Ink Nouveau

Mailbox Monday #47

2013-05-20T11:00:00.000-04:00

My email inbox gets a plethora of interesting pen related questions, and I spend a good deal of time crafting thoughtful responses to each person who writes to me. A lot of times, the questions I get are good ones that I feel are worth sharing with you! I'll be posting highlights of some of my more interesting email questions every Mailbox Monday. These are some emails of mine from the past week or so:

Hi Brian, I am looking to get another EF pen. I was thinking the a TWSBI 580 or perhaps the 700, but wanted to get your thoughts. I prefer my pens to be fine. For example the Lamy EF I have is not nearly fine enough. Are the TWSBI 580 or 700 a good choice? I don't want to spend too much if I don't have to. Any other recommendations?

The TWSBI 580 EF is a bit thinner than the Lamy EF, see my writing sample here:

It's not a jaw-dropping difference though, they're both German nibs. Lamy makes their own and TWSBI's is made by Jowo. The finest nibs I know are Japanese EF's, so those made by Pilot, Platinum, and Sailor. The Pilot VP EF and Platinum 3776 EF are incredibly fine, but then they are gold nibs and a bit more than the TWSBI ($140+). But the Pilot Prera fine is actually incredibly fine as well, and about the price of the TWSBI. I would just go mess around in the Nib Nook for a while and see the writing samples I've done, you can compare them to the Lamy and TWSBI EF's.

Of all the different papers I've tried thus far, my favorite are the 90gsm Rhodia and the Apica Premium. Do you know if they (or any other brand with similar paper) produce loose leaf versions (preferably with holes) of their products? I would want it in A4, B5, or something in that range.

Unfortunately, I'm not aware of any loose sheets in either Rhodia or Apica at all. The Rhodia Premium tablets are top staplebound but the sheets are microperforated, so you can tear them cleanly out of the pads. No holes though. Apica Premium is great paper, but only bound, and not even perforated. The best option I know is to go with a premium laserjet copy paper, such as HP 32lb. Premium laser paper.

With Father's Day / Birthday just around the corner I would like to put in a gift request to my family for a new pen, preferably one that costs around $50 or so (including the cost of a converter). I had originally put the TWSBI 580 on my gouletpens wish list (assuming it is back in stock soon), but have some concerns that it 1) might be too bulky diameter-wise (ala AL-Star) for both holding and fitting into shirt pocket nicely, 2) have too wide a grip, and 3) cleaning it might be more trouble than it's worth (I watched your video about taking it apart and putting it back together). Please let me know if these concerns are warranted.

Can you recommend any other pens that would fit the bill? I would want it to have a Fine nib. I don't need flex in the nib as I don't necessarily need color/width variation in my writing. I had thought about the Sheaffer 100 (in brushed chrome), but I have seen some mixed reviews on it based on the grip becoming slippery after a short time of use and that the clip is so stiff that it's hard to secure to shirt pocket, so not sure if that is still an option or not.

If you think the Al-Star is too thick, the TWSBI 580 definitely will be. It's as big as the Al-Star, and the grip is round, so it will seem even thicker in the grip than the Al-Star. It is a great pen though! Cleaning the 580 isn't too bad. I show how to take it apart, but that's not something you do every time you clean it. For regular cleaning, you just fill/flush with water like you would any other pen.

The Sheaffer 100 is a nice pen, thin and heavy, but it does have a slick metal grip, which isn't the best for writing for long periods, I've found. It's fine for relatively quick notes though, a couple of minutes at a time. You probably wouldn't want to hold it during an hour-long meeting though, it'll get slippery.

One of my favorite pens is actually the Pilot Metropolitan, it's pretty thin, metal, good weight, writes well, and is only $18.95 (with a converter)! I think that pen could be everything you're looking for. It does only come with a medium nib, but it's a Japanese medium, so it'll write like a European fine (or maybe even finer). You can see how it compares to a Lamy nib in my Nib Nook.

You could also try the Platinum Plaisir, but it's going to be pretty light as well.

I just bought a bottle of Noodler's Bluerase from you and when I tried the marker tip that came with it, I saw that it was much finer than the one Nathan was using in his pen in the video he made on the ink. Do you know if I can get hold of a wider marker tip that will work in the provided pen?

Noodler's used to include a chisel-tip highlighter with the Bluerase, instead of the marker tip that comes with it now. I'm not sure why the change happened, but the good news is it's easy to change it out. Both pens are made by Platinum, the one you have now is the Platinum Preppy Marker. But it's basically the same thing as the Platinum Preppy Highlighter, the only appreciable difference is the tip. You can actually get replacement highlighter tips that will fit in your pen, to get that thicker tip. It's easy, you just pull the marker tip out, and put the chisel tip in!

I watched your reviews on the Webbie notebooks vs the quo vadis habana. I like the slightly larger size of the habana but do you think the 5.5mm ruled Habana is too small for everyday use? I would use the journal for taking notes and meetings. I'm using a red n black notebook now which I assume is around 8mm ruled.

I personally find 5.5mm just a bit too small, unless I'm using a fine or extra-fine nib. I personally enjoy mediums and stubs, so I seldom enjoy writing on paper with such narrow margins. I personally prefer the Webbie for that reason, but you could always try drawing out a few lines on a blank piece of paper at 5.5mm just to give it a shot for yourself. The Habana is a great journal, but it's really more for those who write small.

Thanks for taking the time to read my emails! I'd love to hear what you think in the comments. I'll be compiling this coming week's emails into next week's Mailbox Monday post!

Edison Beaumont Bordeaux Flake

2013-05-18T12:00:00.000-04:00

The Edison Beaumont is a pen that came out in August of 2012 in three colors (see my video introducing them here). Edison has recently added a new color, called Bordeaux Flake, to the lineup. It's a nice crimson red flecked material embedded in a pool of black to compliment the black accents of the grip and finial.

The Beaumont has been a very popular pen, and for good reason. It's small enough for those with smaller hands (like my darling wife), but large enough for brutes like me to hold comfortably. Normally a pen this size requires a small nib, but somehow Edison managed to jam a large #6 size stainless steel Jowo nib into it and still keep the pen a reasonable size. What's also cool is that Edison nibs are available separately from the pen, so you can get a whole collection and switch and swap extra-fine, fine, medium, broad, 1.1mm, or 1.5mm nibs to your heart's content.

So if you had your heart set on a Beaumont but couldn't decide what color you liked most, now your choice just got even harder. The Bordeaux Flake isn't an impulse buy at $149, but for those who know the Edison name, it's a pretty good deal.

Edison Beaumont top to bottom: Bordeaux Flake, Onyx Flake, Bedrock Flake, and Sapphire Flake.

Write On,
Brian Goulet

Lamy Al-Star Black, Limited Edition

2013-05-08T10:50:00.001-04:00

If there was one color that I could have chosen for a Lamy Al-Star, it would have been this matte Black. It's awesome, with all black details. They did it right! While it's not yet available in the US (we're told late-May/early-June), it has been released in other parts of the world. I was originally told that it would be available later in 2013, but the date was pushed up for one reason or another, thank goodness! I'm so excited for these pens to come in, seriously. I did get my hands (temporarily) on a pre-production sample and I was able to squeeze out a video for you here. So here's what I cover:

Overview of the pen (1:58)
Comparing to the other Al-Star colors (2:38)
Comparison to the Charcoal Safari (3:17)
Changing a Lamy nib (4:20)
Choosing a converter (5:25)
What Limited Edition means for this pen (6:30)
Inking it up and writing with it (7:25)

Lamy Al-Star Matte Black, Limited Edition

Lamy Al-Star Black, Limited Edition, all black accents

The way that Lamy has been doing either Limited Edition pens these days is that instead of doing them for a set period of time (a year or so), they are instead a set production run. Sometimes it's one run, sometimes two, but we never really know how or when the pens will be gone. I'm not 100% sure why they are doing it this way, but what I can say is that the LE pens are not available as long as they used to be. So while I don't believe that these will be bust-open-the-doors-and-elbow-people-in-the-face-to-get-one limited, I would say you'll probably want to budget for this pen in the first month or two after it arrives (in the US that is, I can't speak for availability overseas).

If you're interested in being notified as soon as we have this pen in stock at Gouletpens.com, go here and sign up for the email notification list. This pen, though limited edition, will sell for the same price as the regular Al-Stars at $47 list ($37.60 at GPC).

So what do you think? I know I'm a total tease by showing you this weeks before I even have any to sell…I just want to know your thoughts! You can comment below, on YouTube, @Gouletpens on Twitter, and on Facebook.

Write On,
Brian Goulet

Apica Premium CD Notebooks

2013-05-07T12:14:00.000-04:00

Apica has always made decent paper, so when I heard they were coming out with a premium line, I just had to get my hopes up. Often, when I get my hopes up, it's easy to be disappointed....but not here. Seriously, this paper is awesome. It's not perfect, and I go over all that in the video, but it is seriously some paper worthy of the name "premium". Here's what I talk about:

Paper quality and dry time (0:50)
More writing samples and doodles (2:25)
Paper color/comparison to other brands (4:12)
Writing on the paper (5:39), Notebook sizes (7:55)
Cover colors and rulings (9:15)
Binding and cover quality (11:36)

There are 4 different sizes, with 3 different rulings. The rulings determine the cover color: lined = blue, blank = black, and graph = red. You can see the nitty-gritty details of all the different specific notebooks at GouletPens.com. Though Apica doesn't advertise the paper weight, it is my best guess that it's around 90g. It's consistent throughout the whole line, the paper does not change from one notebook to another. It's super-smooth, very ink resistant, and it's really tough to get any ink to bleed or feather, it really holds up.

All the notebook sizes come with 96 sheets, which is as thick as most bound journals. This is a pretty new line, so if you have any experience with it I'd love to hear your thoughts. It's not cheap stuff, it is a premium in every sense of the word (prices range from $12.60-$27.00 per notebook). But they are nicer, sturdier, and thicker than the regular Apica line, so the premium is justified in my eyes. Will it be for you? I can't say that for sure, but if you like the feel of Clairefontaine and Rhodia Premium, then you will probably like this paper a lot!

Apica Premium, available in 4 different sizes: A6, A5, B5, and A4. Colors correspond to their ruling: blue = lined, black = blank, and red = graph.

Apica Premium A6, the smallest of the bunch at 105mm x 148mm (4.13" x 5.82"). 96 sheets, in lined, blank, or graph.

Apica Premium A5 is 148mm x 210mm (5.82" x 8.27"), with 96 sheets in lined, blank, or graph.

Apica Premium B5, similar to the A5 but slightly larger at 182mm x 257mm (7.17" x 10.12"). 96 sheets, in lined, blank, or graph.

Apica Premium A4, biggest of the group at 210mm x 297mm (8.25" x 11.75"). 96 sheets, in lined, blank, or graph.

Apica Premium notebooks have stitched and glued bindings, better than the staplebound Apica CD in their normal line.

The lined notebooks have three different size rulings. A6 is 6.5mm, A5 and B5 is 7mm, and A4 is 8mm.

Apica Premium is thicker than most notebooks at 96 sheets, but still lies completely flat when open because of its excellent stitched and glued binding.

Write On,
Brian Goulet

May Ink Drop Reveal

2013-05-07T09:52:00.000-04:00

The theme for May's Ink Drop (our monthly ink sample subscription club) was called "Because We Felt Like It". We selected several of our current favorite colors that we just wanted you to experience. The colors we chose were:

De Atramentis Mint Turquoise - A lovely green/turquoise with great shading. One of Rachel's favorites.
De Atramentis Ocher Yellow - One of those under-the-radar colors with great shading. It's a useable yellow/orange that you might not have considered before.
Noodler's 54th Massachusetts - A bulletproof (waterproof) dark blue/black - very saturated, very similar in properties to Noodler's Black. This is one of Noodler's newest colors - we reviewed this one back in December.
Rohrer & Klingner Alt-Bordeaux - A very pretty wine color. We also reviewed this one last year.
Rohrer & Klingner Alt-Goldgrün - There is really nothing like this one. Not quite green, not quite gold... kind of a weird but awesome olive color. Another color that just must be tried! You can view our review on this too.

We hope you enjoy them! Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Mailbox Monday #46

2013-05-06T10:04:00.001-04:00

Alright, so it's been a little while since the last Mailbox Monday...a lot of life has been happening to me lately! I will keep it going though, don't worry ;) My email inbox gets a plethora of interesting pen related questions, and I spend a good deal of time crafting thoughtful responses to each person who writes to me. A lot of times, the questions I get are good ones that I feel are worth sharing with you! I'll be posting highlights of some of my more interesting email questions every Mailbox Monday. These are some emails of mine from the past week or so:

I found your site by chance as I was looking for my first fountain pen. I've been reading lots of reviews of the Lamy Safari and the TWSBI 580 Diamond. Which one would you recommend as an intro pen. I just plan on using this on an every day basis, whether it's meeting notes or general writing / signatures etc.

I can honestly recommend both pens. I have and use both, love them, and recommend both all the time. The Safari is cheaper....both in price and in the way it feels in the hand. it's a much lighter pen, and something that you'd probably feel more comfortable tossing in a pants pocket or backpack without worrying about it. The TWSBI is a much nicer looking and feeling pen. It holds a lot more ink, is bigger, weighs more, and looks more impressive to most.

Really, it just boils down to personal preference. If you want to go with the Lamy I bet you'd enjoy it, the Safari has a cult following second to none, especially among the intro pen users. But TWSBI is a phenomenal deal...for pens comparable to its filling type, quality, and design, it's less than half what you'd pay from other companies. I think you'd enjoy either, but I would encourage you to consider the 580 if you think you're going to be using fountain pens for a while.

I was looking to get either a TWSBI vac 700 or a mini but was wondering which is best? Currently all my fountain pens are cartridge and I have one converter still in the package for one of my lamy pens.

I have video reviews of both pens, if you want to learn more and watch as I handle both. Here's the Mini and here's the Vac-700 video. I actually like both pens, for different reasons. A lot of it depends on how big and heavy you like your pens. The Mini is a better pen for the masses...it's smaller (but still a very good size pen) than the Vac, holds a fair amount of ink (about twice what you Lamy does), and writes well. The Vac is cool, fun to fill, and is big and heavy and feels like good quality because of those. I personally would probably recommend the Mini to you, unless you've really read up and know what you're getting into with the Vac. It's kind of a special pen that's a little more quirky than the Mini, especially because you have to unscrew the back cap as you write, like I show here.

I can't quite tell from the video if you have completely replaced your "unpopular" Noodler's Army Green with the original recipe. If I bought a sample or a bottle today would I be getting the restored (olive-like) Noodler's Army Green or the middle period blueish version?

All of the Army Green we have now is the original formulation, the olive color. That's the reason I waited as long as I did to do the video, to make sure the 'new' (emerald) stuff was all gone, and that the 'good' original stuff was back and here to stay.

I get how the Wish List on GouletPens.com works, but is it possible to see or edit the other list of all the items for which I've requested to be notified when available? I can't remember what I've already requested and don't want to add more requests for the same item.

Ah, unfortunately not. There isn't a master list of email notifications on your individual account. But, if you sign up for the same email notification twice, that's okay. Our website automatically de-duplicates the emails for each product, so if you sign up for the same notification 12 times, it'll only send you one email (assuming you sign up with the same email address each time, that is!).

In various images of Diamine inks, some have black caps and some have green. What determines the cap color?

They used to all be the green/black marbled caps, but Diamine started changing them over about a year ago. Since some colors sell faster than others, we were starting to see black caps on some, green/black on others.....kind of confusing to anyone buying them! It got to the point where there where the majority of inks were coming with the new black caps, and that's when we decided to change our images over to the black caps to try to show what best represented what you'd get if you bought from us. About 95% of the inks we have are black-capped. Other retailers are likely using older images or stock photos, which is why you still see the green caps on some sites. Diamine never even made any official announcement about the change, so there will likely be old images up for a long time to confuse everyone!

Sometimes I think I'm being a bit overly cautious about iron gall inks like the Platinum pigmented colors that say they are really and truly for fountain pens. Have you done a video on the subject or know some online source I can go to for more information? So far, all I'm finding are a few very biased and calcified opinions.

Hmmm....okay. Iron gall is actually different than pigmented, the Platinum inks are not iron gall. Pigmented inks have small particles in them that make them great for writing on paper that doesn't absorb ink easily, this ink dries on the surface of the paper. I explain a bit about the Platinum inks here. Iron Gall ink is a whole different beast, and the best source to learn about them is here. Traditionally, pure iron gall inks are made for dip pens and are highly corrosive, but there are modern formulations today that are much safer/more diluted than in the past. There are only a handful of iron gall fountain pen inks, Diamine Registrar's Blue-Black, Rohrer and Klingner Salix and Scabiosa, and Mont-Blanc Midnight Blue (I believe).

Are there any of the older style Caran D'Ache inks in the square bottles left? I'm rather perplexed and annoyed with the new line. The color chart has about as much nuance as a Mack truck. The bottle seems like a nod to Salvador Dali. And, at that price I want it to regrow my hair. I haven't yet convinced myself to go for the Iroshizuku, though I'm pretty sure I will. I'll probably get a couple of samples in the next order.

All our old Caran d'Ache inks are gone, and we won't be getting any more. Other retailers may still have some, and if they do, jump on it. I honestly don't know what to expect with these new inks, but from the price, it's going to be hard not to have really high expectations! Time will tell….

Thanks for taking the time to read my emails! I'd love to hear what you think in the comments. I'll be compiling this coming week's emails into next week's Mailbox Monday post!

Installing A Lamy Cartridge

2013-05-01T10:00:00.000-04:00

It may seem like an elementary topic, but you'd be surprised how often I get asked how to properly install an ink cartridge. The concept is the same for just about any cartridge/converter fountain pen, and I am using a Lamy Vista to demonstrate the practice. Learn how to properly install it (0:20), when to change it (5:14), and how often to clean it depending on your usage (6:13). You may also want to check out my Fountain Pen 101 video on ink cartridge here.

Write On,
Brian Goulet

Safely Replacing A Lamy Feed

2013-04-19T11:00:00.000-04:00

While the feeds of Lamy fountain pens aren't made to be removed as a regular part of their operation, it is possible to accidentally pull one out when swapping your nib. If you put the feed back in incorrectly, you can jam it in and make it nearly impossible to remove without damaging it. I made this video to help you safely replace your feed in your pen in case you should find yourself in this situation. I hope it helps!

Write On,
Brian Goulet

Noodler's Acrylic Konrad Flex Pens

2013-04-16T15:25:00.001-04:00

Noodler's is legendary for its inks, and has become a major force in the pen world the last couple of years. They're stepping up their game once again with the release of Acrylic Konrad Flex Pens. This acrylic acetate is the same shiny, sparkly material that you see many higher-end pen companies use because of it's visual appeal, durability, and stain resistance. The dimensions, fit and finish are nearly identical to the Ripple Ebonite Konrads you saw come out in December 2012 (the overall pen is just a tad shorter), which is a good thing in my view. In this video I showcase the four colors being released with the introduction of these pens, which include John Mung, Himalayan Ruby, Baikal, and Rattlesnake & Adrenaline. There will be more colors to come, you know that Noodler's likes varying colors in their pens! Many of you will also appreciate that this material does not have that distinct "Noodler's pen smell".

Top to bottom: Noodler's resin Konrad, Noodler's Acrylic Konrad, Noodler's Ebonite Konrad

Noodler's Acrylic Konrad Flex Pen, in Baikal

Noodler's Acrylic Konrad Flex Pen, in Himalayan Ruby

Noodler's Acrylic Konrad Flex Pen, in John Mung

Noodler's Acrylic Konrad Flex Pen, in Rattlesnake & Adrenaline

I did a post yesterday about the release of these pens tomorrow, see that here. They are more expensive than the resin Konrads, because the acrylic is a more expensive material. But still, $40 is not too bad for what you're getting! And it's a #6 nib, so you can put a Goulet nib or any other #6 size nib you have in it (see how here) to increase its versatility. I'm glad to see these pens come available, and I think it's a step forward for Noodler's pens.

What do you think?

Write On,
Brian Goulet

Release Day 4/17/13 at 1pm EDT

2013-04-15T12:02:00.001-04:00

Mark your calendars for 1pm EDT on this Wednesday, April 17. It's release day at Goulet! It's been since September of 2012 since we did a timed release, we only reserve this for very important products that we anticipate will be in extremely high demand. We have kind of a perfect storm this Wednesday. There's a lot of great stuff coming in, and most of it is going to go fast. This blog post is really just a heads up, so you can arrange your schedule so that you can get these limited pens if you've had your eye on them.

Here's what we're getting in:

Noodler's Ripple Ebonite Konrad Flex Pens, in Rebellion Red, Sahara Gray, and a limited edition Dixie #10 (see Nathan's video here). The Sahara will be plentiful, but the other two colors are going to be extremely limited in quantity and will likely sell out very quickly, particularly the Rebellion Red.

Noodler's Acrylic Konrad Flex Pens, in four colors. These are brand new pens, featuring the same Noodler's Konrad flex nib but with a glossy acrylic acetate body (the same kind of material you see with many high-end pen companies - one might say they have a lot of chatoyance!). They will be the first resin Noodler's pens without the distinctive "Noodler's pen smell". They're seriously impressive. This is part of a new line, with more colors to come in the future.

Edison Beaumont Stealth. This is a limited edition pen, with an all-black glossy resin body and special smoky grey ruthenium-plated hardware and nib. Only 100 have been made worldwide. We are only receiving one shipment, so once they're gone, that's it! They'll be available in extra-fine, fine, medium, and broad stainless steel nibs.

We are also receiving a shipment of Pilot Metropolitans and fine-nibbed resin Namiki Falcons. We aren't sure as of this newsletter whether they will make it in time for the Wednesday release, but we're optimistic. Worst case, they'll come on Thursday (just make a note in your order comments if you order on Wednesday that you'd like your order to be held to be combined with a second order).

Here's how it's going to work:

Because of the limited nature of many of these items, you're going to have to be diligent in purchasing as close to the release time as possible. Here's everything you need to know to give yourself the best chance:

Sign up on the email notification list for any item you're interested in, which you do by clicking on the 'email me when back in stock' link below the 'Add to Cart' button on the product page, then typing in your email. As soon as we make it available for purchase, you'll be notified by email. This isn't required for you to buy it, but is just an extra reminder to let you know as soon as it is live and available for sale.
Get to GouletPens.com as close to 1pm Eastern US time as you possibly can, because that's when we're releasing these products for sale. We chose this time to accommodate the most number of people around the world as possible. We know that it's not an ideal time for everyone, and we're really sorry if it isn't for you.
Load other items into your shopping cart ahead of time. Get to GouletPens.com early, and load up whatever else you want before 1pm EDT. Once we make the new products live, all you have to do is add it to your cart and checkout with everything else you already have. The first people to checkout get it, just having it in your shopping cart doesn't reserve it for you!
Arrange for someone else to purchase it if you're not able to at 1pm. If you have an important meeting or appointment at the time of the release, arrange for a family member or friend to help you purchase it. It's impossible for us to predict how fast the we'll sell out, we'll honestly be pretty surprised if some of these items last to the end of the day.
Make sure your login and credit card/PayPal is working properly. There's nothing worse than going through all of the excitement of getting your order in your cart only to find out you can't login, your card expired, or you forgot to update something on your PayPal account. Same goes with your billing/shipping address on our site. Get it all straight ahead of time so you know you're good to go when you checkout.
You have to order through GouletPens.com. There will be such a mad rush of people flocking to our site, shooting us emails, and calling us, that we can't guarantee you anything unless it goes through our website. Our inventory is real-time through our site, and it's the only way for us to ensure that we don't oversell. We'll do our best to take your order over the phone if you need us to after 1:00pm, but we only have one phone line and may not be able to pick up right away. We're sorry if this inconveniences you at all, but it's the only way we can manage everything during a release like this. If you are having technical issues with our website at that time email us and we will help you as soon as possible.
Our site will go down just before 1pm. As we've learned from past experience, our site can get flooded with traffic around the time of the release. Everyone then refreshes the page in their browser, which jams the traffic even more. The slower it gets, the more everyone refreshes, to the point where the site either crashes or jams up so bad that it takes 10 minutes or more to refresh! To avoid all that drama, we'll be shutting the site down completely a few minutes before 1pm so that there will be no logjam. Then, we can bring the site back up right at 1pm, and everyone will be happy :) So don't completely freak out if the site's down for 5-10 minutes before 1pm, that's intentional.

One other note: our Goulet nibs are running low on stock, and will likely get cleared out pretty well with this release (some sizes even before the release). Don't let that hold up an order for any of these pens. We will have more nibs, but many of these pens will be a one-shot deal. More nibs are expected around the first week of June. We know that seems like an eternity, but it's the fastest we are able to get more! The good news is that we're increasing our quantities of nibs dramatically, and we will be expanding into the two-tone finish, as well.

We'll "see" you at 1pm EDT on Wednesday, April 17. Feel free to email us with any questions!

Write On,
Brian & Rachel Goulet

Edison Beaumont Stealth LE Coming Soon!

2013-04-11T15:06:00.000-04:00

Brian Gray just announced that an Edison Beaumont is coming in a sleek stealth design! It's a limited edition, to be released next week with a total of 100 pens worldwide, and each pen will be individually numbered. We're fortunate to be one of the retailers carrying them at GouletPens.com. They are a black resin with ruthenim colored clip and centerband and ruthenium-plated stainless steel nib engraved with the Edison logo. Ruthenium is a plating that is a gun-metal color, and is something that Edison has rarely done in the past. No production Edison pen has been available with ruthenium trim before.

The Beaumont Stealth LE is going to be released next week, we're not yet sure what day but we'll update when we know. You will be able to pick one up for yourself in an extra-fine, fine, medium, or broad nib for $159. This is a cartridge/converter pen (converter included). The Beaumont is not recommended for eyedropper conversion because of the way the blind cap is assembled on the pen. To be notified as soon as we have these pens available, sign up for our "email me when back in stock" notification here.

Edison Beaumont Stealth LE, cartridge/converter pen

Pens will be individually numbered XXX of 100 with a subtle engraving on the pen body

Ruthenium nib and trim is something never offered on a production Edison before

To see how the size of the Beaumont compares to other pens, check out the Pen Plaza, and to see how the Edison nibs write, check out the Nib Nook on GouletPens.com.

Write On,
Brian Goulet

One Million Views (and counting)

2013-04-07T13:00:00.001-04:00

Back when I first started doing videos in January of 2010, I had no idea how long I would do them or if anyone would even care to watch them. I had no video making experience, and I really didn't have a plan for how I was going to do them or in what frequency. I just knew I needed to make them, and I credit Gary Vaynerchuck and his book Crush It! for giving me the ideas and inspiration to make it happen.

I started my first video back on January 15th, 2010, just 10 days before my son was born. The Goulet Pen Company at that time was little more than a dream, we'd only been selling fountain pen ink and paper (no pens!) for a couple of months. It was just by wife and me, and she was working a full-time job. When her maternity leave ran out, she couldn't bear the thought of going back to work and leaving our son, so we had to make the decision to try to make our little fountain pen supply business something we could live on, without any guarantees whatsoever. We had a little money saved up, but not much, and with a newborn and a mortgage we had anything but financial security. It was truly a leap of faith for us to decide to dedicate everything we had to making GPC a viable business, and producing videos and blog content on Ink Nouveau was an integral part in doing that.

After years of hard work, big risks, and many sleepless nights, we now have what many would consider to be a dream job. I can't deny that we are incredibly blessed to be doing what we love and working with our two kids every day. Even though we no longer work out of our house, we commute with our kids to our shop each day, and we balance out managing our staff of 14 with the needs of our kids, changing diapers and reading books on Thomas the Tank Engine and Dr. Seuss. We work very long hours, and we've given up essentially everything besides faith, family, and work to be able to make it happen, but it has been well worth it. We are incredibly thankful for the love and support we have in the fountain pen community, and we will continue to educate and entertain with future videos for as long as we're able, because we're so thankful for your allowing us to do what we love every day.

Thank you for supporting us on Ink Nouveau, on YouTube, our podcast, and of course, GouletPens.com. For more than three years since we started our company, we've grown from an unknown mom-and-pop store to a company that's able to do some pretty neat things, and we want to continue to be able to do more. We still don't do any paid advertising, we rely solely on your word-of-mouth to spread the word about us. Hitting 1 million views on YouTube is both exciting and humbling. I feel very appreciated and valued with every video that I post, like I'm really helping you to enhance your own fountain pen experience. Thank you so much for all of your love and support, and here's to the next 1 million views!

Write On,
Brian Goulet

Ink Drop: April Reveal and March Contest Winners

2013-04-06T21:12:00.001-04:00

April Ink Drop Reveal: Under the Sea

For April's Ink Drop, we selected a range of blues, from green/turquoise to dark blue. We hope you enjoyed them!

Due to low participation, we have decided we won't be doing an Ink Drop contest this month, though we'd still love to see and share what you do with your colors! Feel free to sound off on what you thought of this month's inks in the comments below.

March Ink Drop Contest Results

As for the March 2013 "Fade to Black" Ink Drop Contest, thank you to everyone who entered, and to everyone who voted. This was a tough month, as all the colors were in the gray/black range. But you still did some amazing things with these colors!

Art Winners:

The first-prize ($25) winner was Michael F.:

The $10 Art runner-up was Danielle C.:

Writing Winners:

The first-prize ($25) winner was Gary L.:

The $10 Writing runner-up was Ted A.:

Congrats to all four winners, and to everyone else who participated!

Goulet Nibs

2013-04-03T11:48:00.001-04:00

I'm very pleased to announce the introduction of the Goulet #6 Stainless Steel nibs! Made by Jowo in Germany, these $15 stainless steel nibs are available in EF, F, M, B, 1.1, and 1.5 sizes, and have a sweet GP ink splatter logo on them. These nibs are ideal for converting your Noodler's Ahab or Konrad (and any other pen that holds a #6 nib) to a non-flexible pen with a good range of nib sizes.

Here's a quick reference for you to jump to just the part of the video you want to see, since I know I made it really, really long!

Backstory of why offering our own nibs is significant to GouletPens.com (0:20)
Showing the nibs (8:55)
How the nibs write (10:35)
Placing a Goulet nib on a Noodler's Ahab (14:22)
Writing with a Goulet nib in an Ahab (19:38)
Replacing the nib with an inked-up Ahab (20:10)
Placing a Goulet nib in a Noodler's Konrad (21:29)
Filling the Konrad with a replaced nib (25:00)
Writing with a Goulet nib in a Konrad (26:13)

These are German nibs, so they're going to write a little broader than their Japanese friends. They will be similar to other nibs made by Jowo. They are smooth with a hint of feedback, so not quite like writing with a hot stick of butter on a sheet of ice, but smooth enough so that I think most folks will find them quite favorable. You can compare the thickness of each of the writing samples with any of the other pens we stock in our Nib Nook.

The extra-fine is fairly thin, not hairline, but thin enough to get the job done. It'll be ideal for those who want to write as fine as possible. It'll be about comparable to Lamy, Edison, and other German nibs.
The fine is not a world of difference from the extra-fine, it is a little broader but about the same wetness. The fine will be a solid all-around nib.
The medium is pretty a pretty drastic change from the fine, though. It's broader, and significantly wetter. If you're b looking to get the most color out of your ink and want to start seeing some real shading, that's where you'll want the medium.
The broad, well, that thing is just a firehose. Use it when your paper is on fire and needs to be doused!
The 1.1mm is going to be better for an 'everyday' stub, adding a snazzy bit of calligraphy styling to your writing without having to drastically change the way you write. The 1.1mm and 1.5mm are stubs, so you'll get line variation between the cross- and down-strokes, but the corners are rounded so they will be relatively smooth, much smoother than a 'crisp' italic. Click here to see the difference. Stubs are a bit less forgiving than conventional nib in terms of how you rotate your pen in your hand when you write, but once you write with them for a little bit, it's easy to get used to them. They'll let you know how they like to be held ;)
The 1.5mm is a bit wider on the down-stroke, and something that will be a little bit harder to use with everyday writing, unless you have the room to write larger than normal.

Each of these nibs is $15, and come as just the metal nib (no feed or housing of any kind). We're also going to offer them in a set of all 6 sizes for $80, a bit of a discount there for ya ;) Though they are standard #6 nibs and will fit a variety of different pen models, just be aware that pretty much all pen companies will only warrantee the performance of their pen with their own nibs in them. You are more than welcome to tinker around and swap these nibs on whatever pens you want, but be conscious of your particular brand's warranty policy before you do so. I have been using these nibs on the Noodler's Ahab and Konrad with good results, so that's my primary motivation for offering them.

I'd love to hear what you think! These are something I've been working on for some time, and I'm very eager to see how the fountain pen world responds.

Write On,
Brian Goulet

March 2013 Ink Drop Contest - Voting is Open!

2013-04-02T08:00:00.000-04:00

It's time to vote for the winners of our March 2013 "Fade to Black" Ink Drop contest! Please view the entries in our Goulet Gallery, then return here to vote only once. You have until Friday, April 5th, at 11:59pm EST to cast your vote.

The top two winners in each category (art and writing) will receive GouletPens.com gift certificates ($25 for first prize, $10 for runner-up) - four prizes in all.

Thanks and good luck!

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Edison $28.95 Bulb Filling Pen

2013-04-01T08:00:00.000-04:00

Coveted as one of the pens with the largest ink capacity and unique filling systems, Edison's bulb filling pens have long been at the upper price range for most pen enthusiasts. Until now!

Okay, so this pen may not be for everyone. But Brian Gray was a good sport for letting me put this video together, so I want to plug his Edison Morgan LE group buy going on right now. It's no 2-ounce bulb filler, but it's still pretty nice :)

Write On,
Brian Goulet

Changing Noodler's Army Green...BACK!

2013-03-30T11:39:00.000-04:00

Back in September of 2012, I posted this blog post talking about the change that Noodler's made to Army Green. It was originally an olive green color, and changed to more of an emerald green. I wasn't the only one who preferred the original olive color, and the responses on Ink Nouveau and my YouTube video reinforced my thoughts. Army Green was great as it was, and should be changed back.

Left: Original and now current Army Green formula. Right: Old emerald formula made from Sept. 2012-March 2013

Thanks to everyone who posted a comment with their support, Nathan (Noodler's creator) was able to see the support that the original color had, and decided to change it back. It took from September 2012 until March 2013 for the emerald color to work its way through the Noodler's distributor, but now I can say that the original Army Green is what will be made going forward. At GouletPens.com we're seeing only the original color coming through our shop, but if you're looking to buy at other retailers you may just want to ask them which color they have in case they have old stock.

Pat yourselves on the back, everyone! It was because of the grassroots support for the original color that Nathan changed it back. Bravo to Nathan for listening to his fans, too.

Write On,
Brian Goulet

Sula Jane and Earl Leather Pen Cases

2013-03-28T16:41:00.000-04:00

If you like leather pen cases, and you like pretty colors, then check out Sula Jane and Earl. It's a start-up company from California, that hand-makes pen sleeves, pen wraps, and a journal/notebook/phone cover. Kelly Egan started it, and she's actually been a fan and customer of Goulet for the last couple of years. We're happy to be her first major retailer (apart from selling her products directly). Here's their official website.

A note about the manufacturer:
Founded in Los Angeles in 2012, Sula Jane and Earl is a family business inspired by heritage and a 60 acre family farm in Pennsylvania. Like the land our grandparents farmed, our work is hand made, strong, tactile and beautiful. Each product is sewn, nurtured and cultivated to protect your treasured writing instruments through daily use.

Each pen slip is made of genuine chrome-tanned leather. Chrome tanned leather may tarnish silver and other metals prone to tarnishing if a writing instrument is stored in them for a prolonged period of time. Using the products to transport for daily use, however, should not result in tarnish or wear to the metal.

There are three Sula Jane and Earl products, a Pen Sleeve, Pen Wrap, and Journal, Phone, and Pen Cover. All of them are available in 16 different colors: Absinthe, Carnation, Cerise, Cloud, Coal, Cobalt, Kelly, Marine, Midnight, Plum, Sand, Scarlet, Sierra, Sunshine, Tangerine, and Wisteria.

Pen Sleeves

The Pen Sleeves are single pen slips that are great for transporting a daily carry pen. These are especially handy if you like to carry pens in your pocket, or in some sort of bag/purse where you want your pen easily accessible but also protected, and with a case that takes up minimal space. I personally carry all of my ready-to-access pens in leather pen sleeves, as I find them to protect my nice pens well, and keep them accessible.

These sleeves will hold some pretty big pens, too. Even the Edison Collier, which is one of the largest pens I know, fits in without a problem. This sleeve easily holds TWSBI 580 and Vac-700's, Pelikan m800's, and the Noodler's Ahab with room to spare. And the great variety of colors makes it easy to match the sleeve to the pen or ink that you want to use, which is great if you want to carry different pens around.

Sula Jane and Earl Pen Sleeves, available in 16 colors, fits pens up to around 19mm (0.75in, which is huge)

Sula Jane and Earl Pen Sleeve in Cloud

Sula Jane and Earl Pen Sleeve in Kelly, with a Lamy Charcoal Safari

Sula Jane and Earl Pen Sleeve in Marine, with a Lamy Charcoal Safari resting peacefully inside

Pen Wrap/Writing Sheaf

If you want to keep an arsenal of pens close at hand, then you should check out these Pen Wraps. It's made to hold 4 pens, all ones that are about as big as the Edison Collier. It's quite simple, stick the pens in, fold over the flap, roll it up, and tuck the strap under itself. Then you're all set.

Sula Jane and Earl Pen Wrap, available in 16 colors. Hold 4 pens, each up to 19mm wide (0.75in, which is huge)

Sula Jane and Earl Pen Wrap in Carnation

Sula Jane and Earl Pen Wrap in Coal, filled with pens

Sula Jane and Earl Pen Wrap in Cobalt, with some pens taking a nap inside

Sula Jane and Earl Pen Wrap in Sunshine, filled with pens

Sula Jane and Earl Pen Wrap in Tangerine, with some pens waking up from a restful slumber

Journal, Phone, and Pen Cover

These covers might require a little more explanation than the others. It's a neat design that allows you to transport a 3.5"x5.5" notebook (like the Rhodia Webnotebook) or smaller, pretty much any size pen, and a smart phone, all in one leather cover. Bigger journals like Leuchtturm1917 and the Quo Vadis Habana don't fit though, the Webnotebook is the biggest bound journal I've found to fit it. But anything 3.5"x5.5" or smaller will work well.

You can mix up the arrangement, too. There's a slit cut in the left side that will hold your phone or a steno-style notebook. The pen goes in the middle, and there's a slit on the right side that holds a side-bound notebook or a phone. You can forget the phone and hold a side-bound and top-bound notebook, or forget the notebooks and hold two phones if you want! You have options, and the versatility is what makes this fun.

Sula Jane and Earl Journal, Phone, and Pen Cover, available in 16 colors

Sula Jane and Earl Journal, Phone, and Pen Cover in Midnight (dark blue)

Sula Jane and Earl Journal, Phone, and Pen Cover in Cerise, empty

Sula Jane and Earl Journal, Phone, and Pen Cover in Scarlet. Fits a 3.5"x5.5" notebook, pen, and phone. Shown here with a No. 12 Rhodia pad

Sula Jane and Earl Journal, Phone, and Pen Cover in Wisteria, in an alternate arrangement with a small Rhodia Webnotebook

We're thrilled for Kelly to be able to do something that she loves, and she's clearly going about it the right way, too. As a guy who started my company in my dining room, I can certainly appreciate what it takes to start small and create something from an idea and take it global. I'm happy to help to bring Sula Jane and Earl to the lime light, and we look forward to seeing it grow. One of the best things about smaller companies like SJ&E is they're always open to ideas and feedback, so please, let me know what you think in the comments below!

Write On,
Brian Goulet

TWSBI 580 Disassembly

2013-03-27T09:30:00.000-04:00

TWSBI has instructions inside their pens showing how to take it apart, but I find that taking apart and putting a pen back together is shown best in a video. This demonstration will show you how to take apart and reassemble a TWSBI 580, but the piston assembly is exactly the same for the 540, 530, and Mini, so these techniques will work the same for all these pens. If you've ever struggled putting your TWSBI pen back together, this is the video for you.

TWSBI 580/540 Comparison

2013-03-22T10:09:00.000-04:00

Ever since TWSBI announced that they were replacing their flagship pen, the Diamond 540, with the Diamond 580, everyone has been curious what would actually differentiate the two. If you remember, a couple of years ago the Diamond 540 replaced TWSBI's original pen, the Diamond 530. With that upgrade there were some subtle differences, but there was an increase in ink capacity. Well, there's nothing that drastic with the changes to the 580, but even still, it's worth pointing out the differences.

There honestly aren't any drastic changes from the 540 to the 580. TWSBI has been updating periodically on their Facebook page, so nothing I'm talking about here should be a huge surprise. FPGeeks also did a blog post that has a pretty good pictorial of the differences. Bottom line, if you liked the 540, you'll also like the 580. The changes were mainly for manufacturing and quality/durability reasons.

The one thing I know I'll get asked about a lot that I don't cover in this video is how the nibs perform. The 540 started with Schmidt nibs, then moved to Bock, then Jowo, so it was a little tough to nail down exactly which nib you'd be getting when you bought one. But the 580's will all be coming with Jowo from their release. I'm told by TWSBI that there shouldn't be any noticeable difference with these nibs over previous ones, and I'll test that for myself in a couple of weeks when I have the nib units in stock to be able to write test. But the cool thing is that all of the 530, 540, and 580 nib units are interchangeable, so you can use older nibs on your new 580, or get 580 nibs for your older TWSBI pen.

TWSBI Diamond 580

Write On,
Brian Goulet

Midori Traveler's Notebook Arrangements

2013-03-21T12:00:00.000-04:00

I did a Midori Traveler's Notebook video when I first began carrying their products back in early February 2013. In that video, I showed the Midori "official" way to arrange multiple notebooks inside the leather cover, using the Midori rubber connecting bands. After I published that video, I received some great tips on alternate ways to arrange notebooks, some of which didn't even require the rubber bands! I played around with a lot of different ways, and I settled on a few good techniques that I show you here in the video for arranging 1, 2, or 3 notebooks inside the cover, all just using the materials that come with the leather Traveler's Notebook (except the additional notebooks, that is). I use my personal Passport MTN, but the same techniques work with the Regular one, as well.

I'm a retailer showing you (for free) how to not buy something from me…how often does that happen?

Write On,
Brian Goulet

TWSBI Diamond 50P Inkwell

2013-03-20T12:00:00.000-04:00

TWSBI has just released their Diamond 50P inkwell, and I've been getting a lot of questions about what makes it different from the Diamond 50 inkwell. I covered how to use the Diamond 50 in this video. In today's video I talk about the two, and show how to use the Diamond 50P. Here's what I cover:

Unboxing the TWSBI Diamond 50P (0:45)
Showing the 5 bottle colors (1:40)
Comparing the plastic 50P cap to the aluminum 50 cap (2:10 and 6:35)
Using the Diamond 50P inkwell to fill a TWSBI Mini (or 530/540/580) (2:40)
Using the Diamond 50P to fill a standard international converter (4:25)
Swapping caps with the Vac-20 bottle (4:43)

So you might be asking yourself, why get this one instead of the Diamond 50? The main reason is price, the 50P is $18.99, the 50 is $25.00. It's not a gargantuan difference, but it's noticeable. The biggest plus I see to the 50P is that its cap will work better when swapped with the Vac-20, if that's appealing to you. But the main draw is the price.

What do you think?

Write On,
Brian Goulet

Apica Notebooks Overview

2013-03-18T11:04:00.001-04:00

Above: Apica brand overview. I show the different sizes of Apica CD and Basic notebooks. For full product details, it's best to check out my site where I have everything laid out in a more browsable (is that a word?) manner than I can post here on the blog. The notebooks range in size from a 2.75"x4" to 7"x10", and are priced from $1.80 to $8.60. The main idea with these notebooks is that they're relatively thin, and great for single-subject or single-topic applications. Sheet count ranges from 28 to 52 sheets in the CD, 50-100 in the Basics. The CD's are the thinner notebooks, and the Basics are more like lab notebooks.

Below: Apica Paper Test. Okay, so my video on the brand overview ended up being really long, so I broke out the writing test into a separate one. The CD paper is good, similar to Rhodia in smoothness and performance. It's not quite as ink resistant with wetter pens and inks, but it holds up about as any non-Rhodia paper I've seen. The paper is slightly different in the CD than the Basic notebooks. The Basics have a lightly gray tinge, and have a longer dry time than the CD paper. Still pretty darn good stuff, but it is different enough where it was worth comparing in the video.

In this video, I test a Pilot Custom 823 medium with Pilot Iroshizuku Ama-Iro, a Pilot Metropolitan medium with Diamine Red Dragon, a Pilot Custom 74 medium with Noodler's 54th Massachusetts (wow, I'm just realizing I use a lot of Pilots!), a Pelikan m200 italic with Noodler's Apache Sunset, and a Lamy Vista fine with Noodler's Black.

The CD notebooks come in a variety of colors, and in everything but the smallest CD5 and CD7 notebooks, are available by the individual color. The CD5 and CD7 are only offered in mixed packs, so you can only get a random choice of 4 colors. The different colors include (in order you see here) Black, Light Blue, Light Green, Mustard, Navy, Red, Sky Blue, White, and Yellow:

None of the paper is perforated, and it's all lined. The line rulings range from 6-7mm, and the paper is all the same weight, about 80g.

Apica CD15, CD11, CD10, and CD7.

Apica 6A10 Basic notebook, lab-style with 7mm ruling.

There you have it! There's Apica, hit me up in the comments if you have any questions.

Write On,
Brian Goulet

Mailbox Monday #45

2013-03-18T08:00:00.000-04:00

My email inbox gets a plethora of interesting pen related questions, and I spend a good deal of time crafting thoughtful responses to each person who writes to me. A lot of times, the questions I get are good ones that I feel are worth sharing with you! I'll be posting highlights of some of my more interesting email questions every Mailbox Monday. These are some emails of mine from the past week or so:

I am torn between a Platinum 3776 and an Edison Collier, I know you don't want to exactly tell me which one to get but I want some sort of feed back. Which one do you like best ? I have used an Edison collier but not a 3776 so I don't know the comparison but I'm pretty sure you do.

That's a bit like choosing between a Lexus and Mercedes ;) You really can't go too wrong either way! I personally have several of both pens, and I like them or different reasons. The 3776 has a gold nib, which is hard to ignore. But the Edisons write really well for having steel nibs, so that's not as big of a difference as you might think. The one thing I really don't like about the Collier is that it doesn't post...not a huge deal b/c it's a big enough pen to be okay without posting, but it's a dealbreaker for some so I thought I'd mention it. The other plus that the 3776 has is that Platinum designed a special cap seal that they tout keeps the nib wet for over a year. I haven't tested it that long, but the pen does write really well after not using for a while.

Edisons are beautiful, that depth and vibrance only comes from a cast resin material like you see in Edison's pens. Plus, it's made in America, and Brian Gray (the man who makes them) is a stand-up guy, I personally feel good supporting his business.

I discovered your page and shop only few weeks ago, but I like them a lot. I have been reading a lot of your posts and watching a lot of your videos in the last days and got inspired by your ink reviews and swabs. I decided to make something simmilar and join your Ink Drop today. So now I have the pen(s) (Faber-Castell e-motion, Cerruti 1881 West and hopefully TWSBI and Platinum soon :D), I have the ink samples needed, but I have no idea which paper to use. I would like to write 1 page per ink sample and it should also include a swab test (do not want to have the swabs on separate pieces of paper), so I think that an A5 is enough. But I do not know what gsm, lines or dots or blank, if bound in a notebook or separate pages (as I want to scan it afterwards for my blog). If notebook, perforated pages or or another type suitable for scanning? I am also thinking about using an A4, print some kind of "fill-in form" on it (2 forms per page) and cut it into 2 A5s. I know, that you are using Rhodia papers, but you have also mentioned, that Rhodia is fountain pen unfriendly paper.

I personally settled on Rhodia No. 16 Dotpads for my reviews. I'm not sure if you mistyped or if you have a misunderstanding about my view of Rhodia, it is actually some of the best and most fountain pen friendly paper in the world, and I love it. The reason that I use it for all of my reviews is because it's some of the most consistent and friendly paper I've used. It comes in multiple sizes so you can get whatever suits your fancy. A5 (which is No. 16 in Rhodia) is pretty tight, I personally use A5 because I want to limit my reviews. I personally settled on my review format after trying a lot of different ones, but everyone has a different style.

Using a printed form isn't such a bad idea, either. Honestly, if you want good copy paper, HP makes a great laser paper called HP 32lb Premium Laser that's some really good stuff. Not quite Rhodia/Clairefontaine, but dang close and a lot cheaper per sheet. I don't sell it, but you can find it at any office supple place.

One of my favorite inks is Noodlers X-feather. I made the mistake of buying a couple of journals that use recycled paper and anti-feather is the only ink that will not bleedthrough or feather. My question is, does Noodlers (or any other ink company) make an ink with similar properties, only in blue? Or any other colors?

Oh yeah, recycled paper is pretty much the worst stuff for fountain pen ink, unfortunately! Noodler's is the only brand that even markets a non-feathering ink, and only in that color. I did a little poking around and found an FPN thread about mixing X-feather with Lamy Turquoise to get a nice blue-black!

Honestly, I'm not aware of any non-black ink that resists feathering quite as well as X-feather. Noodler's Upper Ganges Blue is pretty good (it's a pain to clean from the pen, though). Platinum Pigmented Blue is good too, but that's a bit of a different breed of ink. Rather than being dye-based, it's pigment-based, so the ink dries more on the surface of the paper, instead of soaking in. It's designed mostly for brush pens, but works in fountain pens, too. Just don't let it dry up in your pen, it's a pain to clean out if you do!

I'm putting together another order from you, and am considering the Monteverde Prima with stub nib. Unable to find any enlightening reviews of this nib online. Can you tell me, in your opinion, does it tend toward being a soft or crisp stub? Someone reviewed it on your site as "like writing with the tip of a spoon," and that sounded like the kind of stub I'd be unhappy with. I like pretty crisp edges--my favourite pen, still, is my Speedball C-4 dip pen! Searching for a fountain pen that will give me that kind of crispness.

I did this video of the Prima, and I actually use a 1.1mm stub in my demo! It's really a stub, not at all a crisp italic. I don't know exactly what the person leaving the review meant by 'writing with the tip of a spoon'...I'm guessing that means they think it is very smooth, which it is. These nibs really are not crisp, and in fact, there are very few stub nibs that come from the factory of any pen company that I feel are crisp, it's usually something that has to be done by a nibmeister.

Brian, will you be carrying the standard size bottle of Noodler's Heart of Darkness? They are really all the quantity I need. My Liberty's Elysium is still 3/4 full and I've used that the most!

There currently isn't a 3-ounce Heart of Darkness, Nathan only makes it in 4.5 ounce. If he decides to make it in 3 ounce, then we'll carry it. But I don't think he has plans to. Sorry!

I recently placed an order for a series of items including Brause Calligraphy and Writing Set (code B0137). I recently began jotting ideas down in an "academic journal." I decided that it would be easier if I titled pages in an ink (red, brown, green, etc) based on topic: book ideas, articles ideas, course idea, reading lists, and so on. Since an idea on one page (titled in red) be different from the next page (in green) I decided that a dip pen would be best. I ordered the Brause dip pen because it seemed like a good "starter pen" and it had an italic nib which would further distinguish the title. The order was speedily shipped and filled before I learned that a Brause dip pen may not write with fountain pen ink. Watching some of the Goulet videos before bedtime- yes, I am that big of a geek- I noticed that you ink your swab cards with a glass dip pen. So, I need some advice. Will the Brause dip pen work or should I return it for a glass dip pen. I understand that the glass pen will not write in italic, but the first requirement for a pen is that it writes.

It's a little hit-or-miss when you're using a dip nib set with fountain pen inks. Fountain pens inks are water-based, and are thinner than the shellac-based calligraphy inks that they are made to use. That said, the nib set you're getting will work with most fountain pen inks, for most of the nibs. I've found that the nibs with ink reservoirs will work best. That includes the italic nibs, they come with ink reservoirs on them. I have a video where I play with the set a bit, here. I also use a glass pen there, so you can see how the two compare.

Yes, I do use glass pens for my swabs, but that's mainly because it's easy to clean...and it's because that's how I started doing the swabs 3 years ago, and it's too late for me to change it! Glass pens write really wet, and aren't necessarily the best representation of how the ink will look in a fountain pen.

If you're only going to be switching between a couple of ink colors, it may be best just to get a couple of inexpensive pens to use and ink up with your red and green inks. The Pilot Metropolitan is my favorite, and is only $15.

Any plans to get the J. Herbin pre-cut blotter sheets in white and if so will you be offering a package set including the blotter the way you do with the full-size sheets?

Herbin only makes the pre-cut sheets in pink :P Otherwise, we'd carry them in white! They only have white paper in full sheets.

Thanks for taking the time to read my emails! I'd love to hear what you think in the comments. I'll be compiling this coming week's emails into next week's Mailbox Monday post!

Removing Vacuum Filler Pen O-rings

2013-03-15T12:00:00.000-04:00

I recently posted this video about unscrewing the back of your filler knob on your vacuum-filling fountain pen (such as the TWSBI Vac-700 or Pilot Custom 823, among others) so that you can ensure you get proper ink flow while you write. Understandably, some find this practice annoying. For those of you who feel that way, I give you, today's video.

Basically, you just unscrew the mechanism out of the pen, and pull off the conical o-ring on the end of the rod. This is the o-ring that seals up the ink chamber (it's separate from the o-ring that actually fits to the walls of the pen to allow it to fill), and by removing it, you bypass the need to unscrew the back of the pen altogether.

Now, realize that when you're doing this you're opening yourself up to an increased risk of leakage during traveling, especially during extreme elevation or temperature changes. These types of pens aren't necessarily more prone to this than other pens, except that any pen with a large ink capacity (2ml+) has an inherent increased risk of leaking under these situations, particularly if there is a lot of air in the ink chamber.

***WARNING*** This is probably something your pen manufacturer does not want you to do at the risk you'll do something irreversible to your pen! Be certain that you're clear about your pen manufacturer's warrantee policies, and understand that by disassembling your pen and removing a part like this, you're likely going to have to pay for any potential damage or loss of small parts that you cause, if that happens. This is a pretty simple and straightforward process, but I don't want you coming after me or the pen maker if you do something crazy to your pen while trying this. If you're not comfortable doing it, then don't!

Okay, so I got all that disclaimer mumbo jumbo out of the way there…unscrewing a vacuum filler rod from the back of pens like these and removing a small rubber o-ring really isn't dangerous or scary, the biggest risk you're likely to face is losing the o-ring, which is a unique conical shape that you likely won't be able to find anywhere if you lose it. You could also potentially cause harm if you severely overtighted the rod as you're screwing back into the pen, but that really doesn't have anything to do with the o-ring. That's just something the watch out for anytime to take out the rod and put it back in.

Usually I try to stay away from the kind of tips and tricks where I need to give disclaimers, but since I'm a retailer showing you how to go rogue on two of the pens that I sell, I thought it was safer to put them there. It's totally up to you if you decide to do this to your own pens or not, but I figured at least showing you how to do it and understanding how these pens work a little better couldn't hurt.

Write On,
Brian Goulet