I just realized that I own this. Whoa. It’s like holding a relic.
First Look: Venvstas Carbon T Fountain Pen
My new Venvstas Carbon T fountain pen arrived yesterday from Paris, and it’s a beauty.
Five quick things about this pen.
- Carbon fiber.
- Modern design.
- Reasonably priced: I bought this for 70 Euros shipped from Venvstas.
- Venvstas is pronounced “Venustas.”
- The material reminds me a bit of the Lamy 2000.
And here are two quick photos. Capped.
And uncapped.
Pen of the Day: Lamy Al-Star Ocean Blue
Lamy Al-Star Ocean Blue with extra-fine nib. Blue is my favorite color for fountain pens and ink. That’s not really a secret. Also not a secret is my love for Lamy pens. But I far prefer the ABS plastic Safari to the sleeker, more sophisticated aluminum Al-Star.
Except … sometimes. And this gorgeous deep blue Al-Star is one of the exceptions. I think the deep blue tone and the reflectivity of the aluminum makes the Ocean Blue Al-Star a stunner.
I am using it to review the ink, KWZ Azure #1. That’s because Lamy’s extra-fine nib is very different from the broad nib Aurora Optima that I’m also using with Azure #1. Here is Azure #1 in an extra-fine.
Pen Show Prep: Inky Stuff
I’m helping out at the Chicago Pen Show this year, and we’re only two weeks away from opening day. So I’ve spent the last few days filling dozens and dozens of pens for the ink sample table. We’ll have a total of 300 pens for people to try different inks.
I’ve been using syringes or disposable pipettes to put the ink in a sample tube, then I fill the pens from that. Here was some interim progress, with filled pens on the left, and some used pipettes on the right.
It’s been messy. I wiped off each pen after filling, but a fair amount of ink still ended up on my fingers. However, miraculously, I didn’t spill any ink, and the kitchen table survived unstained, so I’ll take the inky fingers and stained paper towel.
I’m done now, thankfully. I need a manicure, a massage and probably a night on the town. I think I may stay away from ink and pens for a few days, too.
But, on the bright side, the ink towel makes a nice piece of modern art.
Ink Review: KWZ Brown-Pink
Pen of the Day: Aurora Optima Sole
Aurora Optima Sole with medium nib. This is just fountain pen sunshine, somewhere between yellow and orange in color.
And totally gorgeous.
And this is my favorite orange ink, Caran d’Ache Saffron.
Flurry of Fountain Pens: Pen Group Meetup
We had a wonderful group meetup yesterday in advance of the Chicago Pen Show, which is coming up in just a few weeks. We all brought some pens. This kind of meetup is great fun, because it’s not only a nice chance to spend time with nice people, but also a great way to see and try pens you’ve only heard about. Particularly if one of the attendees has a collection to die for, like my friend Dan. That magnificent thing above is his smallest pen case.
So that case holds a bunch of Pelikans, including I think six M800s and three M1000s, plus an 85th Anniversary Aurora and two Nakayas. But that’s just one of his pen cases. Were there four or five cases? I lost count. Because, dazzled. His collection is like the best pen store ever, except nothing is for sale and everything is inked.
I tried one of his M1000s. Now, the M800 is too heavy for me, so the M1000 should be a non-starter, being even larger. But I thought the nib on the M1000 was heavenly. I tried a triple broad. Which turned out to be not much broader than my Pelikan M605’s extra-fine nib. (Joking, not joking. Owners of modern Pelikans will understand.)
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Three Questions That Could Solve Any Problem
Isn’t that an excellent headline? Actually, I found it on the BBC website. Intrigued, I of course clicked on the article it referred to. Who wouldn’t want to solve any problem with just three questions?
Unfortunately, the article itself was a bit of a letdown for me. Not that I really read it. It seemed to be aimed at businesses, not people. Every other sentence I skimmed contained words like “company” or “work” or “colleague.” Yawn.
Seriously, I’m sure it’s an excellent article. But any business article would be pretty much of a letdown after such a grabber of a headline.
But of course it got me thinking. What if only three questions would give you the solution to every pressing issue? What if you could flow chart your way to a better life?
And, you know, I think you can. You just need better questions.
It turns out that when I thought of the problems I seem to habitually encounter, it was pretty easy to come up with many sets of three questions. In hopes these may have general applicability, I will share them now.
Three Questions That Could Solve Any Problem:
Is my credit limit high enough?
Will my spouse find out?
Will he/she actually divorce me for this?
——
How quickly can I get out of here?
Are there any witnesses?
In the event there are unseen witnesses, could I explain it away?
——
Is it a disagreeable task?
Can I do it tomorrow instead?
Can I never do it?
——
Do I want to eat this food?
Do I fit in my pants?
Could I buy new pants?
————
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One Minute Ink Review: Pilot Iroshizuku Kiri-same
Pilot Iroshizuku Kiri-same. I must be quirky, because this quiet gray is my favorite Pilot Iroshizuku ink. Kiri-same is the warmer twin of Fuyu-syogun. Not very saturated, but legible even from an extra-fine nib, Kiri-same is like a liquid pencil.
An everyday ink? Probably not forceful enough for most people, but I love it.
Pen of the Day: Montblanc Heritage 1912
Montblanc Heritage 1912 with broad nib. I just inked this wonderful pen yesterday so I can bring it to a meet-up Sunday with some other Chicago-area fountain pen fans.
One of the other attendees has a Heritage 1912, too. But I think my Heritage 1912 is going to be much more badass. Because mine is filled with Montblanc Pink.
Put on your sunglasses! No, just kidding. It’s actually a really nice ink. I don’t think it was ever popular online, perhaps because photos can make it look unpleasantly eye-searing. But in real life, it’s a lovely, cheerful pink with nice shading.
And totally badass.
Fountain Pen Follies 