In feature

Ask The Desk: Swapping TWSBI Nibs & How Flexible is the Esterbrook 9128

Author AnaPosted on 5 Comments

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Have I ever told you’all how much I love getting questions about pens, paper and the like? This week, I have two awesome questions.

Beth, the reference librarian asked:

I have a new TWSBI 580 with a custom ground nib (pen was purchased with that nib) and at the same time I purchased a second nib (the whole nib unit) also custom ground – I really like both nibs. One nib is obviously in the TWSBI, which is a nice pen, but I would love to put what I call the “back-up” nib in a different pen, preferably one under $100. that uses a cartridge/converter system. I read about nib-swapping all the time but am not sure just which nibs are compatible with which pens. I don’t think the 580 nib unit will fit the TWSBI mini, but if it did I would go with that. (even though the same filling system.) I am nervous about pulling the nib out of the screw-on unit until I know what I am doing. Am I making sense here? Any advice would be most appreciated!

Disassembling a TWSBI nib

With a little elbow grease I was able to pull the nib out of my TWSBI Mini. The nib is a size 5 (according to the smarter-than-me folks over in the Pen Addict Slack Channel). The only cheap pen I could find that had a size 5 nib was a Pilot Metropolitan. Pilot nibs have a little flange and a groove nicked out to get them to grip the feed that the TWSBI nib does not have. But… the nib does fit into the feed of a Pilot Metropolitan albeit very loosely. I assume this method would also work in other Pilot pens like the Prera or Plumix. So it is possible to use the TWSBI nib in other pens with a little luck but its not the best fit. If I find any other pens that take size 5 nibs with a cartridge/converter system.

As for switching the nibs between a Mini and a 580, that should just require untwisting the nib unit and sliding the grip section off to expose the nib/feed unit. Then they could easily be swapped between the Mini and the 580.

TWSBI nib in a Pilot Metropolitan

The second question actually appeared in the Pen Addict Slack Channel.I’m sorry I don’t remember who asked but here’s my results!

A member of the group asked if the Esterbrook 9128 fine flex nib was more or less flexible than the Noodler’s Ahab/Creaper.

Noodlers vs Esterbrook 9128

The Esterbrook 9128 nib is not super flexible but, for a steel nib, it gets some decent variety and it does not railroad like the Noodler’s nibs do. The 9128 is very smooth and easy to get going while the Noodler’s flex nibs require some adjusting in the feed to get the flow going. So, its a bit of the apples-to-oranges comparison since a Noodler’s flex pen is readily available for about $20 and a vintage Esterbrook with a 9128 flex nib is considerably more expensive ($75 and up). If you’re looking for a flexible nib, a vintage fountain pen with a 14K nib will probably be much more flexible or you might want to consider a Desiderata nib holder.

 

In feature

Desk Inspired

Author AnaPosted on 2 Comments

Desk Inspired: Aaron Draplin

Portland-based, Hand Eye Supply has created the site Desk Inspired to feature short interviews and photos of workspaces of some very interesting creative folks. The articles feature the tools and methods they use in order to be creative each day. The photography is gorgeous and many of their favorite work tools are available for purchase through Hand Eye Supply.

Desk Inspired: Bawa

In news

Giveaway: Pilot Vanishing Point Fountain Pen & Pilot Iroshizuku Kon-Peki

Author AnaPosted on 78 Comments

Pilot Vanishing Point

Oh, boy! The nice folks over at Massdrop are giving away a Pilot Vanishing Point Fountain Pen, in black matte with fine nib, plus a bottle of Pilot Iroshizuku ink in the much-beloved Kon-Peki blue and they wanted the fine readers at The Well-Appointed Desk to be the first to know.

Pilot Iroshizuku Kon Peki

 

To enter, just click this link and set-up a free account. This requires entering your email address and a password only. Easy Peasy! Massdrop will collect the entries and randomly pick a winner next week.

Pilot Vanishing Point

Thanks, Massdrop!

UPDATE: Attn: Current Massdrop members! If you are already a member, you can still enter. Leave a comment here and tell Massdrop what product you’d like to see on Massdrop. 

In Fashionable Friday

Fashionable Friday: Feline Fur-vor

Author AnaPosted on

FF_catlove

In honor of our household love of cats, I thought today’s Fashionable Friday would be an homage to our fine furry friends.

  • Home Sweet Home Cat Print/ Poster $23 and up (via PaperPlants on Etsy)
  • Kaweco AL Sport fountain pen in grey aluminum 59,50 € (via Fontoplumo)
  • Pilot Metropolitan Fountain Pen – White Tiger, Medium Nib $15 (via Anderson Pens)
  • J. Herbin Fountain Pen Ink Mini Bottle in Ambre de Birmanie (Amber Gold of Burma) $4.75 (via Jet Pens)
  • Pilot Iroshizuku 15mL Mini Fountain Pen Bottled Ink in Kiri-Same (Autumn Shower) $10.50 (via Vanness Pen Shop)
  • Stay Home Club Cat scoop tee $30.00 CAD (via Stay At Home Club)
  • Kurochiku Japanese Pattern Small Eco-Bag in Shironeko (White Cat) pattern $9.50 (via Jet Pens)
  • Lamy AL-Star Copper Orange Extra Fine Point Fountain Pen $37.95 (via Goldspot Pens)
  • Got One Friend in My Pocket Bag in Cat $39.99 (via Modcloth)
  • Midori D-Clips Standing Cat Paper Clips Mini Box Box of 12 $5.50 (via Jet Pens)
  • Monteverde Prima Series Fountain Pen in Tiger Eye Swirl $56 (via Pen Chalet)
  • The Original Copycat Mug by Budi Satria Kwan $15 (via Society 6)
  • You’ve Gato a Call Phone Stand $21.99 (via Modcloth)
  • Rhodia Rhodiarama Taupe A5 – Blank Notebook $30 (via Goldspot Pens)

I just bought Bob the Castronauts mug from Society 6 which is also a great cat-person/NASA nerd mug — if you float that way. Oh, and my friends over at Tag Team Tompkins has a wonderful letterpress cat quote print that every cat home needs.

“I love cats because I enjoy my home; and little by little, they become its visible soul.” -Jean Cocteau.

In Link Love

Link Love: Still Thinking of Atlanta

Author AnaPosted on 2 Comments

rp_link-ana11111.jpgPens:

Ink:

Notebooks and Paper:

Planning and Organization:

Other Cool Stuff:

More Atlanta Pen Show Recaps:

(via Minimal Desks)
In Pen Review

Review: Pilot Hi-Tecpoint V5 Cartridge System

Author AnaPosted on 9 Comments

Pilot Hi-Tecpoint V5

My gateway pen was the Pilot Precise V5. I’ve always had good results with it and found it to be one of my favorite big box store pens. Sadly, they are disposable plastic pens. I had always hoped there would be a way to refill them. And now there is! The V5 Hi-Tecpoint 0.5 Cartridge System (Way to come up with a confusing naming convention there, Pilot!) is the answer.

The V5 Hi-Tecpoint uses the same Pilot cartridges as Pilot’s fountain pens which means the pen could be fit with a converter as well. I believe either the Con-20 or the Con-50 should fit but you could also syringe fill the cartridge the came with the pen.

Aesthetically, the pen is the same round, straight barrel as the original V5 Precise. The clip is plastic rather than metal though. There’s new branding graphics which I’m lukewarm about but giant graphics on pens seem to be standard operating procedure for pens under $25 so I can’t fault them for going with the trend.

Pilot Hi-Tecpoint V5

On my first test run, I removed the stock black ink cartridge and replaced it with a colored ink cartridge from the Pilot Mixable Color set for the Parallel Pens. I chose the violet cartridge. I was not sure how effective running water through it would be for removing the previous ink color so I just swapped out the cartridges and scribbled for about a half a page until the ink color shifted from black to purple.

Pilot Hi-Tecpoint V5

The Parallel ink cartridge seems to work fine in the V5 Hi-Techpoint. I had no issues with flow or feathering so I feel pretty confident that I can jump to standard fountain pen inks next. Can I tell you how excited I am about this?

If you’re looking for a refillable rollerball that can take fountain pen ink, for $3.20 this is as good an option as the J. Herbin and gives a considerably finer line. The Hi-Tecpoint is also available in the V7 0.7mm version if you perfer a bolder line.

DISCLAIMER: This item was sent to me free of charge by Jet Pens for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

In Paper Review

Kickstarter: Leuchtturm 1917 Bullet Journal Notebook

Author AnaPosted on 6 Comments

Leuchtturm 1917 Bullet Journal

Leuchtturm 1917 Bullet Journal

When I heard about the Bullet Journal Kickstarter campaign last fall, I jumped in with both feet. First and foremost, to support a project that has benefited a lot of people. But secondly, in hopes of getting a grasp on the concept of Bullet Journaling. I am starting to wonder if I’m the only person in the world who hasn’t quite understood how Bullet Journaling works. I hoped that by backing the project, I’d receive enough documentation and instruction to make the system make sense to me. I received the backer-only documentation earlier in the Kickstarter campaign and I printed it out but just reading through the material didn’t make it all gel in my brain.

So today, I watched the original introductory video to the Bullet Journal system again in hopes that the whole Bullet Method might finally stick into my head. I’m  think I need to just jump in and try the methods outlined on the video and on the web site and then hope that the details fill themselves in for me.

Leuchtturm 1917 Bullet Journal

Leuchtturm 1917 Bullet Journal

I just received my special edition Bullet Journal notebook created by Leuchtturm 1917 for the Bullet Journal Kickstarter and it has a lot of really nice features included. There are three ribbon bookmarks to mark multiple spots in the book as you work as well as pre-printed pages for the index, page numbers (which is a feature of all the Leuchtturm 1917 notebooks) and a guide to using the Bullet Journal system printed in the book. The remainder of the pages of the book feature page numbers and a light dot grid for maximum flexibility.

Leuchtturm 1917 Bullet Journal

The notebook is a standard Leuchtturm 1917 Medium size (145 x 210 mm) with 80 gsm “ink-proof” paper and 240 pages. The paper is the warm white used in standard Leuchtturm 1917 notebooks. Its a pleasing creamy color that is not stark white but not some yellow-y as to alter ink colors dramatically. In the back of the book is the standard Leuchtturm 1917 pocket and the notebook has a vertical elastic to keep it closed.

Leuchtturm 1917 Bullet Journal

The dot grid appears in light grey dots and is pretty unobtrusive which is how guides should be. The spacing is 5mm between the dots.

Leuchtturm 1917 Bullet Journal

There are three bookmarks in the book – a white, black and grey – all from a textured grosgrain ribbon. I don’t think there’s quite enough color contrast between the grey and the black but I appreciate that they’ve added additional bookmarks to mark varying places throughout the notebook.

Leuchtturm 1917 Bullet Journal

Hopefully the “unlimited” edition will soon be available for sale to folks who did not get the opportunity to back the Kickstarter campaign but are interested in trying the Bullet Journal system in this custom-designed notebook.

If you want to try the system for yourself, visit the Bullet Journal web site to learn how to turn any notebook into a Bullet Journal.

Leuchtturm 1917 Bullet Journal