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Just a quick note as it’s close to two weeks since I’ve last posted. Continue reading
Where’s Dappr
08 Thursday Aug 2019
Posted in Uncategorized
Author Archives: dapprman
Do Fountain Pens Need to Cost a Lot?
21 Sunday Jul 2019
Posted in Pens
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The simple answer is no, but a rash of recent posted lists of sub £/$50 pens and also a chat with a long term unemployed fountain pen enthusiast, did make me wonder about covering this and even looking at some of my cheaper pens. I will also list at the end some other well respected pens which I do not own.
Pilot Custom Heritage 912 FA
11 Thursday Jul 2019
Posted in Pens
Flex is cool, flex is fun, flex will win you the boy/girl/goat of your dreams. Flex is hyped yet many of us still buy pens with flex or semi-flex nibs and enjoy the experience. For me, it’s not the challenge of modern or classical styles of formal writing (such as Spencerian or Copper Plate), but the springy nature of the nibs, for in all honesty I’m one of the last people you want to come to for place setting cards or party invite creation.
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Daily Carry Start of July 2019
04 Thursday Jul 2019
Posted in Pens
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It’s been several months since my last daily carry post and my spring pen show purchases have now all been covered, so the Franklin-Christoph Penvelope 6 is once more the case being taken to work and the pens carried are actual regulars, and not those being used for upcoming reviews.
Pilot Custom 823
27 Thursday Jun 2019
Last week I posted about a number of pens which to me felt just right. Amongst them was the Pilot Custom 823. To some it is an over priced generically shaped pen with a less common filling system and seemingly mismatched materials, yet few owners regret the purchase and put them up for sale. A number I’ve seen on the second hand market have actually been spares where some one has got carried away and bought each of the different finishes to find they just use the one pen. Rarity partly helps as well as Pilot, for some reason, are only interested in selling the pen in Japan and the USA. Continue reading
Pens that feel ‘just right’
20 Thursday Jun 2019
Posted in Pens
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fountain pen, leonardo officiano italliana, momento zero, musings, onoto, Onoto Magna, Onoto Magna Classic, pilot, Pilot Custom 823, SCRIBO, SCRIBO Feel
We’ve all been there. We’ve held an item, a gadget, a widget, a tool, in our hands and it has just felt right, perfect for the task, comfortable and comforting. It may be cheap, it may be expensive. It may be bespoke, it may be off the shelf, there are no hard and fast rules, and like all emotive mysteries, it’s hard to explain just why it works so well for one person, yet may not for another. Continue reading
Fine Writing International Bronze (201901 version)
13 Thursday Jun 2019
Posted in Pens
Fine Writing International is a Taiwanese stationary store which recently started to sell their own pens. Released so far are the Planets series and the Bronze. The main difference is the former has an acrylic cap, grip section, and barrel rear, the Bronze has the same components in brass (which does make you wonder about the name). The barrel is a clear acrylic. Both versions come with a decent converter and can also be turned in to an eye dropper filled pen, with a rubber gasket ring being provided on the grip section threads. Continue reading
Parker Duofold Prestige Centennial Blue Chevron
06 Thursday Jun 2019
Posted in Pens
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As with many English schoolboys who had to use a fountain pen I grew up on Parkers. I still have a couple of 25s (plus roller ball, pencil, & ballpoint) that were my school mainstay, and a Parker 45 that was a present and which I used to enjoy until I had to get the nib replaced (pen rolled off a kitchen top on to the tiled floor …). My collection does not stop there as I have a 51 which belonged to my grand father and still works well, plus from this century an Eclipse and an IM. Continue reading
Onoto ‘Dubai Inspired’ Magna Classic Burgundy Pearl with Chasing
30 Thursday May 2019
Posted in Pens
At the start of 2019, Onoto were invited by the British Government to be part of a trade deputation to Dubai. While there they were inspired by the traditional rich colours of Arab art and design. On return, one Feng Li experimented with filling in the chasing pattern on Pearl Magna Classic, looked at the results and … a set was created and sold at the following pen shows.
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How to take photographs of pens….
23 Thursday May 2019
…when you have a friend who has the equipment and knows how to use it.
It is quite true that a decent photographer can use virtually any camera to take a decent shot. It’s the real reason why phone cameras can produce the quality images they do (o.k. that’s along with some serious post processing by the phone as well). The two key components are the photographer and the lighting. For the former, experience, an eye for detail, the eye for a shot, or even just dumb luck come in to it, however the latter we often have less control over. The Sunday just gone I was fortunate to be in a situation where a friend brought along a professional lighting set up, along with a light table, and guided me through how best to use the equipment. Continue reading
