Fountain Pen Quest Trail Log – May 16, 2021

The week with three newly inked fountain pens, all with nibs that I’ve never used. I had high expectations of the new 14k gold extra-fine nib. I was hugely disappointed. The polar opposite of the Lamy 14k oblique. I don’t like how the pen feels on paper; the line is wider than a EF should be. It may grow on me. If I look for the positive, I do like the way the ink shades.

I couldn’t use that extra-fine nib as my daily writer, so the Kanilea Kona Cherry (EF w/MB Bordeaux) and Diplomat Green Aero (F w/MB Emerald Green) got some use. They lifted my spirits after the disappointment. On Saturday, I inked up the Sheaffer 300 and Diplomat Aero Volute to add some pens that I know I’ll enjoy.

Overall, my fountain pen usage was way down, not even very many lists, and only four journal pages despite daily entries.

Current Reads, Watches & Listens

Listening: The Guns at Last Night, The War in Western Europe 1944-1945 by Rick Atkinson (audiobook). I finished this off during the week during some extended listening sessions. I enjoyed the book, but I am partial to WWI history. Listening to this one came at the expense of podcasts.

Listening: Bright Orange for the Shroud by John D. MacDonald (audiobook). This is #6 in his Travis McGee series. I devoured this series long ago, so I’m sure I read this back in my high school (maybe earlier) days. I was feeling nostalgic, and had this one in my audiobook library. It’s not a long book, just over 8 hours, so I got it all in on Friday and Saturday. It was as good as I remember.

Listening: Riding the Rap by Elmore Leonard. I’m a fan of the Justified TV series, so with a Raylan Givens story available from the library I took it. Only the audiobook was available. A lot like a John D. MacDonald story.

Reading: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. I’ve never seen the movie, and reviews say they have little similarity. I borrowed it from the library yesterday. I won’t start it until later today. This pick is nostalgic too, since it’s heavy on 80s references, although I’m not sure that’s a good thing.

New Arrivals

None

Incoming

None

Outgoing

None

Out of Rotation

Diplomat Aero Green (14k F) with a Montblanc Emerald Green cartridge: This lasted 2 months, March 14th through May 14th. It got more use this week, being one of the few fountain pens I enjoyed using.

Into Rotation

Lamy Safari Green (F) with the factory included ink cartridge: The first time inking this pen.
Lamy Safari Savannah (M) with the factory included ink cartridge: The first time inking this pen.
Lamy Safari Terra (14k EF) with Pilot Blue-Black: First time using this nib, and so far a big disappointment.
Diplomat Aero Volute (Fine Oblique) with a Montblanc Spider Grey cartridge
Sheaffer 300 Matte Green (F) with a Sheaffer Black cartridge