Hand Over That Pen

Katherine: As many of you know, I’ve been “upgrading” my collection at a pretty rapid clip over the last year. The SF Show quickly approaches and about a year ago, my most expensive pen was a Danitrio… but other than that, I’d never spent more than $120 on a pen. That’s changed quite a bit, so this month I thought I’d revisit the cheaper side of the hobby — I inked up a Lingmo blue demonstrator with some Hero Pink ink (the entire set of ten colors was $30!). It’s a slim pen, but I love the pairing of a bright ink on the clear feed of the Lingmo! A bright and sunny combo for the summer!

Pam:  July is the peak of the summer months here in California.  My inky homage to the cloudless (and hot) days and swimming pools during this time of year is Sailor Souten!  I was lucky enough to get my hands on a Pilot MYU with a Fine nib.  (Thank you Andrew!) The feed has a chip on it that creates a wetter ink flow.  (It writes more of a Medium Fine to me.)  With the extra flow of the pen, and the unique design, I had a hard time finding an ink and pen combination that I loved…until I tried Sailor Souten.  Sailor Souten is reminiscent (if not identical) to Sailor Sky High.  The bright color and sheen really comes through with the extra wetness with this Pilot MYU.  The bright color of the ink is a great compliment to the minimalistic design and color of the MYU.  It’s like the unexpected bright pocket square to a gray suit.  Or maybe this is a pen-ink version of the mullet:  The pen looks like it means business, but the ink is a party.

Franz: Aww man! July has been a busy month for me and I’m “grateful” that I have my pen friends and my pens to keep me going. #hotpGratefulInJuly! It took me a while to decide which pen and ink pairing I’d be highlighting for July for I have a “few” pens inked up. I’ve decided to feature my 2016 Limited Edition Stealth Glenmont from the Edison Pen Co. I acquired number 101 of 150 last October of 2016 and I was lucky because this pen was sold out less than 12 hours when it was announced by Brian Gray. Being that this is a black pen, the ink options are unlimited and I initially inked it up last year with a blue-black ink.

This month, I was reminded of what my friend Gerald (@mycoffeepot) once said. “Stealth pens crave pink ink”, April 2013. (And by the way, he does pen reviews on YouTube) So, I got myself a bottle of Pilot Iroshizuku Tsutsuji and satisfied my stealth pen’s craving. With the broad cursive italic nib customized by Dan “The Nibsmith” Smith, the juicy ink flow brings out Tsutsuji’s gorgeous color. And that sheen! =) I’ve been happily journaling with this pen and it’s almost time to refill the converter.

Katherine: My pairing for the month is, once again just based on usage — a Ban-ei Kamakura-bori vintage urushi pen + Diamine Eclipse. I bought this pen while I was in Japan last month, but it only arrived a couple weeks ago since Eurobox had to complete the restoration. I paired it with Diamine Eclipse because the pen holds a whopping 3ml of ink — and I really like Eclipse and haven’t used in a while. I predict I’ll be using it for weeks to come. I really like Eclipse since it’s a dark, dark purple ink that’s very work friendly, but has some hidden character. The pen, on the other hand is full of fantastic detail… but doesn’t really match the Eclipse. Oh well. 😛

Pam: The skies are clearing up and the hotter spring nights are great for seeing the stars. So my ink and pen pairing for May is the Sailor Pro Gear Slim in the Galaxy finish with Private Reserve Electric DC Blue.

The dark blue ink has an incredible red sheen that reminds me of the night sky and the depths of space.  The sheen shows up even with the EF nib on the Pro Gear Slim, granted, the nib has a great balance of fine line and wetness. In my not so discerning opinion, the sheen rivals that of the famous Robert Oster inks like Fire and Ice.

Some people have reservations about Private Reserve or Noodlers inks potentially causing damage to a pen.  I can only attest for the Electric DC Blue, but I have not had any issue with this ink in my beloved Galaxy.

Franz: My pairing for May is a personal (read as emotional) one and please be advised that this will have a different feel from my usual write-up. I inked up my Teal Parker 45 with Sheaffer Skrip Peacock Blue ink. I believe the pen matches this turquoise ink quite nicely. It’s also a great vintage ink for a nice vintage-y pen.

I chose to ink the Parker 45 as a homage to the Queen of ink, Susan Wirth. She recently passed away unexpectedly this month. I acquired this pen from Susie’s table at the 2016 LA Pen Show and it has an italic nib. If I’m not mistaken, the Parker 45 is one of her favorite pens as well. She’s also a great advocate of writing with Italic nibs.

Susie was the first person who taught me about writing with an italic nib. I can still hear her distinct voice in my head as she says, “An italic gives you traction in your writing. Without it, it’s like a car that goes all over the road.”. I met Susie at the 2012 SF Pen Show and I immediately learned a lot from her. At the time, I did not know that she went to every US pen show and that she had been attending shows since mid-1980’s. But as I continued to attend the LA and SF Pen Shows annually, I’ve learned how much of a big part of the community she is.  At the 2016 LA pen show, I brought my mom along and when she met Susie, she got the Susan Wirth Experience. This resulted with my Mom buying her first flexible nib fountain pen. So just like me, my Mom learned a lot from Susie at her first pen show.

Susie is already missed in the pen community but I know that she will live on in our hearts and in our writing. Thank you for everything Susie!

Katherine: It’s still March as I write this — I’m picking a little early since I’ll be out of town for a lot of April. But, even though it’s March, I have no doubt I’ll keep this pen inked through April. 🙂 My pairing for the month is my new Newton Pens Prospector and Montblanc Tolstoy. I chose BSea’s Galaxy Trek resin, which reminds me of the deep ocean. It’s a dark, almost black, blue in many areas with swirls of lighter blue and even white and an occasional brown. I had to pair it with a blue ink, and I chose Tolstoy. There could be lots of reasons for this pairing… blue and blue, reminders of my childhood (swimming off islands in the Philippines and wondering what lurked in the dark waters… and my numerous failed attempts at reading War and peace as a 13 year old), but really it’s just because that’s the blue ink I had on hand when I ripped open the Prospector’s box a few days ago. I only had the presence of mind to record an unboxing video because my boyfriend, Shamiq, suggested it. Then I grabbed the bottle of ink on my desk, filled the pen and proceeded to oooh and aaah over the pen and the shiro nib. And, because I can see into the future, I’m sure I’ll still be ooohing and aaahing over this pen in a couple weeks.

Pam:  Spring is in the air!  The air is still crisp and a breeze is still about.  We still get the occasional rain this season, which just makes me want to curl up with a *mug* of coffee and a good book.  In lieu of that possibility, I chose Pelikan M200 Cafè Créme to be paired with Robert Oster Caffè Crema!  This particular pen has a wonderful architect nib done by Dan Smith of the Nib Smith fame. It shows off the subtle shades of this pen quite well and keeping a crisp line.

I considered this combination for more of an autumn month, but my love for coffee, Robert Oster inks and Pelikan flocks is year round.

Franz: April’s pairing for me is the Pelikan M800 Grand Place Special Edition release, and the newly released Pelikan Edelstein Smoky Quartz which is their Ink of the Year for 2017.

Now I’ve got quite a few.. ahem.. a lot of inked up pens especially after March’s 6 Pen Challenge so this month’s pairing is a true winner at the moment. The ink is definitely a very nice brown which matches the creamy swirls of the pen. The nib of the M800 is a juicy fine cursive italic nib ground by Dan Smith (The NibSmith), and that generous flow creates spots in my writing wherein the ink pools to an almost black. So far, I’ve got only bought the ne bottle of this ink to test it out but I think a second bottle will be in my inventory sooner than later.

While writing with the M800 Grand Place, I catch myself sometimes just pausing admiring the chatoyant swirls of the pen. It’s almost hypnotic.

Writing Samples (click to enlarge)

Thanks for your time, and keep enjoying your pens. And please tell us what new ink pairings you’ve discovered recently.

Pam:  I can’t take credit for this pairing; it was serendipity, actually.  Robert Oster has made a stunning and wonderful ink that has caught the fancy of many pen lovers. In the meantime, I was drooling over the turquoise Sailor from Wancher.  They happen to arrive around the same time so ta da! Perfect match!

Robert Oster’s Fire and Ice  is a beautiful dark turquoise with a great red sheen and is aptly named.  The MF nib of the Sailor pen is a bit wetter and broader than my usual preference, but with this ink, I wouldn’t want it any other way.  It’s the perfect nib for ALL THE SHEEN! I am working on enlarging my microscopic penmanship to do justice for such a perfect OTP (one true pairing).

Katherine: I picked this month’s pairing based on what I’ll be using the most — a custom faceted pen by Romulus Pens and Pilot Ku-jaku. John of Romulus pens made this pen as a proof of concept (Possibly because I couldn’t shut up about how much I loved facets while I was hunting for a Nakaya Decapod Mini) and sent it to me to test drive. I have a custom one on order and hope to see it in the next few weeks (hint hint).

When the pen arrived, I was almost afraid to ink it up, the clear body its nine facets were so pretty — they reminded me of a prism. But, a pen is a pen and it’s meant to be used — so I picked Pilot Iroshizuku Ku-jaku. I wanted a bright ink since I’d see it sloshing around, but I also wanted something I’d be able to use at work without getting too many weird looks — so a bright blue it is! I’ve swapped a Franklin-Christoph Masuyama Needlepoint nib into it and it’s a joy to use… but I predict that I’ll be writing with this pen for a long time before I write it dry.

Franz: I have chosen my vintage Eversharp Skyline pen, and the Sailor Four Seasons Oku-Yama ink as my pairing for March. This Skyline is a Standard size and had an unmarked fine-medium gold nib. The Skyline is one of my favorite vintage pen models and they were produced from 1941 until it was discontinued in 1948. I am not sure as to when this pen was exactly made though. This pen is part of my six pens for the ongoing #6PenChallenge17 for March. Here’s a link if you don’t know what I’m talking about https://www.handoverthatpen.com/2017/02/26/6penchallenge/

The Sailor Oku-Yama is such a perfect match for this pen because of the red/burgundy color and the nice gold sheen. This ink echoes the red and gold color of the pen quite nicely. Also at the 2016 SF Pen Show, I had Mr. Mike Masuyama turn the nib into a smooth Cursive Italic so it has been a usual pen in rotation for me. It’s got some nice springiness as well.

What are your recent pen and ink pairings?

Writing Samples (click to enlarge)

Pam:  Have you ever bought a pen because you were so blinded by it’s beauty? Well, the Pelikan White Tortoise (with EF nib) was that pen for me.  When I indulged in my “pen binge of 2016” (Thanks Franz!) I had bought the pen at a great deal but was very lost on it’s place in my collection when I received it.  (I didn’t expect to get more than one grail pen within a year, I thought I had more time to consider these things!!)  Most unfortunate was that despite the beauty of the pen, I couldn’t find a pen that compelled me to want to write with it.

I found Rohrer Klingner Alt-Goldrun to be underwhelming in the EF nib despite it matching to the beautiful Pelikan binde.   I didn’t find a brown ink that I liked enough to keep using in this pen.  I didn’t think a blue ink would “compliment” the White Tortie very well.  After almost year of testing pen and ink combinations and long hiatuses of not using the pen, I considered “shelving” the Tortie.  (Couldn’t bring myself to sell the pen either. It’s pen purgatory!)

Instagram and fellow pen lovers to the rescue!!! It was Heidi from Four Fifty Two (I think) who inked up Yama-budo in her White Tortie.  I finally took the plunge and copied the genius combination!  What a pairing!

I find the wetter EF nib to be great with Yama-budo since it provides more ink to the page and thus a more saturated color. (My first foray with this color was in a super DRY nib that led me to believe that this ink was more pink than crimson.) The color itself is beautiful and most importantly, readable.  The color is dark enough for great readability, but is not your usual blue or black, or even purple.  The color is so unique and the gold sheen really clinched this ink for me.

Katherine: My pairing for Feb has been my Sailor Sapporo Bung Box Silent Night & KWZ Twilight. Limited editions galore. My Silent Night has a wonderful wet Zoom nib in it — perfect for showing off the varied shades of KWZ Twilight. Additionally, the pen and ink pair thematically to me — the bright to dark teals of KWZ Twilight fade into the dark blue, almost black of the Silent Night. If only KWZ Twilight glittered in its darkest spots. Actually, if I had one wish for this ink, it would be that I had more than a sample. Hence, only the pen is pictured above.

Franz: My pen and ink pairing for the month of February are both new to me within the month. It is the Retro 51 Marlin EXT fountain pen, and the Monteverde Capri Blue ink. I have wanted the Marlin pen since last year and when I heard it was being discontinued, I “had” to have it. On the Vanness Pens site (www.vanness1938.com), I found their last one so I purchased it right away as my “birthday” pen. Once I got it, I immediately inked it up with the Monteverde Capri Blue. This was the first pen I’ve inked with the Capri Blue and I’m very happy how it matches the swirls in the barrel of the Marlin. The ink’s color is also usable for my workplace so it’s a pairing I can use both for the home and office.

Now to top this pairing off, I had Mr. Mike Masuyama (www.mikeitwork.com) transform the medium nib into his cursive italic grind at the recently held LA Pen Show. Writing sample in the photo below. So the Marlin has become one of my top favorite pens. The Marlin will be a mainstay in my lineup for the 6 Pen Challenge that I will be participating in the whole month of March.

What are your recent pen and ink pairings?

This is a new series of posts for us. Each month we’ll pick a pen an ink pairing and share why we love it. What are your favorite pairings? And please give us feedback — we love comments!

Pam:  I tend to make pen and ink “one true pairings,” as in, once a pen and ink are well paired, they are almost permanently paired for me.  My first OTP was the Lamy 2000, EF nib with Sailor Yama-dori.  The Lamy 2000 didn’t sing, and arguably, a disappointment due to my original ink choice.  I thought the nib was too wide, too wet, and created a “weird” line.  However, once I put in Sailor Yama-dori, thie “too wet” was just right to show off the beautiful red sheen on the perfectly teal ink.  The “too wide” and “weird line” became a semi-architect  because I could actually see the difference between my vertical and horizontal strokes.  I haven’t inked up the Lamy 2000 with any other ink since its second inking.

Katherine: If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know that I got my first Nakaya (unboxing video here). Nibs.com had ONE ao-tamenuri (blue-green) Piccolo left, and I couldn’t resist. When the pen arrived I waffled over what ink to ink it with — something I knew I loved, or a totally new ink? I went with Akkerman #24 Zuiderpark Blauw-Groen, which I suspected would match the blue-green accents on the pen — and I was right! The ink flows well, but is on the dry side and matches the pen perfectly. After reveling in my perfect match, I found out that Franz (who I got my sample of Akkerman #24 from) bought the ink to match his Ao-Tamenuri pen… great minds think alike!

Franz: I’m excited about this post because I know that most pen folk are particular about the inks they use on their pens. I mean, that’s one of the biggest appeal of using fountain pens. It’s the ability of being able to choose your preferred ink, your own nib size/grind, and the perfect size of the pen for your hand. We’re not even tackling paper choices yet. That may be for another kind of blog post. Haha!

So for this month of January, I’d like to feature my pairing of my custom Edison Huron in Flecked Tortoise and the Pelikan 4001 Turquoise. The Pelikan Turquoise has become one of my top 5 favorite inks for the past years and I’ve become accustomed to its properties. The color of this ink is a nice complement to the rich brown tortoiseshell acrylic. The Huron sports a broad cursive italic customized by Mr. Brian Gray and the width of the line shows off the ink’s color and sometimes its sheen. Following Pam’s strategy, this may be my O.T.P. for this pen.

Here’s a writing sample.

Don’t forget to let us know what your favorite pairings are! Thank you!