Enjoying A (Sometimes) Expensive Hobby Amidst Economic Uncertainty

June 8, 2022

I haven’t bought a lot of pens lately. Part of that is of course due to the fact that I’m finishing up multiple home repair/construction project that’s occupied a lot of resources and torn up most of my leisure space, but the other part is that, well, things aren’t looking so bright for the ol’ economy and I tend to react by downscaling hobbies and generally tightening my belt. So how do you stay engaged in a hobby you love while still trying to act responsibly? As someone who’s been a pen enthusiast through at least two different recessions - including the “Great” one - here are a few observations I’ve made over the years about staying connected to the community and enjoying my stationery even when I need to scale things back.

Recession Special Pens — A handful of lower-cost pens I’ve been enjoying recently, including the Platinum Carbon Desk Pen, a Platinum Plaisir, my TWSBI 580 with a Mark Bacas “Predator” Nib, and a good old Bic Clic.

Focus on Using Your Stash. And most of us have one. When I was packing up my office prior to construction starting, I was astonished/embarrassed at the amount of ink, paper, and pencils I had accumulated, and immediately started sorting through it, giving paper and pencils away to family and friends and setting aside others for incorporation into the rotation or review/giveaway on this site. It’s amazing how much headway you can make even in just a couple of months - I do use a lot of paper between my day job and the website, so I’ve made progress to the point where I’ve had to replace stuff I need for work.
Scratch the “New Stationery Itch” with Less Expensive Items. My own recent stationery purchases have focused mainly on paper, as work is still busy and I find myself actively using notebooks and writing pads at a faster clip than I was previously. I’ve also rediscovered the joy of less expensive pens and appreciating good value where it can be found, whether it’s the insanely good extra-fine nib on something like the $13 Platinum Carbon Desk Pen or the fun colors available in the TWSBI Swipe and ECO lines. This has definitely informed how I stock my own shop, making sure that most of what I carry remains accessible to as many people as possible across a wide range of price points..
Have Nibs Customized! Honestly, discovering the joys of nib customization completely changed my outlook on this hobby. I very rarely find myself selling or parting with pens I otherwise enjoy simply because the nib doesn’t work for me. Even the most complicated of nib grinds usually cost $50-60 - less than the cost of a new pen in many cases, and it comes back tuned and adjusted to your personal preferences! I’m in the middle of a larger review project in which I’ve sent out a dozen or so pens to be ground by several different nib grinders, and plan to review the various offerings as they come in. I’ve also created a resource page where you can access all T.G.S. content relating to custom and specialty nibs.
Sell or Trade Pens and Inks. Slack, Discord, Reddit, and Instagram are full of communities eager to help you offload gently used stationery, and often you can maximize the value of your unused stuff by trading with somebody else. Pen clubs, meetups, and pen shows are also great venues for meeting other people and seeing what they have to offer in person before you agree to a deal.
When You Do Shop, Shop Intentionally. These are fraught times not just for consumers, but for business owners struggling to stay on top of rising costs and inflation. It’s more expensive than ever to run any sort of business, much less one based on the sale of relatively low-cost items. In short, if you want your local pen shops or favorite online haunts to stick around, be sure to patronize them rather than automatically looking for the lowest-cost option. Often the difference between supporting a smaller, family-owned retailer and a high-volume discounter or big-box store is only a couple of dollars, and small purchasing decisions can have big implications for what the community looks like going forward.

How do you stay engaged in the community during those down periods when you have to take a break what can be a consumption-focused hobby? Feel free to drop me a line via e-mail or our various social media channels!

This post does not contain affiliate links. The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program.

Updated "Resources": Custom and Specialty Nibs

June 4, 2022

I’m traveling this weekend, but during a bit of downtime this morning I finalized my latest update to the site resources: a page aggregating all of the previous reviews and posts on specialty and custom nibs. I plan to supplement this as I work my way though a longer ongoing project in which I’m taking the time to compare and review different specialty grinds from many different pen companies and nib grinders. Honestly, this project will probably never be complete, but since nib grinds and nib customization have become such a huge part of the “experience,” I figured a resource like this would be helpful. Enjoy!

June is Almost Here! Father's Day and Graduation Gift Ideas

May 31, 2022

Believe it or not, June is upon us, and many of us find ourselves in the market for a graduation or Father’s Day gift. Whether you’re looking for a gift for someone else or responding to requests for “gift ideas”, our shop carries many different options for the analog-minded, from pens and notebooks to reading accessories. As we all settle in following the long weekend, I thought it might be helpful to point out a few of our favorites.

Traveler’s Company Brass Pens and Pencils. A highly functional piece of stationery with a dash of history and Americana thrown in, the Traveler’s Company brass pens and pencils are inspired by the vintage “bullet pencils” of the early-to-mid 20th Century. The classic Brass Ballpoint is one of my favorite travel tools, and can frequently be found clipped to the front of whatever book I’m reading on the beach in the summer. Pair with a leather Traveler’s Notebook for an excellent gift set.
CW+T Pen-Types A through C. Love the idea of the Traveler’s Company Brass Pens, but want to up the game a bit with something that will stand out and probably last forever? Consider one of these three releases from CW+T. Pen Type A combines a stainless steel ruler and straightedge with a pneumatic-fit pen that accepts Pilot’s Hi-Tec-C refill. Pen Type-B offers the same pneumatic fit technology in a more portable form and additional finishes, while Pen Type-C is a fabulous bookmark-style pen that you can take anywhere with you!
Write Notepads Classic Hardcover Notebook. For the journaler, commonplace booker, or someone who would enjoy a fine hardbound notebook with excellent paper, consider this hardcover book from Write Notepads, featuring their fountain pen friendly lined or dot grid paper. Of course, the rest of the Write Notepads lineup features many other highly giftable, classically styled stationery options.
Lochby Tool Roll. While I use it as a pen case, the versatile Lochby Tool Roll is capable of much more. Stash anything from bike repair tools to wrenches to, yes, fountain pens or mechanical pencils and still have room for odds and ends in its various pockets and pouches. The durable waxed-canvas construction makes for a true go-anywhere piece of EDC kit.
Fine Bookmarks and Reading Accessories. A classic graduation or Father’s Day gift for a reader is a sterling silver or brass bookmark, and I speak from personal experience because I have nearly a dozen myself, accumulated over the years, treasuring every one! We carry anything from sterling “Page Points” and “Page Markers” to a pack of smaller. .1mm-thin bookmarks perfect for sticking inside a card.

From left, CW+T Pen Type-C, The Traveler’s Company Brass Ballpoint, and the Traveler’s Company Brass Fountain Pen in the “Factory Green” finish.

The Write Notepads Classic Hardcover Notebook with the CW+T Pen-Type C clipped in.

The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of all brands we stock, including those featured here. The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by shop purchases and pledges through the T.G.S. Patreon Program.

Exploring Custom Nibs: Predator Hybrid by Mark Bacas

May 28, 2022

Late last year I embarked on what I expect to be a year-long experiment of comparing custom nibs available from the different nib grinders currently working, focusing on those grinds from each that can be considered a specialty or “signature”. Mark Bacas is one of the most experienced nib grinders out there, and whether you’re looking for a simple tuning or a more complex grind like the “Predator Hybrid” I’m discussing today, Mark will work with you to ensure the nib is ground to your personal preferences, and that you’re happy with the result.

So What the Heck is a “Predator Hybrid” Nib?

I can only assume that the “Predator” name draws its inspiration from the shape - pictured at the top - which resembles a bird’s beak. The “Predator Hybrid” nib is ground to an ultra-fine point on the normal side, with the reverse a wider, slightly brush-like medium. To compare, a “Predator Extreme” nib has the same ultra-fine point on the normal side, with the reverse ground to a full architect. You can read Mark’s own descriptions on these and other nib grinds he offers directly on his site. I would say that on this “Hybrid” version, the reverse is slightly softer than a full architect, while still offering a bit of the line variation you would expect from that grind.

Mark Bacas Predator Hybrid Nib Writing Sample — A writing sample showing the “normal” (i.e., nib down) width, compared against the reverse (i.e., nib upside down) width.

So in practice, how do I use this nib? If you’ve read my past pen reviews, you’ll know that I value pens I can use for annotation during my reading and research. This particular nib falls squarely into that category. The ultra-fine point accommodates my tiny handwriting and allows me to make even the smallest margin notes, while the reverse side is perfect for underlining, highlighting, and even standard writing. Frankly, I’ve never had a reversible nib write well to the point where I could use the reverse side for much more than a line or two. This one is smooth enough for standard writing.

TWSBI Diamond 580 Interchangeable Nibs — The TWSBI Diamond 580 Fountain Pen is one of many that features interchangeable nib units, so you can have multiple custom nibs ground to switch among your various TWSBI Pens.

Why I Love Interchangeable Nib Units for Custom Nib Work

For this grind, I chose to have Mark modify a TWSBI 580 medium nib unit, so that I can swap the nib between my various TWSBI Diamond 580 pens. Lately, wherever possible I’ve been having nib grinders modify interchangeable nib units from JoWo, Bock, and TWSBI so that their work isn’t tied to any particular pen. It’s quite helpful to be able to move the nibs around at times - some grinds are more suitable to different pens, depending on weight, balance, etc., and these threaded nib housings make swapping nibs a cinch.

Cost of Nib Modification - Cheaper Than Buying a New Pen

The grind featured here cost $50, and since I did not pay a rush fee, it took several weeks for Mark to turn around. (Mark is fast - some nib grinders take months, or even up to a year.) In response to posts like these, I often get the question: “Why pay extra money to ‘fix’ a pen that should write perfectly out of the box?” Here I think we need to break down the question a bit: Are you paying to fix a manufacturer’s flaw with the nib, in which case I absolutely agree with you that the cost of any repair should be born by the company that made the pen, or are you looking to personalize the pen for how you write? It should be fairly obvious that if you write extremely small, a standard stainless steel extra-fine nib may not be narrow enough for you, and you should consider a needlepoint or a nib like the Predator.

Mark Bacas Predator Hybrid Comparison — The “normal” point of the Predator nibs writes a ***very*** fine line, even finer than a needlepoint nib like the one ground by Kirk Speer (Pen Realm) for Esterbrook.

Even with standard nib widths, it’s impossible for a manufacturer to anticipate things like the amount of pressure you use and how you hold the pen. I have pens in my collection that, out of the box, wrote within “the range of reasonableness” and wouldn’t be considered defective, but still didn’t work for me until I had them tuned. I would estimate that 80-85% of the pens in my collection have been modified or tuned from “factory standard,” either by a nib grinder or yours truly. At the end of the day, if you love the look of a pen, and it’s not writing perfectly, consider paying a little extra to make it yours. If you keep it for years, you’ll get more enjoyment from the writing experience than the $20-50 modification fee, and in many cases it’s cheaper than buying a new pen.

Fountain Pen Maintenance: How I Clean My Fountain Pens

May 25, 2022

Every once in a while I like to take things back to basics and talk a bit about how to care for, maintain, and store fountain pens. While not as “high-maintenance” and messy as some would have you believe, fountain pens definitely require more attention than your typical ballpoint or rollerball in order to maintain an enjoyable writing experience. So what brought this particular topic to mind today? Well, I finally have a sink in my dedicated work area, so I can actually flush out some pens that I’ve been waiting to clean since the Baltimore Pen Show back in March.

For 90% of cleaning jobs, you need little more than a glass of water, a towel, and (maybe) a bulb syringe.

My cleaning process is pretty simple, and I follow three steps:

Start (and Finish) With Water. Most of the time, since I use fairly unexciting inks without permanence, shimmer, sparkles, extreme iron gall content, etc., I can make do with a glass of water. I can flush the pen by running plain water through the filling mechanism 5 or 6 times, and that’s typically more than sufficient to clean the pen to a point where you won’t have old ink drying up in the feed and clogging the pen, nor will you see traces of the previous ink when you go to refill it. To dry the pen out I will usually (GENTLY) place the pen nib down in a glass with a folded paper towel or tissue at the bottom for padding, which will wick out any remaining inky water. Note: Some people will probably flip out when they hear that I place the flushed pens nib-down to dry. I’ve never damaged a pen this way but as with everything here, proceed at your own risk and do what you are comfortable with.
Proceed to Water + Dish Detergent for Stubborn Messes. If I have a fountain pen where the ink has dried out, or a pen that was inked with a super-saturated color or shimmer ink, I will add a drop of dish detergent (i.e., Dawn) to a large glass of water and repeat step one. 9/10 times, this fixes any problem I have cleaning stubborn pens. In my experience, “pen flush” or dedicated cleaning fluids are almost always unnecessary, though they can sometimes speed up the cleaning process. Buy them from a pen store (preferably a pen manufacturer) and don’t try to make your own with ammonia, diluted Windex, etc. Certainly don’t use them with expensive pens or rare materials like celluloid or other vintage plastics because you never truly know what’s in them or how the material will react.
- Buy a Bulb Syringe. For either of these first two steps, you might want to pick up a bulb syringe. For cartridge-converter pens, it’s easier to flush water through the section using the bulb syringe than it is the converter, which doesn’t move much water at all. Just be sure to grip the section firmly because a bulb syringe can form a seal and cause the section to go shooting across the room if you’re not careful.

Buy an Ultrasonic Cleaner. IF you think you need one. That’s a big “IF” for me, because I hardly ever break mine out, and when I do it’s for pens like the Parker 51, Lamy 2000, or other hooded-nibs where flushing the pen is inadequate because it doesn’t necessarily get water to all parts of the feed. Vacumatic fountain pens are also easier to clean with an Ultrasonic, since the filling mechanism doesn’t push water through the feed with much force.

Cleaning a Cartridge-Converter pen with a bulb syringe — Cartridge-Converter section with a bulb syringe attached. It takes no time at all to clean a nib/section using the bulb syringe to flush water through the feed.

For tough jobs, a $40 ultrasonic jewelry cleaner (purchased at Bed, Bath & Beyond or Amazon on sale) is all the “heavy equipment” you’ll need. I typically use plain water, though you can add a drop of dish detergent if you like. Just be sure to flush the pen clean afterwards. (And if you’re considering remodeling, a grey or black sink is a nice upgrade to your “pen room” to hide the ink stains!)

Drying Cleaned Fountain Pens — Drying cleaned fountain pens nibs-down, which allows any remaining inky water to leach out. Just be sure to rest the nibs on a folded paper towel. As you can see, I don’t baby my pens.

Final Thoughts and Further Reading

To summarize my philosophy on cleaning fountain pens: Clean relatively frequently and go slowly, only adding substances other than water to the cleaning process if absolutely necessary. I think you’ll find that for most inks and most pens, it’s not. For some additional information and further reading on techniques for cleaning specific types of filling systems, check out this previous post.

I will likely do a further post on this topic at a later date, but favorite high-ink-capacity pens that are easy to clean include the TWSBI 580 piston filler, and the Opus 88 Japanese-style eyedroppers. I was able to flush all of these demonstrator pens perfectly clean in less than a minute since the sections separate and allow you to access the interior. Run them under the sink and/or flush them with a syringe.

This post does not contain third-party affiliate links. The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop, and memberships via the T.G.S. Patreon Program.