My thanks to Louisa for the ink sample.

This is yet another of Sailor re-issued ink. Waka Uguisu is a nice blend of green and yellow. Remember Robert Oster Signature Lemon Grass review a way back? This is what I wished Lemon Grass is like. The shading is nice and obvious in my European EF nib. This is in my opinion a more useable shade of green-yellow than Pilot Iroshizuku Chiku Rin is. It goes down vibrant but dries to a slightly duller shade. This is one of the more interesting Sailor inks. Grab it while stocks last!

Similar Inks:

• Rohrer and Klingner Alt. Goldgrun
• Kyo No Iro Koke Iro
• Noodler’s Army Green

Stainless steel nibs are what a beginner fountain pen user experiences. As you spend more time using fountain pens, most would move onto gold nibs. Personally, I am a fan of stainless steel as well as gold nibs. A good stainless steel nib can be on par and sometimes be better than a gold one. It all depends on the individual nib characteristics. The stiffness, the ink flow and the smoothness are the three main nib characteristics I usually judge my nibs on. I believe stainless steel nibs can be enjoyed by anyone be it a newcomer or an experienced fountain pen user. Here is a list of stainless steel nib pens that everyone can enjoy.

Faber Castell Loom
The Loom is Faber-Castell’s entry level pen. The original M nib I got with the Loom is super smooth. It’s like writing with butter on hot glass. Personally I found it way too smooth but if smoothness is the priority, you can’t go wrong with a nib from Faber-Castell.

Kaweco Supra
I love the size of the #6 Bock nib that my Kaweco Supra comes with. The nib has just right amount of smoothness and the ink flow is generous. What’s best is the #6 nib is interchangeable with other pens such as the Tactile Turn Gist and Franklin Christoph pens.

Platinum Balance
The Platinum Balance is not one of my favourite stainless steel nib but I think it deserves a mention for it’s surprisingly bouncy and soft nib. It can provide you with some cushion as you write that’s similar to how gold nibs behave.

Pilot Metropolitan
This is a popular beginner fountain pen and the nib is just plain outstanding. It comes in fine or medium nib and I prefer the fine. Pilot being a Japanese company does an excellent job with the fine nib. I’ve purchased 4 Pilot Metropolitans so far and all of them wrote out of the box. The nib is a great balance of smoothness and feedback that Pilot has mastered.

Pilot Murex
The Pilot Murex has good looks paired with a great writing experience. It is a complete package. The nib is plain but all business when it comes to writing. It provides a characteristic feedback and this is one of my favourite steel nib pens.

Sailor ProColor 500
I had one bad experience with an entry Sailor pen but the Pro Colour is different. The nib is stiff and hard as a nail. Though the nib is finer than the Pilot’s equivalent but it doesn’t scratch the paper. It glides effortlessly across the page and provides the perfect balance of feedback and smoothness. I wish Sailor would improve their entry level steel nibs so that they can provide some competition in the entry level Japanese steel nib pen space.

Visconti Van Gogh Starry Night
The stainless steel nib I got with the Visconti Van Gogh is outstanding. It isn’t just because it writes well with a good ink flow but the nib provides me a natural line variation with having to push the nib. Though the nib was sold as an EF, I found it wrote like a stub nib. It also has some give as I write as well. The nib is also beautifully adorned with scrollwork.

Do you have a favourite stainless steel nib pen? Drop me a comment and tell me about it!

My thanks to Louisa for the sample.

Sailor Jentle Black is not a jet black super saturated ink. It shades subtly and looks more like black water colour rather the super dark ink of a marker. It flows well and it is lubricated. I like that it is “sticky” enough that I can use it in the FA nib without too much trouble.

Similar Inks:

• Pilot Iroshizuku Take Sumi
• Platinum Black
• Pelikan 4001 Black

The Numbers:
Weight: 18g
Length (capped): 131.7mm
Length (uncapped): 120.6mm
Price: USD$150 from various retailers
Body Material: Acrylic
Nib Material: Stainless steel
Filling Mechanism: Cartridge and converter or eyedropper
Colours: Various

Intro:
Picture this, I was overseas in Hong Kong. It was late at night. I was browsing Instagram on the hotel wifi. I saw a sales post there. My eye was instantly drawn to the two Edison Pearlette fountain pens on sale. “No!” I told myself. “No, impulse buying.” I slept on the decision and promptly emailed the seller for either of the two Edison Pearlette with a perference for the one with the F nib. Can you imagine trying to co-ordinate a purchase over email while travelling. Long story short, I wasn’t able to purchase the one with the F nib and picked up this particular Edison Pearlette instead.

Performance:
The Edison Pearlette is a custom acrylic fountain pen made by Edison Pen Company. They are a custom pen company who also makes a line of production pen available at various retailers. The Pearlette is one such signature line fountain pen.

The Pearlette is not a large pen. The body reminds me of the Nakaya Piccolo but with a taper towards the end of the barrel. You cannot go wrong with this pen body shape. It is one of my favourites. Comparing the length of the Pearlette to the Piccolo, they are the same length but the girth of the Piccolo is wider than the Pearlette’s. This is one of the problems I have with the Pearlette but more on that later. Being made of acrylic, the Pearlette is a light pen. The particular acrylic used for this Pearlette is the Flecked - Aztec Gold Flake, it is a beautiful brown and orange specked material. At times, under the right light, it would seems as if the pen is glowing from within. Pairing it with a gold clip is the best choice. The acrylic is machined and hand finished to such a thinness, especially on the cap, you can see through the material! The workmanship on the Pearlette is flawless

The gold clip is a simple tapered one that has a decent amount of flexibility to it. The cap comes about 1 and 3/4 revolutions. The turning is smooth and easy. The cap can be posted to extend the length of the Pearlette. Now this is something I wouldn’t ever do on my Nakaya pens. Back to the Pearlette, the grip section is where I have the most problem with this pen. It is way too narrow even for me to hold it comfortably. I understand that this is meant to be a small fountain pen but the girth doesn’t have to be sacrificed right? Personally this is a deal breaker for me. I can’t write for long periods with the Pearlette without feeling uncomfortable. However, that’s just me so your mileage may vary. The Pearlette takes a standard international cartridge and converter plus it can be turned into an eyedropper pen, thanks to the acrylic body. If you turn it into an eyedropper pen, the ink capacity just went off the roof.

Next comes my next problem with my particular Pearlette, it was sold with a #5 two-toned stainless steel EF nib by JoWo. However I think the seller might have modded the nib previously. The nib wrote very very dry when it first arrived. I begged a local pen shop for help and they managed to straightened the nib. It improved the flow dramatically but not enough for my liking. I mean it is a simple fix of buying another nib for the pen. However with the grip being the way it is, I think it is rather pointless for me to keep the pen.

Conclusion:
The way the pen wrote was no fault of the Pearlette’s design but I just wished the grip section is wider. If it was the same width as the Nakaya Piccolo’s, I think the Pearlette would have been a great alternative to the Piccolo. Of course, I don’t think Edison Pen Company would have to copy the Piccolo’s design without adding their signature touch to it. It is a conundrum but as the Pearlette is now I can say it is not a pen for me.

Pros:

• Excellent workmanship
• A huge variety of acrylic and ebonite available to choose from

Cons:

• Too narrow grip section

Additional Reading:

• The Pen Addict’s Review of the Edison Pearlette
• The Gentleman Stationer’s Review of the Edison Pearlette
• The Passionate Penman’s Review of the Edison Pearlette

I’m sure everyone who is into fountain pens and inks will find themselves the owner of too many pens and/or inks and/or paper. Personally, I have been forced to face the realities of my addiction not just because I do yearly tally of my spendings. I use my Dudek Block as a good gauge of when my pen herd needs some thinning.

Recently I’ve purchased and ordered two top tier fountain pens from Montblanc and Nakaya respectively. (It’s my first Montblanc fountain pen!) I began the process of culling the lesser used pens from my pen stand. This is in part to make space for the incoming pens of 2017 and also to free up some funds to acquire more pens.

So these pens are up on the chopping block right now.

• Faber Castell Loom
• Lamy CP 1
• Tactile Turn The Gist
• Visconti Van Gogh Starry Night
  My only rule is any pen received as a gift will never be sold, instead they will live in cold storage.

Why these 4 pens? I have all 4 for some time (months if not at least a year for some)* but I almost always pass over them to ink up another pen. It can’t be because they are not gold nib pens because I use plenty of steel nib pens on a daily basis. The only way to find out is to ink them up and take them out for a spin. The Faber-Castell Loom is a gift from my aunt, it originally came with a medium nib which was too wet but super smooth. I swapped it out with my Faber-Castell Ondoro’s F nib and sold the Ondoro. That one I sold last year because of the grip section and the faceted barrel. After a week or so with the Loom I found the nib and the pen rather boring. Functionally, there is nothing wrong, it was just kind of regular. Since I didn’t have to decide to keep or sell the pen, it was easy to defer the decision by putting it into cold storage.

The Lamy CP 1 was next. Filling it with the Sailor Jentle Kin Moku Sei, it wrote beautifully. It even has a little stubbish quality in the 14K EF nib. The nib provides a nice feedback that I enjoy. However, I found I wasn’t enjoying the pen body as well. I didn’t want to keep the body but I balk at the thought of selling the nib. Luckily for me, Lamy’s nibs are interchangeable. It’s just a simple matter of swapping the nib out and selling the Lamy CP 1 with another nib.

I had backed Tactile Turn Gist Kickstarter for two pens - one bronze the other zirconium. The bronze that came with the 1.1mm nib was sold a few months after I got the pen. Stub nibs are seldom for me since they are usually too wide for my liking. The one I have left is the zirconium with a titanium EF nib. Now the titanium nib can be tamed with a dry ink but it sings in a different way from gold nibs. I am very gentle with the nib because I was afraid I will spring the nib. I decided that’s no way to live so that is going to go. Also, I found the cap cracked all by itself in the pen stand. After a week of use, the crack turn into a chip. Will Hodges of Tactile Turn will be sending me a new cap once my old one get to him. If you have the same issue, do drop him an email.

Finally, the Visconti Van Gogh Starry Night. This is a pen I’ve purchased during my Italy trip a few years ago. I got the Visconti Van Goh along with a Delta The Journal and Lamy Al-Star Copper Orange. Both of which have since been sold so this is the last pen standing, so to speak. The week of using this pen I re-discovered my love of the pen. The steel is slightly springy and also slightly stubbish in character. This I’m told is hard to achieve for an EF nib. I am on the fence for the Visconti. There is nothing wrong with the pen, it’s just being pass over for no good reason. Maybe it deserves a better home where it will be used? I’ll be keeping this pen for now.

So this is usually how I go about culling my pens especially once my Block gets full. Tell me in the comments, how you decide for your collection!Stay tuned next week for part 2 where I write about where I sell my pens and some tips regarding selling.

John Martinson's excellent article published on the Pen World Magazine. I am honoured to have contributed my thoughts on the subject. Click on the link to check out the article. My thanks to Nicky and the team for co-ordinating!

Another re-issued Sailor ink and one of my favourite from this series. Kin Moku Sei is a bright orange ink that shades well. It reminds me of Sailor’s fabled Apricot. This is a lubricated ink that works well even in my EF nibs. Kin Moku Sei goes from a deep orange like Diamine Pumpkin to a light yellow orange. Why do you do this to us, Sailor? Should I buy another bottle just in case? I love this ink!

Similar Inks

• Diamine Pumpkin
• Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu Gaki
• Sailor Bungbox Hamanako Fresh Mandarin Orange

My thanks to Glenn for the ink sample!

Kobe inks are made by Sailor and this particular ink behaves similarly to other Sailor made inks. Kobe Arima Amber is a Nagasawa exclusive ink but is now also available in the US via Vanness Pens. It is a lubricated ink that flows well. It is a blend of brown and yellow. You might describe it as sepia. Personally I don’t really like such a warm, light brown. Colour aside, it shades well and behaves beautifully.

Similar Inks:

• Noodler’s Kiowa Pecan
• Noodler’s FPN Galileo Manuscript Brown
• Pelikan 4001 Brown

The Numbers:
Weight: 16g
Length (capped): 124mm
Length (uncapped): 123mm
Price: USD$380 on Pen Chalet
Body Material: Resin and cellulose acetate Nib Material: 14k Gold nib
Filling Mechanism: Piston filler
Colours: Various

Intro:
I’ve been lusting after the Pelikan M800 Brown Tortoise ever since I’ve laid eyes on one. I love the play of light and dark colours of the brown tortoise shell finish. However the price have always put me off buying one of my own. Maybe Pelikan has heard my prayers and launch the Brown Tortoise in M400 size this year. With a quick check on the price, I promptly ordered one for myself.

I’ve previously reviewed the M205 and I went into detail about what does the various model number mean in the Pelikan lineup. Do go over there to read about it, I won’t be repeating it here.

Packaging:
The M400 Brown Tortoise comes in a regular Pelikan box that can be open by pulling on the tab at the side. It also has the standard white faux leather pouch which holds the pen. There wasn’t anything particularly more fancy in terms of the packaging for this special edition fountain pen.

Performance:
The M400 is mostly made of dark brown resin and brown striped cellulose acetate for its barrel. It is accented with double rings of gold around the end of the cap and at the piston knob. The clip and finial is also gold. The pen looks very classy but the brown stripe barrel adds a flash of character to the otherwise standard looking Pelikan fountain pen. You can tell that this is a quality fountain pen, the fit and finish of the pen is flawless.

It takes slightly less than a single revolution to uncap the pen. The M400 being a pen on the smaller end of the Souveran lineup, the cap can be posted to extend the length of the barrel. The cap securely at the end of the barrel. Personally I found it comfortable enough without posting.

The grip section is relatively short and thin. I would say the M600 would be a comfortable size for most. Those with larger hands should try it out in person before buying. I had some issues with my M205 previously. Maybe this is a special edition fountain pen or the M400 series generally get better quality control, the threads that I found sharp on the M205 are smooth here.

Pelikan Souveran fountain pens are all piston fillers. Thanks to that, they have substantial ink capacity. The resin barrel is clear, while the stripes are opaque. It makes it easy to monitor the ink level of the fountain pen when you looked at it against light. The Pelikan M400 Brown Tortoise comes with a variety of nib options, going from EF to B and special for this particular release an Italic Board nib. Me being me, opted for the EF nib. It wrote well out of the box but personally I found Pelikan nibs does nothing for me. They wrote broader and wetter than usual of their nib size so I promptly handed it off to a local nibmeister to have it ground down into a Japanese EF.

The result is a nib with delicious feedback. It writes very finely as expected of a Japanese EF nib. Though this nib wasn’t modded for additional flex, with a little pressure I can get some line variation from the nib. The feedback can be a little much so this particular nib modification isn’t for everyone.

Before moddiing

Conclusion:
The Pelikan Brown Tortoise is one of my grail pen, I “settled” for the smaller sibling but the colour of the light and dark alternating stripes is just as beautiful to admire. Plus, I don’t believe any two Brown Tortoise pen is completely identical because of the stripes. As a standard M400, this isn’t the cheapest model you can find out there, but the Brown Tortoise finish is just too hard to say no to. Though the nib modification is an additional cost but it is also what makes the pen special to me.

Pros:

• Brown Tortoise!
• Delicious feedback from nib modification
• IB nib option

Cons:

• Limited number of pens

Additional Reading:

• The Pelikan’s Perch’s news about the M400 Brown Tortoise

There are affiliate links in this review. I may get a small amount of store credit if you purchase anything via the link(s). You are under no obligation to do so but if you would like to do something nice, do buy what you need via my links.

Congrats to Maxim Mee! You are the winner of the Wing Sung 698 fountain pen. Please contact me within 7 days (26th January 2017) to claim your prize. You can contact me via the contact form on the blog.

My thanks to Robert Oster for sending me this sample.

Another beautiful ink by Robert Oster. This is one ink maker to watch! The turquoise isn’t the bright blend of blue and green that I expected. Turquoise is way more green than turquoise inks of other brands. I think Robert Oster Signature Turquoise feels like it’s right on the line between teal and turquoise. Robert Oster Signature Turquoise shades nicely and flows well even in my Sailor fine nib.

Similar Inks:

• Akkerman Zuiderpark Blauw-Groen
• Diamine Teal
• Pilot Iroshizuku Syo Ro

The Lunar New Year is approaching and let’s assume you’ve been diligent in your spring cleaning. Your desk is now clean and free of clutter. You might be thinking, let’s put some pens in a pen stand and setup my work station, after all the desk is a vital piece of furniture for all fountain pen lovers. How about putting a bottle of ink on my desk for easy access? Of course we are working on the assumption your desk isn’t in direct sunlight and whatever ambient light won’t be damaging the ink in the bottle.

Let’s run through the different ink bottles that each brand provides. There are the basic ones from brands such as Noodler’s, Private Reserve, Sailor, Franklin Christoph, limited edition Montblanc, J Herbin and 30ml Diamine bottles. They are mostly made of glass except the 30ml Diamine bottles are plastic. Now these are no frills ink bottles, mostly cylindrical, rectangular or squarish in shape, some designs more useable than others but all not that attractive.

Then, there are bottles in the middle tier such as the older Bungbox vase shaped ones, Montblanc shoe shaped ones, Pelikan 4001, Maruzen Athena, OMAS and Pilot ink bottles. These are not just basic shapes. The Bungbox vases shaped ones and the Maruzen Athena bottles are among my favourites, the former for it’s functionality and the later for its shape. These are a step above the first tier of ink bottle attractiveness but these are not the best there is.

Up on the lofty heights of ink bottle attractiveness, there are the higher end inks such as the Pilot Iroshizuku, Graf von Faber-Castell, Pelikan Edelstein and Akkerman. These definitely look like and some actually cost a nice chunk of change. Personally the first three brands are what I’ll feel are the prettier brands of ink bottles while the Akkerman is a very different looking ink bottle. Plus it has that marble inside you can play with if you’re bored.

If all things being equal, regardless the kind of ink is in the bottle, regardless the price of the ink or the volume of ink contained, I will crown the Graf von Faber Castell bottle as the ink bottle for my table. Look at the elegance of the ribbed glass bottle and capped with a hefty metal cap. The label also looks like a blend of old world class and personal touch of the analogue world. I would buy the entire ink lineup they have just for the bottle.

Which ink bottle would you crown as the ink bottle for your desk? Tell me in the comments below.

My thanks to Robert Oster for sending me this sample.

Robert Oster Signature Jade is a nice blend of green and yellow. It looks really good and shades very well. This is one ink I really wish I have a full bottle of. Jade is a beautiful colour that goes from a light yellow-green to a strong dark green. This is defintely best paired with a nib to show off the shading Jade is capable of.

Similar Inks:

• Diamine Dark Olive
• Sailor Jentle Tokiwa Matsu
• Sailor Jentle Waka Uguisu

The Numbers:
Weight: 18g
Length (capped): 123mm
Length (uncapped): 115mm
Body Material: Italian resin
Nib Material: Stainless steel
Filling Mechanism: Cartridge only
Colours: Various

Intro:
My thanks to Sunny of Straits Pen for lending me this pen for review. The Visconti Van Gogh Mini is a pocket fountain pen that has already been discontinued. It is of a size in between a Kaweco Liliput or Supra (with used without the extender) and a full size fountain pen. The pen is shaped like an elongated bullet. The black resin body is accented with a traditional Visconti clip, centre band and drumrolls please screw to secure the clip. The screw thankfully is flush against the cap but it is quite an eyesore in terms of the aesthetics. Both ends of the pen is slightly pointed but just mildly so.

Packaging:
The small fountain pen came in a box bigger than it really needs. The box has a faux crocodile leather look. Opening the clam shell box reveals a suede like bed that holds the pen and a bottle of ink. The presentation is nice but I much rather a smaller box in general.

Performance:
The Visconti Van Gogh Mini is a simple pen especially this black resin version. The clip is the traditional Visconti bridge shaped clip. It is spring loaded for easy slipping over paper or fabric. The centre band feels slightly more chunky especially when comparing it to the size of the pen. The cap unscrews in about 1 and a quarter turn of the cap. The metal grip section is understandably short. Though on second thought the Kaweco Supra is able to provide me with a longer grip section. The metal grip isn’t very slippery because it is short. Plus it has a textured segment just before the nib. It helps to keep my grip on the pen. The threads are nice and smooth as well.

The Visconti Van Gogh is a fountain pen that takes only cartridges but I found it takes my tiny Kaweco squeeze converter though it was a loose fit. The converter still worked so I had wrote two converters worth. The stainless steel medium nib that came with the pen is smooth and not too much of an ink gusher. I do not have many European medium pens in my collection so I enjoyed the nib very much. Personally I think given that the Visconti Van Gogh Mini isn’t that small so it should be able to at least take the standard international cartridge or even the converter. Alas, it wasn’t to be.

Conclusion:
This discontinued Visconti Van Gogh Mini is a stylish small fountain pen with a number of colours. What’s with that exposed screw on the cap? I wished they have bothered to hide it inside the cap. This pen doesn’t really perform very well as a pocket fountain pen. There are smaller and cheaper fountain pens that exist plus it is already discontinued so it’s all a moot point.

Cons:

• Takes only short international cartridge

Pros:

• Small and slim profile
• Smooth nib

Additional Reading:

• The Pen Addict’s review of the Visconti Van Gogh Midi
• The Unroyal Warrant’s review of the Visconti Van Gogh Maxi

This is one ink sample that I’ve been putting off filling up with it for a long time. For no good reason other than I didn’t feel like it. However, Montblanc JFK Navy Blue is quite a pleasant surprise. It’s a rather wet ink, wetter than I am used to for Montblanc inks. It’s dark and saturated but it still shades rather nicely especially in broader nibs. The grey undertones surfaces prominently with broader nibs. Alas, this is one of Montblanc’s limited edition inks. Why did I wait so long before inking this up?

Similar Inks

• Lamy Blue Black
• Pelikan 4001 Blue Black
• Pilot Iroshizuku Shin Kai

Yuki Akari is one of the newly re-issued inks by Sailor. It’s a light sky blue colour. It isn’t so light that it is hard to read against the white paper. Yuki Akari reminds me of Bungbox June Bride Something Blue. Yuki Akari is more blue and lighter than June Bride Something Blue. It shades very subtly and seemed to dry reasonably fast as well. It’s a nice colour but it is not a colour I would reach for most of the time.

Similar Inks:

• Pilot Iroshizuku Ama Iro
• Bungbox June Bride Something Blue
• Sheaffer Turquoise

This is a true green ink made by Montblanc. It shades nicely even in a Japanese fine nib. In my 1.1mm nib it shades all the better. It goes from a deep dark green where the ink pools to a bright leaf green. It flows well and behaves nicely. Colour-wise, this isn’t my favourite green but I reckon this will be a good workhorse green ink.

Similar Inks:

• Chesterfield Emerald
• Diamine Sherwood Green
• Pelikan Edelstein Aventurine

I’m sure everyone who is into fountain pens and inks will find themselves the owner of too many pens and/or inks and/or paper. Personally, I have been forced to face the realities of my addiction not just because I do yearly tally of my spendings. I use my Dudek Block as a good gauge of when my pen herd needs some thinning.

Recently I’ve purchased and ordered two top tier fountain pens from Montblanc and Nakaya respectively. (It’s my first Montblanc fountain pen!) I began the process of culling the lesser used pens from my pen stand. This is in part to make space for the incoming pens of 2017 and also to free up some funds to acquire more pens.

So these pens are up on the chopping block right now.

• Faber Castell Loom
• Lamy CP 1
• Tactile Turn The Gist
• Visconti Van Gogh Starry Night
  My only rule is any pen received as a gift will never be sold, instead they will live in cold storage.

Why these 4 pens? I have all 4 for some time (months if not at least a year for some)* but I almost always pass over them to ink up another pen. It can’t be because they are not gold nib pens because I use plenty of steel nib pens on a daily basis. The only way to find out is to ink them up and take them out for a spin. The Faber-Castell Loom is a gift from my aunt, it originally came with a medium nib which was too wet but super smooth. I swapped it out with my Faber-Castell Ondoro’s F nib and sold the Ondoro. That one I sold last year because of the grip section and the faceted barrel. After a week or so with the Loom I found the nib and the pen rather boring. Functionally, there is nothing wrong, it was just kind of regular. Since I didn’t have to decide to keep or sell the pen, it was easy to defer the decision by putting it into cold storage.

The Lamy CP 1 was next. Filling it with the Sailor Jentle Kin Moku Sei, it wrote beautifully. It even has a little stubbish quality in the 14K EF nib. The nib provides a nice feedback that I enjoy. However, I found I wasn’t enjoying the pen body as well. I didn’t want to keep the body but I balk at the thought of selling the nib. Luckily for me, Lamy’s nibs are interchangeable. It’s just a simple matter of swapping the nib out and selling the Lamy CP 1 with another nib.

I had backed Tactile Turn Gist Kickstarter for two pens - one bronze the other zirconium. The bronze that came with the 1.1mm nib was sold a few months after I got the pen. Stub nibs are seldom for me since they are usually too wide for my liking. The one I have left is the zirconium with a titanium EF nib. Now the titanium nib can be tamed with a dry ink but it sings in a different way from gold nibs. I am very gentle with the nib because I was afraid I will spring the nib. I decided that’s no way to live so that is going to go. Also, I found the cap cracked all by itself in the pen stand. After a week of use, the crack turn into a chip. Will Hodges of Tactile Turn will be sending me a new cap once my old one get to him. If you have the same issue, do drop him an email.

Finally, the Visconti Van Gogh Starry Night. This is a pen I’ve purchased during my Italy trip a few years ago. I got the Visconti Van Goh along with a Delta The Journal and Lamy Al-Star Copper Orange. Both of which have since been sold so this is the last pen standing, so to speak. The week of using this pen I re-discovered my love of the pen. The steel is slightly springy and also slightly stubbish in character. This I’m told is hard to achieve for an EF nib. I am on the fence for the Visconti. There is nothing wrong with the pen, it’s just being pass over for no good reason. Maybe it deserves a better home where it will be used? I’ll be keeping this pen for now.

So this is usually how I go about culling my pens especially once my Block gets full. Tell me in the comments, how you decide for your collection!Stay tuned next week for part 2 where I write about where I sell my pens and some tips regarding selling.

John Martinson's excellent article published on the Pen World Magazine. I am honoured to have contributed my thoughts on the subject. Click on the link to check out the article. My thanks to Nicky and the team for co-ordinating!

Another re-issued Sailor ink and one of my favourite from this series. Kin Moku Sei is a bright orange ink that shades well. It reminds me of Sailor’s fabled Apricot. This is a lubricated ink that works well even in my EF nibs. Kin Moku Sei goes from a deep orange like Diamine Pumpkin to a light yellow orange. Why do you do this to us, Sailor? Should I buy another bottle just in case? I love this ink!

Similar Inks

• Diamine Pumpkin
• Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu Gaki
• Sailor Bungbox Hamanako Fresh Mandarin Orange