Responsibility for Nibs (via Dapprman). Personally, I believe that responsibility for nib quality control must rest with the manufacturer. While I am perfectly happy to test fountain pens for customers before I ship them on, I’ll only do this upon request and usually limit myself to a visual inspection - there is a sizable number of people who do not want their new pens inked (or even the seal on the box broken) even if this is the only way for a retailer to really know whether a pen writes correctly.
How Does Nib Size Affect the Look of Your Handwriting (via Fountain Pen Love). Personally, I find that my own handwriting looks best in a fine/medium nib, with a soft cursive italic grind.
Staying Organized: Midori 1 Day 1 Page (via A Fleeting Ripple). The Midori MD 1 Day 1 Page Planner and undated Codex notebooks are exceptionally fountain pen friendly and an excellent option for a daily planner. (We sell the undated version in our own Curated Shop.)
Ink Review #657: Sheaffer Red (via Fountain Pen Pharmacist). I haven’t inked this one up in a while (and probably actually need to pick up a fresh bottle in Baltimore next week), but Sheaffer Skrip Red is one of the all-time great red inks out there.
The Many Faces of Shading Inks, or My Love Affair with Dry Inks (via mnmlscholar). This article does a great job of breaking down the variations in different shading inks, and it’s also a great reminder that drier-writing inks have their place too.
A Fine Entry Indeed: the Gravitas Entry (via UK Fountain Pens). Chalk up another win for Gravitas - again, I need to get my hands on one of these, although I’m thinking I might opt for the larger “Sentry” fountain pen.
Kobe 45 Silhouette Green (via Mountain of Ink). I love these dark grey-green inks from Sailor. There are many good ones out there.
My Plan for the London Pen Show this Weekend (via UK Fountain Pens). Things didn’t settle down enough for me to attend the London Show this Spring, but it’s still on my radar. Just looking at Anthony’s plans makes me envious!
Esterbrook Needle Point Nib Launch (via Esterbrook). A new custom grind from Esterbrook is available, offered in collaboration with Kirk Speer of Pen Realm.
Ink Review: Monarca Part 1 (via Well-Appointed Desk). I continue to be impressed with Monarca’s inks, and Jesi reviews three great colors here.
In Case You Missed It…
I had a busy week, between getting ready for the upcoming Baltimore Pen Show, the day job, and completing a long awaited review of the Schon DSGN PEEK-a-Boo fountain pen! I also wrote a piece revisiting some of my favorite desk pads, in conjunction with the launch of some new WMS + Co products (discussed more below).
Check Out New Offerings From the T.G.S. Curated Shop, and Be Sure to Sign Up for the Monthly Newsletter
I spent most of last weekend listing the newly arrived series of desk pads from WMS + Co, which are available in several different shapes, sizes, and colors, and all of which feature a massive number of pages made from heavy paper stock. (The white handles fountain pen ink quite well, the color-slicked paper is definitely more for pencils and gel/roller/ballpoints, though some fountain pen inks might have success.) We also received a full restock of Clairefontaine paper, including French-ruled notebooks, Triomphe writing pads, and the 1951 Series A5 Notebooks!
On Friday I also sent out the first monthly shop newsletter, which will send you shop news on new releases, pre-sales, and special offers directly to your inbox no more than once per month. (I hate daily/weekly spam just as much as you do.) You can check it out here, along with the first offer, 10% off dated and undated planners using the coupon code PLANNER10 at checkout. After this month, the newsletter and any included offers will be available to subscribers only.
Consider Joining TGS Patreon for Access to Monthly Meetups and First Dibs on Gently Used Stationery, Exclusive Products and More!
For some additional fun, and to help support the blog consider joining the Patreon program. Patreon supporters receive special pricing and early access to product releases and collaborations such as the T.G.S. x Sunderland pen, in addition to other benefits. 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. The Patreon membership also has “first dibs” on my regular gently used stationery sales, and a bunch of new gently used products just hit the Patreon store page this past week!