing a converter is essential

After a thorough search of the blue inks on hand, Diamine Mediterranean Blue emerged as the best choice to fit the summer-at-the-beach look of the pen. Some other inks that would be lovely with it are Iroshizuku syo-ro, Platinum Mixable Aqua Blue and Diamine Soft Mint. Contrarian? Diamine Peach Haze, Vermilion or Wild Strawberry would be unexpected colors for this model. Montblanc Pink Ink would be very eye-catching, too.

Unlike some entry level fountain pens, the Kaküno wrote perfectly from the get-go. It did get a water rinse before the first fill, but that’s just good practice with any new pen. The flow is perfect for the medium nib and produced some nice shading. No skipping or false starts. It isn’t butter smooth, but with a light touch it is neither scratchy nor squeaky. For an all-purpose carry anywhere pen, it writes quite well.

If you buy two, you can swap the caps for additional variety. I think a black cap on a white barrel would look very cool. But the pink and white model reminds me of cotton candy. There are many choices, but at the price point, it’s hard to go wrong.