In preparation for National Handwriting Day, here’s a little advice from Donovan B. from the Letter Writers Alliance on the best way to improve your handwriting. Thursday is Handwriting Day so get your pens, pencils, brushes and crayon at the ready!
Paper Mechanic Typewriter Calendar
When someone mentions “typewriter” and “calendar” in the same sentence, my ears prick right up. Add in a little paper mechanic magic and I am already writing the blog post in my head.
This darling little desktop calendar stands in its own 3D foldable typewriter. Just print out the pieces and assemble. Consider it as a great Tuesday morning office project. It is available for instant download for $4.99 via Sky Goodies on Etsy.
(tip via Teri of Fiberterian)
Kaweco Art Sport Amber Fine Nib
You may recognize this pen from Brad’s review posted a couple months ago. It might look almost identical because it is the same pen. Brad kindly sent it over to me after I whined mercilessly about not getting any love from Kaweco. Then he sent me a replacement nib for it so that I could have what in my head is the PERFECT pen.
I love Kaweco Sports with a retriever-like loyalty and the addition of the pattern mixed acrylic bodies take this pen to a new level of class and good looks.
I originally attempted to use it with the B broad nib that Brad had used but I found it too juicy for me. He sent me a fine nib in silver and I’m now in the process of ordering a silver clip to coordinate with it. While I think the gold nib on the amber body is gorgeous, I’m happy to let the Art Sport live its own life with its bright shiny new silver nib and clip.
Both nibs write as smoothly as I’ve come to expect from Kaweco nibs. Really, the luxury of this pen is the one-of-a-kind look of the acrylic bodies. Its a considerable upcharge from the standard Kaweco Sport pens. For me, its the right kind of upgrade. I would love an option to upgrade to a 14K gold nib on an Art Sport. That would be a holy grail pen for me.
I’ve included a little writing sample though its the same nibs as any of the other Sport line, it is not the same unit though so swapping nibs between a Sport and an Art Sport is not recommended since you’d have to remove just the nib, not the whole nib unit.
While the end cap has the gold logo and the nib is silver, I think its an acceptable arrangement. And oh, that amber acrylic is fabulous!
For reviews of other Kaweco products, see my Kaweco Student Review, Kaweco Guilloch 1930 EF, Kaweco Liliput EF, Kaweco Highlighter Pen and Kaweco Sports F reviews.
Stylus Fine Pens sells the Art Sports, in all the color varieties for $125 each. I really like the Alabaster and Akeshir versions as well.
Link Love: Puns and Paper
Paper:
- World War 2 Diaries Found in Attic (via Notebook Stories)
- Pocket Notebooks: What does Fountain Pen Friendly really mean? (via Ed Jelley)
- Paperblanks Journals (via Inkophile)
- Moleskine Cahier Pocket Notebook (vi Ink of Me Fondly)
Pens and Ink:
- Esterbrook #1461 Rigid Fine (via Fountain Pen Quest)
- Kaweco Carribean Turquoise Ink (via The Pencil Case Blog)
- Kaweco Allrounder Fountain Pen (via Office Supply Geek)
- Delta Fusion 82 Fountain Pen Review (via From The Pen Cup)
- Friends don’t let friends let the ink dry up in their fountain pens (via Rhodia Drive)
- Pilot Razor Point Marker Stick Pen 0.5MM Review (via The Royal Warrant)
Pencils:
- Forest Choice Pencil by Palomino (via The Daily Carry)
- Tombow 2558 B (via Economy Pens)
Misc:
- US Postal Rate Increases (via Letter Writers Alliance)
- Printable Calendars (via Paper Pastries)
- Inspiring Mousepads (via Domesticatd Desk)
Ink Drop: November 2013
I am so sorry I completely missed/forgot/skipped the Goulet Pens Ink Drop for November 2013. It was filled with colors that could be used for Christmas, unless, of course, you’re me and use green all year long. I also quite like reds so let’s call this my January Ink Drop and move on.
The inks included were Pilot Iroshizuku Shin-Ryoku which is a green with a blue undertone like a blue conifer. The Diamine Kelly Green is in my sweet spot: a green with yellowish undertones. And the De Atramentis Pine Green with is a deep green black. Maybe its the cold bleak weather but the Pine Green was my least favorite in this assortment.
In the reds is Diamine Crimson which is a wicked, vampish red and De Atramentis Poppy Red which is a brighter red with a slight orange undertone.
At some point, I’ll probably purchase bottle of the Shin-Ryoku as its such a unique green and the Crimson which would be perfect for Valentine’s Day or my first vampire novel.
All the writing samples were done with a dip flexible nib which are a bit more prone to bleeding then a fountain pen but so much easier to test and clean quickly.
Review: Bird Letter Opener
A dear friend sent me this beautiful bird letter opener for Christmas. Its made of a hard plastic with a matte finish. It’s sculpted shape feels good in the hand and the tail is curved to tuck under the edge of an envelope. It can stand on its own like a little bird perched on my desk.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve put it through its paces the last couple weeks. It works pretty well but is not as sharp as a blade sharpener like my favorite old school letter openers. It has decided to take up residence on my work desk where it can be called upon to open the occasional letter versus the abuse my home openers endure.
(available via Walker Art Center Shop for $16 each, seven color options)
Review: Pilot Kakuno Fine Nib
I finally got a hold of a Pilot Kakuno Fountain Pen. Its an introductory fountain pen, originally targeted to school kids, with its plastic body and low price ($16.50).
The cap has no clip and is the part of the pen available in a variety of colors. I, of course, bought the lime green cap version with a fine nib. There are other color caps available: red, blue, pink, gray and orange. The cap snaps into place and the divot on the cap is the grip area for grabbing and removing the cap. The body on all the Kakuno pens is an opaque, slate grey. The grip area is a translucent grey-black.
Its a very lightweight pen but the cap can be posted on the pen to give it a little bit more weight and makes it a comfortable length for just about any hand size.
One of the most endearing features of the Kakuno is the etched smiley face on the nib. This is a nib that should make you smile on a Monday morning.
The nib is as smooth and silky as the nib I have in my Prera. The grip has a faceted grip area like a hexagonal pencil but has soft, rounded edges that does not dig into my hands the way the Lamy Safari does. But the grip area will help people using fountain pens for the first time find the right hand placement.
I used a standard Pilot blue-black cartridge ($4) for my writing sample though the pen does ship with one black cartridge. I also purchased a CON-50 converter ($8.25) to use with bottled inks. The total cost is $24.75 for the pen and the converter which is a very competitive price for a first fountain pen.
Overall, I love the nib and the grip area is a lovely compromise between the rigid grip area of a Lamy Safari. The green cap is a perfect lime but, I find the look of the pen plastic to be a little kid-like for me. With the exception of the cap, the pen is very unassuming. Though I think it will definitely be a pen I use and keep in my office. The Kakuno is a great value.
EDIT: The grip area is actually a rounded triangular shape.
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.