I'm a big fan of TWSBI's inexpensive range of fountain and ballpoint pens. In my opinion, they beat the competition from brands like Lamy (who seem to be unable to get even their flagship pen to write reliably) hands down. So when I heard about the new TWSBI Swipe on episode #471 of the Pen …
The last pen post I made, mentioned something about understated style and elegance, well, let's, er, forget about that today shall we? Last year, I took a stroll (about six hours worth, but still a stroll), through Scriptus the Toronto Pen Show. Amongst the highlights of the day was bumping into the lovely Ana Reinert …
I have been lucky enough to have had—for some while now—a few fountain pens that are both beautiful to look at, and a truly beautiful writing experience. My favorite in both of these categories is, by the slimmest of margins, my Edison Collier in Burnished Gold, with a 1.1mm steel stub nib that I smoothed …
Continue reading Waterman Carène in Marine Amber… That’s It, I Need No More Pens
There were a lot of titles suggested for this post, mostly reminiscent of some 1970s British comedy films that were heavy on the double entendres and the sexism. A lady, who I'll do the favour of not naming, suggested something that involved falling in love with a broad Sailor endowed with an impressive custom grind. …
In one of my previous posts, I said that I wasn't going to get into any kind of debate... "regarding the price of some supposedly prestigious, brand-name inks. I actually think that semi-luxury products such as these are simply worth the price that the market will bear. If buyers are willing to pay $30.00 or …
Continue reading Premium Ink Prices: A Penny for Your Thoughts
I like to write out of doors. Sometimes I write when I'm sitting down by the lake, sometimes just out on the deck. I occasionally address correspondence to friends and family in fountain pen ink, and strangely, the weather is not always on my side with some of these endeavors. Children—and some of you without …
My thirteen-year-old daughter will be the first to tell you that she is not the world's hardest working student; but about a year ago, she decided that she would put some extra effort in to improve her grades before entering high school. She came home the other night with a school report that had excellent written, …
Continue reading The Pilot Prera and Diamine Lilac Satin—A Guest Post
I don't really do ink reviews, I'm not equipped to do a particularly good job—my scanner, and camera lighting, don't reflect what is actually seen on the page as accurately as I would like. And I don't have a very extensive ink collection to review (but I'm getting there). What inks I have, I rely on …
Writing 