Hot News:

• Penmanship Workshop (on Thursday in Chicago!) (via Behind The Curtain)

Nock Co. Reviews and Previews:

• The Nock Co. Hightower 3+1 (via The Clicky Post)
• The Nock Co. Sassafras (via From The Pen Cup)
• The Nock Co. Lookout Pen Case (via Ed Jelley)

Postal Enthusiasm:

• William H. Gross Stamp Gallery Opening (via Smithsonian Postal Museum)
• A Personal Account of the Gross Stamp Gallery Opening (via Letter Writers Alliance)
• Ex Postal Facto Mail Art Call (via Letter Writers Alliance)

Pencils:

• The Pencil by Staedtler (via Pencil Talk)
• The Sonic Rachetta Pencil Sharpener (via Pencil Revolution)
• Les Crayons de la Maison Caran d’Ache Edition #2 (via Pencil Talk)
• Hi-Uni Mixed Grade Pencils (via Pencil Revolution)
• Pentel Sharp Carbon Black 0.5 mm Drafting Pencil Review (via Pen Addict)
• Helix Pencil Top Sharpener Combo (via Pencil Revolution)
• Bullet Pencils (via Woodclinched)
• KUM Tip Top Sharpener and Pencil Cap (via Pencil Revolution)
• Faber- Castell Castell 9000 4H Pencil Review (via A Penchant for Paper)
• New Pencil Blog (via My Pencil Draws Worlds)
• Vintage Pedigree 600 Red/Blue Pencils (via Economy Pens)

Pens:

• Esterbrook Collection (via Fountain of Pens)
• Esterbrook 2314F Nib (via Fountain Pen Quest)
• Pelikan M450 Fountain Pen Review (via Write to Me Often)
• Pilot Acroball 1.0 black (via Economy Pens)
• Kaweco Fountain Pens (via Postcrossing)
• Lamy Vista F Fountain Pen (via Clicky Post)
• Sailor Fude de Mannen (brush style nib) (via Ink Of Me Fondly)
• Franklin-Christoph Model 27 Diamondline Fountain Pen (via From The Pen Cup)
• Pilot G2 0.38mm vs. Uni-ball Signo 207 Ultra Micro (via No Pen Intended)
• Care and Maintenance of Fountain Pens (via Rhodia Drive)
• Pilot Petit Pens (via From The Pen Cup)
• Kaweco AL-Sport (via Ed Jelley)
• Morning Glory Mach3 Rollerball 0.38mm (via Pen Addict)
• Pentel Slicci Metallic Violet 0.8 (via Economy Pens)

Ink:

• Lamy Turquoise Ink (via The Pencil Case blog)
• Noodlers X-Feather (via Fountain Pen Quest)
• Noodlers Baystate Blue Ink Review (via Ed Jelley)
• Diamine/Cult Pens Deep Dark Blue Ink Review (via Informal Scribble)
• Private Reserve Invincible Black (via Fountain Pen Quest)

Paper and Notebooks:

• Carta Pura Notebooks (via These Beautiful Pens)
• Rhodia R Premium Notepad (via Pen Addict)
• Monologue Notebooks (via No Pen Intended)
• Raymay DaVinci Tomoe River Paper Refills (via Pen Addict)
• New goodies for mail and paper lovers (via Paper Pastries)
• Field Nuts: The Official Field Notes Appreciation Society (via Field Notes)

The cast of FPGeeks video podcast got together with Brian from the Edison Pen Company to discuss and demonstrate methods for tuning pen nibs. After watching this, I am feeling brave enough to tackle a few troublesome pens in my collection.

Its a pretty long video but worth watching. Brian is super knowledgeable and gives great instruction.

I am finally getting around to reviewing some of the dozens of inks I’ve accumulated. The first up was a random grab from the stash, Pilot Iroshizuku Ku-Jaku ($28 per bottle) which is a  bright peacock blue. I’ve been using it in a variety of pens over the past week. Its a bright, deep turquoise blue.

Pilot Iroshizuku inks are very lubricated inks. At least that’s what I first noticed about it compared with some of the other inks I’ve used like Diamine or J. Herbin. This makes it an excellent option for fine-nibbed pens like Japanese fountain pens. I also think it would be a good choice for finicky, easily-clogged pens or older pens. I’ve been trying out another Iroshizuku in some of my Esterbrooks and it works excellently.

On some lower-quality papers though, the inks were too too saturated and spread a bit.

The price seems steep but the colors are clean, flow well and super-lubricated. Clearly, its a worthy investment but good inks require good paper.

Tested on Quo Vadis Habana bright white paper with a TWSBI Mini EF and a Nemosine Singularity 0.6mm italic nib.

(via Jet Pens)

Remember a few weeks ago I was a little sad about the fabulous Esterbrook #2442 Falcon nib that Cliff sent to me because it was scratchy and didn’t always put ink on the paper? And then remember last week I posted the FPGeeks Nib Tuning video? Well, I decided it was time to marry up those two things and I would attempt to tune that pesky nib.

I own a few folding loupes which are not as high-end as the ones shown in the video but at least I could get a look at the tines and see if there was anything wrong. There was! The tines seemed a little twisted, like crossing your fingers. Using the technique demonstrated in the video, I press the tines to the feed and used my nails to gently bend the tines. Then I tested on paper and noticed an improvement in writing already, but it was still scratchy. So I peeked with the loupe and pushed a bit more with my fingers and tried again. Ink was flowing much more consistently but still scratchy.

I confess that I immediately recognized the buffing block in the video to be a high end nail salon product. So I grabbed the nail buffer I had in the bathroom and decided to use the smoothest side first marked “Shine Nail” to cause the least damage. I did that a couple times and tried on paper again. Still scritchy. I went to side #3 “Buff Nail” and did a few more strokes and then applied it to paper again.

Voila! It’s now a fully functional nib. Its not quite as smooth as my age old #2442 but its light years better and completely usable. I plan to do more writing with it now that the flow is good and consistent and if it need more smoothing later, I feel confident I can solve my issues.

Pencil acquisitions from Kinokuniya (via Paper Pastries)

Inks:

• Iroshizuku Yu-Yake (via Fountain Pen Quest)
• Iroshizuku Fuyu-gaki (via East West Everywhere)
• De Atramentis Plum (via Ed Jelley)
• Rohrer & Klingner Scabiosa Review (via The Pen Addict)

Pens and Pencils:

• Kaweco Art Sport Fountain Pen (via The Pen Addict) — really JEALOUS!
• Hero 359 Summer Safari (via Ink of Me Fondly)
• Parker Vacumatic in Azure Blue (via From The Pen Cup)
• Revised Top Five Pen List (via Pen Addict)
• Five Favorite Modern Pens (via FPQuest)
• Bullseye Quiver Pen Holder (via From The Pen Cup)
• Lamy Logo Mechanical Pencil 0.6mm (via The Clicky Post)
• Kaweco Allrounder Fountain Pen Review (via The Pencil Case Blog)
• Esterbrook #8440 Nib Review (via FPQuest)
• Rotring 600 Lava Fountain Pen (via Ed Jelley)

Paper & Notebooks:

• Renote Notebook Review (via Pen Addict)
• Field Notes Review (via Notebook Stories)
• Scout Books Artist Series (via Pencil Revolution)
• Life Noble A5 Review (via Ed Jelley)
• Monologue Notebooks (via East West Everywhere )
• Rite in the Rain Review by Pugly Pixel (via European Paper)

Misc:

• Rhodia Life Noted App and Five Reasons to Try It (via Rhodia Drive)
• Pen Pal In a Box (via Natty Michelle)
• Nock Co. Hightower Case: Motorcycle Durability Test and Review (via No Pen Intended)

Tiny Post Offices Print (via Power and Light Press , shoutout to Paper Pastries)

Pens:

• Fountain Pen Guide Series, Session 1: Nibs, Feeds, and How They Come Together and Fountain Pen Guide Series, Session 2: The Difference A Filling System Makes (via Pentorium)
• That Fountain Pen Is Too Much Trouble (via Inkophile)
• Ohto F-Lapa Fountain Pen F (via Ink of Me Fondly)
• Levenger’s Facets Fountain Pen (via From The Pen Cup)
• Kaweco Sport Ice Roller Ball Review (via Ed Jelley)
• Lamy Studio Platinum Grey LE, 14K Medium nib (via Just DaveyB)
• Franklin-Christoph Model 40 Pocket Review (via FPQuest)
• How Writing Utensils Work (via Economy Pens)
• Fountain Pen Day: Nov 1, 2013 (via My Pen Needs Ink)
• TWSBI Mini Review (via The Pen Addict)
• Blue Pen Comparison (via A Penchant For Paper)

Letter Writing:

• ‘Modern Day Snail Mail’ Project Brings Human Element Back to Texting (via Mashable)
• Halloween Letter Writing Social at Pieritz in Chicago (via Letter Writers Alliance)
• Free Postage Stamp Font (via How About Orange)

Paper:

• Draft Notebooks on Kickstarter (via Notebook Stories)
• The Best Sketchbook of All Time (via Wistia)
• Exacompta Refillable Basics Forum Journal and Cover (via Life Imitates Doodles)

Pencils:

• Blackwing Super Variety Pack (via European Paper)
• Harry Potter Pencil Cup (John’s Go-to Pencils) (via Pencil Revolution)

Misc:

• Why You Should Try Sketching (Even If You Can’t Draw) (via Lifehacker)
• Scholar in Resident at C.S. Lewis’s Home: The Kilns (via La Vie Graphite)

Two big pen- and paper-related events are happening on November 1. There is the second annual Fountain Pen Day so its time to dust off your collection, clean ‘em or refill them and show your fountain pen pride. And then there’s the annual NaNoWriMo, AKA The National Novel Writing Month, which starts on November 1 and hopes to inspire and challenge anyone who’s considered writing a novel to devote the month of November to getting it on paper. If you’re more inclined to knit than write, you can join me and the other fiber-obsessed for NaKniSweMo (National Knit a Sweater in a Month) over on Ravelry. We use lots of pens, pencils and highlighters to annotate our patterns and keep track of our stitches.

So, how can I inspire you to participate in these upcoming events?

7 Ways to Make the Most of NaNoWriMo (via European Paper)

November 1 is Fountain Pen Day (via Fountain Pen Day)

Inks:

• Organics Studio Arsenic Grey (via Inkdependence)
• Noodler’s Bernake Black (via Ink on Hand)
• Noodler’s Qin Shi Huang (via Unroyal Warrant)
• Purple Ink Review (via Just Davey B)
• Diamine Meadow (via A Penchant For Paper)
• Rohrer & Klingner Scabiosa Iron Gall (via Ed Jelley)

Pens:

• Zebra Sarasa 2+S 2-color 0.5mm Gel Ink MultiPen… (via The Pen Addict)
• Uniball Jetstream RT BLX 1.0 mm Green Black (via Economy Pens)
• Pelikan M205 Review (via The Pen Addict)

Paper & Notebooks:

• Tomoe River Journal (via Unroyal Warrant)
• Shinola Paper Cover Journal Review (via Unroyal Warrant)
• Midori The World Meister’s Santina (via East, West, Everywhere)

Thanks to former Hallmarker and lettering artist Chris Purcell for this lovely greeting for Fountain Pen Day.  UK-based Pen Heaven has a lovely list of fountain pen facts to share today.

Show your fountain pen pride today! Or maybe use today as an excuse to buy that new pen you’ve been eyeballing.

As we all know here, “The reports of my (pen) death have been greatly exaggerated.” However, NPR decided to report on the demise of the pen market. The story featured Milwaukee’s Daly’s Pen Shop, in business since 1924. The story isn’t as gloom-and-doom as I thought it would be though it did startle some folks in the comments with the prices for a decent fountain pen (prices mentioned in the story included a $295 Visconti and talk of a Montblanc for $1000). Also mentioned is a $40 Cross pen and a $150 Pilot Vanishing Point.

I was not familiar with Daly’s Pen Shop prior to the story. The customers seem to make the trek to Daly’s because it has such a cool vintage vibe. I definitely have to take a trip up to Milwaukee to visit Daly’s Pen Shop. Sounds like my kind of place.

Have a listen to the story and then read all the comments that listeners have left. Would you rather have a great fountain pen or a new iPhone? I don’t think the two are mutually exclusive but right now, I’d rather have a new pen.

Notebooks:

• Iconic Essay Book v.2 Review (via Vertical Paper)
• Monologue Jotter A5 (via No Pen Intended)
• Morning Glory Passion Notebook (via Unroyal Warrant)
• Apica CD Notebook CD15 (semi-B5) (via Ed Jelley)
• Word. Bandana Books (via Pencil Revolution)
• Ideal Notebook Size for In-Flight Tray? (via Rhodia Drive)

Places to Visit:

• A Tour of Karas Kustoms and making the RETRAKT (via Clicky Post)
• Joe Rogers Office Supply (via My Pen Needs Ink)

Pens:

• Kaweco Classic Sport Demonstrator Fountain Pen (via Clicky Post)
• Kaweco Lilliput Fountain Pen (via The Pencil Case Blog)
• New Wood TWSBI (via Inkdependence)
• J. Herbin Refillable Rollerball (via Unroyal Warrant)
• OHTO Fude Ball 1.5 red (via Economy Pens)

Pencils:

• Three Horse Pencils (via Bleistift)
• How to Use a Long Point Pencil Sharpener (via European Paper)

Ink:

• TWSBI Inkwell Review (via The Pen Addict)
• P.W. Akkerman Shocking Blue Ink (via Ed Jelley)
• Diamine Salamander Ink (via The Pen Addict)

Misc:

• Field Notes + Doxie Flip (via Field Notes)
• Doxie Flip Review (via The Pen Addict)
• Max Security Stamp (via Office Supply Geek)

There were lots of hard-to-categorize bits of wonderfulness on the pen-blogospere this week including the epic link list from the Pen Addict Podcast Gift Guide Episode (#81) which is a link list onto itself.

Fabulous Miscellany:

• Pen Addict Podcast #81: You stole my Wish List Item featuring ME! with huge link list (via 5by5)
• Cut Once Heirloom Ruler on Kickstarter (via Office Supply Geek)
• Royal Visit: C.S. Lewis’s Royal Typewriter (via La Vie Graphite)
• Is it Ms. or Mrs.: The Crane’s Blue Book of Stationery (via My Pen Needs Ink)

Letter Writing and Post:

• Harry Potter USPS postage stamps! (via USPS)
• The Art of Letter-Writing Isn’t Lost on These Scribblers (via NPR)

Paper:

• A4 in America (via Rhodia Drive)
• Rethinking the DIY Planner for 2014 (via A Penchant for Paper)
• Public Supply Noble Notebooks (via A Continuous Lean)

Ink:

• Diamine Salamander (via FPQuest)
• J. Herbin Rouge Hematite Reviews (via No Pen Intended and These Beautiful Pens)
• Pilot Iroshizuku Kon-Peki (via A Penchant for Paper)
• Inky Fingers? ReDuRan Is A Must Have For All Fountain Pen Users (via Unroyal Warrant)
• What’s Standard Rollerball Ink Made of? (via Gizmodo)

Pens:

• Houston, We Are in the Pocket (via The Pen and the Paper)
• Pilot Prera Review and Giveaway (via From the Pen Cup)
• Ed Jelley’s Pen Inventory (via Ed Jelley)
• Kickstarter Visionnaire Review (via Dante Bertana)
• Kaweco Elite (via Pen Addict)
• TWSBI Vac 700 Oil & Lube (via FPQuest)
• Pen of the Year 2013 (via Gold Spot Pens)

Digital:

Pardon my repeated turns to digital recently. As computers, cell phones and tablet devices are as much a part of our working life as pens, paper and staplers, I feel its worthwhile to include references occasionally.

• Pencil, digital stylus (via FiftyThree)
• Photoshop + Lightroom CC package is just $9.99/mo through 12/2/13 (via Adobe)
• What Screens Want (via Frank Chimero)

Letter Writing and Postal Follies:

• USPS Holiday Postal Deadlines (via Letter Writers Alliance)
• SF Snail Mail Social on Friday, December 7 (via Good Mail Day)
• Paper Parcel Monthly Subscriptions (via Saturday Morning Vintage)
• Vintage V-Mail WWII stationery (via Missive Maven)
• How to Write the Perfect Holiday Letter (via Crane & Co.)
• Encouraging Thank You Notes (via Letter Writers Alliance)

Pen & Ink:

• Neil Gaiman and the Lamy (via Inkophile)
• Rohrer & Klingner Cassia Ink Review (via Inkophile)
• Hero 9018 Fude nib Fountain Pen (via Ed Jelley)
• Diamine Eau de Nil (via Inkdependence)

Notebooks & Paper:

• Placecard Mini notebooks (via Notebook Stories)
• DIY Leather Notebook Cover (à la Traveler) (via Notebook Stories)
• Moleskine Volant vs. Greenroom (via Inkophile)
• DIY Calendar Notebook (via Scout Books)
• Custom Stamp for Field Notes (via Gum Road)

Misc:

• Be Thankful Desktop + Mobile Wallpaper (via Adalou)
• Reviving “What’s on Their Desk?” Series (via Office Supply Geek)

Pen Buying Process by Andrew Tan of Drewscape/Wibble Wibble

Pencils:

• Lots of great videos including spinning pencils and Count von Faber-Castell drinking ink and throwing pencils out a castle window (via Pencil Revolution)
• Bullet Pencil Restoration (via Woodclinched)

Notebooks & Paper:

• Field Notes Cold Horizon Review (Unroyal Warrant)
• Field Notes Planning System (via Simple Ideas and Thoughts)
• Tomoe River Paper Review (via Vertical Paper)
• Moleskine Star Wars Notebooks (via Plannerisms)
• Prague-based Deaf Messanger Stencil Art Planner (via Plannerisms)

Ink:

• Noodler’s Bed Belted Kingfisher (via Inkdependence)
• Ink Twins: Diamine Twilight + Rohrer & Klingner Verdigris (via These Beautiful Pens)
• Kaweco Sepia Ink (via Office Supply Geek)

Pens:

• Pilot Lettering Pen #10 (via The Pen Addict)
• Moleskine Metallics Rollerball Pens (via Office Supply Geek)
• Lamy 2000 Rollerball (via Clicky Post)
• Kaweco Classic Sport Ice (via FPQuest)
• Franklin Christoph Model 40 Pocket Fountain Pen (via The Pen Addict)

Misc:

• Tumblr and Instagram feed of  goodies (via Office Supply Geek)
• 25 Craft Days of Christmas: Glue Primer (via Wild Olive)
• Put Your Junk in a Box, inspired by Stanley Kubrick and Twyla Tharp (via The Pen and The Paper)
• Office supply inspired desktop wallpapers (via Uppercase Magazine)
• Free printable Christmas tags (via How About Orange)

While the title might seem cryptic, it will all make sense in a moment….

There are so many things to be thankful for this holiday. And one gift I wasn’t expecting… a new Kickstarter project from the fine folks at Karas Kustoms. This is just a peek of the new Ink fountain pen (rollerball option is also available). Go over to their Kickstarter page for a full reveal. I’ll follow it up with some hands-on details in the next day or so.

“It’s beginning to look a lot like Inkmas!” Or should I say “Penmas?”

I’ve alluded to the latest Kickstarter project from Karas Kustoms for several weeks but I wanted to write-up a good thorough review with lots of photos to entice and satisfy any questions. So here it is!

Dan over at Karas Kustoms was kind enough to send me a prototype Ink fountain pen to get my opinion and allow me to share in the excitement. My initial impression taking this pen out of the package was “DANG! this think is huge!” Keeping in mind, I generally prefer smaller pens like the Kaweco Sport and little vintage jewels like the Esterbrooks. Both of these pens have plastic bodies and are diminutive in size so my perspective is a little skewed. I also have child-sized hands.

The Ink fountain pen in aluminum weighs 44gms with cap, 27gms without. This is fine with me since 44gms way exceeds my weight limit for a comfortable writing tool. The brass RETRAKT weighs 63 gms so if that pen is comfortable to you, the weight will be no issue.

The pen is machined entirely out of aluminum. Dan made a point of telling me that my pen is a prototype and there are still some finishing details that will be plussed-up in the production version of the pens. The shape is slightly tapered towards the end that gives this pen a refined look. The cap screws tightly onto the pen but cannot be posted on the pen when writing, though at 44gm, why would you want to?

The clip is an industrial strength, streamlined bauty that’s held on with signature Karas hex bolts that give the pen a nod to its industrial roots.

The grip area is slightly tapered  but quite short. The screw tooling is pretty fine so even thought my fingers touched the ridges it provided a grip area and was not uncomfortable.

The nib is a Schmidt M nib which is a satiny-smooth, medium nib. I used it for the R&K Verdigris writing sample . I don’t usually use medium nibs but I found it easy to use.  Its a stiff nib with no flex but its not so wide that my tiny writing was completely obscured. The nib is a #5 size so if you like the looks of the pen but want a different nib for it, you may be able to swap it out. Dan said they may be stocking other Schmidt nib sizes after the Kickstarter campaign concludes. No promises but its something they may consider. In the meantime, several online reatilers stock #5 nibs including Edison Pen Co.

The first pen to come to mind for comparison is my Lamy Studio in brushed aluminum. Both the Karas Kustoms Ink and the Lamy Studio feature understated, classic good looks. They are both weighty pens of similar length. The Ink is a bit wider overall though.

The advantage of the size of the Ink is that it can hold two short cartridges, a long cartridge or the converter that ships with the Ink giving lots of ink options and possibilities.

There are still 20+ days left in the Kickstarter campaign and many options to choose from with the Ink pen including an array of anodized colors,  rollerball version and the option to have a brass or copper grip area. Prices start at $60 for the silver anodized version of the fountain pen or rollerball pen.

From top to bottom: Kaweco Liliput, Karas Kustoms Ink, Lamy Studio, TWSBI Mini, Kaweco Sport

Now, I just need to convince Karas Kustoms to make a mini Ink-ette and offer it in lime green anodized alumnium! A girl can dream, right?

DISCLAIMER: This item was sent to me free of charge by KarasKustoms for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

Fabulous video of a hand-writing automaton boy built over 240 years ago (via Letter Writers Alliance)

Paper & Notebooks:

• Studio Ghibli Moleskine (not for sale) (via Notebook Stories)
• Overview of the Word Standard Memorandum (via East, West, Everywhere)
• Doane Flap Jotter Notepad Review (via Ed Jelley)
• Scout Books Mega DIY Notebooks (via Design Concussion)
• Nock Co. Hobonichi Planner Cover Review (via The Pen Addict)
• Hobonichi Planner Review (via Unroyal Warrant)
• Gift Suggestions for Pen Pals (via Letter Writers Alliance)

Pen Pal Interview with Josh Scruggs (via Jet Pens Blog and 26symbols)

Pens and Ink:

• Designing the Karas Kustoms Ink fountain pen (via Design Concussion)
• Ink Fountain Pen reviews (via From the Pen Cup and Clicky Post)
• Esterbrook J Fountain Pen Review with Gregg Shorthand 9556 nib (via The Pen Addict)
• Listening While You Write (via My Pen Needs Ink)
• Pilot Kakuno Fountain Pen Review (via The Pen Addict)
• Montblanc Toffee Brown (via The Pencil Case Blog)
• Private Reserve Orange Crush (via Ink of Me Fondly)
• Kaweco Sepia Brown (via Ed Jelley)
• “Expensive” Fountain Pens Just 30 or Under (via No Pen Intended)

Misc:

• Origami Santas (via How About Orange)
• Foldio Kickstarter: Paper foldable portable photo light box (via Design Work Life)
• Doxie portable scanner review (via Notebook Stories)

Chris asks:

My wife bought me my first TWSBI for Christmas this year–a TWSBI Mini demonstrator. I’ve filled it with Iroshizuku Kon-Peki and carry it in my front shirt pocket, right next to my heart.

One problem: I’ve had trouble with moisture collecting inside the cap and the grip section of the pen. Initially the cap was the only culprit. Now, the condensation is found in both locations. The cap is easy enough to clear with a cue-tip, but the grip is a little more difficult.

Have you had problems with moisture so collecting in any of your TWSBIs or is there something I could do to prevent it?

I suspect the moisture is a result of condensation from the temperature changes. Especially if you are keeping your pen close to your body, it may warm up. Then when it cools on your desk or faces the arctic outdoor temperature shifts, there may be some moisture that builds up in the cap. I suspect that other fountain pens may face the same issue but without the clear cap and grip, we don’t ever notice it.

A quick search on the internet for “demonstrator fountain pen condensation” revealed that this is not an issue exclusive to the TWSBIs. It appears that most demonstrator pens will reveal some sort of condensation or ink in the cap over time.

My Mini tends to get it less frequently in the grip area unless I’ve recently cleaned it. If I don’t let it dry completely before reassembly, I get moisture in the grip section as well. With a firm push on the threaded end of the nib unit, it should pop out of the grip area allowing you to easily swab out any condensation build-up. Then reassemble it.

I have some of those long cotton swabs on a wooden stick that let me wipe away any moisture or stray ink from the inside of the cap though a standard issue Q-Tip should reach just fine.

Does anyone have advice for minimizing the condensation build-up?

Tom asks:

Several of my fountain pens seem to be clogged.  Certainly the ink does not flow as freely as it did when they were new.

The tried and true cures – such as soaking in a bowl of warm water with two drops of ammonia – do not seem to work.

What is the approved 21st Century approach?

Many thanks,
Tom

I have not had a lot of clogging issues myself. I have purchased several old pens that needed cleaning and I just let them soak in warm water for several days, changing the water every day and then flushing the pen completely with good success.

Since it sound like you have more serious issues, I put a call out to some of the folks out on Twitter and here are there responses:

1. Azizah from Gourmet Pens: Can you disassemble it? Soak it in 10% ammonia and 90% water (section and nib) and flush it out with water.. Should clear it.
2. Inktronics says: Time for a total tear down and getting the toothbrush out.
3. FPGeeks says: After Azizah’s advice, next step would be to use ultrasonic cleaner.
4. Anderson Pens says: How long did they let it soak? Overnight at least if no ultrasonic or use a bulb to force water through the feed.

I would also wonder about the ink that you are using if you are continuing to have clogging issues. You may want to try a new, different ink once you get your pen cleaned out to see if the issue was a result of gritty ink.

I hope these tips help. Let us all know if you have any luck.

A lot of topics I’ve mentioned in the past, have made appearances on other blogs this week. I thought I’d start with those…

Note: In this section, the first link is my original post and the links in parentheses are the posts from other bloggers.

• Write Notepads (via Pencil Revolution and My Pen Needs Ink)
• Standard Memorandum (review via Ed Jelley and Unroyal Warrant)
• Hobonichi Planner (review from Notebook Stories)
• Plants in the workplace (via Fast Company)

(via Pelikan Edelstein)

And now back to our regularly scheduled Link Love:

Paper:

• Arc Customizable Notebook System (via Office Supply Geek)
• Notebooks (via Put This On)
• Ink Samples in a Maruman Mnemosyne Word Book (via Pen Addict)

Pencils, Pens & Ink:

• TWSBI Vac 700 (via That One Pen)
• Fountain Pen Experts Share Their Favorite Pen (via Best Fountain Pen)
• Kaweco Art Sport in Alabaster (via Clicky Post)
• Weekly Loadout: Mike Dudek (via Ed Jelley)
• TWSBI Classic (via That One Pen)
• Kickstarter: Hands-On with the Masterstoke Airfoil Ballpoint Pen (via Ed Jelley)
• Esterbrook #1314 Flexible Stub (via Fountain Pen Quest)
• Tombow Mono 100 Review (via Pencil Revolution)
• Diamine Registrar’s Ink (via Ed Jelley)

Misc:

• Accidental Early Review of the Nock Co. Brasstown (via The Daily Carry)
• Colored Staples That Actually Work (via Office Supply Geek)
• Good Stuff on my Desk (via Inkophile)

I finally got a hold of a Pilot Kakuno Fountain Pen. Its an introductory fountain pen, originally targeted to school kids, with its plastic body and low price ($16.50).

The cap has no clip and is the part of the pen available in a variety of colors.  I, of course, bought the lime green cap version with a fine nib. There are other color caps available: red, blue, pink, gray and orange. The cap snaps into place and the divot on the cap is the grip area for grabbing and removing the cap. The body on all the Kakuno pens is an opaque, slate grey. The grip area is a translucent grey-black.

Its a very lightweight pen but the cap can be posted on the pen to give it a little bit more weight and makes it a comfortable length for just about any hand size.

One of the most endearing features of the Kakuno is the etched smiley face on the nib. This is a nib that should make you smile on a Monday morning.

The nib is as smooth and silky as the nib I have in my Prera. The grip has a faceted grip area like a hexagonal pencil but has soft, rounded edges that does not dig into my hands the way the Lamy Safari does. But the grip area will help people using fountain pens for the first time find the right hand placement.

I used a standard Pilot blue-black cartridge ($4) for my writing sample though the pen does ship with one black cartridge. I also purchased a CON-50 converter ($8.25) to use with bottled inks. The total cost is $24.75 for the pen and the converter which is a very competitive price for a first fountain pen.

Overall, I love the nib and the grip area is a lovely compromise between the rigid grip area of a Lamy Safari. The green cap is a perfect lime but, I find the look of the pen plastic to be a little kid-like for me. With the exception of the cap, the pen is very unassuming. Though I think it will definitely be a pen I use and keep in my office. The Kakuno is a great value.

EDIT: The grip area is actually a rounded triangular shape.

DISCLAIMER: This item was sent to me free of charge by Jet Pens for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.