Pen of the Day: Pelikan M600 Ruby Red

Pelikan M600 Ruby Red fountain pen with KWZ Red #1 ink

Pelikan M600 Ruby Red with fine nib.  This is a gorgeous pen that I really enjoy and love using. But I have to admit that today I’m talking about it mostly because of the ink.

Pelikan M600 Ruby Red fountain pen and KWZ Red #1 ink

KWZ Red #1 is the ink.  And it’s another home run for me, just like KWZ Maroon and Maroon #2.

Red #1 is another deep and rich red — so deep and rich that it almost evokes garnet or ruby. But it’s red more than maroon, cranberry more than wine. I’m really enjoying using it, and I’m looking forward to reviewing it.

KWZ Red #1 ink

Ink Review: J. Herbin Bleu Azur

J. Herbin Bleu Azur ink writing samples

J. Herbin Bleu Azur. This aptly named ink is a very light blue, and such a clear, pure color that it reminds me of the spring sky.

I am a huge blue ink fan. But honestly I had never used Bleu Azur because I remember reading so many negative comments about it.  Which once again teaches me to ignore that kind of thing.  Bleu Azur does not work in every pen, but if you pick the right pen, it’s lovely, and legible.

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Happy St. Patrick’s Day

green bagels for St. Patrick's Day

And this is roughly reason number 1,979 why I love Chicago: green bagels for St. Patrick’s Day.  I love the melting pot.

Though, yeah, the green color looks slightly strange in a bagel.  Only kids would actually eat those, probably.  Or Shrek.  Or the guy in charge of Lamy Safari color choices.

Bung Box First Love Sapphire: Another Glimpse

Bung Box First Love Sapphire writing sample

I know I mentioned a few weeks ago that a friend gave me a sample of my very first Bung Box ink, First Love Sapphire.

And I posted a writing sample from an Aurora Optima with a fine nib.

But here’s a quick look at Bung Box First Love Sapphire from both the Optima and a much different pen, a Kaweco Sport with 1.1 mm calligraphy nib.

I find it really interesting. The ink color is consistent, but the impression it makes, on me at least, is very different.

Pen of the Day: Pelikan M600 Green o’ Green with KWZ Iron Gall Green Gold

Pelikan M600 Green o' Green fountain pen

Pelikan M600 Green o’ Green with broad nib. Well, it’s the Ides of March, of course, but in addition it’s almost St. Patrick’s Day, so I’m going with the latter theme.  St. Patrick’s Day is more fun.  It’s the unofficial Chicago holiday, with our Chicago River dyed green, and our “everyone’s Irish on St. Patrick’s Day” spirit.  The latter is a nice way of saying that everyone drinks a lot on St. Patrick’s Day. It’s like the law of the city.

And here is the pen cap, the most St. Patrick’s Day part of the Pelikan Green o’ Green.

Pelikan M600 Green o' Green fountain pen cap

And here is the ink, which is from a sample sent by a friend: KWZ Iron Gall Green Gold.  This is another really nice-looking ink from KWZ.

Pelikan M600 Green o' Green fountain pen and KWZ Iron Gall Green Gold ink

A Peek at the Pen Cups

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My pen cup runneth over.  Both of them. And they show what’s going on here for the next week or two.

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I’ve got four Kaweco Sports inked right now.  Three of them contain inks I’m going to be reviewing, or might be reviewing or really thought I’d already have finished reviewing.  Those pens are blue, clear and purple, respectively.

The other is my new AL-Sport.  Which is new.  I am not sure I expressed that clearly enough.  I meant, new!  Well, actually, newest.  Newest!

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Does that photo up above look sufficiently dark and mysterious?  Good.  There are two pens there that I think are going to be pens of the week this very week, so I don’t want to give away too much now.  I hope it’s just like Pretty Little Liars here, in terms of suspense.  So you can tune in tomorrow, when I reveal “A.”

Ink Review: KWZ Iron Gall Turquoise

KWZ Iron Gall Turquoise ink

KWZ Iron Gall Turquoise. This is an ink I first saw in a letter from a friend, at which time I thought “wow.” Now, after weeks of using KWZ Iron Gall Turquoise, I still think “wow.”  It’s a darker blue-green than many turquoise inks, with lovely shading, and great presence on the page.

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Pen of the Day: Aurora Optima Blue Auroloide

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Aurora Optima Blue/Chrome with fine nib. I do keep using this pen.  It’s hard not to.  Also my friend just got one, so we are pen twins, and I had to get our two matching pens together on a playdate.

Her Optima has Aurora’s cursive italic, which is wide and really neat. It is a very crisp italic, with amazing line variation, and it wrote with the lightest of touches. Mine has a fine nib.

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The ink is Bung Box First Love Sapphire.  In this pen, it really has sapphire sparkle.

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