What pen(s) are you using today?

[inkstainedruth]

16 hours ago, FlyingClay said:

@Faye Slift Yeah, not a big fan of the paper clips on the LAMY's either, but I was stationed in SE Asia for a couple years and for some reason LAMY's were the only decent FP's we could get.  

The advantage of the "paperclip clip on the Safari/Vista/al-Star/LX pens is that they are AMAZINGLY functional.  The disadvantage is, of course, that they look like paperclips....  
I'll admit that I have mostly solved the aesthetics issue (at least for the Safaris) by only having ones that have colored clips instead of the plain silver-color ones...  (mine being Dark Lilac, Violet, White and Red, and a -- used -- French Blue one).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Gloucesterman]

A black Waterman Exception II in mint condition with converter, cartridge, box and papers.

Also a Wearever Zenith on "The" bay.

[OldTravelingShoe]

On 5/29/2022 at 10:24 PM, amberleadavis said:

 

I couldn't open the photo.  I hope you can take another picture (perhaps in a JPG?)

@amberleadavis, I've converted the HEIC image into a more common JPG. Here it is:

 

@PenMama, I've set the copyright to clearly indicate you. Just let me know if you'd like me to remove the converted image. 

[OldTravelingShoe]

TL;DR: I'm using a Platinum Plaisir Teal inked with Noodler's Dostoyevsky and a Pilot Custom Heritage 92 Blue Demo with a 14k M nib inked with Noodler's Lexington Grey. I'm surveying Montblanc pens, for my own pleasure; this means I'm sketching them quickly, next to taking notes. Figure 1 depicts a sample of the output. 

 

Figure 1. On figuring out Montblanc pens. 

[A Smug Dill]

8 hours ago, OldTravelingShoe said:

I'm using a Platinum Plaisir Teal inked with Noodler's Dostoyevsky

 

Is that a recent acquisition fitted with an M nib?

[essayfaire]

On 5/28/2022 at 3:30 AM, OldTravelingShoe said:

TL;DR: A Geha 790 Schulfüller with OBB steel nib, inked with Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Brown. 

 

I was very surprised by how well the pen can let ink flow on rather rough paper. The strokes are long, crisp, and give good feedback to the hand that guides the pen. See Figures 1-3 for more details. 

 

Figure 1. This pen has curves! 

 

Figure 2. The nib looks happily at its morning travails. 

 

Figure 3. The pen rests. 

 

Comments are most welcome. 

Can you tell why the nib is catching? I'm surprised it does if you can lay down so much ink!

 

I think I need to buy Brilliant Brown, you're showing lovely shading but good color saturation, and I need to get a brown that is safe to use in vintage pens.  I suspect my Taccia Brown is okay, but I haven't any confirmation.  If I do buy the brilliant brown I'll compare the two colors. 

 

The pen is lovely, I don't recall looking at one before.   I adore understated design, and this one has that same clip feature as do Sailors, of having the ring integrate into the cap.  

[AmandaW]

Today's journal pen is a Sailor Pocket pen with a 14K #2 (fine) nib. It's is filled with Sailor Doyou. Just under 10cm without the cap, this is a very dainty pen, yet I have no problem writing with it unposted. With the cap it's about 12cm long.

 

[FlyingClay]

Quite a few actually.  I am trying to figure out what my 'top 5' writers are out of my meager collection.

 

You guys would probably laugh because I don't think there's a pen on my list which cost over about $70, and most are down in the $20 - $50 range.  Up until now, I haven't felt like I had enough experience to buy something more expensive because I really didn't know what I was doing.  About the only thing I was confident of is...just because something is expensive doesn't automatically make it good.  So, I figured I'd start at the bottom and 'learn' my way up.

 

I'm certainly no expert now, but I know a little bit more where I'm comfortable spending a little more to upgrade, and maybe start putting something better than a TWSBI or similar in my top 5 list.

[OldTravelingShoe]

9 hours ago, A Smug Dill said:

 

Is that a recent acquisition fitted with an M nib?

It most certainly is. It's as if someone was generous and told the community about discounts at @La Couronne du Comte! 😏

 

The pen itself... I find it surprisingly good. The nib is springy and shows quite a bit of line variation - from a Japanese M to a European B. With the right ink, it dances on paper - so, not just great flow, but also a bit of feedback. 

 

Many thanks, @A Smug Dill! 

[OldTravelingShoe]

1 hour ago, FlyingClay said:

Quite a few actually.  I am trying to figure out what my 'top 5' writers are out of my meager collection.

 

You guys would probably laugh because I don't think there's a pen on my list which cost over about $70, and most are down in the $20 - $50 range.  Up until now, I haven't felt like I had enough experience to buy something more expensive because I really didn't know what I was doing.  About the only thing I was confident of is...just because something is expensive doesn't automatically make it good.  So, I figured I'd start at the bottom and 'learn' my way up.

 

I'm certainly no expert now, but I know a little bit more where I'm comfortable spending a little more to upgrade, and maybe start putting something better than a TWSBI or similar in my top 5 list.

@FlyingClay, nothing to laugh about - I had the same strategy when I started, and I feel I relaxed over time more because I've become more comfortable with the prices rather than because I've become more discerning.

 

I can only concur with you. For me, more expensive from the same manufacturer and line is typically an indication of better something, but not necessarily a better pen for me - because I am primarily interested in how the pen draws or writers, so nib and ergonomics related to my way of doing things. 

[OldTravelingShoe]

4 hours ago, AmandaW said:

Today's journal pen is a Sailor Pocket pen with a 14K #2 (fine) nib. It's is filled with Sailor Doyou. Just under 10cm without the cap, this is a very dainty pen, yet I have no problem writing with it unposted. With the cap it's about 12cm long.

 

Very nice pen, @AmandaW. Much like @Chi once said to me, I like very much to see others enjoying the same (type of) pens I do. There's something about the long-short build of Japanese pocket pens that I find very rewarding. Thanks for sharing! 

[OldTravelingShoe]

10 hours ago, essayfaire said:

Can you tell why the nib is catching? I'm surprised it does if you can lay down so much ink!

Thanks for the question, @essayfaire! (Also, implicitly, for being able to decypher my writing -- it's probably the first time it's happened to me in nearly three decades, and I'm sure I've received opposite comments over the years from students whose theses I was commenting on 😄 ) I wondered about the same thing, and in my mind I decided it's a mix of:

1. My hand that is not so good with oblique nibs. Ok, ok, not my hand, me. 
2. The nib has little imperfections, including a bit of tine misalignment and a little chip on the alignment. Also, the nib external margins are crisp. 
3. The paper is spongy, so rough texture but with parta that can detach and clog the nib. 
4. The entire ink mechanism, nib, feed, through to piston, cannot cope with fast, fluid movement. Same happens when starting fast; sometimes I have to simply redo the movement and the ink starts going through. These two do not happen all the time, or even frequently, but when they do I feel acutely the crisp margins from point 2.
5. I cannot take a photo of this, but I believe the longer tine is a bit more flexible and/or springy, exacerbating the issues at point 4. Could this be true? How could I test for this, while keeping it safe for the pen? 

I've done a bit of sketching with this pen, and I believe 1, 3, and 4 are reasons, perhaps not in this order because I have quite a few oblique nibs and most I can use without catching (even this) paper. 

 

Figures 1-3 illustrate point 2; up to people more knowledgeable than I am to opine. 

 

Figure 1. Under the nib, 🎵 / down where it's wetter, 🎶 / down where it's better, 🎵 / under the nib! 🎶 (And here I complete the goal to sing a tune from my childhood, but with pens.) 

 

Figure 2. Side mug. Don't move, buster! (I had to take this pic several times, and I find it really challenging to capture this creature. The tiny optics did not help, but I blame it on the lens being an inanimate object more than a lack of will on its part.) 

 

Figure 3. The glorious two-tone nib, which I find to be the best-looking nib from Geha. Even if it smiles with a chipped front tooth. Or some misalignment. (Or maybe I just choose to see it.) 

 

Comments are welcome. 

Edited June 1, 2022 by OldTravelingShoe
Edited for clarity. Fixed some typos. Added music emojis, which I didn't know exist until now.

[amberleadavis]

19 hours ago, OldTravelingShoe said:

@amberleadavis, I've converted the HEIC image into a more common JPG. Here it is:

 

@PenMama, I've set the copyright to clearly indicate you. Just let me know if you'd like me to remove the converted image. 

 

thank you for the post and I like the background too! 

 

So, tell me about the pen, it's very pretty.  Do you like it?

[OldTravelingShoe]

1 hour ago, amberleadavis said:

So, tell me about the pen, it's very pretty.  Do you like it?

@PenMama, thanks for sharing. Your pen is attracting attention - more comments and stories from you would be much appreciated!

 

From my side: great-looking pen, all swirls and colors. I'm curious to know more about it, starting with the maker, and time and place of making. (Or maybe I just missed this in the earlier posts?) 

[The Mustard]

[Arthur Pewty]

I generallly keep two pens inked. Today one is an old Parker 75 Sterling Cisele, which I don't think this crowd would find that intriguing. But the other is a bit more out of the way: a Filcao Royale Red Passion. It's the most outlandishly rococo pen I own (though the Duke Beijing Opera Rhythm gives it a run for its money). The feature that grabbed my attention was the crenellated section, unique as far as I know (saying this, I don't doubt that some old hand here will know of another). I also enjoy the guilloche finish. It's a pleasant writer to boot.

 

I just checked eBay. The Italian seller I bought it from no longer lists it. So now it's a collectable? Huzzah!

[Gloucesterman]

51 minutes ago, Arthur Pewty said:

I generallly keep two pens inked. Today one is an old Parker 75 Sterling Cisele, which I don't think this crowd would find that intriguing. But the other is a bit more out of the way: a Filcao Royale Red Passion. It's the most outlandishly rococo pen I own (though the Duke Beijing Opera Rhythm gives it a run for its money). The feature that grabbed my attention was the crenellated section, unique as far as I know (saying this, I don't doubt that some old hand here will know of another). I also enjoy the guilloche finish. It's a pleasant writer to boot.

 

I just checked eBay. The Italian seller I bought it from no longer lists it. So now it's a collectable? Huzzah!

One very interesting looking pen. Is the nib a stub or does it just look stub-ish?

How long ago did you buy it?

Any chance of a writing sample?

Thank you for sharing you acquisition.

Enjoy...

[ParramattaPaul]

I started the day using a CS Series 58, ran out of ink and switched to a CS Churchill.

[amberleadavis]

1 hour ago, Gloucesterman said:

One very interesting looking pen. Is the nib a stub or does it just look stub-ish?

How long ago did you buy it?

Any chance of a writing sample?

Thank you for sharing you acquisition.

Enjoy...

 

Yes, ditto these questions, is it a stub?  etal

[Arthur Pewty]

I bought this Filcao last October for USD79 . The original listing is long gone, so I can't say what the official size of the nib is; neither it nor the feed is marked. It looks medium to me. You can see from the sample that it isn't a stub. It writes very dry, or that may be the Pilot ink. I also bought the Roxy Ogiva 14K in Cappucino around the same time; it was my only piston-filler until I recently got a TWSBI Classic.

 

Browsing the inventory of the eBay seller, lucantage70, it appears that there are other Filcaos with the crenellated section. But has anyone seen this feature on any other brand?