What’S Your “Surprise” Pen For Today?

[sub_bluesy]

What I mean is what pen popped into your head today randomly out of your collection to use that you may have forgotten about? For me, it was a Conklin Duraflex in black with rose gold trim. I was reading about the new Monteverde Monza with an Omniflex nib and the Conklin jumped into my head! I havent used that pen in months! Its an awesome pen! Lets ink this thing for work tomorrow! Does this happen to everyone else or do I have a problem that requires counseling?

[Rindy_Ruth]

My surprise pen choice today is a Pilot Metropolitan with a stub nib. I am writing with this <instead> of my relatively new Pineider Le Grande Bellezza - what?!?

 

The Pilot is today's choice for work because I am experimenting with stub nibs in an office setting (on Rhodia notepads). You see, I have a birthday coming up and would like to ask for a Pilot VP in a stub. I own a TWSBI 580 stub that I generally have with me, but because that pen is so broad and wet I typically only use it for labeling files. I cannot make notes in it, as I need to write with a smaller hand and more quickly than that pen allows. However, I like the look of my cursive handwriting in a stub, and think that I could use the narrower Pilot VP stub as an everyday note-taker. And it would bring my husband joy to see his gift as an EDC for me.

 

So, as a test, it's the Pilot Metro stub for me today. Surprise!

[ajoe]

Pilot Parallel pens back in action.

[ISW_Kaputnik]

It wasn't today, but a few days ago I realized that I hadn't used my Esterbrook M2 in quite a while. I swapped a 2284 nib out of an Esterbrook desk pen, and inked it up. Excellent pen. The built in squeeze filler works very well.

 

I have a large enough collection that this sort of thought is a fairly regular occurrence, but I don't always act on it. I've been thinking all year that I ought to bring out one of my vintage Conklin Crescents again.

[Cordovian]

Delta Seawood Wenghe; the dark Iroko wood version:

[arrScott]

Yesterday, I inked up my Homo Sapiens Bronze Age for the first time in a while. Today it became my surprise pen when I uncapped it to write some notes and - surprise! - the cap was filled with ink. After thoroughly cleaning and drying the cap and section, I then discovered that the pen is slowly leaking ink from below the band on the body below the cap. Specifically, when the body is thoroughly wiped clean, holding any absorbent material reveals new ink seeping from below the H in Homo Sapiens on the band. Left to itself, in a matter of minutes the ink will spread all the way around the bottom of the band and then start creeping down the body of the pen.

 

So I'm looking forward to a surprise-free day with my pens tomorrow.

[BaronWulfraed]

  On 9/11/2018 at 1:26 PM, Rindy_Ruth said:

You see, I have a birthday coming up and would like to ask for a Pilot VP in a stub. I own a TWSBI 580 stub that I generally have with me, but because that pen is so broad and wet I typically only use it for labeling files. I cannot make notes in it, as I need to write with a smaller hand and more quickly than that pen allows. However, I like the look of my cursive handwriting in a stub, and think that I could use the narrower Pilot VP stub as an everyday note-taker. And it would bring my husband joy to see his gift as an EDC for me.

 

So, as a test, it's the Pilot Metro stub for me today. Surprise!

 

Presuming "VP" is short for "Vanishing Point", they do have the advantage of having easily swapped out nib units. No need to return a pen if the stub nib doesn't work out for everyday use, just buy a second nib unit and save the stub for special occasions.

[inkstainedruth]

I'm mostly trying to get pens flushed out this week (I'm back to having too many in rotation). But a couple of days ago I pulled out the Parker Parkette retrofitted with a 14C music nib. Right now the pen is inked up with some vintage Quink Royal Blue. Great color, but the ink may be a little too wet for the nib.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Driften]

I had this happen a couple of days ago. I got to thinking my amber Pilot 823 should be cleaned and loaded up with Diamine Ancient Copper. I think the ink goes well with the pen. It's funny I never thought I would really like that color but bought it to match my Visconti Medici and now it's loaded in three pens. In any case the 823 hadn't been used in a while and just popped in my mind so I have been using it the last couple of days.

[ethernautrix]

I finally put a sample vial of Diamine Sepia in one of user pens. I ordered the sample 6, 7, 8 years ago, I don't remember. The color seemed light, though pretty.

 

I grabbed a Memento pen, a Cross Century II (EF), inked it up with the D. Sepia, and surprise! The ink's a bit darker and prettier.

 

I know the pen is a keeper, but too thin to be a daily (or an often). Perfect for this type of situation.

[katerchen]

Heh. I fully expected this to be along the lines of

 

"what surprise pen did you get in the mail today, that you totally forgot about ordering"

 

Which totally happened to me a few times ordering from overseas sellers or Massdrop (both of which have fairly long lag times between order and delivery)

 

-k

[sidthecat]

I put a gold Mabie Todd ringtop back into my rotation the other day. I'd forgotten what a nice nib it has.

[inkstainedruth]

  On 9/11/2018 at 5:37 PM, katerchen said:

Heh. I fully expected this to be along the lines of

 

"what surprise pen did you get in the mail today, that you totally forgot about ordering"

 

Which totally happened to me a few times ordering from overseas sellers or Massdrop (both of which have fairly long lag times between order and delivery)

 

-k

 

Yeah, I have a pen like that -- a black 51 Vac that I'd bid the minimum on and then forgot about because all my focus was on the Plum 51 Demi that I'd also bid on. Won the Plummer Saturday afternoon, and the 51 Vac the next day.... And then they came in the mail the same day, along with a sample of some vintage blotter paper someone kindly sent me.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[chromantic]

The other day I pulled out a Jinhao 611 to double-check the model number when replying to a thread about pens similar to the Jinhao 126 and decided to ink it up and use it for one fill.

[dan in montreal]

I just received a bottle of Alt Goldgrun and wanted to try it in a broad nibbed pen. Turns out I don't have that many. Stumbled upon a Rosetta North Star with a broad nib which I hadn't inked in a long time.

I'd forgotten how comfortable this pen is. Heck, I'd forgotten I still had this pen.

[pajaro]

Parker 51 Plum fine. Wrote a few things with it and then dredged up a Lamy Safari Dark Lilac EF with dark lilac in it. Violet-ish day.

[Bo Bo Olson]

In I have 20 pens inked.........I can't do that...been there, done that and have full pen cups to show it.

That is why I stay far far a way from the ink section.

[ajoe]

[ethernautrix]

Oops. It's a Cross Classic Century, not a Century II. Still using it.

[SpecTP]

  On 9/11/2018 at 3:24 PM, BaronWulfraed said:

 

Presuming "VP" is short for "Vanishing Point", they do have the advantage of having easily swapped out nib units. No need to return a pen if the stub nib doesn't work out for everyday use, just buy a second nib unit and save the stub for special occasions.

 

Yes. The whole inside nib unit can be swapped out quite easily.