Calling all artists! Can you draw me a dizzy pen?

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I really wish I could draw, but alas I cannot.

I’d really like to have a drawing of a fountain pen (personified) that appears to be dizzy.

I’m thinking the pen is at an angle with star and dizzy lines (maybe birds) swirling around its head. Maybe even with its eyes crossed or something like that.

I know it sounds silly, but it’d be really nice. If you want payment we might be able to work something out…

Can anyone help with this? If you can please reply here or send an email to dizzypen at gmail dot com.

Thanks a lot!

I’m thinking something along these lines:

image from herbalgranny.com

Pilot Iroshizuku!

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This post marks the beginning of an Iroshizuku segment. I’ve got 8 samples and 2 bottles of Iroshi to get through. This ink is truly amazing. It is fantastic stuff. The colors on the whole are quite unique.

As mentioned in the Iroshizuku Price Hike and Finding Affordable Substitutes post, this ink now has an MSRP of $35 (you can find it for $28 at JetPens). I personally refuse to spend that much on a bottle of ink, so I’m on the look out for suitable (and cheaper) alternatives. So, the format for these reviews is going to be  a bit different. First, I’m going to review the Iroshi ink, then I’m going to show you an alternative to it if I’ve found one.

I hope you will enjoy it. In the meantime, let me show you a scan of the 10 Iroshi inks in question. NOTE: you might need something to catch your drool…

(You can click to enlarge this photo, but be forewarned, it is HUGE.)

Note2: The bottom and side portions are written using a Speedball B-5 1/2 dip pen nib. It writes just like a western broad nib. The paper is from a Rhodia N° 18 Blank pad.

No Affil.

I Just Purchased a Manual Typewriter!

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Someone posted a question on FPN about manual typewriters and whether anyone owned one. This immediately peaked my interest. I love all things old and writing related, so why not? It’s a writing instrument right?

After about half a second of thought I decided I absolutely had to have one. I ran it past hubby; he showed no objections. So, off to the antique stores I went. After three hours of searching and a couple hours of wiping, scrubbing, and oiling here’s what I got:

This is a 1950 Royal Quiet De Luxe manual typewriter!

It was in exceptional condition, and it is in perfect working order. I’ve already been typing away on it.

Anyway, this is just a sneak peak. There will be a typecast review of it in a few weeks!

Tips For Buying From A Pen Board (via An Inkophile’s Blog)

This is sounds advice, and a highly recommended read. Just like Inkophile, I was recently burned in a message board pen deal. Like her the seller agreed to pay for the nib to be fixed, but it was more of a hassle than I bargained for.

Read. Digest. Integrate.

Dizzy

This truly is a long post. Not interested in reading the details? If I were you I might not either so key points are listed below for those who prefer CliffsNotes to the full story. No offense taken if that works for you. Key Points: Don’t let the pressure (competition) best your common sense. Message board participation does not make a reliable seller. Read the fine print as well as between the lines. Ask questions and pay close attention to how … Read More

via An Inkophile’s Blog

Items to be reviewed…

As I has sitting here thinking about what to post today I realized that I had lots of things that need reviewing, but I didn’t know what all they were. So, here is a comprehensive list of items I need to review. This is a much larger list than I realized!

You know, part of discovering fountain pens is also discovering a world of new products that you can use with them. When I was a rollerball user, I never had to think about which papers would work best with my nibs. Now, it’s actually something I enjoy. I really like writing on good paper with good pens filled with good ink.

Anyway, I’ve got my work cut out for me, but I really want to get my thoughts recorded about these products.

Papers/Journals/Pads:
Rhodia N°18 pad, grid ruled and blank
Clairefontaine Puriture Spiral bound pad A5, line ruled
Staples Bagasse: 5×7 pad, college and wide rule filler paper, lined comp books
Neenah, Old Council Tree Bond Paper
Orginial Crown Mill, Bordered Correspondence Cards
Crane’s 90gsm ivory paper
HP LaserJet 24# paper
Quo Vadis Septanote planner
Paperchase, A6 Flexi Lined Notebook
*
Rhodia N°16 pad, Blank
Exacompta Basics Sketchbook with Madeira cover A5, Blank
Rhodia N°10, Lined
Quo Vadis Equology SapaX Weekly Planner

Inks:
Visconti Blue
Diamine Jet Black
Diamine Poppy Red
Diamine Damson
Noodlers Polar Blue (gift from a friend)
Private Reserve Naples Blue

Pens:
Stipula Vedo (gift from a friend)
Sheaffer’s Admiral Snorkel
Sheaffer’s Touchdown Desk Pen
Sheaffer’s Cadet TipDip
Sheaffer’s OS Flat Top
Sheaffer’s 825 Vacuum-Fil
Esterbrook: J/SJ

Other:
Levenger Circa System

*Those in italic are free samples from Exaclair. Everything else I purchased on my own with my own money and out of my own curiosity.

Updated 06-02-10.