The Well-Appointed Desk

This post will hopefully answer the question:

Is it worth it to seek out a vintage Blackwing 602?

I have wanted a vintage Blackwing 602 just to try it out, since before this blog was even a twinkle in my eye. At the same time, I’ve never really wanted to spend $100 for an unsharpened vintage pencil. It just seemed silly. So, a couple weeks ago, a friend who was moving house mentioned that he had a big jar of pencils he inherited from his grandparents. I asked if I could see a pic of the jar and if there were any pencils with “a funny looking eraser cap”? He said “YES!” and I asked if he would bring them over so I could look through them. He said he would, if I was interested in them, we could “make a deal.”

So, I bought a large jar of pencils that included one Eberhard Faber Blackwing 602 that had been sharpened once, one unsharpened Microtomic and a box of colored pencils (Tina got the colored pencils) for $30. And I got to keep the vintage jar. Most of the pencils were good mid-century pencils ranging from standard #2/HB to softer and harder pencils used by artists. There were a lot of classic yellow-and-black Staedtler Noris pencils and some US-made Ticonderogas.

But, of course, the true treasure was a chance to handle and use a real vintage Eberhard-Faber Blackwing 602. I immediately put the pencil to the test next to the modern reproduction Blackwing 602 by Palomino ($27 for a box of 12).

The most notable differences in the exterior of the pencils is the color of the grey paint. The vintage Blackwing 602 is a little bit darker. The feel of the modern Blackwing 602 is smoother, glossier and the hex shape is a bit more rounded off, like the paint is so thick that some of the sharper edges of the hex shape are buried under the paint.

Of course, the vintage eraser is all dried out but I can swap it out with a replacement ($3 per set) from Palomino.

Obviously, the printing on the pencils is different. The “Half the pressure…” text is italicized on the vintage pencil while it’s more upright on the modern 602. The modern 602 is missing the beloved “Woodclinched” text completely. Overall, aesthetically, only the most discerning eye would notice a difference.

But how does it write?

I really wanted to know if I could tell the difference between the writing experience between the two pencils. I wrote with one then the other for at last an hour trying to see if I could notice a difference. And honestly, while I think the lead color is a tiny bit lighter in the vintage Blackwing 602, the difference is honestly negligible. If you prefer a little lighter (harder) graphite color, the Palomino Blackwing Natural which features Extra Firm graphite might be a good alternative. Palomino really did a great job recreating the 602. If you haven’t tried a modern Blackwing, what are you waiting for. Some things are just as good as the “good ol’ days” and the Blacking 602 is one of those things.

In feature

FPD Giveaway Winners!

AnaNovember 9, 2022November 9, 20229 Comments

Thanks to everyone who entered our FPD Ink and Col-o-ring Giveaway. I hope everyone had an awesome Fountain Pen Day!

Here are our 5 winners:

Each has been contacted directly via email.

In Link Love

Link Love: We Love Cats and Ink! And Cat Ink!

AnaNovember 9, 2022November 6, 20221 Comment

This week is full of delightful tidbits from across the pen community. There is a link to an illustrated Pen Zine, Dominant Industry made custom ink colors for Wonder Pens in colors inspired by the shop cats (of course), Crónicas Estilográficas writes about the Kanji nib for the Japanese Lamy and A Fleeting Ripple lists the pens he would run into a burning building to save. Makes you wonder… which pens would you try to save from imminent destruction?

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In feature

Inky Musings

Laura CameronNovember 8, 2022November 9, 20222 Comments

Recently Ana presented me with a Sea Foam L12 Erste from Hinze Pen Co (you can find her original review here) and I was presented with a common problem: what color ink am I going to use?

I’m someone who loves all kinds of ink colors, and by virtue of working for The Desk, I come into a lot of ink (free samples, purchases, and more). It’s always exciting to play with new colors, but it also means I have a drawer full of possibilities every time it’s time to fill up.

How do you choose an ink for a pen? Sometimes I like to go matchy-matchy, but sometimes I like to go for a contrast. Do you choose colors based on how it will look or how the pen makes you feel? For instance, in this case I could have gone with a burgundy (my first instinct was Papier Plume Bootlegger’s Sacrament or DeAtramentis Deepwater Obsession but then I looked at the seafoam green resin (with just a hint of shimmer) and wanted something and settled for Taccia Sabimidori – a rusty green that turns blue (almost like indigo oxidizing).

This also brings me to a larger question, how do you pick which ink colors you’d like to own? I have a drawer full of many of the hues in the rainbow (I was tempted to say all the hues, but I know that’s not true!). I do try and only purchase bottles of ink that I like enough to use continually, and don’t overlap too heavily with shades I already own, but at some point I feel like there are diminishing returns in finding something new and different to add to the collection? And let’s not talk about how many years of refills I have stored in that drawer! (In knitting we have an acronym SABLE – stash acquired beyond life expectancy – I feel like it might apply here.)

Anyway, thanks for joining me for some inky musings on a grey November day!

In Fountain Pen Review

Fountain Pen Review: Platinum Plaisir Aura (Special Edition 2022)

AnaNovember 7, 2022November 6, 20229 Comments

I can’t believe, in over 12 years of blogging about fountain pens, I’ve never reviewed a Platinum Plaisir. Thanks to Gentleman Stationer for sending over this extra special Platinum Plaisir Aura 2022 Special Edition ($41 available in 3 colors). This model of the Plaisir is a little bit fancier than the standard model (approx. $18) but the biggest differences is in the color choices rather than anything specific to the nib options or overall materials.

I received the Merry Pink color of the Plaisir Aura. This model features a white pearlescent barrel and cap color. The grip section is clear so that the user can see the contrasting color feed. As the name suggests, the Merry Pink has a pink feed. The Plaisir is available in Fine (03) and Medium (04) which are the same nib sizes available for the standard Plaisir models.

The Plaisir, like many of the other fountain pens in the lower end of the Platinum line, the pen opens and closes with a snap cap and features the “slip and seal” cap which keeps the ink from drying out in the pen. I love having snap cap pens in my office since most writing done during the day is short notes, meeting notes and lists and being able to quickly remove and replace the cap makes my life a little easier while still getting to use a fountain pen.

The only aesthetic issue I have with the pen is the bright silver-colored cap band. The engraved details make the cap band feel fussy when compared with how clean and modern the pen feels overall. Honestly, its the cap band that has probably kept me from purchasing the Plaisir in the past.

The Plaisir ships with a blue ink cartridge but if you want to use a converter, it will have to be purchased separately.

Comparison:

The most similar pen to the Plaisir is the Pilot Metropolitan (approx. $19.50). Both pens are roughly the same and feature an aluminum body. Both have rounded ends like a cigar shape though the Plaisir is a bit rounder.

The Pilot Mertropolitan is a little slimmer and just a little bit shorter.

However, the Metropolitan is heavier than the Plaisir. The Plaisir weighs 17gms capped or posted while the Metropolitan weighs 26gms. Uncapped, the Plaisir weighs 10gms and the Metropolitan weighs 16gms. The difference in weight is minimal but it’s interesting to note that there is a difference.

Both pens can be posted and are being about the same length posted as they are uncapped or capped.

The nib on the Plaisir is the same nib used in the Procyon, Prefounte and Preppy. They can be interchanged among each pen should you want to swap them out. Similarly, the Pilot Metropolitan nib can be swapped out with the Penmanship, Prera, Cavalier and Kakuno (I feel like the last two should be the Pavalier and Pakuno — just to keep with the predominance of Ps in the pen names). You can see why I immediately made a comparison between these pens.

With these lower priced fountain pens, the converters cost almost as much as the pen. The Pilot CON-40 ($7.25) and the Platinum Converter ($11) are both surprisingly pricey. But, the converters can be swapped across all the pens in the brand’s catalogue so you don’t need to have one for each pen if you don’t want to spend a lot of money on converters. With the fine nibs, the cartridges will last quite awhile so you don’t need one right away.

Writing Sample:

When writing with the Plaisir, the nib is smooth and has a little bit of bounce. When compared with the Metropolitan (also a Fine nib) they are quite similar but the Pilot Metropolitan Fine is a little finer and as a result has a bit more feedback.

Overall, the Plaisir Aura is a lovely pen (cap band is being ignored because the white iridescent and bright feed colors are cool). Would I recommend paying $41 for a Plaisir Aura? Sure, why not. We are the same people who pay $20 for a Metropolitan when we could get a similar nib for $10 in the Kakuno or Penmanship. It’s all about aesthetics and FOMO. I think the Plaisir Aura is a nice opportunity to get a cool looking pen for under $50. Platinum makes good pens and their converters, while pricey, are some of the best in the business.

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by Gentleman Stationer for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

In feature

Fountain Pen Day Giveaway!

AnaNovember 4, 2022November 14, 2022130 Comments

In honor of Fountain Pen Day, we have a not one but FIVE sets of products to giveaway.

Walk Over Vistula is a deep blue ink with sheen and Sheen Machine lives up to its name. It’s a deeper blue with a very visible reddish/purple sheen. KWZ Inks have a distinctive vanilla-ish smell that folks either love (me) or hate (Jesi) — just so you know.

Each set includes:

One (1) bottle of KWZ Sheen Machine
One (1) bottle of KWZ Walk Over Vistula
One (1) Col-o-ring, Col-o-Col-o-dex or OVERSIZE (winner’s choice!)

So, each of our FIVE (5) winners will win 2 bottles of ink and their choice of Col-o-ring, Col-o-dex, or OVERSIZE.

Special shoutout to our Patrons who made this giveaway possible. And thanks to Cary and Fountain Pen Day for helping to bring the love of fountain pens to the attention of the world.

TO ENTER: Leave a comment below and let us know what, if anything, you’ve purchased on FPD AND if you want a Col-o-ring, Col-o-dex or OVERSIZE as your paper option. Play along and type in something. It makes reading through entries more interesting for me, okay? One entry per person.

If you have never entered a giveaway or commented on the site before, your comment must be manually approved by our highly-trained staff of monkeys before it will appear on the site. Our monkeys are underpaid and under-caffeinated so don’t stress if your comment does not appear right away. Give the monkeys some time.

FINE PRINT: All entries must be submitted by 10pm CST on Tuesday, November 9, 2022. All entries must be submitted at wellappointeddesk.com, not Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook, okay? Winner(s) will be announced on Wednesday. Winner(s) will be selected by random number generator from entries that played by the rules (see above). Please include your actual email address in the comment form so that I can contact you if you win. I will not save email addresses or sell them to anyone — pinky swear. If winner does not respond within 5 days, I will draw a new giveaway winner. Shipping via USPS first class is covered. Additional shipping options or insurance will have to be paid by the winner. We are generous but we’re not made of money. US and APO/AFO only, sorry.

In feature

Ink Review: Ferris Wheel Press Twinkling Tea Party

Jessica ColesNovember 3, 2022November 3, 2022

Ferris Wheel Press has added another ink to the FerriTales line that tells the story of Alice’s adventures through Wonderland. The newest ink is Twinkling Tea Party and seems to be perfectly timed for the holiday season.

Twinkling Tea Party, like all FerriTales inks, comes in the most adorable bottle – a miniature version of the full size Ferris Wheel Press bottles. They always look like Christmas tree ornaments to me.

Twinkling Tea Party is a medium forest green with a medium to light amount of rose gold sparkle.

The swatch of ink shows plenty of shading, but I didn’t see much in writing. I did, however, see a touch of a dark red to black sheen in writing.

Tea Party is close overall to Vinta Piloncitos, but is bluer. Diamine Classic Green or Diamine Mistletoe is closer while the sheen is close to what you would find in Sailor Epinard.

I was surprised to see how much blue showed up on paper. Tomoe River (TR7) paper gives lots of the dark red sheen. The rose gold sparkle shows nicely in writing which is much darker than that on the Col-o-Ring card.

Midori MD light paper isn’t as blue and doesn’t show as much sheen. The sparkle is well-balanced here.

As usual, on Cosmo Air Light paper, the sparkle is out of control. Also, the base forest green almost pushes into teal territory. Blue undertones on Cosmo Air Light are turned up to 100.

Twinkling Tea Party is the same price as the preceding FerriTales inks – $21 for a 20mL bottle. While this is on the high side for ink at the moment, it is far from the most expensive. Alongside a bright red ink, this would be a fun choice for holiday cards. Do you sign your cards with holiday colors?

DISCLAIMER: The ink in this review was provided free for the purposes of this review. Please see the About page for more details.

Is it worth it to seek out a vintage Blackwing 602?

But how does it write?

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Ink:

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Writing Sample: