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I'm in the process of working out how I want to conduct ink reviews, and I think I've just identified a reasonably economical source of one type of paper I want to use. Officeworks, which is a national chain of stationery stores in Australia that (as far as I'm aware) is not franchised, sells a variety of ‘Tradie Notebooks’ in different sizes and formats, that use stone paper and is marketed as being waterproof – and therefore must be non-absorbent. These notebooks are not otherwise branded; Officeworks' name, nor J.Burrows and Keji (both of Officeworks' house brands, I believe), is anywhere to be seen on the product. In Officeworks' online catalogue, it seems have the brand ‘nu:’, but that does not appear on the SKUs I saw. I picked up one of the reporter-style notebooks (i.e. in portrait format, with metal wire binding on the top narrower edge) in the range for A$4.49. This notebook has extremely think and stiff covers, and it contains eighty 8mm-ruled sheets that measure 124x188mm when detached at the perforations. ‘Tradie’ is slang for tradesmen, referring to the likes of plumbers, carpenters, bricklayers, etc. and generally have connotations of blue-collar working-class folk with decidedly unrefined tastes and lack culture and sophistication; the presentation of the product reflects that ‘aesthetic’. The sheets are floppy and easily creased, and the ruled lines are anything but light or subtle. Writing on it without a hard backing sheet immediately beneath the page, or without detaching the page first to lay it on a desk or table, with even a minimal amount of pressure puts sharp indentations in the page that are visible on the reverse side. Inks take a hell of a long time to dry on this paper, and are quite apt to smear even after (supposedly) dry. Natural variation in how much ink the nib has deposited on the page for a particular glyph, or even a particular point alone a pen stroke, makes a hell of a difference. It also make all my EF and F nibs produce lines that are noticeably broader than what I consider Medium. It is absolutely horrible to write on, in my opinion. It's also such a treat as an extreme example of impractical papers to use in order to best elicit and show off sheens from inks, in terms of reviewing the inks' potential and characteristics, as opposed to telling a reader how an ink will behave the particular use case he/she has in mind (which may include the use of a specific pen or nib). Even the writing from a stock-standard Lamy ballpoint refill sheens on it: It is my answer to anyone who ‘requests’ or demands to see how any ink would sheen on non-absorbent paper such as Tomoe River.

Here is a Jr. Statesman Fountain Pen. It is made with Brecciated Quartz. That just means that at some point it was crushed up and then re-fused back together. The fit isn't as good as I would like, but I'm getting better. Comments and criticisms are welcome.

May I ask probably a ridiculous and naive question? Has anyone turned pens from stone? Perhaps this has been addressed before and I just couldn't find the topic. If so, I apologize. In brief, I have a box of petrified bones that I found as a youngster prowling the badlands of Eastern Montana (dinosaurs just laying around on the ground in some places!). I have no idea what species these bones come from or how old they are. They may be bears or mammoths or dinosaurs. Regardless, They are not attractive for display and have been living in a box in my garage for years. And it occurred to me that maybe turning them into pens would give them some further intrinsic interest. I can't even imagine the machinery or tooling that would be required to fashion stone. Not to mention the expense of obtaining such gear. And, frankly, I don't know if the petrifaction has removed all brittleness or if the project would just shatter. Has anyone attempted stone? Am I out of my mind to consider such a thing? Joe

I came back from a tour in the Bible lands with a souvenir I picked up from the Dead Sea. i had in mind to use it as a paperweight on my workbench when I craft my journals. (TR paper is so thin and lightweight, they can easily get blown off the table with slight wind) The worry was whether the stone would mar the very delicate TR paper. And so the stone was left lying around just waiting and waiting .... to be useful. The stone I think is soft. And it had two large chip-offs. There were also cracklines quite obvious running round the stone. http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/Stationery%20Paraphernalia/LEATHER%20WRAPPED%20STONES/FullSizeRender01.jpg the other side http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/Stationery%20Paraphernalia/LEATHER%20WRAPPED%20STONES/FullSizeRender02.jpg then just a few days ago, i received a Pinterest alert that carried this pic https://www.google.com.sg/search?q=leather+stone&client=firefox-b&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiF8vadkOLTAhXLso8KHcH4Ad0Q_AUICigB&biw=1366&bih=604#imgrc=wdtotVsH3Zku8M: They look so much like durian seeds here - large pebble-sized seeds of a local popular tropical fruit - the infamous Durian !! Eureka ! The perfect solution to dress up my stone such that it wont ever mar my papers ! I quickly messaged a newfound friend with excellent leathercrafting skills .... and within an unexpectedly short time, texted me back to give me sneak peek on what he had explored by then ... http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/Stationery%20Paraphernalia/LEATHER%20WRAPPED%20STONES/FullSizeRender2.jpg http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/Stationery%20Paraphernalia/LEATHER%20WRAPPED%20STONES/FullSizeRender3.jpg :thumbup: We started to discuss further and some of my inputs ... http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/Stationery%20Paraphernalia/LEATHER%20WRAPPED%20STONES/IMG_1003.jpg http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/Stationery%20Paraphernalia/LEATHER%20WRAPPED%20STONES/IMG_1005.jpg or , incorporating cutout holes ... http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/Stationery%20Paraphernalia/LEATHER%20WRAPPED%20STONES/IMG_1006.jpg http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/Stationery%20Paraphernalia/LEATHER%20WRAPPED%20STONES/IMG_1007.jpg It was promptly executed ... and burnished a little - which made a huge difference aesthetically ... http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/Stationery%20Paraphernalia/LEATHER%20WRAPPED%20STONES/FullSizeRender5.jpg http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/Stationery%20Paraphernalia/LEATHER%20WRAPPED%20STONES/FullSizeRender6.jpg http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/Stationery%20Paraphernalia/LEATHER%20WRAPPED%20STONES/FullSizeRender9.jpg I cant wait to receive back the final product :D I just had leather pants made for my pet rock !!!! I think it will look great on my workbench ... watch this space !

Hi folks, I wanted to share a few pieces of my work now that I've been lurking around for a while I've been a full time pen maker for about 5 years now and am proud of some of the commissions I've had. Here is some of my work: Below is a pen I was commissioned to make for the city of Philadelphia to present to His Holiness Pope Francis during his visit. It is made of custom cast sterling silver and wood removed from Independence Hall during an 1800's renovation. A sister pen I made for the city is being housed in the Philadelphia History Museum. You may have seen a short write-up on this in Pen World Magazine a couple of months ago. This was a custom ordered Lapis Lazuli fountain pen with 18k nib. This is my Palladian pen, made from Yule marble quarried from the same source as the marble for the Lincoln Memorial and Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The hardware is custom designed solid sterling silver with a rhodium plated 18k nib. This was featured in the June 2015 Now section of Pen World Magazine. Below is the Alpha, my first series of kitless pens. Shown here in vintage cebloplast and a black oxide nib. My second series of kitless pens, the Beta, features a nickel plated tear drop clip. The material is flexigran from Richard Greenwald. I have another 5 pens in the works right now, you can find me on Instagram where I post a good amount of behind the scenes shots (search GWPens). If you're local to Pitman, NJ feel free to reach out to arrange a time to stop by my showroom. Thanks for looking!

Anyone have any thoughts on the Stone Finishes offered by Nakaya?

Hello, I would like to sharpen some of my italic nibs, and after reading the article here: http://www.marcuslink.com/pens/aboutpens/ludwig-tan.html I've decided to seek an Arkansas stone that is suitable for sharpening nibs. Do you know where/if I could find one inside the EU? Thanks! Cheers