#8 of 53: Anniversaries, Weddings and the Birmingham Pen Company

Tags

birmingham pen company, franklin christoph, jinhao 140, royal wedding, waterfront dusk

WordPress tells me six years ago this month, I started this blog, and they sincerely encourage me to continue. That’s nice. I guess I will.

On May 19 I got up super early and stationed myself in front of the tv downstairs. I didn’t want to wake David up, so me and the cats were as quiet as possible, watching the royal wedding unfold. I am a long-time royalist and this was a big deal for me. I remember watching Lady Diana Spencer marry Prince Charles on July 29, 1981, with my mother, in the early hours once again. We did the same for Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson on July 23, 1986. And when Prince William married Kate Middleton on April 29, 2011 I was watching, lying prone on the floor, trying to ignore the pain of yet another back episode. This year I was in pain once again because of my back, but luckily this time I was able to sit in a chair, table in front of me, drinking tea and writing in my Franklin Christoph journal with a new fountain pen, a Jinhao 140 from the Birmingham Pen Company. As I watched beautiful people in beautiful outfits amid  beautiful flowers in St. George’s Chapel I wrote my thoughts (loved the Most Reverend Michael Curry’s sermon!!) and wishes for the new couple (love and laughter always).

The pens I used during the wedding came to me from The Birmingham Pen Company. I’m a sucker for a gift set (Lamy gift set, Parker gift set) so when I saw the Starter Pack Gift Set, Jinhao 140 Shell Diamond I couldn’t resist. I’m on a bit of a Jinhao roll I guess but I love them.

I’ve been trying to remember when I first heard about or stumbled upon the Birmingham Pen Company and I can’t. It must have been a youtube video or another blogger but whatever, I subscribed to their newsletter and now I regularly get tempted by their offerings. I am in love with their Model-A Fountain Pen in Jurassic Amber; they are turned by the man behind the Birmingham Pen Company, Nick, and his father, and they sell out as soon as any are in stock.

Anyway the Jinhao 140 set arrived, in beautiful packaging. In addition to the pen I received five paperclips in the shape of nibs (so cute), two converters, a small notebook of Tomoe River paper, a faux leather box and a free bottle of Birmingham Pen Company ink (I chose Waterfront Dusk because I liked the name).

The ink is more blue than what is showing in the photo.

The company is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and all of their inks (there are 40 to choose from) are named after unique events in the history of Pittsburgh and surrounding areas. The ink comes in 30 mL ($7.99) and 60 mL ($11.99). The free bottles are 30 mL.

I also received a personalized note signed by Nick himself, thanking me for my first order from his shop and for giving him the opportunity to earn my business. He described how he does “everything from packing orders and answering emails to filling the ink bottles. My site has been operating for about a year and a half, and I still get excited to watch each order come through.” I’m sure he’s a busy guy but taking the time to write that note meant a lot to me. He ended the note by asking me to let him know “if there’s anything I can do for you in the meantime.” Unfortunately I had to take him up on his offer. Everything in the package was intact and exactly as advertised, except for the pen.

I couldn’t open it.

I tried to be gentle, then I tried being rough. I had some co-workers try (it was sent to my office). Nothing worked. Because of the design of the pen at first I wasn’t sure which end opened, but I did a little research and realized we were doing everything right to gain access to the converter. In desperation I sent Nick an email describing my embarrassing situation. I couldn’t believe how stubborn this little pen was proving to be.

Two days later I received an order confirmation from the Birmingham Pen Company. It was for a Jinhao 140 and a 30 mL bottle of ink. Cost was zero. Shipping was zero. Then I received an email from Nick, apologizing for the uncooperative pen and letting me know a replacement had already been dispatched to me, inspected by him, free of charge, with another bottle of free ink, with no expectation of return of the first pen. We exchanged emails to the effect of: You sure? followed by Absolutely! I was delighted and stunned by his generosity. Even when I told him I had managed to get it open, he still insisted I did not have to return it (a co-worker gingerly took the pen in her specialized work gloves and, after asking my permission, really leaned into the twist and finally coaxed the pen to open up, amid cheers from workmates. She is my hero). About a week later I had a second Diamond Shell (which opened like a dream) and a second bottle of free ink. Exceptional customer service. And I’m not the only one who thinks so; I googled the company and found half a dozen testimonials on Fountain Pen Network alone attesting to Nick’s commitment to customer satisfaction. I will definitely be buying from Nick again.

The second bottle of ink is Southside Park Fern Moss. It’s hard to tell the difference between the two inks but the Fern Moss is a deep grey-green.

The ink dries more grey than green and I really like it.

I was thrilled with the customer service and how it all turned out, but there was one weird thing: for both pens, the converter that it shipped with did not work. I tried repeatedly to get the converter to suck up some ink but nothing worked. So I used the extra converters and they worked perfectly. All’s well that ends well.

The pen is quite different from the other Jinhaos I’ve seen; that was one of the reasons I bought it. The inlaid shell catches the light with shades of green and yellow. The nib is considered fine but writes more like a fine medium.

It’s very comfortable in the hand and the nibs are super smooth. The graduated section is not as awkward as I first thought. I’m very, very happy with my new purchases.

Happy journaling.

#7 of 53: Change, Lamy Pens and Mothers

Tags

2017 special edition, from the pen cup, lamy, lamy al-star, pacific, the pen habit, wonder pens

Did you miss me?

You can thank my sister for this post. I have been feeling dramatically uninspired of late, hence the radio silence. And then my sister sent me a lovely email, which included a link to one of my blog posts from 4 years ago, about her trip to Iceland. And somehow it’s inspired me.

There’s alot of change afoot in the stationery/fountain pen world. Wonderpens have closed one shop and opened another; I so love their blog I felt I was saying goodbye too, even though I’ve never set foot in any of their stores to date. Matt Armstrong of The Pen Habit on YouTube has ended his run as fountain pen/ink reviewer extraordinaire. Believe me, I can relate. I seriously considered shutting this whole thing down. Even Mary at From the Pen Cup took a long breather between posts. I’ve set myself the challenge of 53 posts this year, which may or may not happen. And I’ve decided to be at peace with that.

So inspired by my sister I’m going to review the Lamy Al-Star Pacific 2017 Limited Edition fountain pen she gave me for my birthday last year.

It’s my third Lamy; I’ve written about the Safari and my other Al-Star previously. The Safari was one of my first purchases after starting the blog, back in 2012. And the Al-Star was a Christmas present in 2014. This Lamy Al-Star is a gorgeous turquoise blue, called the Pacific, for the colour resembles tropical seas.

I also received a bottle of Lamy Turquoise. It was released with the special edition pen but as far as I can tell it’s the same colour as the old Lamy Turquoise. Either way it’s a glorious colour.

The nib is fine and very smooth. Since last September I’ve had it inked up with the Lamy Turquoise, and it always starts writing the instant the cap comes off, with no skipping or hard starts. The cap posts securely although I would advise caution with posting, as my purple Al-Star is showing signs of wear on the barrel.

The distinctive triangular section, unique to Lamy, creates a strong grip for long writing sessions.

The Al-Star usually retails for just under $40 US. The 2017 special edition is no longer available on Goulet Pens; indeed it has been replaced by the 2018 special edition in Vibrant Pink. I’m told the Al-Star Blue Green is very close in tone to the Pacific. But I did manage to find two on offer on Amazon as used. I highly recommend the Lamy Al-Star, for beginners and pros alike. These special editions are a fun way to expand your Lamy collection – such colours!

And finally today (in North America) is the day we honour our mothers. Today marks my 18th Mother’s Day without mine. I wish I could say it gets easier. But some years are better than others. I have a wonderful mother-in-law who receives our well wishes via video call. And now that I’m back in Nova Scotia I can visit my grandmother’s grave, and honour her memory along with her daughter’s.

Happy Mother’s Day.

 

 

#5 of 53 File Index Sneak Peek and A Carousel of Ink

Tags

diamine, diamine 150 anniversary, index, wonder pens

I’ve been thinking for some time about changing the way I record the details of my pens and inks, as discussed in this post. I love having lots of room to write about each pen or ink, but inevitably I found the binder too large and heavy to be practical and portable. So I’ve made the move to index cards.

I’ve made a list of all the pens I have, as well as a list of all the inks. I’ve noted down the colour of pen, the size of bottle, where each was purchased and when. Then each pen and each ink has it’s own index card under the corresponding letter (J for Jinhao and D for Diamine). It’s compact and alphabetical. It’s still a work in progress as I haven’t found a proper file drawer for it; I would love to purchase a real library file drawer (with the steel rod and everything!!) but my budget doesn’t allow it at this time. I plan on doing a full post on it when it is finished.

But in working on transferring the contents of the binder to the cards I have found gaps in my inventory, and one such obvious gap is a set of inks I bought after the binder was set up but still packed away: 8 of the Diamine 150 Anniversary Inks. To mark the 150th anniversary of its brand, Diamine released 16 40 ml bottles in a unique triangular shape that, when arranged, form a beautiful carousel of ink.

There are 16 colours in the anniversary line:

1. Burgundy Royale
2. Carnival
3. Blood Orange
4. Golden Honey
5. Safari
6. Tropical Green
7. Dark Forest
8. Blue Velvet
9. Tudor Blue
10. Lilac Night
11. Regency Blue
12. Purple Dream
13. Terracotta
14. Espresso
15. Silver Fox
16. 1864 Blue Black

I have eight of these, and I actually didn’t realize there were eight more until I did the research for this post. I bought the set from WonderPens.ca and they gave me a deal because I bought a set of eight. Now that I know there are eight more, I might ask them if they would offer me the deal again! When I have a few pennies to spare maybe. You can buy them on the Wonderpens site for $15 each.

The labels are very distinctive, with the swirly 150 and the vintage feel. And the inks themselves, as with all Diamine inks, are bright and eye catching.

Here is the Blue Velvet. The blue handwriting in the photo above is from my journal, made with a Jinhao 992 pen inked with Blue Velvet.

Here is Carnival, which is more of a true red than what is coming through in the photo.

Here the red writing is in Carnival.

Here is the 1864 Blue Black above with a writing sample below.

 

Above is the Safari green, with a writing sample below.

The next four inks.

Here is the Tropical Green with a writing sample below. Love this green.

Here is the Regency Blue followed by a writing sample. I like all three but this is my favourite of the blue inks in this set.

Here is the Silver Fox with a writing sample following. This is my least favourite of this set. I have never come across a grey ink that I like; they all seem to be too light. You can barely read this one.

And finally here is the Terracotta, with the writing sample following.

That’s it for the Diamine 150 inks, or at least half of them.

I also came across a few more new inks that need to be reviewed but this post is certainly long enough so I won’t inflict them on you. Yet.

Happy journaling.

 

Sheaffer Skrip Ink

Tags

brooklyn office supplies ltd., glass dip pen, sheaffer skrip

A couple of dear friends were in town this past week and one day we found ourselves in Windsor, Nova Scotia. We had amazing fish and chips at Frydaddy’s and then wandered up and down the main street. I found myself drawn to a small stationery store called Brooklyn Office Supplies Ltd. I hoped for a fountain pen or two, since a nib is featured in their logo. Unfortunately they no longer carry fountain pens. The proprietor told me they can no longer order them, which is a shame. They do still carry cartridges and bottled ink, so I picked up two bottles of Sheaffer Skrip, one in black and one in blue.

You’ll notice some tape on the cap of the black ink. I didn’t notice when I bought it that the cap was broken. I taped it up but it is not an airtight seal so not sure if the ink is ok. Above you can see a writing sample using both inks, written with my glass pen. Both ink colours are vibrant and true. Unfortunately that black ink is stuck onto my glass pen now. I can scrape some of it off with my fingernail but it is a slow process. Keep in mind the black remained even after the blue test. Perhaps the broken cap has allowed air to impact the black ink somehow. Lesson learned: examine ink bottles before buying them, especially in independent stores with low traffic.

I am happy to add two new inks to my collection, from a brand I have never tried before. At this point though I would not put the black ink in any pen that might show a stain. Both inks showed mild feathering in my Eccolo notebook.

I will always try to support independent stationers and if you are in the neighborhood visit Brooklyn Office Supplies Ltd. as they have a charming shop with knowledgeable staff. Just make sure any ink bottles you buy are intact!

A Glass Pen and Ocean Ink to be Thankful for

Tags

glass dip pen, gypsy road glass silver and stone, into the mystic folklore, janelle tyler

Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Canadians! I have a lot to be thankful for this year, and I wanted to share a new pen I recently acquired. A friend was in town and we went to a local shop called Into the Mystic Folklore. It’s a beautiful space in Dartmouth that sells crystals, jewelry, tarot cards, tea, etc., along with psychic readings and singing water bowls. It’s a magical place and I am thrilled my friend introduced me to it.

Nestled between healing bracelets and gargoyle bookends were glass dip pens. A local artisan, Janelle Tyler, makes and sells them through her company Gypsy Road Glass, Silver & Stone. To my delight she also makes ink in the cutest bottles, so I grabbed a couple of those too.

There were multi-coloured pens with different types of nibs, from broad to fine. I chose a clear one with a medium-fine nib.

The pen comes with a pamphlet that talks about the history of glass pens. I did not know that in the 17th century there was a shortage of feather quills for writing. The average London banker would use up to 20 feather quills a day – can you imagine?! And the average goose was only capable of producing 8 to 10 good feathers for quills. Through trial and error German glass blowers perfected the spiral nib seen on glass pens today. The original ones would have been brittle and fragile but the pens made by contemporary glass artisans like Janelle Tyler are made from a harder material, the same glass that modern cookware is made from.

I also bought two bottles of ink, both with the colour Deep Ocean. I do not know if she offers any other colours. The appeal of the glass pen to me is the fearlessness you can have with new inks – there is no chance that a questionable ink could muck up the mechanism, because there is no mechanism to muck up! And you could write a letter with a different ink for each sentence. The nib wipes clean quickly with water and a paper towel. And you are not limited to fountain pen ink – any ink will do. So much fun!

Here you can see both the ink colour and the nib. I wrote in my Things Remembered Engraved Journal with stone paper. I love this journal but have read with misgiving the fibres can sometimes clog up the works in traditional fountain pens. So the glass pen was perfect for this writing session.

I love the ink colour. It’s a rich blue green perfectly named. The actual writing experience was a little challenging. The paper is a little toothy and on the upstroke the nib would sometimes catch and stop moving. But you can see there was no skipping and one dip would last for almost three sentences.

This little ledge is the perfect resting spot for my glass pen. I haven’t photographed this desk before but as I unpack my office there are only so many clear spots available to shoot! I will do a proper room tour when I am all set up.

So if you are wondering about glass pens I would recommend one, for their beauty and versatility with ink. I can’t believe I have waited this long to buy one. And if you are in the Dartmouth area check out Into the Mystic Folklore. You will find something that catches your eye, I guarantee it!

My Waterman Family

Tags

kultur, waterman

In June I saw a review of the Waterman Kultur on YouTube by Jennifer of Best Fountain Pen. She was so enthusiastic about it I had to check Amazon and sure enough it was available in Canada too. So I picked up two: the blue and the red.

I have a Waterman pen already; you might remember my vintage Waterman Junior. But as a vintage pen it’s delicate and I always worry when I use it. I wanted a Waterman I could use every day and throw into my bag. And I didn’t want to spend a ton of money. So when I saw this beauty and Jennifer’s excellent review I knew I had to have one. Or two.

The nib is advertised as a fine but it writes more like a medium. Very smooth writer right out of the packaging. These pens do not come wit a converter but the cartridge supplied with the pen has a bigger ink capacity than any converter anyway. These are demonstrator pens, meaning most of the pen is transparent so you can see the inner workings. The section is especially fascinating as the ink comes in. The plastic body makes it light in the hand, perfect for long writing sessions. The cap is a pull and snap cap so no threads on the fingers. There is a tiny step down on the section but I didn’t find it bothering me as I wrote. I’m very happy with this pen.

I haven’t opened the red one yet; I recently bought some Waterman Audacious Red and once I have an empty cartridge when the blue one runs out I will fill it with the red. Audacious Red is the last colour of Waterman ink that I needed to complete the set. Love it! Love them all!

Audacious Red and Serenity Blue.

Tender Purple and Inspired Blue. You can tell I use these two the most. I have a bottle of Inspired Blue at my desk at work too!

Intense Black, Mysterious Blue, Harmonious Green and Absolute Brown. Great inks for your pens. Amazon still has a few of these pens at great prices. I understand Waterman has discontinued the model which is a shame. If you have a chance to check out the Kultur, do so!

Well Hello Again

Tags

calligraphy ink, pen and ink holder, pen heaven, quill pen, shakespeare, shakespeare 400 anniversary, stylografico la kaligraphica

Hello everyone! I am back, finally. The move is, essentially, over. Some aspects of our lives have unfolded beautifully in our new home, others disastrously. I am married to the most hard working, patient, incredible man who would be a world Tetris champion based on his POD packing skills! And our two fur babies were absolute angels as they navigated moves from a plane to an apartment to an hotel and then another apartment (remember I said some aspects disastrous, and that’s only one!) So now I am very happy to be digitally connected once again, and grateful to anyone who might still be reading!

I flew to Halifax with the cats and some important essentials, like a couple of notebooks, one bottle of ink (it was so difficult to choose just one!) and ALL of my pens. David drove across the country and I had one box in the car with the rest of my essentials (more notebooks and lots more ink!) There are still more notebooks and bottles of ink in our moving container. We honestly shed a lot of possessions, but kept those most precious to us. For David it was his musical gear; for me, my writing gear. Tables and sofas come and go but….. 🙂

Before I left Calgary I added something to my writing gear. As you may have heard the world celebrated the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth/death this year, on April 23. While I could not fly to England to participate in any of the exciting celebrations planned throughout this year, I was inspired by a regular email from Pen Heaven to purchase a pewter feather quill pen with holder and ink bottle. I had it sent to my new office and it was waiting for me when I arrived. Such a nice welcome present! Someday I hope to visit the Pen Heaven store in London.

The set is made in Italy and the packaging is gorgeous.

The inside is gorgeous too. I chose the brown feather and I love how ornate the base looks. The bottle of ink fits into the holder as well. And there is some literature on the history of quill pens and how to write with one.

I thought it would look really stunning on my desk. The ink bottle contains black ink and the bottle says Inchiostro Stylografico NERO La Kaligraphica Made in Italy. According to Google Translate this means Black Ink Stylografico La Kaligraphica. I’m sure this is calligraphy ink and not meant for regular fountain pens.

Here’s a closeup of the base and holder. The ink bottle was wax sealed. I think it’s extremely good craftsmanship for the price. I just realized I didn’t take a photo of the nib but you can see it magnified on the Pen Heaven page referenced above.

The ink is a true coal black. I will have to perfect my technique; the first line came out beautifully but then I had difficulty with the rest with ink blobs and running out of ink. Even if the pen turns out to be more decorative than useful I still love it. I’m sure when my desk arrives it will look great in the corner. Hopefully that will be next week!

It feels good to be back online and writing these posts again. I’m not sure if I will keep the same schedule as before; I’m working longer hours and my set up is much different. We’ll have to see how I get on. Until next time, whenever that is, thank you for your patience, thank you for sticking around and happy journaling!

My New Pen and Ink Journal

Tags

arc notebooks, de atramentis, delta journal, ink journal, pen journal, pilot plumix, waterman

I was running out of space in my last Ink Journal so I decided to create a new one. And this time it is housed in a binder instead of an ARC Journal. Lots of room to expand!I chose a plain white binder with a clear pocket on the front. I put in some spare scrapbooking paper. I really like how it turned out.

I used the scrapbook paper as dividers inside the binder as well.

My pen list. I add to it as new pens come in, obviously, and make note when I give a pen away.

And I do the same with the ink list. I generally use my Pilot Plumix to write the lists.

A colourful index. I decided to combined the pens and inks in this section, and simply go alphabetical. So Delta pens and De Atramentis ink will be in the same section: D.

I used puffy alphabet stickers to mark each division. The index goes up to 31 so not sure what I will use the extra sections for yet.

I have quite a few empty page protectors so I’ve filled them with pen and ink “stuff”. Here are the paper booklet, serial number and sleeve from my Delta Journal.

And here I’ve put in some flattened Waterman boxes. Alot easier to store this way and I like seeing the colourful boxes.

So that’s a quick tour of my new pen and ink journal. Saying goodbye to the ARC notebook was sad but I’ve simply outgrown it. I will have to find another use for it because it is one of my favorite in the ARC range. Let me know in the comments how you keep track of your pens and inks.

Scottsdale Pen and Knife 2015

Tags

bookmark, conklin word gauge, happy buddha, king philip purple demonstrator, maximillian emerald demonstrator, noodler's ahab, scottsdale pen and knife, visconti, waterman intense black

I had a great time during my recent trip to Phoenix, and one of the highlights was visiting Jay at Scottsdale Pen and Knife again. This was my second trip to his store. my first trip was in November of 2014 and you can read about it here and here.

Scottsdale Pen and Knife is a beautiful retail pen, ink and journal store in Scottsdale, Arizona. My 2014 blog post has lots of pictures of his store; this year I didn’t take any. It hasn’t changed at all in terms of layout; still as welcoming and enticing as ever!

I think Jay recognized us the moment we walked in. He’s an incredibly knowledgeable, warm and welcoming kind of guy and we soon fell into a great conversation about pens. My sister wanted a pretty pen and I talked about her purchase in this post, a Cross Botanica in the Green Daylily pattern.

My eye was caught by the Visconti display; you can’t help but notice those beautiful pens. Front and centre was the latest, The Crimson Tide in the Opera Masters series. Such a beautiful pen. Jay mentioned he could give me a good deal on it, like reducing the price by 20%. At $1095 US, even with that discount it still didn’t fit my budget! I didn’t ask to try it out, although later I thought I should have, because I rarely get the opportunity to test out such a beautiful pen. But then I thought do I really want to know that I love such a expensive pen? I decided I was better off not knowing.

We looked at almost every pen in the place, some of them twice! Parker Duofolds, Sonnets and Urbans, Viscontis, Monteverdes, Watermans, Cross, Platinum…. the list goes on and on. He has a really impressive collection, both new and vintage. I found out that the modern Watermans snap to post, which appeals to me. And he showed me a Conklin Word Gauge fountain pen in Blue Swirl, from the Conklin Heritage collection, and my heart just melted. I think I even said “This pen is going home with me!” I really wanted it but it just wasn’t in my budget. You can check it out for yourself here. Each pen has a large ink window that is etched with gradations of 1,000, 2,000, etc., which indicate the number of words that can be written with the remaining ink supply. Perfect for any writer isn’t it? It’s on my wish list, and of course Jay will ship internationally from his website. I was proud of myself for walking away from it this time. Maybe next year.

Here are some photos of the items I couldn’t resist.

I bought a bottle of Waterman Intense Black ink, a happy buddha pen stand, and two Noodler’s Ahab pens. Jay was very generous and gave me three copies of PenWorld magazine and a Visconti bookmark. Both my sister and I were overwhelmed by his generosity. But when we protested he simply smiled and said “It’s my store, I can do what I want!” Jay’s customer service is outstanding and his enthusiasm for writing instruments is infectious.

This happy fellow was in a display case with lots of other pen stands, some more ornate than others. This one appealed to me because of his size and the expression on his face. And pens sit perfectly in his little hands.

The Visconti bookmark caught my eye for the first time last year and when I mentioned it this year I never dreamed Jay would simply give one to each of us. The folded paper shows some of Visconti’s flagship pens.

Here’s a closeup of the bookmark. It says Visconti at the top, with 23 K Pd 950 Firenze at the bottom. So beautiful! They are for sale as well as being occasional gifts from the owner!

This is the first of two Noodler’s Ahabs I purchased. I had heard good things about them and wanted to try them. This is the Maximillian Emerald Demonstrator with a fine nib. I believe this model is the most popular of the Noodler’s line.

Here’s a closeup of the nib. Very smooth writer, not scratchy like a fine nib can be. They are advertised as flex nibs but I’m not into flex that much. I just enjoy writing with it normally.

The Ahabs have an interesting filling system called a slide piston mechanism. It’s basically a big plunger. You simply pump it while the nib is submerged in ink. Because the plunger is also hollow the pen has an enormous ink capacity. And because there is no metal it is an excellent candidate for turning into an eye dropper. I still mean to do that one of these days. Just need an o ring; I got some silicon grease when I bought my TWSBI Eco.

And here is the other Ahab I bought. This one is the King Philip Purple Demonstrator, with a medium nib. I think there may be an issue with the feed on this one; it’s sitting very low compared to the green one and I can’t seem to get very much ink to flow through it. I’ve contacted Jay to see what his advice might be. I fell in love with it’s beautiful colour. It’s a perfect match to my De Atramentis Heather Violet ink.

And finally here are two quick writing samples of the green Ahab, inked with Waterman’s Harmonious Green, and the Baoer Starwalker, inked with Waterman’s Intense Black. I didn’t buy the Baoer in the store of course, just the ink. Just like all the other Waterman inks, it is a good lubricant for the pen. And the black colour is intense indeed.

So that’s a rather quick run down of my visit to this wonderful Arizona pen store. My sister and I always have great adventures when we get together, and this day was no exception. From first-time pen buyers to seasoned collectors, Scottsdale Pen and Knife has something for everyone. Wonderful people selling beautiful pens. Be sure to drop in if you are ever in the area and tell them Heather says hello! 🙂

One Night in Portland

Tags

aurora, cartier, cross, edelberg, filofax, harmonious green, j. herbin, leuchtturm, lierre sauvage, montblanc, oberon, online switch, paradise blue, paradise pen company, portland, rhodia, schmidt converter, scully, vineyard burgundy, vintage trouble, visconti, waterman, wonder ballroom

As a birthday present to ourselves David and I flew to Portland, Oregon to catch Vintage Trouble at the Wonder Ballroom last week. It was a magical 24 hours which included staying at a fabulous hotel (the Crowne Plaza Portland), grooving with the band (we got to meet them!), eating amazing food and shopping. We crammed three days into 24 hours and just one of the many highlights was visiting the Paradise Pen Company, a retailer of “high-end writing instruments offering fountain pens, leather goods and accessories.” And when they say high-end they aren’t kidding.

The Paradise Pen Company is located in Pioneer Place, alongside Kate Spade, J Crew, Louis Vuitton and Michael Kors, just to name a few. Very swish. According to their website they have 15 locations across the US. We had great fun looking at the Montblanc, Aurora and Visconti offerings, as well as Cartier and Edelberg. I had never seen a Cartier and their fountain pens do not disappoint. But like their jewelry they have a considerable price tag ($1,000+). Lovely to dream and drool over though.

They had an impressive selection of notebooks and planners, such as Filofax and Rhodia. I got to fondle an Oberon journal for the first time and I’m so glad I did, because I have been considering purchasing one. Although the leather craftsmanship is breathtaking I am not a fan of the paper in their notebooks. And they don’t lie flat, which is disappointing. But at least now I know.

I was introduced to Scully notebooks and promptly fell in love. This beautiful “Old Atlas” journal has wonderful paper and lies flat as a pancake. But the price ($113) was just a little beyond my budget (especially when you consider the exchange rate these days). At least I am familiar with the product and can order one from their online site if I save my pennies.

Stephanie was very friendly and interested in our very quick trip and the reason for it. She was very touched that we took some time to visit their store in our whirlwind tour of her city. I had done some research on their site before arriving so I had an idea of what I wanted.

The pen is from ONLINE and is the Switch model. Designed for students, it has a medium fountain pen nib at one end and a stylus at the other. I thought it a wonderful metaphor for modern but elegant note-taking: casually surfing the net, finding something interesting, flipping your stylus round and writing it in your notebook with a fountain pen. And it was on sale! So I picked a green one. And amazingly Stephanie offered me a converter to go in it, a Schmidt. I did not know that brand of converter fit the ONLINE pens so that was a real bonus. I also found a Cross notebook in a size I have never seen before, so I chose one to match the pen. And finally I chose two bottles of ink: Vineyard Burgundy and Paradise Blue, made exclusively for the Paradise Pen Company.

It occurs to me now I should have purchased a bottle of green ink to match the pen but I thought two bottles were enough. I really love these two colours. I also enjoyed the label although Stephanie told me they had a new label, with some new colours just released (Vineyard Burgundy being one of them). I like the old label, shown below on the blue bottle; what do you think?

I haven’t inked up any pens with these inks yet. As for the new green ONLINE Switch I inked it up with Waterman Harmonious Green. I was thinking J. Herbin’s Lierre Sauvage would be nice too.

Here’s a writing sample on Leuchtturm paper. The slight shading in the ink comes through. The nib is a little hooked, much like my Waterman Junior, and is very smooth. The Switch is part of the Youth line and indeed, it feels very sturdy and puts down a solid line. It wrote right out of the sleeve with no skips or hard starts. It’s a fun pen to use.

I’m very happy with my purchases and will write more about the trip in my Journal Writing Wednesday post. Thank you so much Stephanie and the Paradise Pen Company for a wonderful experience. Check out their online shop and if you are in Portland include this little shop in your travels; you won’t be disappointed.