Fountain Pen Day 2016

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Happy Fountain Pen Day to pen friends everywhere!

 

The first Friday in November is Fountain Pen Day.  This is a worldwide movement that was started 5 years ago by Cary Yeager, aka Fountain Pen Day on [Instagram][1] and [Twitter][2].  I’m amazed at how this thing has grown exponentially over the past few years, no doubt due to Cary’s enthusiasm and the awesomeness that is comprises the pen community.  According to the Fountain Pen Day website, in 2012 (Year 1) there were 49 participating vendors and 600 people celebrating.    Based on my rough count, there is approximately 110 vendors this year and I read/heard somewhere that 20,000 people are participating!

So today, I plan on fully enjoying my fountain pens by writing lots starting with this little entry in my Hobonichi Techo.

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Throwback Thursday: Tactile Turn Gist Titanium EF + Noodler's Raven Black

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Continuing on the summer theme for Throwback Thursday,  we take a look back at another pen + ink combo from my July line-up.  Now, I’ve had in my mind to do a fulsome review of Noodler’s Raven Black so this Throwback will have a little more than usual. 

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Currently Inked: November 2016

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October came and went in a flash!  With the Scriptus pen showthis past Sunday and yesterday being Halloween, I didn't have much time to prepare my pen + ink combos for November.  Without further ado, here they are...

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Throwback Thursday: Quick Look at Pilot/Namiki Vanishing Point Raden Water Surface + Pilot Iroshizuku Kon Peki

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For this week’s Throwback I’m revisiting a pen + ink combo from my July line-up.  Some of you will know that the Vanishing Point Raden Galaxy with Medium nib is one of my first fountain pens.  I love the VP but I always felt that the medium nib a bit too wide for my taste.  So when I got the Raden Water Surface, I got the fine nib.  The first thing I did was ink it up with Kon-Peki. 

 

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Currently Inked: Loadout for Weekend Hockey Tournament

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October has been fairly light in terms of travel but duty called. This time the duties as a hockey mom which involved going with my son and his team to the city of Kitchener for a hockey tournament. Originally this was supposed to be a 3 day trip but cut short by the sad reality that our team did not make it into the final day of the tournament. On a positive note, it gave me an opportunity to plan another pen + ink load out.

Apart from my must-bring Hobo and TN, I wanted to bring whatever pens and paper I could fit inside a larger case. The case I had in mind was the A5 sized Lihit Lab Teffa Bag in Bag. I was expecting to travel a lot from rink to rink and I wanted a self-contained writing tool kit that I could bring along.

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Scriptus 2016 - Toronto's Pen & Writing Show

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I'm planning to attend the Scriptus 2016 Pen Show in Toronto this coming Sunday, October 30th. I'm putting this on the blog before I have a chance to change my mind.  You see, I've never been to a pen show before and the thought of seeing throngs of vendors and attendees both frightens and excites me.  

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Lamy Lx vs. Lamy Al-Star

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The Lamy Al-Star and it’s entry-level sibling, the Lamy Safari are part of most fountain pen users' pen journeys. If you’ve followed my blog for some time, you may have noticed that [two Lamy Al-Stars][0] frequently make appearances: 2014 Special Edition Blue Green and the 2015 Special Edition Copper Orange.

 

I have yet to do reviews for the Al-Stars but they are on the list. Straight-up, I love them. I find the moulded grip comfortable. The shape of the barrel is sleek and modern. I love the way they write.

 

With this being the 50th anniversary of Lamy Bauhaus design, and being a Lamy aficionado, I was excited to see what Lamy had in store for us. Prior to the reveal, I had put the Lamy 2000 50th anniversary pen on my [wish list][0]. After the reveal I adopted a “wait and see” approach on the Lamy 2000. I was, however, attracted to the Lamy Lx.

 

So, when the pens hit the shelves at [Wonder Pens][1], I think 1-2 weeks before our friends to the south, I put an order in for the rose gold version of the Lamy Lx. They also come in ruthenium, palladium and gold colours.

 

This is not intended to be a detailed review of the Lamy Lx but rather, a quick comparison of the Lamy Lx with the Al-Star.

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Throwback Thursday: Quick Look at Platinum 3776 Century Sai + Bungbox Kotohogi Kurenai (New Year Red)

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We’ve had a couple of unseasonably warm days here.  So for this weeks’ Throwback Thursday, I revisit a hot red pen + ink combo from my July line-up.

Handwritten Review

Pen: Platinum 3776 Century Sai F

Ink: Bungbox Kotohogi Kurenai(New Year Red)

Paper: Rhodia No. 16 Grid

> I mean, this is not a dark red.  It’s bright.  Kind of a water colour type look when it dries.  But it doesn’t look at all pink.  I didn’t think this ink would be good for writing but it’s OK.  Even in this Platinum medium nib.  I’m not sure I would go with a narrower nib than this one though.  I did enjoy having this ink in the line-up just to have something very bright.  Sunny.  I could actually live with this as a daily writer.  Of course, it works for emphasis, accents, etc.  This ink flows well.  It’s lubricated just right.  Well-behaved on Rhoda.  I don’t think I have many red inks so this is something a bit different for me.


**Closing Comments**

On a sad note, this review was one of the last things I wrote with this Platinum 3776 Century Sai before it’s nib made a break for freedom [down the drain][2] whilst I was cleaning it.  I miss using that crystal clear pen and that sweet nib!!

[2]: http://pendorasbox.com/blog/2016/8/30/pen-cleaning-disaster-again

This red ink is hard to miss.  I enjoy using it for annotations or editing.  Is it the perfect teacher’s red?

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Throwback Thursday: Quick Look at Franklin-Christoph Pocket 40 Blue-Violet and Ice + Pilot Iroshizuku Asa Gao

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For this weeks’ Throwback Thursday, we take a look at another pen and ink combination from my July line-up.

Handwritten Review

Pen: Franklin-Christoph Pocket 40 Blue-Violet and Ice 1.1
Ink: Pilot Iroshizuku Asa Gao
Paper: Rhodia No. 16 Grid


 

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Currently Inked: Loadout for Short Cottage Escape

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Last Wednesday, I posted some picturesI took on a recent hike. In fact, I went on a 1 night, 1 day get away trip to the cottage with the family. To be precise, we headed up on Friday night, September 30th. And headed back home on October 1st. I pondered a bit on what pens I should take seeing as I still had a couple of September inked pens to use up and my planned pens for October were only partially inked up. So, I did what any rational pen addict would do for a 1 day trip that starts at the last day of one month and ends on the first day of the next month: I took all pens in sight! 

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