In Link Love

Link Love: Virtual Travel Edition

Author AnaPosted on Leave a comment

As you are reading this, Laura and I are ensconced enrobed (?) in boxes and nestled into the fine interior of my beloved 10-year-old MINI Cooper on our way to the Chicago Pen Show. Ms. Jesi Coles will be joining us via United Airlines on Thursday. You will find Laura behind the Vanness Pen Shop table this weekend and you will find me manning The Well-Appointed Desk table. Or maybe the other way around? Since the tables are side-by-side, we might flip flop as needed. Either way. Maybe we will all be at Jesi’s Vintage Pen Shop table?

While there is no after party or event planned this year, The Well-Appointed Desk is well represented this year and will be available for Ask The Desk questions at all three tables and at the bar every evening. Please say hello!

This week’s links seems feature a fair share of other travel like Azizah’s trip to Laywines and Pencilcase Blog’s trip to Sakura Pen Gallery. HeyMatthew raps about the Atlanta Pen Show too. The pencil section is more about sharpening this week and we’ve got more for writing than art-making in terms of creativity down in the “other interesting things” section. Hope to see you’all soon!

Pens:

Ink:

Pencils:

Notebooks & Paper:

Art & Creativity:

Other Interesting Things:

In Ink Review

Ink Review: Robert Oster Honey Bee

Author Laura CameronPosted on 1 Comment

Review by Laura Cameron

When I was in the ink mecca a few months ago I pored over the Robert Oster swatch books and selected Honey Bee (50mL for $17.00) to come home with me. I chose this one since I have a lack of yellows in my ink stash, and this one looked gorgeous.

Honey Bee is, as you would expect, a rich golden honey colored ink.

 

While this ink doesn’t appear to sheen, in heavier applications it shades quite nicely from a light golden yellow to a richer darker yellow-brown.

 

I saw a bit of variation in the larger nibs, but in general standard writing with a fine or medium nib resulted in a nice light gold that is fairly easy to read.

In comparison to other colors, my stash is woefully lacking in yellows. Honey Bee is definitely more yellow than Pilot Iroshizuku Ina-ho (“Rice Ear”), but is much closer to Pen BBS No. 134 (sparkle not withstanding).

I don’t have Honey from KWZ, which looks quite similar to Honey Bee, although possible with slightly greener tones. However, I do know that some people shy away from KWZ inks because of their particular odor, and I can say that Honey Bee has no such smell.

Overall, I’m glad I added this one to my ink stash – it’s glorious honey gold tones are perfect when I want a rich yellow ink.

DISCLAIMER: Some of the items included in this review were provided to us free of charge by Vanness Pen Shop for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

In Fountain Pen Review

Fountain Pen Review: Hinze American Graffiti with Custom Clip

Author AnaPosted on 3 Comments
Fountain Pen Review: Hinze American Graffiti with Custom Clip

I have been waiting to do this review for WAY TOO long. Hinze Pens are such a unique and under-recognized pen maker on the scene right now. Jim Hinze is creating oversized acrylic/resin pens in amazing colors, some even include diamond dust for a stunning effect. The larger pens are made to be comfortable for writers who may have hand issues like arthritis or other gripping issues as well as people who just prefer larger pens.  I tested the American Graffiti Fountain Pen with a custom brass clip (a similar model is listed here). Even though the pen is large, the acrylic/resin material makes it light enough to be be used by someone like me with smaller hands.

Hinze American Graffiti Fountain Pen

Hinze American Graffiti Fountain Pen

Hinze American Graffiti Fountain Pen

Hinze Pens ship in a metal tin with cut foam lining. The cases are simple but protective and worthy of the craftsmanship of the pens.  The Hinze logo is printed on the lid of the box. As discussed in the past, I don’t want a lot of packaging on my pens because I don’t want ostentatious, wasteful materials that I have to figure out how to store or recycle. However, I also want the packaging to be worthy of the product in both presentation and protection. If the packaging has potential secondary use, that’s great too. The Hinze box, being a metal tin, appears to fall into the category of secondary use potential by removing the foam liner. It’s also low profile so I can keep it without requiring a separate wing on my house (Aurora, I’m looking at you!).

Hinze American Graffiti Fountain Pen

The pens take either JOWO or Bock nibs and with custom orders, you can select which nib type you prefer –#5 or #6 size. Though I think a larger #6 nib will probably look more proportional on Hinze’s larger pens. If you prefer a beret on a yeti, that’s your choice. I’m not going to judge. Chuckle maybe.

Most of the Hinze nibs are etched with the Hinze logo. I got mine late in the pen show weekend and the pickings were slim so I ended up with a plain steel EF nib.

Since Hinze pens use mostly JOWO nibs (or you can request JOWO nibs), this makes them compatible with Franklin-Christoph nibs. If you had a Franklin-Christoph custom ground #5 nib (maybe a Masuyama or something that was ground especially for you at a show), then this would be a legitimate reason for requesting a Hinze pen with a #5 nib. Go, you beret-wearing Yeti! You look fabulous and write like a dream. Alternately, you can order JOWO nibs from Peyton Street or Franklin-Christoph in #6.

Hinze American Graffiti Fountain Pen

For size comparison, pictured above left to right, Kaweco Sport, Pelikan M200, Bob’s Hinze Fountain Pen, the Hinze American Graffiti, Sailor ProGear Slim, Lamy AL-Star and Pilot Metropolitan Pop. Clearly, the Hinze pens are larger than most of my other pens by leaps and bounds.

The Hinze pen I tested was larger than the one my husband owns and, with the brass clip, it was heavier too. However, when uncapped, it was actually lighter. Bob’s pen (which, for the record is the only fountain pen he uses on a regular basis) is 5.75″ long capped and 5.5″ long uncapped. Bob’s pen weighs 24gms  capped and filled and 18gms uncapped. The design of his pen is straighter and does not allow for the cap to be posted. The American Graffiti that I tested was 6″ long capped and 5-9/16″ uncapped. The American Graffiti weighs a whopping 32gms capped and 16gms uncapped. It can be posted making it a baton at a length 7-5/16″.

Hinze American Graffiti Fountain Pen

The same pens as pictured previously, this time posted with the exception of Bob’s Hinze which cannot be posted. The Hinze American Graffiti is way ahead of the pack in length.

Hinze American Graffiti Fountain Pen

Despite being a considerably larger pen, writing with the Hinze pens is actually a comfortable affair. The barrel of the pen is not so wide that I cannot grip it comfortably. The only other truly large pen I’ve used that was just too wide for me was the Wancher Dream Pen. While it was very lightweight it was too wide for me to use comfortably. I’d compare the writing width of the Hinze pens to be consistent to writing with a kid-sized crayon or wide width pencil. This completely explains why my husband loves this pen so much. I always tease him that he writes as if he’s using a crayon and his Hinze pen is fitted with a 1.1mm stub nib and red ink so it really is just a grown up crayon.

I think that pretty much sums up the joy of Hinze Pens. The colors of the materials are beautiful from diamondcast sparkles to swirly, funky colors mixed with anodized nibs and a comfortable feel like a jumbo crayon, Hinze Pens delight adults like a new box of crayons delight a child.

Tools:

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

In Fashionable Friday

Fashionable Friday: Pirate Treasures

Author AnaPosted on 2 Comments

Fashionable Friday Pirate Treasures

I was inspired in equal parts by the new Montegrappa Mini Mule and the May Allure’s Most Wanted Beauty Products article (I read the article in the paper edition but you can enjoy it digitally too).

  • Alexander McQueen Treasures Print Scarf $495.43AUD ($347.74US) (via Cettire)
  • Montegrappa Fortuna Mini Copper Mule Fountain Pen MSRP $350 (coming soon to your favorite fountain pen retailer)
  • Auden Alana Sea Shell Drop Earrings $168 (via Neiman Marcus)
  • MT Big Black Dot Stripe Washi Tape $3.50 per roll (via CuteTape)
  • Pen House Pen Saijiki Kazahana Fountain Pen Ink $31 for 50 ml bottle (via Vanness Pens)
  • Thick Plot Notebook $60 (via Story Supply Co.)
  • Soap Rocks $13 each (via Bloomingdales)
  • Blackwing Pencil Roll $59.95 (via Blackwing 602)
  • Esterbrook Twelve Pen Nook MSRP $175 (available soon from your favorite pen retailer)
  • Benu Briolette Fountain Pen in Gold Ore – Fine Point $80 (via Goldspot Pens)
  • Conklin Duraflex 120th Anniversary Fountain Pen, Special Price $60 (via Pen Chalet)
  • Reaktor Starliner Fountain Pen, starting at $55 (via Karas Pen Co.)
  • Leonardo Momento Zero Horn ST Fountain pen €122.31 (via Appelboom)
  • LAMY Benitoite Crystal Fountain Pen Ink $16 for 30 ml Bottle (via JetPens)

Thanks to my sponsors for providing some of the images I use for Fashionable Friday. Please consider making your next purchase from one of the shops that support this blog. Let them know you heard about them here.

Thanks for your support and for supporting the shops that help keep it running.

In feature, Paper Review

Notebook Review: My Graphic Notebook

Author Jessica ColesPosted on 2 Comments
Notebook Review: My Graphic Notebook

By Jessica Coles

I recently came into possession of a new notebook named My Graphic Book ($16 at Vanness) that lives up to the name quite well. This notebook consists of six sections, each featuring a different kind of graph in various bright colors.  My first thought was that this could check several boxes for me; a rainbow of colors, graph paper that begs for doodling plus the bright colors seemed to give me permission to have a notebook that was set aside for fun.

Please excuse the slight bend in the cover.  I’m fairly tough on notebooks!

First, an overview of the paper in general.  All sections in the notebook use the same paper, bright white, smooth paper (I have not found information about the weight of the paper but it is fairly thick) that feels wonderful to write on it.

 

 

I was somewhat disappointed at first when fountain pen ink bled through the paper.  But then I remembered something.  There are writing instruments that are not fountain pens!

My obsession with fountain pens didn’t start with fountain pens.  It started as an obsession with pens in general.  Gel pens were a huge part of my notetaking in school; between classes and journaling, I could easily write gel pens dry on a regular basis.  Micron pens, Stabilo pens, Gelly Roll pens… I don’t use these pens as much anymore, but why not? They are so fun! I decided to get out ALL of them and play with color in this notebook.

I was actually pleasantly surprised to find how well this paper did with nearly every pen I threw at it, even Sharpie marker. By far my favorite was the Stabilo 68 pens that don’t play well with my usual Tomoe River paper.  I had forgotten how many of these I actually owned, so there was no problem finding plenty of colors.

The first section of the Graphic Book is blue dots at a spacing of 7mm.  The larger distance between dots helped remind me not to take myself too seriously here – this notebook was to be fun.

The next section consists of bright green lines.  The spacing alternates between 3 and 4 mm.

I got out my super fine gel pens for this section.

Nothing bled through with this pen.

Did I mention?  Each section in the notebook is marked off from the others with a matching Day Glo divider!

The next section consists of neon orange lines, surrounded by neon orange dividers. These lines reminded me of the handwriting pages that were given out in grade school.

The lines made me nostalgic for those handwriting exercises, so I gave that a try!

Next came a neon red grid. It was hard to get the photo to come anywhere close to the actual color here – it seems the red is a bit bright for my camera.

Here I brought out the Stabilo markers for fun.

The fifth section is a VERY bright neon pink.

The grid in this section was even more playful and reminded me of quilts.

So I made pinwheels using Stabilo 88 markers and got out my Day Glo gel pen!

The best color was saved for last.  Purple.

This grid also ended up being one of my favorites.  The heavy lines are a 10mm spacing, the medium lines at a 5mm spacing and tiny 1mm grid over all of it.

I didn’t have the chance to get as involved with this graph, but you’d better believe that this one will get more color soon!

The binding for this notebook consists of six signatures (or group of sheets that are folded together) that are each sewn.

The signatures are then glued at the sewn edge.

This allows all of the colors and textures to be seen on the spine.

I have enjoyed using this notebook – I often make the mistake of keeping notebooks only for serious reasons.  My Graphic Book pulled me back into the fun parts of doodling with good paper, it’s a wide variety of graphs and amazingly bright colors. I highly recommend it for having lots of fun.

DISCLAIMER: Some of the items included in this review were provided to us free of charge for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

In Link Love

Link Love: Helvetica NOW vs. Public Sans

Author AnaPosted on 2 Comments
Link Love: Helvetica NOW vs. Public Sans

The clock is ticking down to the Chicago Pen Show for us here at The Well-Appointed Desk. In the rest of the world, attention is focused on the launch of Helvetica Now and Public Sans. Well, at least in the typographical world. Nick Stewart continues to work his way through the Sailor Studio ink colors in his beautiful, bleachy ways. Austin Kleon is looking out for me with his tip for remembering your hotel room number. Tools and Toys is giving me an excuse to buy another (Kipling) bag.

Posts of the Week:

Pens:

Ink:

Pencils:

Notebooks & Paper:

Art & Creativity:

Other Interesting Things:

In Fountain Pen Review

Fountain Pen Review: Retro 51 Tornado Fountain

Author Laura CameronPosted on 10 Comments
Fountain Pen Review: Retro 51 Tornado Fountain

Review by Laura Cameron

You may or may not remember that in my first post on The Desk I talked about how my Retro 51 Tornado in Black Cherry (and truly Retro 51) was my gateway drug into the fountain pen world. My love for Retro 51s hasn’t abated, so I was intrigued to hear that they were making product improvements and that there would be a redesigned version releasing this year. Ana ordered one in Aquamarine from Vanness Pen Shop ($65) for me and I was off to the races. (For the purposes of this review I’ll compare the Aquamarine to my Black Cherry).

On it’s face, the new Tornado looks similar to the old Tornado. The new colors (Aquamarine, Ultraviolet and Orchid) are designed in a “frosted metallic” style meaning they have a matte finish both on the pen body and the silver trim. (Former editions of the Tornado were a shiny finish.)

 

I started by comparing the exteriors of the pens – the length appears to differ only slightly, by less than 1/8th of an inch, and the weights are roughly the same as well (new: 33g and old: 32g, but that may be the result of uneven ink fills).

So now let’s look at the real differences: the nib and the grip section. The previous versions of the Retro 51 Tornado used Schmidt nibs and came with the Medium as the standard nib (though I believe Fine was available on request). The new versions have upgraded to the Jowo #6 nib, and are now available in Extra Fine, Fine, Medium and 1.1 stub italic.

They’ve also re-worked the grip section. It appears to be approximately the same length, but the new grip is somewhat contoured, whereas the older grip narrowed in a straight line.

My final test was filling the pens and letting them sit for a while. Although I love my Retro 51s (and I have SEVERAL more not pictured here), historically they have dried out pretty quickly and often require water to get them started again. I let both pens sit untouched for a week, and sure enough my Black Cherry needed a bit of assistance to get the juices (inks) flowing, but the Aquamarine started right up. This test isn’t exhaustive – I really should let the new Retro sit for more than a week and see what happens, but so far I’m impressed.

Overall, I think the changes Retro has made to the Tornado Fountain Pen are great. The section was never a deal breaker for me, but I think many people will really like the new contoured grip. And I’m always a fan of more nib choice; making it a Jowo #6 nib opens up a lot of possibilities. I still think that Retro 51 is a fun brand and makes a great fountain pen for those newer to the hobby looking to upgrade their pen experience!

DISCLAIMER: Some of the items included in this review were provided to us free of charge for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.