The highly trained staff of monkeys at the Desk has been hard at work updating things around here! Today’s update includes a shiny Pen Show Schedule for the remainder of 2022 and 2023. Of note, it looks like the LA Pen Show has been canceled and a new California Pen Show is launching around the…
Showing all posts in Ask The Desk
Ask The Desk: Sharpeners, Skripsert Converters and Staples Legal Pads
Geoffrey asked two questions: 1) What would your recommend for a short point pencil sharpener? Think the stubby point on a golf pencil. My husband is obsessed with short point pencils, but his current method of using a wider sharpener to make a short point isn’t always ideal. There are three readily available adjustable pocket…
Ask the Desk: Repairs, Refills, and Expert Fountain Pens
Tim asks: My father-in-law who passed in 1988 used a variety of fountain pens which we just uncovered in the attic. The pens have not been used in probably 35 to 40 years. Can you recommend a site that would recondition the pens? These pens have a rubber bladder Which would need to be replaced.…
Ask The Desk: Planner for Medical Editor, Waterproof inks and Cross Porous Point Pen Options
Angela asks: Hello–I’m a freelance medical editor. I have to keep track of jobs for ±6 clients each day. For years, I’ve used a spiral notebook and pencil. I’ve been upgrading my notebooks, and now I think I’d like to use a daily planner so I have a more orderly view of finished projects. I…
Ask the Desk: Refills, Sharpeners & Stamp Pads
Kiran asks: I love your blog! I had a pen that used Schneider topball 850 refills. I liked that pen but it has been damaged so I’m looking to replace it with something similar that uses the same refills. Do you know how I would find pens that fit the Schneider topball 850? I tried…
How to: Make Ink Ring Swatches
After my Ask The Desk post about sheening inks, I’ve had many questions about how to make ink ring swatches. I first saw these in a lot of the swatches from Asian pen enthusiasts and I wracked my brain trying to figure out how they did it. I made a mess of many pages of…
Ask The Desk: Digital Drawing Tablets, Typing Paper, & Astrobrights
Joe asks: I need your advice on the purchase of a drawing table for my 10 year old granddaughter. She really is very good and I wish I could attach one of her drawings for you to see. She draws constantly and learns from books that I and her parents have bought her. She also…