Blue Pen Club- Show Me Your Blue Pens!

[The Elevator]

Beautiful new addition to my blue pens collection: A Marble Blue 1990s Pilot Grance, complete with original instruction manual, box, matching pencil, and an old dried out ink cartridge 😁😁.

 

 I can’t wait to see how it writes once I get ink in there. 

[Penguincollector]

I’m such a sucker for blue marble and slim pens- that’s a great find!

[The Elevator]

2 hours ago, Penguincollector said:

I’m such a sucker for blue marble and slim pens- that’s a great find!

The Grance is actually not all that slim by my standards—it’s about the form factor of a Lamy Studio, maybe a bit larger. 

 

Sounds like you’d love the Marble Blue Pilot Cavalier if you don’t have one already. I wonder if it’s a modern alternative to the Lady that we were discussing in the Red Pens thread?
https://www.jetpens.com/Pilot-Cavalier-Fountain-Pen-Marbled-Black-Blue-Medium-Nib/pd/22732

Edited May 31, 2023 by The Elevator
Fix typos

[Bo Bo Olson]

Due to Covet 19 my B&M is not as prosperous as it once was, so instead of having that new ice blue Pelikan 200, I had to order it.

I guess that counts as having.

It is some €40 more expensive than the bluish Petrol I got a few years ago. €170.

[Sailor Kenshin]

These.

 

 

 

Okay, only two of them are blue.  But retractable!  Five pens, converters, multiple spare nibs, ten cartridges, fifteen bucks.  Not bad.

[Penguincollector]

9 hours ago, The Elevator said:

The Grance is actually not all that slim by my standards—it’s about the form factor of a Lamy Studio, maybe a bit larger. 

 

Sounds like you’d love the Marble Blue Pilot Cavalier if you don’t have one already. I wonder if it’s a modern alternative to the Lady that we were discussing in the Red Pens thread?
https://www.jetpens.com/Pilot-Cavalier-Fountain-Pen-Marbled-Black-Blue-Medium-Nib/pd/22732

Oh wow yes, very much my kind of pen- thanks for bringing it to my attention! The price is right, too.

 

3 hours ago, Bo Bo Olson said:

Due to Covet 19 my B&M is not as prosperous as it once was, so instead of having that new ice blue Pelikan 200, I had to order it.

I guess that counts as having.

It is some €40 more expensive than the bluish Petrol I got a few years ago. €170.

  I sometimes order through my B&M if the price is similar to the online price and shipping and it’s a brand that they carry. I really like the local stores so I try to support them when I can. The new ice blue 200 is really pretty, I hope it’s not too blobby for you.

 

1 hour ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

These.

 

 

 

Okay, only two of them are blue.  But retractable!  Five pens, converters, multiple spare nibs, ten cartridges, fifteen bucks.  Not bad.

  I absolutely love these school pen packages!  Many of my penguin pens were in these. I only have one of the “press pens”- the skinny ones with the tiny nib, and it’s not the greatest- it leaks- but I’m not opposed to trying a different model. Let me know how these do! 

[Bo Bo Olson]

Back when I was a gold nib snob noobie, I passed on a yellow 200...been looking for it forever since.

.

In the mean while I found I like the old 200's nib, not so much the new one. Perhaps I can get a nibmeister to make it a tear drop...I I use to rave about the older 200's tear drop tipped 200's nibs.

 

By now I have as many 200's as 400's....

There is a difference in the plastics between a 200 and a 400, but if one don't have 400's, i recommend getting an older 200 ('85-2018/9) as a great balanced, springy tear drop tipped nib...meaning a clean line that the double ball tipping doesn't deliver.

I get OCD on clean lines.............

 

Even developed a 'system'.

Howsoever I'm OCD/AR on feathering/woolly lines..

 

BEF....bare eyed feathering/lwoolly/umpy line....seen while sitting....like some of the  Diamine inks. (Yes with over 200 inks there must be some that can pass the BEF test.) Yet....I have seen very many ink tests on the Com, (Including Diamine or Akkermann) where they do not show (tell or perhaps know) in the form that it feathers or has a woolly line ; and it is obvious in the pictures of the ink in it's test, that the line is uneven...lumpy...bumpy line., that is a woolly line. It is not a clean line.

 

Outside noticing the differences of nib and paper....I was not and am not into false judging of an ink (by maker), pen nor paper. I want a clean line, as clean as possible.

 

NEF....near eye feathering/lumpy or woolly line....seen while looking at it near my eye. Looks just about OK while sitting. There are many like that. When one takes a close look, it shows feathering/woolly line. No clean smooth line.

 

With a Big Honking Magnifying glass.1 1/2 inch by 3 x 4 inches or 2.7 by 7 1/2 x 10cm. (No you can't use your 10X loupe...everything has a woolly line under that.)

 

Mag F...what I'd consider a descent ink....if I like the tone, I will buy it again. Feathering/woolly line can be seen under magnification only.

 

NoMAG F.......great ink ...buy more...buy stock in the company. No feathering/woolly line at all, even when looking through the big, thick magnifying glass.

[Penguincollector]

6 hours ago, Bo Bo Olson said:

NoMAG F.......great ink ...buy more...buy stock in the company. No feathering/woolly line at all, even when looking through the big, thick magnifying glass.

 What inks do you list in this category? 

[Bo Bo Olson]

Herbin; Lie de Thee`, Bleu Pervenche, Vert Empire and I'd guess most Herbin inks....those three shade well.........though I will admit to not using Vert Empire as much as the other two which are favorites of mine.  It is a murky green......................someone has a grant thread on murky greens, and had 30-50 listed. 

 

So one shouldn't think...murky green is not good. Once all things MB but the bottle was well hated on the com...so as noobie, not understanding murky or shading, had the most hated ink in the world MB Racing Green, a murky green shading ink....IN MY HAND In all I was going to do was throw the ink down the sink, decided to try the brown...how was I to know MB Sepia wasn't really a brown...though it was brownish enough for me.

 

Shortly there after  many MB inks of that era was discontinued....(New inks in a bigger  60ml shoe came out).......in the space of two weeks, MB Racing green became the most beloved ink in the world...the back room ink alchemists spent years not quite making the replica.....two bottles could send your kid to a year at Yale.

There are some MB inks that leave a nice clean line.

 

 

If I remember right, the 4001 Pelikan inks. R&K also....Those are non-saturated inks, so shade well.

 

You know how it is....you make a file and forget the name..........so did my computer.

 

One has to have good to better paper of course..........

 

[Sailor Kenshin]

21 hours ago, Penguincollector said:

Oh wow yes, very much my kind of pen- thanks for bringing it to my attention! The price is right, too.

 

  I sometimes order through my B&M if the price is similar to the online price and shipping and it’s a brand that they carry. I really like the local stores so I try to support them when I can. The new ice blue 200 is really pretty, I hope it’s not too blobby for you.

 

  I absolutely love these school pen packages!  Many of my penguin pens were in these. I only have one of the “press pens”- the skinny ones with the tiny nib, and it’s not the greatest- it leaks- but I’m not opposed to trying a different model. Let me know how these do! 

@Penguincollector

 

Once I realized the included little plastic tubes were 'caps,' it's doing fine.  Otherwise, it dried out and I had to do multiple wet dips to start it.  😂

[Penguincollector]

1 hour ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

@Penguincollector

 

Once I realized the included little plastic tubes were 'caps,' it's doing fine.  Otherwise, it dried out and I had to do multiple wet dips to start it.  😂

  Mine didn’t come with any sort of cap, I’ve seen others that do. I might try to buy one like it that comes with one and see if I can use it on the penguin clicker. I like the Safari style clips a bunch on yours.

 

6 hours ago, Bo Bo Olson said:

Herbin; Lie de Thee`, Bleu Pervenche, Vert Empire and I'd guess most Herbin inks....those three shade well.........though I will admit to not using Vert Empire as much as the other two which are favorites of mine.  It is a murky green......................someone has a grant thread on murky greens, and had 30-50 listed. 

 

So one shouldn't think...murky green is not good. Once all things MB but the bottle was well hated on the com...so as noobie, not understanding murky or shading, had the most hated ink in the world MB Racing Green, a murky green shading ink....IN MY HAND In all I was going to do was throw the ink down the sink, decided to try the brown...how was I to know MB Sepia wasn't really a brown...though it was brownish enough for me.

 

Shortly there after  many MB inks of that era was discontinued....(New inks in a bigger  60ml shoe came out).......in the space of two weeks, MB Racing green became the most beloved ink in the world...the back room ink alchemists spent years not quite making the replica.....two bottles could send your kid to a year at Yale.

There are some MB inks that leave a nice clean line.

 

 

If I remember right, the 4001 Pelikan inks. R&K also....Those are non-saturated inks, so shade well.

 

You know how it is....you make a file and forget the name..........so did my computer.

 

One has to have good to better paper of course..........

 

  To me, 4001 inks are so underrated. I love them all, shaders or not. All of my MB inks were cartridges, and honestly I didn’t even notice the shading back in my school days when I used my one MB the most. I just cared about feathering, to this day it drives me nuts. Herbin I got into recently, mostly because I love miniature things and the cartridge tins and little bottles caught my eye at the art supply store nearby, but Vert Empire, Eclat de Saphir, Blue Pervenche,  Diabolo Menthe, and Lie de Thé are my favorites so far.  I have yet to try R&K. I think we have similar tastes in ink. I just got some old Geha cartridges in green, and am looking forward to experimenting with their reconstitution. 

[Bo Bo Olson]

1 hour ago, Penguincollector said:

I didn’t even notice the shading back in my school days

 

In school you didn't have 90g or better paper, which out side of 80g Rhoda, is needed ...I find normal 80g copy paper not good enough for shading.

Back some 15 years ago when I came back to fountain pens, everyone was high on Lamy Turquoise.....it was nice enough, but sort of Blaaaa. Then I read in Ink Reviews, and there were than only two posts....and on both it Shaded!!!. They were using 90g paper.

I had a small Oxford Optic German School booklet that was 90g....Lamy turquoise shaded....and I was hooked.

 

But i just ran into  some 90g copy paper that is no better than 80 for shading....

One defiantly has to stay away form Ink Jet paper the feather champ....they have to absorb ink so fast that FP ins feather.

 

Rhoda 80g ( I have the 90g and some folks like the 80g better..which I've not tried. ) Clairefontaine Triumph, are good slick papers. The slightly lesser Clairefontaine Veloute~, and it's matching Oxford Optic 90g are good papers. I have the later two in spiral notebooks.

 

I always suggest getting a ream or a 100 sheet box of good to better papers with every three inks one buys.......very soon one has a nice selection of good to better papers....that never go into a printer.

That way they last a very long time.

 

 

[USG]

On 5/31/2023 at 12:15 PM, Bo Bo Olson said:

Back when I was a gold nib snob noobie, I passed on a yellow 200...been looking for it forever since.

.

In the mean while I found I like the old 200's nib, not so much the new one. Perhaps I can get a nibmeister to make it a tear drop...I I use to rave about the older 200's tear drop tipped 200's nibs.

 

By now I have as many 200's as 400's....

There is a difference in the plastics between a 200 and a 400, but if one don't have 400's, i recommend getting an older 200 ('85-2018/9) as a great balanced, springy tear drop tipped nib...meaning a clean line that the double ball tipping doesn't deliver.

I get OCD on clean lines.............

 

Even developed a 'system'.

Howsoever I'm OCD/AR on feathering/woolly lines..

 

BEF....bare eyed feathering/lwoolly/umpy line....seen while sitting....like some of the  Diamine inks. (Yes with over 200 inks there must be some that can pass the BEF test.) Yet....I have seen very many ink tests on the Com, (Including Diamine or Akkermann) where they do not show (tell or perhaps know) in the form that it feathers or has a woolly line ; and it is obvious in the pictures of the ink in it's test, that the line is uneven...lumpy...bumpy line., that is a woolly line. It is not a clean line.

 

Outside noticing the differences of nib and paper....I was not and am not into false judging of an ink (by maker), pen nor paper. I want a clean line, as clean as possible.

 

NEF....near eye feathering/lumpy or woolly line....seen while looking at it near my eye. Looks just about OK while sitting. There are many like that. When one takes a close look, it shows feathering/woolly line. No clean smooth line.

 

With a Big Honking Magnifying glass.1 1/2 inch by 3 x 4 inches or 2.7 by 7 1/2 x 10cm. (No you can't use your 10X loupe...everything has a woolly line under that.)

 

Mag F...what I'd consider a descent ink....if I like the tone, I will buy it again. Feathering/woolly line can be seen under magnification only.

 

NoMAG F.......great ink ...buy more...buy stock in the company. No feathering/woolly line at all, even when looking through the big, thick magnifying glass.

“I want a clean line, as clean as possible”

CLEAN LINES !!!     Another thing for me to OCD about. 🤪

 

On another note, I have some shading samples to send you from my experiments with Rhoda paper Vs. Cosmo Snow that I think you will find interesting, but it’s on my other computer, so I’ll send it off in a little while.😀

[Penguincollector]

1 hour ago, Bo Bo Olson said:

In school you didn't have 90g or better paper, which out side of 80g Rhoda, is needed ...I find normal 80g copy paper not good enough for shading.

Ah, but I did. I found my notes recently, and the shading is there, I just didn’t know to look for it. Paper was different before the recycling started, and I specifically sought out thicker paper because I was an fp user. My favorite notebooks came from the Chinese market I would visit weekly with my aunt: the paper was glossy, the lines were college ruled, and they had cute animals on the headers to boot.  Hello Kitty and laid hotel stationery was my gateway into good paper in the 1980s, even before I was allowed to use a pen of any sort. 

[The Elevator]

On 5/31/2023 at 11:45 AM, Penguincollector said:

wow yes, very much my kind of pen- thanks for bringing it to my attention! The price is right, too.

i am officially an enabler now 🙃

[Doug C]

8 minutes ago, The Elevator said:

i am officially an enabler now 🙃

Welcome to the dark side....

[Bo Bo Olson]

2 hours ago, Penguincollector said:

gateway into good paper in the 1980s,

For me the great nibs died in 1970.................semi-flex and so on.

Also in the '80's the Golden Age of Paper died with out a whimper....I was then a Ball Point Barbarian and wouldn't have ever wasted beer money on good to better paper.

Even cheap paper was coated and often on both sides.

 

I have some 12-15 sheets of a cheap German paper pad with the glued rubber top. It is my best paper...I should dig out a couple sheets and just run my 7-8 inked pens across it ...in if I don't use it it will be ignored if some paper freak comes by to buy the remainders.

I can cry later for using it up....but I'd cry cubed for not using it up.

[inkstainedruth]

2 hours ago, Doug C said:

Welcome to the dark side....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Penguincollector]

5 hours ago, The Elevator said:

i am officially an enabler now 🙃

Penabling is fun, everybody wins!

[Penguincollector]

4 hours ago, Doug C said:

Welcome to the dark side....

  “ Once you start down the dark (blue pen) path, forever it will dominate your destiny.”