Seven Orange Inks

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I’ve been on an orange kick. It all started innocently enough back in May, and then over the last few days, I’ve inked seven pens with seven different orange inks.  CrAzY!

I won’t have room to go into great detail on each ink here, but let’s explore a little, shall we?

Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu-gaki Writing Sample

Pilot Iroshizuku’s Fuyu-gaki runs a bit toward the red side of orange. It writes wonderfully, doesn’t display much shading, and is an all-around nice ink.

Fun with ink splatters. I did these on Word Cards that I got from Jet Pens. The paper is more like a thin watercolor paper than writing paper.

Moving on . . .

Montblanc Gandhi Writing Sample

Montblanc Gandhi fountain pen ink is no longer available. It can be found on eBay (I’ve been thinking about selling my spare bottle, but I’m not sure I want to let it go, you know?)

The ink is such a pretty pretty orange, lots of good shading, and is definitely one to try if you can find it.

Spatters, anyone?

Diamine Amber is next on our hit list . . .

Diamine Amber Writing Sample

Diamine Amber is just so light and feels a bit dry. This ink is in a Lamy with extra-fine nib and that may be part of the issue, but I’ve had other orange inks in the same pen and they’ve not been this light. I like inks that work in all of my pens (makes life easier, you know?) and with so many orange options available, I’m not so keen on this one. Others seem to like it.

And look at the spatters – good saturation there, friends.

Montblanc Gandhi isn’t the only game in town . . .

De Atramentis Gandhi Writing Sample

This was my first time using this ink and for some strange reason, I didn’t have high expectations. Silly me – it’s a perfectly fine ink. Some shading, writes quite well. No reason to be concerned. It’s really not like Montblanc Gandhi – not that it matters, I think it would be a little silly to compare the two just because they share a name.  I like it.

I also think I did a pretty good job on the spatters here . . .

Next up . . .

Noodler’s Apache Sunset Writing Sample

People are generally coco-crazy for Noodler’s Apache Sunset.  Even using an extra-fine nib, I can see the potential here. Absolutely insane shading. The color is very orange. People who don’t like this ink seem to say that there is no practical application for it – I’m not sure I understand. Maybe they feel that way about all orange inks?

So . . . check out the spatter. See the streak? Please know that I waited a full 24 hours after creating the spatters before scanning. THE INK WAS STILL WET!  Insanity.  (Even more insane – you can see this streak on other images, too…arrrgh. I need to figure out how to clean my scanner.)

Anyway . . .

Dude. Check out Pilot Iroshizuku Yu-yake . . .

Pilot Iroshizuku Yu-yake Writing Sample

Shading, saturation, great orange color – maybe a little red in there. Yu-yake is bright and cheerful. Writes like a dream. A new favorite of mine.

I’ve had good experiences with all Pilot Iroshizuku inks. They are a bit more expensive than other brands, but they are incomparable in terms of overall brand quality.

Last, and certainly not least:  Noodler’s Habanero.

Noodler’s Hanbaero Writing Sample

It’s been awhile since I’ve had Noodler’s Habanero in a pen. I’m not sure why. I fall in love with it every time. The beautiful shading, the gorgeous orange that reminds me of autumn.  Yum.

The only issue is that it seems to stay wet forever. Though, apparently, not as long as Noodler’s Apache Sunset.

That’s it!

Which are your favorites?

xoxo

REVIEW: Franklin-Christoph 80 Pen Master Case

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80-Pen Master Case from Franklin-Christoph

I have, use, and love several items from Franklin-Christoph. There’s the Penvelope and the Command Center Folio. I also have the Model 2 Intrinsic fountain pen (haven’t reviewed it yet here, but love it), and the terrible (for me) Black Magic Ink.  Overall, I’m a fan of Franklin-Christoph – they are a small company doing really great things.

When I spotted this case at the LA Pen Show in January, I was definitely interested. Unfortunately, by the time I was ready to buy, they were sold out. Blech.  (This is truly the nature of pen shows – if you see something you want and the price is right, you better jump on it before someone else does.)

I waited forever for these to come back into stock – and when they did, I ordered two. At $200 each, they’re a pretty big spend for storage of pens. Before the cases, I used black velvet jewelry trays in drawers to keep my pens (mostly) all in one place.  The jewelry trays worked for a number of years, but it wasn’t a perfect solution and the pens weren’t at all portable.

Some nuts and bolts . . .

  • Each case holds 80 pens
  • All 80 pens can be displayed at the same time with the fancy unzip, flip-flop, lay-flat design
  • Fancy “briefcase” look
  • Each pen is held in place with two elastic bands for added security
  • Dual zipper tabs on both sides
  • Handles can be pushed down to conceal

Once the pens are in the case, they are in the case and I don’t think anyone should be concerned about  smaller pens flopping around in there. In fact, if there’s a concern, it may be that the elastics are too tight. They are definitely snug and I’ve had some trouble getting some of my bigger pens into the case (difficult, not impossible).

Will being too snug damage a pen over time? I don’t know.  My kinda sorta guess is that if you take pens out of case a zillion time, that there will be some wear on the finish of the pen.

The craftsmanship of these cases is excellent. I’ve been using them for around five months at this point and they seem to be sturdy and functional. I am sure they will last a lifetime – or two.

I know that the cost will be a roadblock for some people. My thought is that if you have you 80+ pens and need a storage solution, you have probably spent a good amount of money on those pens and want a case that will protect them.

The Franklin-Christoph 80 Pen Master Case will definitely do the job.

FOUND AROUND FRIDAY – Noodler’s Fountain Pens Edition

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The above photo started a discussion about flex pens and that started a discussion about Noodler’s fountain pens and how I don’t have a single Noodler’s fountain pen that works like I’d hoped.

Feeling inspired, I found all of my Noodler’s fountain pens and a container of one of my most reliable inks – Pilot Iroshizuku’s Fuyu-syogun.

Noodler’s Konrad Flex Fountain Pen – Clear

This one accepted the ink easily. I love the blind cap covering the twisty thing for the piston. If you’ve ever accidentally twisted a twisty thing and gotten ink all over the place, you know what I’m talking about here.

How’d it write?

Noodler’s Konrad Flex – Writing Sample

Yeah. No.

I tried. I did a little scribbling, a little shaking. I gave the piston a little twist. I looked at the alignment of the thing to the other thing.  Yeah. No.

Moving right along . . .

Noodler’s Nib Creaper Flex Fountain Pen – Yellow and Blue

The Nib Creaper is super-slim and has a great ink window – stylish and functional. I love the way they look.

How do they write?

Yellow first . . .

Noodler’s Nib Creaper Flex – Writing Sample

It started out so well, but quickly became inconsistent. In the image above, it’s easy to see that the writing is darker at the top of the page and lighter as I near the end of the top paragraph.  There were also some hard starts. The flow just wasn’t right.

You know what makes me crazy? Inconsistent fountain pens. Work or don’t work, darn you!

Let’s look at the blue version . . .

Noodler’s Nib Creaper Flex – Writing Sample

OK! Alrighty! The blue Noodler’s Nib Creaper (why is it named that??) is kind of nice! It writes, it’s fairly smooth a bit of happy feedback. It flexes! And it recovers quickly from railroading – very nice!

I’m going to call this one a win. For those keeping score, that is one win out of three pens.

Let’s keep going . . .

Noodler’s Konrad Flex Fountain Pen

A black version of the Konrad Flex. Love that big ink window and, again, a blind cap protecting the piston’s twisty thing.

How’s it write?

Noodler’s Konrad Flex – Writing Sample

Wait. What?

This pen wouldn’t take up the ink. I tried several times, several different ways. I took the thing out of the other thing, adjusted it a bit, and tried again.  No go.

I don’t know.

Fail.

What’s next?

Noodler’s Ahab Flex Fountain Pen – Clear Demonstrator

Pretty sure the Ahab is the biggest of the Noodler’s pens. It fills with a plunger mechanism (fancy!) and looks like it could easily be converted to an eyedropper (but don’t quote me on that).

This is a pen I’ve reviewed in the past.

The ink sucked right up into the pen and I was feeling hopeful.

Noodler’s Ahab Flex – Writing Sample

The Ahab wrote decently – until I started flexing the nib.

Does it work as I’d hoped?  No.

What’s the score now? Is anyone keeping track?

Argh.

Noodler’s Konrad Flex Fountain Pen – Red

This pen is pretttttty. I really really wanted it to write well.

Noodler’s Konrad Flex – Writing Sample
Score!!

It wrote fine! Passed all but the hardest of the hard flexes. Seems like it recovered well from the over-flex.  I like it! Thank goodness because it really is a looker.  In fact, when Mr. Pentulant saw it, he asked, “Are you sure that’s a Noodler’s?” Ha!

I set all of the pens aside overnight and came back to them the next morning. How’d they do?

You’ll notice that the two pens that didn’t write the night before, didn’t write the next morning. No surprise there (especially since one of them didn’t have ink..ha).

That’s that.  
Here’s the final score:
Win – 2
Lose – 4
Seriously. 

To the defense of Noodler’s for a moment . . . These pens are made to be tinkered with. If you’re a fiddler and you want to fiddle, maybe you’ll have more success than I have had.

I watched Brian Goulet’s video. I tried. I freakin’ tried (and then blamed myself? no.).  I have come to the conclusion that I’m willing to tinker a little, but I mostly just want my pens to write when I pick them up. You know?

I’ve also concluded that Noodler’s pens are inconsistent as a whole. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if I went out to the living room, picked up the blue one, and it didn’t lay down a single line of ink. Likewise, that plunger-fill pen might just work today.

And it’s that inconsistency that I cannot stand.  Noodler’s pens are not for me.  Noodler’s inks are a different story!

OK, what do you think?  Noodler’s pens – love ’em or hate ’em?

INK REVIEW: J Herbin Stormy Grey

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Handwritten Review: J Herbin – Stormy Grey

There has been so much chatter in the fountain pen community about J Herbin’s Stormy Grey ink. So much anticipation. It’s all about that gold sheen, baby.

When Goulet Pens finally announced that they had it in stock, it was sold out in under an hour – and I missed it. Arrrrgh.

I hurried over to Amazon to see if I could find it there – score! It’s the same price at both places –  $26 for 50 ml.

Above: Like the other J Herbin special editions, this bottle is extra special, sealed with wax, and quite lovely. Except that only the smallest pens could fit into the opening of the bottle. And my wax on the screw top is already cracked – whomp whomp.

Below: The sheeny bits came to a rest at the bottom of the bottle.  You’ll want to shake well before using this ink.

Below: Sheen on the towel that I used to wipe my nib. Crazy, right?

All of that Stormy Grey sheen is just fine, but how does it write?

Quite wonderfully! 
The ink has terrific flow out of the pen (leans toward the wet side, but I like that). There’s some great shading and I really like the darkness of the gray (grey?) color with or without the added fun of the sheen.
Something I noticed that could be a concern – in the bottle, the sheeny bits settled so quickly. I shook the bottle like mad and then quickly pulled the ink into a syringe to fill my pens. If the sheeny bits settle that quickly, what happens in the pen when filled? Will all of the sheeny bits fall to the writing end of the pen and you will get the most sheen from the first few pages – and no sheen at all for the last few? 
The only other downside I can see with this ink is that because of the sheen, it’s not an ink that could be used in every situation. Thankfully, we live in a world that allows us some whimsy now and then.  😉
Below: My scanned writing sample doesn’t show much sheen, but it’s definitely there in the right light.

Looking for the sheeniest sheeny picture of them all?  Check out my friend rubengamez’s feed on Instagram. It’s crazy good sheen!

https://instagram.com/p/uEbTlGBafn

PEN REVIEW: Pilot Parallel 6mm

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I’m just going to blurt it out: I love this pen.

Let’s dive in . . .

I have two Pilot Parallel Pens – around ten bucks each, yo. I opened and played with both, but only inked the blue 6mm version.

Above: The pen comes with two Pilot proprietary ink cartridges (one red, one black) and a converter. These inks are mixable. I don’t get into it here, but Rachel Goulet has a terrific video that you should watch.

Converter? For cleaning the pen unit? Huh? What the heck? While I don’t know yet if it will help with cleaning, I am sure that the converter cannot be used for ink. The seal is not nearly sufficient to keep ink in the converter. Strongly suggest not trying it, but please take pictures if you decide to go for it – I love a beautiful mess.

My understanding is that the Pilot CON-50 converter will work with this pen. I plan to find out. Because, really, imagine big fat shaded or sheen line? Oooh…or maybe Diamine Flamingo Pink?

The Pilot Parallel also comes with a handy Nib Cleaner (it’s a piece of film that slips between the plates of the nib) and a somewhat informative instruction sheet.
I love this picture – the reflection of my yard, my fingerprint – what’s not to love. 

The Parallel is available in four different sizes. The different sizes have different colored caps. They are:

  • Blue                        6 mm
  • Green                   3.8 mm
  • Yellow                  2.4 mm
  • Red/Orange          1.5 mm
The size of the nib is clearly marked in a couple of places . . . .
The nib is made up of two plates that are parallel to one another. 
Get it? Parallel.





But how’s it write?

Wheeeeeee!  
I love it! 
I was worried that the writing would be too wet – it’s not. The flow is terrific and on good paper, there was no bleeding.  After playing with it a bunch initially, I find that I’m using it for a few things:
  • separating topics/sections on a page 
  • crossing items off of my to do list
  • writing short (very short) love notes to Mr. Pentulant
It’s a fun pen. For regular use, I might change the ink to a bright yellow and use it a highlighter. Fun, yes?
Downsides . . . 
  • the pen cannot be posted – come on, pen manufacturers, help a girl out
  • doesn’t come with a converter that can be used for ink – arrrgh.
Highly recommended!  
One of my Pilot Parallel pens came from Goulet Pens. The other came from Jet Pens. Goulet’s price is less. Bought and paid for with my own pennies out of own piggy bank. 


Have you tried one of these? Do you love it?