What pen(s) are you using today?

[Misfit]

I used a Lamy Al-Star in Azure with 1.1mm italic nib, and a TWSBI Swipe in Prussian Blue with 1.1mm stub nib. 

[essayfaire]

20 hours ago, AmandaW said:

I'm embarrassed to put forward my journal efforts this morning after seeing Smug's page,

We can't all be smug.

20 hours ago, AmandaW said:

The trouble is I have to write fast to get my thoughts down before I forget them. It's an age thing.

I have definitely noticed you thinking more quickly these days!  My brain races, too.  Hence the  pens and paper scattered about my home and car.

[OldTravelingShoe]

On 6/8/2022 at 6:22 PM, A Smug Dill said:

This page is an excellent tutorial on how to test a pen. I particularly like the writing samples, the multiple trials on line variation, and the density tests (i.e., from stippling to hashing to full density). 

 

Many thanks, @A Smug Dill! 

[A Smug Dill]

21 minutes ago, OldTravelingShoe said:

This page is an excellent tutorial on how to test a pen.

 

Why, thank you very much!

 

21 minutes ago, OldTravelingShoe said:

I particularly like the writing samples, the multiple trials on line variation,

 

The multiple trials that look like a cat clawed the paper was just my not having a very good handle on getting the line width to increase very gradually along a straight stroke, the way I think a ‘flex’ pen ought to do. 😔  I hated my first Pilot Custom Heritage 912's FA nib because it wouldn't let me do that … but then, that was four years ago, and perhaps I just didn't have the level of motor control at the time that I do now, sorta.

[MarcoA63]

I'm using a Tibaldi 20-L w/ absolute brown. Very smooth nib. it is the only one I have inked this period while I wait for my Onoto Platinum Jubilee pen to arrive 😊

[i5_8300h]

I'm currently keeping two pens inked up - Pilot Metro (Krishna Lyrebird Blue-Black) and Kanwrite Desire (Diamine Royal Blue).

 

It's been a couple of months since I last used the Metro, and I was pleasantly impressed when it wrote without a fuss (after a refill). No flushing, or cleaning required! The nib is a little scratchy, and I wish it was broader than a medium (and maybe a bit wetter too).

 

The Desire has had it's medium swapped out for a broad nib, and is currently dedicated for writing practical notebooks. The Diamine Royal Blue was also purchased for this reason, and I am not a big fan. Maybe I'd like it better if I was not forced to buy it in the first place.

The pen itself writes well. It's now an eyedropper, and the large(er) ink capacity (and demonstrator build) complements the broad nib well for long writing sessions. It writes smoothly, with minimal skipping. But, it's constantly hard starting. I am not blaming the pen right now, as the weather is currently alternating between hot/bone dry and hot/extremely humid - I think this could be the cause (am I correct?).

[Misfit]

I used two, a Monteverde Mountains of the World K2 filled with a sample of Van Dieman’s Cradle Mountain Grey, with a 1.1mm stub nib.  The second is a Retro 51 in Peacock with a 1.1mm stub nib, filled with a sample of 3 Oysters Peacock Green. 

[Stationery Fan]

I've primarily used 3 pens today:

Waterman Hemisphere inked with Monteverde Elephant (from their Jungle collection)

Parker IM inked with Waterman Serenity Blue (a new purchase to see what I was missing out on, and I love it! Just like everyone else)

Pilot Metro MR3 inked with Parker Quink Black

[lionelc]

pelikan m400 with a f 400nn nib

wahl eversharp skyline marine green in an xf

[AmandaW]

Two pens today a Pilot Prera fine italic filled with Taccia Ainezu and a newly arrived Wing Sung 601a with a fine conical nib that got a fill of Diamine Salamander.

 

I expect the Wing Sung will be on journal duty tomorrow so more to follow on that one.

[Waverly]

A Pilot Decimo with a fine nib.   The ink is 4001 Royal Blue.  I have the dark grey one, far fewer color choices for the Decimo vs the regular Vanishing Point. 

[Doug C]

Sheaffer intrigue, Sheaffer Royal Selangor.

[PAKMAN]

My Asvine clear Skelton. Trying to decide if I just want to draw up a few drops of water and keep writing with it or finally clean it out.

[ParramattaPaul]

In order: CS Series 58, CS Churchill, and Onoto Scholar at different times and for different purposes.

[Doug C]

8 hours ago, ParramattaPaul said:

In order: CS Series 58, CS Churchill, and Onoto Scholar at different times and for different purposes.

How do you like the Scholar?

[ParramattaPaul]

2 hours ago, Doug C said:

How do you like the Scholar?

I love it. It is a smaller, more slender and less expensive version of the Magna which I also love.  The nibs appear to be identical. The Scholar is a great pen at a great price in my opinion.

[A Smug Dill]

 

A few special edition Lamy Tipo rollerball pens, in colours that I know my wife likes, have arrived, and I was curious to see what my handwriting looks like writing with a rollerball pen (which I haven't done in years) employing techniques developed from using fountain pens the past four years or so. I also found an old Lamy ballpoint pen, so I decided to test that as well.

 

It looks like some of the techniques for producing line variation can successfully carry over to writing with a ballpoint pen.

 

I have no idea why the rollerball pen behaves so dreadfully, though; the ink in the Lamy M66 refill feathers on Rhodia DotPad paper, and I can't get it to flow consistently when using almost no downward pressure, even though I thought the advantage a rollerball pen has over a ballpoint pen is that it will write without requiring the user to press down (as hard) on the page.

 

I'm also very surprised to see how fine the physical contact area between the ball on either (the M16 ballpoint or the M66 rollerball) Medium refill and the paper surface proves to be. Judging by the number of parallel and distinct (i.e. not touching each other) horizontal lines I can fit inside a 5mm-tall space, as an estimate for actual line width, both of those pens write as finely as a “typical Western EF” nib.

[DvdRiet]

Parker Sonnet in pink gold

[DvdRiet]

27 minutes ago, A Smug Dill said:

 

A few special edition Lamy Tipo rollerball pens, in colours that I know my wife likes, have arrived, and I was curious to see what my handwriting looks like writing with a rollerball pen (which I haven't done in years) employing techniques developed from using fountain pens the past four years or so. I also found an old Lamy ballpoint pen, so I decided to test that as well.

 

It looks like some of the techniques for producing line variation can successfully carry over to writing with a ballpoint pen.

 

I have no idea why the rollerball pen behaves so dreadfully, though; the ink in the Lamy M66 refill feathers on Rhodia DotPad paper, and I can't get it to flow consistently when using almost no downward pressure, even though I thought the advantage a rollerball pen has over a ballpoint pen is that it will write without requiring the user to press down (as hard) on the page.

 

I'm also very surprised to see how fine the physical contact area between the ball on either (the M16 ballpoint or the M66 rollerball) Medium refill and the paper surface proves to be. Judging by the number of parallel and distinct (i.e. not touching each other) horizontal lines I can fit inside a 5mm-tall space, as an estimate for actual line width, both of those pens write as finely as a “typical Western EF” nib.

 

Very interesting comparisons! And your handwriting is absolutely beautiful with all three, by the way.  

[dms525]

 

 

 

Leonardo Momento Magico in Scarlet Celluloid. This was a limited edition of 10 pens made to celebrate Fontoplumo dot nl 's 10th anniversary. The nib is a Broad, ground to Cursive Italic by Bruce S. at Fontoplumo. Bruce has ground about 5 nibs for me now, and he does a great cursive italic grind - very smooth and very crisp. Note the red ebonite feed, made in-house by Leonardo.

 

David