Tyler Dahl

My homemade Sheaffer Vac-Fill tool!

2012-03-09T08:10:00.001-06:00

If you're the DIY repair kind of person, you'll love this little tool I made.

Ever struggled trying to find something to unscrew that nut inside the blind cap of a Sheaffer Vac-Fill?

Finding something that fits is next to impossible, so you're left with only one good choice - make something of your own.

If you're looking for inspiration on doing this, hopefully this post will help you out.

I'm not going to go into great detail on how I made this. I will give you the basics though. It's not hard to do, granted you have the tools. Besides, I want to leave you some room to be creative. :)

I started out with a nail. Can't remember the size. A bigger one though, not a tiny finishing nail.

I don't have a large anvil, so I used two hammers to make this. One hammer for pounding, and the side of the other one as my anvil! Worked like a charm.

I used a blow-torch to heat the end of the nail up, and then I pounded it out flat. combined with a grinding wheel for shaping, I ended up with a good squared end.

Then I used pliers and bent the tip at the angle you'll see below.

Lastly, I used my rotary tool to cut the notch down the middle. A little sandpaper cleaned it up a bit too. :)

I unfortunately was unable to make a handle for this. I don't have a lathe, or any other equipment to help out with that kind of thing. As of now, it works just fine with a rubber grip I have in my workshop.

The notch has been cut to fit right around the Vac-Fill rod.

Here it is in action. Works like a charm!

The last thing I need to do is get a hold of the proper chemical, and harden the steel. As of now, it's a tad soft and I fear it will bend if to much force is used.

Once hardened, this will be the perfect Vac-Fill tool for me, and will definitely be an improvement over my v1.0 "tweezer" tool.

Anyone else here ever made their own pen-repair tool? I've made a few now, and it's always a lot of fun. There's nothing more satisfying than successfully repairing a pen with a tool the you have made!.

Paper Review - Basildon Bond

2012-03-06T09:13:00.000-06:00

Time for another paper review. This will be my first time reviewing a "fancy paper". That is my quick-term for any paper that is marketed as high-end, prestigious, and/or luxurious.

This Basildon Bond paper is a total winner for me. I love every aspect of it, and it seems to excel where other papers fail for me.

PS - I'm using a new camera for the pictures in this review. I'm still getting used to it, so hopefully no one will be distracted by a few less-than-optimal shots now and again. :)

I really like this paper. And in case I forget to mention it again - I really like this paper. 95/100

Basildon Bond is an E.U. based company founded in 1911, that specializes in FP friendly, luxury stationery. Their paper is top-of-the-line, and it's beautiful. They make true watermarked paper, in a variety of "colors" and sizes. The specific paper we're looking at today is the Basildon Bond, Post Quarto Champagne Writing Pad. Let's get into some details:

Pages: 40 per pad, + a guide sheet and blotting paper.

Weight: 90gsm

Ruling: None/Blank

Color: "Champagne" AKA: Off-white

Size: 229 x 178mm

Price per pad: $6.30 (approx. conversion from GBP)

Price per page: $.15 (approx. conversion from GBP)

NOTE - These pads are incredibly hard to find for purchase. I found on place online that offered one variety of them, and that is what I'm basing my pricing off of. Actual pricing may vary, if you can find a place that offers these.

The good:

Very high quality paper
Not too expensive - very reasonable
It's textured, which is great, because I don't like "plasticy" feeling paper.
Watermarked
Off-white. I love this!
Comes with a guide sheet since the paper is blank.
Comes with a sheet of blotting paper, though honestly, the dry times were very good without.

The bad:

Can be very difficult to get a hold of, since the company is not within the States, and doesn't seem to be interested in importing their products...

The ugly:

There's nothing ugly about this paper.

On to the details!

The Basildon bond paper can be purchased with matching envelopes, for added effect when you're sending out a letter. You've already spent the money on nice paper, so you may as well invest in some beautiful envelopes to go with it. :)

Here's your stack of envelopes. you get 20 envelopes in a pack as opposed to 40 sheets of paper in a pack. seems fair enough to me.

If you look closely, you can see the watermark "BB" on the envelope.

Peel and stick. I was sort of hoping for the old lick-n-stick kind... :)

The envelops overall are an impressive addition to the paper. If you're going to bother buying this paper, get the envelopes with it. They really complete the package.

Now, how about that paper: Oh yeah! It's great stuff. I love every aspect of it, and it's got to be my favorite out of any paper I've thus far tried.

It's off white - huge bonus for me...

It's textured, and I love this. I really hate plastic feeling papers...

It takes FP ink very well (direct comparison to CF paper further down)...

It's watermarked...

What more can you ask for? I can't think of anything I'd do to change this paper. It exceeds my standards for what good paper should be. Smashing job Basildon Bond!

Let's take a closer look:

Here's the pad, and it's nice cover.

Here we have a little advertisement. They want to sell me some address labels to go with my envelopes. The backside of this sheet is your guide sheet.

This guide sheet will keep you writing straight on this beautiful blank paper. I prefer this set-up to lined paper. Blank paper naturally looks cleaner and better, but it's to hard to write nicely on. This guide sheet provides the perfect middle ground, allowing for neat writing on neat paper.

This is the blotting paper. I accidentally started writing on it at first. Soaked up my ink very quickly. :)

And here's a writing sample.

I want to focus on this ink right here - J. Herbin Ambre de Bermanie. This ink feathers like crazy on bad paper. Basildon Bond? It takes it like a champ!

This is the same ink, same pen, written on Clairefontaine paper (Habana, old style).

The performance compared - both about the same.

This was an incredibly hard shot to capture, so please take a moment to click on the picture, open it in a new window at full resolution, and appreciate it. :)

If you look very closely, you will see the watermark on the paper.

Held up in the sunlight, you can easily see the watermarks in the paper.

Conclusion:

So what do I think of Basildon Bond paper? I love it! I've finally found a paper that meets all my requirements. Textured, off-white, and FP friendly. It's also not that expensive either, and it's beautifully watermarked.

My one problem with it - availability. It's hard to get a hold of. Hopefully I will find a source to buy these in the US, easily, and when I do I will share it with you all. For now, you're just going to have to go directly to the website, and find a dealer that has it.

No review, particularly one done with a new camera, would be compete without a closing shot:

Weekend Reads 3/2/12

2012-03-03T14:07:00.001-06:00

We're into March now, and spring is fast approaching. It's feeling like it's already here in Tennessee, with some lovely 75+ degree weather. With all this beautiful weather, it's definitely time to get outside and do some outdoor work, for me anyway.

While it may not be the season to curl up by the fire anymore, its never a bad time to relax and talk about fountain pens! And that's what we intend to do here with the Weekend Reads 3/2/12.

Grab a chair outside (if your weather permits), a good media device, and enjoy. :)

First and foremost - the Weekend Reads Podcast is out again! Episode 3 is a bit longer than usual, as I take a few minutes at the start to share something that's been on my mind for a while.

Weekend Reads Podcast:

Mentions:

My email - tyler@tylerdahlpens.com
FPGeeks
My Pelikan Size Comparsion (NOTE: The white tortoise pictured here is an M400 tortoise, not an M600 :)
Simichrome (Amazon.com)
Basildon Bond Paper
EDC - Wikipedia Defenition
Omnifocus for iPhone and iPod Touch
My pen case: 6 pen pen-wrap

Let me know if I missed anything in the mentions!

Let's move on to the Links of the Week: top picks from my favorite blogs and forums.

#1: This week I was given the honor being called the Geek of the Week by the great folks at FPGeeks.com. I was really surprised when I was contacted about this, but it was an extremely enjoyable interview. I got to know Eric very well, as we had some technical difficulties to work through. Eric is an amazing person, and I recommend you all subscribe to the FPGeeks blog for future updates. It's good stuff coming from them! :)

#2: Anyone seen the new Pelikan M600 white tortoise? It's gorgeous, and it's better sized than it's small cousin, the M400. Brian Goulet provides a lot of great details in his extensive post on it, and even includes a video!

#3: How about a great review of a gorgeous J. Herbin ink? Check this one out. The review alone makes me interested in the ink - it's a really good read.

#4: Lastly, we have another review of the Kaweco Sport. This is the black one, and I really like it! I'm almost considering buying a black one to replace my blue one.

Q&A Time!

Got some great questions this week, once again courtesy of Maja! Thank you!

But seriously, we can't have only one person asking me questions, now can we. :) You, and I do mean you need to think up of some good ones too. Give it a try - it's a lot of fun!

Q: What techniques do you employ for the final polishing of vintage pens? (ie. manual or machine or a combination?)

A: I prefer to polish my pens by hand, using Simichrome. I use a small flannel cloth to polish, and then I use a big fluffy piece of micro-fiber cloth to really put a shine on the pen. Always be careful when polishing to avoid the imprint on the the pen, and the threaded portions. If you have a hard rubber pen, or a pen with chasing, I would stay away from Simichrome and use something else.

The technique is really that easy. Just rub on Simichrome, and buff off. :) Eventually you'll be left with a gorgeous and shiny pen. Might take one of two passes to get it perfect, but trust me, you'll get there.

Another thing to consider is metal areas with plating and masking. Avoid masked nibs (two-tone nibs) if you can, and go easy on plated levers and clips. you don't want to wear down the plating, because then the clip will brass very badly. Unfortunately it can be hard to tell if you've gone to far with a clip, as the underlying brass looks a lot like the plating. Just be careful, and practice on non-plated pens first. Esterbrooks are great to practice on.

Q: If you were stranded on a desert island, what 3 pens, 3 inks and 3 types of paper (journal/notebook/writing paper) would you want to have with you?

A: Good question! Here's my complete list:

Pens:

Inks:

Papers:

Q: Everyday carry (EDC) - What items do you carry in your pockets/in a small pack or attached to clothing? I was just curious what kind of stuff you carry with you, be it pen-related or not.

A: Another fun question! I'm very into fine-tuning my EDC, so here's my current list as of March 2012:

Front left pocket: Always kept empty for my iPod Touch (my personal secretary :).
Front right pocket: Knife, keys, and 3 guitar picks in the coin pocket.

Back left pocket: Once again, reserved for the iPod Touch. I switch between the front and back left pockets depending on what I'm doing.

Back right pocket: My wallet, of course.

That's really it for me actual EDC. There are other items I like to carry around, but I only do so on a monthly (maybe weekly) basis. Not enough to qualify them as EDC.

Q: Ok, I gotta know: Is your accent from Tennessee or what? I've heard lots of folks who are from TN, but your accent sounds nothing like theirs. What gives?

A: Ah yes, my accent (or the nonexistence of it :). Well, I'm not originally from TN actually. I'm from Southern California! I grew up in San Diego, so if anything, you could say I have a CA accent. I'm not sure that I do, but I definitely don't have a Tennessee accent. Yet...

And now for the Blog Forecast:

J. Herbin Ambre de Birmanie ink review.
Basildon Bond paper review. Thanks to Freddy for making this review possible, this is my first "nice paper" that I've ever used.
My newest homemade pen repair tool!

Now that we're in March, you can expect the updated review of the TWSBI 540 sometime very soon. I am looking forward to doing that one, and I think it'll be a nicer read than my six-part 530 review. :)

I will once again thank you all for joining for me yet another Weekend Reads! This is the tenth one now, and I think they're getting better and better each time. The questions this week were spectacular, and I had such a great time answering them.

Please leave me a comment below and let me know what you thought of this weekends Weekend Reads!

Lastly, by way of helping me out, please consider subscribing to the blog if you already haven't. The more subscribers I get, the more I am constantly encouraged to keep on blogging. It's nice to know that my hard work gets read. I really appreciate each and every one of you!

Have a great day everybody.

Final Update - ONE MONTH Pocket Challenge!

2012-03-02T08:17:00.001-06:00

Time for the wrap-up to our fun little ONE MONTH Pocket Challenge!

If you haven't been following along, check out the original post as well as the mid-month update.

I'm pretty excited about this. It is the first time I've ever done something like this, but I think it worked out spectacularly! You'll have to read on, and let me know what you think.

How do you like this for a little "cover/wrap-up" image? :)

This definitely helps get across the way I feel about these two.

"How did they hold up Tyler? What do you think of their performance?"

In a word: incredible.

In detail: These two have surpassed my expectation for a pen and notebook at this price point. The pen especially. This pen was designed for the pocket, and it actually holds up in there too! I am very happy to report that neither one has broken on me, or failed me in any way. They have withstood my tests, and taken anything and everything that I've thrown at them. Let's hit the specifics below, with a little "story book" of photos:

Our little Kaweco looks pretty good considering the bad company he's been keeping for the last month. Hanging out in the same pocket with a knife and keys can be very bad for your health, or so I'm told.

You can see the scratches on the side of the pen in this shot. It's mostly on this side, were it's been rubbing against my knife a lot.

The clip - there's a very tiny amount of plating loss. No brassing that I see yet, but I'm starting to see silver-color showing through the gold plating.

The top jewel is very worn. It's about 70% gold now, but it has lost a lot of it's color now.

The nib? Looks just fine! No plating loss, or any other nonsense. It's just a sturdy, funcitonal nib.

And how about that notebook? Well, take a look and you be the judge!

For being in my back pocket a whole month, I'd say this is a very nice looking notebook. Sure, there are a few creases in it, but it's just as solid as ever, and shows no signs of falling apart at all.

The edge isn't even that worn!

Filled with lots of writing from my Kaweco. They make a good pair. :)

So do I think the Kaweco Sport and CF pocket notebook has passed my challenge? YES, I do! They passed it with flying colors, and I can safely say I enjoy both of them now more than ever. The Kaweco has really earned a place of respect in my pen collection as an extremely reliable pocket pen, built to serve and last.

After a month in my pocket with keys and a knife, through various harsh conditions, it has nothing more than some scratches and a bit of plating loss. I'm impressed and delighted. No breaks, no cracks, and no dents or dings! With a good polish, I could have this guy looking like new!

Would I recoomend the Kaweco Sport and CF notebook to you? Depends on what you want. If you want something road-worthy, reliable, no-nonsense, and cheap, then yes, you need these. These are true tools, not just toys. The Kaweco Sport isn't just a gimmicky little kid's pen. It's a true workhorse inline with the proper definition of the word.

That's it folks for the ONE MONTH Pocket Challenge! We're all done! Some have asked if I'll be doing this in the future. I can't say for certain, but there's a very good chance I might. It's been a great way to test a pen and notebook for endurance, reliability, and sturdiness. I've enjoyed doing the test, and I hope you've enjoyed the results.

If you'd be so kind as to leave me a comment below, and let me know what you think/thought of the ONE MONTH Pocket Challenge, I'd really appreciate it! You're feedback would be appreciated. Would you like to see this test done more often?

Lastly, if you'd like to help support my blog and keep it going, do me a favor and subscribe to my blog feed. It will not only keep you up to date with the latest and greatest from the blog, but will encourage me to keep blogging, because I can see that real people are actually reading this stuff that I put out. It takes a lot of work, time, and effort to run a blog like this, but you subscribers help keep me going!

Thanks everyone, and have a great day!

The podcast is up on iTunes!

2012-03-01T15:26:00.000-06:00

If any of you folks are Apple-junkies (like me!), you can now subscribe to the Weekend Reads Podcast via iTunes!

Please, give it a look folks, and if you'd be so kind, give it an honest review and/or rating. I would love to hear your thoughts on the podcast. The more ratings you leave, the better chance that we can spread the fun to a larger crowd!

That's it for now everybody. Tomorrow will be the wrap up for the ONE MONTH Pocket Challenge. :)

Ink Review - Private Reserve Spearmint

2012-02-29T10:35:00.000-06:00

Time for another ink review! I told you would be doing a lot of inks this week. :)

Private Reserve Spearmint is one of my favorite greens out of the bunch that I've tried. It's bright, vibrant, and moderately well behaved.

I'm not quite sure if the color reminds me of spearmint, but nonetheless, it's a beautiful color!

Private Reserve Spearmint is just the right shade of bright vibrant green. I like this ink a lot, and I'll give it an 89/100.

The good:

Beautiful vibrant green
Private Reserve inks are fairly inexpensive - just a tad more than Noodlers
Wonderful shading properties

The bad:

I experienced a little feathering and bleeding with this ink. But then, I was using a very wet pen, so that accounts for a lot of it.

The ugly:

The labels that Private Reserve uses on their ink bottles.... Ugh! They look like someone slapped em' together in PowerPoint!

Overall, PR Spearmint is a lovely shade of green. I own a full bottle of it, and I ain't fixin' to get rid of it! I've searched long and hard for the perfect green, and aside from PR Sherwood Green, this one comes extremely close.

Details time!

Ink review: Private Reserve Spearmint.

Pen and nib: TWSBI 540 - medium nib (very wet!).

Color: Beautiful lush green.

Dry time: 5 seconds, but this is a very wet nib. Dry times will vary greatly depending on the size of the nib and the wetness.

Smear when dry: NO.

Shading: Moderate - but very pretty.

Lubrication: Good.

Bleed through: Moderate - Using somewhat cheap paper and a wet nib .

Feathering: Moderate - Using somewhat cheap paper and a wet nib.

Ain't that just a gorgeous shade of green! :)

You can see the slight feathering here. Pretty good actually for such a wet nib, but I still would prefer it wasn't there at all.

Conclusion:

Overall I find that this really hits the mark of an awesome green ink for me. It's got a good balance of yellows and blues, keeping it right in my favorite green-color-range. It's vibrant, fun, and a really enjoyable ink in general.

I do wish it didn't show quite that much feathering or bleed-through, but it's really tough not too with the paper and pen combo I used. It could be better, but I really wouldn't expect it to be.

When it comes down to it, Private Reserve Spearmint has definitely earned itself my recommendation. If you're in the market for a good green, and you love bight/vibrant colors, this one should fulfill your desire perfectly.

And that concludes this review! I sure hope you enjoyed that. I'll be posting something other than an ink review this Friday, so don't worry - I won't make things get stale. :) I'll wrap the week up on Friday with the conclusion to the ONE MONTH Pocket Challenge! You best be sure you're subscribed so you don't miss out on that.

Thanks for reading everyone. Don't forget to leave me a comment! I want to hear your though on this ink. How do you all like it? What other greens do you like? I look forward to hearing from you.

Have a great day!

Ink Review - J. Herbin Rouille d'Ancre

2012-02-28T15:10:00.000-06:00

With a name like that, this had better be a good ink. :) Lucky for us, it looks like J. Herbin delivered!

J. Herbin Rouille d'Ancre is one of the most unique inks I've ever used. It's a color like no other, and I find it extremely intriguing. I'm not sure if it's something I'll buy a full bottle of, but I am definitely glad I got to try a sample of it.

While the color of this ink may not be to everyone's liking, it's good behavioral qualities earn it an 85/100.

The good:

Behaves amazingly well on any paper.
Very easy to clean out of your pen, like most J. Herbin inks.
Extremely unique - you won't find any other ink that looks like this one.

The bad:

Definitely not suitable for business settings.

The ugly:

Once again, and I'll say this for every J. Herbin ink I review - the bottle this ink comes in is practically useless. Really not good for filling a fountain pen from, especially if you like big pens like the Pelikan M1000.

Onto the details:

Ink review: J. Herbin Rouille d'Ancre.

Pen and nib: Pilot Vanishing Point - fine nib.

Color: Dusky/strawberry pink

Dry time: 3 Seconds - Very good, but this ink is a little dry flowing, as is my nib.

Smear when dry: No.

Shading: Just a little bit.

Lubrication: None really - very dry ink.

Bleed through: None at all.

Feathering: Not a bit.

This scan is moderately accurate, but the photos below are much better.

Looks a lot like strawberries to me. A very yummy color of ink. :)

No feathering at all.

Conclusion:

This is probably not an ink that I want a full bottle of, but I sure am glad I tried a sample! A full bottle just wouldn't get used quite enough to justify a purchase, even though I like this ink a lot.

J. herbin Rouille d'Ancre is unique, beautiful, and extremely well behaved. If you like the color, I highly recommend this ink!

That's it for my review. I hope you enjoyed! Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think of this ink. It's so unique, I'd really enjoy your opinions on the color, performance, etc.

Don't forget to subscribe to the blog as well. :)

Have a great day everybody!

Weekend Reads 2/24/12

2012-02-26T12:13:00.000-06:00

Weekend Reads Edition 9! Wow, almost ten now. I can't hardly believe it's been almost three months since we started the Weekend Reads. Feels like it was just a week ago to me. :)

I've got another podcast for you today, as well as some great questions and answers! A special thanks goes to Maja, who provided me with two delightful questions to address today. Thank you Maja! :)

To the rest of you: make some coffee, find that favorite chair, and enjoy!

Now becoming the new usual start - We'll begin with the Weekend Reads podcast! I'm very excited about this weeks podcast! Last week, the podcast was given a very warm welcome, and I hope this week will be even better.

You'll also notice a fancy new icon for the podcast. The inner graphic-designer still resides in part of me... :)

Weekend Reads Podcast - 2/24/12 - Episode 2

(DOWNLOAD - 56.4MB)

Remember, I'm counting on you guys to leave me feedback on the podcast this week! I need to know if we've improved, gone backwards, stayed the same - whatever! Just let me know how you like it. :)

Mentions:

Seize the Dave (Rohrer & Klingner review)
Brian Goulet - Ink Nouveau
FPGeeks
Gourmet Pens (Bunny-Rabbit index tabs :)

Subscribe to the blog if you haven't already! You don't want to miss out on future Weekend Reads now do you? ;)

My email: tyler@tylerdahlpens.com

Like I say in the podcast - I've just submitted this to iTunes! Soon enough you will be able to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes, on your iDevice of choice. For now, if any of you are "techies" like me, here's the raw XML/RSS feed if you're interested in subscribing early. It works great on my iPod Touch 4g, but please let me know if you have any problems with it.x

And now, for the Links of the week: top picks from my favorite blogs and forums!

#1: Wow, if anyone can make an ordinary ink look astoundingly incredible it's this guy! Just take a look at this review of Rohrer and Klingner Verdigris. This ink looks like any other ink to me, that is until I saw this review. If only the ink could make my handwriting look like that!

#2: Iroshizuku has some fancy new colors up. :) To be honest though, I'm not altogether enthralled with this new selection of colors. Of course, when you look at the ink bottled up in those gorgeous bottles, it's hard to resist. But on paper, they really don't stand out that much to me. Your thoughts? Are these inks you'd consider purchasing? I'm a big fan of Iroshizuku, but due to their pricing, I have to love one of their inks in order to justify buying it.

#3: FPGeeks hits another home-run with an Awesome Review of the Lamy Safari! I've been considering purchasing a matte black Lamy Safari for a while... Now I'm seriously needing one. :) Man, this matte black addiction is getting bad!

#4: I'll admit it - as a guy, there are few things that strike me as "cute". These however, definitely qualify! Bunny-rabbit index tabs!? :) Never seen em' before, but for just $2.50, I have to get some next time I order from Jet Pens.

That finishes my links of the week for February 24th! Let's move on to (what I hope will be) an extremely fun:

Q&A Time!

Q: What are your favorite NON-fountain pen writing instruments? (if any :)

A: Now that's a tough one! If I were to compare my fountain pen usage to my "other writing instruments" usage, I would say that fountain pens dominate it with about 99.9% of the time! I hardly ever touch a pencil, and I do not own a single ball-point pen. I guess you could say that I am truly devoted to FP's. :)

But, I do have a favorite ballpoint and mechanical pencil. Nothing fancy, and both can be purchased from any store that sells office supplies.

For ballpoints: I love the ever-popular Pilot G2. It's a great pen, it's cheap, and writes oh-so-smoothly.

For a pencil, I am liking my Zebra M-301 0.5mm these days. once again, can be had just about anywhere, it's cheap, it's mostly metal, and it works very well!

But to be honest, I use my pencil very rarely, and I haven't used a ball-point in years! I only use my pencil for doing website/graphic-design mockups and sketches. I never use it for writing...

Q: What technique(s) do you use to remove stubborn fountain pen sections?

A: This is an excellent question. I will try to explain in detail here, and be sure to check out the podcast for even more detail!

The most important technique for removing a stubborn FP section is PATIENCE. Without patience, you are destined to break and/or destroy whatever pen you're working on. I only say this because I've done it myself in my early days of pen repair. hastiness caused me a lot of sad pen-casualties. :(

Now, onto the good stuff. I'll go step by step here:

Soak the pen section in water if you're sure that will not damage it. some hard rubbers and materials will discolor if left in water. Be sure you know hat material you're working with before you get started. When you soak the section in water, make sure the water cover the entire section, and barrel threads. The idea is to get some water down inside where the section and barrel meet, and loosen things up in there.
Next, try gentle dry heat. Buy a heat gun if you don't already have one. A simply $20.00 craft embossing gun will do. That's less expensive than one bottle of Iroshizuku ink, so it's worth your investment. :) Heat the section and barrel threads up till they're warm to the touch, but not burning hot. Then, using padded pliers, grip and pull apart or unscrew - whichever your pen requires. I find the friction fit sections can be the hardest to remove. A gentle, and I stress gentle rocking motion can really help loosen the section. Be careful you don't crack the barrel though! Heat helps soften the plastic so it doesn't crack as easily.

Okay, I did that, now what? My pen still won't come apart...

This is where patience comes in. you keep repeating the above steps until the pen comes apart! It can take days to get a section of sometimes. Requiring dozens of soaking, and 10 or so "heat sessions". I've had quite a few like that. The key here is patience. You must know that the pen will eventually come apart, and that it's just a matter of time. But as soon as you rush things, you're pen is toast...

That's it - it's very simple. Just basic techniques and patience. Try it, but don't give up if it's not working in the first day or two. It can take a long time. Remember, these pens have been sealed up for 60 or more years in some cases! They can be extremely stubborn!

That's it for Q&A Time this week. A bit short? Yes, too short in my opinion. :|

So please, consider taking a minute out of your day to send me some questions for next week. I would not only love to hear from you, but I'd be eternally grateful for the help!

Email me anytime: tyler@tylerdahlpens.com, or drop me a comment below. Thank you! :)

And lastly, the Blog Forecast, to finish the week off:

It's looking like we're going to have a week of ink! I've pretty much got ink reviews for the week. I'm not ready to do my MonteVerde Invincia Stylus review yet, and I've got a bunch of pens inked with new ink right now.
We'll be summing up the ONE MONTH Pocket Challenge very soon here! I will provide a detailed post with photos, much like a mini-review. It'll be fun. :)

And that's really it. Just some ink reviews and an update. It'll be a good relaxing week, before I roll out some pen reviews again! I'm hoping to have the new TWSBI Diamind 540 review soon enough.

And that's it for Weekend Reads 2/24/12! I hope you thoroughly enjoyed!

Please leave me a comment below and let me know what you think of the second Weekend Reads Podcast! I want to hear from you. ;)

Make sure you don't miss out on next weeks reviews: subscribe to the blog! Your subscription not only keeps you up-to-date, but encourages me to keep on-a-bloggin'. ;)

Have a great weekend everyone!

DELAYED - Weekend Reads 2/24/12

2012-02-25T10:48:00.000-06:00

I'm so sorry everyone, but the Weekend Reads has been pushed to tomorrow morning!

I got a sick with a cold, and was not able to record the podcast on time. I really want to do the podcast again, so I decided it'd be best to delay the Weekend Reads just one day, till Sunday.

Sorry for the inconvenience. I'm sure you all can find something fun to do with your spare Saturday time. :)

Hey, here's an idea: why not actually use one of your fountain pens!

Happy writing everyone.

Notebook review - Norcom Composition

2012-02-24T13:52:00.000-06:00

Time for another notebook review, this time, of my favorite go-to notebook!

These notebooks can be had at your local Wal-Mart for the princely sum of $0.99. :)

They're cheap, they work well, and I like them! Read on for the detailed review!

For the longest time I searched for paper that worked moderately well with a FP, could be purchased locally, and most importantly, was very inexpensive. Sure, I like CF paper, and other stuff like that. But I have to order it online, and when I stated repairing pens and tuning nibs, I was not willing to use that expensive of paper. The cost would be ridiculous!

So, I finally looked around long enough and came across these gems! Very, very, very inexpensive. :) Anyone can afford a stack of them at only $0.99! I bought a huge amount, and now have a big stash of them in my desk.

There is one big catch to these notebooks however: You have to, absolutely have to make sure you get the ones that are Made in Brazil! There are notebooks that are the exact same, made by the same company, in the same stack, that are made in Vietnam. Those ones are horrible for FP's, and do not work at all.

Now, that aside, let's dive into how great these are!

So, here you have it - the Norcom Composition notebook.

Looks just like a typical composition notebook.

These are your typical "string-bound" composition books, with that little cloth cover thingy on he back edge. In my experience with them, they hold up very well under stress. I cannot speak as to how they'll hold up for students carrying them around daily, but I imagine they'd do just fine. And that is definitely an area where these notebooks excel: for those students who don't want to shell out $10.00 - $15.00 for a high-end FP friendly notebook. These are so economical at their current price, it's hard not to buy them in bulk!

Now, moving on to paper performance:

Here's the paper performance with a thick swab of Diamine Red Dragon:

There is bleed-through on the swab. A disadvantage of these notebooks - I personally find that I cannot use the backside of these. How ever, even with that, you're still getting 50 sheets for $0.99. :)

Here's some Diamine Red Dragon, written with my Pilot VP, fine nib. Feathering is extremely minimal, and really nonexistent in this case.

Here's a thick line laid down y my Ahab flex in Noodlers Black. Almost no feathering!

The backside of the above page: Show-through, but no bleed-through.

How does it handle the infamous Noodlers BayState Blue?

Remarkably well!

Overall I'm very pleased with this papers performance! It has extremely minimal bleed-through, and moderate show-through with wet nibs.

A bit more on the notebooks:

These are normal sized composition books. They are unfortunately wide-ruled, which I do not like.

The come in a variety of design, from your typical composition book cover, to other wild variants.

Conclusion:

The bottom line is this - if you go through a lot of paper, and you're just going to toss it (notes, rough drafts, etc.), then this is the paper for you. It's super cheap, works good enough, and is available locally!

For the price, you really need to go pick up at least one notebook from your local Wal-Mart, and give it a try. I think you'll like it. :)

Please drop me a comment and let me know what you think of the review! Does anyone else out there use these too? I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on them.

Lastly, just to be safer than sorry, be sure to get the Made in Brazil ones. :)

Ink Review - Noodlers BayState Blue

2012-02-23T13:56:00.000-06:00

Well, if you have a habit of starting flame-wars on forums and blog-comments, I'd suggest you stay clear of this review. :)

Noodlers BayState Blue (BSB) has stirred up a lot of contention in the online world. Anytime it's mentioned, you can be sure to have dozens of supporters, as well as dozens of haters, all flocking to the article.

I am going to attempt a head-on, honest review of this ink. Personal opinions will be included, at a minimal level, but I'll stick primarily to just the facts.

I cannot personally give BayState Blue any more than 25/100...

Noodlers BayState Blue, in my opinion any way, does not have a lot going for it. It's a bright color of blue, that leans more towards purple-blue than actually blue. It is water resistant, and that's about where the goodness ends. Let's hit the details:

The good:

The color is bright and vibrant.
Waterproof/bullet-proof. Good and bad. It's nice to have sometimes though.

The bad:

I don't like the shade of blue personally. It's far too purple for me. When I want blue, I want blue, like Iroshizuku Kon-Peki.
The ink performance is very poor. Skipping, feathering, bleed-through. This ink has it all. :|

The ugly:

Stains like crazy! I almost ruined my beautiful antique sink with this ink, and my Ahab converter is now blue forever... :(

So, it's already known, from my Weekend Reads 2/18/12, and my Ahab Flex Pen review, that I do not like Noodlers BSB at all. This is based on experience with the ink, not because someone else told me not to like it.

Like a previously said, there really isn't anything going for this ink. It's not even a good shade of blue!

First, take gander at this. What you see here is feathering on Clairefontiane paper!!! I did not know that was even possible... :) For reference, the CF paper is from my Habana, one of the old ones with the bright white 90g paper...

Here is my permanently-blue Ahab converter. Good thing I bought a blue pen, or else more than the converter would be permanently stained...

Here's how my Ahab flex pen performed with Noodlers BSB. HORRIBLE...

Take a good look at all the skips and railroading, and especially my vertical-stoke-test at the bottom.

This sample was written just 30 min. after the one above. The only difference - just a change of inks! This is Noodlers Black, which works extremely well with my Ahab. Not one skip, nor one railroad - perfect performance out of the same pen that could barely write just a half-hour ago.

Overall... I have to say it: I hate Noodlers BSB... There's nothing for me to like about it, at all.

It almost made me toss a good pen. It hardly works. It stains my pens, and my good sink. And it's not even a nice shade of blue, in my opinion.

To be honest, the only thing I see BSB being useful for, is if you are just absolutely desperate for a bullet-proof blue ink. Aside from those cases, go for something else. For Bulletproof, use Noodlers Black. For blue, I highly recommend Iroshizuku Kon Peki.

Sorry if this review offends anyone. I don't mean to slam on this ink, but I have to keep my reviews on honest. Please let me know your thoughts on the review and BSB.

Let's all keep the comments kind though please! No rudeness, or shouting, or screaming allowed. :)

My new pen is here!

2012-02-22T10:05:00.001-06:00

Well, if you listened to the Weekend Reads podcast last Saturday, you probably heard that I ordered (another!) new pen. :)

The MonteVerde Invincia Stylus.

This is one pen that I am very excited to play around with and review. It's sweet looking, writes amazingly well, and has a touch0screen capable tip on it!

Feast your eyes upon this beauty!

Matte black, and styled like a weapon!

Only pen I've ever seen with a titanium coated black nib!

This pen has awesomeness written all over it. Keep your eyes peeled for the full review sometime in early March. Be sure to subscribe to the blog so you don't miss out!

Questions and comments welcome. Let me know what you think of the MonteVerde Invincia Stylus.

Ink Review - J. Herbin Verte Olive

2012-02-21T09:00:00.001-06:00

Aside from having a rather hard-to-pronounce naming system, and a poorly designed bottle, J. Herbin is a really great ink manufacturer. After trying 3 of their inks now, I feel ready to review this one. So far, my impressions are very positive!

J. Herbin Verte Olive is one of those "They really nailed that color" inks. It looks just like olive oil, and I find it quite appealing.

Read on, for the full review!
Overview:

Definitely an 87/100 for me! I really like this ink.

J. Herbin has really created a winner here, in Verte Olive. The color is perfect for the name, and the ink is well behaved to boot!

One of the reasons I love this ink so much, is that it's a nice quiet understated ink, and yet it still remains vibrant and beautiful. It's a strange combination, but I really like it. I feel like this ink would be appropriate for letter writing, but not quite for business. It's right in between the boundary of understated, and saturated/popping colors.

The good:

Beautiful color.
Shades in a delightful manner. :)
Dries extremely quickly!

The bad:

The name of this ink would be considered easy to pronounce in comparison with other J.H. offerings. Still, I find the names somewhat odd, and non-descriptive. Verte Olive is ok (makes me think of olives), but what about "diablo menthe"? I would never have guessed that it was an ultra-bright green/blue color...
The ink is a tad watery feeling - not thick and smooth like Noodlers inks. This could be considered a plus however, as it makes washing it out of pens extremely easy, as well as improving it's dry time.

The ugly:

The bottle it comes in is horrible for filling from. You will need another bottle if you ever want to use more than half of a J. Herbin ink...

Now for the details:

Ink Review: J. Herbin Verte Olive.

Pen and nib: Stipula Passporto - 1.1mm cursive italic.

Color: Just like olive oil!

Dry time: 3 seconds!

Smear when dry: No.

Shading: Light to moderate - Very beautiful though...

Lubrication: Good, but a little "watery" feeling, if that makes any sense.

Bleed through: A very tiny amount.

Feathering: None that I can see, or at least an extremely minimal amount. I am using fairly cheap paper too.

If you want to see the real color of the ink, see the photos below. This scan is only here for reading purposes, not color accuracy. :)

This shows off what think really looks like. It's quite beautiful really.

This last shot is the most accurate one. The perfect olive color, with shading to spare, and wonderful performance.

After trying my first J. Herbin ink, I'll say it: I'm sold! I really enjoyed this ink. The color is just right for me, and while it feels a bit watery, the quick dry time definitely justifies that for me. Overall, this is a fabulous ink, and I'd be in the wrong to not recommend it to you.

That concludes this review! I hope you enjoyed it, cause I sure enjoyed the ink! I am looking forward to reviewing more J. Herbin inks in the future - I've got quite a few sample to go through now. In the meantime, be sure to subscribe to the blog so you don't miss out on those when they come.

And don't forget to leave me acomment and let me know what you think of the review, and/or the ink. Do your experiences with J. Herbin Verte Olive match mine?

Pen Review - Noodlers Ahab Flex Pen

2012-02-19T11:51:00.000-06:00

Today's review will focus on the extremely popular and relatively new Noodlers Ahab Flex Pen.

Marketed as one of the few modern flex pens in existence, and purchasable for under $25.00, the Ahab Flex Pen is has been the subject of much talk in the world of FP's over the last few months.

Stay tuned for the review folks, it's going to be a long one. ;)
Overview:

I will give the Ahab a solid 75/100, which I consider very good for pen only costing $20.00.

Body Material: Transparent blue plastic resin (many other colors available)

Price: $20.00 give or take depending on the retailer

Nib Material: Steel
Nib Size: Flexible Fine/Medium
Cap Type: Screw-cap, postable on body
Filling Mechanism: Push-pull plunger filler/eyedropper
Overall Weight: 18g (0.63oz)
Cap Weight: 6g (0.21oz)
Body Weight: 12g (0.42oz)
Overall Length (capped): 139mm (5.47in)
Overall Length (posted): 170mm (6.7in)
Body Length: 128mm (5.04in)
Cap Length: 60mm (2.36in)
Cap Diameter (no clip): 15mm (0.59in)
Cap Diameter (with clip): 20mm (0.79in)
Body Diameter: 14mm (0.55in)
Nib Length: 20mm (0.79in)

The good:

Very inexpensive
Large pen - very thick and comfortable
One of the few modern flex pens available on the market today

The bad:

I find the shape of the grip-section a bit uncomfortable
the celluloid derivative it's made from is very soft. I can easily dent it with my fingernail...

The ugly:

Nib and feed can be so grimy from the factory, they will not work at all without severe cleaning
The fit and finish is less than optimal...

Overall, the Ahab Flex Pen is a great choice for those who are seeking to get started in the world of flex-pens. It offers a decent semi-flex nib, and is priced low enough to allow anyone a chance to obtain it. Your only problem with obtaining one will be finding a retailer who has them in stock! They've become immensely popular, and there are quite a few good reasons why.

Let's find out what those reasons are, with the full review:

Tyler, why was the Ahab Flex review delayed?

That's a great question, and lucky for you, I've got a good long answer. :) I you listened to my Weekend Reads Podcast, you'll have a good idea already of what this is about.

So, my Ahab Flex review was delayed because I had a last-minute change of mind about the entire pen. I was 1" away from writing the pen off as a $20.00 loss, and essentially chucking it. Thankfully I gave it a second chance.

The reason I was going to toss it? Horrible performance. I hated the way this nib wrote. Skipped, railroaded, dry, scratchy. Ugh! Not a nib I enjoyed in any way, shape, or form. The Ahab is a cheap pen, so the nib was all I really cared about on it. Since the nib was horrible, I had no use for the pen.

Why was the nib so horrible? I didn't know at first. I had cleaned out the nib and feed with soapy water, just as recommended. I had adjusted the nib. I had done lots of different things to try and make it work. Eventually, I narrowed it down to one problem: Noodlers BayState Blue. Before you go nuts trying to defend this ink, let me assure you of something. ;) This is not my "opinion" of BSB, this is what it actually did to my pen. Maybe I got a bad batch, who knows...

BSB made my pen write horribly. All the above mentioned problems, and it stained my Ahab blue, well just the converter. :( It also feathered on Clairefontaine paper like it was a Moleskine or something. Went through a whole sheet, and onto the next page... *gasp!*

So, how do I know it was BSB? Because I decided to re-ink. Right before I was going to put this pen away for good, I decided it would be wise to try a more reliable ink in it. You see, I had made the foolish mistake of putting a new ink (BSB) into a new pen. Baaaaad idea on my part...

Now, with Noodlers Black inked up in my Ahab, it was like a brand new pen - and a good one too! It was smoother, had reliable flow, and was a joy to write with! I couldn't believe how big of a difference a change of inks made.

Because of this, I immediately decided to re-write my review, and that is why it was delayed till today (Sunday). :)

Now, with that aside, onto the review!

Design:

The Ahab Flex Pen has one of more unique designs I've seen this year. I'd really be wanting to call it ugly, but then, it's really not.

Most of the Ahab Flex Pens are offered in opaque colors. There are however, a few Ahabs that have recently come out in solid colors.

We'll talk more on the design of the nib later. I actually really like the way the nib looks.

Both the back of the pen, and the section, have a "stepped down" area. I do not really like this. It seems a little out of place, and I find it very uncomfortable on the grip section.

The clip... Ugh... I am not a fan of this clip at all. :)

Something about the bulbous design is very wacky, and a bit too eccentric for me. It's definitely made by Nathan Tardiff, that's for sure. :)

Another design element that I find a little bothersome, is that the dome which holds the clip on, is not ground to the same profile as the cap. There's a bulge where the two meet, instead of a smooth transition...

The Ahab most definitely wins points for being unique. I find it's design nice, and ugly at the same time. Not sure how that's possible, but it is.

For the price, one can't expect much in the way of details. The pen falls rather short when you start to pull out a loupe, and examine the QC on it. I noticed quite a few defects in mine such as:

The cap band is not well set on the cap. There's a good gap around it where it should meet the cap-edge.
The imprints on the pen are less than perfect. They looks a bit cheaply (because they are) stamped.
The clip is rather cheaply folded.

Still all of this is for a reason - to keep the pen under the $25.00 mark. I really can't criticize it too much, and I say kudos to Nathan for making the pen so affordable. The price (especially) and the design remind me of the vintage pens of "yesteryear". It's like being taken back to the good old days, when you could buy a Parker or Sheaffer for just a few dollars.

Overall, I'd score the Ahab at 15/25 for design.

For me, if this pen just had some slight design tweaks, it could make a huge difference in how it looked. This is of course, all from my perspective, and some might love the design as is. For me, I'd really dig the following changes:

Make that clip more "squared", like an old Esterbrook J clip! That would look great!
Take away those quirky "stepped" areas on the section and barrel.
Offer the pen in some retro coloring. :)

A few tweaks like that would make this pen a true ancestor of those "pens of old". Who knows, maybe Nathan will read this and make another version. :)

Size and weight:
The Ahab Flex pen is big, and I love it! when I saw the original Noodlers Flex pens, they looked way too small for me. Well, too thin to be specific. I'm okay with short pens, but I cannot stand thin pens!

The Aha is not a mammoth pen, but it's just right, at slightly less than the size of a TWSBI 540.

Shorter than the 540, and about as thick.

Posted, it is again, shorter than the 540, and the grip section is about the same, considering the annoying step.

It is a very comfortable size without being posted.

Posted, it is off balance for me, and not very enjoyable. If you have huge hands... Maybe you'd like it posted, I dunno. :)

The weight is light, and not very noticeable. Not too light though, which is nice, but it's definitely not heavy.

I find most pens, when posted, are just waaay too top-heavy for me. The only pens I post, are vintage pens, and a few select modern ones that are made for being posted. I find most modern pen makers simply do not make their pens "post-able", even when you "can" post them.

My one major quibble with this pen, is the way the grip section tapers, or steps down. I really don't like that! I not only find it ugly to look at, but very uncomfortable. I am totally unsure of why Nathan chose this for the design. Maybe it does something I'm unaware of? All I know, is that I find my my finger a little sore from using the pen, and it's really hard to keep them on the grip while writing. Especially for a flex pen, I think god grip is crucial. I would really like to see this grip re-designed... Maybe someday. :)

The Ahab gets a fair 19/25 in weight/size.

Overall, the pen is a good size, and it's fairly comfortable to hold and use. Fix the grip section, and I'd easily give this pen a 22/25!

Functionality:

The Ahab is a $20.00 pen, and thus, I do not have extremely high expectations for it. Nonetheless, I feel it performs well, and is a very functional pen on the whole.

There is little talk about here however, as this pen is very simply. No bells and whistles to function ,or fail. This is probably for the better considering the price.

One of my huge problems with this pen the material it's made from. It's a celluloid derivative, and it's very soft. I can easily dent my Ahab by just pressing my fingernail into it. Unlike modern day plastics, it does not take abuse well. If you dropped this pen on, say gravel, it would get severely mangled. Mine already has some good dents in it, and I've barely used mine...

That aside, it seems like well built pen. Because the material is soft, I have little fear of it cracking or snapping on me. And I will say, I'll take denting any day over cracking...

The clip works well. Gets the job done, even if it's not stylish looking. :) The tension is just right for me, although it does seem a little prone to bending, since it's not very thick.

The clip is made of somewhat thin folded steel, or maybe aluminum. I honestly don't know, but it doesn't feel all to sturdy to me.

Filling system: The Ahab sports a very retro-styled plunger filler, using a push-pull piston to draw ink. This is an extremely convenient design, and works very well. I do find it hard to clean out however, due to the fact that (by design), ink is allowed into the plunger rod. This makes removing ink for flushing, a rather difficult procedure.

Still filled with the dreaded BSB here. The converter screws on, and seals very securely with a rubber gasket. I like it a lot.

The pen also be filled as an eyedropper! Just remove the covnerter, pull the gasket up to the section threads, and voila, you have a pen with a MONSTER ink capacity. It was incredible, when I re-inked this pen, to watch it gracefully drink an 1/8 bottle of Noodlers Black, without any hesitation! Just delightful. :) And I've had no problems using it as an eyedropper either.

Overall, I am apt to give the Ahab a 20/25 in functionality.

It really has all I ask of in a FP. Good filling system - two options in fact, converter or ED. Good cap and clip, and it does post, if necessary. There's not a lot that I would improve about this design, by way of functionality. A better clip would be nice, but for the price, who am I to complain. :)

The nib:

Well, as we all know, the nib on my Ahab has taken a radical transformation from horrible, to great! I will be only reviewing the great nib, not the nib when filled with BSB. :)

The Ahab flex pen nib is cool! I genuinely like the design of it, a lot. It is unique, looks nice, and it gets the job done.

The Ahab nib, instead of having a normal slit and breather-hole, has nothing but a huge slit all the way down through to the section. The nib is in two halfs basically, except it's connected down inside the grip of the pen.

This allows for flexing, since the nib is steel and steel does not normally flex very well.

Here's the feed. It's large, and made of ebonite. I think it's a very nice feed, and it keeps up well with the nib, now that it's inked with Noodlers Black. :)

Here's a writing sample I wrote with it. Zero to Hero describe my experience with this nib. :)

My writing with a flex nib is not so great, but even so, I can get some pretty good variation actually.

Comparing to vintage flex: Well, let's face it guys - the Ahab doesn't even come close to a vintage flex nib. It's just not there, and never will be. The art of making good flex nibs is almost gone now, and there are currently no modern pens manufactured with flex nibs like "those of old". A Waterman wet-noodle nib is like another animal compared to the Ahab. The main differences, for those who are interested:

The Ahab is very stiff, and requires a lot of pressure to flex. - Vintage flex is very soft most times, and can be super flexed with an extremely light touch.

The Ahab is what I would call a semi-flex. - Vintage full flex and super-flex nibs can easily produce 2-3 times as much variation as the Ahab.

It's steel, the Ahab nib. - Vintage flex nibs were almost always 14k gold. Gold is simply a lot more flexible than steel. :)

But overall, I find the Ahab flex nib is superb for those looking to try out flex on the cheap. A good vintage flex nib will run you about $100.00 or more in most cases, and many of us just want to try out flex. The Ahab is the perfect entry-level flex nib.

Good work Nathan on making flex available to us all!

A bit more on the nib: It only comes in one size. It's like a F/M cross. More of a fine to my eyes. My nib is very smooth with Noodlers Black, and lays down a consistent, slightly wet line, every time. It's a very enjoyable nib, flexed or not! The nib size is also very big. About Pelikan M800 size if I were to guess. Here's it compared to a TWSBI 540 nib:

The Ahab Flex Pen has a large nib!

All things considered, I think the Ahab nib deserves a good 21/25!

If you're looking to get your feet wet in the world of vintage flex, the Ahab will provide you with a solid foundation, for a bargain price. This pen was really made for the nib, and I think it's a great nib!

Overall:

In conclusion here, I will say that I am really blown away with the Ahab flex pen. I initially thought I would sort of like it, and then I ended up hating it, and now I am totally loving it! Heck, I bought a second one too! :)

The Ahab Flex Pen is a bargain, and well worth your hard-earned (hopefully ;) $20.00. If you've been dying to try your hand at some flex, I encourage you to pick one up right now. They can be had from our favorite retailers for just $20.00, and you best grab one before they're out of stock again.

That's all I have for this review! I do hope you enjoyed this, and I'd love to hear from you if you did. Please leave me a comment and give me your thoughts on the review, and the pen.

Lastly, don't forget to subscribe to the blog if you want to keep up to date with all the new reviews and blog posts here!

Weekend Reads 2/18/12

2012-02-18T13:00:00.000-06:00

Get ready for yet another Weekend Reads! This is edition #8, so we're nearing 10 already. :)

Are you all ready to relax and enjoy the weekend!?

Well, before you do, here's an important piece of news:

This week, we are testing out the very first Weekend Reads Podcast!

You heard that right! Sort of a spur-of-the-moment type of thing. I grabbed my iPod Touch 4G, got some notes, and recorded the very first (possibly of many) Weekend Reads Podcast! Please give it a listen folks, and let me know what you think of it! It's very important that you give me your honest feedback on this - love it, or hate it - I want to hear from you.

Weekend Reads Podcast - 2/18/12 - Episode 1

(DOWNLOAD - 58.6MB)

Some notes on the podcast:

How's the audio quality? It's my iPod Touch 4G mic, and I'm actually pretty impressed with it. I thought it'd be horrible. It's fairly decent, though certainly not professional. Let me know if it's tolerable.
This is just a test-run! Excuse any mistakes or errors in it. :) But please feel free to make comments and suggestions. Just know that this is my first time doing a podcast, so it's far from perfect. Lots of room for improvement!
How's the length? Too long? Too short? Or is it just right?
And be sure to let me know if you want more details on (x) and less on (y), etc.

EMAIL: tyler@tylerdahlpens.com

Mentions:

Again, please give it a listen, and leave me a comment. I need your feedback to make this podcast work, if that's what we want. I am looking forward to hearing from you!

Now it's time for: Links of the week: top picks from my favorite blogs and forums!

#1: Wow, this is a cool pen! If you guys know me, you'll know that I have a thing for black matte pens. This one is calling my name, and it's taking a lot of willpower to resist it! A Schrade Tactical Pen? I didn't think such a thing was made, but it is, and I need one... :) There's a more detailed review here, of an orange-colored one.

#2: Speaking of black matte pens, anyone remember this pen? Well, I couldn't help myself... I bought a MonteVerde Invincia Stylus just yesterday afternoon! I'll probably sell off another pen to make room for it... But it's just such a cool pen, I needed one in my collection. Read the review to learn more about it - it's a sweet pen, and it sports a capacitive tip (on the cap) for use with touchscreen devices!

#3: And speaking of FPGeeks and their Awesome Reviews (literally), how about this one: Delta Dolcevita Piston. It ain't from this week, but that doesn't change the fact that I read it this week, and now I want another pen! Oh man, FPGeeks are killing me! My wallet to be specific.

#4: Ever been injured by one of your fountain pens? I know I sure have! If you're like me, and you've been speared in the hand before, check out this topic and add your experiences to it! I posted this on FPN because my Ahab gave me a nice cut the other day. How dumb am I, for getting a 1.5" cut from a fountain pen?

Q&A Time!

Q: "I've had bad luck with factory italic nibs, so I'm a little hesitant to invest in others. I find that the ink flow on these nibs isn't able to keep up with the amount of ink layed down.

I'd love to know what you think of the TWSBI italic nibs and I'd be interested in your thoughts on italic nibs in general."

A: I too have had very bad luck with factory italic nibs. I find they are often horrible due to a lack of QC, and the fact that the art of grinding a good italic is simply being lost. Machines just don't grind as well as a good nibmiester. :)

My thoughts on italics are as simple as this: If you're serious about italic nibs, I would highly recommend a custom ground one. You get more choice, you get it writing right, straight out of the box, and you get a nib with real tipping material as well.

Many of these factory italics have no tipping! I don't like this personally. Think back in time to the vintage Esterbrooks and their folded steel tips. Those wore out fast so why shouldn't these steel tips?

I think the TWSBI italic nibs (and others) have their place however. They're cheaper than a custom ground nib, and if it's your first italic, it can actually be nice to not have all the dizzying choices available with a custom grind.

Q: This is a question I get asked frequently, and it's in line with the above topic: "What's the difference between a cursive italic, stub, and crisp-italic? Which one is best for me?"

A: The differences are quite simple, once you get tot know them. Click on the diagram to the right, and give it a good examination. Try and memorize those shapes.

To make it simple, it goes like this:

Round nib - no variation - maximum smoothness
Stub nib - moderate variation - very smooth
Cursive italic - great variation - smooth, but with a little "drag"
Crisp italic - maximum variation - not smooth at all, very sharp

That's the basics of the different nib shapes. for more info on nibs and the different shapes, check out my extensive nib article here.

Q: This was a question from a guy who had a skipping Parker 51, only to find that it was the ink causing the skipping! "Do you have specific inks you would be more apt to recommend for the Parker 51?"

A: Yes, I definitely do. Here's my list, in order of most safe, to least safe:

Waterman inks - superb inks, best behaved on any available. Not a lot of color selection though. :(
Pelikan inks - very safe, fair amount of colors
Diamine inks - good cross between safe, and variety. Tons of colors, and most of their inks are very safe to use.
Noodlers inks - I LOVE noodlers inks, so don't get me wrong. I'm specifically talking about the Parker 51 here. Some of them are fine, but most definitely shy away from the Bullet-proof, and Eternal ones. Same goes for other brands - no waterproof inks in a 51.

Now, you may disagree with me, that's fine. :) I'm not telling you what to use in your P51. Those are just my recommendations for keeping your 51 in tip-top shape. None of those inks should (even the bullet-proof ones) hurt your pen, especially if you're good at cleaning it out. My final advice?: Use common sense, and enjoy! :)

Time for the Blog-Forecast:

Coming up this week!

Ahab Flex Pen Review: This Sunday (tomorrow). My apologies on the delay guys! I'll explain more in the review and podcast about why I was delayed.
Ink Review: Noodlers BayState Blue
Ink Review: J.Herbin Verte Olive
Paper Review - Wal-Mart composition books: cheap and good. :)

And that there sums up this edition of Weekend Reads! Please leave me a comment below guys, and let me know what you think!

I want your feedback on the podcast too. Was this a hit? Or is something I should stop? You decide - and let me know!

Have a great Weekend everyone, and enjoy!

ONE MONTH Pocket Challenge - Update - 2/13/12

2012-02-15T09:22:00.001-06:00

Well, we're two weeks into February, and I think it's time to see how our little pocket-friends are holding up. :)

If you're new to the ONE MONTH Pocket Challenge, check out this post for all the details.

Read on to find out how a Kaweco Sport and a CF Notebook have held up in my pocket for two weeks.
So here we are, two weeks into this, and I must say, so far I'm very impressed. If you were hoping to see pictures of my Kaweco, smashed into pieces, you will unfortunately be disappointed this time. :)

Both the notebook and Kaweco have fared extremely well this round. Let's have a look:

The notebook shows pretty obvious signs of wear. But it's still holding together like new, and considering it's been in my back-pocket for 2 weeks now, I'd say it's done just fine.

Some creases in the edge...

The top that sticks out of my pocket is worn, due to being in contact with so many surfaces all the time.

The bottom edge has fared much better, and shows very little wear.

The Kaweco, from afar, looks unscathed.

Upon a closer look, you will notice a multitude of scratches along the barrel, and marks on one side of the cap. These are from riding right next to my pocket knife.

The clip also has one little mark on it, but overall has survived very well. No brassing yet.

You can also see in this photo, half-way down the barrel, there is that circular patch of marking from screwing the cap on and off.

Both the Kaweco, and the notebook still retain their full functionality, and they don't look that worn either. Thus far, I have nothing bad to say about their abuse-withstanding performance.

My one irk is with the Kaweco, and it's this: Almost every time I open it, there's ink all over inside the cap and on the section. This is because of how badly it gets jostled, so I can't fully blame it. And it hasn't escaped the cap and gotten on my pocket yet either, so I'm happy. :)

What are you all thinking? Does this look like a good sign here of how these are going to perform, both for the rest of the month, and for longer if I decide to keep carrying them? If they keep this up, I'll be ready to give them both gold medals on March 1st. :)

Drop me a comment, and add something to the discussion! Does this match your experience with the Kaweco Sport?

Lastly, if you want to make sure you don't miss out on the end result of this experiment, be sure to subscribe to the blog! You'll receive convenient updates every time I post something new, including updates to the ONE MONTH Pocket Challenge.

Next up on the blog - Noodlers Ahab Flex review!

Ink Review - Diamine Orange

2012-02-13T08:43:00.000-06:00

How about reviewing one of the brightest inks I've ever used? :)

An orange so vibrant, you'd swear someone's Orange-Cream Popsicle dripped on your page when you see a swab of it.

Diamine Orange is one of the nicest oranges I've ever used! It's far to bright and vibrant to be used in any "normal" setting, but as an orange, it's one of my favorites!

Check out the review, and enjoy!

I know I'm crazy, but I love this ink! :) 95/100 - it's just what I want in an orange!

Overview:
I purchased this as a sample a long while ago, but never have gotten to using it till this month. Now that I have, I am surprised to admit that I am considering a full bottle. :)

I'm quite fond of the color, as I love (in general) all vibrant, and sparky inks. This one re-defines the word pop! When you put this down on something like bright white Clairefontaine paper, you'll be amazed at it's vibrancy.

That being said, my biggest problem with it thus far, is trying capture it's beauty on camera!

I could not produce a good scan for this review, so I have resorted to taking a few photos, in hopes that I will be able to at least slightly portray how nice looking this ink is.

Let's hit on some key points here:

The Good:

Beautiful vibrant ink!
Just the right shade of orange, for me personally anyway.
Behaves very well: excellent dry time, not even the slightest feathering or bleed-through.

The Bad:

Color is completely unsuitable for business situations. :)
It's not a practical ink by any means.

The Ugly:

Color is so vibrant, that a full page written with it could be very offensive.

Written review:

Ink Review: Diamine Orange

Pen and nib: TWSBI 540 - F nib

Color: (in my own words) HOLY BLAZIN' ORANGE!!!

Dry time: 3 seconds - superb

Smear when dry: NO

Shading: None at all

Lubrication: Moderate to low

Bleed-through: Not one bit

Feathering: Not even a hint of it

Here are the two pictures I took, that somewhat capture the vibrancy and beauty of this ink:

These photos are fairly accurate, but really don't do the ink justice. To put it simply: This color looks like a neon-orange hunting vest! It's practically radioactive looking in person.

The scan is just a bit darker than it should be, and the photo looses the pop that you get in person.

This is an ink that you really must try in person before making a judgment on it. I love it now, but never would've guessed that from reading others reviews of it. I encourage you - go get a sample! Samples are cheap, and this ink is awesome. :) While you're buying, grab some Diamine Red Dragon too!

I really never imagined I'd call this ink a keeper, but for some odd reason, it just sticks with me, and I really want to use it. It's the perfect match for my Demo TWSBI 540:

I am diggin' this combo here. B)

Almost looks like a test-tube, with some kind of delightful (if there is such a thing) chemical inside!

That's all for my review today! I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope you will consider giving Diamine Orange a chance. It's a beautiful ink, even if it's a bit wild.

Has anyone else tried this ink before? I'd love to hear your thoughts on it if you've tried it before. Am I the only one who loves this color? Drop me a comment and let me know what you think.

Don't forget to susbscribe to the blog if you already haven't. Keep yourself up-to-date so you don't miss out. :)

Mid-month, February Sale!

2012-02-12T07:45:00.001-06:00

Aside from being a blogger, I happen to be quite a business man. I decided mid-month this lovely February, to do a nice little sale, just in time for Valentines Day. Take a look and enjoy!

Well, if you've been holding out, waiting for the perfect deal to come along, you've waited long enough!

Now's the perfect time to do some Valentine's Day Shopping on my monthly pen tray. Price-slashed to let you get more bang for your buck. ;)

Check it out, and see if there's anything there you like. Price-cuts won't last forever, so if you like something, I'd recommend you snap it up quickly.

I've got some gorgeous pens available, check out some of them right here:

Parker Vacumatic Emerald Green - Excellent condition!

Copper Esterbrook J Transitional!

Parker Duofold Jr.

There are lots more to choose from, with 12 pens, all restored, ready to write, and waiting for you to take them home. There's something there for everyone. :)

Have a great weekend everybody! See you all on Monday.

Weekend Reads 2/11/12

2012-02-11T10:33:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone's excited about today's Weekend Reads! I know I am. :)

It's cold and chilly today in Big Sandy, Tennessee, and I hear winter is finally moving in across the USA. Sounds like a good time to keep inside, and cozy up by the fire.

So go ahead, grab your computer, iPad, or iPhone, and settle in for some relaxing morning reading! What better way to start your day, than to read about your favorite ~~addiction~~, er... I meant hobby. ;)

It's time for the Weekend Reads - 2/11/12 edition!

Let's kick things off with links of the week: top picks from my favorite blogs and forums!

#1: I've recently been inspired to try this myself, so you can be wishing me luck on that. Here, on FPN, member "robeck" goes into detail on how to hand-craft your very own notebook! The instructions are well done, and the results are just incredible. Anyone getting the urge to do some weekend-crafts? :) It comes in 4 parts, so pace yourself:

#2: While we're talking about making notebooks and such, you'll want to read this awesome article, titled Moleskine Reloaded. I like Moleskine notebooks, but I don't like the paper. In this tutorial, you're shown how to strip a Moleskine of it's normal paper, and insert whatever type of paper you want into it! Note: Some assembly required. ;)

#3: I buy composition notebooks from Walmart for my every-day writing. They're also what I use for my ink reviews. I saw this product here and said: I WANT... Believe me, they're gorgeous, and very tempting. :) Spruce up your composition book with a gorgeous handmade leather cover from Renaissance Art!

#4: This is just about the funniest pen related article I've read in a long time. :) Star Wars meets fountain pens!

#5: Lastly, make sure you're entered for this great giveaway by FPGeeks! They're giving away a Noodlers Ahab Flex Pen in a beautiful Valentines Day coloration. Check it out, and drop them a comment for a chance to win!

Now let's move on to Q&A Time!

Q: "My other one, a cracked section, leaking ink (old Cross slim, gray plastic?) Will superglue fix it?"

A: Super-glue can fix a section, and I've used it before to do so. But, it can also break down over time with contact to ink, and make a real mess.

I recommend fixing all cracks with a chemical weld, using a solvent such as MEK. Most people will not have access to this however, so my recommendation for home repairs is limited.

If the crack is small, and barely any ink is coming through, you will probably be okay using superglue. Here are some tips for applying it:

The glue in the picture to the right, can be found in the home/office section at Wal-Mart. I have had good success with it in the past.
Make sure the cracked area is clean! Get all the ink out of the crack, and off the section.
Soak the section in water for at least a day, maybe more. Again, get every last drop of ink out of the crack.
Make sure the pen is dry after you've cleaned it out. Let it air dry for a day, or longer if necessary.
Glue the crack, and try to work some of the glue into the crack. Be sure to avoid getting glue on the feed or nib!
Now clamp the crack together, with a rubber-band maybe, or anything that helps keep it together.
Lastly, put a small bead of glue over the top of the crack. After the glue dries, you'll gently sand this area down till it's smooth and invisible.

That's about it for home-made crack repair. Be careful, be patient, and don't get superglue on your face. :)

I still recommend sending your pens in for professional crack repair, as it's a much more lasting solution. But if you either can't afford it, or don't feel like sending your pen off yet, this is a viable option.

Q: "What are your thoughts on using professional products (G-10 or Pensbury Manor's Potion # 9) for reblackening black hard rubber pens? (ie. pens whose black hard rubber has been oxidized to that olive-green colour).

Some people are against re-blackening *any* fountain pens, some are pro-re-blackening, while others feel it is fine to do on pens that aren't rare or hard-to-find."

A: I can honestly say that I have never used re-blackening compound. I've been meaning to try some out eventually, but as of know, I have not run across enough pens that really need it. It's expensive, and I'm not sure what I think of using it on pens. I'd have to research it's properties a bit more extensively, before deciding on whether or not it's a good idea to use. :)

Sorry I can't offer a better answer to this one. If I ever get any, I'll be sure to post the results of what it can do.

That's it for Q&A this week. As usual, I will encourage you all to ask more questions! In fact, ask your friends if they have any FP questions! Heck, go to your local pen club, bring a notebook, and compile a list of questions for me! The more the merrier. :)

Here's the Blog-Forecsat:

Coming up for the next week:

Pen review - Noodlers Ahab Flex
Ink Review - Diamine Orange
Update on the ONE MONTH Pocket Challenge!

There might be more, but that's all I have planned.

Lastly, a new section to the Weekend Reads: Blog Updates and Ideas

I'll be testing this out, so bear with me. It might not be here to stay, but I'd like to try the idea anyway. :)

Blog Updates and Ideas will be a semi-regular addition to the Weekend Reads, where I talk about improvements and updates that are coming to the blog. Not blog posts, but updates to the layout, the type of content I post, and other such things.

My reason for this, is to get your feedback on the blog.

Example: I'll suggest an idea or update, and you folks tell me what you think of it. Is it a yes? Is it a definite no? This way, I can be coming up with more creative new content for you all!

So, let's start this week off with an idea I've been considering for a few weeks now:

How would we all feel about a Weekend Reads Podcast? This would not be a standalone podcast, but would be integrated into the current Weekend Reads format.

I would basically cover the following stuff in this podcast:

First, it would be nice to just talk about the links of the week. Give a few thoughts on each one. Maybe explain more detail what they are.
Next, it would be awesome to have the Q&A time in audio! This would be a companion to the Q&A post, because we often need pictures. But the idea of being able to talk you guys through the Q&A would be really neat. It would also give it a much more "real" Q&A feel, like being in a classroom.
An expanded blog forecast would be great too. It'd be easier, and more fun to discuss the upcoming blog posts in detail, instead of just posting a list of what I'll be doing.
Maybe some chatter about recent FP related events and other stuff.

So, what do y'all think!? Is this something we're all interested in? I think it might be nice for some of you to listen to a "spoken" version of the Weekend Reads. I realize some of us like to read, but it can often be very enjoyable to relax, sit back, close our eyes, and listen to some one else read for us.

Please, drop me a comment below and let me know what you think of the idea of a Weekend Reads Podcast.

I can't wait to hear from you! :)

And with that, I will wrap up today's Weekend Reads, and call it good and done. Have an excellent weekend everyone!

Comparison - Kaweco Sport VS. Stipula Passporto

2012-02-10T12:54:00.004-06:00

Today, I will be comparing a king to a peasant, so to speak. The two pens under our gaze today, come at very different price points, and both have rather different purposes.

Nonetheless, they share many similarities, and I think they will compare quite well with each other.

Get ready, for the Kaweco Sport VS. Stipula Passporto!.

We should first start of with a little knowledge of these pens, as individuals, before we attempt our comparison.

I happen to have conveniently reviewed both of these pens, prior to this comparison. :)

Read up on these if you're unfamiliar with these pens - you'll enjoy this comparison a lot more if you do.

Now, before we really get in too far, I should also mention this:

NOTICE: This review will not have a "and the winner is (x)!".

Because of how these pens are different, they cannot be compared like that.

I will simply compare certain points, and let you see the similarities between them.

Enough of my blabbering now, let's get on to the fun stuff. :)

Design:

Coming from two vastly different price points, these pens have some rather obvious design differences.

The Kaweco Sport feels a bit like a small child's toy, when compared to the elegant Passporto. The difference in the plastic is significant, contributing to a more "quality" feel in the Passporto.

I feel that the Kaweco is definitely given a more "utilitarian" look and feel. When I hold it, I think "this is an EDC pocket pen, and an economically built one at that". The Passporto gives me a feel of "This is an LE. I need to find an important document to sign".

They both sport many of the same design features. For example: Both pens have a built in "mechanism" to prevent the pen from rolling off a table. To be honest, I think Kaweco's execution of this is much better done than Stipula's.

The Passporto relies on that little "out-dented" leaf logo to prevent it from rolling. It works, sometimes...

The Kaweco, has a hexagonal cap, and there is simply no way it can just roll off without your permission.

But, even though the Kaweco is better at not rolling, I also must say that I prefer the looks of the rounded pen, much more than I like the hexagon shape. Once again, the Kaweco leans toward a minimalist, and efficient approach, whereas the Stipula sacrifices some features, to maintain it's beauty.

Other design differences, would be the companies logos: Kaweco chose to put the logo on top of the cap, while Stipula, made a beautifully elegant cap band out of theirs.

Me, being ever the fan of silver trim as opposed to gold, must naturally love Stipula's choice for the trim on their pen. Gold trim, in my eyes, feels to flashy, and often makes a pen simply feel cheaper. Silver, on the other hand, feels cool, crisp, and elegant.

Both nibs have some basic design, company logo, etc. Nothing fancy on either one. For the price though, the Kawecos nib looks disturbingly close to the Passportos. Seeing as I paid 3 times as much for the Passporto, I was sort of hoping for a rhodium plated 18k nib. Maybe I set my hopes to high. :)

Both nibs are steel, but the Kaweco Sport is gold-plated.

I think overall, my tastes go towards the Passporto for design. But then, these pens are different pens for different purposes. If I had 5 minutes to pack for a trip, and I needed a fountain pen (I always do), my hand would not hesitate to go for the Kaweco. Why? Because of it's utilitarian design. There's no "fluff" or fanciness to get in my way. It's just a pen, that quietly sits, waiting to be used.

Size and weight:

Both pens are small. The Kaweco is tiny, and the Passporto is very tiny.

The Passporto is a good inch shorter in both the cap, and body.

In this area, I don't even think twice about calling the Passporto my favorite. The size is shorter, but this to me makes it easier to carry. When posted, it is still plenty long for me.

The Kaweco on the other hand, is not too big, but it's also not as small as I'd like for a pocket pen. It's more than long enough posted, so I think it's extra size is a small inconvenience. For those with large hands however, the Kaweco might be a better option.

Posted, Stipula's offering is still an inch or so shorter then the Kaweco Sport.

I also find the body-thickness of the Passporto superior to the Kaweco. The thickness of the section however, is a real toss up on which one I like more.

The Stipula's grip is smooth, and comfortable to the touch. It's also longer, so my fingers aren't resting on the threads. The Kawecos grip suffers from being short, and having rather rough threads and injection molding lines. It excels however, in that it's a tad thicker, and the end is flared out, so your finger won't slip off.

Both are nice, and they both get the job done.

Neither one of these pens could be called heavy, but the Kaweco is significantly lighter than the Passporto. I like both for different reasons. I often find myself carrying the Kaweco in my pocket, so the feather-like weight is a huge bonus. I hardly even know it's there!

The Stipula, I do not carry in my pocket, so I appreciate the weight. It's more comfortable to write with, and feels much more substantial in the hand.

Overall, both these pens are have ups and downs with the size/weight. I like them both, and I really can't pick a favorite. That's probably why I own both. :)

Function:

Both pens are fully functional, but both have very different purposes in mind.

As said earlier, the Kaweco is all about function, and simplicity. It continually excels at being a no-nonsense, function built, easy to use pen. I love this about the Kaweco, and it's why it's been in my pocket all day, every day, for the last week.

The Stipula however, is marketed (and billed) as a luxury pen. It is more quality, more comfortable, and more enjoyable to hold and use. Unlike the Kaweco, which I simply pull out to use, I get to pull out my Passporto to examine, touch, enjoy, and "experience". The Passporto is my first choice between the two when it's time to sit down, and write a good letter to a friend.

Now, some features that both pens offer:

Both pens post, and both post very securely. The Passporto is a screw-on type of thing, where the cap actually threads on to the back of the pen. This is as secure as it comes, and there's no fear of my cap falling off.

The Kaweco is a deep slip-on cap, and I find I like it just a bit better actually. It posts just as secure, but about 3 times quicker. When I need to jot a quick note, the Kaweco can be uncapped and posted in seconds. The Passporto, not so much.

Both pens post, as this is required to extend them to a usable size. I like both systems, but they work very differently.

Both pens have the same filling system: cartridge, or eyedropper. I have converted both of mine to eyedroppers, for the extra ink capacity.

The Passporto wins out here in one area, and that is this: It comes with a very nice, and handy glass eyedropper. The Kaweco comes with nothing, and requires you to find your own eyedropper if you wish to use it that way.

In the way the filling systems work however, the Kaweco wins out. I find it is actually a bit more reliable than my Stipula. I am however, only on fill-one with both of these pens, and I know the Stipula needs another soap cleaning, as it seems I didn't get all of the factory oils out the first time. I'll report back again once we're on fill #2 with these guys.

Overall, the Stipula may be elegant and beautiful, but the Kaweco is built for function, and can't help but be good at what it's made for. If I'm interested in getting things done, I'll grab the Kaweco 9 out of 10 times.

Nibs:

Both of these nibs are very good writers, as of today. Out of the box, these two nibs were less than enjoyable.

Both suffered from different defects in QC at the factory. Read the individual reviews (links up at the top of this page) for more on that.

Here are some scanned samples of both nibs:

Kaweco Sport - B nib, writes an XF line when flipped on the back. Love that feature, though I don't think it was factory intentional.

Stipula Passporto FPN LE - 1.1mm Italic nib. I love the way this nib writes. :)

Both nibs, now tuned, are favorites, so I can't say either one is better than the other.

Both nibs are good to me, and neither one is better than the other. I love the Stipula for letters, and elegant writing, and the Kaweco, with it's "duo-nib" capabilities, is perfect for notes-to-go. I like em' both, and I'll keep em' both. :)

Lastly, Packaging:

I don't normally cover this in my reviews, but eh, why not? :)

The packaging is very different between these two pens. Totally opposite ends of the spectrum - The Stipula is premium, the Kaweco is economy. Take a look:

On the left - The Passporto. Comes with a faux-leather box, signed papers, instructions, a cartridge, and a glass eyedropper for filling.

On the right - the humble Kaweco sits, with nothing more than a thin cardboard box to cover it. I will say however, that it is a beautiful looking cardboard box. :)

I look at these pens very differently, so the packaging should be different. It it wasn't, I'd either feel ripped off buying the Stipula, or scared buying the Kaweco, thinking all the money went into packaging instead of the pen.

No, they're both good right as they are. The premium pen deserves premium packaging, and I paid for it too. The Kaweco needs to keep a low price, so it's packaging is perfectly suited to it.

I can flaw the Kaweco in one thing, and that is this: They provided no instructions whatsoever, within the packaging of the pen. Yea, it's not necessarry, but a quick note about how great Kaweco is, and some "blah, blah, blah" would've been a nice touch, and couldn't have cost more than a few extra cents...

But beggars can't be choosers, so I'll take what I've got.

Conclusion:

My conclusion is this - I like both of these pens, and I'll continue to own both of these pens.

There, how's that for a decisive comparison. :)

Okay, so really, here are my final thoughts:

The Kaweco is my pocket pen. It's my go-to pen for when I need to get the job done. It's always there, it never complains, and I can beat on it without fear, both because it's sturdy, and because it only cost me $25.00.

The Passporto is my new letter writing pen. The italic nib, luxurious feel, and the fact that it's an LE, make it an enjoyable pen to simply have and hold. That and the fact this it's a great writer, make it a keeper in my collection.

If you've gotten this far into my comparison, by now you realize that you probably need both of these pens. I'll leave that up to you, but it suffices to say that they serve different purposes, they excel at what they're made for, and owning both of them is a good idea.

Conclusion finished!

***********************

I hope everybody enjoyed that comparison. Sorry it took me so long to write it. I had a hard time deciding how I was going to do this, but I think my method here will work out well.

I guess you'll have to tell me. Drop me a comment, and give me your thoughts on both the pens, and the review. How did you like the way I compared these? Repeatable in the future, or should I try something else next time?

I'm looking forward to hearing from you! That's it for today. Tomorrow is the Weekend Reads again, and as usual, there's lots of great stuff headed your way!

Ink Review - Diamine Red Dragon

2012-02-09T11:25:00.001-06:00

Today I will be reviewing my current favorite ink! I bought this sample a while ago, but hadn't gotten a chance to try it till last week. It exceeded my expectations, and is a absolute keeper!

Read on to find out more about Diamine Red Dragon!

"It takes no effort for me to give this ink a 97/100! It's just amazing!"

Overview:

Diamine Red Dragon is a stunning red ink with dark undertones, and great shading. It behaves well, and is the best looking red I've ever used. I find it hard to stop saying good things about this ink!

The Good:

Gorgeous color
Great shading
Not to "loud" of a red - perfect for letters
Very well behaved

The Bad:

Umm.... Let me get back to you on this, in about 100 years.... :)
I really can't find anything I dislike about this ink. If I was forced to say something bad about it, I would say that it's not water-resistant, but then, that's still a plus for me.

The Ugly:

There's nothing ugly about an ink this beautiful!

Onto the written review:

Ink review: Diamine Red Dragon

Pen and nib: Pilot Vanishing Point - F nib

Color: The perfect shade of red

Dry Time: 5 seconds - very good!

Smear when dry: NO

Shading: Yes, a very small amount, but then I'm using a very small nib. In larger nibs, this ink produced gorgeous shading! With my F nib, it's still beautiful, albeit a bit understated.

Lubrication: Normal - Not great and not bad.

bleed-through: A very small amount on this paper. for reference, this is just Wal-Mart composition notebook paper. Nothing fancy, and a bit prone to bleed-through.

Feathering: None that I can see

This scan is fairly accurate, but the photos below show the color even better.

Here's a photo of the swab.

Here you can really see the deep blood-red color showing off.

This ink is an absolute keeper for me, and a full bottle (or two) will accompany my next ink order. Yup, I like it that much. :)

I tried Diamine Oxblood, but never really loved it. This ink is a lot like it, but in my eyes, better in many ways.

If you haven't tried Diamine Red Dragon yet, believe me when I say that you need too, right now. If you're a lover of red inks, or you're interested in beautifully colored/shading inks, this one is worth your time. I'll leave you with that. :)

I hope you've enjoyed this review! Please, do me a favor, leave me a comment, and let me know what you think. I say this every time I post something, not because I have to, but because I really do want to hear your opinion. Criticism is more than welcome too. I can't run a good blog without feedback. If you've got something to say, don't be shy - put it out there so we can all benefit from the discussion!

That's it for now folks. Coming up soon - Stipula Passporto VS. Kaweco Sport!. :)

Notebook review - Clairefontaine Staple-bound Duo

2012-02-07T11:48:00.000-06:00

Time for a review of a fairly popular notebook by the very popular company Clairefontaine. Most of you probably know by now that I'm not a big fan of CF (Clairefontaine) paper. Nonetheless, this is a solid notebook that performs well, and most people are going to love it.

Read on for the full review of the (this is a mouthful): Clairefontiane "Life-Unplugged" Staple-bound Pocket Duo!

So, this is going to be a rather loose review compared to my usual systematic hyper-detailed ones. More of a mini-review I guess you could say. I'm just going to talk through some strong points, and some week points that this notebook has. By the end of it all, you should have a pretty good idea of what to expect from this notebook.

I think this notebook is a 85/100 for me.

Overview:

Even though I'm not a big fan of CF, it's hard not to like this notebook. It's small, convenient, extremely sturdy, and the paper is very FP friendly.

This notebook is part of Clairefontaine's "Life Unplugged" line of products. If you want to purchase these no notebooks, or others in this series, I recommend you go to the Goulet Pen Company. I've found it hard to get a hold of these notebooks from anywhere else, and besides, who doesn't love to shop at the Goulets!? :)

The good:

Staple-bound - this allows the user to fold the back over itself, making it easier to write on the go.
Very sturdy. The notebook is reliably built, and handles wear very well.
Good size. Not to big, not to small.

The bad:

I would really like to see this notebook offered in graph. I believe CF does make it, but it's definitely not easily available.
For me personally I find the paper much to bright and shiny. Almost like plastic. It loses some of the fun of writing with a fountain pen...

The Ugly:

The paper tends to collect hand-oils extremely well, leading to skipping when using the lower half of the page.
I find the paper tends to make larger nibs (B, stubs, italic, etc.) skip even when they write perfectly fine on normal paper. This problem however, is not applicable to everyone. Many people I've talked report no skipping, but others report the same thing as me. It's sort of a mixed bag of opinions out there...

Now let's jump into all the details!

Design:

Clairefontiane did a pretty good job here. I like the design. The shape of the notebook, the texture of the cover, and some of the color choices are very nice.

This notebook definitely looks nice. Below is shown my favorite color oft he four choices you're given. This ones a "tan"/natural looking one.

You're color options are unfortunately limited, and since the notebooks come in two packs, you're usually stuck with a color you don't want. Yup, CF decided to go for multi-colored packs! 0_o

You have your choice of:

One red and one green notebook. I find both these colors ugly, personally.
One Black and one tan. I love the tan, and the black is ok.

I wish they were sold in single-color packs instead of this arrangement, but oh well.

Not much else to say about the design. It's basic, simple, and (in the right color) looks very good. There's a little CF logo near the front bottom corner, in case you didn't notice it there.

Function:

This notebook is very sturdy, and that's one of the things I love about it. It always seems to take a beating with no complaint, and the pens I've used (I'm n my third) have never even come close to falling apart on me.

The construction is basic - paper, cardboard cover, and two staples. :)

Because of the stapled design, the notebook lies completely flat.

Best of all, it can be folded onto itself, which is terribly convenient for on-the-go writing.

One again, not a whole lot to say here. It functions very well, and it really holds up under stress. Here's some photos of my previous notebook. This one had accompanied me riding in my back pocket for months on end. I got it a little wet a few times. It got abused. And it took this all very well.

(Apple sticker was added by me - does not come with the notebook! :)

you can see some wear here. Upper right corner has a bend in it. Edges are very dirty.

It's a tad "wavy" all over too. And the back edge is slightly worn.

Overall though, it looks great for a notebook that traveled with me every day for about 6-7 months. It's still in fully usable condition, and I have no doubt I could easily carry it for another 6 months without it falling apart on me.

The Paper:

As I said earlier - it's no secret that I dislike CF paper. But for the sake of this review, I will push my disdain aside, and refrain from interjecting my personal opinions into this. :)

Pen, nib, and ink - from top to bottom:

- Pilot VP, F nib, Diamine Red Dragon

- TWSBI 540 (smoke), M nib, PR Spearmint

- TWSBI 540 (clear), F nib, Diamine Orange

- Stipula Passporto, 1.1mm italic nib, MB Lavender Purple

- Kaweco Sport, B nib, PR Copper Burst

- Noodlers Ahab flex, F nib, Noodlers BayState Blue

To put it simply: these inks were no match for the CF paper, save one: Noodlers BSB. This is my first time using BSB, and I have to say :WHOAH! Bleeding and feathering heavilyon CF paper? Yikes. That's pretty scary... I'll try it in a drier pen next time around. :)

You can see what BSB did in this picture:

All in all, the CF paper really outshines most other "FP friendly" paper. I'd prefer it in graph, with a little more texture, in a slight of white color.

But, most folks love the bright white, slick gloss of this paper, so I can't judge it for that.

It takes ink very well, and will never feather or blood with normal inks. The bright white also is very good for testing inks, as it tends to really show off the color with 100% accuracy.

Conclusion:

I think this is a fine notebook, and I've really enjoyed mine. Heck, I've gone through 2.5 of them now, so I obviously don't hate them. :)

I love how sturdy they are, and while I don't love the paper, it definitely gets the job done.

If you like CF paper, I highly recommend you go grab a few packs of these. you'll love having the famous CF paper in pocket form, always with you. If you've been considering tossing your Moleskine in favor of something better, this is your notebook.

A few last pictures, with my new smoke 540. ;)

A gorgeous pair, aren't they!

Well, I hope you've enjoyed this mini-review. please, do leave me a comment below and let me know what you think. I'd enjoy hearing from you.

Don't forget to share this review with a friend, tweet it, post it to Facebook, and subscribe to the blog! Your participation, enthusiasm, and comments really keep me going!

Weekend Reads 2/4/12

2012-02-04T10:05:00.000-06:00

Another week gone, and along with it, all the stresses of work, and our day-to-day life. Yup, it's about time to grab some coffee, relax, and do some reading!

This weeks "Weekend Reads" is just the thing to start your weekend off, on the write note. Not only do I have some amazing links to share, but I've got a wonderful Q&A this time, with tons of great information!

Stay tuned, and don't get too comfortable - I wouldn't want you falling asleep on me. ;)
First things first, my links of the week: top picks from my favorite blogs and forums!

#1: Let's kick things of with a non-typical, and unusual review. This review, by a member of FPN, is one of the best I've ever come across, and is the inspiration for my current one month pocket-challenge. This review doesn't have a lot of pictures. This review doesn't have lots of detailed info on the mechanics of the pen. This review is actually not very detailed at all... What makes it so great? You'll have to read it to truly find out, but it suffices to say that it's the beautiful and heart-warming story of a man, and his favorite fountain pen. A five year journey, going through the drudgery and triumphs of daily life. Trust me, this review is a keeper, and one you don't want to miss.

#2: Next up, how about a quick little something to look at for all you Stipula Passporto fans? Someone mentioned this to me in the comments of my Stipula Passporto FPN LE reivew, and I had to take a look at it myself. If you like the Passporto, but want a non-fountain-pen version for certain tasks, this would be a great choice! Now, for that price, I won't be getting one, but they definitely are tempting, and great looking FP alternatives.

#3: No, it's not truly FP or ink related, but then it sort of is too. If you're like me, and you also have a tech-geek side, you will love this case! Imagine your iPhone, safely stored in a moleskine!

#4: This is a topic that I started on FPN this week. I asked a simple question: "what do you write when you want to write, but have nothing to put down on paper?". I got so many responses, all of them so wonderful, I just had to share! If you have my problem of not writing with your pens enough, check out this post, and read through the hundreds of great suggestions. There's something in there for everyone!

And that concludes my top picks for this week. A lot of good stuff in there, but nothing compared to hwat we're about to dive into! :) Prepare yourself, for some Q&A Time!

Q: "Problem.

An old (Swann) gold nib.
The tines are touching at the tip?
Slit is clear up to the last 5mm?
Hence dry as a kite.

How to 'pull them apart' without damaging them please Tyler?"

A: Widening the flow of a nib is not as hard as it seems, so this shouldn't be too tough of a fix.

First thing you'll need is brass shim stock, in .001" and .002" pieces. You should be able to find them at a good hobby shop, or online.

Once you have those, you'll first wan't to try "flossing" the nib with the .001". Run the brass shim through the slit carefully. Though it's safer than trying to use a knife like some folks, a brass shim can still damage your nib or feed.

After flossing for about 5-10 seconds, try the nib again. Normally the flossing won't make a huge difference, but it's best to take it slow and test it as you go.

Next, you'll want to try the bigger brass piece - the .002" Do the same thing, and test.

If by now the nib is still dry, it's time for a slightly more "meaningful" approach. Put the brass shim between the tines, and very gently wiggle it side to side. This must be done carefully, as overdoing can cause just the tip of the iridium to bend away, and thus ruin your nib. Try to bend the whole tine outward when you wiggle, and not just the very tip.

Click on image for a larger view

If after this, you're nib is still too dry, then we'll go for the "hands on" method.

Stand the pen up so the nib is up at the ceiling, and the bottom is resting on something soft, on top of a table.

Make the feed facing you, and the top of the nib with the logo) facing away. Now, carefully use your finger nails (on your thumbs) to grasp the shoulders of the tines, and pull them outward. Keep your fingers on the top of the nib to prevent it from slipping, or twisting.

Click on image for a larger view

Go slow, and keep doing this until you've achieved the desired flow-rate for your pen. Then, enjoy it!

Q: "What is the difference in how the plunger (Vac-Fill) system works compared to a lever filler and how difficult is sac replacement?"

A: A Sheaffer Vac-Fill is a very different animal compared to a sac-pen, or lever-filler in this case.

A Vac-Fill has no internal sac at all, but instead, fills using the entire barrel as a reservoir. In some cases, there is an internal "ink-tank", but still not sac.

Take a look at this thread on FPN. There are some amazing rendered-images on there, that will help you to better understand how the Vac-Fill system works. I'd post pictures of my own, but this post would outdo them any way. :)

The main differences are:

Filling via a vacuum created by a plunger, as opposed to compression of an ink sac.
Holding the ink in the barrel, or an ink-tank within the barrel, as opposed to a sac.
since there's no sac, there's also an absence of any kind of pressure bar or lever.
A good deal harder to restore, and a good deal more rewarding too. :)

Q: "Do you use an ultrasonic cleaner on some of your fountain pens (or fountain pen parts) to rid them of clogged ink? If so, what brand(s) do you recommend for this purpose?"

A: Yes, I do use an ultra sonic cleaner for messy pens, nibs and parts.

I personally however, find the USC limited, and not always necessary. It's very convenient sometimes, and then other times it's just an extra step.

A USC is great for pens that have recently had ink in them, and will usually get those ones very clean.

But when I run into a vintage pen, that has 50-year-old dried ink in it, the USC doesn't cut it for me. And that's usually what I'm dealing with too.

For tough grimy nibs, I need to do some hard scrubbing, with Simichrome, a polishing rag, and occasionally my rotary tool with a buffing wheel.

Overall, unless you need a USC to throw in a bunch of parts at one time, you're probably better off just sticking with washing your pen off in running water. There is a good time and place for a USC, but I don't find it very often.

As to recommended brands: I've only tried one, so I don't have a very big opinion here. This is what I've been told by those I've asked.

Gemoro (same brand that makes mine) seems to be moderately well-price, but still has some of the best US Cleaners out there. They all have great reviews, and mine has fare very well so far, never giving me any trouble. I got mine from Amazon, for around $80.00, which I was happy to pay. There are tons of cheap $20.00 USC's out there, but they're not even worth looking at... There are also tons of $300.00 ones too. :)

And that there sums up my Q&A Time for the week. Hope you enjoyed that one. I've got lots more to come next week!

But don't forget to keep the questions coming! Email if you have any!

Now lastly, the Blog-Forecast:

Coming up this week (hopefully :)

Clairefontaine Staplebound Duo review. I missed it this week, since I suddenly decided to do the Stipula Passporto review. Turned out to be a great week anyways! but, this review is long due now, so I'm shooting for this Monday to have it up.
Stipula Passporto VS. Kaweco Sport
Ink reviews! Don't how many, but I want to get up at least 1 or 2.

Well, I hope you've enjoyed this edition of the "Weekend Reads"! Please leave me a comment below if you have questions, comments, suggestions, or just want to share some thoughts!

Have a great Weekend everybody. See you all on Monday!

Regards,

Tyler Dahl

Pen Review - Kaweco Classic Sport!

2012-02-02T08:22:00.000-06:00

Get ready for another mega review, packed with photos, details, and writing samples!

The spotlight is turned towards the Kaweco Classic Sport today. I've got a lot to say about it: some good, and some critiques. Stay tuned for the full review!

Overview:

The Kaweco Classic Sport has earned itself a formidable 77/100 rating.

Specifications:

Price: $25.00, give or take depending on the retailer.
Body Material: Plastic with designs.
Nib Material: 23k Gold-plated Steel, iridium tip.
Nib Size: Extra-fine, Fine, Medium, or Broad - I got a broad of course. :)
Cap Type: Screw-cap, postable
Filling Mechanism: Standard international short cartridges. Can also be converted to an eyedropper.
Overall Weight: 10g (0.35oz)
Cap Weight: 4g (0.14oz)
Body Weight: 6g (0.21oz)
Overall Length (capped): 105mm (4.13in)
Overall Length (posted): 132mm (5.2in)
Body Length: 100mm (3.14in)
Cap Length: 70mm (2.76in)
Cap Diameter (no clip): 14mm (0.55in)
Cap Diameter (with clip): 18.0mm (0.70in)
Body Diameter: 11mm (0.43in)
Nib Length: 17mm (0.67in)

The Good:

Pen posts very securely - much more so than I had expected.
Can be converted to an eyedropper, if the user wishes to have more ink capacity (like me).
Very inexpensive - a good value for dollar.
Flow is very good and consistent for an eyedropper - I'm impressed.

The Bad:

Plastic feels a little cheap.
No type of instruction pamphlet or guide of any sort in the packaging.

The ugly:

Nib and feed were so badly misaligned out-of-the-box, I couldn't even write with the pen.
Pen had some rounded inner tine issues, commonly referred to as "baby-bottom" skipping.

Overall:

The Kaweco Classic Sport is a really great pen for the price. It is hindered however in my opinion by a lack of quality control on the manufactures part, and a little (keeping the price in mind) lack of attention to detail. I feel this pen is missing the final "polish" that could make it an incredible pen, much like the TWSBI 540.

Still, for what you pay, I can highly recommend this as a very suitable everyday pocket pen. At the current price, you won't be afraid to take it with you anywhere, and while it feels a little cheap, it seems very sturdy to me, as there's really nothing to break on it.

Read on for the details!

Design:

The Kaweco sport is somewhat lacking in design. Not in a bad way, but you might say it's a bit of a "blank-slate". There's not a whole lot to catch the eye here. Nonetheless, the design is efficient, and well thought. It gets bonus points for that.

Were the design falls short is when you begin to see the places where the manufacture cut corners in the design to maintain the low price point. The most noticeable flaw would be the large amount of highly visible injection molding lines. At this price point, I'm not about to complain about these, but I'm saying they do detract from the design.

To define the look of the Kaweco Sport in words, I would call quirky, in a good way. It is not an elegant pen, and it's not a "cool" pen. It's a functional pen, with a highly unique design.

The faceted cap prevents the pen from rolling off of any surface which it's placed on. I really like this feature, and Kaweco's implementation of it is superb.

The two outstanding design elements are the text-logo, and the top "jewel". The top jewel does appear to be metal, as far as I can tell. My one quibble with their top-logo, is that it looks rather "slapped together", and not very professional. This is purely my opinion of course, but I think it doesn't look extremely well thought out.

Overall I find the pen pleasing to my eye. The blue color I chose is just right, with a very slight hint of purple. The pen looks industrious, and ready for work.

I won't spend a lot of time on the box but: I really like the design of the box. It's not fancy at all, and probably costs a few cents to make. Still, it looks surprisingly classy with it's gold swirls over matte-black.

The sides of the box has the Kaweco website imprinted on it, but otherwise is the exact same as the front/back.

The box comes with no type of instructions, or even a cheesy advertising pamphlet - it's totally empty. I honestly would've liked a little piece of paper, with some sort of description on it. Right now you might mistake it for an unkown Chinese pen. A cheap 1-cent paper with Kaweco's "mission statement", and some info on the pen would've been a great touch.

All things considered, I feel good giving the Kaweco sport a 19/25 in design.

Some may like the design more than others, and while it's not going to be a favorite of mine, I think it's a very nice looking pen. It is a good design, and because it's so functional (we'll get to this later), I can easily overlook the small flaws in it's design. Could it be improved? Yes. Is it plenty good enough? Yes. :)

Size/weight:

As usual (I say this every time, and probably always will :), this is the most subjective-to-the-user part of the review. This is all based on personal preference, but since I'm a fairly average person, I'll share my opinions and thoughts.

The Kaweco Classic Sport is a small pen. However it is not the smallest of pocket pens. This is to me, a disadvantage it has. For a pocket pen, I find it rather large. With the cap posted, it is just a tad longer than an un-posted TWSBI 540. Basically, this is a pocket pen that extends to a full size pen. In fact, I can actually comfortable use this pen, without posting the cap! Now, this is partially due to how I hold my pens (I actually do have fairly large hands), but still, my point is well made: I think Kaweco could have made this pen a tad smaller. I know I would like it that way.

The weight of the pen is light, partly contributing to it feeling a bit cheap. It is not too light though, and the lightness of the pen lends itself perfectly for being a pocket pen. It's simply there, not offensive or bothersome in any way. One might say it's quite perfectly weighted, in that you don't even notice you're holding it or carrying it. For actually writing with the pen, I personally could do with a little more substance. Overall though, the weight is great.

The thickness of the grip is a tad thin for me, again, not uncomfortably so, but thicker would definitely be nice. Still, most users will find it just fine for their use of the pen, especially seeing as this pen is not particularly marketed as a pen for long writing sessions.

Posted, that Kaweco Sport is not just a good sized writing instrument, but a full-sized one.

I personally feel that the body could be shortened a good inch, and the cap a half inch or so. This would make it smaller to carry, yet still well sized for use. As it is now, the length capped is a bit long for what I'd like in my pockets.

The pen is actually comfortable for me to use un-posted.

Posted, it is a very good size, and is more than I really need.

Overall, I would personally give the Kaweco Sport a 17/25 in weight/size.

It definitely works for me, and works well, but I feel it could be improved upon. Again, this is for my hand really, and may not match your experience with the pen. To each his/her own, and this applies largely to size and weight in fountain pens.

Function/mechanics:

Time to dive into the important stuff - how does this pen work? Let me tell you:

Firstly, the Kaweco Sport is definitely a functionality-based pen. As I said earlier, it's not much of a looker, and it certainly isn't made to be luxurious. It's what I'd call a service/duty pen. Made to be used, handle slight abuse, and be thoroughly enjoyed!

And it definitely excels at functionality. To name a few of my favorite features:

1) This tiny little knurled knob at the end gives a good grip for capping and uncapping the pen ,while remaining very inconspicuous.

2) I love how the faceted cap keeps it from rolling around. Makes it easy to photograph too. :)

3) The pen posts very nicely - very deep, so I feel like there's not fear of the cap falling off.

Now, there are a few functionality elements that I do not like. Here's a list:

Probably the inexpensive plastic used in it's construction - I can already see a ring of scratches on the body, where the cap spins while uncapping the pen.
The faceted cap only keeps the pen from rolling if it's posted, or capped. If you leave the cap off, this pen loves to roll.

Those quibbles aside, this pen functions quite well, and I haven't yet into a situation where it has failed me.

Filling system: This pen fills via a cartridge, or can be converted to an eyedropper. I believe there is a certain type of converter that fits it, but it's an aftermarket affair, and not something I'm personally interested in looking into.

I've gone the eyedropper route, and have had 0 problems so far. For an eyedropper, this pen has performed extremely well, exceeding my standards. I have not had one flow problem, ink drip, or any other such nonsense that my other ED pens (a lot more expensive ones!) have given me. Also, I've used no o-ring, or silicone to seal the threads, and yet it hasn't leaked a drop. Most impressive Kaweco!

On the whole, I'd say this pen is worthy of a 21/25 in functionality!

It has exceeded my expectation for an ED filler, and overall it's performance is impressive for a $25.00 pen. This is definitely one of this pen strong points, which is good, because as a pocket pen I think this functionality-based-build is crucial.

The nib:

Like I always say, when it comes down to it, the nib is what really matters. My experience with the Kaweco Sports nib has been horrible, and amazing. Let's dive right in and see why:

Out of the box: Out of the box, I must sadly say that this was the worst nib I've ever seen. Why? Because it was so out-of-alignment, I couldn't even write with it! Take a look for yourself:

Be sure to click on this and the next picture for a zoomed in view.

This feed was twisted to the side, and was looking really ugly.

Now, lucky for me and Kaweco, I popped those buggers out and had them realigned in about 30 seconds. Not a huge deal, but this should not have been overlooked. Made the presentation pretty bad when I uncapped it for the first time and saw this. :| And someone without prior experience (a lot of prior experience in my case), may not be able to this as easily, or at all.

Now, once the nib was realigned: Much better. Fairly smooth, decent flow (a tad dry), but it was skipping. Here's a writing sample with the skipping problem:

The long horizontal line took three tries to write. The area below, with the multiple up/down lines should have no gaps in it. All the places where it's missing a line, or there's half a line, is a skip.

I found this nib pretty decent, but it skipped fairly often on the start of my words. I will say this in the pens defense: This seems to be a very common problem with pens under $35.00 or so. This pen, my Noodlers Flex pen, Many Chinese pens including some Jinhaos - I see it extremely often in these lower-priced pens.

Now for round three - after a good 5 minute Tyler-Tuning: That's more like it! This nib had great potential, and it just took a little prodding to bring it out. I have now been enjoying an extremely smooth, non-skippy, 7/10 wetness nib for the last few days. Just how I like it. :) Here's a new sample:

As you can see - no skipping!

And near the bottom, the back of the nib writes a nice XF line for those situations where a B is to big, and you don't have time to pull out another pen (or don't have one with you). I did smooth the back of mine up a bit, but it was still a perfectly usable "duo-point" right out of the box. Very nice extra touch. :)

The nib has some nice, basic designs on it. A few flourishes near the end, and the Kaweco logo in the middle. Nothing amazing, but it's nice enough so it doesn't look too plain.

Here's the feed - pretty basic, with no fins. Oddly, it seems to work extremely well with the normally picky eyedropper filling system.

As of now, with my tuning enhancement, it's what I'd call "an amazing nib".

My thoughts on the nib are, just as I said: horrible, and great. This nib had amazing potential, right out of the box. It just needed some gentle help to realize that potential. Here's what I'd do to make this nib better:

Get the alignment right at the factory!
Learn how to make a smooth B nib, without giving it rounded inner tines (AKA - baby bottom skipping).
Please offer the nib in a silver-colored option!

All things said and done, this is now one of my favorite nibs. I imagine, like most pens, the nibs are simply hit or miss. Also, and maybe I'm just paranoid, but: I sometimes get the feeling that people always send me their worst nibs, since they know I can fix them easily enough anyways. :)

Bearing this in mind, and the fact that I most likely just got a lemon, I'll give this nib a 20/25.

This nib deserves to be great, and now that it is, it's a pleasure to use. I think I just got a lemon, so I really don't want to slam on this nib to much. Overall the Kaweco nib is a very nice nib, and with minimal tweaking, it's an amazing nib. Here's my recommendation: buy your Kaweco from a retailer/re-seller who tests all their nibs first. That way, you'll be sure to have a more pleasant experience than I did. :)

Conclusion:

While the Kaweco Calssic Sport may not be winning any prizes for best pen of the year, it holds it own in my pen case as an inexpensive, always-ready-to-serve, duty pen. For this reason alone, I greatly enjoy it's company, and find myself reaching for it pretty often. If I need to grab a pen and head outside to do something, this one usually gets chosen. It's pretty rugged, and at it's price, I never fear for it's life.

While my overall rating my seem rather low, I consider it impressive for a pen of this price. Most pens in this price range will not make it past the 59/100 mark, and thus never get farther than "Not bad, but not good".

For this pen to exceed my expectations, and win itself a rating almost worthy of the "Great" category, is definitely something unique. When I first got this pen, I'll admit, I was a bit skeptical about it's performance. But now that I've had a chance to use it, I've come to respect it's potential, and usefulness for it what it's worth.

For the low price of admission, I would highly recommend this pen if any of the below descriptions fit you:

Traveling journaler who doesn't want a high maintenance pen
Working at a "heavy-duty" job but you still need a FP
Afraid that your co-workers might snatch your more expensive pens at the office
You like pocket pens

There are lots more reasons to, but those are the main roles I see this pen filling, and it does considerably well at them given it's price of only $25.00 give or take.

Mine was purchased from the Goulet Pen Company, who I highly recommend. Though I will say, be sure to ask them to check the nib first on yours, if you order one from them. :)

And that there wraps up my review of the Kaweco Classic Sport! I truly hope you enjoyed this review! Please do me a huge favor, and leave me a comment with your thoughts on the pen, and the review. I'm looking forward to hearing from you!

Lastly, if you'd be so kind, consider subscribing to the blog. It keeps me motivated to keep on posting, and it keeps you updated so you never miss a good one! If you're already subscribed, why not share this post with a friend and spread the fountain-pen-fun!

Have a great day everybody - and keep a watch out for the Kaweco Sport VS. Stipula Passporto comparison. It's gonna be good. :)

Smoke TWSBI 540!

2012-02-01T11:44:00.001-06:00

This just arrived in the mail, and I was so excited, I had to share!

I've been patiently (well, not really) stalking my mailbox the last few days, eagerly awaiting the arrival of this.

In case you were unaware, I am a TWSBI fanatic. :) As usual, this pen has outdone my expectations so far, and exhibits the typical TWSBI quality (which is very high).

The latest addition to my herd: A new Smoke TWSBI 540, with a M nib!

TWSBI looks good in black!

And I love the contrast between the chrome trim, and semi-transparent smoke body.

Medium nib this time - decided to try something new for once. :)

A happy little family of TWSBIs!

I'm really excited about this pen (in case you couldn't tell ;), and I'm looking forward to making an updated review of the TWSBI 540 with this.

Anyone else buy one of the new colored 540s?

The one month pocket challenge!

2012-01-31T15:59:00.000-06:00

Well, today was one of those days where inspiration struck, in a very good way! I had this great blog idea just hit me out of nowhere!

It was partially inspired by a review on FPN, which I'm going to feature on the next "Weekend Reads".

Continue reading to find out what's going on here!

So, like I said, I had this great idea pop into my head today. It's all about real-world testing, of pens and paper. I really wanted to experiment with some things, and share the results (and experience) with you all. I think you're really going to enjoy it!

And as they say, without further ado:

First, the explanation you've been waiting for:

What I intend to do, for the whole month of February, is to carry both of these items in my pockets, and on my person at all times, except for when I'm asleep. That means rain or shine, working in the mud, or repairing in the office, these two will be right at my side. They will also receive "exercise" at random intervals throughout the day, to make sure they're getting used in "rough" situations. This is not a full on "torture-test", but it's close. I want these items to be tried and true at the end of this, so I'll be rooting for their success, but won't be giving them any room for error or lack of performance.

Now as to the why: Well, first off - it sounds like a fun idea. But mainly, it's to put both of these products to the test, particularly the Kaweco Sport. Kaweco's slogan states: "Small in the pocket, great in the hand", and my goal is to do just that. Keep it in my pocket. :)

I want to see how these both hold up through the rough occurrences of daily life. I feel like the Kaweco is perfect for this job - it's lightweight, feels sturdy enough, and it's not too expensive, so if it breaks I won't be heartbroken (I hope it doesn't).

The CF pocket book seems perfect too. It's made for the traveler, and for being beaten on, so I expect it will hold up very well.

The details: As I stated, these will accompany me every day, no matter what, all month long this February. I will keep updates posted every so often as each new test and event is overcome (hopefully).

Both the pen and notebook will spend the time in my pockets. Not in my shirt pocket, not somewhere soft, not in a case, but directly in my pocket. Sometimes with keys or a knife (folded of course). They will be gently abused, just to "see what happens".

They will also be pulled out multiple times a day, whenever I feel in the mood, and will be given a quick writing exercise. This will ensure that they perform well in all situations, be it cold, rainy, muddy, etc.

At the end of this whole experiment, time, and some photos will tell us all what these two products are capable of. I am excited to see the results! I hope you are too.

For those who are patiently awaiting the Kaweco Classic Review! This is going to tie right into it. I'm still unsure whether I should save the review for the end of February, when my "test-results" are in, or if I should review it now and see if it lives up to my review.

Why don't you drop me a comment, and let me know what you think. I'd love to hear what you'd prefer in the way of the review timing/incorporation with this.

Questions and comments about the one month pocket challenge are welcome too!

Regards,

Tyler Dahl

Ink Review - FPN Galileo Manuscript Brown

2012-01-30T08:41:00.003-06:00

This is a brown ink a did not expect to like that much, bit it's really grown on me in the last few days that I've been playing around with it.

It's a fast drying, well behaved, and beautiful Noodlers ink, produced for FPN.

It's another one of those "understated" inks, that is very well suited for a good letter, or other purposes where more vibrant inks would be obnoxious.

Overview:

So, when I first inked my pen up with this, I almost thought this would be another Pelikan 4001 Brown, a bland, and ugly color that could hardly be considered a brown. Luckily, I now force myself to give all inks an equal chance, and it was greatly to my benefit this time. :)

This ink is definitely on the "milk" end of the "chocolate brown" ink-spectrum. It's a bit light, and I'll mention here that it definitely looks lighter in this review than it is in real life.

But overall I find this ink very pleasing, and indeed, I am considering buying a full bottle of it. That's a pretty high compliment coming from me, as I am very picky when it comes to inks, and which ones make it into my "must always have a full bottle" collection. :)

Let's get right into the different aspects of the ink:

Ink Review: FPN Galileo Manuscript Brown

Pen and nib: TWSBI 540 - F nib

Color: Light Brown, sort of like milk-chocolate!

Dry time: 5 seconds - Nice!

Smear when dry: NO

Shading: Pretty much none...

Lubrication: Good - actually makes my pen feel smoother!

Bleed through: teeny-tiny amount

Feathering: Just a bit

Here's the scan - again, bearing in mind this scan is slightly "washed out" compared to the ink in real life.

Overall I'm very pleased with this ink. I like it's performance. It has a tiny amount of bleed-through and feathering, but it's a worthy sacrifice for the very fast dry time.

The color is also much nicer than I expected. It really looks great when you've got a full page written with it. It is perfectly suited for a semi-formal letter writing ink, and might even be appropriate in some business situations.

I would say that this one is definitely worthy of my recommending that you go buy yourself a sample, and see how you like it! You need to see it in person to really appreciate the beauty of the subtle muted colors. Trust me. :)

Again (unfortunately), like with FPN Tulipe Noire, this ink is NOT available for purchase right now. This is unfortunate, but hopefully it will be back again soon. I'll update this review with "where to buy" info as soon as it's available.

And with that said, I will conclude this review of FPN Galileo Mauscript Brown. Hope you all enjoyed it.

Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think of this ink. Have you ever tried it, and if so, what are your thoughts on it?

Regards,

Tyler Dahl

Weekend Reads 1/28/12

2012-01-28T08:40:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the fourth edition of Weekend Reads!

It's Saturday, and that happens to be the perfect day to sit back in a comfortable chair, grab a good pen and a book, and catch up on some pen-related reading.

I've picked out some good ones this week, so relax, and enjoy!

#1: Once again, my favorite read of the week is from FPGeeks! Gosh, they have great reviews. They're extremely thorough and detailed, which is how I like and write my reviews. Unfortunately, reading your own reviews isn't much fun, so I'm very pleased to find yet another blogger who really dives into the good stuff in their reviews. Now, about the review: FPGeeks covers the Monte Verde Invincia Stylus Fountain Pen (that was a mouthful). This pen looks amazingly cool, and the review is great. The look/feel of the pen reminds me of the Pilot Vanishing Point in matte black.

#2: I read this a long time ago, but finally found it again last week. It's a rather vague review, and it unfortunately doesn't give any purchasing info. But, that aside, the notebook reviewed here is one of the most unique and cool ideas I've seen in a long while. I really want one now. :) And if any of you know where to get one, please let me know where! I'm very interested in picking one up for personal use and reviewing on the blog.

#3: You probably already knew this, but in case you didn't it definitely worth a mention - the colored TWSBI 540s are finally out! I was seconds away from grabbing a smoke one, but decided I ought to wait till the next batch. Then I thought about it too much, and bought one anyway! :P I'm also interested in grabbing some of those 1.1 and 1.5mm italics to check out and review. This smoke 540 will be perfect for an updated review of the TWSBI!

#4: And while we're talking about the TWSBI, check out this "home-made" frosted TWSBI 530. I really like the idea, and am considering buying an extra 540 just to try it. But I probably won't, because I know mine won't turn out as nice as his did. :)

Q&A time!

Well, I unfortunately don't have any questions this week to answer. Oh no!

If you all are enjoying the Q&A segment of the Weekend Reads, please email me with your questions! I need you (not the other guy reading my blog, but you) to shoot me an email and ask me a question about anything pen related. Seriously, anything! Ink, pens, cases, nibs, repairs, etc. Just ask me something! :)

Your participation is not only greatly appreciated by me, but also by all of the other people who read my blog and the Q&A.

Thank you! :D

And now, a "forecast" for the next week of blogging!

I've got a LOT of reviews coming soon, so this next week and the one after are going to be great!

I've finally gotten a chance to play around with my two new pens, the Noodlers Ahab Flex, and Kaweco sport, but I still think I may give them yet another week before review. I think I might do one this week though.

So, for this week then:

Ink Review of FPN Galileo Manuscript Brown
Pen comparison - Kaweco Sport VS. Stipula Passporto!
Ink Review of Diamine Red Dragon
Clairefontaine Staplebound Duo review!

Haven't done a notebook review in a long time, and have never done that many overall. But in short, this is definitely a week of reviews!

And with that said, I'm concluding this edition of the Weekend Reads. Relax, and enjoy yourself today! If you have some spare time, please consider leaving me a comment below and giving me your thoughts on the Weekend Reads, or anything else you might have on your mind.

And don't forget to ask those questions! They're vital to the Q&A segment. I can't do it without you guys. Email me anytime at: tyler@tylerdahlpens.com with questions or comments. I'm looking forward to hearing from you.

And now, I'm off to go sit down and spend some time playing with my new pens, and test driving some new inks. Catch you all later on Monday. ;)

Regards,
Tyler Dahl

There's more than one way to secure a pen sac...

2012-01-25T08:09:00.000-06:00

I've not been repairing pens for nearly as long as some of the great repairers I look up to. Nonetheless, I've seen a large variety of different things.

Examining all the pens that come in, it never ceases to amaze me, all the ways people can cut corners and "rig" something up. I'm not talking about the people sending me the pens, I'm talking about the original owners.

Here's a "cute" one that came across my desk this morning.

Ever run out of shellac right when you need to put your Estie sac on? That's fine, just use some wire. :)

Both sections are from Esterbrook Dollar Pens. Both from the same eBay seller. I assume he got both of them from the same place as well, being that they both have the exact same thing done to them.

The wire is wrapped around, and twisted. Pretty basic...

Here's after some scraping, picking, and a little cleanup (still needs some more).

This just struck me as weird. I wonder how well it actually worked too. By the time I got into the pen, the sacs were ossified, thus firmly attaching themselves to the section anyway. But since there were no signs of internal leaks, I'm assuming they actually did their job.

Most interesting, but definitely not a repair technique I'm about to adopt. :)

Anyone else here ever seen this one before?

Guess what just came in the mail!

2012-01-23T13:58:00.000-06:00

I'll leave you all to guess this with your creative imaginations, and ingenuity. :)

A picture is worth 1000 words, so I'm not saying anything more.

Weekend Reads 1/21/12

2012-01-21T09:02:00.002-06:00

Weekend Reads once again! I hope everyone's been enjoying these. As always, please feel free to email suggestions and comments anytime. Your input is highly valued and greatly appreciated!

We've got some great articles this week, including a few reviews, and an excellent interview with Phillip Wang of TWSBI by Fountain Pen Geeks.

Read on for the top articles of the week!

#1: My favorite "Read" this week is not really a read, but hey, it was still great. :) If you like TWSBI as a company, and you love their products like I do, you must listen to this great podcast/interview with Phillip Wang of TWSBI Pen Company. It is very enlightening on how the company started, and what new TWSBI products are in the works. It all gives some very encouraging dates for their new releases!

#2: Another great ink review from Brian Goulet of Goulet Pens - Rohrer and Klinger Magenta, an ink I am very keen on trying soon. Take a look and see for yourself - this is a nice looking purple/magenta ink.

#3: This is a great review by a member of Fountain Pen Network. It compares the extremely popular Diamine Syrah (reviewed by me here) with the very ink it was made to imitate: Binder Burgundy. Mark (the reviewer) also throws in a few other inks into this very well done comparison/review.

Q&A time!
This first question was part of much longer string of questions, all of which were excellent. This one seemed the most commonly asked however, so I thought it'd be the best one to share for now:

Q: Are inner caps just friction fit? In other words, they’re just pushed into the inside of the cap (which begs the question, ‘what purpose do they serve?’)

A: Yes, inner caps are often friction fit. Some of them actually screw into a clip or jewel atop the cap (Parker 51 for example). Other have ridges on the side to help keep them in. There are even some that have threads on the inner cap itself, and screw in, though these are pretty uncommon.

The purpose they serve is two-fold: 1) To prevent the nib from drying, which ties right into purpose 2) They allow the section to contact and seal against them, thus preventing the pen from screwing in too far (and screwing up the nib) as well as sealing the nib from leakage or drying out.

Q: Hi Tyler,

Here's a question I have about fountain pens.
Is there any way to "fix" a FP which dries up too quickly? And also, what makes some pens dry quickly while others can stay uncapped for
minutes and start writing immediately?

Thanks!

A: This is an excellent question, and really could be answered in a full blog posts. However, I think I can explain it in simple terms here.

First off: yes and no - some pens dry up quickly because there's something wrong with them. Some of them however are just "that way", and nothing can be done about it.

Now, as for what makes some dry up and others not: It is all dependent upon the pen's ink feeding system, and cap.

Take for example the iconic Parker 51: This pen has a rather complex but extremely well insulated ink feeding system. Because of the hooded design, this pen is practically impossible to dry up in normal use. I've left mine with the cap off for 5 minutes easy, without a single hiccup starting up again immediately. The cap is also well made in that it seals nicely.

A pen with a big open nib, and with a poorly designed feeding system (commonly seen as a lack of fins) will dry up very quickly in comparison.

The cap plays an important part in this too. A pen that is not sealed well during storage will be dryer during use. A great example of a sealing cap is the TWSBI 540: being a demonstrator, you can see how the section contacts the inner cap and seals the nib from air. This prevents drying out (along with the nice gasket which seals at the bottom of the cap). Some vintage pens no longer seal well due to age, and often dry out quickly. The same can also apply to poorly designed modern pens.

Overall, it comes down to a combination of these two factors, as well as things like how your specific pen is "set-up", and the ink you're using.

Lastly, a little preview of what's coming soon to the blog:

Most exciting news would be that I've got two great pens coming in for review soon! I will probably get them in the mail this week, so I may not get a review up till the start of next month. The pens are:

The Noodlers Ahab Flex pen! I am pretty ecstatic about getting to try out and review this one. I've heard a lot of hype about it, and have resisting get one for far too long. Finally, I was ordering from the Goulets, and could resist no longer. :)
Kaweco Classic Sport! This will be reviewed both alone, and in a direct comparison with my Stipula Passporto. Should be a lot of fun, as these pens are very similar, but come at very different price points.

Along with those I will soon have a review up of the popular Waterman Havana Brown. I've been searching for quite some time now to get the perfect brown ink. Haven't even come close yet, but this ink looks very promising.

I may also do some repair related posts soon, which are always pretty fun and educational.

One another note - I will be holding off on doing videos until I purchase a new camera. Which will hopefully be very soon. Currently, producing videos is extremely difficult for me given the poor setup I have. The videos are also very poor footage quality, making it hard to show detailed things in them. I intend on getting a new camera fairly soon, but until then I will unfortunately have to delay any videos. :( Sorry about that one folks.

Now, that aside, we're pretty much concluded for this Weekend's Reads! I hope you enjoyed everything here, and hopefully there's enough to keep you busy for the weekend, in case you have nothing to do.

Please let me know if you have comments or suggestions via an email, or a comment below. Did you like this weekend's reads? Anything else you'd like to see each week implemented into this?

Don't forget to subscribe to the blog, and/or share this article if you liked it!

Have a good one everybody!

Regards,
Tyler Dahl

Ink Review - Pelikan 4001 Brown

2012-01-19T08:08:00.001-06:00

Pelikan 4001 Brown is an odd ink that falls somewhere in between the colors of light brown, and orange.

Another sample sent to me for review by a good friend, I did enjoy trying this ink. However, this is one ink that won't be making it to my personal collection list. It's simply not a color I enjoy.

Read on for the full review, of Pelikan 4001 Brown!

I'll try to keep my personal opinions out of the review, as I realize more and more that ink reviews are very subjective to the user. :)

For me, Pelikan 4001 Brown gets about 65/100 in my book.

Overall, I simply find not much to really like about this ink. That's not to say that it's a bad ink. By no means it is a bad ink. What I do mean though, is that it really doesn't do much for me. I just don't find any aprticular attribute to it that would make me desire to use and buy more of it. It's mostly the color, but I also don't find the characteristics of it that great either. I'll jump into the details below:

Ink review: Pelikan 4001 Brown

Pen and nib: Pilot VP - F nib

Color: Light brown, with a noticeable orange hue.

Dry time: 5 seconds - nice!

Smear when dry: NO

Shading: Good - I like it. I'm sure it'd be more in a larger nib.

Lubrication: Not much - this is typical of fast drying inks like Pelikan and Waterman.

Bleedthrough: Just a bit actually.

Feathering: A very slight amount.

Now for the scan:

You can really see that orange hue in the swab above. I'm not sure I like that in my browns.

This ink, like most others with really fast dry times, has a tendency to bleed-through the page and feather slightly. Not much, but then I am using a F nib. It's certainly a trade off, and whether it's worth it to you is personal choice. With a F nibbed pen like I am using, I personally would prefer a 10 second dry time with no feathering or bleed-through.

Overall this is another one of of those inks which I simply don't like. It's not a bad ink, and some people who like the color would love this ink. For me, it's a lot like Waterman Florida Blue, which I reviewed a few months ago. A nice ink overall, but not something I'd use for personal enjoyment.

I just ordered a sample of Waterman Havana Brown, so I'm really interested in seeing how these two inks compare. From the reviews I read, I have a feeling I'll like Havana Brown more, but I won't know till I try.6

There you have it. That's my review of Pelikan 4001 Brown. :)

Like I said - subjective to the user! If you love this ink, please, leave me a comment and let me know why. I'd be interested to get some different opinions about this one.

That wraps up my reviews this week. I'm surprised - I actually got all three posted! Weekend Reads coming this Saturday, and then I need to decided what to do next week. Suggestions are welcome. :)

Have a good one everybody.

Regards,
Tyler Dahl

Pen Review: Stipula Passporto FPN LE

2012-01-18T07:19:00.000-06:00

In the spotlight for review today is the long awaited, Limited Edition, Fountain Pen Network - Stipula Passporto!

This brand new (and already sold out) pen has been long in the making, and has been extremely anticipated for the last few months.

Being a special production pen from Stipula Italy, made just for the Fountain Pen Network, I have high expectations. We'll see how this pen does! Read on for the overview:

Overview:

I'm giving the FPN Stipula Passporto a solid 84/100 rating.

Pen: Stipula Passporto - FPN Limited Edition

Nib: 1.1mm Italic (steel)

Color: Azure blue

Filling system: Eyedropper

Size: 3.5" capped, 5" posted

Price: approx. $80.00

The good:

Very portable and small, yet extends to the perfect size for writing when capped.
It's a FPN pen!
Design is very simple, yet extremely elegant.
Eyedropper - holds a LOT of ink especially for it's size!

The Bad:

Out of the box, the nib was less than good.
For the price, you're not getting a whole lot of pen.
Ink flow can be very slightly inconsistent due to being an eyedropper.

The FPN Stipula Passporto is a very special pen, and has been very long in the making. With so many expectations and ideas, I was surprised and pleased with the results.

This is not a good choice of pen for someone who's looking for a casual pocket pen to carry around. Make no mistake, this is an LE pen, and is priced like one. With that in mind it is fairly inexpensive for an LE, and I feel it's well worth the money.

As a commemorative pen for the Fountain Pen Network, this pen means a lot to me personally, and that's the real reason I bought it. If you love FPN, want to support them, and you want one of the less expensive LE's they're offering, this is your best bet.

Let's get right into the review.

Design:

The first aspect I always cover in my reviews. My pens must look good! It's absolutely mandatory. Function over form indeed, but I'll always be on the lookout for the "best in class". If there's a line-up of ten pens that all perform the same, I'll disregard price and pick the nicest looking one every time (granted I can afford it of course).

Now, that being said, how does this pen line up in my opinion of beautiful pens?

This pen was quite a pleasant surprise, to say the least. I ordered my Passporto with chrome trim, in a blue color. I believe gold trim was also offered. I chose chrome, as I will always do. I feel gold trim is to "warm" looking for most pens. Silver trim is more clean and cool in my eyes.

The pen body itself is a lovely color-mix of dark blue, with very subtle light blue swirls throughout. These swirls are very hard to capture on camera, but in person they add amazing depth and beauty to the pen. I was expecting the pen to be solid blue, so this part was a real treat for me.

Showing off the imprint: FPN 2011 -78/200

One of my critiques for the design would be that Stipula chose to leave both imprints/engravings empty. I think white paint, as used for most pens would have really made them stand out. As of now, they're a bit hard to see actually. No matter though, as I can chalk them in white myself if I feel the need too. :)

You can faintly see below Stipula's company imprint.

One of my favorite parts of the design, indeed the centerpiece of it, is the cap band on this pen. It's a large chunk of delightfully shiny chrome with Stipula's beautiful leaf logo on it. The logo is deeply imprinted on the band, giving it a very expensive feel.

So shiny I can see my reflection in it with ease!

Aside from that, there's really not much to this design. It's very basic, but not quite what I'd call minimalistic (like the Lamy 2000). There is definitely a certain "feel" to it that is characteristic of expensive pens. This is expected for the price point and LE status.

Overall I would be wrong to give this pen any less than 23/25 for design.

It is beautiful, simple, and elegant without being distracting from whatever your writing. It's one of the prettiest pens I own!

Size/Weight:

As usual, this part of the review is extremely subjective. I will try to give the facts, and keep my opinions at a minimum.

First, let me say that this pen is small! When capped is measures a meager 3.5"! here's a quick comparison photo of it next to my daily users:

Uncapped and unposted, this pen is dwarfed by it's neighbors in my collection!

Though a very small pen when capped, the Stipula Passporto is just the right size posted!

This size however is amazingly 100% advantage and 0% disadvantage! Stipula made the wise choice of putting threads on the back of the pen to allow for the cap to be easily and securely posted during writing.

With the cap posted this pen extends to a "just-right" 5" long. The perfect size for what I need.

With that ability, this makes for a pen that is super convenient to carry around, but still manages to be a full sized writing instrument. Good work Stipula.

The weight of the pen has never been much of an issue or a consideration for me, but this pen seems to be right in between. Not heavy, but not overly light. Still feels like a high quality writing instrument. You know the weight is just right when you don't notice it at all, which is the case for this pen.

The thickness of the pen seems right about average, which is good because due to it's size I was afraid it might be tiny. One of the few areas where I am picky when it comes to weight and size is the thickness of the grip-section. Once again, this pen comes in at being just right, for most users anyway. I'll always prefer my grip sections just a bit thicker, but I doubt anyone will have problems with this unless they have huge hands.

Overall I'd say the FPN Stipula Passporto has earned itself a good 24/25 in weight/size!

Only thing I'd change, based completely on personal preference, is the thickness of the grip. A wee bit bigger would've made it perfect.

Functionality:

Like it's design, the functionality of this pen is very simple. There are basically no mechanics, as it's an eyedropper-filled pen.

Simplicity is a good thing, as pens that are simple are much less prone to errors and malfunctions. I'll hit on some key points here. This is a list of my favorite functionality-features that this pen offers:

Like any good eyedropper, it has a proper rubber gasket on the barrel threads to prevent leakage without having to use silicone grease. Of course, greasing the gasket once in a great while doesn't hurt.
You'll notice (pictured below) the finely cut threads on the end of the barrel. These allow for the cap to screw on when posted, thus making it much more secure than most pens.
The aluminum threads on the section: I prefer these over plastic cut threads. They look good as a design element, and I feel they'll outlast typical plastic threads.

Notice the detailed threads cut into the end of the barrel for posting the cap.

The filling system:

Not a full category, but this is an important sub-category of function. This pen fills via an eyedropper, which is basically the simplest of all filling systems.

I love and hate eyedroppers, as they can be wonderful and painful at the same time. I'll touch on some pros and cons here:

Pros:

Extremely easy to use. No instructions needed - you put ink into the barrel of the pen, and done!
Easy to clean. No complex feeders, mechanisms, or contraptions to hold onto ink and prevent thorough cleaning.
Holds a lot of ink. Amazingly for it's size, this pen holds more ink that any average or large sized c/c filling pen.

Cons:

Messy. I find this filling system can be rather messy. Hard to describe, but once you've tried it you'll know what I mean...
Can be very prone to flow "glitches". We all (most of us anyway) know it - eyedroppers can have some serious flow issues. Anything from dripping ink onto the page to drying up and gushing intermittently. I can luckily say that mine has shown none of these issues in about 2 weeks of ownership. I expect it will remain this way.

Overall, with a high quality pen like this, I don't worry to much about ink blops or leaks. Were it a cheaper pen I might be concerned, but coming from Stipula I feel pretty safe with this in my pocket.

Here is the provided eyedropper, as well as a standard short cartridge. The eyedropper is nice high-quality glass.

With the ability to pop in a cartridge, and the fact that I've had (and am confident I won't) no ink-flow problems, I'm very pleased with this pen filling mechanism. I'd prefer this over a c/c filler any day.

One last thing to go over real quick before we wrap up the function category: This pen has no clip! This was not a concern for me, as I rarely find myself using the clips on my pens. Still, it is something to consider when purchasing this pen. If you use your clips often, and you need one for (x) reason, you may want to look at some of Stipula's other options.

Overall I feel good giving this pen a 20/25 for function.

I have extremely high expectations for a pens function, so don't be surprised at my rating - few pens get higher than this. Things I'd change:

A provided c/c filler in the box would be a nice option for those who wish to not go for the eyedropper filling, but still don't want to use a cartridge.
Nothing outstanding - the pen functions great as a whole, but there's really nothing "Oh wow!" about it. For an LE, I was hoping for a few more outstanding features. Just a minor quibble really.

The nib:

I chose a 1.1mm italic nib for my pen. I've recently moved away from larger nibs, but this pen was an exception. I did not intend for this pen to be a note-taker or workhorse. It it simply meant for luxury, period. :)

Now it's time for me to get a little down on this pen. It's rare that I do this, but it's necessary. It's my goal to give you the honest truth, no matter how much I like a pen. Here it is:

Out of the box, this nib was less than good, it was downright bad. There I said it. Now let me explain in better detail so you understand why.

Stipula does not do a good job of removing manufacturing oils from the pen after it's done being "built". This is unfortunate, as it's really a simple fix, especially for Stipula.

These oils left in the pen cause skipping and severe flow issues. When I first inked the pen, it wrote as dry as the dessert, and that dry flow, bad as it was, was inconsistent at best.

The fix? The silly part is, the fix for this nib is so extremely simple! All you need to do is remove the nib and feed, and rinse them in soapy water. Then rinse them of in clean water, pop them back in the pen, and you're golden! Why can Stipula not do this at the factory?

The little troublemaker - manufactures oil residue left in the feed...

Now, once cleaned thoroughly, here are my thoughts on the nib:

Yes, it's a good nib! This nib was fairly smooth, abut 5/10 wetness, had had pretty decent line variation for a factory italic. If I was just rating the nib, I'd probably give it a 6/10. To be honest though, I wasn't impressed with the nib. I liked it enough, but it wasn't making that "wow" connection that I wanted.

You know me - I took it out to my workshop, gave it a good one-over for about 15 minutes, and came back in to try it out. The results - Much, much improved! This nib responded very well to my tuning. I increased the flow, smoothed it, and touched up the nib shape to achieve more variation.

Now, with the nib tuned up, I can easily give it a 9/10! This nib has now become a favorite of mine. I really love it.

But, to be fair, not everyone can go out and professionally home-tune their pens.

To be honest, I have to overall score the Stipula Passporto's nib at 17/25.

Ouch, that hurts a bit, especially for a Limited Edition pen at this price point. But factor in the skipping problems at the start (bad presentation from Stipula), and the only decent writing quality, I have to give it that score.

Now for a writing sample! This is the nib after I tuned it. The variation is diminished slightly, because I didn't use my good paper like I should have. :)

NOTE: In the comparison below, the pens used are:

Blue ink - Stipula Passporto

Thin brown line - TWSBI F

Thin Magenta line - Pilot VP F

Dark Brown wide line - Lamy 2000 B

The extra category:

My reviews typically feature 4 categories, but for LE pens, I give an extra one. This category will cover the presentation and "pack-ins" that come with this pen. I don't want to spend too much time on this (it's the pen that I care about!), but here goes:

Nice faux leather box - good company imprint, secure magnetic closure. I care little about the box...

Pack ins! A manual, with info on all of Stipula's different filling systems, a "certificate LE thingy", an eyedropper, and a cartridge.

There it is, a genuine FPN Passporto. Mine is 78/200 (yes, I know it looks like 900). I have to admit, I was disappointed about one thing: This is written with a ballpoint! What!? Stipula needs to make it mandatory for their employees to use fountain pens for this job. :)

Very good quality glass eyedropper.

Comes with a single short cartridge, in case you don't want to do bottled ink.

Overall I think the extra pack-ins are perfect, or very close to it. It's what I expected from an LE, but it's not overly obnoxious. No frills, very simplistic, yet I still feel like I'm getting what I paid for, with a Limited Edition fountain pen.

Conclusion:

Overall, nib issues aside now that they're fixed, I'm extremely pleased with this purchase. I would recommend this pen to anyone looking for a special pen, specifically to commemorate FPN.

This pen has a lot of personality for such a little guy, and I find myself using it more and more these days.

For the price you aren't getting a whole lot for your money, that's true. A 3.5" pen with a steel nib. But, knowing that I'm helping support Fountain Pen Network with my purchase made it more than worth it for me. Also, it's an LE, so once these are sold, (they already are!) they're gone.

If you're interested in buying one of these though, I recommend you watch the FPN market-place very carefully. I guarantee you there will be folks selling these soon enough. I also guarantee that they'll be snatched up very fast when they do get put up for sale!

If any of you folks have one of these pens, I'd love to hear you thoughts in the comments below. Did yours have nib issues? If so, were they easily fixed with the same trick I used?

Thanks for reading everyone! I hope you enjoyed this review. Of course you're more than welcome to leave me a comment too and let me know what you think of the review. I'd love to hear from you!

If you liked this review, consider doing yourself and me the favor of subscribing to the blog. It'll keep you up to date in an easy and convenient way, and it encourages me to keep on posting these reviews!

And don't forget to share this on twitter if you enjoyed it! Spread the word, let others in on the fun. :)

Have a good one everybody!

Regards,

Tyler Dahl

Ink Review - FPN Tulipe Noire

2012-01-16T08:17:00.002-06:00

Here goes the first review of the week. I've got three planned so be sure to stay tuned for the rest of them!

Dumas Tulipe Noire is a specialty ink made for The Fountain Pen Network by Noodlers. This is a standard Noodlers ink, and is priced at their usual $12.00 a bottle for 3 oz., which I find extremely reasonable.

As far as I can tell, this ink is currently NOT available for order, but will hopefully be soon. Sales of this ink are managed by FPN admin, and thus are not always regular or predictable. Hopefully a new system will soon be implemented and this ink will become easier to purchase. When it is, I will be sure to link to it in this review.

Now, let's jump right in with the overview:

Overview:

FPN Tulipe Noire is an ink I'd normally not try, as I'm usually one for very vibrant/saturated colors. However, this ink was a sample sent to me by a good friend, so I decided I most certainly ought to give it a fair chance.

The results were surprisingly good! Tulipe Noire has torn-down some stereotypes that I had about subdued inks, and I think it's for the better.

Written review:

Ink Review: FPN Tulipe Noire

Pen and Nib: TWSBI 540 - F nib

Color: Chalky magenta, if that makes sense. :)

Dry time: Between 5 and 10 seconds! Very good.

Smear when dry: NO

Shading: Yes, a slight amount. Very pretty looking too...

Lubrication: Decent - seems good to me.

Bleedthrough: Very tiny amount. Might be more in a larger nib.

Feathering: None really, except on cheap papers.

Scanned writing sample:

Overall my thoughts of Tulipe Noire are very positive. I think this ink may find a place in my permanent collection. The subdued tones are very formal, yet they're not boring like using plain old black ink. There is something about the deep magenta/wine-colored look that I really love.

As said in my comments about the color - it's almost "chalky" looking. The only other ink I've personally tried like this was Noodlers Luxury Blue, an ink that I really did not like.

The chalky look gives this ink a great texture however, and really adds to the effect/impression it makes. This ink would be perfect for letters and cards.

I think this ink is definitely worth purchasing a sample. Again, there are unfortunately none available right now as far as I know. But if you come across the chance to get a bottle (second hand on FPN perhaps), I would recommend you do so.

Eventually I'd like to post an addition to this review, showing a writing sample using a pen with a larger nib. I think the F nib may not quite fully show the beauty of this ink when scanned. We'll see. :)

Well, that pretty much wraps up my review of FPN Tulipe Noire!

Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think. I'd love to hear from you. Have you ever used Tulipe Noire? What did you think of it?

Also, be sure to subscribe to the blog to keep updated in an easy and convenient way.

And if you're in the mood, feel free to share this on twitter! Let someone else know about this review and spread the fun!

Regards,

Tyler Dahl

Weekend Reads 1/14/12

2012-01-14T05:00:00.001-06:00

First Weekend Reads of 2012! Missed last week, and I almost missed this week. My family has the flu going around! :P

I got sick Thursday, and as a result have done very little blog work, and no pen-repair whatsoever. I'm going to wait another day or two till I begin repairing again, just to make sure every thing is sanitary, and that my strength is back again.

Anyway, on with the picks of the week. :)

1: First up is an excellent review of the Platinum Plaisir fountain pen, by Fountain Pen Geeks. Now this is truly my kind of review. Very detailed, and very fun to read! Even if you're not interested in the pen, the review is still a good one. I really like the style of the review too, with two opinions about the pen instead of the usual "one man's opinion".

2: I have at last found the perfect (yes, I mean it) purple ink! Check out Brian Goulet's review of it here. Needless to say, I am ordering a bottle of this ASAP, and will do my own review of it on the blog when I get the chance. :)

3: This was a question I asked on FPN some time ago, but I find the answer very interesting still. It's about Pilot's Vanishing Point fountain pen, and the way the nib/feed is used to open the trap-door. There's a great diagram in there that you'll love too.

That's all for my top reads of the week. A lot of bloggers have been taking a slight break for the New Years, so not quite as much as normal to read through. Should be enough to keep you entertained though. ;)

Now for some Q&A!

Q: First up is an image I made for someone who wanted to know what an Esterbrook looked like inside. As an experiment a while ago, I used my rotary tool to cut open an Estie and make a demo-model.

For this person, I decided to take the image in photoshop and color it in, to provide a more "contrasted" view. Hopefully this will helpful to someone who has never opened up a lever-fill or Esterbrook before.

Be sure to click on me for an extra-large zoomed in view. :)

Q: Should I use a latex, or silicone sac in my Esterbrook?

A: Most definitely LATEX! Silicone sacs should be reserved only for those pens that are prone to discoloring. That would commonly include Jade, Lapis, and Black & Pearl pens. Latex is safe to use in Esterbrooks and almost all other vintage pens. I prefer latex because I believe it out-performs silicone in many ways. Silicone is too stiff in my opinion, as well as being more expensive, and "rougher". I think the roughness is not an asset to a smooth functioning lever filler. Of course, your mileage will vary, and you may wish to put silicone in your pen just because. But if it's a matter of what's necessary, I would recommend latex sacs.

Lastly, how about a "forecast"?

I thought this might be a neat idea to try, for at least this week anyways. Here's what's "on the radar" for the next week on the blog:

Ink review of either, or both: FPN Tulipe Noire, and Pelikan 4001 Brown.
Pen Review: The full Stipula Passporto (FPN-LE) review!

Well, that concludes this "edition" of my Weekend Reads!

As always, your feedback is greatly appreciated. Leave me a comment and let me know what you think!

Suggestions, and questions can be directed to my email. I can always use more questions for the Q&A section, so don't be shy about asking. :)

Regards,

Tyler Dahl

4 reasons you should consider a rotary tool for your next repair job

2012-01-10T07:46:00.001-06:00

If you've just begun repairing your own pens, then this post may or may not be relevant to you. It all depends on how far you want to take that knowledge.

However, if you're serious about repairing your own pens, and you're ready to take the next step, then you'll definitely want to read on.

My rotary tool has become in indispensable part of my repair work flow. Without it, I'd often find myself straggling along at a slow pace. Thanks to this mechanical wonder, there many tasks than can be shortened, simplified, and improved in quality.

Before I go ahead and tell you all the great things that a rotary tool can do for you, it's best to give the regular safety precautions.

Yes, A rotary tool can be dangerous. A razor knife (used very often in pen repair) can be just as dangerous to the pen, and more so to the user. Follow these simple precautions to keep yourself safe, without being overly restrictive.

Always run it on the lowest setting possible for what you're doing. This is assuming you're using a multi-speed rotary tool. Hopefully you are (more on this to come in a later article). Running on a higher speed than what is required for the job simply puts you and the pen at risk.
This applies specifically to cut-off discs! Always check your disk for cracks before using it. This is a very important lesson I learned, luckily the hard way but not too hard. When using a typical cut-off/grinding disc, you must always check the integrity of the disc before going at a pen with it. These discs break extremely easy, and when they break while spinning they fly everywhere, including your eyes.
You may choose to wear eye protection, and it's probably for the best. I normally am wearing a set of optivisor head-magnifiers while using my rotary tool, so my eyes are well shielded. If you're a glasses wearer, then you're good to go. If not then try to find the most optically clear pair of safety glasses you can get and use those. A pair that's "foggy" will make it difficult to see what you're doing and just make everything more dangerous.
Be smart! If you're not sure what the outcome will be, think about it before you do it. Will this hurt the pen? Will it hurt me?
It's best if you have steady hands. Most operation with the rotary tool are simple, but can go very wrong with just a single twitch of the hand in the wrong direction. Example - Drilling out the pellet pocket of a Parker Vacumatic. One little movement to far to one side and you'll be grinding away your good pocket.

Now, enough with the safety prep! Let's get on with 4 reasons why you should consider a rotary tool for your next repair.

Reason #1: Parker Vacumatic Pellet Pocket Removal

This is what got me hooked on using my RT (rotary tool - I'm getting tired of typing that so many times :). I will not go into how to do this in this article (tutorial hopefully soon). I'll just say this: if you've ever struggled for 30 minutes, trying in vain to use a pin to remove a stubborn pellet from a vac-pocket, you need try the RT method. I can usually get a pellet out of a pocket in about 1-2 minutes, perfectly, cleanly, and easily. And I consider myself a bit slow and cautious about this.

Reason #2: Trimming and grinding

A bit general purposed yes, but still relevant and true. I use my RT almost daily, for little tasks such as this. A replacement lever that doesn't fit quite right. A j-bar that needs to be thinned, and many more such applications. Once you start using it, you'll wonder what you did without it.

Reason #3: Clean up, clean up, everybody...

Don't worry, I wont' sing the rest. :P

An RT is an amazing tool for cleaning, buffing, polishing, etc., with the right attachments of course. One of my favorites is the plastic brush you see pictured at the start of this article. It is immensely helpful for cleaning out the threads of pens, as well as other things. I normally polish my pens by hand, with a rag and some polishing paste. However, there is the occasional piece or "thing" that I just can't do with a rag. An RT polishing wheel comes in extremely handy for those jobs. You do have to be cautious with polishing however, as the heat from the friction of the rotary tool can melt the pen. Take it from someone who's experienced it first-hand (R.I.P. many a scrap Esterbrook body abused during practice...).

Reason #4: If you're into grinding nibs

A lot of folks love to grind their own nibs, mostly for the personalized, one of a kind feel they can achieve. While I could write (and probably should) an entire article on the subject of RT VS. hand methods for grinding, I'll keep it short and simple here: Grinding a nib with an RT is actually more accurate and precise than doing it by hand. Believe me, I know. :) Grinding nibs with an RT is not just to faster - I believe the results are much better. Much more symmetric, straight, and "squared" grinds. Again, I can't go into details on this - it'd take up an entire post of it's own, but the general idea is this: less hand movement = a better grind.

Well, that's my little mini-roundup to convince you to at least consider a rotary tool as a future piece of equipment. I can't live without mine, and I assure you, it's well worth the investment if you'll use it enough.

That's it for now folks! Let me know what you think of the article via the comments area below. Your input is greatly appreciated! :)

Regards,

Tyler Dahl

New Years sale, twitter, and a poll...

2012-01-03T12:55:00.001-06:00

Kicking off the new year, I've got some special things coming this month. For starts, here's two of them.

Firstly, I've got to once again clear out my stock/inventory of pens! If you know me, then you'll know that means a big sale for you all! :) It's time to save big this January on all those pens you didn't get for Christmas. Each pen has a nice discount on the price for this month only. I say grab them while you can, because you won't find them cheaper, and because I seriously need to clear out!

Then I'll have room for all the great pens of 2012 - can't wait to see what pops up.

For this special sale I've included an extra mini tray with a few pens on it that wouldn't fit on the other one. There are some real beauties this month, and at steal prices too! Among my favorites are:

A Lovely near mint Sheaffer Defender (military clip)
A pristine Vacumatic Major (emerald - just beautiful!)
A Parker Duofold Jr.
An Eversharp skyline in blue, with a GF cap
And a whole lot more that are worth mentioning, but I won't anyways. :)

Check out the sale here!

Now, for the second little update: I have decided to give twitter one last chance. I realized that there are a LOT of people who can be easily reached via twitter, but who are never on FaceBook, and wouldn't normally visit the blog. This opens up a very large door of opportunity for sharing the fountain-pen-fun with even more people! We'll see how it goes, but I think twitter is around to stay. I finally found an iOS app that really works, so twitter is a much more "smooth/streamlined" experience for me now. It's actually a bit of fun.

So, for the twitter-connected crowd, follow me at TylersPens!

A few minor things worth mentioning:

Some of you may have noticed something wrong with the blog yesterday at around 6:00PM-8:30PM (Central Time). I was trying to beta test bloggers new dynamic templates, but for some reason they actually got published! Big mistake. I've learned my lesson - I'll have a test blog set up for stuff like this in the future.
On that note - the blog will NOT be changing looks anytime soon. While the new blogger templates are beautiful, minimalistic, and well designed, but they lack key features to me. Most importantly the great DISQUS commenting system currently implemented on the blog, among other things...
I am considering in the late future however, a change over to a full blog, without the ".blogspot" extension. Again - think late future, like, maybe not even this year.
The mobile website - yes it still exists, but I got caught up with life and it got pushed to the back burner. I apologize to all my wonderful volunteers, and to everyone who's been waiting so long. Now with the blogs re-merged, I am freed up to begin work again! I am re-working the design just a bit,after thinking about usability, convenience, etc. Hopefully the end result will be a highly usable mobile website!

That being said, I'd like your opinion, reader of my blog. If you'd be so kind as to just participate in this poll, I'd be most appreciative! Here are my two options for the mobile website design (click the images for a larger version):

#1 - The original design. It's very simple, but my common problem is that the text bubbles don't look like clickable buttons, even though they are. Aside from that, it is also very feature heavy (as the navigation goes deeper). Feature heavy that is for a mobile site.

#2 - Just came up with this last night. It's a very quick mock-up (rough around the edges still!) but it's a much more "native" looking website. It should be much more "instantly familiar" with mobile users than the previous site.

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br /&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

That's about it for my new years updates. :) I'll stop talking now and get back to my work. I've got inks and pens to be reviewed, articles to write, and pens to be restored. Have a great evening everybody!

Regards,

Tyler Dahl