Joy →

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I've been thinking recently about why I've fallen in love with fountain pens so much lately. And this post over at the Well Appointed Desk hits the nail on the head: 

I believe that all these tools should bring you joy. I believe that these tools and toys should inspire each of us to take out of the busy, hectic or mundane moments of our lives to make something — whether its as simple as a note or letter to someone, or as epic as writing an opera.

Our tools should be joyful to use. And this doesn't just apply to pen and paper. All sorts of tools — from cooking utensils and woodworking tools to keyboards and phones — are a major part of our lives. And when the tools are enjoyable, it often makes the work itself more enjoyable. 

Calligraphy nibs and ink samples

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I recently purchased some new Lamy nibs and ink samples from Goulet Pens.

I picked up a 1.1 mm replacement calligraphy nib for my Lamy Safari. Switching it out was easy. The 1.1 mm width is the most narrow one that they offer, but that’s exactly what I wanted. Just thought it would be cool to see a little bit of contrast in stroke. I’m still getting used to writing with a calligraphy nib, but so far, I’m really happy with it.

The other fun thing that I picked up was an ink sample package. These packs include 2ml samples of 8 different inks so you can try them out before you buy a full bottle. The full package is around $10.

I got Trevor’s favorite colors, which included: Diamine Graphite, J. Herbin Orange Indien, J. Herbin Vert Olive, Noodler's Black, Noodler's General of the Armies, Pilot Iroshizuku Ina-ho, Rohrer & Klingner Leipziger-Schwarz, and Waterman Absolute Brown. 

I'm creative director at the University of South Carolina, so I'm never using the orange. But the rest of the inks are nice.

I'm creative director at the University of South Carolina, so I'm never using the orange. But the rest of the inks are nice.

I don’t know Trevor, but I like his taste in ink colors. So far, I’ve tried Noodler’s General of the Armies and J. Herbin Vert Olive. Love them both. Definitely buying a bottle of Noodler’s General of the Armies and will likely get a bottle of Vert Olive, too. Pilot Iroshizuku Ina-ho is up next…

Picking good inks has been a problem for me and ordering ink samples is awesome way to experiment inexpensively. If you are looking to try out some different inks, this is the way to go. They offer a service where they send out ink samples every month and while it seems tempting, I don’t use that much ink.

I’m using the calligraphy nib with all the new inks. Having a wider nib really shows off the ink color. Previously, I only had fine nibs and it was tough to really enjoy the different colors. Even with a relatively narrow calligraphy nib, the difference is significant.

I think I'm got all the inks, nibs and pens I need right now. But I could use a pen case...

Picking the right ink for a fountain pen

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If you've read my Designer's Guide to Fountain Pens post over on the main blog, you know that I haven't done a good job picking inks for my fountain pens. All of the Lamy pens come with a Lamy blue ink cartridge and those work well, but I wanted to branch out and try some different inks.

When I bought the neon lime green Safari, I picked up neon lime ink cartridges, too. They are very cool if you are looking for a highlighter ink, but it's way too light for everyday use. 

When I got my AL-Star, I picked up a bottle of J. Herbin Gris Nuage. It's also too light for everyday use. When it dries, using a fine nib, it looks an awful lot like pencil. Which is cool, but not what I want, either.

I think my major issue is that a very fine nib doesn't show color well. I'm going to buy a broad or  calligraphy nib and see if that helps. If you are new to fountain pens and interested in trying out various inks, you may want to have pens with different nib styles.

I'm also learning that there are plenty of people that review inks. If I had read the reviews on either the neon lime Lamy cartridge or the Gris Nuage, I would have know pretty much exactly what to expect.

I'm still learning what works. I need to purchase a couple of different nibs for my Lamy pens. I want to find a really nice "Sketchbook B" green and a garnet because of the day job. I feel like I need to have some black ink, but that doesn't sound like fun. So maybe a blue black? Or a dark gray?

 

 

Falling in love with fountain pens

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I've officially fallen in love with fountain pens. I just bought my second pen — a Lamy AL-Star — and some new, grey ink. The AL-Star joins my Lamy Safari that I bought a few months ago.

I also picked up an awesome Rhodia dot notepad. It really does offer a different surface than my normal Moleskine notebook.

I bought my first pen online, but I purchased this one at Origami Ink in Asheville, NC. It was amazing to actually see all the options in person and talk with someone who really knew all about the merchandise. Asheville's a bit of a drive so I'm sure I'll still buy gear online. But I'll be sure to visit Origami Ink every chance I get.

First time I've actually written a blog post... with a pen.

First time I've actually written a blog post... with a pen.