What’s What 6/25 — 7/1
Pens, pens, and more pens. Let’s see where we are and where we’re going.
Inked Right Now
Aurora Ipsilon with Iroshizuku Tsutsuji
Lamy Safari with Lamy Violet
Franklin-Christoph 65 with Robert Oster Pen Addict Fire on Fire
Franklin-Christoph 45 with Iroshizuku Asa-Gao
Sheaffer Old Timer with Sheaffer Skrip Red
Aurora Ipsilon, Lamy Safari, Franklin-Christoph 65, Franklin-Christoph 45, Sheaffer Old Timer
Gone from last week are the Esterbrook JR, Parker Sonnet, Diamond Medal, and Parker 45.
The two Franklin-Christophs and the Old Timer were shown here. They are all a pleasure to use.
The Perspective grind on the Safari nib is proving itself to be fun and useful at work and home. The Journaler is better for more focused sit-down writing so far. I love the amount of ink it lays down, really shows the punch of Tsutsuji.
Aside: Every time I see or say Tsutsuji, I can’t help but think of Sussudio due to how the Americanized pronunciation often comes out. Put it in Google Translate to hear how it would potentially sound from a Japanese-speaking person and it’s quite different. What does this have to do with anything? Beats me, it’s just where my brain goes sometimes. If you start getting Phil Collins references going through your head next time you ink a pen, feel free to blame it on me.
Incoming
They showed up today. How’s that for timing?
Parker Rialto, Delta Write Balance, Lamy Studio
The Parker Rialto was one of those things on eBay that where the bids were low and I figured why not take a shot. $35 all in for a what looks to be a never used, still in the box pen. I don’t have prior experience with the Rialto but I’m a sucker for the finish. Has an EF nib. We’ll see how that turns out on the page.
The Lamy Studio is a pen I always had an eye on. I like the range of colors but not the smooth metal sections, which eliminates most of the Studio range. I decided to go with brushed steel version because it has a matte rubbery grip. Size and balance feel good on first blush. Also, I want to put my Lamy 14k EF nib on it to do a side-by-side comparison with the Perspective nib. Why? Because the gold EF has some nice architect-like characteristics to its line. I always enjoy using it, but I must ask if it might be redundant now with the Perspective in house. To be continued.
I had the Delta Write Balance wish-listed for a little while. Delta bit the dust in 2017. I was only recently back into fountain pens then and couldn’t have told you Delta Pens from Delta Airlines. So, while I have only superficial knowledge of what Delta used to be I like what I see in the new Deltas that are coming out from Maiora after they bought the rights to Delta’s name, assets, and history. I was in the process of shopping for the Studio at Goldspot Pens when I got a notification the Delta was available. Most times, I want to wait a while on new models and see what other people’s experiences are before I decide on getting one for myself. However, since I was in the middle of buying something else at the same place and I have heard good reviews of Maiora’s quality I chose to go for it.
No ink in any of these yet. I’ll test them out but it might be a bit until they get a full fill up and extended use. This leads us to…
Thinking About
The arrival of three pens this week after three last week made me stop and take a full accounting of the year to this point. The totals are 18 pens purchased and 2 pens sent for custom grinds.
Yeah, we’re going too fast and need to slow down. I can come up with good reasons for why I bought all of them, and one of the things I want to do in life is enjoy a hobby when I have the means. But when I say I must wait on doing anything with the latest new pens because I’m still on the first go round with the previous batch of new pens then I’m getting out over my skis. I mean that in terms of being able to legitimately appreciate everything and keep reasonable track of it all. And there are still plenty of pens already here to appreciate as well.
Things were like this in 2021. I was buying with no focus or plan and I knew it was not sustainable. As a result, I was much more deliberate with buying in 2022 and each pen felt more impactful or special. Now in 2023 I feel like I have much better ideas of what I like and why but I let go of the restraint and, once again, found myself in the position of wondering where it’s all leading.
Let’s ask some questions and analyze this a bit. You can take notes as I lay on the couch.
Did this buying binge come from learning I don’t have a local pen show to attend this year and wanting to somehow make up for it? Yeah, I think that’s part of it.
Was that a good choice to make? Maybe. Maybe not. I don’t want to interrogate myself on it too much. Then I make myself feel bad about a thing I enjoy and life’s too short for that. After all, I bought 6 pens for a bit over $400, not a mid-life crisis sports car for $40,000. (That would clearly be a used sports car these days.)
What will I do now that I’ve seen the slow down sign? I have a few weeks’ vacation coming in August, during which I plan to visit Appelboom in Boston. Until that time, I won’t buy any more pens. It’s a simple thing, which is different from an easy thing in some cases.
What can I do to have a moderated approach on acquiring pens? I don’t wish to keep repeating the behavior of looking at the speedometer and saying “Oh, shit!” before slamming the brakes. It’s still a process in development for me but I am hopeful the weekly log and comment on what’s happening with the pens can help.
Could I impose limits on the number of items purchased or money spent in a given time period? Yes, although strict budgeting has never been a habit for me. There are things I spend on and things I don’t. It ebbs and flows. Still, the information gained by tracking spending more closely could be useful.
Okay, we’ll call time on the session for now. If you got this far, I thank you for your patience and/or curiosity.
Thoughts or comments? linevariation at gmail