I'm a sucker for blue-black inks. So when Nick Stewart offered me the chance to try a sample of his new ink, Randall (named after one of Nick's aquatic adventurer friends), I jumped at it. I don't claim to the mastery of ink and lettering that Nick has, but even I can see that Randall … Continue reading A very special blue-black: “Randall” by Nick Stewart
inks
The return of Mabie Todd: Blackbird Inks
Mabie Todd is one of those vintage pen manufacturers that everyone's heard of, but I confess I've never used one, or even held one. A Google suggests that it started as an American company in NYC pre-1900, but became established as a quintessentially British brand that persisted until the 1950s, long after the American operations … Continue reading The return of Mabie Todd: Blackbird Inks
Ink-oming!
I've gone a bit mad with ink purchases (and review samples) in the past few weeks. You'll no doubt have seen the Pure Pens roundup. Well, I now have samples of six beautiful new Blackbird inks from British maker Mabie Todd. Here's a sneak peek: I can tell you now that a couple of these … Continue reading Ink-oming!
Pure Pens inks: Celtic colours
In the UK we're blessed with a number of wonderful stationery shops. Pure Pens, based in Wales, is one of them. They're a fixture at pen shows and a stockist of unusual Noodler's inks (I bought my bottle of Tianenmen from them back at the LWES). And, like me, they're Pelikan addicts. Pure Pens has … Continue reading Pure Pens inks: Celtic colours
To boldly go: Colorverse Inks
I like discovering new brands, particularly ones that approach well-trodden ground from a whole new angle. Colorverse is a Korean ink manufacturer that I encountered on Instagram a couple of weeks ago. I immediately got in touch to ask for some review samples. What caught my eye? Space theme — done thoroughly All of Colorverse's … Continue reading To boldly go: Colorverse Inks
The 10-ink challenge: set one
For a pen geek like me, few things are as agonising as choosing between inks. Picking one means consigning a dozen others to the shelf for weeks. I can prevaricate for a ludicrous amount of time choosing inks. So I thought it would be a good test of my decisiveness to pick 10 inks from … Continue reading The 10-ink challenge: set one
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
My new favourite orange? Sailor Kin-Mokusei
I have a sneaking adoration of orange inks, partly because they're so different from the dark, heavy colours I normally write with; they're like a palate-cleanser. It's also that they typically shade wonderfully, and are dark enough to use for writing (which yellow inks often aren't). So of my nearly 80 bottles of ink, I've … Continue reading My new favourite orange? Sailor Kin-Mokusei
A gem of an ink: Monteverde Fire Opal
I'm a sucker for shading orange/red inks. One of my all-time favourites is Diamine Ancient Copper. Another is Diamine Autumn Oak. This ink, Monteverde Fire Opal, falls smack in between them. It's a relatively new ink, and until now wasn't available in the UK. I'm heading out to California in a couple of weeks and … Continue reading A gem of an ink: Monteverde Fire Opal
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
