Testing out Hippo Noto x Kiwi Midnight Anemone ink in a Sailor Fude pen on Tomoe River paper. There are a lot of blue-red sheening inks that would make for a solid violant, but this is my favorite combo so far. In person, you really can’t tell what color it is, and the contrast slaps you in the face! The drying time is an eternity, though.
Anyway, I was paying close attention to the responses to last night’s post. Time to forge handwriting correspond with the colleagues!
Also known as the most popular fountain pen ever made. The original production run lasted from 1941 to 1972 and sold at least 20 million pens.
As simple as it looks, it has some features that were groundbreaking at the time. The cap is a slip cap, when everybody else was using screw threads. The nib is tube shaped, making it especially rugged. Said nib is protected by a plastic hood so that only the point sticks out, to minimize drying when uncapped.
And the plastic is acrylic, which has stood the test of time. No cracking, no shrinking, no weird discoloration. Look at this sleek little bullet of a pen!
It's a nice size, lightweight and well balanced. And it writes beautifully.
Also, fun fact, this was Queen Elizabeth II's favorite pen. She had a red one.
I think in any industry there's a model that just works. Like, all the engineering comes together in such a way that you get exactly what you were aiming for. There are prettier fountain pens than the 51, and many more expensive. But the 51 is pure Fountain Pen in the best way.
i don’t think anyone will care too much ab this besides me but look at this beauuuuutiful fountain pen im getting myself!! i got sparkly gold ink to go in it :D
Tried a daily prompt setup for this week of journaling. Sometimes it's nice to have somewhere to start but I don't always need a prompt. I like the way the sections look but I also found the space too small some days. Day of the week stickers are for sale in my shop if you're interested!
I pray you never stop Caturdays good sir, its one of my most defining experiences on 2023 tumblr. Came for the swords, stayed for the cats!
Thanks for the compliment! :-D
I've got no intention of stopping Caturday; last time I counted with any care, about 70% of my queued posts were of cats or in some way cat-related.
The rest are swords, armour and interesting old weapons, fountain-pens and writing, food, drink and making or consuming same, train travel, classic cars and the many other things that interest me.
There are also crossovers, sometimes fanciful...
...sometimes realistic.
This ad reads "I no longer write like a cat..."
Since abandoning regular ballpoints in favour of gels and fountain pens, I no longer write like an inky-footed spider on a trampoline in an earthquake. I have been assured that this Is A Good Thing.
If bribed with treats, this cat will not knock your pen to the floor.
Probably.
The thing about cats in kitchens is that no matter how disinterested they appear to be...
...they're almost always Planning Something.
Here's one way a cat can be on a train.
Here's another.
Indoor travel is better.
And if a train's not available, try a car. A classic car, for preference...
That car is a Rover 12-P2 from the late 1940s; this one is a Ford Consul Mk 1 from the mid 1950s.
So, lately I've joined a Fountain Pen community online, and the people there are first rate enablers, bringing out the worst in my hoarding tendencies.
So, huh, this post is going nowhere, I just want to show off my collection so far... enjoy?
I'm honestly sad about everything going on with Reddit. Some of the little communities are amazing. Like r/fountainpens. We're just a bunch of nerds sharing our pens and inks, and getting advice on more pens and inks. We've got pen makers and pen restorers, people who want every color of a pen model, people who drop thousands on a handmade urushi lacquer pen, people just discovered the hobby thanks to a disposable pen, and this one dude determined to make the flexiest flex nib in existence. It's all super friendly and laid-back.
There aren't a lot of places where I can share the joy of scoring an antique BHR ringtop with a 18k gold cutout overlay and flex nib that I found on eBay.
So I guess I'll just have to post that stuff here instead: