I’m tooting the pink-ink horn today. Happy Valentine’s Day!
–Sailor Sakura-Mori from a Montblanc Heritage 1912 with broad nib
Tag: Sailor
Pen of the Day: Pelikan M400 White Tortoise with Sailor Waka-Uguisu
Pelikan M400 White Tortoise with medium nib. Coincidentally, I bought this pen about the same time I started this blog. I wasn’t sure about buying it. In photos, the White Tortoise had always looked a little blingy, a little too much. I am not a huge tortoise fan. And the white resin?
Well, those reservations lasted until I opened the box. In real life, this pen is fantastic.
However, today the pen is an afterthought. This post is really inspired by the ink. I had wanted another springy ink, after enjoying Diamine Apple Glory and Sailor Sakura-Mori. Luckily, Sailor’s Four Seasons line is all about seasonal inks.
This is Waka-Uguisu, a “spring” ink that ranks among my very favorites from last year.
I absolutely love this ink.
Ink Review: Sailor Kobe No. 37 Island Blue
Sailor Kobe No. 37 Island Blue. This is a very nice blue ink, a little brighter and more fun than a typical standard blue, but not so bright or “notice me!” that it grows tiring or seems too loud for serious work. It’s also easy to clean and well-behaved in my pens.
(click Page 2 below to continue)
Fountain Pen Favorites for January 2017
January is over? How did that happen? Well, swiftly, I guess. In terms of pens and inks, January wasn’t particularly notable for me. But if I dredge, I can dig up some highlights.
1. Ink Dips. I liked the first two, Sailor Something Something and Pelikan Edelstein Onyx. Oh, yes, Sailor Oku-Yama. Details … poof. The mind is the first thing to go. Or maybe vision. Possibly hearing. What was I saying?
2. Yellow Journalism. I wrote in my new journal pretty consistently. Not every day, but almost. So it’s becoming a habit, which is nice. Unfortunately, I have written 96 pages since Christmas, which is going to be financially ruinous; these things are costly. I’m going back to a Rhodia Webnotebook when I fill my Nanami Writer, to see if the type of journal makes a difference or not.
3. Hmm, a Rant. Yeah, um, well, hard to think of a third highlight, to be honest. I liked the inks I used this month. Pens were pretty calm for me — there is not much happening here in pens. Actually, I dislike something. I am not in favor of the newly announced 2017 Lamy Safari color, which is “Petrol,” which is the German word for “Teal.” I can’t even pretend to care about this Safari. Especially when the 2017 Al-Star is already an aquamarine called Pacific.
It seems I’ve gone off Lamy. After so many years of the neons and the greens and the greenish yellows, now in 2107 we’re getting not one, but two, blue greens. That’s not what I’d call progress.
I’ve lost faith in Lamy, or interest, or both. I don’t know if the string of similar colors is due to lack of imagination, cost-consciousness or trying to profit off an influx of newbie buyers with no apparent discernment (given the prices they’ll pay for counterfeits). But whatever the cause, I don’t care. I’m bored with the result. It seems cheap and cynical, and worst of all dull, by Lamy.
Yes, I am now completely unexcited about Lamy Safaris. And I used to be their biggest fan.
——————
Photo by Dafne Cholet, Flickr, used under Creative Commons license.
Pen of the Day: Montblanc Heritage 1912 with Sailor Sakura-Mori
Montblanc Heritage 1912 with broad nib. This is one of my favorite pens, with its updated safety-filler design and its pleasantly bouncy nib. But today I’m really doing a disguised Ink of the Day.
I read that the first cherry blossoms begin blooming in Okinawa right about now, which made me take out the Sailor Sakura-Mori. Warm weather envy can be a beautiful thing.
I really enjoy the gentle pink of Sakura-Mori. A few drops of ink clinging to the nib show the peach tint that makes this ink so interesting.
Ink Dips: Sailor Oku-Yama
This post kicks off a new adventure for Fountain Pen Follies. Instead of carefully evaluating inks that I’m interested in, I’m going to do the opposite. I’m going to blindly pick an ink sample from my “miscellaneous samples” box, load it in a pen, and then see what I think of it.
I considered calling this experience Ink Roulette, or Random Inks, or even reclaiming the title Mystery Ink. But I’ve decided on Ink Dips. For two reasons. One, I’m just barely dipping into the ink. I won’t necessarily use it much, especially if I don’t like it. Two: it’s kind of a dippy idea. The reason these samples ended up in the box is because I either didn’t want to use them or didn’t like them.
But what the heck: it’s winter; try something new. Ink Dips begins.
Sailor Oku-Yama. This is an ink I’ve tried before and just didn’t like. So I was a little worried when I plucked it out of the box. But what a success for the first Ink Dip. I really enjoyed it this time.
(click Page 2 below to continue)
More Sailor Kobe No. 37 Island Blue
Here’s a sneak peek at how Sailor Kobe No. 37 Island Blue looks in a broader nib. We’ve already seen it in a Kaweco extra-fine. But I’ve got it in second pen now, a Lamy Safari with 1.1 mm stub nib.
Long story short: it’s a very nice ink, no matter the pen.
Here’s Island Blue from the Safari stub on Tomoe River paper, with the Kaweco extra-fine below.
And this is Island Blue on Rhodia paper, with the extra-fine nib first, then the wider stub.
It wasn’t until I saw a wider swath of Island Blue that I realized something cool. Even more than the lovely Diamine Blue Velvet, Kobe Island Blue reminds me of the equally lovely, but criminally underappreciated Visconti Blue.
I haven’t blogged about Visconti Blue, despite really liking it. Visconti Blue is a lower-maintenance blue ink that’s more vivacious than older standards like Waterman Serenity Blue, but without the ultra-brightness of some of the newer inks like Blue Velvet.
So here are swabs of Island Blue with the two inks it reminds me of.
Bear in mind that photos of the swabs alone can deceive. Blue Velvet is brighter than the other two, which you can see in person but not in the photo. And I think I remember that Visconti Blue shades more than Island Blue. Then of course there are important issues of sheen, water resistance, cleanup and the like, which we’ll delve into in the longer, official review.
I actually have comparisons of Island Blue to other inks, too. Because Island Blue is a very nice ink. That also will be in the review. (Because, time.) But just for fun, you can look at this older post, if you like. Or this one. Island Blue is a very nice ink.
Pen of the Day: Kaweco AL-Sport Light Blue with Sailor Kobe No. 37 Island Blue
Kaweco AL-Sport Light Blue with extra-fine nib. New year, new ink. I switched things up this week, trying out some new-to-me inks, including Sailor Kobe No. 37 Island Blue.
I already loved this pen, and the ink seems like a winner, too. Kobe Island Blue is quite saturated, so not a great shader, but there’s a bit. The ink seems a great match for the Kaweco extra-fine nib, flowing smoothly and still slightly on the wet side, while maintaining a thin but legible line.
I love the color of Island Blue: it’s a bright and cheery blue, with warmth but no harshness. When I took these photos, the afternoon light was cool and weak. The spark of life Island Blue provides is a nice antidote to a cold winter.
Kobe Island Blue seems similar to the very popular, but expensive, Bung Box First Love Sapphire, also made by Sailor. That means it will also be worth comparing Island Blue to Diamine Blue Velvet. I’ve only used Island Blue for a few days, and only in this pen, but on first impression, I like Island Blue best of all three inks.
Inks Chris Bought in 2016
I asked my friend Chris to tell us what inks she bought in 2016. I love her lists, because they always contain such interesting things. On the one hand, we both love Caran d’Ache and Montblanc inks. So, we’re practically twins. But Chris has much broader ink interests than I do. Occasionally I will insert an Editor’s Note in her text, because silence is not my forte. But here’s Chris.)
I think I’ve bought a similar number of bottles to last year, but I’m not counting any inks that I received for free. Like last year, I bought some more inks that I intend to sell, so I haven’t included those either.
I still haven’t kept very good records of inks I have bought, but I’ve gone back through PayPal and credit card purchases to compile a list for the purposes of this post. I buy inks from quite a few sources so my new years resolution for 2017 will be to keep an accurate record. (Editor’s Note: Good idea. I think my resolution will be to “forget” half my 2017 purchases.)
(click Page 2 below to continue)
Fountain Pen Follies 