Carrying a little extra in that middle M region
I enter this week with an eclectic six-pen currently inked. Nib size drives my selection. The color, size and weight of each pen were only secondary considerations.
The intention is to explore three distinct kinds of M nibs. A wet and round Jowo M (TWSBI) — the “traditional.” A stingy, disciplined Sailor MF — the “keep it down up there.” And a ground Naginata-togi (Nakaya) — the “Casanova.”
M is a nib size I typically avoid in favor of the extremes: EF or B. This week, it’s all about showing love to medium line widths. Rounded out, of course, with two EF nibs and a B.
Grey/Black
Lamy Safari Dark Lilac (EF). Sailor Shikiori Chushu. Chushu is a borderline ink. A purple so dark it looks grey in narrow line widths. An ink that takes a second longer to dry than I instinctively assume. Patience, and a dry EF nib, make Chushu a strong daily driver ink choice. Task management, meeting notes, seminar notes, and lesson plans.
Blue/Teal
Franklin-Christoph 45 Blue Diamondcast (B SIG, by Franklin-Christoph). Jacques Herbin 1798 Kyanite du Népal. A true matchy-matchy pen and ink combination. Blue with silver shimmer. The B nib works great for headings and for personal notes, especially during slow-moving meetings. This pair is also well-suited for slow reflective writing: journal reflections, lesson plans, and lecture notes.
Sailor Pro Gear Graphite Lighthouse (MF). Diamine Enchanted Ocean. Sailor’s MF nib is a great, longform notation writer. Paired with Enchanted Ocean’s murky blue, the MF nib writes dry, narrow F lines. Excellent for detailed notes, lesson outlines, and reading notes. Further, the quick-drying pair would work well for both margin notes and for marking the transcripts from my students’ upcoming podcast projects.
Earth Tones
Nakaya Neostandard Heki-tamenuri (M Naginata-togi, by Tokyo Station Pens). Organics Studio Walt Whitman Leaves of Grass. Whitman is a mid-toned yellow-green with prominent shading. The variable Naginata grind lends exciting changes to how Whitman’s shading presents on the page. The combination keeps me interested during long and slow writing sessions. The grind is also forgiving enough to accommodate writing at odd angles as I scribble while attending to the events of meetings. And journaling. Totally journaling.
TWSBI 580-AL Silver (M). Diamine Winter Spice. Winter Spice is distractingly fun. Light brown to near-black shading. Green sheen, mostly around the edges of letters. And blue shimmer. The shimmer and sheen will keep lecture notes readable while standing over a lectern. And the wet M nib will forgive the odd writing angle during quickly-scrawled reflections and while writing longform journal entries. Boss with flair.
Kaweco Skyline Sport Fox (EF). Monteverde Copper Noir. I’m using the Kaweco for its intended purpose: a pocket carry. The EF nib is a dry feller, which ensures scrawlings made in my pocket notebook dry quickly. I can make a note and immediately close my notebook. This pair also works well on spongy publisher paper: reading notes, lecture prep, and paper marking.
Wild Cards
Keeping my palette civilized this week. Nothing from the wilds.
