Ever wondered about india ink or calligraphy ink versus “fountain pen” ink? Meg posed this great question about just such a topic.

… I’ve been refilling the Pilot Petit1 cartridges with some bottled india ink that I have left over from dabbling in calligraphy. Ink seems to be pooling in the thready area (like on the Preppy), am I doing something wrong?

Calligraphy and india inks are not designed for fountain pens. They can be corrosive and can dry to be waterproof which, in the pen overtime, can cause it to clog. Some calligraphy inks are also thicker and gooier meant for dip pens so that the ink sits up on the paper and does not bleed into the paper fibers. This characteristic is particularly handy when you are using very wide italic nibs.

The good news is that if you did really jam up a pen, it is a Pilot Petit 1 and not a pricier pen.

I would recommend purchasing some ink specifically designed for fountain pens like Noodlers, Diamine, DeAtramentis, J. Herbin or any fountain pen manufacturer that sells ink (i.e. Lamy, Waterman, Parker, Kaweco, etc). These inks are specifically designed for fountain pens so that they flow easily through the feeder. These inks are not waterproof which means they will not dry and cake up the feed of nib. If fountain pen ink does dry in a pen, usually a good soak in water will clear it up, though it might take awhile.

In the future, save the calligraphy inks for dip nib pens. Since the nibs in most dip pens can be easily swapped out for less than $5, when they do corrode, its not such a big deal.

If you want to experiment with fountain pen inks, check out Goulet Pens which sell sample sized vials of ink for a dollar or two and use the syringe method to refill your cartridges.

Thanks for the great question, Meg!

What an odd coincidence occurred this week. I had just recently come across the “replica” Parker 51 pens made in China called the Hero 616 only to find an fascinating article on counterfeit pens on the Tiger Pens Blog. The article discusses the manufacturing of knock-off pens that ranged from fake Sharpies to counterfeit Mont Blancs.

So, I wonder, is there any harm in buying a Hero 616? Parker no longer produces the much-coveted Parker 51 pen and most of the user information suggests that the pens are made from cheaper plastic and gold tone versus 14K gold nibs. Currently, Ebay seller YesPen sells a pack of three Hero 616 for less than $13. That’s considerably cheaper than even the worst quality vintage Parker 51.

And the irony? There are mentions in some of the listings for Hero 616s about how to spot a fake. Yep… even replica pens get counterfeited. Who knew?

Clockwise from top left, photos by: Pilot Falcon by Bakanekosan AKA East…West…Everywhere, a new stash of Pilot Hi-Tec C pens straight from Japan by TagTeamTompkins, PMS3965 inked up on a Heidelberg windmill press by Benjamin Cole Jones, and new button badges from Emma at LetterLoves

Acquired any new pens or office ephemera this week? Put your Instagram username in the comments so I can see your fresh goodies! And if you want to follow me, see the link in the sidebar.

(Vetted X Calepino Notebooks Set via Vetted)

This week is another hodge-podge of pens, paper and digital tools but mostly a lot of ink reviews… mmmm… ink!

Paper:

• Midori Traveler Star Edition Review (via Gourmet Pens)

(Geometric Desktop Patterns available in four colors from How About Orange)

Pens and Ink:

• Pen Hack: Converting a Kaweco Sport into a bulb filler (via Comfortable Shoes Studio)
• Diamine Dark Brown Ink Review (via Inkophile)
• A Fire-Starting Pen (via Gizmodo)
• Diamine Soft Mint Ink Review (via Ed Jelley)
• Pelikan M620 Madrid inked with Pilot Iroshizuku Chiku-Rin (via JustDavey)
• Levenger True Writer Kyoto Fountain Pen (via Gourmet Pens)

(USB charging multi-tool from Fred Flare)

(Mid-Century Perpetual Calendar Round-Up from Present + Correct)

I had recently seen the Pilot Metropolitan pop up on JetPens but noticed that most of the color options had sold out immediately. Then I heard Brad of The Pen Addict Podcast discuss his rather blah reaction to it and his general aversion to all things gold. So… guess what I bought? Yup. The gold dot version of the Pilot Metropolitan ($14.50). Mostly, because it was the only one left on JetPens but also because I thought it might annoy Brad.

If gold is not your color either, the Pilot Metropolitan is also available in silver or black and the decoration in the middle can be plain, zigzag or dot in any of the colors, you’ll just have to wait until the other color options are back in stock.

Back to the Pilot Metropolitan. It has a soft metallic sheen on the body and a dot pattern just below the cap for added interest. The pen comes in nice packaging. If you wanted to gift this pen to a new fountain pen user, the packaging belies its humble price point. The pen comes with a Pilot ink cartridge and the older Pilot rubber bladder squeeze filler, it looks similar to the CON-20 but a little bit lower end. I went ahead and upgraded to the CON-50 converter ($8.25) but it still kept the whole pen purchase under $25.

The pen measures 5.5″ capped and about 5″ uncapped. Because of the conical shape, posting the cap seems a little awkward though it did fit, I’m not sure it would stay posted without repeated adjustments. If posting the cap on the end of your pen is an absolute must, this pen may not be for you.

The nib is a Japanese M which is about the same as a European F. When writing, it did seem a tad wider than my Kaweco F nibs but not enough to be considered a clearly wider nib. The nib has been worked into flat planes rather than a smooth arc which gives it a different look and its etched with a series of dashed lines. Its really quite a handsome nib.

The Pilot Metropolitan, filled with a CON-50 and ink, and capped is 27gms, which makes it almost as weighty as the Lamy Studio. Unposted its 17gms, making it just a little lighter.

When this pen hit the paper — that’s when the real magic happened. Wow, is it a smooth writer! It was comfortable and skated along the paper with little to no friction. Not as slick as some gel pens but it had no scratch at all. It was a lot more pleasing experience out of the package for me than I ever had with my Lamy AL Star.

I compared the Pilot Metropolitan to pens of similar nib size and price point. It is very comparable. To be honest, though, I would most likely compare the Metropolitan’s overall size and feel to an entry level Lamy and I’d favor the Metropolitan for writing enjoyment. Yes, the Lamy has a wider selection of nibs and a wider selection of barrel colors but if what you want is a classic looking pen with a M nib, this would be my first recommendation.

As of this review, JetPens is entirely sold out of the Pilot Metropolitan but Goulet Pens has some of the gold pens left.

Well, well, well… what do we have here? Is this an aerometric squeeze filler for small enough to fit inside a Kaweco Sport fountain pen? Why, yes it is!

Go forth and rejoice, all you Kaweco Sport users! For a mere $3 you too can now use bottled ink without having to reuse old cartridges or attempt to fill a cartridge with a syringe.

How to fill an aerometric filler: To use a aerometric squeeze filler like this, you put it on the pen first. First remove the old cartridge and place this on the pen, empty. Make sure its placed snugly on the pen. Squeeze the filler, then dip the nib into the ink bottle and slowly release to fill the bladder. You may need to to squeeze and release the filler 2-3 times to get it full. Just remember to squeeze gently so you don’t create bubbles or make a mess.

After my post about reproduction Chinese pens, my good friend Donovan of The Letter Writers Alliance (LWA to those in the know — including my father-in-law!), offered me three HERO 329 pens from China to review and giveaway. So, here goes:

This particular HERO pen is listed on Ebay as a “vintage” edition of the HERO line — a 329 with “horse head” designs on the metal cap. The price for these seems to be ridiculously reasonable and worth the gamble if you are at all curious about Chinese fountain pens (currently listed as a set of three pens for $15.90). There are, of course, issues with purchasing pens on Ebay from China and the potential for forgeries of knock-offs of copies… you get what I mean, right? If you do decide to venture into this obscure sub-category of fountain pens, be sure to check the sellers ratings and reviews. YesPen is considered one of the most reliable sellers for HERO pens.

The overall look and feel of these pens is quite comparable to the Parker 21 with the same basic size, shape and hooded nib construction. I choose to compare the Hero 329 to the 21 rather than the beloved Parker 51 because the nib on the Hero 329 is a steel or metal alloy and not made from 14K gold. Also, being a considerably lower price point, the plastic of the Hero 329 is more consistent with the school-quality Parker 21.

That’s not to say that I was not impressed with the overall look and feel of these pens. Initially, when I heard all the hullabaloo over the Parker 51 and its hooded nib, I didn’t initially see the appeal. I love the look of a fountain pen nib so why would I like to have it all covered up with plastic? Read on to find out more…

Inside of the pen is an aerometric squeeze filler. When you untwist the body of the pen from the nib section at the silver ring, you can see the filling mechanism inside. There is a metal bar over a clear rubber sac, encased in a metal tube. Squeeze the filler bar down and then insert the nib into an ink bottle and gently release to suck ink up into the sac. You may need to depress the filler bar one or two more times, slowly, while holding the pen nib in the ink to get the ink sac completely filled.

This is a fairly common filling system and it differs from the lever bar fillers on old Esterbrooks and other pens only in that all the hardware is discreetly hidden indise the pen.

Now, putting one of these pens to paper made me reconsider my opinion on the hooded nib debate completely. The smooth plastic barrel is comfortable to hold and its nicely balanced. And on paper, it was a smooth, easy writer. I expected the Chinese nibs to be a little scratchy or otherwise inferior but I have to admit to being pleasantly surprised with this particular pen.

I used this pen for most of last week, taking notes at work and toting it back and forth between home and the office. The pen did take a few abrupt tumbles. I leave my bag on the front seat of the car and a couple sudden stops caused the whole bag to catapult onto the passenger floorboard in a full 180 degree flip. When I pulled the pen out, post-tumble, there was a drop of ink on the grip area but I’ve had ink dollops inside my TWSBIs and other pens so I suspect it was the ill treatment. It wiped clean with a tissue and continued to perform admirably.

This particular model of HERO wrote with a line width very similar to my Kaweco F which is very satisfactory for me.

Of all the pens in the world, I’m not sure I ever would have chosen this particular model — horses are not of any special interest to me and reproduction Chinese pens are a curiosity to me but I might not have pushed over the edge to buy one had Donovan not stepped forward with her generous offer. That said, I am glad this pen came into my life. I really like it, it writes well and it has definitely convinced me to keep searching for the ever-coveted Parker 51. A pen that rights this well, with a 14K gold nib and better overall construction really would be a thing of beauty.

The tech specs:

• 17 gms capped and filled with ink
• 5.5″ long capped
• 4.875″ long without cap
• 5.875″ with cap posted
• Cap can be posted, just slides down over the end. Pen closes with a slight click, snap-type closure.
• nib is approx. F, not labelled that I could see
• Aerometric squeeze filling ink sac enclosed in pen

So, is this a pen you’d be interested in trying? I am giving away the black and burgundy HERO 329. If so, write a limerick, rhyme or haiku about pens or other office-y goodness in the comments to be entered to win one. The best comment will get first dibs on color. You can also wax poetic about Donovan for donating the pens or the Letter Writers Alliance. You’ve got until Friday, May 3 to dust off your poetic prowess. Pens at the ready!

FINE PRINT: All entries must be submitted by 10pm CST on Friday, May 3, 2013. All entries must be submitted at wellappointeddesk.com, not Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook, okay? Winner will be announced on Saturday. Winner will be select by random number generator from entries that played by the rules (see above). Please include your email address in the comment form so that I can contact you if you win. I will not save email addresses or sell them to anyone — pinky swear. Shipping via USPS first class is covered. Additional shipping options or insurance will have to be paid by the winner. We are generous but we’re not made of money.

And finally, this pen was tested on Miquelrius grid paper using Noodlers Air Corp blue black ink.

Pens and Pencils:

• TWSBI shows off new designs (via FPGeeks)
• In anticipation of the release (today!) of the Palomino Blackwing Pearl, a review of the Palomino Blackwing 602 (via Pencil Revolution)
• Why I use wooden pens (via The Pen Company)
• Don’t Be Afraid of a Pencil (via Medium) — this article is so good I’m posting it twice!
• Pilot Hi-Tec C Maica 0.4 Blue-Black Review (via From The Pen Cup)

A sample of Mont Blanc Toffee Brown from IvanR via Instagram

Inks:

• Diamine Music Ink Set (via Pens, Papers, Inks…Whatever)
• Diamine Soft Mint Ink Review (via Ed Jelley)
• DeAtramentis Moss Green Ink Review (via Inkdependence)
• Diamine Dark Brown Ink Review (via Inkophile)
• J. Herbin 1670 Bleu Ocean Review (via Rhodia Drive)

Paper:

• Tops Focus Notes Notepads Review (via Pencil Revolution)
• Kickstarter: Kline Layered Sketchbooks and Journals (via Notebookism)
• Miquelrius “Boarding” Notebook (via Notebook Stories)

Flora Chang has released some of her whimsical designs as exclusive covers for iPhone 5 and iPads through her very own Redbubble Shop.

Misc:

• How to take better pen photos (via Leigh Reyes from My Life as a Verb)
• Camera Pencil Sharpener (via How About Orange)
• How journalist Clive Thompson Works (via Lifehacker)
• Jonathan Adler Washi Tape Collection (via How About Orange)
• What’s In Your Bag (via Moleskinerie)

If I wasn’t such a fan of the vintage Esterbook pens, I don’t think I ever would have imagined myself as someone who would buy a pink fountain pen. But… I have a secret desire to own an Esterbrook in every color they were ever sold in (maybe not every variation… that would get complicated). I have just about all the major iridescent colors except Root Beer/Copper (if you’re looking to unload one, let me know!) so it was time to start on the hunt for the pastels.

They were several solid colored pastels sold in the Esterbrook line: pink (sometimes looked sherbet orange and later a brighter reddish color), blue (pale and then a brighter hue), yellow, green (in a couple hues), grey, lilac and the coveted white “Nurse’s pen”. So I have a ways to go but the pastel pens are often as expensive if not more expensive than the larger J-series icicle/iridescent pens of the same period. I think this is partly because those light colored plastics were often stained by the inks used at the time and their smaller size and narrower barrel may not have withstood the years of abuse as well as their larger cousins.

This particular pen came with a #9668 nib which is the Master Point standard medium “General Writing” nib. It looks to be in good shape but I could hear the dried rubber flakes when I moved the pen so I know it will need a new ink sac… someday. In the meantime, I just dip my nib in an ink bottle and can get anywhere from a few lines to a whole page of writing from one dip.

As you can see, the purse pen is quite a bit shorter and a little narrower than a standard J-series double-jewel Esterbrook. It measures just 4.25″ capped compared to the 5″ regular pen. The cap can be posted for writing to give a longer tool but in general, I don’t think the purse pens would be comfortable for most people with large hands to use. Oh, we of the dinky-hand club highly approve! It fits in my small hands as comfortably as the Kaweco Sports do.

I decided that if I was going to own a pink pen, I might as well own some pink ink so I picked up a bottle of Edelstein Turmaline, the Ink of the Year from 2012 from The Pen Place in Crown Center, Kansas City. They still had it in stock. The bottles for the Edelstein line are so elegant and, to be honest, I kind of like this particular shade of pink. It reminds me raspberries.

At first, I used the #9668 General Writing nib that was in the pen but it was a bit too wide for my taste. The ink did get some nice shading as a result and the nib wrote super smoothly but it was just a bit too wide for me.

I switched out for a MIB #9555 shorthand nib which has the numbers stamped in a wide vertical line. It seemed appropriate to have a Shorthand nib in a pink purse pen, like something one of the secretaries on Mad Men might have carried.

The line width of the #9555 shorthand nib works well for me, I’d compare it to the F or EF nib in my Kaweco Sports. All in all, I am quite happy with this purchase. Ebay auctions can be a gamble and for all the “meh” purchases of the past, this one is a big winner!

Prior to acquiring the reproduction style pens known as the HERO from China, I purchased a Parker 21 from Ebay. It turned out to have a crack in the plastic that caused ink to leak out of the pen which made me very sad. Sad because just writing a few lines with it had left me fairly convinced that the hooded nib pens were more than met the eye.

To give a little history, most folks who get interested in fountain pens hear about the legendary Parker 51 almost immediately. It is a hooded nib pen design as well but it is the wealthier cousin to the Parker 21. Where the 51 has a gold nib, the 21 has a steel nib. Overall the 21 uses a cheaper plastic material for the casing as well. For more information about the Parker 21, check out Richard’s Pens.

But… where Parker 51s can fetch over $100 on Ebay and various pen swap forums, a Parker 21 can be found for under $50 and sometimes a good deal less than that too, depending on condition. So for me, purchasing a Parker 21 was a gateway into possibly buying a Parker 51 in the future.

Back to the Ebay debacle… the Parker I bought was unusable but thanks to the kindness of the pen world, Ivan R of Inktronics, offered me a “rough condition” Parker 21 that he had been given. I was honored to accept it and promised to pay it forward when the time was right. So the lovely red, hardly rough Parker 21 arrived this week and I filled it with ink and off I went.

The filler is an aerometric squeeze filler with a clear plastic sac and a metal pinch bar. I filled the pen with Noodlers Violet which a slightly more reddish purple. (Forgot to photograph! Will add a photo soon!)

Having tried two different Parker 21s and the HERO reproductions, I am still a little amazed at just how smoothly they write. If I close my eyes when I write, I can imagine that these are actually rollerballs — that’s how smoothly they write. Its really quite surprising. I miss seeing the beautiful fountain pen nib but I am willing to forgo that if it means skating across the paper.

The hooded nib makes the pen look a bit more utilitarian which has actually gotten comments in meetings (“Nice pen!”) and no one ever mentions the other pens or fountain pens I have in a meeting. Crazy, huh? There’s something about the streamlined look of the Parkers that appeal to people — even non-pen folk.

Just for comparison sake, I photographed the Parker 21 with the HERO 329 (top) to show how similar in size and shape they are. The Parker 21 is a bit wider and the end tapers more bluntly than the HERO. Also, the cap of the Parker is flat on top and the clips are different. The Parker 21 clip has a convex line on it and the 329 has a smooth clip.

Inside, the Parker 21 has a wider silver ring on the barrel where the nib and body connect. The 329 ring is lower on the body and a narrower ring. I tried to get a good macro shot of the nibs but was hugely unsuccessful but you can see in this photo that just a tiny bit of the fountain pen point is visible. You can also see the “rough” of which Ivan mentioned — there is a bit of wear on the plastic near the tip where someone may have tried to remove dirt or ink with something abrasive. I have some plastic polish I might try to shine it back up, but otherwise this pen is in great shape.

If you are curious about hooded nib pens, I do think the Parker 21 is a good place to start but, clearly, the less expensive pen also means the likelihood of more damage than the more expensive Parker 51 models. So I recommend proceeding with caution.

Do you like hooded nib pens? Do you own one. Opinions, please!

And thanks again to Ivan for giving me a chance to try it out!

Favorite products in brown by A Penchant For Paper

Pens:

• Sailor 1911 Clear Demonstrator Review with Noodlers Van Gogh Starry Night (via JustDaveyB)
• Pentel Stylo Sketch Pen Review (via Ink of Me Fondly)

Here are a few of the great photos I found on Instagram this week: (clockwise from top right) Empty cartridges from Brad Dowdy, two-toned pens by Patrick Ng, an old Parker Washable Blue cartridge from Ivan R, Shiraz notebooks from PaperBlanks, Osmiroid italic nib from Ivan R, typewriter at Arch Drafting Supplies Letter Writing Social by The Black and the Red, Pelikan ink cartridges from Rad + Hungry, demonstrator fountaun pens by slotracer21 and “Smooth writing” sample by Bakanekosan

Paper:

• Whitelines product development video (via Notebook Stories)
• Miquelrius notebooks are perfect for fountain pens (so says Inkophile)
• Printable papers (via Notebookism)
• Free office printables from Poppin (via Design Work Life)
• Poppin Office Supplies (via Paper Pastries)

The new Palomino Blackwing Pearl Review is coming! Check out these great photos from Pencil Revolution while you wait.

Digital Bits:

• May Wallpapers for your Desktop (via How About Orange)
• What the heck is an iNotebook?
• Goodbye Feedly, Hello Feedbin (via Matthew Lang)

And finally, I hope you will all take a moment to read and comment on 13-year-old Kayte’s post on how she became a pen addict. Its inspiring to see her enthusiasm and passion. Let’s support her!

Inside this box is something I stumbled upon on Ebay. It contains a NOS (that’s New Old Stock) Sheaffer Cadet fountain pen. So, NOS the white lettering printed on the body is still visible.

I don’t mean to gloat but I don’t tend to score the good deals on Ebay and this time, I hit the motherlode!

The Sheaffer Cadet line was sold for about 10 years in the 50s and into the early 60s and featured the replaceable nib units similar to their competitor, Esterbrook. The nibs had additional air holes on the underside and were known as “Tip Dip” nibs. These were the entry level, academic grade pens and were available as the Cadet which was all plastic and the Craftsman which had a metal cap. Pen Hero has a good article about the history of this pen.

The model I won on Ebay is burgundy with a standard M1 medium nib unit. It has a pneumatic filler which uses a plunger to fill. Amazingly, it still works with its original sac.

Shown above is the plunger portion at the top with the ink reservoir in the middle. There is a hole at the end of the reservoir that the plunger pushes through to squash up the sac to create the vacuum to pull ink up. It looks a little more high tech than the lever fillers but its essentially the same mechanism.

The Cadet is not a large pen. Its 5.25″ long capped and 4.5″ long uncapped. The cap will post creating a long length of 5.75″. The body of the pen is a comfortable diameter for my hands, not too bulky for my small hands. It weighs in, fully loaded with ink at 13 gms, which for me is perfect — right in there with the Kaweco Sport. Nicely balanced but light.

The big boon of this whole purchase was that I also found an almost full set of the nib units sold for the Cadet and Craftsmen pens — also new and unused — including a stub and a flexible. One of the tubes was labelled as a flexible nib but actually contained a M1 medium nib so someone must have swapped out their nibs along the way and put the medium in the tube for safe keeping.

These are not my finest writing examples, for sure. I wanted to see how each wrote but was short on time. Based on my research, the codes on the nibs help to clarify what each is supposed to be. The G is for Gregg, a stiff shorthand nib, F indicates that a nib is flexible, X is for extra fine and M is medium. The one that left me scratching my head was the SM1, it was a very wet nib, not flexible and sort of broad but I can’t figure out what the code translates to mean. Stub medium?

I did not take the nibs off the cards to test since I already had a medium to test so I didn’t test how the fine performed compared to the XF and M but I bet it will also be a favorite. I guess I’ll have to start looking for more Cadets and Craftsmen pens so I can utilize all the nibs.

I think my favorite nibs for this pen are the medium, the extra fine and the Gregg shorthand. Sadly, the stub is a bit too wide for this left-hander to use comfortably. The fine flexible is fun and will require a bit more practice to use well. It is very wet so I probably need to use a better paper with it.

With the medium nib, which is not too broad, installed this will make a very good everyday pen.

More info about Sheaffer Cadet:

• Sheaffer Targa (lots of vintage ads and artwork)
• Good Pens
• Pen Hero

Lamy 2000 with custom 0.2mm nib grind by Mike Masuyama by Brad Dowdy (AKA The Pen Addict)

Pencils:

• Picking the perfect lead hardness (via JetPens Blog)
• Pencils and Camping (and pencil shavings as tinder) (via Pencil Revolution)
• Deli Pencil Sharpener (via Bleistift)

Pens and ink:

• Pen currently in use by DaveyB
• Noodlers Bernake Blue Ink Review (via Pen Addict)
• Platinum Carbon Black vs Sailor Utlra Nano Black (via East, West, Everywhere)

Paper:

• Vintage Leather Writing Case (via Paper Pastries)
• Tomoe River Paper Review (via FPGeeks)

Pelikan M800 and Apica Notebook: Daily Arsenal by Jose Noyola

My talented and kind friend Rob offered to show me how to re-sac a vintage Esterbrook using my recently acquired purse pen. He was also kind enough to let me document the process.

This process should basically work for any old pen that uses a rubber sac bladder. Just make sure to find the right sized ink sac (there are vendors who sell them on ebay).

Shall we begin?

Step 1: get that pen open and scrape off the old calcified sac. A standard X-acto or other utility knife works great.

Step 2: insert the new ink sac into your pen to determine how long it can be and how much of the excess needs to be trimmed off. Rob is a pro so he just eyeballed it. If you’re doing this for the first time, I recommend using a piece of chalk or white pencil to make a mark on the sac so you don’t misjudge your cut.

Step 3: Rob is aligning the pen body with the nib unit and the sac to help make sure he is trimming the sac low enough to accommodate the extra space needed for the nib unit itself. Can you see the two ridges on the black nib unit? The ridge closest to the top of the photo is where the ink sac is to be placed. The addition ridge area is what is inserted into the body of the pen so Rob is accounting for that additional half an inch or so before trimming the ink sac. (This is the measure twice portion of the lesson.)

Step 4: Using the same X-acto or utility knife,  trim off the excess sac (you are trimming the excess from the open end of the sac… just sayin!)

Step 5: Then using shellac (a small can purchased from the hardware store of Home Depot — a pint can should last you a lifetime) and a toothpick or wood dowel, apply a light coat of shellac around the area on the nib unit that you scraped the old sac from. Keep a towel handy as you don’t want to get any into the pen feed or onto the grip area where it might mar the finish of your pen.

The reason we don’t recommend a q-tip or brush is so that you don’t get any stray fibers into the sac or nib unit.

Step 6: Then, using reverse pliers or a homemade tool, pull open the ink sac so you have room to get the nib unti onto the sac (or vice-versa).

Step 7: Slide the ink sac over the nib unit.

Step 8: Once you remove the pliers, wiggle the sac on the nib unit until its as flush as you can get it and as even as you can make it.

Now comes the hard part. You need to wait to fill your new ink sac until the shellac is completely dry. Be patient, it’s worth it. I let mine sit for a day just because I was busy but Rob suggests waiting at least a couple hours.

Once its dry, reassemble your pen and fill it with ink. Do a little happy dance.

Finally, I wanted to include an image of the homemade reverse pliers that Rob uses. He was given this amazing gift by Calvert Guthrie, lettering artist extraordinaire.

…. this just in….

TWSBI released their new notebooks… three sizes available in lined, grid and blank….STOP

New ink from Noodlers called Blue Nose Bear… blue with fluorescent, black-light reactive tones…STOP

in other news… The Pen Addict now has a Patter chat room on App.net… Yahoo bought Tumblr and updated Flickr on the same day!… STOP

And now, back to your regularly scheduled blog already in progress. STOP.

Clockwise, from top left: Hermes Typewriter cleaning by DovBee, Grocery list and calligraphy practice by Bakanekosan, Render K collection by imyke and Old School Vanishing Point by Pen Addict

Pens:

• Pentel Recycology Pens (via Economy Pens)
• Uni Mitsubishi Pure Color-F Double Sided Sign Pen (via A Penchant For Paper)
• J. Herbin Refillable Rollerball Pen Review (via Ink of Me Fondly)

Books:

• The Missing Ink Book Review (via Behind The Curtain): I’ve been meaning to read this book and have it balanced atop my precariously high to-read pile. I’ll get to it soon, I promise!
• The Etiquette of Letter Writing (via Letter Writers Alliance Blog): I too have a copy of this book. Fabulous albeit a little unnecessary for today’s letter writer. I do not have a yacht. Do you?

Paper and Notebooks:

• How would you use an 8 x 11 Quo Vadis Habana Notebook? (via Notebookism)
• Good Quality Sticky Notes (via Rhodia Drive): I was also contacted about this topic and Brad and I spoke about it briefly on the Pen Addict Podcast, Episode 54 and we are all still coming up empty-handed. Please leave a note in the comments if you have a good source for fountain pen-friendly sticky notes.
• Minimal Paper Goods Notecards (via Design Work Life)
• Write Everyday: Morning Pages (via Rhodia Drive): I’ve mentioned Julia Cameron’s books in the past as well as a great jumping off point for writing.

From my Instagram, clockwise from top left: My Cambridge leather satchel, my last order from JetPens, a handwritten note from my elderly neighbor and the drawing tools used by Brian Kesinger as spied at the Spectrum Live Art Spectacular.

Loved Objects (via Behind The Curtain)

Pens and Pencils:

• Paper Mate Flair, Brown (UPS Edition) (via Clickypost)
• My Fountain Pen Evolution (via Fountain Pen Quest)
• TWSBI Vac 700 Review (via Ed Jelley)
• Retro 51 Tornado Vintage Surf Review (via From the Pen Cup)
• Tale of Two Nibs: Lamy Safari Edition (via From The Pen Cup)
• Bic Exact Tip Roller 0.6 Review (via A Penchant For Paper)
• 22 Different Pencil Designs (via Pencil Revolution
• A Brief History of the BIC/Biro Cristal Audio Clip (via Economy Pens)

Inks:

• Diamine Eau De Nil Ink Review (via Ink of Me Fondly)
• Noodlers Rome Burning Ink Review (via Inkdependence)
• Mont Blanc Burgundy Red Ink Review (via Fountain Pen Quest)
• Waterman Preface Red with Noodlers Summer Tanager (via JustDaveyB)
• Two More Inks, Noodlers (via DaveyB)

Paper:

• Hobonichi Japanese Page-a-Day Planner
• Palomino Luxury Notebook Review and Giveaway (via Notebook Stories)
• From the Mailbag notebook roundup (via Notebook Stories)

Misc:

• Walnut Pen Holder Cube (via Clicky Post)
• How To Take Meeting Notes That Really Work (via Macworld)
• Luciano Lozano Rainy Day iPhone wallpapers (via Ilustrista)
• Eight Things Productive People Do at Work (via Lifehack)

(via East…West…Everywhere)

The Cake Eraser (via DovBee on Instagram)

Paper & Notebooks:

• TWSBI Notebook Review (via Inktronics)
• Tomoe River Paper Review (via Pen Addict)
• Rhodia Webnotebook Review (via Ed Jelley)

Pens and Inks:

• TWSBI Diamond 580 1.1 mm Stub Review (via Delectable Pens)
• Pilot Custom Heritage 91 Broad Nib Pen Review (via Ink of Me Fondly)
• Namiki Blue Ink Review (via FPQuest)
• Pilot Namiki Falcon SEF Pen Review (via Pen Addict)
• Pilot Iroshizuku Murasaki Shikibu Review (via FPGeeks)
• My First Nib Adjustments (via FPQuest)
• Raleigh Pen Show  (via Inkdependence)

Pantone swatches matched to the world (via Laughing Squid — Thanks, Annie!)

Digital:

• June Desktop Wallpapers (via How About Orange)
• Another Desktop Wallpaper (via Uppercase)

Coccocoino paste from Italy (via Patrick Ng on Instagram)

Misc:

• I’m Daniel Pink and This is How I Work (via Lifehacker)
• Write Everyday: Morning Pages (via Rhodia Drive)
• Don’t Trust Your Brain (via Medium)
• The Curious Evolution of the Typewriter in Pictures (via io9)
• The Sketchnote Typeface (via Rohdesign)

Created with a Copic Sketch Marker (via 26Symbols)

I am sorry I waited so long to show off the great collection of ink favorites from the Ink Drop for May 2013. This selection is called  “Because We Felt Like It” from the Goulet Pens staff as opposed to the trend lately of creating a theme for each month.

The colors are all right up my alley — rich, tertiary shades like a blue-black, a burgundy, a sepia, a turquoise and a delicious olive-y green. This is by far one of the first Ink Drop sets that I’ve considered buying bottles of all five colors.

• Rohrer & Klingner Alt-Bourdeaux
• Rohrer & Klingner Alt-Goldgrun
• De Atramentis Mint Turquoise
• De Atramentis Ochre Yellow
• Noodlers 54th Massachusetts

I tested these colors with my early model Noodlers Nib Creaper Flex pen. This paper really isn’t designed for flexible nib fountain pens so all but the 54th Massachusetts bled on the paper. I am in the process of updating my ink testing notebook to one that supports fountain pens better than this behemoth. The colors are all readable and legible and gorgeous. I forgot to test the waterproofiness of these inks but 54th Massachusetts is a bulletproof ink so it should withstand just about anything you throw at it. The other inks are standard fountain pen inks so they will bleed or run if wet. The 54th Massachusetts did take longer to dry than the other inks, just so you know.

All these inks are available as samples ($1.25 or so per sample) and full bottles ($12-$12.50/bottle) of all these colors are still available.

Word Notebooks have four new cover designs that can be mixed and matched with their existing designs to make your own pack of 3.

Pens, Pencils and Inks

• Monteverde Invincia Deluxe Nighthawk (F nib) (via From the Pen Cup)
• Papermate InkJoy Quatro Review (The Clicky Post)
• Pencil Quiver (via My Pen Needs Ink)
• Retro 51 Tornado Snapper Pen Review (The Clicky Post)
• Noodlers Inks with a Dip Pen (via JustDaveyB)

Notebooks

• Kapdaa Offcuts Notebook Review (via Notebook Stories)
• Questions from Readers (via Notebook Stories)

Scout Books just released a new, larger sized notebooks, the Scout Books Mega. At 5×7, it includes the same kraft cardstock covers as its little brother but with more room to write. Available in grid, dot, lined or blank. Two-pack for $10

Misc:

• Japan’s Stationery Cafe (via Letter Writers Alliance)