Fountain Pen Favorites for September 2019

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I  used to do this every month, when the blog was new, and I enjoyed it. I have a strong nostalgic streak. And as you get older, well, the memory goes. I’m now firmly in the “What did I walk into this room to get?” stage. So looking back is kind of relaxing.

What were my favorite pen- and ink-related things last month?

1. The Pelikan Hub. I always enjoy these, and this year’s was no exception. Any chance to get together with pen and ink people is to be cherished. Thanks, Pelikan, for doing this.

2. Trying Every Edelstein Ink Again. I ink up every Pelikan Edelstein ink for the Hub, for people to try, and I’m both busy and disinclined to clean out 15 pens immediately. So I’ve been writing with a number of inks that I haven’t used in a while. Here are my nominees for the Peaches and Herb “Reunited and It Feels So Good” award: the steady Edelstein Tanzanite (a businesslike blue black), the perfect Edelstein Topaz (simply the finest ink I know in that cyan-cerulean range) and the underrated Edelstein Ruby (a lovely soft red).

3. Going Old School Blue Black. The pen I’ve used most this month has been my Pelikan Stockholm with Pelikan Edelstein Tanzanite and a medium nib. I don’t usually write with something as paint-brushy as a Pelikan medium nib, so I’m mostly jotting notes with it. LARGE notes. I’ve liked using the old-school, non-fussy, blue-black Tanzanite ink. But the pen is starting to feel kind of fancy, and I’m starting to yearn for something more minimal. Maybe I’ll take the Blauhaus with its extra-fine nib out for a spin after all.

The Beautiful Lamy 2000 Blue Bauhaus Limited Edition, And Why You Are Lucky Not to Have One

Lamy 2000 Blue Bauhaus Set

I felt funny posting about the new Lamy 2000 Blue Bauhaus Limited Edition set, because people in the US seemed kind of ticked off by it. So I decided, “Not wading into that firestorm, thank you.”

Sensible. Except here we are. But it’s not new any more. Also, being sensible is not my thing. Mostly, I just longed to say, “Blue Bauhaus? More like Blauhaus, am I right?”

But do not worry if you don’t have one. This is service journalism. With a nod to Marc Antony in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, I post about the Lamy 2000 Blue Bauhaus not to praise it, but only to tell everyone who is still mad why they don’t need this pen.

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