The Well-Appointed Desk

Pen Review: Pen Boutique Exclusive Sailor 1911 Kagero Green (MF Nib)

To celebrate their 15th anniversary, Pen Boutique worked with Sailor and Itoya to develop an exclusive design for the 1911 Kagero Green ($220). The owner of Pen Boutique, Leena, is an avid hiker and decided to let nature be her inspiration in choosing the theme and colors for the pen. The name and color is Kagero green which is Japanese for mayflies. This exclusive edition is limited to just 200 pens across the regular and large models.

The pen is really lovely. The translucent olive green body is accented with gold hardware and a 14k gold nib (the 1911 Large features a 21k nib). The pen ships in standard Sailor packaging including the navy blue box with white paper sleeve and ships with two cartridges and a converter.

I’ve gone into more detail about the 1911 pen in past reviews. That review includes all the weights and measurements and comparisons to some common pens. If you are not familiar with Sailor pens, Unsharpen has a Buying Guide that’s quite handy.

The only other “1911” I own is actually a ProColor with a 21k and it’s also the only other Sailor I own with gold hardware. As you can see, the 1911 and ProColor pens on the far right are all the same size. The 1911 has the ring around the bottom and wider rings around the cap. The six pens to the left are all Sailor Pro Gear Slims and then the last pen on the left is a Pro Gear Sapporo Mini.

The photo above shows the H-MF (14k) and H-F (21k) nibs. I don’t know if the engraving between the nibs is always different. I bought this nib after-market (obviously, Pro Color pens don’t come with 21k nibs!) but I wanted to be able to show that in a photo, its almost impossible to tell a MF from a F nib. I even thought they were both MF until I saw the macro photo.

So, in my writing sample, I even did a comparison with the 21k nib thinking the nibs were the same width. The 21k looks like is writes wider. This could be an optical illusion of the ink being darker or that the ink in the 21k is wetter. Whatever the case, they are still pretty similar overall.

The MF nib in the 1911 regular is quite fine. It’s comparable to most European and American EF nibs for sure. I have a TWSBI with an EF which is much wider than this. The 14k nib of the 1911 regular has a bit more feedback than my comparable 21k MF nib. So, if you can afford to upgrade to a 1911 Large with the 21k nib, I highly recommend it, especially if you prefer really fine nibs.

Pen Boutique recommends matching Sailor Waka- Uguisu ($13.50 for 20ml) with the pen but I matched it with the new Robert Oster Australis Tea ($17 for 50ml). I think they are both pretty comparable. Sailor inks are probably a bit wetter where Robert Oster’s tend to run a little drier. Otherwise, I think the results are pretty similar.

Pen Boutique is also stocking a matching Yak Leather pen sleeve in Olive Green ($15.99) which coordinates perfectly with the Sailor Kagero Green 1911.

The Kagero Green 1911 is definitely a pen to give me FOMO. Despite the photo above of my Sailor pen collection, green is my favorite color and the shade of green that the Kagero Green embodies is that “right shade”. Do I wish the hardware was silver? Yes. Do I wish there was glitter in the body color? Of course I do, I’m part crow. All that aside, this is a gorgeous pen and if I had the cheddar I’d go for the 1911 Large ($312) with the 21k nib in a hot second.

PS: The Crabby Pen Holder ($9.97) is also available from Pen Boutique.

Tools:

Paper: Rhodia Uni-Blank No. 18 ($13.75) with 6mm guide sheet
Pen: Sailor 1911 Kagero Green MF (Pen Boutique Exclusive) ($220)
Ink: Robert Oster Australis Tea ($17 for 50ml bottle)

DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this review were provided free of charge by Pen Boutique for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

In DIY

DIY: Pen Flush as Stamp Cleaner

Jaclyn MyersAugust 28, 2020August 28, 202012 Comments

Back in July, Ana posted a practical, adorable recipe for DIY pen flush. As soon as I read the post, I had a follow-up request. The post specifically said to label your pen flush- and once I saw the charming illustrations, I knew no other label would suffice. A few weeks later, a new pen flush sticker pack was immediately added to my shopping cart.

It arrived in perfect timing because I had been meaning to try a suggestion I received from the Desk ladies about cleaning stamps. Thanks to our fearless leader’s seemingly endless creativity and talent, a lot of new rubber stamps have been added to my collection recently.

And while we are on the topic, have I mentioned that these are some really good stamps? Obviously, the designs speak for themselves- but the quality of the stamps is also exceptional. If you haven’t checked them out yet- I highly recommend them. Ana even has a few new ones I haven’t gotten my hands on yet… “Don’t Drink the Ink” stamps, a “Maker” series, and lab beakers. Something for everyone. Or in my case, all the somethings.

With all these new stamps around, I was curious how the other Deskettes cleaned their stamps after use. I had an old stamp cleaning pad that really wasn’t cutting it. Sponges were suggested as an option, and maybe even trying pen flush. I decided to search out necessary supplies for DIY pen flush, standard non-stamp sponges, and a few stamp-specific cleaning supplies for comparison sake—time for a show-down.

I decided to purchase two stamp specific supplies: a Ranger branded stamp cleaning pad, and a StazOn branded cleaning solution. The cost was about $15 for the pair.

For the test shown above- the first impression on the paper is the newly inked stamp, and each print after it represents one application of cleaning solution and a single run across the cleaning pad stamp before being re-stamped onto the paper. It took several applications and a little bit of elbow grease with the stamp cleaning pad, but by the time I got to my fifth round, the stamp was nearly clean. Definitely an improvement over my old stamp cleaning pad and water.

Time to break out the big container of Scotch-Brite sponges I purchased for less than 0.75 cents a sponge and see if they could match the results of the Ranger stamp counterparts.

The nice thing about these sponges compared to the fancy stamp-specific one is that both sides are usable. There’s the firmer cleaning pad on one side- which has a similar texture to the Ranger cleaning pad, and a soft spongy side on the reverse that can be used for soaking with pen flush and pressing the stamp into for cleaning.

Basic cleaning supplies and a jar I already had on hand, and it was off to the races.

The same basic principle for this test- although I applied the pen flush directly to the sponge and then simply pressed the stamp into the sponge a single time in between each imprint on the paper.

Needless to say, I was a little shocked by how significant the difference was. Even better, the cheaper DIY option is, the better of the two! It really only took one or two stamps into the sponge to get it 90% clean. Impressive! At the end of the cleaning above, I ran the stamp across the cleaning pad side of the stamps a few times and pressed it into a second stamp that had been soaked with just water. It looked almost brand new.

While I was stamping, I also pulled out all the black ink pads I owned to test for differences. I tried four ink pads: Ranger Archival Ink, Versafine Pigment Ink, StazOn Solvent Ink, and ColorBox Archival Dye.

Out of the four, I would definitely suggest either the Ranger or the Versafine- both options apply the perfect amount of ink to the stamp and provide clean lines on the paper. The StazOn produced lines that were a little less clean and the ColorBox…

… a little bit overkill, to say the least. I suddenly remembered what prompted me to ask about stamp cleaning the first place!

On the left is the stamp I used for all the testing above after cleaning with my DIY supplies at the end of the night. On the right, we have the stamp I was using before I purchased and made my new cleaning supplies (I haven’t tried cleaning this original one with my new supplies yet). To be fair, I’ve definitely used the old one more than the new one- but I don’t think I ever got that original one as clean as my new one… even after a single use.

Your weekend to-do list:

Purchase stamps and stickers from the Well-Appointed-Desk shop.
Make your own DIY pen flush.
Find or purchase a regular, non-fancy, non-stamp branded sponge.
Stamp a few ink swabs, a letter, or anything else that needs some inky flair.
Clean your stamps and your pens?

Stamps: Well-Appointed Desk Rubber Stamps ($7-$16)
Swatches: Col-o-Ring “Oversize” ($15)

DISCLAIMER: Some items in this review include affiliate links. The Well-Appointed Desk is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. Please see the About page for more details.

In feature, Ink Review

Ink Review: Lennon Tool Bar Spring

Jessica ColesAugust 27, 2020August 27, 2020Leave a comment

By Jessica Coles

Spring seems far away at the moment – around my home we are already feeling hints of autumn in the air. Many of us didn’t even get to experience much spring this year, or at least didn’t experience much of spring while outdoors. So opening up a bottle of ink from Lennon Tool Bar called Spring. Thank you to Alex at Shigure Inks for sending a bottle of this ink for review!

Spring is a bright, well-saturated sky blue that makes me smile.

To give a better idea of how Spring fits in with other inks, I compared the color, but I photographed in full sunlight to keep with the sunny thoughts! The color is close to Diamine Aqua Lagoon (which was actually my first purchase of a bottle of ink!) but in writing, Spring is noticeably lighter.

This light turquoise, or perhaps cyan, has lovely shading and takes a while to dry on Tomoe River paper – nearly 1 minute.

As for writing, I find that Spring behaves the same as other Lennon Tool Bar inks that I have used – a wet flow but not lubricated. The flow is similar to J. Herbin inks or Callifolio and are very easy to clean.

In a cursive italic nib, the ink behaved beautifully – no bleeding and no feathering.

Spring can be found at Shigure Inks at $24 for 30mL or you can pick up a sample by selecting “Ink Samples Order Form” from the Inks dropdown menu. Don’t forget there is free shipping once you reach $40 in your order.

Notebook: Musubi Tomoe River Folio (~$35 for 384 pages)
Swatches: Col-o-Ring Ink Testing Book ($10)
Ink: Lennon Tool Bar Limited Edition Spring (30mL, $24)

DISCLAIMER: Some items in this review were provided free for the purpose of this review. All other items were purchased by me. Except for the Col-o-ring which was provided to me by a wonderful person who pays me to write blogs by keeping me supplied with Col-o-rings and now Dippers as well. Please see the About page for more details.

In feature

Link Love: No Comment

AnaAugust 26, 2020August 26, 20201 Comment

We all need each other. Please support our sponsors and affiliates. They help keep this blog going. Without them, we would not have products to review or a server to house our content. Your patronage of their shops, services and products will let them know you appreciate their support of the pen community. Without them, and without you, we could not continue to do what we do. Thank you!

In Fountain Pen Review

Eye Candy: Dip Nib Pen

Laura CameronAugust 25, 2020August 25, 20201 Comment

Last year at the Arkansas Pen Show (it feels like ages ago!) I purchased a dip nib pen second hand from one of the vintage sellers. It came in a Papier Plume box, though I don’t see it available on their site now.

Lately I’ve had fun playing with the pen. I do use a dip pen to swatch new inks, but I use a glass nib (technically acrylic) along with interchangeable mobs in various sizes (extra fine through extra broad).

Overall, I think I prefer the glass nib because it holds so much more ink, but I do get some fun line variation with this one.

In Fountain Pen Review

Fountain Pen Review: Kaweco Sport Cognac for Galen Leather

AnaAugust 24, 2020August 23, 20206 Comments

Galen Leather had a custom Kaweco Sport created in a translucent dark orange called Cognac. The pens include custom “Galen Leather” gold foil stamping and gold nibs. Galen Leather packaged the pens in a custom box with a custom sleeve printed with fun graphics.

Aesthetically, Galen has made the packaging for a Kaweco match the rest of their branding.

Inside, the pen is encased in foam inside to protect the pen in its journeys. The paperboard outer box is totally reusable and recyclable.

I photographed the Kaweco Sport Cognac with my favorite 3-Pen Case and some of my weird desk accoutrements.

Everything else about the Kaweco Sport Cognac is the same as all the other Kaweco Sport pens I’ve purchased. The nib matches the stamping on the pen. The nib is a silky smooth medium nib, as I would expect.

The Kaweco Sport weighs about 13gms with a cartridge. I used a Kaweco Mini Converter ($5) which may have added a gram or two to the overall weight but the pen is still very light and east to pocket.

If you are trying to build the epic #kawecotowerchallenge, then you won’t want to miss adding the Cognac to your pile.

Tools:

Paper: Rhodia Uni-Blank No. 18 with 6mm guide sheet
Pens: Kaweco Sport Cognac for Galen Leather with Medium Nib ($30)
Swatches: Col-o-Ring Ink Testing Book ($10) & Col-o-dex Rotary Cards ($15)
Ink: Robert Oster Chocolate ($17 for 50ml bottle)

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by Galen Leather for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

In Tools

Sharpener Showdown: Handheld

AnaAugust 21, 2020August 16, 202010 Comments

Review by Tina Koyama

A few months ago, I conducted a satisfying sharpener showdown between two hand cranks to beat my old Carl Angel-5. It was satisfying because both contenders came out equally good. Since I spend just as much time using pencils on the sidewalk as I do at my desk, it’s crucial to have a good portable handheld sharpener, too. Awhile back I tested four handheld sharpeners that would accommodate thicker-barreled colored pencils. Today’s showdown puts six handheld sharpeners head-to-head using standard graphite pencils.

The contenders are:

KUM long-point one-hole ($2)
Blackwing two-step long-point ($9.95)
Maped metal wedge double-hole ($4.50)
Sun-Star Sect Double ($1.75)
Kutsuwa Stad 2 Maiba Double Blade ($5.50)
Sonic Ratchetta Capsule ($5.50)

To keep the test fair, I used six identical, unsharpened pencils from Notegeist.

First up is the KUM long-point one-hole, which was included in the Taste of Blackwing Sampler that I reviewed recently.

This simple, inexpensive sharpener produced the longest point of the showdown. However, I kept feeling some resistance as I twisted the pencil, and the point looks a little ragged. I think the blade might need adjusting, or maybe it’s a bit dull. It’s a no-nonsense, budget-priced sharpener that takes up little space in a pocket or bag.

The Blackwing two-step is also made by KUM. For years, I’ve used the older model KUM Automatic Brake long-point two-step, which was formerly available with Blackwing’s branding. Recently Blackwing upgraded the body to this slightly more angular shape. I believe the working parts are identical, however. At $9.95, the Blackwing is the most expensive of the bunch (and also more than the standard KUM two-step with the same innards).

The Blackwing two-step is unique in this showdown for requiring two steps: one to sharpen the wood, the second to sharpen the graphite.

Step 1 takes away the wood, and a stopper at the end of the sharpener (the “Automatic Brake”) keeps you from taking too much off.

Step 2 brings the graphite to a long, gleaming point that is almost as long as the KUM one-step, except that it’s smooth and flawless.

The Blackwing’s cover keeps the shavings nicely contained, which is a nice feature when I’m sketching from a street corner and I’ve forgotten a plastic bag or something else to catch the shavings.

The Maped wedge turned out to be a surprising dark horse. With two holes, it accommodates standard pencils as well as jumbos.

First I tried the standard hole, and it produced a lovely shaving blossom, which always brings me joy. The blade must be very sharp, as it felt smooth going around.

I found a jumbo-size General Kimberly 9XXB pencil in my stash that was just the right girth to test the larger hole. The Maped did a fine job on it, too. Like the one-hole KUM, the Maped has no cover, so the lovely blossoms will end up on the ground unless you remember to bring a bag along.

The least expensive in the showdown, the Sun Star Sect Double has a simple design, yet the flip top keeps tiny shaving crumbs from getting out – very tidy. It offers two sharpeners – one for a long point, one for a shallower cone and shorter point.

Unfortunately, the blade on the long point hole must be misaligned, because it would not make contact with my pencil at all. It just kept spinning around – a complete fail. The short side, however, sharpened a decent point.

The Kutsuwa Stad 2 Maiba is my favorite in appearance. What a funky shape, and yet its roundness and contours are ergonomically comfortable to hold.

The Maiba also gets extra credit for the sliding door that keeps shavings and graphite particles from escaping. I’m typically not a neat freak, but I do appreciate sharpeners that have been designed with tidiness in mind.

The point that results is short, but smooth and clean.

Finally, I tried the Sonic Ratchetta Capsule, which has an amazing see-through design that surely belongs in an action movie as the remote for an incendiary device. For $5.50, it’s worth it to carry around and set casually on the table as you have coffee with friends just to see who is the first to ask about it. Unfortunately, it loses points for its cover that detaches completely, because you will surely leave it behind at the café table after you’ve shown it off. The Capsule offers two point options, which are selected with a dial.

You may recall that a different Ratchetta model was a contender in my previous handheld showdown, and it did a decent job once I got the hang of the “ratcheting.” I like the idea of Ratchettas because they may spare my hand and wrist excessive repetitive motions (I’ve had issues in the past), but the ratcheting movement doesn’t seem to come naturally to me. I mangled the point on my first attempt, probably from torqueing the pencil as I ratcheted. Eventually, I got a useable point, but not a very clean one. Also, I thought I had chosen the long-point option, but it was actually the pointy short-point option. The second option is for a blunt tip (for colored and other art pencils).

Results

The showdown results are in: My favorite for a long point is still the Blackwing two-step. Although that extra step is required, the result is consistently smooth and clean. I prefer the old elliptical design to the new angular one, but I’m hoping the lid’s hinge has also been redesigned to be stronger (a vulnerability on the previous model; time will tell how well this one holds up).

I know many graphite fans appreciate a long point, but I don’t mind using a short point if it’s smooth and clean. With that in mind, the Kutsuwa Stad 2 Maiba is a clear winner in the short-point category, and it receives extra credit for a cool design and tidy sliding door. Honorable mention goes to the Maped for handling both standard and jumbo pencils well.

Tina Koyama is an urban sketcher in Seattle. Her blog is Fueled by Clouds & Coffee, and you can follow her on Instagram as Miatagrrl.

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