Month: August 2015

Pen of the Day: Omas Extra Lucens

Laura1 Comment

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Omas Extra Lucens Limited Edition with extra-fine 18k nib. This gorgeous pen is black, gold and transparent celluloid.  Writing with an Omas is special, and a bit different.  The pen rests lightly in the hand, and the nib asks for only the most delicate touch, so you find yourself skimming over the paper as effortlessly as possible.

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The ink is Stipula Calamo Ebony Black, which is a lighter, slightly gray black ink with a hint of shading.  When I write with it, I think of the shades of Sumi-e, Japanese black ink painting.

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Ink Review: Montblanc Meisterstück Blue Hour Twilight Blue

Laura5 Comments

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Okay, confusing name.  And so long.  I actually owned this ink for more than two months before I figured out I had been using the wrong shorthand name for it.  I had been calling it Montblanc Blue Hour.  Which I think would have been an excellent name, by the way.  And the box does say “Meisterstück Blue Hour.”  But that seems intended to identify the ink as part of a Blue Hour limited edition collection.  Because underneath that, Montblanc adds “Twilight Blue.”  And the Montblanc USA website calls it “Montblanc Meisterstück Blue Hour, Twilight Blue.  So.  Okay.  I will call it by its correct name now.

Blue Hour Twilight Blue costs $16 in the US and comes in Montblanc’s standard 30 ml square bottle for limited edition inks other than Writers Edition inks.  I actually bought mine in May from the Netherlands, so I have been using it for a few months now.

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Mystery Ink No. 10 Report – Pelikan Edelstein Topaz and Diamine Blue Velvet

Laura5 Comments

These Mystery Inks have long since been revealed to the actual participants. So I’m going to make it easier on blog readers by now saying that “Carli” is Pelikan Edelstein Topaz, and “Lloyd” is Diamine Blue Velvet.

I’ve been doing something on FPGeeks Forum called Mystery Ink, where people volunteer to try an ink they know nothing about and then report back on it.  The idea is to elicit a pure reaction to an ink, uninfluenced by any expectations created by brand, price, photos or the ink’s online reputation.  It’s been a blast and very educational for me.

The tenth installment of Mystery Ink, known as MI-10, is running on FPG now.  You can find the thread here.  To celebrate Mystery Ink reaching double digits, MI-10 for the first time comprises two inks, one labeled “Carli” and the other “Lloyd,” in honor of Carli Lloyd, who wears Number 10 for the US Women’s National Soccer Team.

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Aurora Optima

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A friend asked me if I knew anything about Aurora fountain pens.  Only that I love them.

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I will have to write up and post something about the Optima, since it’s one of my favorite fountain pens and I’ve been lucky enough to put together this small collection.  I have at least one of these filled and in use daily.  Today it’s the blue with chrome trim.