Still on the summer schedule, so today is a links-only post. Since next weekend is the unofficial end of summer here in the U.S., the normal schedule will be returning. Unless I decide to take next weekend off, and just do a holiday link post.
My Pen Sale is still ongoing. I adjusted some pen prices, some down, one up. I’ll be shopping the pens in other venues.
Yes, I know this is posting early, and it’s still Saturday the 21st where I am, this isn’t an accidental premature posting. With Henri already raining in Newark, where my server is, and forecast to turn towards me tonight, I figured I’d get it posted, do an extra set of backups, and batten down for the night. So it’s an on purpose premature posting.
Even though I wrote a several pens dry this week. my fountain pen usage is still on the low side. I did manage to do a journal entry ever day this week, after only have a couple entries for the previous week. So while consistency is improving, the length of entries is still way down. Mary, at From the Pen Cup, puts me to shame.
I also used pen & ink to write a letter to Anderson Pens for their 400th podcast celebration. You have until August 31st to get your handwritten entry in to them. Full details are in Podcast 400 (YouTube, Audio).
Two of the pens written dry, the Aion and Model 20, are favorites and I already miss them. My Journal pen, the Kanilea Kona Cherry went dry Saturday night. It had Montblanc Bordeaux ink in it, and I refused to waste even a couple drops by flushing it out early. Good to the last drop.
My Sheaffer 300 Matte Green is turning out to be a problem pen. I’ve only used Sheaffer Black ink cartridges in it, so next fill will be a different ink. The first cartridge leaked through the cap and made a slight mess of the pen. I never came across a specific thing I could blame, but after a cleanup and inspection the problem never returned. What remained of that first cartridge seemed to do ok and was problem-free. But the two cartridges since then have skipping and hard start issues. Nothing major, but enough to be annoying. I’m spoiled by large supply of good performing fountain pens, so the Sheaffer 300 stands out. But, not in a good way.
I ended up doing my typical test which is to hold the pen at the top (end opposite the nib) and drag the pen across the paper to see what line it puts down under its own weight. The Sheaffer 300 failed this test miserably on every paper I tried, often failing to put down any ink. So it’s time to do some cleaning and testing. I don’t see any particles stuck on the nib or feed, but the tines do seem a bit close together. Since the pen worked great with that first cartridge (once that leak was cleaned up) and passed my “line test” with flying colors at that time, I’m reluctant to start yanking it apart or adjusting the tines. I’ll start with a good cleaning and inspection. Then I’ll try some different ink, probably a Waterman ink, and see where that leads me.
There was a lot of pen and ink turnover this week. I’m currently down to six inked fountain pens, which is a less than my typical load-out. One of those is the F-C Model 20 which I inked up Saturday night to use as my journal pen.
I linked to a review of The Pen Post in last week’s Sunday links. My copy arrived Saturday. I read the first couple of pages and plan to read the rest of it this afternoon. Get your copy here. As the name implies, it’s about all types of pens, not just fountain pens.
If you’re interested in Zines then check out the latest episode of the Erasable podcast where they talk about Zines. Johnny Gamber (publisher of The Pen Post) is one of the hosts. Brad joined the show and his post mentioned they talked about zines. In addition to the Zine discussion I hope they discuss the new (to me at least) Caran d’Ache + Nespresso pencils. Adding ground coffee beans to the lead seems like the dumbest stationery idea I’ve heard since the Visioneer. I don’t see how this could possibly go well. Maybe I’m missing something. After all, I’m not a pencil person. Could this be why the episode title is Bring Us Your Weird? I’ll be listening to the episode later today.
Brad (The Pen Addict) also put some of his personal fountain pens up for sale earlier this week. I purposely avoided looking at them for a full day. I had no doubt I would see some I like. Luckily most were sold by the time I looked. There’s still a couple left, one of which is my clear favorite out of all the pens he’s selling. Someone needs to buy the Visconti Aida before my willpower fades. My gut feeling (meaning zero research) is that the price, while not outrageous, is a little high. Certainly high compared to how much I want to spend on a pen these days. I haven’t done any research because I wouldn’t be shocked to find that it’s a good price, which would chip away at my will power. So, someone please buy it to put me out of my misery.
This is a problem I have. I start selling pens to slim down the accumulation, and I immediately start seeing pens I can spend the money on. I keep telling myself – “Enjoy the pens I have $#$@#*.)
Current Reads, Watches & Listens
Reading:Foundation and Foundation and Empire by Isaac Asimov. It’s been over 40 years since I read the Foundation Trilogy. When I originally read it, it was still a trilogy. My memory is that I loved them back then. Memory provided little else as the story was new to me as I read the details, with an occasional memory of the broad strokes as I got to them. I didn’t like it as much as I expected. It provided some food for thought, especially when compared compared to history since the trilogy was published. I’m only through the first two books (Well, I plan to finish Empire this weekend. I plan to read the third, but I never intended to read the two newbies and that hasn’t changed. I’d give them 4 out of 5 stars, although some of that may be due to nostalgia and a nod to his stuff being classic science fiction.
Watched:Salt. I’m a fan of Angelina Jolie, especially when she’s in a kick-ass action movie. So I really enjoyed this. Fun action, little thought needed, just watch and enjoy the popcorn. Watched:Casablanca Bogart and Bergman. With support from a slew of other great actors. There’s nothing better and I watch it every couple of years. It’s easy to ignore that the magical letters of transit were simply a plot device that didn’t exist in real life.
New Arrivals
TWSBI Swipe (EF) in Smoke: Curiosity got the better of me and I ordered one of these.
Incoming
Esterbrook (Kenro) OS Estie – Seaglass w/ Palladium trim: It’s backordered and not due until September. Estimated shipping is Sept. 6th, so soon!
Outgoing
My pen sale is still ongoing. If you used the contact form that was originally on the page last weekend I’m not ignoring you. The form was broken and I never got the info. I apologize, please use the email address that’s on the sale page, or the contact form on the about page, which does work. Hurricane Henri is right on course for me. Dire consequences are being predicted (news outlets need those clicks, and power companies have to predict the worst to avoid looking unprepared). So it may be some time before a response in the event I lose power.
Fountain Pens I’ve Shipped Out: 1. Franklin-Christoph Model 20 Marietta in Vintage Green with a medium stub nib. 2. Leonardo Officina Italiana Momento Zero Blue Green with a medium nib. 3. Diplomat Aero Orange/Black with an extra-fine nib.
Out of Rotation
Lamy Aion Dark Green (EF): I finally wrote the Lamy Green ink cartridge dry after slightly over two months. Despite how much I enjoy the pen I decided to give it some time in the pen drawer.
Franklin-Christoph Model 02 Gemstone (EF): I gave it a short fill of Waterman Black ink, which lasted about a month. It will return as my journal pen once I pick an ink later today.
Sheaffer 300 Matte Green (F): The pen had a Sheaffer Black cartridge and was flushed out early. I talked about why up above.
Kanilea Kona Cherry (EF): Inked back in March with Montblanc Bordeaux, and refilled in May. My favorite ink, with a favorite pen. Time for a change, so I’ll give it a break. I liked having it as my journal pen, although that was a recent decision.
Into Rotation
TWSBI Swipe (EF) in Smoke: This arrived a little over a week ago. I inked it up with the included Black ink cartridge. The cartridge is huge, so the pen will be around awhile.
Franklin-Christoph Model 02 Gemstone (EF): This was flushed out and immediately returned to the rotation. I inked it up with KWZ IG Green #2 ink. This will replace the Kanilea in my journal. Hopefully it will server as a good incentive to journal daily. Have to keep that iron gall ink moving through the pen.
Filo-nanigans – Pam Alison Knits // I always enjoy what people use and like, even if it’s a planner that history has taught me isn’t for me.
Sorry – not with those swirls | Pete Denison // Good to see Pete writing about pens again. There was a time I was all about solid colors, often black. Then I started getting some brighter colors and patterns. I’ve found that while I might like bright colors and patterns for a while, I get bored with them. I don’t get bored with black. Although, some may claim I start off bored with black.
Filling Systems – Goodwriterspens’s Blog // I’ve always been interested in different filling systems. Interesting read about why there are so many variations on the sac filler. (Spoiler: Patents)
Fountain Pens From My Collection: Kaweco AL Sport | Fountain Pen Love // I still have my Brass Sport and like it. I also have the AL Sport but it’s shows more signs of abuse from the keys in my pocket, yet not enough to give it character. Both have been sidelined awhile. With the lockdowns and lack of travel I have little need for a pocket pen. Since then I begun carrying a ballpoint (egads!) as my pocket pen. This makes me sad. I’ll have to consider inking up the Kaweco.
Crónicas Estilográficas: Platinum Pocket Nibs // For the last couple of years I’ve been intrigued by Japanese pocket pens from the 60’s through 80’s. I haven’t bought any, but I come close whenever I see them.
Going Nova | Dan Moren // I’ve enjoyed all three of Dan’s Galactic Cold War books, along with the Novellas. I’ve got time to reread them before Going Nova releases. This is the third or fourth book in the series. It depends on whether you use a book publisher timeline, or a human living in the world timeline. The books can be read as standalone novels, but it helps to have the backstory from earlier books. The Caledonian Gambit is the first book in the series, but from a different publisher.
I’ve picked another group of fountain pens to put up for sale. I find I like turnover and variety, so I’m selling some off to fund future purchases. Full detail, and more pictures are on the sale page. A representative selection is shown below. EMail me at ray@fpquest.com to buy a pen. The first firm “I want it” gets the pen. Questions are welcome, but will not hold the pen.
The form that was previously on the sales page was broken. If you used it recently, I did not receive the info. Please send me an email. I apologize for the inconvenience.
Pens Posted for Sale: I’ve added 18 pens to the For Sale page. I dug deep this time around, listing several former favorites and core pens. So, I’ll have to redo that listing.
A sample of the pens I’ve put up for sale
I’m still on my summer schedule, so today is a links only post.
Pen In: Sheaffer 300 (Left) Pen Out: Lamy Aion (Top) : The Favorite: Franklin Christoph Model 02 (Right)
My fountain pen usage was up a bit these past two week, thanks to a lot of writing on Thursday and Friday. “A lot” is relative, maybe about four B5 pages and another 4 or so A5 pages over those two days, along with my usual notes and lists.
Journaling has been erratic, but not forgotten. Having the Kanilea Kona Cherry inside my Journal case helps. I love the pen, and if I open the journal case, I might as well write in the journal.
The Washington DC Pen Show is this weekend, ending today. I’m vaccinated, but I still couldn’t bring myself to go into a crowd of people. Every time I would go to a pen or trade show I’d get sick. Copious use of hand sanitizer would sometimes help, but not always. I probably should have also worn a mask back then. So I’m hesitant and probably won’t attend my local Commonwealth Pen show either.
I’m still working on getting pens up for sale. I want to do them as one big batch rather than dribble them out. I’m still debating some pens, but the longer I wait to more I lean towards selling them. I’m already weeks beyond my original target, so no way I’m estimating when they’ll be ready.
Current Reads, Watches & Listens
Reading:Fall of the Core by Ryk Brown. Brown’s latest book in The Frontiers Saga. The Frontiers Saga is planned as a 75 book series. The first two series (30 books) have been released and I liked them all. This is a standalone book that seems to be a rewrite of four prequel novellas. (I didn’t read the novellas so this story will be new to me.) I got this on Kindle Unlimited but hadn’t gotten too far into the book when I was sidetracked by a library book that freed up. It’s yet to hook me, but I will go back to it.
Reading:Foundation by Isaac Asimov: I read this as a teenager, so long ago that it’s like reading a new book. The Apple TV promotions (for the series) got me interested in reading it. I’m only a few chapter into it, but enjoying it.
Not Playing:Civilization VI I’m a Civ VI addict. It wasn’t too bad when I I had an Intel MacBook Pro. Despite being a high end 16″ MacBook Pro, Civ was slow to start and unstable, which made it less enjoyable, or provided an easy stopping point when it crashed. Once I found the right settings to reduce the crashes, I could still limit my sessions by playing the game on battery, which would quickly drain, giving me a little over an hour.
With my M1 MacBook Air this all went away. The game starts faster and is stable. In theory I could easily get a few turns in during a 15-minute break. But with just my willpower to stop, it was rarely 15 minutes. The battery can power the game for over three hours which makes it useless as a way to limit gameplay. It’s been eating up my leisure time, and making a dent into what should be work time. So, Saturday morning I deleted the saved games, and the game itself. Re-installing is easy enough, bit it’s a speed bump that will make reading or writing the “easier” choice for leisure between work tasks and chores. Civ is the only video game I like, so I have no doubt it will be back to it soon enough.
Oh, I do still have it on my iPad. Could be a problem. At least it’s a few content updates behind the desktop version.
New Arrivals
None
Incoming
Esterbrook (Kenro) OS Estie – Seaglass w/ Palladium trim. It’s backordered and not due until September.
Outgoing
None
Out of Rotation
Lamy Aion Dark Green (EF) w/Lamy Green ink went dry. I love this pen and the ink performed well while matching the pen.
Into Rotation
Sheaffer 300 Matte Green (F) with a Sheaffer Black cartridge.
Only one link per site, so be sure to check for other new articles once you’re there.
Neglected Pens And A Waterman Carene | An Inkophile’s Blog // Every pen deserves a second chance. Personally, neglected pens have bothered me more and more lately, and I’m now in the mindset that using a neglected pen means neglecting a different pen. Hence, my upcoming pen sale.
New pen day – Pam Alison Knits // I like the looks, but the rest of the pen certainly isn’t for me. I don’t know how she went so long without inking it up. Good luck with the new job!
First Impressions: The TWSBI Swipe is a Steal — The Gentleman Stationer // I’m a sucker forfountain pens with interesting mechanics or filling methods. Including two converters, and a cartridge, is interesting, as is the cartridge and converter capacities. I had one in my cart on release day, but decided I didn’t need another pen write now. While it’s standard international, that seems to apply to the feed attachment only. Everything seems too big to fit inside most fountain pens.
Review: M605 Green-White (2021) | The Pelikan’s Perch // Good review. I like the look of the pen, but the US price is a non-starter. As usual, an excellent review. As Joshua mentions, us US folks may be better off ordering from Europe.
Fountain Pen Quest 