When the ballpoint took over, fountain pens graduated to the special shelf, where they hung out with the fancy china. From everyday tools, they became markers for significant occasions. Â Back then, people favored fine points, for compact writing on lightweight onionskin, perfect for letters in the mail. Then medium and broad nibs took over the …
Disposable fountain pens and most student-friendly ones, while certainly useful, only scratch the surface of what makes writing and drawing with a fountain pen such a gratifying experience. These entry-level pens, what beginners are usually told to start with because of the minimal investment, can end up making them feel, “Meh. That’s it?” Even expensive …
Good inks come in threes. Pilot iroshizuku shin-ryoku, Noodler’s Spirit of Bamboo, J. Herbin Vert Empire. Private Reserve Cosmic Cobalt, Sailor Nioi-Sumire, Pilot iroshizuku kon-peki. Private Reserve Arabian Rose, J. Herbin Larmes de Cassis, Pilot iroshizuku tsutsuji. Wouldn’t it be great to have a triple-chambered piston filler that you could fill with three different ink …
Pilot Parallel Pens are wonderful for calligraphy. Inspired by @rcannonp and Yoji Shinkawa’s sketch with a 3.8mm, I decided I would go with the 6 mm. It’s a challenge to find the balance between bold stroke and hairline suggestion. Also, for someone used to keeping a steady angle of nib to paper, the rapid switching …
Second chances go over well in religions and romance novels. Recently, I’ve realized they also work with pens. You can absolutely hate a pen when you first try it, then when you go back and write with it again, maybe holding the pen at a different angle or using a different ink, you start to …
We used to do it in art class: plop a blob of watercolor on oslo paper, lean forward, and blow. The watercolor traveled on paper with every energetic exhalation, looking like rivulets or branches or skeletal fingers. Yesterday I had a lens blower on my table. I also had a notebook and a pen. And …
There, I’ve said it. It’s a very flexible nib, the closest to vintage flex of all modern nibs, but being in a cartridge/converter filler and having such a stingy feed just cripples it. Pilot, do us all a favor. Change the feed and make an eyedropper for this poorly-served nib. You should have an eyedropper …
I love that word. “Contraption.” You can almost see the string tying together the bolts and ratchets and flanges. Today we have two contraptions. One holds pens. The other is a pen. The Muji pen holder can slide onto most notebook covers. It fits very securely on a standard hardcover Moleskine. Wire hoops stretch to …
I wanted to do a more detailed comparison, but I’m all out of words, so the pictures will have to do.
Here’s a quick and dirty picture. The Myu 90 arrived today.