Nib 9-1-1: Nib Tuning by Dan Smith

By Posted in Dan Smith, Nib Tuning, Sailor Leave a comment

Sailor 1911 Profit fountain pen

I bought this Sailor 1911 Profit (Ivory White Body, Iridium Gold Plated Medium-Fine nib) from Engeika (Japan), having dealt with them in the past without issue even though we are continents apart. I’m not sure I buy the bit about this being a “rare pen,” but I was curious about Sailor pens and nibs and this seemed like a good, and reasonably priced, starting point.

The transaction went very smoothly, with good communication along the way.

A couple of days after the pen arrived, I inked it up and sat poised over the paper, ready to scribble away. (I typically write my name, or the name of the pen and the ink, or my dogs’ names, a million times.) This is always the high point of pen suspense— how will this newly purchased pen write?!?!

As it turns out, not so hot. Well, #&@%.

I have theory, borne out in this case, that the further a pen has traveled— the more difficult it is to return— the more likely it is to act up. This nib was dry and skippy. Really dry. Really skippy. Sad Mary.

The next day I tried the few things I have in my “if a fountain pen doesn’t work” arsenal:

  • Emptied the converter and flushed the pen;
  • Flossed the tines with a brass sheet;
  • Re-inked pen;
  • Crossed fingers. Prayed to pen gods.

The pen gods were obviously tending to more pressing matters because there wasn’t even a hint of improvement. (It would’ve been cool if I had had the presence of mind to photograph the lousy nib performance for blogging purposes, but I didn’t. Trust me, though, it wasn’t a stellar writing experience.) With my meager skills depleted, I had two choices. Shove the pen back in the box and into a drawer, OR send it off for a tune-up. (Normally I’ll contact the vendor if I have a significant nib issue, but in this case, with the vendor in Japan and me in the US, I decided to scratch that option.)

"Fountain Pen Geek" Dan Smith

Though I wasn’t happy, I wasn’t overly distressed either. I immediately knew who could help me out— Dan Smith, Fountain Pen Geek and my go-to nibmeister. I’ve purchased a couple of used pens from Dan— some of my vintage favorites— and found him to be wonderful to deal with. Satisfaction is priority #1, so purchasing a sight unseen pen from him is completely stress-free.

I had him tune a dryish nib some time ago, and immediately knew that he could work wonders on this problem child.

I contacted Dan, packed up the pen (along with a writing sample) after getting the go-ahead from him, and mailed it off. Dan’s good about keeping you posted— emailing when he receives the pen and again when the work is completed, which in this case, was only a couple of days from receipt.

Sailor Profit 1911

The newly tuned pen arrived a few days later— coincidentally on Fountain Pen Day. And it is awesome— smooth with spot on perfect flow. I couldn’t be happier.

Sailor 1911 Profit

The whole process took about a week and the pen writes as I hoped it would when I ordered it. No more frustration. No more #@%&. Well worth the $20 (+ shipping to and from).

Dan does stellar work, at very reasonable prices, with excellent turn-around times (though, of course, that depends on what he has in the queue). He’s who I think of when a nib needs work OR when I want one modified. I purchased the Edison Glenmont 2014 LEA pen with a broad nib so that, down the road, I can have Dan do a custom grind on it. I’m thinking about a medium stub. Or Architect/Hebrew. Still pondering.

100% thrilled

Dan guarantees satisfaction. He wants you to be thrilled. 100% thrilled.

Sailor 1911 Profit

And I am. Thrilled. 100%.

Check out Dan’s services, current turnaround time and prices HERE.

[There are no affiliate links in this post and I purchased both the pen and Dan's nib-tuning services. I'm just a very pleased, and repeat, customer. The nib issue was probably just a fluke and hasn't put me off  the Sailor brand or the vendor, Engeika.]

 

For The Pen Company: Diplomat Life Ballpoint Pen

By Posted in Ballpoint pen, Diplomat Pens, The Pen Company 1 Comment

Busy days and nights lately. Here’s a little something to tide you over.

P1050529

I wrote a review of the Diplomat Life Ballpoint for my friends at The Pen Company.

P1050533

I’ve been a fan of Diplomat since picking up a Diplomat Optimist Loop fountain pen at the DC Pen Show in August.

P1050538

This is a great looking and feeling ballpoint that I’ve been using daily since receiving it.

 There’s a lot to like about it and one thing that needed a little tweaking.

Check out the pen, and my review, HERE.

***********

(The pen was provided to me for review purposes. I was not otherwise compensated and there are no affiliate links in this post.)

Imperfectly Perfect: The Musgrave Test Scoring 100 Pencil

By Posted in Erasable podcast, Musgrave, Pencil, Test Scoring 100 7 Comments

My top three
[Three favorites]

I’ve already written about my top two pencils— the Stabilo 8008 Graphite and the Palomino Blackwing Pearl— but lately a third pencil has been sneaking into my line-up more and more often. The Musgrave Test Scoring 100 pencil pops up quite often in Twitter discussions, as well as in the Erasable Podcast where it was recently the “Pencil Of the Week” (meaning that it was used by Johnny, Tim, and Andy for the course of one week, not that it was necessarily their favorite pencil).

Because of the Twitter chatter and a blog post here and there, I ordered myself a pack from Pencils.com and have been using them for awhile now, both at home and at work. The Musgrave Test Scoring 100 is currently resting solidly in one of the top spots in my pencil arsenal. Going by appearance only, it’s a bit of an unlikely candidate.

Musgrave Test Scoring 100 pencils

While my Palomino and Stabilo favorites are thickly and evenly lacquered, the silver paint on the Musgrave TS 100 appears to be thin and a little bit uneven. I think Tim Wasem noted that you can almost see the brush strokes, and I have to agree. The branding features a font that would look right at home on a mimeographed (yes, I’m old) test paper. The letters wiggle a bit and are not as polished or perfect as the rock-solid branding on the Palomino or the Stabilo. But you know what? I don’t care.

Musgrave TS 100 Branding

The pencil body is full-hex, meaning that the edges aren’t rounded off and feel more pronounced— maybe even severe— compared to a semi-hex or rounded pencil. Personally, I enjoy the edges because they give the Musgrave TS 100 an old-school feel— like you’re REALLY using a pencil. Maybe they’re meant to keep you awake while you’re taking a test or to make it easy to distinguish the TS 100 from the herd of other pencils in your pencil cup or to keep it from rolling off of a desk. In any case, I find the feel of the distinct facets to be…well…distinctive, not annoying. Granted, I tend to use pencils in fairly short bursts so I’m not looking for long-lasting comfort.

Musgrave TS 100

Made in the USA, and featuring what is described as an “electro-graphite” core (which is supposedly picked up better by test scanning machines), this pencil is a true bargain at $3.25 per dozen— just $0.27 per pencil. Though I’m no longer taking “fill in the bubble” tests anymore— thank god— I still appreciate the look and feel of the graphite. Though not as silky or creamy as the graphite in my top two pencils— the Stabilo 8008 and Palomino Blackwing Pearl (my true love)— the darkness and smoothness of the TS 100′s graphite is a bit of a surprise. In fact, I feel like the smoothness improves as the pencil wears down, though it’s entirely possible that I’m imagining that. Point retention is decent. I’m not running to the sharpener very 5 seconds (as I can be prone to do). Again we learn the lesson, don’t judge a book by its cover— or a pencil by its paint job or price.

Writing samples

Musgrave TS 100 eraser

The eraser does a decent job, too. Though a black eraser would look pretty cool, this one is unabashedly pink— again adding to that old school look. Erasing is quite clean and the eraser “debris” is more strand-like than crumbly. The eraser wears pretty easily, but still I run out of pencil before eraser. The ferrules are secure and look sharp against the pencil’s cool silver finish.

Erasers

This isn’t a perfect pencil. The finish is basic but adequate. One of the cores in my pencils showed a slight flaw— a bit of a “cavity”— though it sharpened just fine. The branding is decidedly low-tech looking. The full hex body may annoy those who write for hours.

Musgrave TS 100

Despite those flaws, and maybe even because of them, the Musgrave Test Scoring 100 pencil has captured my pencil-loving heart. It’s not trying to be something it isn’t. It’s like a pair of broken-in jeans and a favorite t-shirt— ready for work. And the price? Well, what’s not to love?!

Writing sample
[I like looking at writing upside down. A quirk.]

If I was paying a premium price, the minor flaws I’ve described might annoy me, but given the excellent performance of the graphite, I can’t help but reach for this pencil, sometimes over my top two favorites. There’s just something about that hex.

Musgrave Test Scoring 100 pencils

The Musgrave Test Scoring 100 pencil sits solidly in the #3 spot on my “favorite pencils” list. Considering the competition, that’s high praise. Very high praise.

Top 3 pencils

This is a pencil that is, to me, imperfectly perfect.

Confessions Of a Hoarder: Levenger’s Circa Vivacious Refill

By Posted in Circa, Levenger, Paper, Vivacious 19 Comments

Levenger Vivacious Circa refill

I had a great aunt who lived in a historic looking brownstone in the heart of Albany, NY. She was eccentric and confused— both a hermit and a hoarder. There was a narrow goat path through the middle of her living space. Well, through the middle of EVERY space. Drop an earring and it was gone forever. (My mother found this out the hard way.) The table where she sat to eat her spare meals was covered with a huge pile of papers, photographs, and letters, some dating back to the 1930′s. After she died, we carefully sorted though her papers and belongings. The process took weeks and countless trips to the dumpster.

These are not images and experiences that you can easily shake. And part of your brain wonders, “Could this happen to me?!”

While our home is generally tidy, some “collections” (pens, pencils, notebooks) continue to grow. They are collections. They are not hoarding. Or are they?!

Levenger's Vivacious Circa refill

Case in point— Levenger’s Circa Vivacious Refill, in the cross-dot pattern. I absolutely LOVE THIS PAPER, and find myself ordering, and squirreling away, a few packs every time Levenger puts them on sale or offers free shipping.

I think I’m up to eight packs, neatly stored in a desk drawer. No goat path. Yet.

Circa junior notebook

A few months ago, I was having a horrible time keeping up with life— work life, home life, life life. Even though I consider myself organized, and am a pretty close follower of Dave Allen’s Getting Things Done, everything felt like it was a mess. I needed a fresh start.

I took an old Circa Junior notebook (constructed from the Circa Sampling Kit), labeled some dividers, loaded the notebook with Circa grid paper, and immediately felt better. With Circa paper, moving pages within the book is a snap. Just pull the sheet from the Circa discs and reposition it in its new location. It’s a great system.

Circa Junior Notebook

This book is my main “capture” tool— everything goes into this book. From meeting notes, to weekly priority lists, to Action, Waiting, and Someday/Maybe lists. The system works like a dream. (From this book, I parse things out into master lists in Evernote for weekly review and updating.) I thank the Circa system for giving me back my sanity.

Cross-Dot Vivacious paper

So things were going along fine. I was happy using the Circa grid paper I had stashed away. THEN I saw the Vivacious Cross-Dot refill. GONER!

Vivacious Circa refill

I think I first saw the Vivacious paper in a Levenger catalog, and then had a tricky time finding it online. (The easiest way is to search for “Vivacious.”) I ordered a couple of packs. Then a couple more. Then more. And a few MORE, egged on by the fact that the paper is found in Levenger’s “outlet,” which makes me think that it’s on its way to being discontinued. Shudder.

Night sky vs. Vivacious refill
[Field Notes Night Sky reticle vs. Levenger Vivacious cross-dot]

I fell hard for the lime-green cross-dot pattern that’s a dead-ringer for the reticle grid found in the Field Notes Night Sky edition. That edition is a favorite, particularly due to that grid, so seeing the same thing on this fantastic Levenger Circa paper was a total no-brainer.

The Vivacious Circa refill paper is 100-gsm, very substantial, and gorgeously smooth. The cross-dot pattern is found on both sides of the page, and there are spaces at the top of each page for subject and date. The fresh looking grass-green cross-dots are the icing on the paper cake.

Writing samples

This is superb paper— able to handle ballpoint, pencil, rollerball, and fountain pen equally well. That’s what I like— I don’t have to do a mental check about my pen/paper pairing, because everything works. Everything looks great. Everything FEELS great when you’re writing on this stuff.

Good with all writing utensils

I’ve since picked up a couple of Circa Vivacious Notebooks. I’ll put one to use as a journal because having the ability to easily move and re-arrange pages is so appealing.

So, though I sometimes feel like I’m channeling my inner Aunt Matilda, I think I’m completely justified in hoarding this Vivacious paper.

Levenger Vivacious Circa refill

I’m not worrying until there’s a goat path.

Cool: The Pilot Ageless Present Ballpoint

By Posted in Ballpoint pen, Pilot 1 Comment

Sincere thanks to Ron at Pen Chalet for sending along this Pilot Ageless Present Ballpoint pen for review. There are no affiliate links in this post, and I was not otherwise compensated. This review reflects my experiences and observations with the pen.

When my sister and I were kids, we used to hop onto our Stingray bikes, pedal to the top of our street, then coast all the way down to the bottom, NO HANDED, while snapping our fingers and chanting, “Cool, man, cool. Cool, man, cool.” (Bike helmets weren’t even a consideration. So THAT was safe!) This WAS the 60′s after all. We said “COOL!” all the time.

Thing is, I STILL say it. And it’s the first word that popped into my head when I opened the Pilot Ageless Present Ballpoint packaging. Cool, man, cool.

Pilot Ageless Present ballpoint pen

The Pilot Ageless Present Ballpoint is housed in a sturdy plastic tube that’s great for protecting the pen, and also for showing it off. With the top cover removed, the pen stands at attention, looking sharp and ready for work. I’ve been using the pen at my job and I like keeping it at the ready in its pen stand. This is “keeper” packaging, for sure.

Pilot Ageless Present Ballpoint

This plastic-body pen is available in eight colors. I have the white version which is a classy looking pearl white rather than plain vanilla white. As I mentioned in my review of the Palomino Pearl pencil, I love a pearl finish, and I think it looks great on this pen. The grip section is a translucent smoky grey— clear enough for you to catch a glimpse of the inner workings of the pen.

Pilot Agess Present ballpoint pen

What sets this pen apart from other ballpoints— what makes it extra cool— is the two-step deploy and retract mechanism. Twist the grip section once to deploy the pen’s “nosecone,” then once more to extend the writing tip. The pen measures 4.75″ when fully retracted and 5.37″ when fully deployed.

Stage 1 deployment
Stage 1 deployment

Stage 2 deployment
Stage 2 deployment

Fully retracted, the pen is great for pocket carry as the “business end” of the pen is protected inside the pen’s grip. (It reminds me of a turtle poking its head out of its shell, then withdrawing it for safety.) The action is very smooth and, yes, very cool.

The clip end
A mirror finish on the clip end of the pen

The included refill (Pilot BRFN-10M, Blue, 1.0mm) is as smooth as that deployment mechanism. I tend to prefer black ballpoint ink (an artifact of all my years recording documentation into lab notebooks— black ink required), but this is a rich and smooth blue that could win me over. The lines are solid and the refill is not “draggy” at all. It’s a good looking and good feeling writing experience— one that rivals the Jetstream blue 1.0mm refill.

The package insert included with the pen indicates that the following refills are also compatible with the Pilot Ageless Present model:

  • Dr. Grip Center Of Gravity Medium refills (#77271 and #77272)
  • G2 Fine short refills (#77291 and #77292)

Ready for work!
Ready for work!

At $42.40, this isn’t a no-brainer purchase. But for your money you get unique and useful packaging, a sturdy, great-looking pen with a quality refill, outfitted with a fun and innovative deployment mechanism. This isn’t the same old, same old. Though the pen is plastic, it has a solid weighty feel. The pearl white color is classy and the ink is dark and smooth.

Pilot Ageless Present ballpoint pen

And that mechanism. It IS cool, man, cool.

—————

To see the Pilot Ageless Present Ballpoint pen in action, check out THIS VIDEO, presented by Pen Chalet.

Giveaway Winner: Write Notepads & Co.

By Posted in Giveaway!, Write Notepads Co. 1 Comment

The winner of the Write Notepad Co. notebook and pencils is LIZ N. Fred picked Liz’s name from my pink John Deere baseball cap. (I can’t think of a cap that’s less “me,” but it was free!) Liz, I’ll email you for your address then get the goodies sent off!

I loved hearing how you all are making a difference. Liz’s comment said: I really enjoy helping kids stay active so they can have a lifetime of healthy bodies. I volunteered at my daughter’s school for their annual walk-a-thon fundraiser by helping count laps and cheering the kids on. I don’t feel like this is a big deal (compared to some of the comments posted so far!), but I’m passionate about preventing childhood obesity and making PE/play time/exercise fun again!

Your comments prove once again that pen people are good people!

Contest winner