Pens, Ink & Paper

04 June 2024, 05:15 AM

Pens, Ink & Paper

https://akkermandenhaag.nl/en

It is a real treat to occasionally use an ink pen.

There is a price sweet spot around 400-800 where you get a quality pen made of the best materials, without paying for unecessary collectors-things, such as Montblanc specials.
I ended up with 11 inks and 5 pens (wife has a few too). Then you'll need decent paper, blotting paper and blotter. Finding a blotter for me was as much fun as finding a suitable pen.

Always get a gold nib for its flex if you can (otherwise you'll be effectively using a steel nail).

Inks vary, some fade quicker than others, some run more.
Look to Montblanc, Noodlers, Ackerman, Herbin, they'll give you all the colours. I have a lovely Herbin 1670 deep red with gold

Pens eg...have a £130 Lamy part gold nib that flows nicely, and a 20 quid charity shop pen made in China with a fine gold nib that writes way above its price class, filled with Noodlers xfeather black. Both these are lightweight so I post.

ST Dupont make XL size, and I don't need to post to get balance. Quality nib, usually filled with Montblanc dark Irish Green. Highly recommended.
When you find the right one it's like discovering a favourite chisel or binocular. You'll want a few more, but that Japanese chisel, that Austrian binocular fits your hand.

04 June 2024, 07:57 PM

Daniel

This thread inspired me to order a set of two very nice ballpoint pins, click to open, rubber where you have to hold them, black ink, fine point, and a 6" x 9" high quality ring binder, college ruled, tear out pages, composition notebook.

Order total $6.00. Lol.

I bought a box of Bic pens with caps about four years ago.
I looked. They don't say if they're fine or medium and I don't remember. I think they're medium.

Anyway, these cheap pens lasted long enough but just today and three more times in the last thirty day they kind of exploded all over my hand and the paper.

They get here tomorrow and the old ones are going in the garbage.

15 June 2024, 11:28 PM

markj

The Little Witch arrived and it is quickly becoming my favorite.

My first extra fine nib.

Using the matching Little Witch ink from Bungubox. It's almost black but has a hint of deep purple in it.

15 June 2024, 11:38 PM

Daniel

Nice!

I don't have the ability to use a pen like that but I'd like to buy stationary and a wax seal kit one day.

23 June 2024, 07:15 AM

markj

We drove to the heart of downtown Chicago this morning for our first visit to Atlas Stationers. https://www.atlasstationers.com/

So many pens! So much ink! Notebooks, accessories and very helpful and friendly staff.

Purchased my first Italian pen. A just released and not even on display yet, Visconti Comedia Purgatorio with a fine nib. It is the smoothest writing pen I own.

Found a beautiful leather pen/notebook case. Two Rhodia notebooks, A Pilot dip pen and an Atlas exclusive "ink of the week" Colorverse Wolf Point. It's a shimmering ink with tiny bits of glitter in it. Absolutely gorgeous ink.

The Mrs picked out a couple of cheap pens including a Pilot disposable fountain pen and a gel pen. She also found a small sketch pad.

D1 picked out 3 inks, notepads and a pack of Leaf color swatch papers.

We had a great time despite the overpriced parking. $59 for 90 minutes of parking! :face_with_rolling_eyes:

I foresee more trips like this in the future.

We will be scoping out more affordable parking for our future visits though.

23 June 2024, 11:09 AM

markj

quote:
Originally posted by AD:
https://akkermandenhaag.nl/en

It is a real treat to occasionally use an ink pen.

There is a price sweet spot around 400-800 where you get a quality pen made of the best materials, without paying for unecessary collectors-things, such as Montblanc specials.
I ended up with 11 inks and 5 pens (wife has a few too). Then you'll need decent paper, blotting paper and blotter. Finding a blotter for me was as much fun as finding a suitable pen.

Always get a gold nib for its flex if you can (otherwise you'll be effectively using a steel nail).

Inks vary, some fade quicker than others, some run more.
Look to Montblanc, Noodlers, Ackerman, Herbin, they'll give you all the colours. I have a lovely Herbin 1670 deep red with gold

Pens eg...have a £130 Lamy part gold nib that flows nicely, and a 20 quid charity shop pen made in China with a fine gold nib that writes way above its price class, filled with Noodlers xfeather black. Both these are lightweight so I post.

ST Dupont make XL size, and I don't need to post to get balance. Quality nib, usually filled with Montblanc dark Irish Green. Highly recommended.
When you find the right one it's like discovering a favourite chisel or binocular. You'll want a few more, but that Japanese chisel, that Austrian binocular fits your hand.

AD,

I love the Akkerman ink bottles. Unfortunately Atlas does not carry that brand. I will be ordering some online.

I would love to have a gold nib but they get very pricey.

This new Visconti despite its steel nib, is so smooth, I cannot imagine anything being smoother.

01 July 2024, 04:05 AM

Love your new Visconti!

Ackerman and Montblanc bottles are delightful, Ackerman are cleverly designed but necessarily large.

If you ever see ST Dupont, try an Olympio. They are pretty much perfect for fit and finish, nibs smooth as butter. The London area still has a number of places where you can try and compare fountain pens. In the end I got my wallet out for a classic black lacquer 18k Olympio xl.
Caran d'Ache are another brand I liked a lot.
Keep an eye out for local makers who craft the barrel themselves and add a good nib. We went to Nottingham for a week and like proper tourists came back with fountain pens made out of Sherwood Forest wood.

My daughters got me some Herbin blotting paper for Christmas a couple of years ago... good quality and the right size for my small blotter:

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N2ZH...ffer-SBlotter-02.jpg