KWZ Azure #1. This is a standard blue ink that is very well-behaved, flows consistently and cleans up easily.
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Author: Laura
Fountain Pen Favorites for May 2016
May is always beautiful here and has always been my favorite month. This past week has been especially lovely in the garden, which is suffused with the lemony scent of older roses in bloom. And, yes, there have been pens and inks. Here were my favorites for May.
1. Pelikan M205 Transparent Blue. So you know how sometimes when you really look forward to something, it turns out to be a little disappointing once you actually have it? Well, that didn’t happen with the M205 Blue. I like it even more in person. Oh sure, the nib will never be for me, and the pen’s a little skimpy. But it’s such a pretty blue, and if it were perfect I’d only have to get rid of all my other pens anyway. Win-win, I’d say.
2.Boxing Out. May brought the best box for my Aurora Optimas ever. Not only does that gorgeous thing cradle the little fellows in plush comfort. Not only does it have ten (10!) empty slots that eventually I get to fill. But it also means my Aurora Optimas aren’t in the regular pen case any more, creating the erroneous but deeply satisfying impression that “I haven’t got that many pens after all.”
3. New Pen Evaluation Process. I have finally come up with a workable three-step system to analyze and evaluate matters when I want a new pen. It goes like this: (1) Don’t. (2) Don’t. (3) Don’t.
So far so good.
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Photo by Dafne Cholet, Flickr, used under Creative Commons license.
Pen of the Day: Pelikan Piccadilly Circus
Pelikan M620 Piccadilly Circus with fine nib. We went to Captain America: Civil War this weekend. I am so Team Captain America, and this was the closest pen I could find. Which okay, strictly speaking, is a total fail. But, imagine if Captain America ever went out and had some fun in the West End. Let’s go with that.
The Piccadilly Circus is my most used Pelikan Cities Pen, and in some ways my favorite. It’s the most fun.
I inked it up with Caran d’Ache Divine Pink. Yes, Caran d’Ache Week was last week. But I can almost hear a Donna Summer song playing somewhere, and I’m going to pretend the party is still going on.
Things I’m Sure Everyone Except Me Already Knew: Caran d’Ache Chromatics Ink Bottle Design
So I really like the bottle for Caran d’Ache Chromatics ink.
I know I’ve talked about it before. And before that, too. Because it’s attractive, and because it’s thoughtfully designed for fountain pen users.
Also, it’s a hexagon, which is different. And awesome. And I think I figured out why.
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Let’s Talk About Caran d’Ache Chromatics Inks
It occurred to me when I was writing about Tuesday’s pen of the day that I was talking about an ink brand I rarely hear mentioned, Caran d’Ache. Why is that?
Where wise men and women fear to tread, Fountain Pen Follies is always willing to rush in. So let’s talk about Caran d’Ache a little.
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Pen of the Day: Montblanc 146
Montblanc 146 with broad nib. Well, I am nothing if not consistent, because I just realized that the last time a 146 was Pen of the Day, it was this very pen.
That’s not my fault, though. It’s because Montblanc makes a great broad nib. Look at this thing.
The ink is Caran d’Ache Infra Red, a red so special it had to be named for something outside the human visible spectrum.
(Although, actually, it’s now been shown that humans can see infrared light under certain circumstances. And that it looks green. So thanks, science, for wrecking everything.)
But science schmience. Ink is my thing. Caran d’Ache Infra Red ink is very visible, very red and very awesome.
Ink Review: KWZ Iron Gall Green #2
KWZ Iron Gall Green #2. This is a forest green ink from KWZ that cleans up easily, shades nicely and performs very well on poor paper. It’s very similar to KWZ Iron Gall Green #1, but warmer in color.
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Wednesday Realization: Milestones
I’ve liked almost everything about being a parent. Except when they got in trouble. Or got croup in the middle of the night. Or that time one of them gave us all stomach flu. Or when they broke a bone. Or broke our cars. Or their own hearts.
Okay, so I didn’t love everything. Most things, though, were pretty great.
But the best part of being a parent has been watching them grow into their own personalities and their own lives. Yesterday my son finished his freshman year of college. That feels like adulthood. That’s neat.
Pen of the Day: Pelikan M205 Transparent Blue (Again)
Pelikan M205 Transparent Blue with fine nib. This was pen of the day fairly recently, but I’m repeating it because it’s got a brand new bag — I mean, ink. This time I filled it with Caran d’Ache Idyllic Blue, another pure blue. I really like the combination.
I get the feeling that Caran d’Ache inks may not sell very well. They are so expensive in the US that I only buy them on sale, or from Europe. But it can’t just be price: other inks that are even more expensive get a lot of internet buzz. And Caran d’Ache inks fly under the radar.
Sample a few if you want to try something new. They are excellent inks. With great bottles.
Fountain Pen Style: The Official Preppy Handbook
If you are a certain (excellent) age, and also a woman, you’ll remember The Official Preppy Handbook, a well-thumbed tartan paperback owned by you and your friends. You’ll remember wearing Shetland sweaters, chinos and boat shoes. You’ll remember pink and green everything.
Why not rock that look with fountain pen ink? Let’s go retro. Let’s go fun. Let’s go little-whales-on-shorts here.
For me, it’s J. Herbin Vert Pré and Callifolio Andrinople.
Fountain Pen Follies 