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A few changes from last week. One new (old) addition and one stalwart returning to the lineup.
Inked Right Now
Esterbrook JR with Iroshizuku Fuyu-Syogan
Parker Sonnet Laque Indigo with Herbin Cacao du Bresil
Diamond Medal with Aurora Black
Pilot Decimo with Iroshizuku Yama-Guri
Same two italic nibs as last week, joined by two fines.
The Diamond Medal mentioned last week is here and it’s quite nice. A more detailed showing is coming, but I have to say this example whets my appetite for finding more pens under this brand. The quality is excellent. The nib is firm, smooth, and wet. A nice writer.
A Decimo never stays out of the rotation for very long with me. Yama-Guri is a new ink to me. Unsurprisingly, it’s excellent. I’m keen to see how it runs in a wider line. Fine has been my chosen nib size on the Decimo for a while now. I still have a medium that I should send out for a cursive italic grind and an alloy nib that needs a bit of straightening.
The Spoke Icon and Pilot E95S were emptied and cleaned. I like the Icon design and it makes for an enjoyable writing experience with whichever nib I’ve had installed. More of a use-at-home pen than a carry around EDC piece, which is funny given the durable nature of its Delrin construction but no clip and no posting are often what separate the two camps for me. The E95S was great as a work pen, though the medium is maybe a bit more line than I want at work in some uses. I found the fine nib E95S I used in the past was perhaps too fine, too delicate a line for my taste. There is no in between option on that model as can be had on some other Pilots, so maybe the medium should get a grind alongside its Decimo brother.
Incoming
I won a mixed lot of three pens on eBay. Two Franklin-Christoph bodies without nibs and a Sheaffer Old Timer. I haven’t used either F-C before and I’ll just pop in whatever nib I have that fits. Maybe I like and keep them, maybe I don’t. The Old Timer is what piqued my interest. It seems to be a nicer version of the No Nonsense, which is a model I love. It has a black body with a chased pattern and gold trim. Very classic and old looking, hence the name. I think the pens should be here next week.
Thinking About
Keeping the momentum that comes with new ideas going over the longer term. New stuff can be exciting and excitement helps propel you to do that stuff. But what about when it’s not new anymore? This blog is new and yet I find myself already wondering how I might feel about it down the line could affect how I keep up with doing it. Am I creating a worry that doesn’t need to exist or just planning ahead? More the former, I think, which is why I need to stay focused on the present moment of just doing the small things that make up the blog’s purpose. Keeping a log of what’s being used, tracking the comings and goings, using and enjoying pens/ink/paper, and doing something to save a record of that enjoyment. It’s a collection of small amounts of time, little bricks that I am stacking to build the bigger structure. The process, the act of making the little bricks, us what I’m after. That bigger structure will develop over time and when it gets to be something then I can worry about sustaining it or not. For now, just keep stacking the bricks.
