Lamy Safari French Blue with fine point. This is one of my favorite Safari color combinations. It’s a lovely blue color, with a lovely red clip and a red button in the top of the cap.
It’s inked with KWZ Iron Gall Turquoise, which I really like.
Tag: Pen of the Day
Pen of the Day: Aurora Optima Blue Auroloide
Aurora Optima Blue/Gold with broad nib. Aurora makes the Blue Auroloide Optima in either gold or chrome trim, and this is the gold one. Mine has an older style cap band, which I like. I love the blue Auroloide acrylic.
I’m using Aurora Blue ink. It’s just excellent.
Pen of the Day: Lamy Al-Star Aluminum
Lamy Al-Star Aluminum with broad nib. Normally I like an extra-fine nib, but sometimes a broad nib really works with a particular ink. And I love how this ink, KWZ Iron Gall Green #1, looks with this wider nib.
The Aluminum Al-Star has always been one of my favorites. It’s almost elegant. That aluminum really makes the black clip, trim and nib pop.
Pen of the Day: Kaweco Skyline Sport Metallic Violet
Kaweco Skyline Sport in Metallic Violet with medium nib. You know I love my Kaweco Sports, and here’s a great one. The color is called Metallic Violet, but the pen body is plastic not metal. Instead of being an ordinary plastic, however, it’s a special swirly acrylic that looks shiny.
That’s how you make a purple pen!
It’s inked with a cartridge of Kaweco Summer Purple. Another ink on my to-be-reviewed list, Kaweco Summer Purple is my kind of purple: cheerful, unsaturated but easy to read, with lovely shading.
Pen of the Day: Pelikan 400
Pelikan 400 with oblique double broad nib. I prefer modern pens to vintage. I like fine and extra-fine nibs, and I like nail-like nibs that let me quickly scrawl across the page. I admit that I’ve never loved Pelikan’s traditional green stripes.
So here we have a vintage green-striped Pelikan, with a very wide, wet nib that flexes. And of course, it’s a favorite.
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Pen of the Day: Aurora Optima Burgundy Auroloide
Aurora Optima Burgundy with medium nib. This beautiful Optima is a great match for the KWZ Maroon #2 I’m testing.
I just reviewed KWZ Maroon, which I loved, so I wanted to give Maroon #2 a fair shake by putting it in a special pen.
Aurora took its red pen down a different path by making it a sophisticated burgundy. It has a rich, dark color, featuring deep wine reds and black, with chrome trim.
In bright light or sunlight, the acrylic shines and sparkles, but the photo above was taken on an overcast day, and brings out the name and logo: “Aurora Italia, Fabbrica Italiana Di Pennea Serbatoio.” Which Google roughly translates as Aurora of Italy, Italian Factory of Fountain Pens. But as usual, the Italian sounds much better. Grazie mille, Aurora Italia.
Pen of the Day: Pelikan M710 Toledo
Pen of the Day: Aurora Optima Blue Auroloide
Aurora Optima Blue/Chrome with fine nib. I filled this Optima for two reasons. First, it seemed like a perfect match for the color of KWZ Azure #3 ink, which I wanted to try. Second, Aurora has announced a forthcoming blue and green Optima 365 limited edition. And I’m tempted. So it’s time to appreciate what I already have.
First, the ink, which is a knockout. Not much shading; great color.
Second, this is such a beautiful pen. So I think that’s that. Phew.
Pen of the Day: Lamy Al-Star Dark Purple
Lamy Al-Star Dark Purple with medium nib. Ah, the power of a name. I have always slightly disapproved of this pen because Lamy called it “purple,” and it’s just not my idea of purple. But I like it as a maroon or burgundy pen.
Anyway I’m using it to test KWZ Maroon, a very nice ink.
I’ve never really like the Al-Star as much as the Safari. But it’s starting to grow on me. Aluminum is neat.
Pen of the Day: Edison Hakumin Urushi Mina
Edison Hakumin Urushi Mina with extra-fine nib. This is a custom urushi pen from Brian Gray at Edison Pens and Ernest Shin at Hakumin Urushi Kobo. I am very lucky.
The pen is just gorgeous. The finish is Ki-tamenuri, which has a brown finishing coat and a yellow under-layer, which is easiest to see on the section threads.
The wonderful nib was customized as well. Brian sent it off to Mike Masuyama to be ground extra-fine. I asked for the equivalent of a Sailor fine.
KWZ Maroon is the ink. Also wonderful.
Fountain Pen Follies 