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. 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.