Fountain Pen Quest Trail Log – June 17, 2018

No fountain pens were written dry this past week. I did ink up one new pen. More on that down below.

I did have two new stationery related arrivals this past week.

The first to arrive was my eighteenth Retro 51, the Retro 51 Corona. The Corona isn’t officially a Vintage Metalsmith, but it’s very much a Metalsmith in spirit. The Corona is the first pen in the Smithsonian Collection. The barrel is inspired by the bronze-metal lattice on the outside of the National Museum of African American History and Culture building. The pens are numbered, but not limited. Mine is number 490.

This pen was an insta-buy for me once it became available. Everything about its design is what drew me to the Vintage Metalsmiths. The design is either the metal itself or created with the metal of the pen, no printing needed. In this case, the latticework is raised over the barrel. The raised lattice prevents slippage when holding the metal barrel, although it’s not sharp or uncomfortable.

I would typically swap the standard .7mm refill with a .6mm or the newly discovered .4mm gel refill. I’m out of refills and decided to go with the original, rather than order one. If the .7mm refill bothers me, I’ll swap it with one in another pen.

The Corona has taken its place on my desk.

Montblanc Petit Red Fox ink cartridges and writing sample

The second item, ordered mainly to get me above the $50 free shipping, was a pack of Montblanc Petit Prince Red Fox cartridges. I wanted to try the new Montblanc ink but didn’t want a whole bottle of ink added to my collection. Plus, like I said it got me the free shipping.

Only after I ordered it did I realize how few of my frequently used pens take international cartridges. Sailor and Pilot are proprietary, and Pelikan is a piston filler. My first choice was my Edison Huron Grande with an extra fine nib. The ink and pen did not get along. The line was so thin and dry that it was barely legible, and it looked terrible. I moved the cartridge to a Karas Kustoms Ink with a medium nib, and it was fine. It’s a beautiful red color.