Month: February 2016

Has Lamy Gone Too Green?

Laura7 Comments

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I am afraid the Complaint Department is going to be open today. I had a dentist appointment just before writing this, so you’ll have to pardon me if I’m in the mood to grouse.

Here’s what is nagging at me: With the recent arrival of the Charged Green Lamy Al-Star, it seems that four out of my fifteen Al-Stars are some shade of green.  Look at that.

There’s one blue.  Three silvers — that lovely lilac in tenth position was called “Ice Blue,” but I consider it a silver.  But even if you classify Ice Blue as a blue, there are only two blues.  There are three in the red family, if like me you consider “Dark Purple” to be a burgundy; otherwise two in the red family. But four greens. And all unusual greens, too.  Not even a British Racing Green.

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Pen of the Day: Pelikan 400

Laura4 Comments

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Pelikan 400 with oblique double broad nib. I prefer modern pens to vintage. I like fine and extra-fine nibs, and I like nail-like nibs that let me quickly scrawl across the page. I admit that I’ve never loved Pelikan’s traditional green stripes.

So here we have a vintage green-striped Pelikan, with a very wide, wet nib that flexes.  And of course, it’s a favorite.

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One Minute Ink Review: Diamine Bach

Laura2 Comments

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Diamine Bach. Last month was Mozart’s birthday, so I did a one minute ink review of Diamine Mozart ink, here. Bach is another ink from Diamine’s music set, and another lovely dark reddish brown. Bach, the ink, is darker than Mozart.

An everyday ink?  Yes, it could be, for me.  I love a dark brown.

Here is a comparison with Bach on the left and Mozart on the right.  When you put them in the same pen, they look very close in color. Sometimes I can hardly tell them apart.

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Happy Super Bowl Day!

Laura3 Comments

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I don’t know about you, but I consider the Super Bowl an unofficial American holiday. We even have traditions: parties, betting squares, nachos and the commercials.

At the party we always go to, people pay more attention to the commercials (and the food) than the game.  Except at the end of each quarter, when we figure out who won money. Last year, the Fountain Pen Follies family won huge.  So we’ll lose it all this year, I’m sure.  But that’s okay, there are friends to catch up with.  And the food!

I’m not sure people overseas watch American football much, but the NFL wants to conquer the world, so if you don’t now, you may in the future.  And if that happens, you only need to know two words: Chicago Bears!

(Yeah, the Bears are bad now. But thirty years ago, they won a Super Bowl. And hope springs eternal.)

Ink Review: KWZ Maroon #2

Laura1 Comment

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KWZ Maroon #2. This is an ink with great color and behavior that is very similar to the original KWZ Maroon, but it is wetter.  That extra flow makes it well-suited to very dry fountain pens, and useful when you want to really put down a lot of ink.

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Pen of the Day: Aurora Optima Burgundy Auroloide

Laura1 Comment

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Aurora Optima Burgundy with medium nib. This beautiful Optima is a great match for the KWZ Maroon #2 I’m testing.

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I just reviewed KWZ Maroon, which I loved, so I wanted to give Maroon #2 a fair shake by putting it in a special pen.

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Aurora took its red pen down a different path by making it a sophisticated burgundy. It has a rich, dark color, featuring deep wine reds and black, with chrome trim.

In bright light or sunlight, the acrylic shines and sparkles, but the photo above was taken on an overcast day, and brings out the name and logo: “Aurora Italia, Fabbrica Italiana Di Pennea Serbatoio.” Which Google roughly translates as Aurora of Italy, Italian Factory of Fountain Pens. But as usual, the Italian sounds much better. Grazie mille, Aurora Italia.

Fountain Pen Throwdown: Lamy 2000 Fine Verus Lamy 2000 Extra-Fine

Laura11 Comments

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Well, I did a bad thing, but my friend Plume has me covered, because now all my lapses are “for the blog.” A few weeks ago, I saw a great price on a new Lamy 2000 extra-fine.  Reader, I leapt at it.  So I am a Lamy 2000 extra-fine owner now.  Which lets me compare the extra-fine to the Lamy 2000 with fine nib that I’ve been using for years.

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Fountain Pen Favorites for January 2016

Laura3 Comments

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January is the worst month in Chicago. February is almost as bad, but at least it’s shorter. But in terms of fountain pens and ink, this January was pretty darn good.  Here are some highlights.

1. KWZ Inks. I’ve really been enjoying these. Such beautiful inks, with such nice behavior.

2. Mysterious New Pen. I bought a new pen.  But as Plume says, it’s for the blog.  I’m selfless like that.

3. Learning Slowly but Surely. By the end of the month, I had started writing “2016” as the date, nearly automatically.  Oh yeah. Those gears are still turning.

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Photo by Dafne Cholet, Flickr, used under Creative Commons license.