Currently Inked - November 4
Subduing the sparkle
This week is all about balance. With winter approaching I’m feeling an earthy ink palette. Shimmer inks will brighten the moodiness of this week’s colors. Seven of eight new inks are from samples.
I liked having two grey inks to choose from as daily drivers last week. It was convenient with one pen running dry so quickly. One EF nib and another SF – but with similar line widths.
Two pens carry over from last week: the Nakaya Neostandard (B) and the Lamy 2000 (M). The jury is still out on the Lamy 2000. It’s functional, but may be a bit too smooth for my taste.
The two M nibs this week will be great for drafting a new encyclopedia entry I’ve agreed to write. I find M nibs force me to space out my words just enough that I write as quickly as I think.
Grey/Black
Pilot Custom Heritage 912 (SF). Monteverde Smoke Noir. The 912 was so much fun last week that I had to bring it back as a daily driver. The SF nib is fun while keeping a disciplined narrow line. The Japanese F makes a fine enough line that I can use the 912 for my weeklies. Smoke has great shading, even in a narrow nib.
TWSBI 580 AL Emerald (EF). KOBE Museum Grey #46. Pairing an EF nib with a TWSBI is a brave proposition. There’s a chance that weeks will go by before you empty the sucker. There was only 1ml of Museum Grey left in my sample, so this combo will empty fairly quickly. This will backup my Pilot 912.
Blue/Teal
Sailor Pro Gear Slate (Zoom A, ground by Custom Nib Studio). Colorverse Warped Passages. The architect side of this nib brings out the fantastic shading of Warped Passages. The EF reverse also affords me the ability to make notes in the 3.7 mm grid of my gradebook, too. This is my meeting pen for the week.
Faber-Castell Loom Blue (F). Robert Oster Black ‘n’ Blue. This Loom was one of my first fountain pens. It’s a wet writer and a nail. I hope it can handle a shimmer ink without too much clogging up. This will be a journaling, lesson planning, and grading pen.
Earth Tones
Nakaya Neostandard Heki-Tamenuri (B). Monteverde Copper Noir. This combo is the Mama Bear of my currently inked. It’s “just right.” I’m still too attached to take it out of the house, so it’s been a journaling and drafting duo.
Lamy Safari Petrol (EF). Troublemaker Hanging Rice. The round EF nib and dark ink makes this combo perfect for my pocket carry. Quick notes at just about any angle, with a reliable combo that’s just wet enough to write smoothly without taking minutes to dry.
Visconti Homo Sapiens Silver Age (F). Robert Oster Muddy Bucket. The wet Visconti feed brings out the darker side of Muddy Bucket. This pen will stay at the desk. I’m loving it for lesson plans, journaling, and for writing letters.
Wild Cards
Platinum 3776 Nice Pur (B). J. Herbin 1798 Amethyste de L’Oural. This pen is lovely for short bursts of writing – like during meetings. It will be interesting to learn how the wet B nib takes to a shimmer ink like AdO. But, off the bat, it’s smooth and free of hard starts. My editing/revision combo.
Franklin-Christoph 31 in Smoke & Ice (M-SIG, by Audrey at Franklin-Christoph). Noodler’s Ottoman Rose. I typically shy away from red inks. I worry that seeing too much red at work will freak students out. The SIG nib makes me write more slowly, and so more thoughtfully while journaling, drafting research, and writing notes in my personal bujo. The ability to see such a striking ink color from distance may also lend itself to lesson plan notes, too.
Lamy 2000 (M). J. Herbin Orange Indien. The combination of a wet ink, a generous feed, and an exceptionally smooth nib make for a glassy writing experience. This combo puts down enough ink that I’m using only my own paper to avoid unpleasant feathering on school paper.
