Tag: Miscellaneous

Blotting paper! I thought the micro-mesh stick was boring. I thought the loupe was dull. But this has to be the most humble accessory ever. Still: so useful!

Blotting paper. It’s off-white, it’s thick, it’s soft, it’s useful. Mine measures four inches tall by nine inches wide, which covers the width of any paper I use.

What do I use it for? Blotting ink, of course: I blot ink at the end of a page, so I can turn over the page more quickly and continue on the other side. I also rest my hand on blotting paper when I write, to keep my writing paper neat.  And I stick a sheet of blotting paper between the pages of my notebook to mark my page; the blotting paper is there, then, to perform blotting and hand-resting duties when I next open the notebook.

Oh, and one of my pieces of blotting paper also helpfully reminds me to consider having a snack. As you can see, this is multi-purpose stuff.

On that piece of blotting paper, a very young friend practiced her handwriting and expressed her deepest wishes.  No problem!  It still works fine.  After all, it’s made to blot up ink. And if my little vandal grows up to become another Banksy,  I’ll auction off this piece of juvenilia and make a fortune. Because blotting paper lasts.

I bought my stock from the nice folks at Pendemonium, both at the Chicago Pen Show and through their website. As always, no connection except being a very satisfied customer.

Be it ever so humble, a loupe is among my most used pen accessories. I use it to examine the condition of pens and nibs I’m thinking of buying, but mostly I use it when I adjust nibs I already own. I am a pen tinkerer, so I use it a lot.

Mine is a 10x loupe made by Eschenbach with an LED light. It’s just great. The optics are excellent, the 10x magnification level is perfect for examining nibs and the integrated light means I can use it in any lighting and get a great view of the nib.

This loupe is about six inches long, which is small enough to bring to pen shows. The handle makes it easy to hold. It comes with a vinyl cover to protect the lens when not in use. I know it’s sturdy: it has passed the “dropped by Laura” real-life test more than once.

I can’t think of a single thing that isn’t excellent about this loupe. But it was pricey, at a little over $100. You could economize by looking for a less expensive one, though check the quality and the magnification. Unfortunately, the lighted magnifiers that you see everywhere for reading provide only 2x or 3x magnification, which I don’t think is enough for nib work.

But there are a lot of unlighted loupes, and even some magnifying glasses, with 10x magnification.  So if you don’t need the illumination, you also could save money on a loupe purchase by foregoing the light.