Sunday Reading for June 25, 2023

June 25, 2023

Lumpers vs. Splitters: How Many Paper Notebooks Do You Use at One Time? (via Analog Office). Both? I have multiple general purpose notebooks, as well as notebooks devoted to specific functions.
Half Year Check-in for 2023 Intentions (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). It’s that time of year again!
YStudio - Classic Portable Fountain Pen in Copper (via Weirdoforest Pens). I need to jump back into reviewing the YStudio lineup, as it’s been years since I’ve used one of their products and they have expanded rather dramatically.
The Advantages of Dip Nibs (via KraftyKats). Want a lot of line variation in your writing and the ability to switch between styles without having to have fountain pen nibs ground? Dip nibs are an inexpensive and easy way to experiment.
An Ink You Like Is Too Wet or Too Dry - Do Not Throw It Out (via Dapprman). In addition to awaiting the perfect pen for a specific ink (one that may write slightly wet or slightly dry), you can also consider some of the various ink additives available such as Vanness “White Lightning”. I hear it works great for the Kyoto TAG inks.
Ink of the Week - Papier Plume Bayou Nightfall (via Fountain Pen Love). Papier Plume has been absolutely killing it in recent years with some of their limited edition ink colors, and Bayou Nightfall - a grey/blue/green shader - is a personal favorite. I’m glad I was able to pick up a bottle secondhand.
Conway Stewart Churchill Fountain Pen Review (via S.B.R.E. Brown). Eventually I’ll bring home one of the Conway Stewart Flagship pens from either the upcoming D.C. or San Francisco Pen Shows.
Ink Review #2238: Romania Red (via Mountain of Ink). Dominant Industry Romania Red has turned into one of my favorite dark/blood red inks available right now, and is the preferred substitute for my Montblanc Hitchcock. I might actually prefer this color.
Stationery on the Go: Train Edition (Pen Addict - Sarah). I would love to take a long train trip (cross-country maybe?) solely for the purpose of spending some time with my writing.
Boku-Undo Gansai Aurora Palette (via Well-Appointed Desk). So it looks like watercolor makers are taking the same approach as the fountain pen ink makers, releasing a ton of colors with different properties.

In Case You Missed It….

This week on the blog I wrote a piece about proprietary ink cartridges (namely those from Japan that I love due to their high ink capacity and refillability), and I also revisited five of my favorite posts from 2023 as I work through my Mid-Year Review that will be continued this week.

This Week in the Curated Shop

This week in the Curated Shop, we had large-format A4 notebooks arrive, and I also took a look at five of my favorite releases from 2023.

Ink

Platinum

Anterique

Traveler's Company

Consider Supporting Us Via T.G.S. Patreon!

Off Track with Fountain Pen Minimalism — Let’s just say this week may have gotten slightly off-track with fountain pen minimalism.

Sunday Reading for June 18, 2023

June 18, 2023

Finding Each Other: Social Media (via A Fleeting Ripple). This is a great idea for a post - most forms of social media are constantly changing, including in the fountain pen world, and it’s important to keep up with where people are as certain communities we’ve come to rely on to connect us change (or close altogether). See the last section of this post for details on where you can find me on social media and/or the broader internet these days.
#21PenQuestions from Inkdependence (via Inkdependence). This was a fun read. I’m going to go start working on my answers.
Finding the Purposeful Center of Writing in Analog (via mnmlscholar). A thoughtful reflection on why and how we do the work we do, and may or may not choose to do it in analog form.
Montblanc 149 Calligraphy Curved Nib (via Scrively). Depending on how you hold this pen (similar to a Kodachi or Naginata-Togi-style nib), you apparently can get some very nice line variation in a single nib. It’s interesting to see Montblanc get involved selling these kinds of nibs.
Kuretake Gansai Tambi Portable Watercolor Palette (via Fueled by Clouds and Coffee). While I don’t own a Watercolor Palette, or even any watercolors, I’ve long been curious about how palettes are used and refilled.
Life Schöpfer Notebook Review (via Blake’s Broadcast). Blake reviews a vintage exercise book-style notebook from Japanese stationery company Life.
Kaweco Bronze Sport (via Dapprman). While it’s a more expensive option, I also enjoy how bronze works as a material on pens.
Ink of the Week - Visconti Blue (via Fountain Pen Love). Visconti inks used to receive a lot more attention than they do today. They make a generally well-regarded blue ink that’s aptly described here as a bright “pure” blue.
Montblanc Writer’s Edition Franz Kafka Review (via SBRE Brown). The insect engraving on the nib does it for me.
Seven Years of Morning Pages (via From the Pen Cup). That sort of consistency is a huge accomplishment. Congratulations!
The Pen that Started It All (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). Everyone has that one first pen that kicked off the hobby for them. Mine was a Waterman Laureate.

In Case You Missed It….

This week on the blog, we featured a guest post from R.B. Lemberg titled “The Ark of Pens,” which contained their thoughts on collecting and the fountain pen hobby. Since I’ve been doing a LOT of writing and editing this week, I’ve been using a combination of workhorse Pilot pens and blue-black inks. I wrote a post on six of my blue-black inks of choice, after I noticed that they showed a surprising amount of variation. Finally the YouTube Channel has a new “Currently Inked” video, in which I talk about three of the capless/retractable fountain pens I’ve been using lately.

The Platinum Matte Curidas Fountain Pen comes with everything you need to get started writing!

This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop - Plus a Father’s Day Promotion

First things first: Through tonight at 11:59pm CT, grab an extra 10% off certain paper and desk accessories in the T.G.S. Curated Shop using the code “DAD10” at checkout. Also, if you’re looking for a last-minute gift (for Father’s Day or any occasions), after repeated request there I’ve introduced an electronic gift card option.

New arrivals this past week include the Matte Curidas Retractable Fountain Pen from Platinum, available in all three colors. We’ve also restocked on Midori MD Cotton Paper in both the pad and notebook format, and have A4 sized Midori MD Light Notebooks.

Platinum

Write Notepads

Anterique

Endless

Where Am I Online? (Other than Here)

Prompted by Dennis’ post above, maybe this is a good time to take a moment to talk about where I live in the online pen world, and where you can find me other than here on the primary T.G.S. website. I’m most active on Instagram (@gentlemanstationer), given that the visual aspect of pens, ink, and paper lends itself to a more photo and video-intensive application. While I do repost content to Twitter (@vintagegntlmn), for those of you who I know use it like a news feed, lately I’ve been more active on Mastodon (@gentlemanstationer.mastodon.social) since I feel that community tends to lend itself to more civil discussion and has a growing stationery contingent.

While I’m interested in participating more in communities such as Twitch, Slack, Discord and Reddit (u/gentlemanstationer and r/gentlemanstationer), and agree that all of those platforms have vibrant communities of enthusiasts, my time commitments are limited and I can’t really do anything justice by trying to engage everywhere on a deep level. Because any content/advice/interactions you have on traditional social media can be fleeting and subject to the whims of third-parties who probably don’t have “growing community” and preserving knowledge long-term as their central aim, my central point of engagement will always be here at T.G.S., since I own the platform and have a large degree of control over what happens to my content and can take steps to keep the dialog on a respectful level. If you’d like to participate in more personal interaction (including monthly meetups), consider joining our Patreon. I’m also working on more video content over on the T.G.S. YouTube Channel.

As always, many thanks for your support!

The Good Blue Writing Sample — For an additional Good Blue Writing Sample, check out this YouTube Short!

Sunday Reading for June 11, 2023

June 11, 2023

Six Years and Counting! (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). Happy Six Year Penversary to Kimberly! How long have you all been in this hobby? Do you have any special ways to celebrate?
Use Symbols to Help You Scan Your Paper List: the Dash Plus System (via Analog Office). There are many variations on “bullet journal-style” task tracking, including Dash Plus.
What Is this Collecting Lark? (via Goodwriterspens). Are you a user or a collector? Both? Does it matter? You can also read Part II here.
Pen Trends: Dip Nib Mania (via Well-Appointed Desk). Laura walks through three popular dip nibs currently on the market. I go back and forth on whether there is interest in dip nib content here at T.G.S. If you’d like to read more about this, or even have me bring them into the store, let me know!
Diplomat Elox Fountain Pen (via Blake’s Broadcast). Diplomat has a long history of fountain pen manufacturing in Germany, and in recent years have garnered much acclaim for the Aero and the Elox, with their distinctive designs.
Systematizing: Traveler’s Notebook (via A Fleeting Ripple). One of the best aspects of the Traveler’s Notebook System is its customizability - you can make this notebook/planner as structured or flexible as you want using Traveler’s Notebook refills (or your own).
Diamine Monboddo’s Hat on Maruman Mnemosyne (via Incredible Colors). One of the many collaborations between Diamine and the Reddit community of fountain pen users, Monboddo’s Hat has been compared to Lamy’s coveted “Dark Lilac” special edition ink from a few years ago.
Dupe the Expensive Vibes (via Rachel’s Reflections). An interesting post from Rachel, which talks about pens with the look of (much) more expensive models, while still maintaining a degree of originality in the design.
Unearthed! Mutts Fold & Mail Stationery (via From the Pen Cup). Fold & Mail stationery is such a great concept, especially since it makes the letter writing process easy by (1) forcing you to keep your letters to a reasonable length to get them out the door; and (2) simplifying the process of getting them out the door.
Review: M800 Green Demonstrator (via Pelikan’s Perch). I love the look of the M800 Green Demonstrator. Amidst some uncertainty regarding Pelikan’s direction and the future of the fine writing division, I’m glad to see this release, even if it is something of a retread.

In Case You Missed It…

This week on the blog I took another look at the subject of landscape notebooks, with a deeper dive into the Write Notepads version. I also reviewed one of my Spring pen show acquisitions: the R615 “Titanium Blue” fountain pen special collaboration between The Good Blue and our friends at Vanness Pens.

This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop

Two big arrivals this past week: the much-anticipated Endless Creator fountain pen, which is their attempt at an original capless/retractable fountain pen at an accessible $50 price point. We also received a massive restock of Anterique ballpoint pens, mechanical pencils, and the refills. See the full list of recent arrivals and restocks in this post from Thursday.

Write Notepads

Anterique

Traveler's Company

WMS & Co.

Consider Supporting Us Via T.G.S. Patreon!

T.G.S. Patreon is currently the only non-shop means of support for the site, and features not only access to meetups and early gently used sales, but more exclusive content. Patreon support starts as low as $3 per month, and if you pay annually there is a further discount. In addition to purchases from The Curated Shop, Patreon allows us to continue to grow the site without relying on advertisements and affiliate marketing. If you’re interested in meetups and exclusive content, or simply supporting the site, we greatly appreciate your support! Note that Patrons will have early access to our forthcoming special release that should be arriving either later this month or early July, including pre-order opportunities and possibly exclusive access to certain add-ons. June is a good time to join!

Sunday Reading for June 4, 2023

June 4, 2023

Meet Your Maker: Jason Miller, Jason Neil Penworks (via Pen Addict - Caroline). I was lucky enough to score a table next to Jason Neil Penworks at this year’s Arkansas Show, and picked up a Tucker model in the Damascus material. Stay tuned!
The Life-Changing Magic of Keeping a File Index (via Analog Office). I’m trying to go paperless where the paper is essentially “junk paper,” but it’s hard as it seems to keep piling up. I saw this and could immediately relate.
Iroshizuku Syo-ro (via Fountain Pen Love). It’s always great to see the standard Iroshizuku ink lineup getting some love. Syo-ro is a gorgeous teal with a bit of red sheen.
Dominant Industry Tsavorite (via Mountain of Ink). Wow, jade/teal colors tend to be in fashion these days! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve almost picked up a bottle of this specific ink.
Ensso Italia Primary Manipulation IV Fountain Pen (via SBRE Brown). I’m glad to see more companies doing different pens in the various Primary Manipulation materials!
Benu Skull & Roses Crow Fountain Pen (via Well-Appointed Desk). I love this line from Benu and need to pick up one of the S&R models.
Sakae Tomoe River Notebook Review (via Blake’s Broadcast). The 68gsm version is an all-time favorite. I hope it doesn’t go away.
Sun’s Out: No Review (via A Fleeting Ripple). We were blessed with a gorgeous May featuring lower temperatures and lot’s of sun, but it looks like for us, the summer heat is here. That said, I’ve been doing a lot of writing on the porch!
Third Anniversary (via Inkredible Colours). Congratulations on this achievement! And it sounds like it was quite a year!
Dead Gel Refills (via Bleistift). Gel and rollerball refills tend to dry out and “die” at a higher rate than ballpoints, which can last for years. Use your gel pens!
Writing for Memory’s Sake (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). Writing by hand is good for your memory, and not just because it memorializes things.
“Can I Keep This?” (via From the Pen Cup). If it’s an office-supply pen, sometimes I don’t even ask;)

In Case You Missed It…Reviews + Giveaway!

This week on the blog I reviewed a recent release from Tactile Turn: the “Deep Space” Seasonal Edition in the “Side Click” format. I won’t say that Tactile Turn has perfected the EDC click pen, but it’s close. As part of my ongoing efforts to update certain of the older content on this site, I’m not only revisiting brands I haven’t looked at in some time, but also pens like the excellent Pilot Custom 74 fountain pen - a longtime go-to recommendation here at T.G.S. and a pen that continues to be a relative bargain.

Finally, last night we announced a giveaway! Check out this Instagram post for a chance to win an original Walnut Penwell pen holder. Enter by liking the post on Instagram or leaving a comment on either this blog post or yesterday’s Custom 74 Review. The giveaway closes tomorrow at 11:59pm CT, and I’ll pick a winner by assigning a number to each entry and using a random number generator.

TGS Aged Red Penwell — Last call for T.G.S. Penwells! We’re down to the last of this batch, and I don’t plan on doing another run for the time being due to a need to focus on other projects.

This Week in the Curated Shop: Last Call Warning!

In connection with the Penwell-themed giveaway: We are down to the last of the T.G.S.-exclusive Penwells in “Aged Red”. If you’d like to ensure you get one, please get your orders in this week. Depending on how many remain, I plan to pull some of the remaining stock for a special promotion we are doing in early July, in connection with our first exclusive fountain pen collaboration that we’ve been working on.

This past week we had restocks of the Caran d’Ache 849 + Paul Smith collaboration, which we are restocking as quickly as we can given how fast some colors sell out, along with the CdA Rollerball refills and certain popular colors of the various 849 models. We also received fresh shipments of Write Notepads Spiral Notebooks, new Jotters and Planners from WMS & Co., and Traveler’s Notebook refills and accessories.

Pilot Pens

WMS & Co.

TWSBI

Anterique

Consider Supporting Us Via T.G.S. Patreon!

Scribo Grigio Inky Holiday Weekend — I hope you all plan to have an inky holiday weekend!

Sunday Reading for May 28, 2023

May 28, 2023

Mid-Year Stationery Review (via Well-Appointed Desk). Laura walks us through what stationery she’s been using in 2023 so far, and I’m happy to see the Midori MD 5-Year Diary has staying power!
Montblanc Heritage 1912 (via The Stationery Pen). One of the pens that I consider the pinnacle of modern Montblanc design, and their modern take on a safety-filler fountain pen.
Kaweco Dia2 (via Dapprman). I love the vintage styling of the Kaweco Dia2, but honestly have been (pleasantly) surprised at how well this pen has done over the years. To me, this seems like the perfect vehicle for Kaweco to expand their gold nib offerings by selling the Dia2 with the upgraded nib. These larger pens can support a higher price point.
Gioia Bellavista Fountain Pen Review (via Blake’s Broadcast). Gioia pens aren’t really my style, but I found the information about the “lost wax casting” techniques interesting.
Sailor 1911L 4am Fountain Pen (via Pen Addict - Sarah). One of the strangest names Sailor has ever come up with for a special edition does look pretty great.
Ink Battle: Colorverse and Lamy (via Rachel’s Reflections). How do you choose between inks from different brands that look the same but inevitably both end up in your collection?
Notebook Review: Dingbats* A5 Wildlife Notebook (via Fountain Pen Pharmacist). I’m glad to see Dingbats* still around, with their fountain pen friendly paper and perforated pages!
Hakase NJ15A Unboxing (via Dapprman). I’ve heard much about Hakase fountain pens, but never seen one. Follow along with this unboxing!
Building Back My Paint Box (via Writing at Large). Though I’m not a painter, I’ve always been curious about how to assemble a watercolor set.
Anticipation (via From the Pen Cup). Picking inks and filling pens - one of the most enjoyable aspects of this hobby.

How To fill a Fountain Pen Vacuum Fillers — Five different installments of our instructional YouTube series, “How to Fill a Fountain Pen”, are now available!

In Case You Missed It….

This week on the blog (and, should I now add, the revitalized YouTube Channel?), I posted several pieces of content that I’ve been working on for a while. The first is one of the longer reviews I’ve published this year - a look at the Cortex Brand Sidekick Notepad, which is one of the nicer desk pads I’ve used though it comes at a price. I also published a list of My Favorite Fountain Pen Inks for 2023, a supplement to the “Best Pens” list that gets updated annually. Finally, we’ve been steadily adding more video content to our YouTube channel, which we hope to be able to use to complement the written resources on our site. Be sure to check it out at the links above and give us a follow to help us grow!

Write Notepads Spiral Restock — We’ve also restocked on products like the Write Notepads Dot Grid Spiral, which is now available in new colors!

Don’t Miss Our T.G.S. Curated Shop Memorial Day Weekend Promotion!

Through Monday, May 29 at 11:59pm CT, take 10% off your order using the coupon code “SUMMER23” at checkout! I always view this weekend as the official start to Summer. Some exclusions apply (including TWSBI, which can’t be discounted), but most items in the store will be eligible, including our wide range of desk pads and other fountain pen friendly paper.

Laconic Tokyo

Nahvalur

TWSBI ECO-T Mint

TWSBI Mini Grape