Month: November 2016

Doubling Down: Pelikan’s Double-Broad Highlighter Nib Isn’t Just for Highlighting

Laura4 Comments

Pelikan M205 with double broad BB nib

That is the Pelikan double broad nib I bought at the Ohio Show this weekend from Dan Smith, the Nibsmith. I put it on my M205 Blue demonstrator.

I don’t know if the size of that tipping material can be adequately appreciated, but there’s a lot. I call the nib The Blob. In a good way.

Here is a comparison of an M600 BB nib on the left with the M205 BB nib on the right.

Pelikan M600 BB versus M205 BB highlighter

And the other side, again with the M600 BB nib on the left and the M205 BB nib on the right.

Pelikan M600 BB versus M205 BB highlighter

I’m guessing that Pelikan wanted to make the M205 BB more round for highlighting. That said, I first tried a Pelikan M205 Highlighter fountain pen at the Chicago Pelikan Hub, and that nib was more stubbish than mine.

Having seen the nib, you won’t be surprised that it writes a gigantic line. It’s almost marker-like, and very smooth. It’s kind of fun writing with such a wet and wide nib. Also good for making your points forcefully. Or writing with yellow ink.

Here is a writing sample with the M205 double broad writing in blue and the M600 in pink.

writing sample Pelikan M600 BB versus M205 BB highlighter

The M205 has Pelikan Edelstein Tanzanite ink, which is a wetter ink than the Sailor Sakura-Mori in the M600. But the M205 double broad is just bigger, and it writes wider.

writing sample Pelikan M600 BB versus M205 BB highlighter

I’m a person who loves a good fine nib, but I think most fountain pen people prefer broader nibs, and this makes an intriguing choice. Because you can buy this one separately. And it will fit into any Pelikan from M200 through M700.

In the US it’s $60. Which means every else in the world it’s probably only $20 or less. (A little black humor, for those of us in Chartpak territory.)

I decided to buy the nib only. You could instead buy it on the highlighter pen. Or if you’re buying a different new M205, ask for the BB nib instead of the usual choices. I’d probably do that, if I ever bought another M200-sized pen, and I’d have the BB modified into a stub or architect’s nib. Because The Blob has tipping material to spare.

I Came, I Saw, I Bought a Little: My Mostly Measly Ohio Pen Show Purchases

Laura7 Comments

2016 Ohio Pen Show purchases

Okay, it’s a slim haul, but I’m sure you’ll identify with me saying that I still spent more than I intended at the Ohio Pen Show. I didn’t really intend to buy anything. And, yes, feel free to be aghast: there aren’t a lot of fountain pen things in the pile.

That’s because I went to the show with my 16-year-old daughter, and there is no way she could have spent two days shopping for fountain pens. Which is fine. I actually like other pens and pencils, too.

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Pen of the Day: Sheaffer Targa Green Moiré with Bookbinders Blue Coral Snake Ink

Laura10 Comments

Sheaffer Targa Laque Green Moiré

Sheaffer Targa Laque Green Moiré. I brought this home from the Ohio Pen Show. Wow.

You may remember that I fell hard for my friend’s Green Moiré Targa a few weeks ago. But I never expected to find one for myself. I certainly wasn’t looking. I’m in a quiet period with pens: I feel more like selling than buying.

But the Green Moiré breaks through my “no new pens” ennui. It is the perfect pen for an “ooh shiny” person like me. Since it was dark when I got back home, these photos don’t show it at its best. But the Green Moiré lacquer is shimmery, flamboyant and fun. while also being elegant. Look how beautiful the lacquer work is.

Sheaffer Targa Laque Green Moiré closeup

I got very lucky because this Green Moiré has some scratches, so I could afford it. Also because it has a stub nib. And finally because my daughter (a) approved of it and (b) won the auction for it.

And I’m also lucky that my friend gave me the perfect ink for it. He had purchased a bottle of Bookbinders Snake Ink in Blue Coral that day, and had given me a vial to take home. He put Blue Coral in the pen he bought at the pen show, and I put it in mine. I think that makes Blue Coral the official ink for cool Ohio Pen Show purchases.

Blue Coral is a very appealing color. It’s a bit darker in real life than you see below, but the blue hue and nice shading are accurate.

Bookbinders Snake Ink Blue Coral writing sample

Ohio Bound

Laura2 Comments

I’m getting ready to pack up for the Ohio Pen Show. This is my first “away” pen show. And actually I’m looking forward to three days being around other adults more than any pens I might come across. Holiday!

But I do have a feeling the pens will end up being interesting, too.

More Montblanc Golden Yellow Ink: Comparisons

Laura1 Comment

Montblanc Golden Yellow ink swab comparisons

Here’s a golden array of inks, with Montblanc Golden Yellow shining right in the middle.

We all know that colors look different depending on surrounding colors. And this is a perfect illustration. Look how unattractive the two amber inks seem when they flank Montblanc Golden Yellow.

In fact, J. Herbin Ambre de Birmanie and Pelikan Edelstein Amber are both lovely. In fact, they are favorites of mine. When they aren’t next to Montblanc Golden Yellow, the ambers are attractive golden brown inks with nice shading. So I should apologize for them looking so awful here.

Golden Yellow is so lively and so yellow-orange, that it deadens these amber inks. Not every ink looks good with every other. So here’s a link that shows how Ambre de Birmanie really looks, next to more congenial colors, and here’s one showing  Pelikan Edelstein Amber.

Now, I really like Golden Yellow, which is why it’s interesting that one of the inks in this array is an ink I intensely dislike. The ink that sets my teeth on edge is on the far right: Sheaffer King’s Gold. The King’s Gold is no longer in production, for which I applaud Sheaffer. But King’s Gold almost looks like a more orange, more brown Golden Yellow here, doesn’t it? Yet, to me, one is yay and one is nay.

It’s a reminder in (bright yellow) Broadway lights, that nothing beats testing an ink to see if it works for you.

Finally, it’s interesting how Diamine Sunshine Yellow is fairly close to Montblanc Golden Yellow.

Montblanc Golden Yellow ink swab comparisons

When you write with them, Montblanc Golden Yellow is darker (more orange) and more legible than Diamine Sunshine Yellow. That’s nearly impossible to see from the swabs. But you can tell from the swabs that there’s a lot of similarity.

And now I have one final twist, worthy of Hollywood: there is another.

Remember that Diamine operates on the principle that “if one ink is great, three nearly identical inks will be fantastic.” (That happens to be my motto, as well.) So you won’t be surprised to hear that Diamine has another ink, Diamine Amber, which is very close to Diamine Sunshine Yellow, and thus to Montblanc Golden Yellow, albeit browner.

I did not include a photo of Diamine Amber, because my photo array is full, the two Diamines are very close to each other, and I’ve already got two better amber inks in there. But I find it interesting. Inks. Even the yellow ones are interesting.

Ink Snippet: Montblanc Golden Yellow

Laura2 Comments

Montblanc Golden Yellow ink

Montblanc Golden Yellow. Liquid happiness.

This just arrived from Montblanc, brightening up a rainy day.

I love the sunshine orange of the bottled ink, but this ink is not orange: Montblanc Golden Yellow really is a yellow, and a golden yellow at that.

Montblanc Golden Yellow ink

The color reminds me of a glistening egg yolk. It’s deep and warm.

I’ve got mine in a Montblanc 146 with broad nib. The ink seems to have good flow, but it is  a yellow ink, so not very dark. I wanted the wider nib.

Montblanc Golden Yellow ink writing sample
I am a fan of shading inks, and I love the shading of this ink.

Golden Yellow is not eye-searing or overly bright, and it seems to have a slightly orange tint. But it’s still yellow, so this is probably not the color for writing a note to your boss. But what a happy color.

Montblanc Golden Yellow ink writing sample

Golden Yellow looks like it could sheen, perhaps, but rainy weather here makes it impossible for me to know. And I suspect any sheen would be very subtle.

Montblanc Golden Yellow ink writing sample

Fountain Pen Favorites for October 2016

Laura2 Comments

calendar image

October has been awesome, but also has passed a blurry haze. Fountain pens and inks are all very nice. But baseball playoffs have been the bomb. So it’s a little surprising to look back and realize that October was full of fountain pen highlights. This is practically the World Series of Fountain Pen Favorites.

1.  Sailor Kin-Mokusei. A gorgeous orange.

2. Sailor Waka-Uguisu. A great yellow-green. And I don’t even like green.

3. Kaweco Light Blue AL-Sport. Icy blue; I love it.

4. Field Notes. My Field Notes box runneth over. Literally. My daughters did steal ask for some of my new orange and pink ones, which I shared with unworthy mixed feelings understandable mixed feelings. But I’m still flush with Field Notes. I better go write some things down. Like, how to be a better mother. You know, for next month.

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