06 Sunday Mar 2022
Posted in Pens
It is a sad state of affairs that I have to write this as I try to avoid all politics in my public posts, not just here in my blog. The world can be a harsh place and there are plenty of unpleasant or even just plain nasty and/or evil people out there. Problem is this is not just despotic dictators.
Continue reading04 Friday Mar 2022
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The nib is the heart of the pen. It does not matter how well made and balanced the body is, how much ink the filling system holds, or how good the material looks if the writing experience is poor. Question is who should take responsibility and what are our expectations.
Continue reading03 Thursday Mar 2022
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First off this coming Sunday it is the Spring London Pen at the Hammersmith Novotel. Going to be interesting to see how many vendors and visitors will be there considering the near removal of COVID related restrictions over here and more people getting used to the ‘new reality’.
On a different note, I’ve not been able to produce weekly posts for a short while. This is partly due to me being busy with one of my other hobbies where I have administrative work.
18 Friday Feb 2022
Posted in Pens
Take a material which was common at the turn of the previous century but stopped being used as cheaper forms of plastic emerged which were easier to work with and not prone to becoming brittle with age. Add a piece of traditional Japanese art created by a Japanese artist of renown, make a pen from it and you have the Wancher Bakelite Seven Treasurers fountain pen.
Continue reading04 Friday Feb 2022
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EDC, EDC Fountain Pen, fountain pen, Gravtis Skittle, Gravtitas, Irish made, pocket pen, pocket pens
The original Gravitas pen was highly successfully with all finishes selling out quickly and many requests for more to be made, especially in the two ‘Skittles’ finishes. Moving forwards we were introduced to the Entry and Pocket pens, and more recently the Sentry. Based on my previous experience I put my name down to be alerted for when the Rainbow Skittle finish Pocket Pen was to be launched.
Continue reading01 Tuesday Feb 2022
Posted in Travel, Uncategorized
OK I normally leave my welcoming of the new Lunar year to the common social media networks (Facebook) and text messages to friends, however this year I have finally uploaded a video of the annual Chinese New Year firework display in Hong Kong Bay, arguably the best firework display in the work.
Continue reading21 Friday Jan 2022
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Before I start I need to clear one thing up for those not aware. Raden is the use of mother of pearl with urushi and maki-e work, not the material itself. This is the reason why pens with that finish are so expensive. Mother of Pearl and the abalone sourced variant can be cheap, depending on where they are fished and the sub genre.
Continue reading14 Friday Jan 2022
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We all have different preferences when it comes to how we hold a pen and the sizes we like. This can make it difficult to judge how accurate a review can be if you’re looking to buy a pen as you first need to know what the reviewer likes. Sure with fit and finish it should not make a difference, however when it comes to the writing experience personal tastes do. Ideally if you find a reviewer who likes the same pens as you then the chances are this will carry on through to other pens, but it is not guaranteed. Thus for a little bit of fun and for a guide on my partialities for the reader I thought I would write this article. Enjoy and have fun trying to identifying your own preferences.
Continue reading07 Friday Jan 2022
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I can’t believe it has been almost half a year since I last did one of these and recently there have been some changes, partly due to the 2021 International Fountain Pen Day and Black FridayWeek sales.
24 Friday Dec 2021
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It’s been a weird year 2021. The global pandemic still in effect, but with restrictions being relaxed in many places (well until the Omicron variant arrived). In the UK we saw the return of the pen show along with the introduction of various new models, yet at the same time many people still preferred to stay away and be safe.
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