Musical Ink...

Just in case people thought that I wasn't eccentric enough, I have just ordered one of Diamine's new boxed sets of inks, with colours inspired(?) by famous composers!

I heard about them on another blog (Gourmet Pens) and couldn't resist. Expect a demonstration after Christmas... :-)

Caran d'Ache Varius Carbon 3000

Well, what a mouthful that is, and I forget the meaning of the '3000' bit. Anyway, here's the review (with none of those profuse apologies I put in the last one - I resized everything to fit this time, though I still managed to lose the last line off the scanned pages - doh!), preceded by a picture, natch...

(unscanned text above reads, "I believe, with just a layer of CF weave wrapped around it,").

(unscanned text above reads, "(which is why I've decided to use it as my No.1 pen at work)").

Excuse the arrangement. It's not art, it's just what I had to do to stop the pen rolling with the nib upside down.

PS. Forgot to mention that the ink is Pelikan Edelstein Jade...

Finally! The Visconti Opera Crystal Demonstrator.

Firstly, the apologies;

1. Sorry it's taken so long.
2. Sorry for the handwriting (as ever).
3. Sorry that the words and photos aren't coordinated better.
4. Sorry for the quality of the photos.
5. Sorry for the quality of the scanned pages (I'm getting to grips with a new 'hand-held' scanner).
6. Sorry for all the 'sorry's :-)

Ok, here goes...first, some piccies (do you like the background I used?)...

Oops, forgot to take this photo before I filled it up...

The cap, showing that hefty clip (by the way - Merry Christmas!).
(You can just see the spring that makes the bayonet cap system work).

Magnetically attached cap trim.

Note tip of nib turned up - Makes writing at all angles easy.

Metal of nib goes all the way around!

Hopefully this explains some of the stuff I've been waffling on about!

 

Cap engraving.

Only 1000 have been made (I was
very lucky to get hold of one).

That 'Mosquito' filling device (that's not a device to fill mosquitos, you understand).

You just stick the nib in the filler...

...the right way up, mind! And hey, no inky fingers to fret about :-)

Pelikan M1005 Demonstrator, Take/3

This post should really be entitled "Do NOT Adjust Your Nib!!".

Having got the Demonstrator's Nib working with a change of ink I then went and spoiled everything.

I switched from the Monte Verde Purple to Caran D'Ache Amazon and found that the nib tines started 'ticking'.

This often happens with a new nib so, since I preferred the Caran ink, I decided to adjust the nib like I'd read about on the 'net.

All I had to do was ease the tines apart in small increments, testing the nib regularly as I went... So what happened? On the second 'easing' I bent one of the tines way too far and the nib stopped working.

I then spent ages trying to bend it back, but that's a lot harder thing to do, and unfortunately it bent in a different place, so I ended up with one kinked tine and one straight one.

The nib actually worked quite well, no ticking and good ink flow once started. But it needed a bit of encouragement to start flowing after a minute's pause in writing, and above all it looked horrible.

So I decided to send it back to Germany for a new nib. It's probably going to cost me in excess of £150.

So maybe nib adjustment is best left to the professionals...

Visconti Crystal Demonstrator Limited Edition Fountain Pen

Coming soon!

Update: Soon now means Friday 7th December - looking forward to that :-)

Pelikan M1005 Demonstrator, Take/2.

These fountain pen nibs are fickle blighters...

Handwriting: 4/10. Must Try Harder!!

Teacher gave me a right ticking off when I handed my homework in yesterday. But 4/10!? I'd say that that's a bit harsh.

Still, that's their job, and it's ours to rise to the occasion and do better. So, since I've now finished my chores for the day ("what chores?". "Oh, thanks very much, I'll have a pint of cider please!" - sorry, poor joke, couldn't resist), I'll submit my next effort, herewith (sorry Miss, I got a wonky scanner...);

Daycraft 'Moneywrap' (+Pelikan M1005 Demonstrator).

Moneywrap - Front.

Moneywrap - Back.

Show me the money...

...but not the credit card details!

--ooOOXXXOOoo--

Pelikan M1005 Demonstrator

Getting very excited! Ordered one of the above from a chap in the US via ebay and it's in the country. Only problem - Parcelforce won't let me have it until I've coughed up about £30 customs duty :-( Bugger! Should have it by Friday though, and although it's not a new release and has been reviewed to the 'n'th degree by others, I'm still looking forward to showing it off, here, sometime this weekend. I can't wait...

My Last Post...

...was a bit disorganised - I appear to have pasted everything twice, in different sizes! If you didn't know me you'd be forgiven for thinking that I'd totally lost it (although even those who know me might still think that!).

I'll sharpen up me act next time (and use a decent pen too).

Regards
Mike.

Karlsson Clock (and a pen rant!).

Alas, I started this post with great enthusiasm, but once my pen had malfunctioned (having just got it back from the repairers) I lost heart. I'll post it anyway, simply because this blog is really only meant to be a record for myself, and if anyone finds it and takes an interest, well that's fine by me. You're welcome to tag along...

First, a picture of the clock, and then the angst...

Sigh...
Mike.

Test Post - Handwritten...

Ok, so I got myself a Leuchtterm 1917 super-size notebook (dotted variety) and couldn't resist scribbling down some stuff, scanning it, and posting it here;

Problems are;

1. The notebook pages are slightly over-A4 size so the scanner clipped the edge off - but I think I can play with the scanner settings to solve that.
2. My hand-writing's a bit crap! But I can solve that by practising, and also by switching to my Visconti with the more appropriate BB nib (when Mr.Visconti returns it to me from Italy!!).

Hoping to do a proper post this weekend...

Regards,

(Oooer, my signature's gone all big - have to fix that too...).

Did You Know...?

...that with some nibs, maybe all nibs, I don't know, you can write with the nib upside down, and it still works. Only, and this is the good bit, the line you get is about 2-3 'nib-widths' narrower. How cool is that! (Yes, yes, of course you knew - but now I do, too).

The relevance for me is that I can now use my Pelikan with its massive 3B nib to do the crossword. Brilliant! Filling in a crossword with a 3B nib normally results in a big splurge in each square as you'd expect with 'newspaper' paper. But up the other way I get about a Medium nib which is just fine (I mean fine as in perfectly acceptable, not fine as in a 'Fine' nib...you knew that). But don't take my word for it, see the evidence;

This is especially useful since my 'Shopping-list and Crosswords' pen, the pocket Yard-o-Led (which really does have a Fine nib), is away having my name engraved on it (remind me to post a picture when it's done).

Anyway, back to bed, I got a stinker of a cold (expressions of sympathy are permitted :-) ).