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.

Five Knockaround Fountain Pens for the Office and Beyond

November 27, 2021

While Black Friday weekend continues, and everyone is doing their shopping with all the different promotions available, I had the idea to do a short post containing some ideas beyond those in this year’s T.G.S. Gift Guide. I’ve become mildly obsessed with the idea of finding the perfect “knockaround” fountain pen for the office: a functional fountain pen that you can leave in your bag, on your desk at work, or stuck in the loop in your planner and not worry excessively about whether it’s going to “walk away” or get damaged. This category isn’t the same for everyone, since we all operate at different price points, but for reliable fountain pens this category typically starts around $20 (excluding the Platinum Preppy, which is much less expensive).

Platinum Preppy. I know several people who keep a fistful of these pens inked up at all times, either to give away to the fountain pen curious or eyedropped with inks they’re “experimenting” with. Preppies are also extremely inexpensive everyday writers, starting at around $4.50 for the standard version, with even the limited edition “Preppy Wa” pens priced at just over $7.
Platinum Plaisir. Though they feature the same nib, the Platinum Plaisir is a slight upgrade over the Preppy in terms of both looks and durability, since the pen sports an aluminum barrel that comes in a wide array of colors and will take more of a beating than the Preppy. Honestly, the Plaisir will often be my choice over the Preppy (unless I’m eyedroppering to test inks), since I appreciate the added splash of color. Available starting at $22.
TWSBI Swipe. Honestly, TWSBI’s latest low-cost fountain pen has blown me away with its value proposition. Not only do you get a reliable nib from a reputable brand, but unlike any other pen on this list, it ships with a converter (actually, two converters) to allow you to fill with bottled ink, in addition to using a cartridge. Available priced at $26.99.
Caran d’Ache 849 Fountain Pen. Looking for a fountain pen to match your classic Caran d’Ache 849 ballpoint pen or rollerball? The Caran d’Ache 849 fountain pen features a springy stainless steel nib that’s pleasant to write with, and is also somewhat slimmer, allowing it to fit in planner pen loops that might otherwise be too small to fit bulkier fountain pens. Available at $52.
Midori MD Fountain Pen. Sure, the plastic barrel isn’t much to write home about (even if it is tastefully color-matched to the Midori MD aesthetic), but the nib on this pen is exceptional. Midori has taken the same nib used in the Traveler’s Company brass bullet pens and tweaked it so the nib turns slightly downward, supposedly to better hold up to the harder writing pressure of modern users (and probably those inexperienced with fountain pens). The firm writing experience reminds me of a wider (M) posting nib. Available priced at $38.

Please note that of the fountain pens on this list, the Caran d’Ache 849 and the Midori MD Fountain pen take standard international cartridges, while the Platinum Pens and the TWSBI Swipe accept proprietary cartridges sold by those specific brands. If you’re looking for refills for these particular pens, either for yourself or to include with a gift for someone else, we carry standard international cartridges by Caran d’Ache and Traveler’s Company, as well as both TWSBI Cartridges and bottled ink. Platinum Preppy pens ship with one Platinum ink cartridge included.

As always, you can check out other pen recommendations here, as well as posts discussing my thoughts on fountain pen inks and fountain pen friendly paper. Links here are to the T.G.S. Curated Shop or our friends at Vanness Pens, which are not paid affiliate links but merely friendly recommendations. Many thanks for your support!

2021 Holiday Gift Guide Christmas Ornament

The T.G.S. 2021 Holiday Gift Guide is Live!

November 16, 2021

It’s that time of year again, and consistent with my firmly held belief that Halloween and Thanksgiving are still holidays, I’ve held off on issuing the T.G.S. Holiday Gift Guide until the second half of November! (Personally, I’d love to wait until Black Friday, but given shipping delays, everyone should be getting a head start on orders.) As with last year, the 2021 Holiday Gift Guide features a selection of products from the fully restocked T.G.S. Curated Shop.

While the gift guide has more than a dozen different gift ideas, if I had to pick three personal favorites for gift-giving this year, they would be the following:

Caran d’Ache 849 Rollerball Pens. These have now started shipping in the Caran d’Ache metal clamshell cases, so they make an impressive gift presentation that won’t break the bank. While the 849 Rollerball ships with an excellent Caran d’Ache Rollerball refill, the pen accepts any Parker-style refill, ballpoint or rollerball. Your recipient will be able to easily use this pen for a long time.
A Midori MD Notebook with a Natural Goat Leather Cover. I’ve found that few gift ideas are more universally loved than nice notebooks, because even non “pen people” use notebooks in one way or another. The Midori MD brand combines both high-quality paper and a universal size cover that can probably be refilled not only with easily available MD notebooks but other similarly-sized refills.
Hightide Co. Desktop Hourglass and/or Folding Metal Book Stand. I LOVE analog timers that don’t feature a jarring buzzer, and these Hightide Co. desktop sandglasses/hourglasses are one of my favorite items in the shop. They’re useful and they look great in an office. Similarly, the folding metal book stands make an inexpensive, yet thoughtful, gift for the reader or office worker, who can use it to hold anything from a book to a notepad or electronic tablet.

Check out these and more in the 2021 Gift Guide. We’ve been receiving a high volume of orders lately, but don’t be concerned if something is sold out - We are constantly restocking and recently placed a couple of large orders so please keep checking back.

The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of all brands sold. By shopping with us directly, you are supporting original content, pen reviews, pen show events, etc. from The Gentleman Stationer. If you would like to support us even further, please consider checking out the T.G.S. Patreon Program, which offers access to online meetups, exclusive discounts and pre-orders, and more!

Swapping Fountain Pen Nibs: From Easy to Expert

October 13, 2021

One thing that most enthusiasts love about fountain pens is the ability to customize your pen for your writing style and aesthetic preferences. Whether it’s having a custom pen turned from a favorite material, in a shape that’s the perfect size for your hand, or a nib ground to showcase your own style of handwriting, the options are essentially limitless. At the same time, the idea of physically pulling the nib and feed out of your fountain pen and putting it back together again intimidates many people, even seasoned users who have written with fountain pens for years. There’s no reason to be afraid. While changing nibs on your own does merit a degree of caution (just like disassembling a pen for cleaning or filling from an ink bottle), it’s something that most fountain pen users can do without risk of seriously damaging their pen. Today I plan to walk through a few different options, ranging from easily swappable pre-assembled nib units to more complex modifications.

When changing nibs (or doing any sort of pen-related maintenance), I typically like to work on a towel or other soft/grippy surface to keep pens and loose parts from rolling off the table.

Getting Started: Create Your Workspace

Necessary precautions are minimal. Basically, you need a well-lit workspace with a towel or other no-roll surface to hold your pens and nibs. The number-one danger when performing any sort of work or maintenance on fountain pens is dropping a pen onto the floor and cracking the pen barrel and/or bending the nib, so make sure your pens are secure. I typically unroll a towel onto a sink or standing desk and use that as my work surface.

Swapping out interchangeable nib units (discussed further below) doesn’t require any special tools. Otherwise, you will likely need a square of rubber to help grip the nib and feed, and possibly a loupe or other magnifier to align nib tines.

Franklin-Christoph fountain pens use JoWo nibs, so it’s easy to amass a large collection of custom-ground F-C nib units that you can swap between all of your JoWo-compatible pens.

Easy: JoWo, Bock, and TWSBI Interchangeable Nib Units

These days, the majority of pen makers no longer manufacture their own nibs in-house, and instead purchase nibs from third-party companies JoWo, Bock, and to a lesser degree, Schmidt (though I find Schmidt nibs excellent and don’t know why they’re not more widely used). While some people complain about monotony and the lack of expressiveness in how these modern nibs write, there is one key advantage to this uniformity: interchangeability. Many, if not most, pens that accept standard JoWo or Bock nibs use a default nib unit (i.e., a nib and feed seated in a threaded housing) that can easily be unscrewed and used in another compatible pen. Once you start custom-grinding these nib units or gather the range of nib sizes, it becomes a very versatile platform that can allow you to thoroughly enjoy your pen collection.

The process for swapping out a JoWo or Bock compatible nib unit is mostly the same between brands. Gently grasp the nib and feed and turn counter-clockwise to unscrew the unit.

The process itself is simple. First, if the pen you are working on is a cartridge-converter model, remove the converter. Then, gently grasp the nib and feed and turn the nib unit counter-clockwise to remove it. Select your new nib unit, insert it into the section, and rotate clockwise until secure. Do not overtighten, as this can misalign the tines of the nib, at best, and cause stress damage to the nib housing, at worst, in which case you will need a replacement.

Opus 88 pens, which are Japanese-style eyedroppers, add one slight wrinkle to the process. There is a small o-ring attached to the bottom of the nib unit housing. If replacing with a non-Opus nib unit, don’t forget to transfer the o-ring as well. It sits on the plastic “stem” and is easily removable.

TWSBI nib units are slightly different, though still simple. On the TWSBI Diamond 580, you simply unscrew the front section of the pen and slide the nib unit out of the plastic cover (shown here in red but clear on most current 580 models). Insert your new nib unit and reassemble. Because TWSBI sells spare nib units for the express purpose of allowing you to easily switch nibs between pens, you don’t have to worry about voiding your manufacturer’s warranty or otherwise causing unintended damage. I own several spare TWSBI nibs, some of which have been custom ground to specialty nibs such as architects.

Editor’s Note: There has been a lot of press recently about a manufacturing defect that has caused cracks in JoWo nib housings. While I’ve been lucky and have not yet found the issue in any of my personal pens, JoWo has released a series of announcements discussing how they plan to fix the problem. If you have been inspecting your JoWo nib units and discover cracks, please reach out to Meister Nibs, the U.S. JoWo distributor.

Intermediate: Pulling and Setting Friction-Fit Nibs

But what about pens that don’t use interchangeable nib units? Well, the nibs on those pens are, for the most part, equally “swappable” and the process is no more mechanically complex than taking a small square of rubber or other grippy material, grasping the nib and feed, and pulling both out of the front end of the pen’s section using a steady motion. You replace a nib the same way, though you need to be pay attention when reinserting the nib and feed as some pens have grooves or “guides” that determine exactly how the nib is supposed to fit.

The nibs on some pens, especially those with proprietary in-house nibs like this Platinum 3776, do not come in a housing, meaning that the nib and feed sit directly inside the custom section.

So why do I have this categorized as requiring an “intermediate” skill level? Honestly, it’s more about confidence than skill. Sometimes, things don’t go 100% as expected. Old ink residue may cause the nib and feed to get stuck in the section, and you may find yourself having to pull fairly hard or jiggle the nib a bit (gently!) to dislodge it from the pen. Any time you apply force, you run some risk of misaligning the nib tines or cracking the feed. Changing friction-fit nibs properly requires some patience, a willingness to engage in a bit of trial-and-error, and an “intermediate” understanding of how fountain pens work. Finally, keep in mind that if your pen breaks and you can’t fix it on your own, the manufacturer might consider removing or swapping the nib on a pen without an interchangeable nib unit to be a “modification” that voids your warranty. That’s not to say that you won’t be able to find someone who can fix the pen, but you will likely have to pay for it.

From the top: Platinum 3776 UEF in Schon Black Ultem, via Flexible Nib Factory JoWo housing; Pilot PO Nib in Newton Shinobi, via same housing; Platinum 3776 in an Opus 88 Jazz, via same housing.

Expert: Custom Nib Housings for Maximum Pen Hacking

The last topic I plan to discuss combines the two techniques discussed above in a manner that allows you to create your own custom nib units. Flexible Nib Factory sells custom nib housings designed to pair proprietary nibs and feeds (i.e. Platinum, Pilot, Pelikan, Sailor, etc.) with JoWo and Bock-compatible pens. For example, I pulled a friction-fit medium 14k Platinum nib from a standard Platinum 3776 fountain pen, and inserted both the nib and feed into a JoWo-compatible Flexible Nib Factory housing, which I then seated in an Opus 88 Jazz. The one drawback is that these custom housings won’t accept a converter, so you will need to use a piston filler, eyedropper, or bulkfiller-style (i.e. Conid) pen. Opus 88 pens work great for these types of modifications, though with certain brands like Platinum you may have to trim the plastic end on the back of the feed in order to allow the Japanese-style eyedropper system to close.

A nib unit disassembled. Using Flexible Nib Factory housings, you can pull, for example, a nib and feed from a Platinum 3776 and insert it into the custom housing designed to fit a JoWo or Bock pen. It’s less complex than it looks.

A word of caution: customizing fountain pens in this way is addictive. Since building my FrankenJazz, I’ve also moved another Platinum 14k UEF (Ultra Extra-Fine) nib and a Pilot PO (Posting) nib into JoWo housings, which are now in a Schon Black Ultem and Shawn Newton Shinobi. I’m eyeing several other nibs in my collection that don’t get much use in their current setup…

This post does not contain affiliate links. I purchased the pens, nibs, and nib units featured in this post with my own funds, for my own collection. The Gentleman Stationer is reader-supported. If you would like to support us, please consider purchasing from the T.G.S. Curated Shop or checking out the T.G.S. Patreon Program, which offers access to online meetups, exclusive discounts and pre-orders, and more!

What Do I Look For in a Ballpoint Refill?

May 12, 2021

OK, so I admit it’s a bit incongruous to follow up a post on the intricacies of fountain pen filling mechanisms with a discussion of ballpoint pen refills, but that’s the reality of my working life these days. I’ve never been one of those people who’s 100%-all-fountain-pens-all-the-time; rather, it’s 50/50 on most days, and as of late 30/70, in favor of ballpoints, gel pens, and even pencils.

Personally, I find Caran d’Ache pens comfortable to use due to their hexagonal shape. If you find the 849 model (shown at right) too narrow, the 888 “Infinite” (shown left) is larger and has a more rounded hex shape.

But I’m still picky. As far as writing experiences go, there’s nothing worse than a dry, skippy ballpoint pen that won’t write a solid line, especially if the pen itself is uncomfortable to hold. Fortunately, the ballpoint remains the default writing instrument for many, and it’s not difficult to find good ones. But what makes a “good one”? For me, it’s a combination of three factors:

The Pen Writes a Consistently Solid Line. If you’ve ever spent much time taking notes with a poorly made ballpoint, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Bad ballpoint ink has a tendency to lay down an inconsistent line, meaning that your writing will have “skips” or “gaps” in it where the tip fails to apply a layer of ink. Because it’s oil-based, and doesn't flow as easily as gel or water-based inks found in gel pens and rollerballs, ballpoint ink is more susceptible to this sort of skipping, especially in older refills that have partially dried out. In my experience, the ballpoint pens and refills that lay down the most consistent line are the Lamy Pico, the Caran d’Ache Infinite (featuring the “Swissride” refill, which I find smoother than the still respectable “Goliath” in the 849), the medium Bic Cristal, and the Schmidt Easyflow 9000.
The Pen Has a Comfortable Grip, Preferably Hexagonal. I find that ballpoint pens offer a tactile writing experience more akin to a woodcase pencil; therefore, it seems logical that my favorite ballpoints for longer writing sessions duplicate the feel of a pencil in hand. The two most famous are iconic stationery items: the Bic Cristal and the Caran d’Ache 849. I’ve also recently discovered a line of pens from Marks, Inc. that takes this a step further, using actual hexagonal wooden barrels to house a retractable ballpoint refill.
The Availability of a Narrower Tip Size Without Sacrificing Legibility. Last but not least, we come to the most important attribute for those of us who write small: finding a ballpoint pen with a narrow tip size that also satisfies the previous two criteria (but mostly the first one). Lately, I’ve gravitated towards needle-tip ballpoint pens, whether it be the Bic Cristal “Xtra Precision” (which now seems to have been discontinued though I have a stash), the Traveler’s Company Brass Ballpoint, and the Marks, Inc. “Tous Les Jours” woodcase ballpoint that I mentioned above. While I love needle tips because of the precision they offer, the Uniball Jetstream SXR Parker-style refill, the Lamy M22 (Pico Refill), and the Caran d’Ache Goliath in the 849 offer reliable non-needle tip “fine” options that can get you a narrow line without sacrificing too much smoothness or legibility.

If the pen has a quality, legible refill, needle-tip ballpoints are excellent choices for those of us who like to write small and favor precise lines.

So What Ballpoint Pens Have I Been Writing With Recently?

You may have noticed that there’s not much overlap between the pens I mention in each of the three categories above. Nobody has “perfected” the ballpoint pen, so you end up with necessary trade-offs depending on what is most important to you at any particular moment (i.e., sacrificing some comfort for legibility and/or a narrow tip size, and vice-versa). For an overall combination of portability, durability, and performance, both the Lamy Pico and the Caran d’Ache 849 are excellent choices, and both come with “fine” refill options which, if not perfect, are still very good. Comfort-wise, I’ve been exceptionally impressed with the Caran d’Ache Infinite 888, though the refill is a bit on the wider side without a finer option. For annotating books or writing on the go, I’ve relied heavily on the Traveler’s Company Brass Ballpoint, since it has both a needle-tip AND a clip that can secure the pen to the front cover of a book or pocket notebook. All that aside, for its combination of value, performance, and I-just-don’t-want-to-have-to-think-about-it practicality, I still reach for the classic Bic Cristal, and these days Cristal fans can even dress the refill up in a fancy housing from Baux Pens. (I have three in rotation.)

A selection of writing samples from my current favorite ballpoints. Note that the Marks and Traveler’s Company refills easily offer the finest line.

If there’s one thing to be said for the humble ballpoint pen, you have a plethora of quality choices at very low price points, and as I explore the “higher-end offerings,” I’m increasingly convinced that ballpoints offer superior performance and versatility compared to rollerballs and even gel pens. Ballpoints tend to write more consistently at different angles, and are water-resistant. Of course, such advantages depend entirely on the context in which you use your pens - lately I’ve been focused on everyday use, and your own mileage may vary.

Do you have a favorite ballpoint? Drop me a line and let me know! For more pen recommendations and discussions of some of my personal favorites, check out my “Best Pen” Recommendations page, recently updated for 2021.

Two pocket ballpoint options: The Traveler’s Company Brass Ballpoint (left) and the Lamy Pico (right).

This post does not contain third-party affiliate links. The Gentleman Stationer is supported via pledges from the T.G.S. Patreon Program and sales through the T.G.S. Curated Shop, an authorized retailer of some, but not all, of the brands featured in this post.