Pen Review: Visconti Rembrandt Back to Black Edition

July 26, 2017

Of all the major pen brands, Visconti might be the one with which I have the least amount of experience. I own one Visconti pen - the Homo Sapiens Dark Ages - but very few of their offerings have spoken to me to the point where I would be willing to pay the premium prices that most Visconti pens command. Sure, there are a few special and limited editions that have made my "someday" short list (i.e., something with the Wall Street celluloid), but what's kept me from diving into Visconti in the same way that I have with other brands is Visconti's reputation for having QC issues with their nibs. Given that Visconti's signature 23kt palladium "Dreamtouch" nibs are somewhat high-maintenance, I wanted to see how the company did with something more basic. Appelboom was kind enough to loan me a steel-nibbed Visconti Rembrandt "Back to Black" for review.

Design and Build

The Visconti Rembrandt features a classic streamlined profile with very few adornments or flourishes, other than the finial and the engraved cap band. The most notable feature of the Rembrandt is the magnetic closure, which reminds me a bit of the cap on the Steel & Flint pocket pen in that it makes a slight "pop" when you cap/uncap it (though not as audible). The Rembrandt also features Visconti's signature spring-loaded "bridge" clip, modeled after the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, which appears on most other Visconti pens. People either love this clip or hate it - some think it looks ostentatious, but I find it to be one of the more understated elements of Visconti design, which can be ornate and a bit over the top. The clip doubles as an excellent roll-stopper.

Visconti clearly intended the Rembrandt to serve as a "workhorse" pen. It's nicely balanced and a comfortable writer that I was fine using either posted or unposted. Some might find the metal section slippery, though generally ruthenium plating tends to add some "grippiness." Also, note that there are NO THREADS on this pen due to the magnetic closure, allowing for maximum versatility in how you grip the pen (low, high, etc.). I don't generally have a problem with section threads hurting my fingers unless they're exceptionally sharp, but if this is something that regularly poses an issue for your, the Rembrandt may be worth checking out.

The Rembrandt features Visconti's "My Pen" system, which you can use to swap out the finial on the cap for a personalized initial, zodiac sign (yes, I'm not kidding), or birthstone.

Nib and Writing Experience

As much as I wanted to love this pen, things fell apart with the nib, which was dry and "squeaky," for lack of a better term. The pen wasn't necessarily scratchy, but I could definitely feel and hear a LOT of feedback from the nib. I suspect this is probably due to the coating applied to the steel nib to give it the "blacked out" look. I've experienced variations of the same thing with other coated or plated steel nibs, but not this severe.

If you're considering this pen (or really any Visconti, for that matter), I'd add $40-60 to the cost to cover your nib work. You may luck out and get one that writes perfectly out of the box, but you're just as likely (if not more likely) to get a dry writer, hard starter, or skippy pen. To illustrate how all over the place Visconti's nib QC can be, check out Matthew's review of a different, unplated Rembrandt nib over at Nib & Ink, where he had a completely different (positive) experience.

This broad nib definitely needs to be smoothed and have the ink flow increased. The ink is Kaweco Paradise Blue.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

While I appreciated the look, feel, and balance of the Visconti Rembrandt "Back to Black," the coated steel nib didn't do it for me, though at Appelboom's attractive pricing you may still have room in your budget for a nib tuning. If I were going to purchase this pen, I'd personally consider paying extra to upgrade to the 23kt Palladium "Dreamtouch" nib. While those have their own issues, and typically need some minor adjustments, they are capable of being outstanding writers with a lot of character.

Appelboom is currently offering the Visconti Rembrandt Back to Black edition for $129 US (excluding VAT). The "Dreamtouch" upgrade to the 23kt palladium nib costs an extra $140.

Disclaimer: This pen was loaned to me for review purposes by Appelboom. I was not otherwise compensated for this review, and all views expressed here are my own.

Ink Review: Platinum Classic Ink Cassis Black and My Thoughts on Iron Gall Inks

July 22, 2017

Until recently, Platinum was known for having a well-regarded but extremely limited lineup of inks. The company had a standard black and blue-black, as well as a small line of pigmented inks. Then came the "mix-free" inks, which are high-quality, but a lot of people write them off (ha!) because there's a perception that you need to purchase the entire set in order to enjoy them, as the purpose behind the inks is to be able to mix them to create any color you like. This year, Platinum expanded their ink lineup yet again, releasing six new "Classic" inks in somewhat offbeat colors: "Cassis Black," "Forest Black," "Citrus Black," "Sepia Black," "Lavender Black," and "Khaki Black."

You may wonder, what's with the "black" theme? Well, all of these inks are iron gall inks, meaning that Platinum has added iron to the ink in order to make it permanent and to give it color-changing (i.e., darkening) properties.

You can get a sense of the color change here: compare the cherry-red wet ink on the inside of the cap to the dried writing sample/swab (on Col-o-Ring Paper).

I picked up this bottle of Platinum Cassis Black at the Atlanta Pen Show back in April. While this particular color probably wouldn't have been my first choice, I really wanted to review one of the Platinum Classic Inks, and they were extremely difficult to find after they were first released. So what do I think? Here are my impressions:

As it turns out, this is a great color. I love red inks, and this one is extremely interesting. It starts out as a bright cherry red, but it surprised me by drying to a deep burgundy with black undertones. Reds - and especially burgundies - are some of my favorite colors to write with.
Like most iron gall inks, Platinum Classic ink feels a little dry for my taste. I'm not talking about bad flow - the ink flows well and pens will put a lot of it on the page - Iron gall inks are generally less lubricating and many people notice more feedback from the nib on the page.
No feathering, show through, or bleeding at all on cheaper paper, even work-issue copy paper that can barely handle gel pens.
These inks are a decent value. Though not inexpensive at $25 per bottle, you do get 60ml of ink.

Another writing sample in my Hobonichi Planner.

My Thoughts on Iron Gall Ink in General

Inks with iron content are commonly known as "iron gall ink," because they traditionally were manufactured using oak galls. This is ancient technology that goes back hundreds, if not thousands, of years. If you're looking to replicate that blue-black or sepia-black ink color that you often see on old letters from the 1700s or 1800s, you should pick up a bottle of iron gall ink. But other than aesthetics, why do people still use iron gall ink today?

The inks dry extremely quickly.
The inks change colors as they dry, leaving a very dark line in most cases.
Iron gall inks are excellent on thin or cheap paper, and they don't feather. Many calligraphers love these inks because they allow you to write a very fine line.
Iron gall inks are permanent and waterproof. [Edit: It's been brought to my attention that "water-resistant" is probably a more accurate term. See comments below.]

But won't iron gall inks corrode / eat your pens? You may have read "warnings" in various blogs and online forums that iron gall inks are dangerous and not suitable for fountain pens. In my opinion, categorical statements like these are off-base, because you can absolutely use iron gall inks in most fountain pens as long as you take certain precautions. A few tips:

If you load a pen with iron gall ink, use that pen, especially if it has a steel nib or metal parts, like a piston or vacuum-fill rod. When you hear reports of iron gall inks ruining pens, it typically involves the ink reacting with a steel nib or steel components that come into contact with the ink, and the pen being left to sit for a long period of time unused. You don't need to worry about gold or titanium, but a good rule of thumb that I follow is to use the ink or flush it after a week, regardless of what pen it's in.
Under no circumstances do you mix iron gall inks with non-iron gall inks. If you're emptying a pen that was loaded with an iron gall ink, CLEAN IT WELL. Otherwise, the different inks can react and create clogs.
Vanness Pens has an excellent discussion of iron gall inks and precautions you should take on their KWZ Iron Gall page. (More on the KWZ inks below)

A Montegrappa Fortuna nib that was damaged by old formulation Montblanc Midnight Blue. Note that the black coating on the nib was corroded along the nib slit and at the base. The nib still writes perfectly fine, but this was my fault for leaving the… — A Montegrappa Fortuna nib that was damaged by old formulation Montblanc Midnight Blue. Note that the black coating on the nib was corroded along the nib slit and at the base. The nib still writes perfectly fine, but this was my fault for leaving the ink in the pen for too long. (Approximately two weeks).

Takeaways and Where to Buy

I don't use iron gall inks on a regular basis, but it's not because I have any great fear of damaging my pens. I just generally prefer more lubricated inks. I do, however, keep a couple bottles around in case I need a permanent ink or an ink that works well on super-cheap paper. Standard Platinum blue-black is my personal favorite.

If you're interesting in testing out iron gall inks, Vanness Pens has one of, if not THE, largest selection of modern iron gall inks available. In addition to the Platinum Classic Inks mentioned above (and you can purchase a sample set of all six), Vanness also carries the entire line of iron gall inks by KWZ, which manufactures an extensive range of colors. If you're looking for a traditional blue-black, another option is Diamine's Registrar's ink. Finally, Rohrer & Klingner makes the Salix (blue-black) and Scabiosa (purple-black) iron gall inks that many people love. Montblanc Midnight Blue was reformulated a few years ago to remove and/or significantly reduce the iron gall content because there were reports of it corroding pens (which I experienced personally - check out the picture above).

I'm sure there are other options, and if you are looking for a specific color ink with iron gall properties, reach out to the folks at Vanness Pens. They'll be able to point you in the right direction.

Disclaimer: Vanness Pens provided me with the bottle of ink featured here for review purposes. I was not otherwise compensated for this review.

Two New Notebooks to Watch: Studio Neat Panobook and Baron Fig Raspberry Honey

July 19, 2017

There are so many new notebooks being released right now, that I've had a hard time keeping my head above water! Here are my thoughts on two new offerings that you've probably read a lot about recently: Studio Neat's "panoramic" Panobook, and the latest Baron Fig Confidant, Raspberry Honey.

Studio Neat Panobook

Studio Neat's new "Panobook" is billed as "a new notebook for your desk." Essentially, they've designed a desk pad like the Baron Fig Mastermind in spiral-bound notebook form. The Panobook is designed to sit just above, below, or even to the side of your keyboard, where by using it lengthwise it can serve as an oversized reporter's notebook or miniature legal pad.

Measuring 6.3 inches by 11.34 inches, the Panobook provides ample space for writing, notetaking, brainstorming and sketching out ideas - exactly what most people look for in a large-format desk pad. The dot-grid paper includes subtle "guide markers" to allow you to easily draw rectangles, which may come in handy if you're an app or web designer or someone who uses storyboards. The double-wired spiral binding appears sturdy and tight, and the cover is a soft-touch leatherette material that feels similar to the cover on the Ghost Paper notebook that I reviewed a while back, though the Panobook cover is rigid and not flexible.

The Panobook comes with a slipcover for easy storage after the notebook is finished.

Now, a note on the paper, which is where I ran into, well, not difficulties, but some hiccups that led me to conclude that I probably couldn't use this notebook on a daily basis. The Panobook features Finch Soft White Ultra Smooth 70 lb. text paper, which Studio Neat describes as "super high quality, and perform[ing] well with a variety of writing instruments without smudging and bleeding." This is indeed very nice paper, and I enjoyed the dot grid layout, but I found that the paper was not quite versatile enough to meet my needs. I experienced a fair bit of feathering and pinpoint bleeding with even fine and medium fountain pens. Certain drier inks performed ok (i.e., with minimal bleed) but when it comes to the paper that I use for most of my daily planning and brainstorming - which is what this notebook would be perfect for - I'd prefer to be able to just use my fountain pens and not have to think about how the pen I'm using at the moment is going to perform in the notebook. At this price point, I also want to be able to use both sides of the page.

Overall, the Panobook is a great concept and a well-designed notebook, and with slightly heavier paper might be something that makes its way into my daily arsenal. As the product currently stands, however, there are other desk pads out there that meet my specific - and, admittedly, very exacting - requirements. If you're a fan of gel pens, ballpoints, pencil, or even rollerballs like the Uniball Vision Elite, you'll be fine. Otherwise, I'd back for a single notebook to test out before I stocked up. (The folks at Studio Neat are experienced Kickstarter creators, and their products are typically available on their website fairly soon after the Kickstarter project closes.)

Baron Fig Raspberry Honey

"Raspberry Honey" is the latest in the line of limited edition Confidant notebooks from Baron Fig, which in my opinion, just keep getting better. A collaboration with California-based artist Geoff Gouveia, Raspberry Honey is "one part short story, one part notebook," and each box includes a copy of a short story written and illustrated by Gouveia.

The red with debossed bees might make this my all-time favorite Baron Fig Confidant cover.

The notebook itself features a bright "raspberry" red cover with debossed bees, a pink ribbon, and Baron Fig's excellent dot grid paper. I've reviewed several Baron Fig notebooks in the past, so I won't go into extensive detail on construction, paper quality, etc., but I will say that in the past year or so Baron Fig has improved the paper used in their notebooks. While it may not be the best for especially wet stubs or triple-broad nibs, it's excellent with the medium and fine fountain pens that I use as my daily writers and handles everything I'll throw at it fairly well.

Where You Can Buy These Notebooks

The Studio Neat Panobook is available on Kickstarter, and will close in 9 days. Based on the funding level so far (well over $100,000 pledged on a $20,000 goal), the Panobook will almost certainly fund. If you think this is a product you would use, the best deal is the three-pack for $55, which brings the cost to roughly $18 apiece, in-line with other high-quality bound notebooks. Single books are $20.

The Baron Fig Raspberry Honey is available directly from Baron Fig, priced at $20 with discounts for purchasing more than one. Baron Fig has ended their limited edition subscription program, so you will have to purchase these a la carte.

Disclaimer: I was sent both of these products at no charge for purposes of this review. Thank you to both Studio Neat and Baron Fig for sending these over. This post contains affiliate links.

Pen Case Review: Dee Charles Designs Double Pen Sleeve

July 15, 2017

If there's one thing I don't lack, it's pen cases, pen boxes, pen stands, and other storage options. Once you fall deep into this hobby, you become unnaturally preoccupied with the best way to store, carry, and display your collection. As interest in fountain pens and other high-end writing instruments has experienced a resurgence in recent years, companies have not only begun to product more pens and ink, but also accessories to go along with them. Aston Leather, Franklin-Christoph, Tom Barrington, and now Dee Charles Designs, all make some excellent leather pen sleeves and pen cases. In this review, I'll look at a black leather two-pen sleeve from Dee Charles that Ron at Pen Chalet was kind enough to send me.

Each case features the Dee Charles Designs logo branded onto the front, and comes with the option of colored thread. I opted for red, of course.

What's perhaps most notable about the Dee Charles leather pen sleeve is its simplicity. It's basically two pieces of black leather stitched together to form a pouch, with a line of stitching down the middle to divide the case so the two pens don't touch. Unlike a more expensive case such as those from Tom Barrington, the edges on the Dee Charles pen sleeve are left rough and unfinished. There's also no lining on the inside. To be honest, when I initially received this case, the leather felt extremely stiff, and I worried that it looked a bit "plasticky."

You can see the unfinished edges and interior of this pen case, which I guess is appropriate for the rugged style as well as the price point.

My initial impressions appear to be wrong, and this case has "broken in" nicely. While long-term durability remains to be seen, it's held up well over the past month (during which I've carried it every day) and the leather has definitely become more supple with use. Once it accumulates the creases and scuffs that naturally come with actually using any leather product, the unfinished edges and interior blend a bit and actually lend this case a rugged charm.

On the left, a Montegrappa Fortuna in white/ruthenium, and on the right, my Sailor Pro Gear Imperial Black. The Fortuna is a relatively fat pen, and fits.

Another thing I appreciate is that this double sleeve can hold two big pens fairly easily. At first, the fit was tight, but now that the leather has softened up it can easily hold a TWSBI 580 and my Kanilea Pen Co. Mauna Kea. The Tom Barrington case is a touch too short to hold either of these pens.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

This Dee Charles double pen sleeve is a sturdy option to protect your daily carry pens, and is available at an accessible price. Curiously, I've been able to find very little information about Dee Charle s Designs as a company, and would be interested in learning more. From what I can tell, they're new, and their product line is currently limited to one and two-pen sleeves and a pocket notebook cover. All three products are available in black, "sunrise" (tan), or rawhide leather, and you can choose colored stitching with red, blue, or gold thread to give your case a bit of character. I immediately opted for the black leather with red thread combination, and it's sharp.

You can purchase Dee Charles pen cases from Pen Chalet, priced at just under $20 for a single pen sleeve, $25 for a double sleeve, and $50 for the pocket notebook case. To sweeten the deal, for a limited time Pen Chalet is offering a free pen with your purchase of one of the Dee Charles cases. You will have your choice of a Lamy Logo, a Parker Jotter, or a Pelikan Belle ballpoint pen.

Disclaimer: This product was sent to me by Pen Chalet free of charge for review purposes. This post contains affiliate links.

Photograph by Nathan Oakley, licensed via Creative Commons.

Digital Divide Guest Post: Typewriter Reflections

July 12, 2017

Today's post is a guest submission by longtime reader David Thomson. Many thanks to David for offering us his thoughts on a subject with a lot of meaning to him: typewriters. (It makes me want to go out and order one!)

I have been a long time fountain pen user, having convinced my father to purchase a Montblanc 22 for my graduation from High School 40 years ago. Something about writing with a fountain pen just worked better for my handwriting. Ballpoint or gel pens do not work as well for me, and I avoid them.

During my child-rearing years, I almost exclusively used Pilot Varsity pens. When you have small children around, cheap, disposable, and reliable works well. A couple of years ago, I came upon Brad’s site, and – as many of us have – fell down the rabbit hole. After starting with the Safari, and progressing up the chain, I have found a sweet spot with Franklin-Christoph pens, usually eyedroppered with a steel stub nib or Masuyama grind. I have bought and sold a couple of dozen pens and now have about a dozen with almost 30 inks. Other than the F-C pens, I have a Lamy 2K, Pilot 912, Pilot CH74 (orange), Platinum Nice Pur, and a three Delta pens. I’m pretty happy there, and remain a devoted fan of the Pen Addict Podcast, the Anderson’s Blog, and – of course – The Gentleman Stationer.

Like most of us, I have been noticing over the last several years that being a heavy user of technology can be alienating, and can lead to my days being chopped up into tiny fragments, with my attention fractured. This is not good, since my work – I am a University Professor – requires some concentrated thinking time on a regular basis. Grading student papers, conducting scholarly research, etc.

In today’s world, however, eschewing technology is simply unrealistic. We now have an extraordinary research tool, communications device, and source of entertainment at our fingertips. It would be impossible to do my job – work that I love – without using my devices many times per day. To respond to student inquiries, to keep in touch with colleagues, to prepare for classes, and to research and write scholarship. I am a heavy user of Mac keyboards on five different machines.

But I have felt for some time that something was missing. That the temptations were sometimes too great at the computer to focus on something other than my writing. And while I am no crazy lefty or anti-government crank, I have increasingly been made to feel that anything I put into a computer’s memory is somehow immediately discoverable by whichever government (or just plain snoop) might want to drop in and look around. While I have nothing to hide, most of us like to try out ideas before letting them see the light of day. It is the way humans operated with ideas for thousands of years, up until the last 30 or so.

My father – also a University teacher for part of his career – wrote me letters every week for 40 years. My parents divorced when I was young, and he spent many years in journalism after the divorce. I saw him on Saturdays, and he wrote the letters as a way to keep in touch. Each one of these letters - approximately 2,000 in total – were typewritten, and I kept every one. He never converted to the PC or texting, but instead used the same Royal FP typewriter he was issued at his job in 1962 (and given when he retired). If he had switched to email I might have lost some of them, but I still have each typewritten letter he sent to me stored in plastic tubs in the basement of my home.

My father died two years ago at the age of 89. He lived a good life, and I miss him, but I really miss his letters. They were newsy, about his golf game, and about the political scene (he lived in D.C., so hard to avoid that). When I miss him, I can go get some of his letters from the basement, and hear his “voice” again.

His widow, my step-mother, has avoided cleaning out his study, and I don’t blame her. A hard thing to do after 43 years of marriage. But when she gets to that task, she knows I would like his old typewriter. Just as a memento – I couldn’t type anything on it. It has been silenced by his absence, and should stay that way.

Thinking about his typewriter got me to do some research on the subject. And guess what? There is a surprisingly large and devoted group of typewriter collectors and users, not unlike the fountain pen community.

Typewriters have a few advantages over computers, I have discovered. For many of us, writing on a computer keyboard allows us to edit and correct mistakes as we write, which can interfere with the writing process. It is generally much better to write without the ability to go backwards and correct as you go. A typewriter makes you just keep on writing and then makes editing/reworking your writing as a fully separate step. As a result, when using a typewriter you have to think more carefully and more deeply while you are writing, and the writing improves as a result.

Many contemporary writers still chose to use a typewriter. Among them are David McCollough, Robert Caro, Woody Allen, and Paul Auster. They chose to write first drafts on a typewriter very intentionally – it helps them to think and compose at a pace they believe produces better writing. There are wonderful video clips of each of these writers describing their process, all easily found. The actor Tom Hanks is a user of typewriters, and he has a large collection of them. In an effort to bridge the Analog/Digital divide, he has developed an app that recreates the typewriter experience on the iPad.

There is a terrific recently published book called The Typewriter Revolution, written by Richard Polt, also a University professor and a typewriter collector and restorer. He created The Typewriter Manifesto, which attest to the benefits of writing “old-school.” There are Type-ins – gatherings of typewriter enthusiasts – and street poets who use a typewriter to compose poetry on-demand.

I myself now have a growing collection of typewriters, and the first draft of this post was written on an Olympia SM9, manufactured in 1966 - over 50 years ago. It is a fine machine, all metal and precise German engineering. I also have an earlier Olympia – the SM3 – from 1958. And a Smith Corona from 1957 and another from 1934. Recently I found a Remington portable in an Antique store from 1928. It is almost 90 years old and it still works perfectly.

The parallels between the fountain pen community and the resurgent typewriter community are seemingly many. In fountain pens, we appreciate beautiful design, and we are not afraid to adhere to and even celebrate a technology that is perceived by many to be out of date and obsolete. We appreciate different functionality between different models, as well as designs from many years ago, items no longer made and not likely to be. And we enjoy tinkering with and fixing up things that many would overlook or discard. You can get beautiful examples of typewriters on eBay in great shape in the range of 50-75 USD.

There are blogs for typewriter enthusiasts, as you might suspect. Many of them are “Typecasts” – which are actually typewritten posts of which a digital picture is taken and posted to the blog (that’s Analog/Digital right there!) Also, there are a few bloggers that combine an interest in fountain pens and typewriters. And I recently learned on an episode of the Pen Addict that Ana Reinert sold out a small collection of typewriters at the Arkansas Pen Show.

Despite the growth of Typecasts, one of the great advantages for many is that a typewriter is not connected to the Internet, and thus no one can see or read or judge what you are writing unless you decide to show them or put it in an envelope and affix a stamp.

So the resurgent typewriter community is exploring the Analog/Digital divide in a number of interesting ways, and has a lot in common with the fountain pen community. Many fountain pen users have been discovering that sometimes it is better to make the Analog choice, and I have found – somewhat to my amazement – that turning to a typewriter to bang out first rough drafts of my writing and presentation notes to work very well.

I just wish I could tell my Dad.

Disclaimer: The thoughts and writing in this post are all David's, slightly edited by me (Joe) for length and to add links to certain web content and books that he mentions. Some of the links may be to sponsors/affiliates of this blog.