In Ink Review

Ink Review: Pilot Iroshizuku Kiri-same

Author Laura CameronPosted on 1 Comment

Review by Laura Cameron

I don’t use grey inks very often, but I do love every Pilot Iroshizuku ink I’ve tried, so I was happy to get to review Kiri-same (15ml for $9.90).

Kiri-same, or Autumn Showers, is a light to medium grey.

Iroshizuku Kiri-Same

It shades beautifully, ranging from a light silvery grey to a more steel colored grey in heavier applications.

Iroshizuku Kiri-Same

Iroshizuku Kiri-Same

The ink writes beautifully. It loaded into the pen well, and flows smoothly. I find it to be a slightly dry ink, but it hasn’t dried out in my nib; it writes perfectly every time.

Iroshizuku Kiri-Same

As I said, I don’t have a lot of greys to compare to. Kiri-same is definitely darker than PenBBS #261 (and doesn’t have sparkle either!) and isn’t as blue as Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyo-syogun (review forthcoming). It is the perfect grey for stormy days.

Iroshizuku Kiri-Same

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

In Pen Review

Vintage Review: Esterbrook Ballpoint Pen Brought Back to Life

Author Jessica ColesPosted on 17 Comments

Review by Jessica Coles

It’s no secret that I (Jesi) love Esterbrooks.  I believe for the price and quality, there is no single pen better as an introduction into vintage pens.  Of the Esterbrook models, the one that is most prolific on the market today is the J series due to its popularity at the time of production and the durability of the pen itself.

The J series contained fountain pens, pencils and, later on, matching ballpoint pens (which were denoted FJ).  These three used a black jewel on the top of each, but the shape was slightly different for each tool: domed for the fountain pen, concave for the pencil and pointed for the ballpoint (below, the ballpoint pen is the one on the left).

This small detail allowed the user to find what they needed without looking.  An amazingly helpful detail if you had chosen all three in the same color or if the were grabbing a pen from a shirt pocket or a purse.

As a person who loves to collect, I mean sell, Esterbrooks, especially the J series, I have been hesitant to sell the ballpoint Js.  Esterbrook used propriatary refills for their ballpoint pens and until now I have never found a suitable replacement.  But a then I was sent a sample from John Hubbard whose company, Bamapens, has invested thought, time, and knowledge of vintage pens into creating a solution!

First, let me apologize.  When I received the adapter, I didn’t stop to take a photo.  I popped it into the nearest Esterbrook ballpoint and started writing.  Since these are vintage pens, most of the time they are not clean inside by the time they come to me.  Hence the ink and dirt residue on the adapter.  It was actually a beautiful white when received!  However, I think the reside lets the labeling stand out beautifully.

John was kind enough to include a pen refill with this as well and he chose a great one.

This is a D1 sized Uni JetstreamSXR-200-07.  It seats perfectly in the adapter, no wiggle room but also easy to install.

The adapter itself is 3-D printed by John through Shapeways where they are available for sale and are printed to order.  You need an adapter?  Well, let me just print that for you.  I love it. So much like the Jetsons!

The adaper fits perfectly into the pen.

But how did it perform during a writing test?  Once again, perfectly.  The D1 refill is a great fit and this adapter still allows you to click away and annoy those around you.

 

I am a recent convert to Uni products and I love using them.  Combine that with an Esterbrook?  As far as ballpoint pens go, I think it just doesn’t get any better.  Thank you, John, for bringing life back to the Esterbrook FJ!

In Pen Review

Brush Pen Review: Tombow Fudenosuke Double-Sided Gray/Black

Author Laura CameronPosted on Leave a comment

Review by Tina Koyama

One of the simplest sketch tool combinations I use is a black brush pen to make a line drawing shaded with a gray marker. When I’m feeling minimalist, I grab one of each, and I’m good to go. I was excited when the Akashiya Keicho double-sided brush pen first came out: It has a black brush tip on one end, and a gray one on the other – an ideal two-in-one tool. The Akashiya Keicho, however, contains water-soluble inks. While I sometimes enjoy the effects of inks that wash, I kept wishing Akashiya would come out with a waterproof version.

I don’t know about Akashiya, but Tombow did – the Fudenosuke double-sided gray/black brush pen ($3.80).

Compared to the Akashiya Keicho, the Tombow’s tips are much smaller and firmer. I’ve been sketching with this one consistently for more than a month, and so far, the tips haven’t mushed down (a pet peeve of my heavy-handed self).

The slightly flexible brush tips are similar to sign pens that are intended for Asian calligraphy and other fancy writing. With pressure, the tips are just spongy enough to give my writing or drawing line an interesting variation without so much flexiness that I lose control. Like any brush pens, the tips impart a fine line when held upright and a wider line when held at an angle.

For action sketches (like the one below in which I was observing an art class), the black side keeps up with my speed-drawing, and then I use the gray side for fast shading. My only complaint is that I like being able to make a wider mark when I’m shading a drawing, and the Tombow’s tip is smaller than I would like. Calligraphers, however, would probably appreciate that the two tips are small enough for lettering and corresponding drop shadows.

For me, the biggest benefit of the Tombow Fudenosuke is that the ink is waterproof. In the sketch below, I used the black side to make the line drawing, then added shading with the gray side. Finally, I added color with watercolor pencils, and when I activated the pigment with water, the line work and shading stayed clean and crisp.

Final Impressions

The gray/black double-sided Tombow Fudenosuke is a handy, compact tool that now has a permanent place in my sketch kit. I would like it even better if the gray side were wider, but its waterproof inks make it more versatile, so it gets big bonus points for that.

In Fountain Pen Review

Fountain Pen Review: Pilot Vanishing Point, Raden Stripe

Author Laura CameronPosted on 6 Comments

Review by Laura Cameron

Aesthetically, I’ve never like the look of the Pilot Vanishing Points and Pilot Decimos.  Until recently, I never understood the need to have a retractable fountain pen, and I thought the clip just looked odd in the middle of the pen.

Then I attended a conference and had to take notes in a seminar.  Each time I had to write something down I had to unscrew my pen cap, and then screw it back on when I was done writing, or else my nib would dry out sitting open for too long.  I found the experience frustrating and suddenly understood the need for a retractable fountain pen.

And so I set out on a quest to buy a pen I didn’t have in my collection: a retractable one.  I looked at Vanishing Points and Decimos and then came upon the Raden collection.  Rumor has it that Pilot is discontinuing the Raden collection, so the pens are now a hot item.  I couldn’t find a Raden Galaxy, which was my first choice, but I did find a Raden Stripe on eBay for a reasonable price and spent a lot of time staring at it. Ana cautioned me to wait and try out both the Vanishing Point and the Decimo at a pen show because she thought the Decimo is better sized for my hand, but then eBay had a 20% off coupon and I pounced. And so a Vanishing Point came to live with me for my 40th birthday.

Pilot VP Raden Stripe

Pilot VP Raden Stripe

The Vanishing Point is a full size pen with a diameter of 0.5″ (13 mm), a length of 5.5″ (140 mm) and a weight of 1.1 oz (30 g). It has a black lacquered body, with delicate abalone shell hand-placed in stripes around the middle of the pen. All accents are rhodium and the nib is a rhodium-plated 18k gold nib. The craftsmanship on this pen is really amazing.

Pilot VP Raden Stripe

For my first use, I inked my Raden up with Pilot Iroshizuku Yama Budo, and I wasn’t disappointed. I have a medium nib on this pen and while it’s larger than I usually use, it creates such a thick beautiful line that I love (although this does mean I need to use it with thicker paper to avoid bleeding through to the other side). The nib itself is very springy, but at the same time it just glides across the page. The diameter of the pen is probably just on the edge of comfortable for me to use. In truth, the Decimo is probably a better fit for my small hand, but I just couldn’t resist the Vanishing Point. I’m also grudgingly forced to admit that even though I still don’t like the look of the clip, it doesn’t bother me at all holding the pen to write.

Pilot VP Raden Stripe

So I guess the lessons here are never say never, try every pen you can get your hands on, and keep an eye out for good deals on eBay!

In news

Upcoming Events: Maker Faire KC & Saint Louis Pen Show

Author AnaPosted on 3 Comments

Maker Faire KC

If you are local to Kansas City, the Maker Faire is fast approaching. Its the weekend of June 23 and 24th at Union Station and we will once again be participating under the Skylab Letterpress banner. We will be inside in the main hall again this year. If you are interested in coming by and saying hello, purchasing fabulous letterpress wares, seeing our mini letterpress in action or even getting some Col-o-ring or Col-o-dex product in person, please stop by!

If you want to pre-order Col-o-ring or Col-o-dex products and pick them up at Maker Faire, you can place an order on Big Cartel and use the coupon code KCLOCALPICKUP to avoid those pesky shipping costs. Just leave a note in the comments that clearly states “Maker Faire Pick-up” and we will pack up your order and have it ready for you at the show. If you want to combine Skylab merch with Well-Appointed Desk merch just drop us a message using the contact buttons on either Etsy or Big Cartel. We can make that happen! (Someday, we hope to have all products available on both Etsy and Big Cartel. It just hasn’t happened yet.)

St. Louis Pen Show

Just one weekend later, June 29 through July 1, the first ever St. Louis Pen Show take place on the opposite side of the state. The Well-Appointed Desk and Skylab will be there. In fact, three out of four of the writing staff of The Desk will be present! That’s right! You can meet and mingle with me, Laura and Jesi plus the man behind the press, Bob! Our dear Tina will be with us in spirit.

The Desk/Skylab will be bringing Col-o-ring and Col-o-dex products, of course. We are also bringing letterpress paper goods, typewriters, some vintage desk accessories (a few choice Rolodex!), vintage colored pencils and even some fountain pens.

Many of Kansas City’s finest pen aficionados will be in attendance as well (that would be our local pen club, the Kansas City Stylographic Society) and I’m sure you will find us all spread out on tables in the bar sharing pens and ink like we do at every pen club meeting. We cannot be contained.

Both The Vintage Pen Shop (Jesi) and The Well-Appointed Desk/Skylab Letterpress will have tables (side-by-side, no less) in St. Louis so we will be easy to find. Bob is threatening he may spend a good deal of time in the bar watching World Cup. C’est la vie. The less supervision I have, the more pens and ink I can buy.

We look forward to seeing everyone in St. Louis! Please stop by and say hello. We will have stickers and button badges and maybe even a sneak peek at the RelayCon enamel pins if you ask to see them.

 

 

In Link Love

Link Love: #MPRraccoon made it!

Author AnaPosted on 1 Comment

Lots of paper love this week plus a couple reviews of the new Karas Pen Co. Starliner pens. Lots of arts and creativity action which is great because summer and the extra sunlight make me want to spend more time making art, sewing and being generally more arty. Susan at the Pen Addict wrote the first review I’ve seen of the Col-o-dex rotary cards and two of my favorite inks got reviewed this week: Pigeon Blue and California Teal. Finally, the Pelikan Hubs were announced for this year! Hope everyone had a good week. And if that’s not enough, check out #MPRraccoon on twitter. I think the trash panda made it to safety. It was a tense situation last night, I thought I was going to need a TylenolPM to get to sleep last night.

Pens:

Ink:

Pencils:

Notebooks & Paper:

Art & Creativity:

Other Interesting Things:

In news

In Memory of Kate Spade

Author AnaPosted on 4 Comments
(image via AOL)

The Well-Appointed Desk is hurtling towards its eighth year of blogging (officially, June 17th is the anniversary) and, in that time, I  have mentioned Kate Spade 45 times. Clearly, she has been an influence on my life and this blog. Whether a product became the focus of a Fashionable Friday, or the backdrop for a photoshoot, Kate Spade has influenced the look and feel of what it means to have a well-appointed desk or a well-appointed life. So, I was shaken to hear that she had taken her own life last week. It took me some time to find a way to actually put it into words.

Outwardly, Kate Spade, the person and the brand, created a vision of carefree glamour and adventure with a hint of cheekiness. There was always fabulous tastefulness in the clothes and handbags and clothes but there was also bold colors and patterns on classic shapes and simple designs. And the details on the clothes and accessories was top notch. I have a navy satin jacket with silver piping on the inside with a tag that says “always find the silver lining” which is a detail only the wearer ever sees. It’s both excellent finishing and something to make me smile on a rainy day when I have to pull out my spring rain coat.

I even have a functional, oversized gold paperclip necklace. Jewelry that is also office supplies? How could I not love Kate Spade?

My classic black leather handbag, which is “oh so proper” on the outside has a poppy black-and-white striped lining that is fun and playful. My black leather planner has hot pink lining. Again, playful. Its these details that kept me coming back to Kate Spade again and again. I have stationery, jewelry, handbags, clothes, shoes, even home items because every item has added a little pizzaz to my life and I have the vision of Kate Spade to thank for that.

Kate was a native of Kansas City so she is often spoken about in reverent tones here.She graduated from St. Theresa’s Academy, a local high school in my neighborhood, and I often see young girls who could be the next entrepreneur like Kate in the local shops. I know they are shaken too because they looked up to her as a true role model.

None of us really know what shadows lurk underneath the shiny personas we project on social media, in photos and in public. Remember that, when you envy the perfect life you see on someone’s Instagram, Facebook page or Pinterest. It might not all be exotic vacations, perfect lattes and fabulous photoshoots.

If you are suffering from depression or feeling like you are all alone in the world, know that you are not. Seek help, tell your friends and family. Don’t go it alone and please, please, please don’t take drastic measures. The world needs you, just like we need our Kate Spade (and Anthony Bourdain). Its a much sadder place without them.