A Lesson on Ink Hygiene (via Left Hook Pens).. I’ve generally had great luck in avoiding moldy ink and SITB (“Slime in the Bottle”) issues, though I typically do pay careful attention when flushing and cleaning pens to ensure inks from one bottle can’t cross-contaminate another. Some great advice here.
Vintage Writing Paper and the Consumption of Pen Stuff (via The Poor Penman). A generally great reminder to actually use your pens and stationery, to be sure and patronize small stationery businesses to ensure they can actually stay in business, and to go buy some of Ana’s typewriter paper before it goes away forever.
Parker 51 (2021 Edition) (via SBRE Brown). Stephen reviews the Parker 51 re-release, with the gold nib, and he received a very nice writer. A well-rounded review.
Doms Fusion Pencil (via Comfortable Shoes Studio). I love any rounded triangular pencil with a fairly dark core, and these look like they fit the bill.
PenBBS 224 Tolstoy (via Mountain of Ink). I have to admit, there aren’t many new inks that catch my eye these days - I think I’m just overwhelmed with the flood of new releases - but this shade of green from PenBBS really fits my aesthetic.
Pont Neuf Notebooks (via Pencilcase Blog). Pont Neuf is the companion brand to Kunisawa, a high-end Japanese stationery company with a luxury business aesthetic. I reviewed Kunisawa a couple of years ago and am glad to see that they have incorporated new, ultra-fountain pen friendly paper into their products.
Pilot G2 Limited Metallic Body (via Pen Addict). The G2 always gets trashed by stationery snobs, but there’s a reason it’s so popular. The “Limited” barrel available directly from Pilot is an excellent upgrade over the standard plastic, and I carry a G2 Limited in my briefcase at all times.
My Artsy Pens (via My Pen Needs Ink). I don’t use a lot of markers, nor do you see many marker reviews. Bob looks at a few options here, and talks about how he incorporates them into practical list-making.
How a Pelikan Found Her Song: Center Stage with the Rare and Exotic Music Nib (via Pelikan’s Perch). Wow, this was a find. There’s also some great bits of history on three-tine music nibs and how they originally were used.
Video Review: Pilot Custom 823 (via Scrively). I have a Smoke 823 on order from Appelboom, to match my Amber version. The Pilot Custom 823 is truly one of a handful that could be “desert island” pens for me.
In Case You Missed It…
I’m on vacation for this coming week! That means posting will likely be sporadic, but you know, sometimes I have to escape from my family for an hour or two and I may get something up. This past week, I posted one piece, which is the starting point for what I intend to be a comprehensive paper resource for the site. I’m looking for additional recommendations (especially for “Tier 1”), and I am in the process of placing orders for papers that I’d like to sample.
New This Week in the Curated Shop
This week I received a restock of Midori MD “B” pencils, as well as the gorgeous TRC Brass Rulers. I also now stock the Write Notepads special edition “Engineer Paper”, in both notebooks and memo pad format. Note that since I’m on vacation this week, shipments may be delayed until my return. Sometimes we do have help shipping out orders, but it’s sporadic.
Sponsorship Changes - Consider Joining T.G.S. Patreon!
You may have noticed that over the past several months, I’ve been allowing paid sponsorships to lapse and relying on direct support from readers and visitors, either in the form of Patreon pledges or Curated Shop Purchases. I plan to continue this trend in 2021, with the goal of T.G.S. being completely self-sustaining by the end of the year. While I will continue to collaborate and work with select partners, I do not wish to rely on paid advertising going forward, with the possible exception of smaller brands and makers who you may see on my sidebar from time to time.
You can read more about T.G.S. Patreon here. I will be rolling out some new content in 2021 that will be exclusive to Patreon subscribers, including monthly online meetups, and the eventual return of the “Digital Divide” newsletter (you can read back content here). I will also continue with periodic “sample sales” of gently used review items, to which Patrons will have first access.