This episode of Currently Inked is brought to you by Karas Kustoms at http://karaskustoms.com. KarasKustoms specializes in precision machining high-quality writing instruments made in the USA out of aluminum, brass, and copper. Since releasing their first __pen in 2011, their unique designs and product creation have allowed us to adapt our flagship pen, the Render K, into the “K Series” of pens: a modular __pen design that affords the user the ability to easily switch the pen between rollerball, ballpoint, and fountain pen simply by removing the grip section and refill and inserting a fountain pen nib, section, and cartridge converter. You can purchase Karas Kustoms products directly through their website at http://karaskustoms.com. Be sure to sign up for the Karas Kustoms newsletter to receive new product releases, Special Edition releases, and discount codes. They offer free domestic shipping on all pen purchases, and $10 international shipping to anywhere in the world. And for the remainder of 2016, you can use the coupon code KARASPENS for 10% off your order!
Apologies for the late delivery of this episode. It was originally intended to go out on Christmas day, but holiday travels got in the way. Happy Holidays!
1:30 – Mailbag
5:10 – How would you define your relationship with fountain pens? A tool? Functional Jewelry?
10:10 – What equipment would you suggest for people thinking of experimenting with their own YouTube channel?
– Neewer light panels
– Zoom H4N
– Sennheiser Lavalier Microphone
16:40 – What advice would you give to someone who is more reserved, but who is interested in giving back to the community?
22:40 – Currently Inked #1 – Tibalid Impero with Bungbox Sapphire ink
24:05 – Sponsor – Karas Kustoms
26:45 – How do you deal with a 1-year waiting on a custom pen?
28:05 – Is it worth it to buy an expensive pen from a shuttered factory (like OMAS) when there won’t be a means of support or maintenance?
31:50 – Currently Inked #2 – Cross Calais w/ Cross Black Ink
33:25 – What’s the difference between having a “Pink” nib and a “Red” nib that has been ground down to a finer point?(RE: Waterman Ideal No. 7 Nibs)
This episode of Currently Inked is sponsored by La Couronne du Comte. La Couronne du Comte is one of the premiere retailers of fountain pens in Europe and on the Internet, and they are offering 10% off your entire order (excepting Montblanc items) with the coupon code PENHABIT10. Check out the La Couronne du Comte web store for one of the largest selections of pens from any retailer.
1:45 – Do you ever use dip pens, and what has your experience been?
3:45 – My Noodler’s Neponset smells like rotten cheese. How do I get rid of the smell? Will soaking in vinegar work?
4:50 – What’s the difference between ink wetness and lubrication? How is ink lubricated?
This episode of Currently Inked is sponsored by The Nibsmith at http://nibsmith.com. Dan Smith has really come into his own as one of the premier nibmeisters of recent years. In addition to working on all kinds of high-end pens, Dan does wonderful custom grinds, including the Architect grind, which is he well-known for. In addition to his nib smithing services, Dan is also an authorized retailer for brands like Montegrappa and Aurora, and each __pen purchase comes with a complementary adjustment or nib grind. You can find his shop at https://nibsmith.com/shop-2/.
3:40 – I saw a too-good-to-be-true price on a Platinum 3776 on a Japanese seller website. What do you think of this promotion?(Grey market pens and global __pen pricing)
8:15 – What’s your strategy for managing your core collection of pens? Do you keep them all inked or stick with a conscious rotation schedule?
10:30 – Do you exclusively use fountain pens at work and home?
11:15 – Currently Inked #1 – Waterman’s Ideal #7
14:50 – What ink colors represent the house of Ravenclaw best?
18:10 – Sponsor: Nibsmith.com
20:45 – Giveaway method questions
25:30 – What kind of paper should I get at the office supply store for printing my own templates (https://www.napcatstudio.com/lines-pdf-generator/)
28:45 – Currently Inked #2 – Platinum 37776 Chartres Blue
32:05 – Does smoothing nibs strip all personality from the pen?
Repair supplies are now available for nearly all vintage __pen models. Perhaps the most prominent exception is accordion or bellows sacs: convoluted rubber tubes designed to be compressed axially rather than transversely. Although an early example of an accordion sac was used at the beginning of the 20th century by one of the New York penmakers (Sanford & Bennett, I think), where these sacs really came into their own was in France. Starting with Stylomine and their 303, French penmakers wholeheartedly embraced the accordion-sac-and-breather-tube pump-filler.
And why not? The principle was the same as that of a bulb-filler or Vacumatic, with additional benefits: the transparent plunger allowed the ink level to be viewed, and the rubber sac acted as both reservoir and spring. The only problem for us now is finding replacement sacs, which are long out of production and unavailable. I am confident that we will have a source for replacements within the next few years; I am working on this myself, and others are too. In the meantime, though, what is to be done with older French pens whose original accordion sacs are no longer usable?
Some have turned them into bulb-fillers, by discarding the transparent plunger and installing a conventional sac of sufficient length to stick out under the blind cap where the plunger used to be. This works, but is decidedly less than elegant -- and doesn't allow a converted __pen to be re-converted to its original configuration once accordion sacs become available once again.
Others have retained the plunger and used a length of rubber tubing cut from a regular sac. This works, though imperfectly. The sac doesn't collapse evenly when compressed axially, making the plunger action jerky and reducing the filling efficiency.
Nonetheless, with a bit of a twist, this is the best option currently available. The twist being to treat the modified pen as a pump-twist-filler, rather than as a plunger-pump. That is, instead of pressing the plunger, one twists it and releases it several times, until the pen is full.
There are some pens for which this will not work, however. The full-size and oversize Stylomines, in particular, have a metal cage around the plunger that prevents one from giving it the requisite twist.
Possible solutions would include attaching the cage to the plunger, permitting the entire assembly to be twisted, as well as removal of the cage -- which should be retained, pending availability of original-style sacs. And of course, one could always unscrew the section from the barrel and twist away, putting the barrel back in place after filling. As it happens, however, I may already have found an off-the-shelf item that can be used as an accordion sac for the largest Stylomines, and as noted above, it is only a matter of time before sacs in all sizes are available once again. So please, whatever you do, don't throw away any original parts!
Not long ago I acquired a nice Wirt dropper-filler -- a classic slender black chased hard rubber overfeed straight-cap, with 1882 and 1885 patent dates on the barrel.
Yet there was something more lying in wait. Look at the picture at top and the picture below, and you'll see there's a little step at the very mouth of the section. And the section doesn't seem to have a threaded joint separating it from the barrel . . . .
With a careful application of water (just at the section mouth, avoiding spotting of the hard rubber elsewhere), a bit of patience, and some careful wiggling, the nib unit came out as shown below.
A "jointless" design, very close to Parker's, patented in 1899 (US patent 622,256). I don't know of any advertisements for this particular Wirt model, nor is it familiar to the Parker experts I've been able to consult. Perhaps Wirt licensed the design, though it could also ave been a case of trying it out unofficially to see if it was worth licensing.
Back in the day, __pen repairmen would usually apply a little shellac to a slip-fit section before reinserting it into the barrel. I do the same, even though some of my colleagues object to the practice.
There are multiple benefits to sealing the section in place. Perhaps most importantly, it strongly encourages the application of heat to the section-barrel joint for disassembly. Warming the barrel mouth makes it expand and become more flexible, drastically reducing the risk of breakage. When the section joint isn't sealed, there is a powerful temptation to open it up cold, whether by twisting or rocking. And though one can often get away with it, rest assured that a cracked barrel mouth is only a matter of time when opening pens cold.
This is particularly the case with sections that have a a recessed band, as shown above, or a slight reverse taper on the part that fits into the barrel. When the barrel mouth has to be stretched in order to extract the section, doing it cold is risky indeed.
Sealing the section also makes the section-barrel joint stronger and more secure. The pressure of writing can sometimes cause an unsealed section to rock slightly within the barrel, putting strain on the barrel while allowing the nib to wiggle annoyingly in relation to the hand. Even a very small amount of shellac will keep a section firmly in place with its shoulder resting against the end of the barrel mouth around its full circumference, preventing any rocking motion.
One final benefit: sealing the section helps keep ink out of the barrel when the __pen is inadvertently dipped too deeply into the ink when filling. This is not an uncommon occurrence, and the ink that ends up trapped inside the section-barrel joint has left the celluloid there stained on more than a few older pens.
The strongest objection I can see is not to sealing sections per se, but to the use of shellac. This really doesn't apply to materials such hard rubber or acrylic, which are largely unaffected by being heated to the temperatures required to soften shellac. Celluloid, however, loses a little plasticizer every time it is heated, so there is a reasonable argument to limit the frequency and degree of heating in the interest of long-term preservation. In fact, there are other sealing compounds that require less heat to release -- most notably, various rosin-based mixes which can either be purchased or made up at home. Application of these compounds, however, is decidedly more awkward than that of shellac, since the section must be pre-warmed and the compound melted on before all parts are re-warmed and assembled.
This episode of Currently Inked is sponsored by Nibsmith. Dan Smith of Nibsmith.com provides top-notch nib grinding and nib adjustment services for all kinds of fountain pens. Now featuring the Montegrappa Passione in four stunning celluloids with sterling silver furniture and a newly slashed price. All __pen purchases from Nibsmith.com come with free nib grinding or adjustment. Visit the web store at https://nibsmith.com/shop-2/
00:00 – Black Friday horror stories
03:00 – Kanilea Black Friday ‘ohana special with __pen Habit notebooks
04:40 – What are your habits for picking pens when writing letters?
06:05 – Classic Pens LB5 vs. Wahl-Eversharp Decoband
07:45 – How do you make the swabs on your ink swatches?
Bristol Artist Trading Cards
9:55 – Currently Inked #1 – Cross Calais
11:45 – Will it be possible to get Inky Fingers notebooks from a retailer in Europe?
13:00 – Montblanc 146 vs. Pelikan M800 Blue?
14:30 – Is an inky crust on the bottle lip a problem? When does an ink need to go down the drain? (Plus a rant on using ink you don’t like.)
17:45 – Currently Inked #2 – Classic Pens LM1
19:20 – One pen of $450, or 3 pens of $150?
20:30 – Sponsor – Nibsmith.com
25:25 – Doing a review on Parker Penman Emerald Ink andreviews of out-of-production ink?
28:05 – Dark red/wine red inks and other favorite red inks?
31:30 – Are modern iron gall inks as damaging to the paper as old-style iron gall inks?
33:50 – Currently Inked #3 – Classic Pens LB5 Midorigi
34:55 – Talk of the quality of Conklin Pens
40:08 – How do the new Monteverde inks look and perform.
Reader Robert P. Foster recently sent us photos of an unusual nib in his collection, suggesting that it would make an interesting topic for a post. As can clearly be seen, only the front portion of the nib is gold -- the rest is of silver.
As it happens, another example of the same nib has been in my collection for some years, mounted in the holder shown below. The imprint is slightly different, but the patent date is the same, as is the construction.
The imprints on both nibs reference to Edwin Wiley's US patent 73419 of January 14, 1868. The text of the patent makes it clear that such bimetallic nibs were not new at the time:
The present invention relates to that class of pens commonly known as the "Union Pens," and which are made with their "nib" of gold, and their heel or body of silver or other inferior metal.
The text goes on to explain how such nibs were made, which entailed completing the forming of the nib before soldering the tipping material in place. The great problem with this method being that
. . . the blank cannot be then rolled without injuring the same, the nib of the __pen is thereby so annealed or softened from being heated by the soldering as to be deprived of its elasticity to such an extent as to greatly deteriorate it, it being, in fact, of no greater value or utility, as a pen, than a "gold pen" that has been repointed. [ "nib" here refers to what we now would call the tines; "pen", to the nib as a whole]
Modern tipping is done by electric resistance welding, but clearly this was not the case in 1868. Since tipping in that era entailed heating of the entire nib to annealing temperatures, elasticity had to be obtained after tipping, by work-hardening of the gold by rolling and/or hammering. Wiley's patent was for an improved method of joining the silver and gold portions of a "Union" nib which allowed the blanks to be rolled after tipping "without being split or broken" along the seam -- though it is clear from our examples that the rolled seam was still left rather irregular in appearance.
In searching for more information on other makers of "Union pens", I ran across Morse's US patent 73255 in which gold and steel parts are joined by tabs to form a sort of ink reservoir nib, coincidentally granted on the same date as Wiley's patent 73419. Of greater significance, however, was a French government report from 1860, Enquête: Traité De Commerce Avec L'angleterre: Industrie métallurgique, vol. 1, where on pages 860-61 an interview regarding the nib industry elicits the following reference to the English Wiley firm's Union Pen:
M. SAGLIER. Certainement. Mais tandis que M. Mallat vend au commerce ses plumes d'or de 3 francs à 5 francs, les plumes d'or sont vendues en Angleterre 1 shelling. J'envoie à l'exportation des plumes d'or faites par MM. Wiley, de Birmingham, qui coûtent 1 shelling. Je vends également à l'exportation des plumes d'or et d'argent de la même fabrique, qu'on appelle union __pen et qui coûtent 8 à 9 shellings la douzaine: ce qui fait de 8 à 9 pence la pièce.
So in 1860, Wiley's solid gold nibs sold for one shilling, or twenty pence, while their silver and gold Union Pens sold for eight to nine pence each. It would also seem that the "Union" name predated the American Civil War, though in short order the name would have been seen as patriotic as well as descriptive. Exactly when the Union pen was introduced, and how long it remained in production, are still open questions.
Sometimes major discoveries turn up right under our noses. In a recent instance, I was putting together ordinary Eversharp Skylines for sale -- nothing special, just common examples which had accumulated in a shoebox-sized quantity over the years -- and found that one small __pen wasn't like the others. The barrel was rather scratched up, so I went through my box looking for a better barrel I could swap in. To my surprise, nothing fit. The small __pen wasn't just short, it was also significantly slenderer than every other Skyline I could lay my hands on -- 10 mm over the barrel threads, to be precise. Normal Demi (also called Ladies) Skylines are shorter than standard-sized Skylines but of the same girth, so caps and barrels will all interchange. My mystery pen was the same length as a normal Demi, yet its parts weren't even close to interchangeable.
It was clear that the pen was early production, as the section had an ink window and the derby screwed onto a plug threaded into the top of the cap -- both well-known early features. The logical explanation was that this was Eversharp's original Demi Skyline, and that after a short time it was beefed up to match the standard Skyline's girth (the opposite of the Parker 51 Demi, which started out at standard thickness, and which was slenderized for the Aerometric version a few years later). And yet I could find no mention of such a slender model, neither in collector literature, nor in Eversharp catalogs or repair manuals.
Eventually one collector got in contact to offer me another example, identical but in slightly better condition. Alas, he could not help provide any further information about the model's history. Then at the most recent Ohio pen show, I sought out a collector friend who has had a longstanding interest in Skylines, who was able to sell me yet another example in a different color. He didn't seem overly surprised at my "discovery" -- but at the same time, didn't seem to recognize that this particular model was at all rare.
In the photos of Skyline Demis above and below, the slender versions are the two in the center. Unlike the later pens flanking them, they lack any imprint at the back of the metal ring between the top of the cap and the derby. The difference in girth is not immediately obvious, though clear upon closer inspection.
The slender pens are the bottom two in the photo below, in which the difference in girth is more obvious. The pen on the bottom has a two-tone nib, and it is quite possible that the pen above it originally did as well, for the nib shows considerable usage.
This episode of Currently Inked in sponsored by Vanness Pens at http://vanness1938.com. Vanness Pens is currently featuring the lovely Montegrappa Fortuna Mosaico at their store. This lovely writing instrument comes in vibrant colors (the Turquoise-colored Barcelona, the light blue Marrakesh, and the black and white Roma) in the distinctive Montegrappa Fortuna style.
The microphone I used for this week’s episode of Currently Inked was experiencing some interference, and the audio drops out in a few places during this episode. Sorry!
0:55 – Who do you think makes the best factory, out of the box nibs in various sizes?
4:20 – How many pens from your core collection would exchange for plane tickets and tickets to Hamilton?
5:00 – How do you pick the best __pen for formalwear
7:30 – Currently Inked #1 – Pilot Custom Heritage 823 w/ Iroshizuku Yama-guri
10:17 – The __pen store I visited didn’t clean out the pen I dip-tested. Should I be worried about that?
12:20 – What do you recommend for a really wet, really smooth pen out of the box inexpensively
This episode of Currently Inked is sponsored by La Couronne du Comte at https://www.lacouronneducomte.nl/webstore/main/index.php?language=en. Use the coupon Code PenHabit10for 10% off your entire order (Montblanc items not eligible for discount).
Apologies for the late delivery of this week’s Currently Inked. I try to do these videos once a week on Thursday, but sometimes, life takes over and there just isn’t enough time in the day to get it all done! I was under deadline for an audiobook narrating gig this week, and so the Currently Inked video had to be a bit delayed. I tried a new camera for this episode, in my never-ending quest to get a better picture and audio. I’m not quite there yet, but I’m closer than ever before!
1:35– What inks are best for flex vintage nibs.
4:00– What is your opinion of the Bril Ink you received
5:20– Currently Inked #1 – Karas Kustoms Ink w/ Sailor Jentle Rikyu-cha
7:10 – Why are you reducing your __pen collection? What is your ideal number of pens?
9:45 – What is your favorite combination of paper and ink for archival use?
This episode of Currently Inked is sponsored by __pen Chalet. In addition to a huge selection of pens, ink, paper, and accessories, Pen Chalet offers free shipping to the US for orders over $50. Use the coupon code PENHABIT10 for a 10% discount off your entire order.
1:05 – I like the cold open (scripted intro). Are you reading them and, if so, what?
2:45 – What is your favorite work-appropriate blue?
I picked up my first Legacy II back in August, and I’ve been falling in love with the __pen more and more over the last several months. This __pen for this giveaway, which was generously provided by Vanness Pens, is the black Sheaffer Legacy 2 with an 18k Gold Medium Inlaid nib. You can see my full review of the pen here. In fact, I like the pen so much, that I’ve already ordered another black version of the pen to replace the one I’m giving away in this review. The winner of this pen is going to be very, very lucky!
Terms & Conditions: The prizes for this giveaway were provided free of charge by Tactile Turn and Inky Fingers LLC. Giveaway ends November 5, 2016 at 11:59 PM PDT. Winners will be selected at random by Rafflecopter.com and verified by The pen Habit. Winner will have 72 hours to respond before prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Inky Fingers LLC will be responsible for shipping all prizes. Neither Vanness Pens nor The Pen Habit/Inky Fingers LLC will be responsible for prizes that are not received by winner. No purchase necessary to enter. By providing your information in this form, you are providing your information to The Pen Habit only. I do not share or sell personal information and will use any information only for the purpose of contacting the winner unless otherwise specified.
I recently reviewed the very cool new Tactile Turn Gist fountain pen. And thanks to the generosity of Will Hodges at Tactile Turn, I’m very excited to be able to give away the lovely Tactile Turn Gist in Polycarbonate Resin with a Damascus Steel section and finial. This __pen retails for $179, and comes with a medium steel nib and a converter.
In addition to the pen, I’ll also be throwing in a turquoise Pelikan __pen quiver, designed to slip over the cover of an A5-sized hardcover journal. There may be a few other swag goodies tossed into the box as well…that’ll have to be a bit of a surprise.
Terms & Conditions: The prizes for this giveaway were provided free of charge by Tactile Turn and Inky Fingers LLC. Giveaway ends October 29, 2016 at 11:59 PM PDT. Winners will be selected at random by Rafflecopter.com and verified by The pen Habit. Winner will have 72 hours to respond before prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. . Inky Fingers LLC will be responsible for shipping all prizes. Neither Tom Barrington nor The Pen Habit/Inky Fingers LLC will be responsible for prizes that are not received by winner. No purchase necessary to enter. By providing your information in this form, you are providing your information to The Pen Habit only. I do not share or sell personal information and will use any information only for the purpose of contacting the winner unless otherwise specified. a Rafflecopter giveaway
This episode of Currently Inked is sponsored by La Couronne du Comte. Based in Tilburg, Netherlands, La Couronne du Comte has one of the largest and more diverse selection of fountain pens of any online retailer, from well-known brands like Pilot, Kaweco, and Lamy to specialty brands like Danitrio and Nakaya. La Couronne du Comte offers __pen Habit viewers 10% off their entire order (excl. Montblanc items) with the coupon code PENHABIT10.
2:35 – Top Shading and Sheening Inks
5:30 – Other __pen brands or models that have triangular grips like the Lamy AL-Star or the Jinhao x450
Omas 360
Pelikan Twist
7:25 – Currently Inked #1 – Montegrappa Passione Zebra – Noodler’s Black Swan in Australian Roses
9:30 – What companies offer Cursive Italic nibs as a standard option
12:05 – How do bad experiences with a brand color your willingness to try them again? Where do I stand on Visconti these days?
18:08 – Visconti Divina Elegance Blue – Parker Penman Emerald
19:35 – The possibility of adding Midori Passport sizes to the Inky Finger notebook line
21:45 – Does a pen’s nib “remember” it’s original tuning?
23:55 – Currently Inked #2 – Pelikan Calculation of Time – Pilot Blue
25:30 – How do I feel about Pelikan bindes made by custom pen makers?
28:25 – About fudé nibs
30:54 – Sponsor: La Couronne du Comte
33:45 – Currently Inked #3 – Classic Pens LB5 Kouseki Mineral Ore – KWZ Honey New Formula
36:50– How do you justify buying multiples of the same thing?
Technically, the press blasts a hole through the pack of cards and smooshes a circular section into a brittle little hockey puck. We’ll give the press a win for that.
Advertisement
But that’s not all this latest batch of pressing stuff until it’s dead has in store for viewers. The Hydraulic Press people just decided to forgo a theme this time around and press a bunch of different stuff. There’s a useless electronic box that’s punished for its uselessness, a flattened rubber eraser, a splintering giant pencil and more.
Update 12 Oct 2016: The T&Cs below incorrectly limited this content to US only. This giveaway is open worldwide.
Tom Barrington Leather Goods and Accessories, one of the wonderful Pen Habit sponsors, is graciously providing a very cool prize for this giveaway: a single __pen sleeve in either ostrich or stingray leather in your choice color (up to $70 value). Made in the US, these handmade pen sleeves feature unusual and beautiful leathers in a variety of great colors (only a small sample of which is shown above.) These pen sleeves have moved beyond a simple utility item and into the realm of the fashion accessory. They’re perfect for someone who wants their pen sleeve to have just as much style as they pen they fill it with.
I recently purchased one of Tom Barrington’s green stingray leather wallets for myself, and I absolutely love it. The quality of the craftsmanship is impeccable, and the leather is a beautiful, rich color with the amazing caviar-like texture for which stingray leather is known. I’ve not personally tried any of the ostrich items from the store (yet), but they feature a really beautiful and unique pattern that comes from where the feathers attach.
Here’s a bit of an explanation about stingray leather:
Along with Tom Barrington’s very generous prize, I’m also including a new bottle of Pelikan Edelstein Aquamarine, Pelikan’s Color of the Year for 2016. It’s a beautiful color, and I’ve enjoyed my bottle a lot. I’m also including a full set of Inky Fingers Notebooks, and some other assorted pen swag I’ve picked up from the various shows I’ve attended this year.
There are lots of ways to enter this content, as you’ll see below. The best way, though, is to visit http://www.tombarrington.com/leather-pen-cases-sleeves and then come back here to leave a comment mentioning which single pen sleeve you’d want if you win. (There are other ways, too, but this one will give you three entries!) As always, I verify the winning entries, so make sure you follow the rules below! So far this season, the first winner drawn has followed the rules so I haven’t had to disqualify anyone. Let’s keep the streak alive! The content will run from through Saturday, October 22.
Now all the legal stuff:
Terms & Conditions: The prizes for this giveaway was provided free of charge by Tom Barrington Leather Goods & Accessories and Inky Fingers LLC. Giveaway ends October 22, 2016 at 11:59 PM PDT. Winners will be selected at random by Rafflecopter.com and verified by The Pen Habit. Winner will have 72 hours to respond before prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Tom Barrington will be responsible for shipping pen sleeve to winner. Inky Fingers LLC will be responsible for shipping all remaining prizes in the package. Neither Tom Barrington nor The Pen Habit/Inky Fingers LLC will be responsible for prizes that are not received by user. No purchase necessary to enter. By providing your information in this form, you are providing your information to The Pen Habit only. I do not share or sell personal information and will use any information only for the purpose of contacting the winner unless otherwise specified. a Rafflecopter giveaway
This episode of Currently Inked is sponsored by Vanness Pens, featuring the newly-priced Aurora Optima. For the month of October, you can get an extra 10% off the price of an Aurora Optima when you use the coupon code PENHABIT at checkout.
3:25 – My nib is scratchy on the upstrokes
7:20 – Do you prefer the Ogiva Alba or Ogiva Paragon? Brown Arco or Green Arco?
8:50 – Currently Inked #1 – Xezo Architect
10:20 – What are some dos and don’ts for vintage pens?
17:15 – Sponsor: Vanness Pens
18:40 – Why does my ink/pen/paper behave differently from day to day?
20:20 – Currently Inked #2 – Edison Menlo
24:10 – Ballpoint or fountain __pen for a hot island
24:40 – What is your favorite ink / least favorite of all time.
25:20 – What inks are must-buy for new fountain __pen users.
27:40 – With all the pens, how much time do you get to spend with the times you love.
30:10 – Currently Inked #3 – Carolina pen Company Urushi pen
33:10 – Is there a waterproof blue inks that you like.
34:20 –Have you spent much time using Romillo fountain pens
35:22 – My Montblanc 149 runs dry really quickly, and the piston doesn’t operate smoothly.
37:05 –How do you minimize your loss when selling your used pens?
This episode of Currently Inked is sponsored by __pen Chalet. Pen Chalet is a retailer of fine writing instruments, inks, and accessories and is dedicated to fast, reliable service. With their satisfaction guarantee, you can be assured you’re getting the best shopping experience. They have new specials all the time, so be sure check back often or signup for their newsletter to be notified of all the latest deals. Shop their current deals and use the coupon code PENHABIT for 10% off everything, including already discounted items.
1:15 – Corri from ShopJot is offering a 15% off coupon code from her Etsy shot for Pen Habit viewers. Use the code PENHABIT at checkout.
4:15 – Do you have an RSS Feed or do you plan to set one up?
5:55 – My paper pads get all wrinkled and warped. What paper would be least affected by humidity?
As I mentioned in the review of the DeNobil 300, one of my favorite things about reviewing fountain is the opportunity I get to learn about new fountain __pen brands as the come on the market. So, thanks to the good folks at DeNobil pens, I am giving away one of their flagship pens, the Model 300. At the time of posting this, DeNobil’s entire stock is sold out, so if you’re looking to get one, this may be the only way until they get their stock replenished!
This Model 300 lists at $199.00 and is made from a premium-quality black ebonite. It comes in a custom-made wooden box with a white velour bed and a golden clasp. The __pen itself features a Bock medium steel nib and comes with a Standard International converter. I’ll also throw in a bit of pen-related swag I’ve picked up recently at shows, as well as a set of Inky Fingers notebooks in either Traveller’s or Pocket notebook size.
To enter, follow the instructions in the Rafflecopter entry box below. The contest ends at 11:59PM on Saturday, October 8th. I’ll announce the winner shortly thereafter on Twitter and Facebook, as well as on this blog post. You can enter using any or all of the methods (each method is an additional entry.) And don’t forget: I verify all entries, so make sure you follow the instructions.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS: The prize for this giveaway was provided by DeNobil Pens. Giveaway ends October 8, 2016 at 11:59 PM PDT. Winners will be selected at random by Rafflecopter.com and verified by The pen Habit. Winner will have 72 hours to respond before prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Prize will be shipped to the user by Inky Fingers LLC. Neither Kenro Industries nor The Pen Habit/Inky Fingers LLC will be responsible for prizes that are not received by user. No purchase necessary to enter. By providing your information in this form, you are providing your information to The Pen Habit only. I do not share or sell personal information and will use any information only for the purpose of contacting the winner.
Your sketches and notes will carry a lot more weight if they're created with this squat mechanical pencil that's made from actual hand-poured concrete. You'll just want to make sure you're not the type who likes chewing on the end.
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The pencil has an equally thick 5.5mm 2B lead making it slightly more better suited for sketching and drawing than taking notes, but there's nothing stopping you from using it however you like. Whether that's jotting reminders on a post-it note, marking term papers, or smashing windows—it's useful on so many levels.
You'll need to be a little careful with it, after all, it's made from concrete, not titanium. An unfortunate drop could result in $50 worth of shattered concrete pieces all over your floor, and you having to resort back to using an uncouth wooden writing instrument. [22 Design Studio via designboom]
I spied Gizmodo's Joe Brown using these blue and red pencils, and immediately wondered where they came from. Turns out they're "Slang Pencils" from Greenwich Letterpress and they come with 90's era sayings like 'Mad Props' and 'Off the Hook'. I don't know about you but I like my writing tools to be as retro cool as possible. $8 for an 8-pack. [Greenwich Letterpress]
I'll get the bad news out with first: unfortunately only 500 sets of these parmesan pencils were made, and they're all sold out. But perhaps if we petition The Deli Garage, they'll magic new stock up out of thin air?
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Designed to look just like pencils, the parmesan cheese is wrapped around what looks like colored lead—but is actually different flavors, such as truffles, pesto and chili. When using the bundled pencil sharpener, the shavings tumble into the food or dish you're making, taking some of the "lead" with them.
And that ruler on the back of the packaging? That shows you how many calories you'll ingest for every length of parmesan you consume. Dangerous, but on the whole, extremely tantalizing. [Jazarah via MadTess via MotleyFood via OhGizmo]
Have you used Paper by 53 Design? It's that iPad drawing app that is so decked out in pretty, design-y, feel-good-ness that it makes all who use it feel like Matisse. Well, now its creators have put out an equally gorgeous stylus.
Paper for iPad Hands-On: So This Is What Microsoft's Former Courier Employees Were Working On Paper for iPad Hands-On: So This Is What Microsoft's Former Courier Employees Were Working On Paper for iPad Hands-On: So This Is What…
Like Tapose, which made its debut on the iPad yesterday, Paper is a place to store ideas. But… Read more Read more
The appropriately named Pencil is a bluetooth stylus that pairs with the Paper app for iOS to let you more naturally sketch and write digitally. It's true, there are many bluetooth styluses out there and most of them offer similar features, such as palm rejection. Pencil wants to set itself apart mainly with that powerful weapon which catapulted the Paper app to stardom—good design.
The first thing you notice about Pencil is the shape. It was designed to look like a traditional carpenter's pencil, with broad flat sides and chiseled tip. The exterior shell is even made of real walnut sustainably grown in Wisconsin (you can also get a graphite-inspired metal version for $10 less). You will also notice that there are no buttons on the side. Pencil's designers wanted to make the device as simple as possible.
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This makeup is the result of a focused design team led by John Ikeda and Jon Harris, both of whom helped design the Xbox 360. The elegance and small touches to Pencil, like the inlaid Fifty-Three logo, are what they hope will draw customers to this stylus over others.
Pairing Pencil with Paper requires a physical 'kiss' where you touch the stylus to a button on the software's interface instead of accessing a menu item. Once it's paired, Paper handles palm rejection like other styluses, but goes one step further by knowing when you're performing gestures you actually want to perform with your fingers. You can pinch to zoom into your drawing's detail, for instance, and also blend strokes together like pastels. Flip Pencil around and you'll find an eraser for easy backtracking.
The one feature that Pencil lacks is pressure sensitivity, which is an interesting choice on behalf of Fifty Three, seeing as how that's the headline feature for similar bluetooth styluses. Perhaps they didn't think they could implement it reliably enough, since it is not exactly perfect on other devices.
But Pencil's greatest asset is the reputation of Paper, which captured people's imaginations by really understanding and developing a touch-based UI that is a pleasure to use. If the company can carry that focus into this new product category, it has the potential for great success when it ships for $60 ($50 for the non-wood version).
Wendy Scott, a teacher of at North Brookfield Elementary School in Massachusetts, tried to ban pencils and pens in her classroom. It's completely ridiculous because you sorta need them to do schoolwork and because it's just a freaking pencil and pen.
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The crazy teacher's memo to her students' parent stated:
Students would no longer be allowed to bring writing implements to school. It said pencils would be provided for students in class and any students caught with pencils or pens after Nov. 15 would face disciplinary action for having materials "to build weapons."
I remember being pretty proud of my pencils, pens and pencil cases as a kid. I don't remember ever "building weapons" with them (but with kids these days, who knows!). All I know is that there are much more dangerous items in a classroom than a measly pencil or pen. Like, uh, staplers. And don't even get me started on paper cutters.
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The Massachusetts school district is rightfully distancing itself away from this rogue teacher, saying she never got permission to enforce this ridiculous demand. I'm just wondering what the hell was going on in her head, what's the difference between pencils and pens students bring from home and the one she'd have to supply? Some people are just too damn silly. [News Blaze via Geekosystem]
Thinking of buying that super-expensive graphics tablet? Maybe you don't need to, because Suck is offering this digital pencil that mimics the human finger, allowing it to be used on touchpads.
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Using a pencil is more intuitive than drawing with a touchpad, but I'm not sure how useful this is actually going to be, cute as it is. It's made from a "super-special space age silicone" and should be available soon. [Suck]
When someone puts on earbuds, they're pretty much telling the rest of the world to not bother them. It's the universal symbol for shut the hell up. But if someone put on this Magic Pencil earbuds? That's a conversation starter. I mean, these earbuds make it look like a pencil has been stabbed in one ear and out the other. They're hilarious!
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I'd totally extend this motif and get an arrow, a knife, a sword, a lightsaber and whatever else long and slender object to make it look like my brains been sliced. $50 at Fancy. [The Fancy via Apartment Therapy]
While this pencil bookcase would've been fairly easy to make, it would've been a bitch of a job to drill in 15,000 precisely-spaced holes for the pencils to sit in, don't you think?
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I doubt the German publishing house, Mitteldeutscher Verlag, which owns it, cares too much though. After all, they've got a stunningly unique bookcase, and enough kindling to burn the whole place up if an unforeseen "insurance job" is urgently required... [Albert Creative via WooHome via Techeblog]
So you’ve got a brand spanking new iPad Pro. You’re probably going to want to take advantage of the 12.9-inch display, the four speakers, and the souped up A9x processor. We’ve made a list of the coolest, most beautiful apps you can get, whether you’re a designer or just someone who appreciates big screens.
Art & Design
Procreate 3
Take advantage of all that processing power with Procreate, an app that gives users a lot of control over their sketches and paintings. The new Apple Pencil lets you take full advantage of over 100 different brushes, and the giant screen really expands your canvas. While it’s $5.99, it’s well worth it for the customization options you get.
UMake
If your job is to make 3D renderings of products or you’re an artist looking to make your sketches a little less flat, UMake is there to make it a lot easier. All you have to do is draw something, anything in 2D, and then UMake just makes it 3D. It’s kind of amazing. It’s free to make 10 designs, but if you’re looking for something more long-term with greater capabilities, you’ll have to shell out some cash- $14.99/month or $149.99/year.
Paper
While the Apple Pencil’s debut may cause some problems for 53, the company that makes its own stylus, their app, Paper works really well. Visually, Paper’s UI is stunning, and it’s pretty easy to use. There are several tutorials loaded onto the app with tips on how to annotate screenshots or make flow charts, and it’s added more features since its first launch that takes your imperfect line and makes it straight. Best of all, it’s free.
Enlight
That selfie isn’t going to become a 🔥🔥🔥selfie by itself, so you’re probably going to want a powerful editor. At $3.99, Enlight can be that app for you. There are a ton of filters, frames and reshaping tools, and you can superimpose images on top of each other without being a Photoshop expert. It’s even easier with the iPad Pro.
Reading and Watching
PDF Expert
If you’re swamped with PDFs like I am, it’s really frustrating to work on all of them on to the go. PDF Expert makes it easier, keeping all your PDFs in one place, whether you’re using iCloud Drive, Google Drive, Dropbox or any combination of them. That big iPad Pro screen makes reading anything easier, but if you’re bogged down in annotation of that journal article about recombinant memetrics, PDF Expert takes it to the next level. The app is normally $9.99, but it’s free this week, so get on it!
Vrse
The New York Times sent Google Cardboard out to 1.2 million people last weekend so they could experience virtual reality with their phones. Vrse lets you do the same, and you don’t even need Cardboard or Oculus to do so. The free app is a really easy way to take advantage of your new large screen to watch something beautiful (or Bono for some reason?) and immerse yourself in places you wouldn’t be able to go personally.
Complete Anatomy
If you’re a doctor, resident, or just someone who’s fascinated by the human body, Complete Anatomy is ready to make your iPad Pro anatomically correct. It’s 3D and includes 12 systems, including the skeletal, muscular and nervous systems for free. Upgrade to Premium to get 3D cut and draw tools and enhanced skeletal and muscular layers for $4.99/month. Finally, you’ll be able to verify that the knee bone is, in fact, connected to the thigh bone.
Games
Smash Hit
I am so addicted to this free game, and rightly so. You travel through a futuristic, 3D world, aiming steel balls at the obstacles in your way and the pyramids that add more balls to your arsenal. It’s so satisfying to hear the breaking glass sounds that go along with it, and the four speakers of the iPad Pro will just suck you into the game even further.
Geometry Wars 3
Beat bosses in style with Geometry Wars 3, a 3D game that pushes you to destroy enemy ships to futuristic, techno beats. Activision is the company behind Geometry Wars 3, so it’s designed really well, and there are a ton of ways to customize your play. $9.99 and it’s yours.
The Room Three
You’re going to want an iPad Pro after playing The Room Three, a detail-intensive puzzle game and the latest addition to the award-winning game family. Move room-to-room in a variety of environments, picking up artifacts and examining them in detail with refined controls. You can train your brain for $4.99.
Broken Age
Broken Age is a fully hand-painted game that keeps you entertained and motivated as you work through the stories of Vella and Shay, two teenagers who work their way through new worlds and adventures. For $9.99, you’re getting a unique art style, a dark, scifi story, and famous celebrities like Elijah Wood and Jack Black voicing characters.
