Category Archives: PEN PALS

Paradise Pens (Part 2)

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This is Part Two (of three) of our honeymoon visit to Paradise Pen in Las Vegas.

In case you missed the news, the shop is closing at the end of the month. When we were there, it looked like they had lots of Montegrappa fountain pens left, some Montblanc, and a few Cross and assorted other brands. For inks, there was primarily Private Reserve and Pilot Iroshizuku. Other than paper in porfolios and Filofax, the only notebooks I saw were from Rhodia.

I came away with a stunning Montblanc 145 (its cousin is the piston-fill 146). For a graduation gift a few years ago, I gave Mr. P the Faber-Castell pencil set (because he’s a total math nerd)…

Since then, he’s had his eye on this…

Graf von Faber-Castell

I have to say, Mr. P does have good taste.

I love all of the details on this pen.  The two-toned nib. The styling of the cap. Mr. P likes the thick threading of the cap (a detail that would have gone missed by me).

We were both a bit concerned about caring for the wood barrel of the pen, but after reading a bunch (after the purchase…haha), it turns out that it requires no special care and will develop a darker color with extended use.

The pen hasn’t been inked yet (still taking it easy and enjoying time together after the wedding), but I’ll definitely post about it when it is.

Paradise Pens (Part 1)

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Mr. P and I hit up Paradise Pen in Las Vegas last week. I was so sad to see that they are closing this location effective June 1.  Other than Montblanc in Caesar’s Palace, Paradise Pen is the only pen shop that I know in Vegas. It’s too bad – but I definitely get that the high cost of rent in big malls doesn’t make it easy.

Everything was on sale – up to 25% off all items. The employee on duty didn’t seem to have any wiggle room with this. I asked, they are not selling any fixtures or displays.

But they were selling this….

Montblanc 145

I’ve actually been pondering on this very pen for quite some time. Uncle Robert’s 149 is a bit too big and heavy for my wee lady hands.  (My hands are not actually wee, but the 149 is definitely on the bulky side for me.)

I’ve not inked it yet, but will post about it when I do.

I probably won’t use only Montblanc inks in it – I’m just pentulant that way.  I love that the converter has a mixy thing in it. You can see it in the picture above near “ink only.”

Mr. P didn’t come away empty-handed either. Stay tuned!

INK DROP: April 2013

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I received my Goulet Pens Ink Drop delivery a couple of days ago.

What a great group of colors, yes?

If I had to choose one that didn’t fit with the others, it would be the De Atramentis Indigo Blue – it’s a little dusky compared with the other clear clean colors, but I’d definitely write with it.

Between the two turquoise colors, I would choose the Lamy. Though the colors are very similar, the Lamy is definitely more saturated and I like that.

The Namiki blue has a bit of red in it – defnitely still blue, but leans more toward the purple end of things to my eye.

I’ve heard some great things about Diamine Soft Mint (which ended up a little funky in the scanned image above) and hope to have time to take a closer look at it in the very near future.  Here’s a picture from my iPhone – the color is a bit better here….

Kudos to the person at Goulet Pens who chose this assortment! Well done.

Oh..and here’s the image I posted over on Instagram. I’m @christinewitt there.

The Fine Point

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Wooo…it’s been a busy busy week!

Just a few links for you today, but next week is going to be jam-packed with reviews and pictures. And..I got a new (old!!) pen.

Have a great weekend!

There’s something about ink in a demonstrator, hm?  Speaking of which, here’s a comparison of the TWSBI 580 and 540. (I might have a 580 sitting unopened!) (I’m telling you, it’s been a busy week!)

Regrets? I’ve had a few.

Oh yeah, I have one of these (or maybe two!) on the way!

I’ve had this happen! And agree that it is like finding $10 in your pocket!

Montblanc Card review for your reading pleasure.

Do you like this ink? It’s not for me. Too green.

A newbie’s struggle.  

Impressive!

I love this blog. Simple fast posts, pictures. Fun. I just love it.

Inky good fun!

The Fine Point

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Written with Namiki Falcon Soft Fine Nib + Noodler’s Habanero Ink
Hello, Friday, where have you been all week?
The image above and the few below were all posted by me on Instagram. Lots of fun there. Lots.
This pen/ink combination was popular with me this week!
Very popular! 

Highly recommended. I had more than my fair share – just ask Mr. P.

 Seriously, that flexy pen + habanero ink is pushing all of my other pens out of the way this week. It’s crazy.

Anyway, each week, I’m bringing you some bonus photos and links to things I’ve been checking out online.

Here we go….

But I’ll pass, too. Thank you anyway!

I need a wet noodle. Right now.

The White House Calligraphers earn a bunch of money.I’m not feeling political about it, but I really think we need to keep them on board.What do you think?
Will this change your mind?
That’s it for this week! Where have you been hanging out?
xo

The Fine Point

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Welcome to The Fine Point!
There are so many things going on with pens and ink and paper that I thought it would be fun to do a post each Friday with news and information and stuff.
So..let’s see.  Are you on Instagram? My user name is christinewitt  I hope you’ll follow me there, too. 
Here are some of my recent Instagram photos . . . 
Ink in the Sink

Edison Pen Co. Hudson

Sammy and her super-imposing shadow

My March Ink Drop from Goulet Pens
I’m a regular reader over on Fountain Pen Network. I post, too, sometimes. My user name there is pentulant. 
Some recent interesting posts over there . . . 
Would you ever? Not me!

Mine is a doozie!

I was 22. You?

Ug!

Jealous!

How often?

I’d go for the 146.

Your turn! Where do you hang out online? Where can I see your fabulous pictures?

NEWS & INFO: Current Topics

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If you’re reading here, you’re most likely reading other blogs that focus on Pens, Paper, and Ink. 

But just in case you missed anything . . . 
We’re talking about Sticky Notes over on FPN. See post #11 from yours truly.
I started reading EDJELLEY this week. I like his style. In fact, he has a post over on FP Geeks. 
Edison is bringing back the pneumatic filler. Wild, right?
I’m itchin’ for one of these Diamine Music Sets. Sounds like it was going to be a limited edition (LE), but now it’s not.
Looking for Green Ink?
OK..that’s all for today. Share links to your favorites?

Uncle Robert’s Pens

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Early last year, Jeff’s very favorite uncle gifted me with two pens from his personal collection – a Montblanc 149 and a Namiki Geisha. (Jeff is Mr. P, by the way.)

Things came up and months later, I got around to cleaning and inking the Montblanc. I’d thanked Uncle Robert in email and on the phone for the incredible gifts, but knew I had to write him a proper thank you note using his much-loved pen.

I did that in October. And for some reason, I scanned the note.

Uncle Robert died quite unexpectedly in November.

There are things I want to say about Uncle Robert.

..he and Aunt Suzanne were in love. I’m sure they must have had their moments, but they loved each other. Big love. They were a team.

..he loved Jeff, and Jeff unabashedly loved him. Actually, it’s more than that – Jeff admires his uncle. He aspires to be like him – to eventually become the kind of uncle that Robert was to him. Uncle Robert is Jeff’s hero.

..Uncle Robert lived. He had some physical limitations, but that didn’t stop him from living. He was a passionate bicyclist. He played the lute (the lute!). He loved pens, and knives, and photography, and pipes, and beer, and music, and German shepherd puppies.

And now to circle back to pens…

When I see people write about selling their inherited pens, I cringe. These are such personal items – so full of history and the stories that make up the lives of their owners. Pens take up so little space and it’s unlikely that they would raise a significant amount of money.

(Of course, if your family is starving and you’re holding on to a $10,000 pen, you’re crazy pants.)

POSTCARD PROJECT: Help Wanted

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I received this amazing set of 100 Pantone Postcards for Christmas. It’s #7 in this picture.

I’ve decided that I’m going to try try try to have them all sent out by the end of this year. (Maybe I’ll keep one for myself and frame it as an homage to the project?)

Would you like a postcard from me? If yes, contact me privately with your address information (I’d never share it with anyone – big honkin’ promise!) and I’ll get one right out to you!

You know what’s great about these postcards? They are fountain pen friendly! The fronts are coated paper, but the back is not – makes for a pretty good writing surface!

Anyway – help me send you pretty colors and complete my project!

So exciting!

EDISON PEN CO: Pneumatic Filler!

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image from edison pen co

Say what?!

Edison Pen Co. has announced their Pneumatic Filler fountain pen.

And check that out – it comes in the same tortoise fleck of my pretty new pen – which you can see here and here.

One of my big concerns about this pen was the sac. I’ve read tales of people having to scrape old latex sacs out of pens to replace them. Turns out, these sacs are silicone and those are better for a lot of reasons discussed at the link.

I probably won’t be getting one of these. At least not right away. After the holidays, I’m on a bit of a pen diet. We’ll see how long that lasts – ha!  But these are really cool – and I now have first-hand experience – Edison Pen Co makes amazing pens.

What do you think? Will these be popular with the cool kids? Will you get one?