POTD: What pen/pencil are you using today?

Feel free to post anything unrelated to wet shaving or men's grooming (I.e. cars, watches, pens, leather goods. You know, the finer things of life).
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southpaw
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POTD: What pen/pencil are you using today?

Post by southpaw »

Pen Of The Day: Thought I'd give this one a try and see if it goes. Many shave geeks are also into writing instruments, modern and vintage (just like razors and brushes). What pen/pencil are you using today? General description is fine, details are better, and photos are best.

Here's what I used today (photos not to scale):

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The pen is a Pilot MYU 701. It's made from surgical stainless steel and is a very rugged and durable fountain pen. The barrel and nib are made from one piece. The craftsmanship is superb. It's a c/c filler (cartridge/converter), so it can use either ink cartridges or bottled ink. It is also one of the Japanese long/short style pens, meaning it posts (pen on the back of the barrel) to a normal size pen but when capped, it's short so it will fit in any sized pocket (or clip inside the buttons of a polo) easily. It's a neat and very reliable pen.[/b]
Last edited by southpaw on Thu May 08, 2008 11:29 am, edited 1 time in total.
Blessings,
Michael
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D.Irving79
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Post by D.Irving79 »

the pilot DR. GRIP gel. clicky top. love that pen.
divotmax
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Post by divotmax »

Pelikan Souveran, blue stripe barrel. Have ballpoint and pen. My go to set.
BobS

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Squire
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Post by Squire »

Daily companions.


Image

Good working instruments, low profile.
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Squire
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southpaw
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Post by southpaw »

Squire, that's a very nice Sheaffer PFM IV you have there. I've got one in my pen carousel right now that's just like it (along with the matching pencil). Did you know that the PFM IV is one of the harder models to find given that it was only made between 1959-1963? IMHO, the stainless cap with the gold trim and the solid color barrel with end cap is the epitome of style and class. You've got good taste. :wink:
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Michael
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murchmb
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Post by murchmb »

A rOtring Core today with Noodler's Squeteague.
Mike
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fallingwickets
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Post by fallingwickets »

I have used the same pen every day for the past 25 years.....Cross (its the simple one with a fairly large gold nib) filled with mont blanc ink... turquoise in colour of course! :lol:

Clive
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jww
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Post by jww »

It's called a Lenovo Thinkpad. My handwriting is so atrocious - I can't decipher it on a very good day. :oops:
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southpaw
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Post by southpaw »

Today I'm using my Sheaffer PFM IV (looks just like Squire's, so I'll not bother posting a photo).

For those of you who are curious about it's Snorkel filling system, the most sophisticated filling system ever made in a fountain pen, or about the pen, here are a couple of excellent links:

http://penhero.com/PenGallery/Sheaffer/SheafferPFM.htm

http://penhero.com/PenGallery/Sheaffer/ ... lGuide.htm
Blessings,
Michael
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Trumperman
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Post by Trumperman »

Squire wrote:Daily companions.


Image

Good working instruments, low profile.
Hey Squire, you have excellent tastes. We own the same watch! (I always knew you were a cool guy.....)

Regards,

Bill
Don't think......shave.
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Post by NineMinuteNap »

These days I'm carrying a Lamy Vista loaded with Waterman Blue-Black and/or a Pelikan Go! filled with Private Reserve Avacado.
--Michael

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Post by Rufus »

I have three fountain pens filled and ready to go: a Bexley America the Beautiful in Mahogany with a factory stub nib and loaded with Waterman's South Sea Blue, a Bexley 10th Anniversary in Chocolate ebonite with a fine nib and loaded with Waterman's Havana Brown, and a Sailor green ribbed Naginata-Togi with a medium fine nib and loaded with Parker Qunink blue black.
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southpaw
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Post by southpaw »

Rufus wrote:I have three fountain pens filled and ready to go: a Bexley America the Beautiful in Mahogany with a factory stub nib and loaded with Waterman's South Sea Blue, a Bexley 10th Anniversary in Chocolate ebonite with a fine nib and loaded with Waterman's Havana Brown, and a Sailor green ribbed Naginata-Togi with a medium fine nib and loaded with Parker Qunink blue black.
Very nice pens! Also, I really like the Waterman inks you're using. I haven't tried the Quink blue-black (don't like their regular blue). Is that an iron gall blue-black?

Anyhow, today I'll mostly be using a Conklin Nozac Word Gauge LE (actually made for Conklin by Visconti) inked with Visconti Blue.

Image

Image
Last edited by southpaw on Thu May 08, 2008 11:30 am, edited 1 time in total.
Blessings,
Michael
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Post by Rufus »

southpaw wrote:
Rufus wrote:I have three fountain pens filled and ready to go: a Bexley America the Beautiful in Mahogany with a factory stub nib and loaded with Waterman's South Sea Blue, a Bexley 10th Anniversary in Chocolate ebonite with a fine nib and loaded with Waterman's Havana Brown, and a Sailor green ribbed Naginata-Togi with a medium fine nib and loaded with Parker Qunink blue black.
Very nice pens! Also, I really like the Waterman inks you're using. I haven't tried the Quink blue-black (don't like their regular blue). Is that an iron gall blue-black?

Anyhow, today I'll mostly be using a Conklin Nozac Word Gauge LE (actually made for Conklin by Visconti) inked with Visconti Blue.

Image

Image
That's a very nice looking pen; is it still available? With respect to Parker Quink blue-black, it is not iron gall. I believe that Montblanc blue-black and Diamine Registrars are iron gall. The problem with an iron gall ink is that it is acidic and will corrode any non-gold metal parts on a pen with which it comes into contact. As for Waterman's, it is my favourite ink and the only reason I'm using the Quink blue-black is because my local supplier was out of Waterman's blue-black. I find that Waterman's performs better than most other inks in terms of flow and lubrication and it doesn't stain or clog my pens; as well I've never had any nib creep with it. To top it off its readily available and not expensive.
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southpaw
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Post by southpaw »

Rufus wrote:That's a very nice looking pen; is it still available? With respect to Parker Quink blue-black, it is not iron gall. I believe that Montblanc blue-black and Diamine Registrars are iron gall. The problem with an iron gall ink is that it is acidic and will corrode any non-gold metal parts on a pen with which it comes into contact. As for Waterman's, it is my favourite ink and the only reason I'm using the Quink blue-black is because my local supplier was out of Waterman's blue-black. I find that Waterman's performs better than most other inks in terms of flow and lubrication and it doesn't stain or clog my pens; as well I've never had any nib creep with it. To top it off its readily available and not expensive.
Hi Rufus,

Thank you. No, they've been sold out for quite some time and rarely pop up for sale on the pen boards.

I was aware of MB and Diamine being iron gall inks, but wasn't sure about the Parker. You are absolutely correct about the acidity of iron gall inks being a problem.

I have most of Waterman's colors (except green), but the blue-black is the most disappointing given how quickly the color fades (also explains why I don't use it anymore - Diamine Prussian Blue is my blue-black of choice and it's in my PFM IV right now). If exposed to sunlight, the color will fade in a matter of weeks. Over on FPN there have been some who have gone back to read their notes at the end of a semester and had difficulty doing so because it had faded so much (an extreme case to be sure, but it is known for fading).

Take care,
Michael
Blessings,
Michael
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Post by Rufus »

southpaw wrote:
Rufus wrote:That's a very nice looking pen; is it still available? With respect to Parker Quink blue-black, it is not iron gall. I believe that Montblanc blue-black and Diamine Registrars are iron gall. The problem with an iron gall ink is that it is acidic and will corrode any non-gold metal parts on a pen with which it comes into contact. As for Waterman's, it is my favourite ink and the only reason I'm using the Quink blue-black is because my local supplier was out of Waterman's blue-black. I find that Waterman's performs better than most other inks in terms of flow and lubrication and it doesn't stain or clog my pens; as well I've never had any nib creep with it. To top it off its readily available and not expensive.
Hi Rufus,

Thank you. No, they've been sold out for quite some time and rarely pop up for sale on the pen boards.

I was aware of MB and Diamine being iron gall inks, but wasn't sure about the Parker. You are absolutely correct about the acidity of iron gall inks being a problem.

I have most of Waterman's colors (except green), but the blue-black is the most disappointing given how quickly the color fades (also explains why I don't use it anymore - Diamine Prussian Blue is my blue-black of choice and it's in my PFM IV right now). If exposed to sunlight, the color will fade in a matter of weeks. Over on FPN there have been some who have gone back to read their notes at the end of a semester and had difficulty doing so because it had faded so much (an extreme case to be sure, but it is known for fading).

Take care,
Michael
I wasn't aware of the fading problem with the Waterman's blue-black because I don't tend to keep my handwritten material very long; I haven't noticed this problem with the other Waterman's inks nor with the Quink blue-black. I understand Diamine ink is very good and according to Richard Binder (the guru of pen-guru's) it's as good as Waterman's, which is his favourite ink. I'd like to try some, but I'll have to wait until my next trip into Toronto, as the local stationer does carry it. Too bad about the Conklin, but it's probably a good thing as I already have more fountain pens than I need.
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southpaw
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Post by southpaw »

Rufus wrote:I wasn't aware of the fading problem with the Waterman's blue-black because I don't tend to keep my handwritten material very long; I haven't noticed this problem with the other Waterman's inks nor with the Quink blue-black. I understand Diamine ink is very good and according to Richard Binder (the guru of pen-guru's) it's as good as Waterman's, which is his favourite ink. I'd like to try some, but I'll have to wait until my next trip into Toronto, as the local stationer does carry it. Too bad about the Conklin, but it's probably a good thing as I already have more fountain pens than I need.
It's an unfortunate flaw in an otherwise excellent ink. I have nine bottles of Diamine (not counting a backup or two) and they're all great. Richard is very knowledgeable and his website is an excellent resource. As to FPs and "need," I think that goes hand-in-hand with all the shave gear ADs. :wink:
Blessings,
Michael
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southpaw
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Post by southpaw »

Tuesday's pen:

Image

Image

Stipula Vedo, made in Italy, filled with Waterman Purple.
The mid-section of the pen is clear so you can see how much ink you have left (note the air bubble) and so you can see the piston move.
Last edited by southpaw on Thu May 08, 2008 11:32 am, edited 1 time in total.
Blessings,
Michael
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drmoss_ca
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Post by drmoss_ca »

Today is a Vanishing Point with a custom stub nib (courtesy of nibs.com)

Chris
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DEF
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Post by DEF »

My usual daily pen is a Pelikan Souveran 405 Rollerball -- black with silver accents. But since we moved house last week, I haven't seen it. It must be packed away in a box somewhere.

I have another lost pen story that is a real heartbreaker. When I began work at The University of Tulsa in 1999, I spotted a fountain pen in the office junk can. I asked my boss if I could trade another pen for the FP, and she said no problem. It was a Parker 45, in brushed stainless finish with a medium nib. After a little cleanup, it wrote superbly -- a bold, wet line that was effortless and expressive. Somewhere along the way it just disappeared. I don't know if I misplaced it at home, if someone relieved me of it, or what. Easy come, easy go I guess.
Doug
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