The Well-Appointed Desk

Customizing a Midori Traveler Notebook

AnaJune 11, 2013December 30, 20179 Comments

Pictured with my large Pelle Journal for size and color comparison

Since unboxing my new Midori Traveler Notebook (MTN) last week, I’ve been on the hunt for accessories and ways to customize it. There seems to be a lot of debate on whether to buy the Midori brand accessories or make your own. Every site I find that stocks MTNs and accessories tend to sell out of the accessories and notebook inserts fast so clearly they are popular. Being sold out may mean you have to make your own inserts or accessories.

Because the MTN do not have any built-in pockets for loose paper and business cards, the first thing I wanted to do was to find a folder or zipper pocket insert to catch those loose bits. I went to Baum-Kitchen first because they carry a wide variety of MTN products but the shop is closed until July 1– the family that runs the business just had a new baby. Then I hopped over to Goulet Pens to see if they had any in stock but they were sold out of the folder insert. Finally, I searched the internet to see if anyone had instructions or an image of what the folder looked like so I could make my own. That’s when I came across the My Life All in One Place and their tutorial to make a folder using a file folder. I winged it with an office folder and its a little shorter than I meant it to be and a touch wider but I measured it by holding one of the notebook inserts up to the folder and drawing some lines and doing a lot of lazy guess-timating so I’m just happy it turned out okay.

I wasn’t quite ready to invest in a set of four rubber bands for over $4 so I improvised with some produce rubber bands I found in my kitchen drawer. I found a blue one and a purple one and they seem to be working great and let me attach a second lined notebook to my blank book and then attaches my new folder to the lined notebook.

Leather Traveler's Notebook Charm from Baum-Kitchen — Leather Traveler’s Notebook Charm from Baum-Kitchen

I’m still considering adding other personalization like charms, stickers or stamps but I haven’t decided what I want yet. So, as it is right now, the book is fully functional albeit a little plain.

I found lots of videos of people waxing poetic about their MTN and showing off the ways they are using their MTN and the customizations they’ve done. Here’s a few if to inspire you:

The Life of A Perpetual Student uses her MTN as a daily planner.
Points to Sketchantics for his dreamy introduction to his MTN video reveal.
Of course, Brian at Goulet Pens/Ink Nouveau has done an extensive video discussing all the aspects of the MTN.

In feature

Retro 51 Winner!

AnaJune 11, 2013Leave a comment

And the winner of the Retro 51 Tornado is:

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Congrats, Chris! You should be receiving an email from me to make arrangements to send you your Retro 51!

Thanks to everyone who entered to win! I was totally blown away with the response.

Special thanks to JetPens for making this happen!

In feature

Still Searching for a Google Reader Replacement

AnaJune 10, 2013Leave a comment

There’s only a couple of weeks left before Google turns off Reader for good and I’ve yet to make a decision about what service I will use as a replacement. There is a site listing the most popular alternatives as mentioned by hashtag on Twitter called ReplaceReader.

Feedly is topping the list at present but I am still on the fence about it. I set it up but I found the interface a little too “jazzy”. I don’t want my RSS to recommend other content, allow my “friends” to see what I’m reading or any other social integration. Am I the only one who is a total curmudgeon about this?

Feedbin seems popular but because its a paid service entirely, I don’t think very many people have experimented with it yet. I love Reeder for Mac and iPad so I’m leaning towards Feedbin as they are promising integration but, at present, they have only updated the iPhone app which is the one place I don’t usually attempt to read RSS.

I’ve also tried The Old Reader and Blog Lovin’ but did not favor either. While The Old Reader is free, I suspect there will not be a lot of mobile app support for it. And Blog Lovin’… let’s just say I feel a little old to be hanging out in that crowd.

Have you found a replacement for Reader or have you moved away from RSS altogether and found another system for keeping up with your favorite sites?

In feature

Render K, I think I love you.

AnaJune 8, 20138 Comments

After my appearance on the Pen Addict podcast a few weeks ago, some of my more definitive statements about things were brought to light, including my recommendation of the Sherpa over a Render K in the Holiday Gift Guide Rebuttal. It lead to the fine folks at Karas Kustoms offering to open my mind to the awesomeness of the Render K by sending me a pen to review. I was surprised and delighted to find a green anodized Render K in my mailbox within a week and have spent the last week using my Render K and experiencing this unique and frankly quite amazing pen.

The first thing to note, of course, is that the Render K are made in the USA. Each pen machined from aluminum so they are seamless. The only thing that is attached is the industrial-grade clip which is held on with two screws. The top of the cap has the same diamond-plate knurling that the Retro51 has and gives some grip if you screw the cap on too tightly.

The original Render K is available for Pilot Hi-Tec C style refills (in an assortment of nine anodized colors as well as brass) and also to fit Pilot G-2 inserts (only in anodized aluminum). I’m hoping they’ll be an anodized kiwi green in the near future. I love the juniper green of my Render K though.

It took me awhile to write this review because I was having some issues with the original Pilot Hi-Tec C refill I was using. I grabbed one of the Hi-Tec Cs sitting on my desk at work and unscrewed the cap, pulled out the refill and put it into my Render K. All seemed good the first day I used it but the second day the ink stopped flowing consistently. I don’t know if I just had an old dried out Hi-Tec C or what but I was getting a little hot when both the Retro 51 and the Render K were not writing as pleasingly as everyone else had raved. I knew this was an ink issue, not a pen issue and not at all a fault of the Render K so I didn’t want to post my review until I found a refill I was satisfied using.

I scanned my desk again and gazed at my ever-growing pile of Uni-Ball Signo DX pens and wondered if the refill would fit. The tip looked quite similar but the plastic tub filled with ink was a smidge longer than the Hi-Tec C so I pulled out a pair of scissors and hacked off the extra 1/4″ or so. It worked perfectly! I am using a 0.38 blue-black Signo ink cartridge and I am loving the Render K more than ever.

The Render K does not ship with a refill but does include a spring and aluminum spacer for Parker style refills, though after my Retro 51 experience, I’m a little hesitant to try a Parker refill. With the plethora of color and tip sizes for Hi-Tec C and Signo DX, I don’t think I’ll ever have to worry about it. Though I might brave it at some point.

Once I had a good ink cartridge in the Render K I could turn my attention to the way the pen felt in my hand, the weight and balance and all the fine details of the craftsmanship.

I thought the Render K was going to be heavy but, at 21gms without the cap (about the same as a Lamy AL-Star), its pleasantly balanced so that I don’t notice that its much heavier than my usual daily writers (Kaweco Sports which weigh a mere 15gms with the cap). Its really not that heavy. The cap does not post but I catch myself just rolling it around in my right hand while I’m writing. The silky smooth aluminum and the knurled top feel pleasing, like a new coin or a smooth stone.

When my husband saw my Render K he was very keen to know more about it. When I told him they were machined in the USA he looked all over the pen intently and was outraged to discover that nowhere on the pen did it say “Made in the USA”. I think it would be awesome if there was a special edition that was stamped or etched on the top of the cap or on the clip “Made in the USA”. Wouldn’t that be awesome?

Next on my wish list is the Delrin translucent white Render K model. Its gorgeous! I might buy it for myself for my birthday.

(Thanks to Dan at Karas Kustoms for sending me this lovely pen and converting me to a Render K enthusiast! This pen was sent to me for review purposes and this is my unbiased opinion. Really.)

In feature

Oh, so Retro… 51, that is: Retro 51 Tornado Review

AnaJune 7, 2013Leave a comment

The Retro 51 Tornado Review

After lots of teasing and cajoling, I have finally given in and purchased a Retro 51 Tornado ($21 through our favorite online retailer, JetPens). I wanted to buy one of the Vintage Surf models but decided spending $55+ on a limited edition model pen that I wasn’t sure if I would actually like might not be the best course of action. So, I decided to purchase a classic lacquer first to make sure the Retro 51 Tornado was a pen I would like. Of course, I purchased the kiwi green color which I loved how it looked. The sales clerk at the Pen Place let me choose my refill but was not terribly helpful about what the advantages or disadvantages of each were. I asked for a fine rollerball and he offered the Parker-Style ceramic gel refill made by Monetverde that they were available in an array of colors so I chose a blue-black .

I like the metallic sheen of the body of the pen and the knurled twist mechanism. The clip is elegant and simple.

I loved the color and consistency of the Monteverde blue-black gel ink but when I started writing with it and there was a peculiar looseness in the tip. It wasn’t a perfect fit in the body so it wiggled a little and I immediately disliked it. I went onto Twitter and ADN and started asking if my experience was typical. “Nope, It shouldn’t wiggle” was the consensus. The refill I got was not a good fit.

Kindly, Lilardie on Twitter offered to send me a Retro51 branded refill and VOILA! it was such an improvement. For the record, I (the awkward lefty) had no issues with the performance of the Retro 51 rollerball refill. It writes like buttah for me and I have to say, with rollerballs, that’s not always the case so I was pleasantly surprised. With the spring and the better fitting refill, the tip is solid and completely stationary. It does not wiggle at all making the writing experience vastly improved. The refill is listed as 0.7mm but doesn’t seem too wide for me. I’d compare it to a 0.5mm Pilot Hi-Tec C or thereabouts.

The pen is not very long at 5″ with the tip extended and the clip is positioned low enough (2.25″ down from the top) on the pen that if the pen twists in your hand and the clip can bite into your hand. I just had to be aware when I picked it up that the clip needed to face up for maximum comfort. The knurled end does make the pen a little top heavy on the end but it gives it a nice heft. The Retro51 refill is so yummy that once I start writing, I forget about the lovely pen and the fact that my only ink color options are blue and black and just write. That’s a pretty good thing.

~~The Giveaway~~

You too can be the proud owner of a Kiwi Green (or any of the dozen classic lacquer colors) Retro51 Tornado thanks to JetPens. Leave a comment below and tell me which of the colors you like best to be entered to win.

~~The Fine Print~~

Giveaway ends at 10pm on Monday, June 10, 2013 (US Central Time). All comment must be submitted at wellappointeddesk.com, not Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook, okay? Winner will be announced on Tuesday. Winner will be selected by random number generator from entries that played by the rules (see above). Please include your email address in the comment form (you don’t have to put in in your comment) so that I can contact you if you win. I will not save email addresses or sell them to anyone — pinky swear. Shipping via USPS first class is covered. Additional shipping options or insurance will have to be paid by the winner. We are generous but we’re not made of money.

In feature, Ink Review

Ink Drop Reveal for May 2013: Favorites

AnaJune 7, 2013September 18, 2014Leave a comment

I am sorry I waited so long to show off the great collection of ink favorites from the Ink Drop for May 2013. This selection is called “Because We Felt Like It” from the Goulet Pens staff as opposed to the trend lately of creating a theme for each month.

The colors are all right up my alley — rich, tertiary shades like a blue-black, a burgundy, a sepia, a turquoise and a delicious olive-y green. This is by far one of the first Ink Drop sets that I’ve considered buying bottles of all five colors.

I tested these colors with my early model Noodlers Nib Creaper Flex pen. This paper really isn’t designed for flexible nib fountain pens so all but the 54th Massachusetts bled on the paper. I am in the process of updating my ink testing notebook to one that supports fountain pens better than this behemoth. The colors are all readable and legible and gorgeous. I forgot to test the waterproofiness of these inks but 54th Massachusetts is a bulletproof ink so it should withstand just about anything you throw at it. The other inks are standard fountain pen inks so they will bleed or run if wet. The 54th Massachusetts did take longer to dry than the other inks, just so you know.

All these inks are available as samples ($1.25 or so per sample) and full bottles ($12-$12.50/bottle) of all these colors are still available.