If you remember way back to the start of the year, I set myself a challenge of using only 12 inks for my daily use in 2019. My only exceptions were to be for reviews and other 'one off' uses. So, three months in, how am I getting on? In short: much better than I … Continue reading 12 inks for 2019: progress report and substitutions
currently inked
A week of old favourites, Manchester, and looking ahead to the London Pen Show…
I moaned in my State of the Collection blog recently that I had a lot of old favourites sitting unloved in my pen drawer. So for this week's loadout I'm leaving the Karas Ink, Nakaya and Conids behind and rediscovering old flames. I'm taking a brief trip for work to Manchester this week, which will … Continue reading A week of old favourites, Manchester, and looking ahead to the London Pen Show…
State of the collection: March 2019
24 pens It's been a while. I've just sold a few pens, and my collection is feeling trim and tight. Here's how it stands today. Not included are pens that I've cleaned up and put away for sale. The Italians (and French) Five Italian pens in my collection. I consider that a decent amount, but … Continue reading State of the collection: March 2019
Friday five
Magnificent seven has been going pretty well. Time to take it to the next level: Friday five. Same principle, two fewer pens. Here's week one. Conid Minimalistica Monarch, Sailor Kin-Mokusei I've been persevering with the Conid, and today flushed out the Montblanc UNICEF, tried Montblanc Red Chine, then flushed and inked with this orange, in … Continue reading Friday five
The magnificent seven: week five
My poor pen collection has had a very disruptive week. Two of the pens in my week four selection (the Pineider and Diplomat) went into the 'for sale' pile, so I took them out of rotation. But I wrote the Lamy 2000 dry, and had good runs with the 149 and Optima. And then today … Continue reading The magnificent seven: week five
The magnificent seven: week two
Last week's seven turned out great. I used every pen heavily, with the exception of the Pelikan M400. At last I managed to gel with the Pilot 823, although it still doesn't feel 'right' to me every time I pick it up. The Montegrappa Extra and Montblanc 1912 proved deliciously smooth for evening journalling; the … Continue reading The magnificent seven: week two
The great uninking
I'll admit it. Things had got a little out of control. I had eighteen inked pens this morning. It's not the first time I've had more pens inked than I know what to do with (when new inks and new pens turn up, they get added to the pile), but I don't think I've ever had quite … Continue reading The great uninking
Currently inked: November 2017
I've got 11 inked pens. Right now, that's feeling like an achievement. With new pens and new inks to try, I'm fighting to keep to a manageable number. But I'm pretty happy with this loadout. Not quite my usual loadout. Where's the turquoise?! 1: Visconti Homo Sapiens — Aurora Black I admit, I'm struggling to … Continue reading Currently inked: November 2017
Currently inked: before the Great Flush
I've been writing as much as ever over the past couple of months, but there have been very few changes — partly because I've inked so many high-capacity piston fillers, and partly because my M805 got a complete writing dry before I reviewed it and sent it off for a nib swap. As of yesterday … Continue reading Currently inked: before the Great Flush
UK fountain pens 