The Well-Appointed Desk

Ohto Graphic Liner 0.3

AnaMay 18, 2013Leave a comment

I’d been hearing a lot of praise about the humble-looking Ohto Graphic Liner 0.3. For the descriptions and the look of the pen, I was expecting something that performed similarly to the Pilot Precise V5. The size, smooth barrel and long flat clip makes it look quite similar to the V5 and all descriptions suggest that there might not be a difference between the two, but there is.

The Ohto Graphic Liner is silkier on the paper than a V5. At first I was worried that I might have trouble with it — me and rollerball pens don’t always see eye to eye (I’m talking to you, Uni-Ball Vision) because of the overwriter position I use to write. After a few minutes of scribbling, the Otho Graphic Liner worked great though — I think it just needed a little priming since it was new and hadn’t been used.

There were no issues with skipping or any other writing faux pas. The thing I like best about the gel/hybrid/rollerball pens is that they are usually waterproof or at least fairly water-resistant. I decided to compare the Ohto Graphic Liner to the Pilot Envelope Pen and the Pilot Precise V5. The Ohto Graphic Liner 0.3 is just a tiny bit broader than a V5 but much finer than a fine Envelope Pen. They were all equally water-resistant with only minimal smearing. I find the Envelope Pen to be almost too slick on paper sometimes — like writing on an oil slick. Alternately, the V5 can feel a little sticky on paper so the Ohto Graphic Liner definitely hits the sweet spot between the two. Its smooth on the paper, water-resistant so it can be used on envelopes or in art journaling or mixed media art-making without issues but its not so slick that the pen gets away from you.

The Ohto Graphic Liner is available in 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.5 and 1.0. The finest size is $2.65 and the rest are $2.50.

For comparison, read what Brad at The Pen Addict has to say about the Ohto Graphic Liner.

(writing test done using my trusty A5 Miquelrius grid notebook.)

In DIY

Ink Sac Replacement Tutorial

AnaMay 18, 2013May 27, 20177 Comments

My talented and kind friend Rob offered to show me how to re-sac a vintage Esterbrook using my recently acquired purse pen. He was also kind enough to let me document the process.

This process should basically work for any old pen that uses a rubber sac bladder. Just make sure to find the right sized ink sac (there are vendors who sell them on ebay).

Shall we begin?

Step 1: get that pen open and scrape off the old calcified sac. A standard X-acto or other utility knife works great.

Step 2: insert the new ink sac into your pen to determine how long it can be and how much of the excess needs to be trimmed off. Rob is a pro so he just eyeballed it. If you’re doing this for the first time, I recommend using a piece of chalk or white pencil to make a mark on the sac so you don’t misjudge your cut.

Step 3: Rob is aligning the pen body with the nib unit and the sac to help make sure he is trimming the sac low enough to accommodate the extra space needed for the nib unit itself. Can you see the two ridges on the black nib unit? The ridge closest to the top of the photo is where the ink sac is to be placed. The addition ridge area is what is inserted into the body of the pen so Rob is accounting for that additional half an inch or so before trimming the ink sac. (This is the measure twice portion of the lesson.)

Step 4: Using the same X-acto or utility knife, trim off the excess sac (you are trimming the excess from the open end of the sac… just sayin!)

Step 5: Then using shellac (a small can purchased from the hardware store of Home Depot — a pint can should last you a lifetime) and a toothpick or wood dowel, apply a light coat of shellac around the area on the nib unit that you scraped the old sac from. Keep a towel handy as you don’t want to get any into the pen feed or onto the grip area where it might mar the finish of your pen.

The reason we don’t recommend a q-tip or brush is so that you don’t get any stray fibers into the sac or nib unit.

Step 6: Then, using reverse pliers or a homemade tool, pull open the ink sac so you have room to get the nib unti onto the sac (or vice-versa).

Step 7: Slide the ink sac over the nib unit.

Step 8: Once you remove the pliers, wiggle the sac on the nib unit until its as flush as you can get it and as even as you can make it.

Now comes the hard part. You need to wait to fill your new ink sac until the shellac is completely dry. Be patient, it’s worth it. I let mine sit for a day just because I was busy but Rob suggests waiting at least a couple hours.

Once its dry, reassemble your pen and fill it with ink. Do a little happy dance.

Finally, I wanted to include an image of the homemade reverse pliers that Rob uses. He was given this amazing gift by Calvert Guthrie, lettering artist extraordinaire.

In photo

Lisbon on Paper

AnaMay 17, 2013Leave a comment

Beautiful things happen when pencil and ink are applied to paper — this is one of them. This is drawing from Luciano Luzano from a trip to Lisbon. Fabulous.

(via Illustrista)

In link

Link Love: Paper, Ink and Pencil Shavings

AnaMay 17, 2013Leave a comment

Lamy 2000 with custom 0.2mm nib grind by Mike Masuyama by Brad Dowdy (AKA The Pen Addict)

Pencils:

Picking the perfect lead hardness (via JetPens Blog)
Pencils and Camping (and pencil shavings as tinder) (via Pencil Revolution)
Deli Pencil Sharpener (via Bleistift)

Pens and ink:

Pen currently in use by DaveyB
Noodlers Bernake Blue Ink Review (via Pen Addict)
Platinum Carbon Black vs Sailor Utlra Nano Black (via East, West, Everywhere)

Paper:

Vintage Leather Writing Case (via Paper Pastries)
Tomoe River Paper Review (via FPGeeks)

Pelikan M800 and Apica Notebook: Daily Arsenal by Jose Noyola

In photo

Gentle Reminder Pencil Set

AnaMay 16, 2013Leave a comment

Remind yourself or someone you love with this darling set of “gentle reminder” pencils. The set of six pencils for $12 from Amanda Catherine Des on Etsy. Check her other sets as well: Favorite Things, She is…, Paris and Art Movements.

In photo

Books, books and more books

AnaMay 16, 20131 Comment

This lovely office belongs to Karena Schuessler, former shoe designer. She lives in Berlin and now collects and sells unique design pieces.

(more information can be found at Freunde von Freunden. Link via Decor8)

In feature

Palomino Blackwing Pearl Review

AnaMay 15, 2013Leave a comment

Let’s just say that I’ve been anxiously awaiting the arrival of the new Blackwing Pearl from Palomino since I saw the announcement posts over on Timberlines. The Pearl is described as a pencil that is between the “firm and smooth” of the Palomino Blackwing 602 and the “soft and smooth” of the original Palomino Blackwing — “balanced and smooth” is the description to keep with the tradition of not having an actual hardness number associated with the line.

The Pearl is designed to hit a sweet spot between the other two, a softer lead like the original Palomino Blackwing but with the smoothness of the 602.

I confess that I originally fell in love with the idea of the Blackwings, new or vintage, because of the large, flat eraser and its promises of “Half the pressure, twice the speed”. As I learn more about pencil grades, construction and materials, I have come to appreciate the quality and thought that has been put into the Blackwing line. When the rest of the American writing tool market is focused on making tools cheaper and cheaper, the quality of the Blackwings really shines.

The paint and the foil stamping are done very well. It feels like a good quality pencil — good looks, good materials, and good lead.

The looks of the Pearl are different than the other two pencils in the line. The Pearl is an iridescent white pencil with a black rubber eraser on its fancy, oversized wood-clinched cap. It looks like the favorite middle sister between her two brothers.

I also purchased one of the Palomino-branded, KUM long point sharpener. It features two sharpeners in one case. One side sharpens the wood to a long length and the other sharpens the point. Its a great, portable tool for getting a long point, similar to my desk-mounted Apsco crank sharpener (used on the Pearl in the first photo). The sharpener doesn’t hold a lot of shavings so it needs to be emptied almost every time its used but if you need to carry a sharpener, this is a good option for long points.

Here’s what the point looks like with the long point sharpener.

Palomino Blackwing Pearl writing sample

In writing tests, the Pearl wrote silky smooth. The graphite left a dark line. It was a little smudgy but that can be good for sketching. The eraser is adequate but the pencil marks erased completely with the white Staedtler mars plastic eraser (the gold standard for erasers).

Of course, I couldn’t resist swapping the erasers out on the Blackwings. I like the Pearl with the green eraser and the 602 with the classic pink. Neither works as well as my Staedtler plastic erasers but I like the looks and carry the Staedtler for real eraser emergencies.

If you’re looking for a softer pencil, good for writing or sketching interchangeably, the Pearl is a good option. I love the color of the paint on the Pearls and it does write super smoothly but I think I prefer the slightly harder 602s. I can go a bit longer between sharpenings with the 602s.

Check out Pencil Revolution’s thorough review of the Blackwing Pearl too.

(Blackwing Pearls are available for $19.95 per dozen, replacement erasers are $2.95 for a pack of 10)