Stained Fingers on Thursday - A Review of Parker Quink Black Ink

Today's review covers what is possibly one of the most common inks in the fountain pen world: Parker Quink Black.

This scan was done on an HP Deskjet F4280 at 600dpi.
Note: Because these scans are done with a light emitting printer, actual colors will, more likely than not, be slightly darker than they may appear, here. The colors shown, here, are probably a bit more reminiscent of what the ink would be like under a bright light or if it were held up and viewed with a light behind it.

InCoWriMo 2014 Update and a Giveaway!

Well, folks, here we are on the third day of International Correspondence Writing Month. I hope your note, postcard, and letter writing is going well. If you missed the post introducing InCoWriMo, you can preview that for more information, here.

As you may recall, I shared an unplanned review of Amodex Ink and Stain Remover at the end of last year. (Click here to read it!) Amodex was kind to share with me some additional small tubes of their Ink and Stain Remover. Hopefully, you will not have any mishaps with ink, while penning your letters, this month. However, in honor of InCoWriMo, I thought it fitting to offer these to the first two readers, who use the contact form, located here, to send me their mailing address! (The Parker "51" fountain pen will not be included with the Ink and Stain Remover, but the winners will also receive a letter from me as part of InCoWriMo.) This blog post will then be updated, when the giveaway has ended.

Update: Both samples have been claimed! Thank you all for your entries.

Sorry, international readers, this giveaway is for United States-based participants only, due to shipping restrictions on this product. However, Built from Ink and Tea has another giveaway planned for the near future, which will be open to all readers!

Stained Fingers on Thursday - A Review of Parker Blue Ink

I received a cartridge of this nice ink with my Parker Urban. Enjoy!

This scan was done on an HP Deskjet F4280 at 600dpi.
Note: Because these scans are done with a light emitting printer, actual colors will, more likely than not, be slightly darker than they may appear, here. The colors shown, here, are probably a bit more reminiscent of what the ink would be like under a bright light or if it were held up and viewed with a light behind it.

Yet Another Writing Sample (YAWS) - German Lessons

Today's writing sample comes from my notes, as I was studying German, earlier this morning. The pen is a Parker Urban GT with medium nib, and the inks are Noodler's North African Violet (purple) and De Atramentis Tchaikovsky (grey).

Yet Another Writing Sample (YAWS) - A New World

Entering the world of vintage pens...

Reviews to come. Sorry for the smudges!

This scan was done on an HP Deskjet F4280 at 600dpi.
Note: Because these scans are done with a light emitting printer, actual colors will, more likely than not, be slightly darker than they may appear, here. The colors shown, here, are probably a bit more reminiscent of what the ink would be like under a bright light or if it were held up and viewed with a light behind it.

Yet Another Writing Sample (YAWS) - Montblanc Inks

Today, I thought that I might share a writing sample of some Montblanc inks, which I currently have in a few of my pens. While these inks are by no means the ultimate inks for fountain pens, I do find that the colors can be very vibrant and full of character.

This post was unsolicited and uncompensated. Feel free to post questions or comments, below!

Awesome Pen Mods - Hero 616 Vacumatic

A while back, I ran across a modification by Flounder from the Fountain Pen Network. Over the course of several attempts, he had managed to outfit an inexpensive Hero 616 fountain pen with a vacumatic filling mechanism, much like the vacumatic Parker 51. In fact, because the Hero 616 is a bit of a "tribute" (read: clone) to the Parker 51, the finished product of the modification looks even more like the Parker 51. Flounder, then, generously, chose to give away this creation in a "pay it forward," through the Fountain Pen Network. The video below is of the filling of the finished, third version of his Hero 616 vacumatic.

I highly recommend you check out Flounder's blog, here, especially his post on the third version of the vacumatic 616, complete with great pictures! He has mentioned on the Fountain Pen Network that he has another, special, pen modification project in progress, so be sure to watch his blog for future updates. If it is anything like his Hero 616 mod, it is certain to be impressive.

Additional links:

• An article from David Nishimura at VintagePens.com, detailing the Parker Vacumatic filling mechanism.
• Flounder's profile on the Fountain Pen Network (be sure to check his blog, first, for information on his pen modifications).
• The Pay It Foward 2012 thread (now closed) on the Fountain Pen Network with details about Flounder's "pay it forward" of the Hero 616, mark 3, vacumatic fountain pen. (NOTE: A recipient has already been chosen.)

Desk Pens Writing Comparison

Deepest apologies for the infrequency of an update! Today's short post is in response to a comment I received on my posting of the picture of my desk pens. Here are the same pens, along with a bit of a writing sample for each!

Enjoy!

Current Desk Pens

Today, I thought it would be fun to share the pens that I typically have upon my desk. These are usually pens that I enjoy using on a regular basis but, for one reason or another, I do not want to carry with me.

From left to right, pen, nib size, and ink:

• Baoer #3018 Black Sonnet, fine nib - Mont Blanc Toffee Brown
• Parker Urban GT, medium nib - Parker Blue
• Parker Urban gel pen - Black ink
• Not a great writer, but it looks nice and fits with its neighbors
• Parker Urban rollerball pen - Black ink
• Bic Disposable Fountain Pen, medium nib - Bic Black
• This used to be a pocket carry pen until the cap started to crack, causing it to come off at random
• The cheap plastic clip broke after a few weeks of carrying it
• The plan is to strip it of all paint and writing and attempt to refill it
• Rotring Core "Tanakor," XL nib (essentially a broad) - Custom 1:1 blend of Noodler's Dragon's Napalm and Noodler's Red-black
• Sometimes a pocket carry, its size can make this difficult
• Baoer Skywalker, medium nib - Just cleaned and not yet refilled
• (Not pictured) Personalized Waterford Marquis Claria, medium nib - Noodler's X-Feather

The eight-pen stand is sold exclusively by Todd at isellpens. (To which I have no affiliation.) I highly recommend his website as a great source of fountain pens and accessories.

Questions? Comments? Feel free to post below!