My pal Carolee recently emailed me a question and was kind enough to let me post the question and response here. …do you have any good sources for a vintage esterbrook? I recently got a Parker Vac and I’m starting to fall in love with vintage pens. I don’t know how much to pay for…
Showing all posts tagged ask the desk
Ask the Desk: India Ink and Calligraphy Ink
Ever wondered about india ink or calligraphy ink versus “fountain pen” ink? Meg posed this great question about just such a topic. … I’ve been refilling the Pilot Petit1 cartridges with some bottled india ink that I have left over from dabbling in calligraphy. Ink seems to be pooling in the thready area (like on…
Ask The Desk: The Great Beginner Fountain Pen Debate
Loyal reader Randy posed this question to me this week following my post about the Kaweco Limited Edition Eyedropper 1910 and wanted to know what my recommendations would be for a first-time fountain pen user: I bet I can tell which fountain pen recommendation you would debate with His Bradness. My guess is that you’d…
Ask The Desk: Notebook Block
Following my post last week on Keeping a Notebook, reader Barbara asked: I have notebook block. Not writer’s block, I write but on the backs of envelopes, receipts, those damn cards that fall out of magazines, etc. I own about two dozen notebooks of all types and sizes but I cannot bring myself to write…
Ask the Desk: “Razor Fine” Fountain Pens
Reader Phil asks: Can you recommend five or so “razor fine” nibs/pens? I am always looking for a good razor fine nib. Is the TWSBI one of them? The first thing to know is that European and American pen manufacturers use a different criteria for nib widths than the Japanese manufacturers. A Lamy pen labelled…
Ask The Desk: Full-Sized Blue-Black Sign Pen
In reference to my post about the Pilot Petit2 Blue Black Sign Pen, reader Ryan asked: This looks like a terrific pen (I too LOVE blue-black), but I’m not so fond of the small size. Do you have any recommendations for similar writing in a full size pen? Thanks, and keep up the good work!…
Ask The Desk: Adjustable Pencil Sharpener
Today’s question comes from Victoria at Paper & Type: Most sharpeners I’ve come across sharpen to a depth/length of about 3/4″ to 1″. I’m looking for one that sharpens closer to just 1/2″. Am I making sense, & might you happen to know of one? I’d appreciate if you could point me in the right…