What pen(s) are you using today?

[VersoFolio]

Thankfully no snakes in NZ @essayfaire...and no plans to travel to any snake-ridden region in this life🙂

 

I'm not confident to make comparisons of wet and dry inks. I gave Van Dieman's a shot when they had a great special offer. It was at a time when I was beginning to branch out in my colour choices.

I suppose I believed I was supporting a new ink producer in the region being a next-door neighbour to Tasmania, Aus. (roughly the distance from Boston to Miami).

And bought a good supply thinking I could share some of the fun colours with my daughters and grandchildren. Mmmm! 🤔 It's all still there in my ink box...where I left it!!

 

'Tiger Snake' and 'Blackened Seas' are the ones I use most and they generally behave consistently in my pens.

 

The vintage Swan Self-Filler, particularly this nib is a freak of nature!! (or physics)! I bought it from a restorer/acquaintance here in New Zealand and what he did to it remains a mystery.

I wouldn't change it. Quite unique in my experience.

 

P.I.Tom

 

 

 

[AmandaW]

Snakes? Gwardars have come to live in my garden...  

 

Today's journalpen  was the Lamy Bear pen filled with Van Dieman's Leatherwood Honey Amber.

[51ISH]

19 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

Today it's been several pens, starting with one I found that I do NOT remember having -- or even acquiring, for that matter.  It's some Osmiroid pen (don't know the model) which does NOT look like the one from the "India Ink Pen" set I bought a few years ago at an estate sale of someone who was an artist.  Found it on the floor outside the bedroom last night, under the hutch part of my grandparents' old dresser (it just fits the space between the door opening and the bump-out into the hallway from the next room over), along with what looks like part of a plastic case. Although this one does also appear to say "India Ink Pen on the nib (not sure of the nib with but it might be an EF).  I went to flush it out, and reconstituted some unknown (but shiny looking) black ink -- very black and very saturated.

Also used the pink Parker Vector, F nib, with diluted Van Dieman Moonflower; and the Hudson's Bay Fathom Noodler's Konrad, flex nib, with diluted/reconstituted Noodler's 54th Massachusetts.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

I would refill that pen with a fitting black ink (you will know which is 'the one')  and use it as a daily writer. You were meant to find that pen. Put your Pink Vector  with the fancy dancy ink in a drawer for another day along with your other pens and use the Osmiroid and that same ink as your 'only pen' for a month.  It doesn't matter if it was part of a set you bought or not. You were meant to find that pen. Call me what you like.... I don't care..and anyway I'm not listening 🙂

[Penguincollector]

15 hours ago, USG said:

 

Haha, you got me again. 🤣  I had to look up both pens and the Ooly ink...😱

How do I get you?  I don’t get it. I’m glad you are having fun, though.
Oolys are fun pens- I sent a set to my brother for his kids, my niece has become fond of the Sonnet I sent him and I wanted to make sure they each had their own. I found my first one at the grocery store and the sets at Barnes and Noble.  They use the Chinese 3.4mm bore cartridges. The inks are all rather bright. They were my introduction to the current inexpensive Chinese fp market. The Forest Series by Hongdian has been aggressively marketed to me by Amazon for years now, they finally wore me down with same day delivery. It helps that reviews have been pretty favorable all over the internet. 

[inkstainedruth]

1 hour ago, 51ISH said:

 

I would refill that pen with a fitting black ink (you will know which is 'the one')  and use it as a daily writer. You were meant to find that pen. Put your Pink Vector  with the fancy dancy ink in a drawer for another day along with your other pens and use the Osmiroid and that same ink as your 'only pen' for a month.  It doesn't matter if it was part of a set you bought or not. You were meant to find that pen. Call me what you like.... I don't care..and anyway I'm not listening 🙂

"Meant to find that pen" or not, there is no way I would be able do the "one pen a month" thing without going completely bonkers....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[51ISH]

14 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

"Meant to find that pen" or not, there is no way I would be able do the "one pen a month" thing without going completely bonkers....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

Fair do's,  we all use our pens differently. (I could manage quite easily with only one pen for a month and often do) Fill the pen with the ink you think 'fits'.  Keep the pen close and use the pen as and  when it fits the situation / circumstances.

[ParramattaPaul]

Another day of Onoto.  The Highland Onoto Scholar and Diamine Regency Blue for a change.

[ParramattaPaul]

2 minutes ago, 51ISH said:

(I could manage quite easily with only one pen for a month and often do) Fill the pen with the ink you think 'fits'.  Keep the pen close and use the pen as and  when it fits the situation / circumstances.

Yep, that's me.

 

[51ISH]

Just now, ParramattaPaul said:

Yep, that's me.

 

👍

 

I've just started a new thread.... ''If you had to choose one pen in the next 30  seconds if you'd care to participate.

[USG]

12 hours ago, Penguincollector said:

How do I get you?  I don’t get it. I’m glad you are having fun, though.
Oolys are fun pens- I sent a set to my brother for his kids, my niece has become fond of the Sonnet I sent him and I wanted to make sure they each had their own. I found my first one at the grocery store and the sets at Barnes and Noble.  They use the Chinese 3.4mm bore cartridges. The inks are all rather bright. They were my introduction to the current inexpensive Chinese fp market. The Forest Series by Hongdian has been aggressively marketed to me by Amazon for years now, they finally wore me down with same day delivery. It helps that reviews have been pretty favorable all over the internet. 

 

Haha, cluelessMe was stumped.  I didn't recognize either of those names and had to google them. 🤪   Sonnets, as in Parker Sonnets?

 

[Penguincollector]

1 minute ago, USG said:

 

Haha, cluelessMe was stumped.  I didn't recognize either of those names and had to google them. 🤪   Sonnets, as in Parker Sonnets?

 

Yes, my niece commandeered my brother’s Parker Sonnet for drawing- she’s very good, so I sent a package of Ooly pens and ink for her and the other niblings. I’m penabling the next generation.

[USG]

8 minutes ago, Penguincollector said:

Yes, my niece commandeered my brother’s Parker Sonnet for drawing- she’s very good, so I sent a package of Ooly pens and ink for her and the other niblings. I’m penabling the next generation.

 Now that we're talking about Parker Sonnets, I think I might have a couple around here somewhere.  I'll have to look for them.  🤷‍♂️

[essayfaire]

17 hours ago, AmandaW said:

Gwardars have come to live in my garden...  

Oh, dear.  I just looked them up, expecting to find it was a linguistic variant of what we call garter snakes.  It is not. 

 

I found myself using this group of pens presently, which got me thinking about pen size conventions.  The vintage Conway Stewart on the left is considered a normal pen, not a pocket or ladies' model.  The Kakuno, larger and lighter, is considered a child's pen. The Metro, longer and leaner, is considered slim and is the heaviest pen in this group.  The Benu is pretty darn huge(long and girthy)by my standards, and is lighter than everything except the Kakuno, which stays nicely weighted posted while the Benu not so much.

 

So perhaps our putting pens in categories is some ways no more than branding... 

 

 

Th

[51ISH]

4 hours ago, Penguincollector said:

Yes, my niece commandeered my brother’s Parker Sonnet for drawing- she’s very good, so I sent a package of Ooly pens and ink for her and the other niblings. I’m penabling the next generation.

I dropped 'hints' I wanted a Parker Duofold Centennial in Blue Lapis when they were first released (1988)) for Christmas. I saw it in a display case in a B&M store near where I live.  I ended up with a Parker Sonnet BP and FP set in what they call Laque Firedance as that was what the sales assistant recommended. 🙁 To be fair it's a lovely set and the FP is a good writer, but it never got used as much as it should. I really must ink it up. 👍

[Penguincollector]

3 hours ago, 51ISH said:

I dropped 'hints' I wanted a Parker Duofold Centennial in Blue Lapis when they were first released (1988)) for Christmas. I saw it in a display case in a B&M store near where I live.  I ended up with a Parker Sonnet BP and FP set in what they call Laque Firedance as that was what the sales assistant recommended. 🙁 To be fair it's a lovely set and the FP is a good writer, but it never got used as much as it should. I really must ink it up. 👍

That would have been such an affront to my teenage sensibilities, as I love blue and HATED (at the time) red, but looking at it now, it’s a very nice set.  You defo should ink it up.  It’s not the poor Sonnet’s fault that it’s not a magnificent blue pen. 

[Misfit]

On 3/6/2023 at 3:20 PM, FictionSuit said:

Today is either:
1. Conklin Endura Deco Crest — Gunmetal + orange/amber, with OmniFlex nib. Inked with De Atramentis Archive Black

2. TWSBI 580 ALR — Prussian Blue, with M nib. Inked with Birmingham Pen Co. Burnt Walnut, which I adore beyond reason.

I have the same Conklin Endura Crest, with a 1.1mm stub nib. Mine has Diamine Autumn Oak in it. Pen twins!

[Penguincollector]

7 hours ago, USG said:

 Now that we're talking about Parker Sonnets, I think I might have a couple around here somewhere.  I'll have to look for them.  🤷‍♂️

If they’re blue, you know where to show them off!

[Penguincollector]

21 hours ago, AmandaW said:

Snakes? Gwardars have come to live in my garden...  

 

Today's journalpen  was the Lamy Bear pen filled with Van Dieman's Leatherwood Honey Amber.

Australia’s fauna is so cool, even the venomous ones! Do you get any cool parrots around your house?  
Today’s pen is the light blue Ooly with the matching ink. It’s nib is wider than the rest of the pens in the pack, more of a Western medium. 

[Misfit]

@AmandaW yikes, I read about that snake. It was at first sounding not so bad for humans. Then I saw it could damage kidneys.  I hope the snake leaves your land soon. 

[51ISH]

15 minutes ago, Penguincollector said:

That would have been such an affront to my teenage sensibilities, as I love blue and HATED (at the time) red, but looking at it now, it’s a very nice set.  You defo should ink it up.  It’s not the poor Sonnet’s fault that it’s not a magnificent blue pen. 

 

To be honest I had someone earlier post on my 'You have 30 seconds to decide on only one pen thread' and a guy said he would take his granddads old pen, as although it wasn't his best writer,  using it reminded him of his granddad. I had never even considered my Sonnet, I hadn't even considered it part of my collection.  The Sonnet is already out, it's being inked tomorrow.