As I wrote yesterday, I just opened and inked up my two new Architect’s nibs from Dan Smith, the Nibsmith. Dan ground one of them from a medium nib — a Kaweco Classic Sport nib.
I’d never tried a medium Architect’s nib before getting this one, so I wanted to talk about it a little more.
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I didn’t actually buy any pens on Black Friday but I got something even better. I finally had time to open a box from my friend Dan Smith, the Nibsmith, and pull out the two Architect’s nibs I had ordered. Dan ground them from Kaweco Classic Sport nibs, one in broad and one in medium.
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Custom Edison with medium nib. Brian Gray made me this Edison in tortoise lucite in a clipless cigar style. It features one of Edison’s excellent gold nibs in medium, which is positively cushy.
I love the material.
It’s inked with a sample from a friend of Diamine Racing Green. Made by Diamine exclusively for Missing Pen, a German eBay dealer, Diamine Racing Green is based on the discontinued Montblanc Racing Green ink.
I’ve never used the original Racing Green, but I’ve seen it in letters. This Diamine version looks lighter and greener, but it’s still a nice color, with a lot of shading, and I feel very lucky I’ve gotten to try it. I might mix some with a bit of black, to see how that looks.
Today is Thanksgiving. Thanks to everyone who reads, and double thanks to everyone who comments.
You know when you hear an old song on the radio and remember how much you like it? Here’s one of those.
Montblanc 146 with broad nib. Admittedly, I am not the world’s biggest user of broad nibs, but my favorites are those made by Montblanc. Not than just wider, the Montblanc broad nib is stubbish, with a thinner cross-stroke and wider down-stroke.
I have it inked with Kaweco Ruby Red, a color I like a lot.
Like much of the Midwestern US, we got hit this weekend with an early storm, meaning snow, ice and sub-freezing temperatures. It’s pretty early for this: there are still leaves on the trees.
But let’s not despair. If life gives us ice and snow, let’s make snow cones. Here are ten good things about winter.
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Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu-syogun. A gray ink with a pronounced blue tint, Fuyu-syogun bears the English name of Old Man Winter, which is entirely appropriate. A beautiful ink with great shading. Cool and evocative rather than insistent.
An everyday ink? Like winter, probably most enjoyable for a season, not an entire year.
Pilot Iroshizuku Ina-ho. An unusual color, Ina-ho is a gold that leans green and brown instead of the usual yellow. Pilot describes the color as inspired by “a vast field brimming with waves of golden rice ears.” I think of a wheat field. And I think it’s beautiful. It’s well-behaved, too.
An everyday ink? No. But lovely.
Kaweco Dia2 with extra-fine nib. This is another pen I have been using on loan from Kaweco. And it’s another Kaweco pen with an excellent extra-fine nib.
The Dia2 I’m using comes in chrome trim, which I love, but gold-colored trim is also available. I really like some of the design flourishes, like the knurled trim on both ends, and the shape of the clip.
This ink is Kaweco Royal Blue, which of course appeals strongly to the blue fan in me.
Fountain Pen Follies 