Pen math: One out, two more into rotation
The week begins at an interesting juncture. I have six pens already inked. My ink palette, which was both functional and pretty, remains intact. Planning this week’s rotation was easy.
The only pen that wrote dry last week was my daily driver. So, the only pen and ink combo I need to shuffle into the mix is a grey ink in a nib capable of taking detailed notes.
The formula is as follows:
a grey ink that performs well without clogging (no shimmer) or long dry times
+
an EF or narrow F nib
+
a pen I haven’t used recently.
I settled on a dark grey with purple undertones in Chushu and a mid-sized, sentimental EF: the Montblanc 146 Le Petit Prince and Fox special edition.
The star this week … get it?
We fancy.
Grey/Black
Montblanc 146 Le Petit Prince and Fox (EF). Sailor Chushu. The stock Montblanc nib has shown itself to be finicky. It takes wonderfully to Chushu. Wet, yet still lays down an EF line. Chushu disagrees with Mildliner highlighters — smearing noticeably. The pair works well as a daily driver otherwise. My go-to combo for the week: task management, detailed notes during meetings, lesson plans, notes in my planner, and perhaps some journaling.
Blue/Teal
TWSBI 580-ALR Prussian Blue (Predator Hybrid, by Nibgrinder). Jacques Herbin 1798 Kyanite du Népal. A shimmery pair that continues to work without fuss or clogging. Honestly, I’m impressed. Remains an excellent accenting duo due to Kyanite’s shimmer and sheen. Especially for notes that I review add odd angles, like lecture notes. Lecture notes, virtual meeting notes, reading notes, lesson plans, and journaling.
Franklin-Christoph 31 Smoke & Ice (M SIG, by Franklin-Christoph). Taccia Ukiyo-e Hokusai Sabimidori. This 31 is the perfect diameter for my hands. Comfortable and lightweight. Perfect for long writing sessions. The crisp M-SIG Nib unit that I screwed in ensures Sabimidori is wet, with lines wide enough to contrast against the Montblanc’s EF lines. This pair is my go-to journaling and meeting notes combo. Jot on.
Earth Tones
Lamy Safari Blue Macaron (B). Colorverse Brane, Glistening. I have taken to using this combo alongside the Custom 74 during meetings, and while making spreads for work. This pair’s B lines are great for headings and highlighting tasks that need to migrate into my weekly. A second shimmer ink that has yet to clog after two weeks — duly impressed. Meeting notes, reading notes, lesson plans, journaling, some scratch notes.
Pilot Custom 74 Forest Green (EF). Sailor Rikyu-cha. My pocket carry again this week. The Pilot’s EF line and quick-drying Rikyu-cha make for an excellent pair for scribbling a note in my pocket notebook and quickly closing the page. Scratch notes, detailed meeting notes, lesson plans, and lecture notes.
Visconti Homo Sapiens Silver Age (F CI, by Nibsmith). Ferris Wheel Press Candy Marsala. An out-and-out accent combo. The wet Visconti feed, wet Ferris Wheel Press ink, and crisp italic nib grind combine to make for a writer that is best suited for deliberate writing on specialized, ink-resistant paper. Lesson plans: sure, so long as I work slowly. Journaling: absolutely. Meeting notes: I write too quickly for comfortable use. Still a worthwhile pairing.
Wild Cards
Wing Sung 601 Battleship Grey (EF). Monteverde Rose Noir. Remains a joyful pairing. The Wing Sung EF nib and feed strike a great balance between writing dry enough to show off Rose Noir’s shading and wet enough to lubricate the EF nib. A few hard starts last week, but continues on as a workable meeting note-taker, lecture note taker, and reading note taker.
