Its time to announce the winner of the Stillman & Birn Paper Sampler.
Congrats, Erik! I’ll contact you via email to get your mailing address. You’ll also receive the notebook you chose directly from Stillman & Birn! Thanks to Stillman & Birn!
Video: David Rees Artisanal Pencil Sharpener
David Rees of Artisanal Pencil Sharpening sharpens Blackwing Pencils using an array of tools including a box knife, a Classroom Friendly Sharpener and the El Casco. Is it ridiculous? A little bit, but in his ostentatiousness he gets to the heart of it: anyone can use a pencil and sharpen it with little more than a knife or pocket sharpener.
(via Art Directors Club)
Link Love
I know my Link Love lists look ridiculously long but this is pared down from the over 200 individual posts I read since the last Link Love. There’s a lot of chatter this week about how and why people are writing things down and a resurgence of interest in an assortment of budget tools. Picking one favorite article each week is a new tradition and this week had so many it was hard to pick just one. But anytime someone uses an SUV in their testing process is when you get bumped to the top of the list.
Article of the week:
- Mechanical Pencil Torture Test (via Boing Boing)
Notebooks:
- How I Use Notebooks (The Productivityist)
- Hybrid Journal (via James Gowans)
- Making Bullet Journal My Own (via Modern Stationer)
- Rhodia Webnotebook (via The Pencil Case Blog)
- Boorum & Pease/Esselte Black Notebooks (via Notebook Stories)
- Rhodia + Circa (via RhodiaDrive)
- Raydori (via The Newsprint)
- Why I Journal (via My Pen Needs Ink)
- Magnote Magnetic Notebooks (via Office Supply Geek)
- Ending the Planner Fail Cycle (via Plannerisms)
Pens:
- Franklin Christoph Pocket Smoke and Ice (via Clicky Post)
- Ishuja NowNThen Eco-Essential Bamboo pen and pencil set (via Gourmet Pens)
- Edison Beaumont Review (via Pen Addict)
- Staedtler Silver Ball 404 0.3mm (via A Penchant for Paper)
- Paper Mate Liquid Flair – Red (via Clicky Post)
- Ohto Capstick Ballpoint Review (via Pen Pursuit)
- Pentel EnerGel Multi-function Pen Review (via Unroyal Warrant)
- Retro 51 Tornado in Kiwi (via Gourmet Pens)
- Pilot Plumix fountain pen review (via Funkmon on Pens)
- The Pilot Metropolitan/Lizard/Fine nib (via From The Pen Cup)
- Esterbrook #2312 Italic Medium (via FPQuest)
- Dollar Demonstrator Fountain Pen 717i (via Write To Me Often)
Ink:
- Noodler’s Army Green (via Alt.Haven)
- Kaweco Caramel Brown (via A Fool With A Pen)
- New Inks from Sailor (via Inkdependence)
- Organics Studio Arsenic Grey (via Ed Jelley)
- Kaweco Summer Purple ink review (via Pens Paper Pencils)
Pencils:
- Monteverde One Touch Stylus Tool Mechanical Pencil reviewed by both Pencil Revolution AND Woodclinched
- Razor Sharp (via Rhodia Drive)
- Eberhard Faber MONGOL 482 (via My Pencils Draw Worlds)
- Secrets to a Great Point (via Pencil Revolution)
Other Stuff:
(Video of calligraphy by Leigh Reyes)
- Midori ‘Japan works’ ruler (via A Fool With A Pen)
- Book Expo (and the lack of notebooks) (via Notebook Stories)
- City of Industry Enamel Pins (via Paper Pastries)
- Stapler of the Week: 1938 Ace Pilot Model 404 (via To Type, Shoot Straight and Speak The Truth)
- DIY Envelope Addressing Tutorial (via Oh So Beautiful Paper)
- Caitlin Calligraphy Worksheets and Writing Samples (via The Postman’s Knock)
- Solar Stationery Workshop in Chicago, June 22 (via Letter Writers Alliance)
Review: Lamy Logo F Fountain Pen in Brushed Aluminum
I recently spotted the Lamy Logo fountain pen in brushed aluminum and clicked on the Buy It Now button before I knew what I was doing. I love the Lamy nibs for their smoothness and easy interchange-ability but I don’t like the molded grip featured in the Safari/AL-Star lines so the Logo series was a perfect upgrade. The Logo features a brushed aluminum body and a ridged grip area more conducive to overhanded (hooked) lefthanders. The cap, end, clip and grip are accented with polished chrome.
The Lamy Logo is also a little narrower shaft overall compared to a Safari or Al-Star. If you’ve found the Safari/Al-Star to be a bit bulky in your hand, than the Logo may be a good option for you. I’d compare it to the width of a round pencil maybe a little bit wider but considerably more slender than the Safari.
The cap is a snap cap like other Lamy pens. Its a tight snap but I suspect it will loosen over time. As it is, it will be some time before it loosens, if ever.
The Lamy Logo accepts standard Lamy ink cartridges or the Lamy comverter for even more ink options.
I purchased the fine nib version which to my writing style feels more like a medium, even in comparison to the Kaweco fine nib fountain pen. The fine Lamy nib writes smoothly so the broadness is not really a downside. Just different.
The Lamy Logo weighs 17 gms, filled with a cartridge and capped so its a bit lighter than the Lamy Al-Star and unposted it weighs in at 13 gms — as light as a capped Kaweco Sport Classic.
Its a bit of an upsell at $45 from a Safari which is under $30 and the Al-Star which is under $40. But its still a good deal less expensive than the Lamy Studio or Lamy 2000. If the look of the TWSBI is not your taste, the Lamy Logo is a good alternative at a similar price point.
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.
Field Notes: Arts & Sciences Colors Edition
Today Field Notes announced the newest edition of the Field Notes Colors series: Arts and Sciences. The books are most notable because its a set of two different notebooks– one for arts, one for sciences– and because these books are larger than your average Field Notes at 7.5″ x 4.75″. Isn’t that awesome?
Both notebooks have Mohawk Loop 110lb covers printed with silver ink. Inside are 64 pages of Finch Opaque 50lb paper, the same stocks used in many earlier editions of the Field Notes. The Arts edition has a brick red cover and features “Academy Gray” lined paper on the right hand side and blank sheets on the left for a combination of drawing and writing. The Sciences edition has a dark grey cover and engineering-style grid on the right hand side and blank on the left hand page in the same “Academy Gray”.
On the back covers are seals for the two houses of thought: arts and sciences in the same silver as the cover logos.
Pack of two (one of each) is available for $9.95 or subscribe to the quarterly Color Subscription for one year for $97. Remember, the Colors editions sell out fast.
Stillman & Birn Paper Sampler
At the Spectrum Live Art Event I was lucky enough to pick up a couple packets of paper samples from Stillman & Birn. I’ve always been a little flummoxed by their notebook naming system so actually getting a little 4×6″ bit of each paper available was such an eye-opener.
There are six different kinds of paper; three types of paper at the 100 lb/150 gsm weight (Alpha, Gamma and Epsilon) and three types at the 180 lb/270 gsm weight (Beta, Delta, and Zeta).
For the most part, the lighter 100 lb/150 gsm is plenty heavy enough for most writers. If you are planning to do more mixed media, collage or art journaling, you might want to consider the 180 lb/270 gsm papers. To me, these feel more like cardstock than paper.
I used the same tools on all six papers from an assortment of pens to a brush loaded with ink and a Sharpie marker. All the papers performed admirably and I don’t think anyone would be disappointed by any of them. Even my flexible nib dip pen did not bleed, though on some of the papers it took several minutes to dry (not uncommon for dip pens though).
The Delta (180 lb/270 gsm) and the Gamma (100lb/150 gsm) are both warm ivory stocks. The Alpha and Beta papers are both cold-press (which means they have some texture to the paper like watercolor papers). Because the Alpha is a lighter stock the tooth to the paper is less noticeable. The smoothest papers are the Epsilon (100lb/150 gsm) and the Zeta (180lb/270 gsm).
The lighter weight papers were my favorites. I could see using them to write or draw and were thick enough to handle a little water color or ink washes. They would be more than enough for me under most circumstances. The Alpha sample got a lot of ink pooled on it and buckled a little bit as did the Epsilon. The cream ivory Gamma paper stayed flat. The Alpha and the Epsilon were my favorites. The Epsilon is smoother so my tools had very little resistance. The Alpha paper is a little toothier, providing a bit of friction which is helpful with rollerballs and slick gel inks. The Epsilon is probably the most comparable to Canson and other makers of the classic black sketchbook though the paper is a bit heavier weight (better).
The heavier 180 lb270 gsm papers withstood all the inks and the Sharpie marker without being worse for the wear . The Zeta is smooth to the touch, the Beta has a little tooth to it and the Delta is the creamy ivory with some texture as well.
From the reverse of the papers, you can see the top row is all the 180 lb/270 gsm papers and the bottom row is the 100 lb/150 gsm papers. There is the merest hint of the Sharpie marker but no actual bleed through.
All-in-all, these are excellent papers and I can see what all the fuss is about now. The best source for Stillman & Birn sketchbooks is Goulet Pens. They stock all six paper stocks in the 5.5×8.5″ A5 size and a few of the other available sizes of the Zeta (smooth, 180 lb/270 gsm). Prices start at $18, about the same as a Moleskine and the S&B books are considerably better for fountain pens.
GIVEAWAY: Oh, I have ONE sampler pack to give away. Its just a little thing with one sheet of all 6 grades of paper. Tell me which grade of paper you’re most interested in trying in the comments to be entered to win.
UPDATE: The kind folks at Stillman & Birn have offered to provide the winner of this giveaway with the notebook of their choice and I’ll still send you the sampler pack as well so now there is even more reason to enter!
FINE PRINT: All entries must be submitted by 10pm CST on Friday, June 13, 2014. All entries must be submitted at wellappointeddesk.com, not Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook, okay? Winner will be announced on Sunday. Winner will be selected by random number generator from entries that played by the rules (see above). Please include your 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 30 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. I’m feeling generous today so, this contest is open to any reader, US and international readers!
Neatography: Paper Good Subscription Service
Neatography offers a monthly or quarterly subscription packages filled with paper, letter-writing and office goodies. I received the May kit entitled “The Good Ol’ Days” which included an assortment of pencils, a His & Hers list notepad that is perforated down the middle to split up the tasks, a Rifle Paper Co. Thank You card, Telegram-style postcards, postcard stamps, a calling card, a sharpener and a self-addressed stamped postcard to send back to Neatography letting them know if you liked the latest kit.
Its a lovely package and a great way to discover new paper goods brands and receive a lovely little pick-me-up in your mail box. A monthly package with cards and stamps is $17 per month or on a quarterly schedule, and a paper good subscription is $27 per month or on a quarterly schedule. Shipping costs for the US are included in the costs but international subscriptions require an additional shipping fee.
I like that there’s an option to receive a package every three months. I acquire a lot of other office supplies, cards and writing tools that if a package came every month, I don’t think I’d ever get a chance to use everything and it might accumulate.
I love that the kit includes some stamps so that I can immediately write out a few cards and pop them in the mail.
Once I unwrapped the His & Hers notepad, I was able to see the perforation and started to really like it. There is a magnet on the back of the pad to attach to the refrigerator making it easy to make lists of tasks that each person can tackle. I’d also love one that was “groceries” on one side and “everything else” on the other since our trips to Costco, Target, and the hardware store usually happen separately from the grocery buying but its still a clever pad and will probably get a lot of use at our house.
The pencils in the kit were a Palomino Blackwing 602, Golden Bear #2, Ticonderoga EnviroStik #2 and a Ticonderoga Laddie #2. I look forward to trying a few of these new-to-me pencils like the Laddie and the Envirostik. More about those in the coming weeks. But, yeah! Pencils!
The apple Thank You card from Rifle Paper features a gold foil apple on the cover on soft ivory paper. Its lovely and general enough to be sent to anyone though it would be perfect to give to a teacher.
The sharpener is a brushed aluminum from Maped and looks like a decent little sharpener with a reomveable/replaceable blade. The postage stamps are the new hummingbird design postcard stamps that will go perfectly with the Telegram postcards from Girl of All Work. I’ve used these before and I quite like them. The paper has a bit of tooth to it but ink stands up nicely to it and the look is classic postcard/telegram.
All-in-all I think a subscription with Neatography would be a great opportunity to explore some new paper goods. Looking through the Lookbook at past offerings, each paper goods kit looks to include at least one small-press card, a notepad or other larger item (one kit included Rifle Paper Co mail stickers), some postage stamps, and a small selection of office supplies (pencils, thumbtacks, washi tape, etc.). They value of the items seems to add up to the asking price pretty closely and includes domestic shipping so it is a good value. Everything is packaged beautifully too so it feels like a little gift.
I wrote a previous review of products in October of 2013.
DISCLAIMER: This item was sent to me free of charge by Neatography for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.