Tomoe River: The Full Story (via Fudefan). If you’ve not been following the Tokyo Inklings podcast, you should. Jacob, one of the hosts and writer of the blog “Fudefan,” has well-researched, up-to-date information on the Tomoe River paper situation. So now they’re saying production may continue, only outsourced?
Upturned and Downturned Nibs (via Left Hook Pens). I’ve never gone full fude, but I’ve enjoyed slightly upturned nibs from PenBBS and (vintage) Sheaffer. In terms of downturned nibs, the MIdori MD fountain pen, with its slightly downturned “beak” nib, is an exceptional writer.
Pelikan M205 Moonstone Fountain Pen Review (via Pen Addict). Sarah reviews Pelikan’s M205 latest “gemstone” release in a grey transparent acrylic with sparkles. I have to say, these pens tend to be hard to photograph but this one looks really good.
Nanami Zen Paper (via Well-Appointed Desk). Since the Tomoe River paper supply appears to be threatened (at least temporarily while the manufacturer sorts things out), Nanami is exploring alternatives. See the article for information on how to get a sample of this new paper from Nanami.
New Brew Inks (via Rants of the Archer). These colors look great, as do the bottles.
Montblanc Petrol Blue (via Fountain Pen Pharmacist). Montblanc jumped on the “Petrol” ink trend, but this color has never really appealed to me, for some reason. I never sprang for Lamy’s version, either.
Yoseka Ink (via Mountain of Ink). So Yoseka Stationery is now selling their own line of ink? I love this green color.
In Case You Missed It….
This week on the blog, I took a more in-depth look at the new Traveler’s Company “B-Sides and Rarities” Collection. Part I looked at the Washable Paper and Super Lightweight Paper refills, while Part II looked at, well, everything else, including the Midori Cotton Letter Pad and the Zippered Cotton Case, two favorites. This week’s Deals & Drops post offered some last-minute Father’s Day gift ideas, whether for yourself or others.
New This Week In the Curated Shop!
In addition to the Traveler’s Notebook “B-Sides and Rarities,” I’ve received a restock order on most other Traveler’s Company products, including the brass accessories, refills, and notebooks, so that I have nearly the entire line available for purchase. I’ve also restocked on Midori MD Codex notebooks, which have sold like crazy. Finally, Field Notes Archival Wooden boxes are back!
Visit T.G.S. on Reddit, and Consider Joining TGS Patreon for Access to Monthly Meetups and More!
I’ve been trying to expand into social media beyond Instagram, due to my dissatisfaction with the direction that platform is taking. Currently, you can also engage with me on Twitter, Facebook, and now on Reddit. (Honestly, I’m active on Twitter and Reddit moreso than Facebook, but I do read all the Facebook comments, eventually.) Mainly, I’m doing this because of Instagram’s algorithm-driven approach that buries content unless you’re endlessly posting to their various formats (“Reels,” Stories, posts, etc.) and actively monitoring your account to where you’re basically having to respond to comments and DMs in real time. This is impractical, because you end up spending all your time on their platform and not actually writing or running your business, and then most of this content is temporary (24hrs) and you have to jump on the “hamster wheel” again. Many people just want an easy way to receive updates on when I post new content to the blog. Twitter and Reddit allow me to do that reliably. If there’s one thing you can do to help support T.G.S., it’s sharing our content and spreading the word!
For some additional fun, and to help support the blog consider joining the Patreon program. You can read more about T.G.S. Patreon here. This year I’ve introduced monthly online meetups, which take place on Friday or Saturday and have been super enjoyable. We’ve discussed our thoughts on pen shows restarting, recent arrivals in our personal collections, and more. I will also continue with periodic “sample sales” of gently used review items, to which Patrons will have first access. The current sale is now live!