23 Saturday Jan 2021
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Been a few months coming, the final part of my Pens from My Past series where I cover the fountain pens that led up to my purchase of the TWSBI Diamond 580 and my entry/re-entry in to the fountain pen hobby. After all this was the one that could have completely moved me away from fountain pens but instead resulted in my looking for better alternatives.
Continue reading18 Monday Jan 2021
Oranges, tangerines, satsumas, clementines, all bring forth memories of the sun and summer, yet at the same time also trigger feelings of warmth at the height of winter, and orange crush resins are certainly the right sort of material bring a smile when it is raining outside. However, who would have thought this pen would cross seasons with it being ordered early spring and not arriving until early autumn, but then at the time who would have known based on previous experiences just how wide spread and heavily the COVID-19 virus would hit the world. Such was 2020.
Continue reading28 Monday Dec 2020
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As the old Chinese curse goes, “May you live in interesting times”, and for 2020 this has been true for most of us. Personally my family has not been hit (so far) by Covid and those friends of mine who’ve caught it have all recovered, however as previously mentioned here I did lose my father at the end of August, so not a great year. As a result I’ve split this article up in to four sections, and many of these pens will appear at pen clubs once life returns back to normality (or what ever is considered the new normality).
Continue reading08 Tuesday Dec 2020
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TWSBI are almost at the same level as Lamy when it comes to special and limited editions, but normally this is just within their existing range, however early March 2019 they leaked images of a new pen on their Instagram feed. A new pen, based on the 580, but with a different shape and size. Under a week later is was available on the TWSBI’s own store (and only there), to be sold out within no time at all. No further batches were released.
Continue reading02 Wednesday Dec 2020
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I’m not really an ink collector yet I have managed to amass a few. Part of this was due to trying to find the ‘right’ inks for me before I discovered that in the UK The Writing Desk sold samples (Pure/Niche/Pelikan Pens also do so). It may also sound odd that this area of our hobby is not my scene to those who know me from pen clubs as I actually do enjoy swabbing inks and presently have three Coloring card decks on the go covering around 200 tests.
Continue reading24 Tuesday Nov 2020
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fountain pen, imporium, lamy, Lamy Al-Star, lamy dialog, lamy dialog 3, Lamy Imporium, lamy persona, lamy personna, Lamy Safari, Lamy Scala
For many, Lamy was the maker of their first fountain pen, be it a cheap dip in to the inky waters, or for mandatory use at school. In some respects this has resulted in created a certain perception of the brand. You want a cheap pen, you buy a Lamy. Bought a Lamy then it must be a cheap pen. It’s almost the reverse to Pelikan, whom most associate with the Souveran range of luxury writing equipment and so it is often forgotten then also produce the Pelikano, a direct rival to the Safari and a worthy one at that.
Continue reading15 Sunday Nov 2020
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First launched in 1999, the r0tring Initial range introduced a more traditional looking design while also maintaining hints of the company’s Bauhaus origins. It was not an expensive pen, bridging the gap between the cheap plastic models and the more expensive 800 range.
Continue reading07 Saturday Nov 2020
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In these troublesome and confusing times I hope everyone finds the treat they’ve been waiting for else protect their wallets from this most dangerous of days.
Continue reading23 Friday Oct 2020
Den’s approach to pen making has been slightly different from the norm. Using a lathe for work he moved towards combining a newly discovered love for fountain pens with his professional skills, with the twist being a very public learning experience as he has covered his trials and tribulations on his Facebook page, warts and all.
Continue reading22 Thursday Oct 2020
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This is one really just for fellow Brits, but feel free to read on if you’re from another country. This year due to COVID-19 there will be a lack of collection tins and poppy sellers around. For those of you, who like me, normally do give each year, do not forget that you can do so online, where you can also download a poster to display in your window.
