A frankenpen won’t terrorize the villagers
The KACO Edge has grown on me in the week since I added it to my collection. The makrolon texture keeps fingers from slipping. And the snap cap is fun, yet secure enough for pocket carrying.
The Schmidt nib was ok. Smooth enough. Subtly branded. Without personality.
Faber-Castell nibs have been reliable, consistent writers for me. They’re stiff as nails and durable. And quite smooth.
The nibs seemed similar sizes. Could I swap nibs and make a German/Chinese hybrid pen?
I started exploring making a frankenpen by unscrewing the collar from a favorite F F-C. The purpose was to compare the dimensions of the nibs and feeds from both pens.
Hmm … those nibs look similar
Then I removed both nibs from their collars. Be careful if you try a similar experiment. Pull the nib and feed straight out. Avoid twisting or squeezing. A patch of rubber glove or carpet liner can offer grip so you don’t need to squeeze/twist.
Aha! Both nibs share the same length and width.
“It might be dangerous … you first.”
And the feeds, while differently shaped fins, are the same diameter. This means both nibs will seat securely within either collar.
I moved both the F-C nib and feed to the KACO’s collar. Both pieces slid into the collar snugly, without needing to force them inside. So far so good.
“It’s pronounced: fronkensteen” … err, fabree-costelle
Customizing pens can feel intimidating. The results, though, are rewarding. You just need to be careful to avoid forcing parts to fit or (un)screw.
This frankenpen is a joyful writer. All the villagers have a new friend. Ain’t no monsters here.
“I never saw a more interesting creature.”
***Beware, fellow Frankensteins: I most certainly voided the warranties of both pens. But with careful research on how each pen comes apart, and gentle bravery, you can have a lot of fun customizing your stationery to work best for you.
This week’s Inked Tines update includes my most recent currently inked writing tools.
Toolset
Pens. No single pen and ink combination stood out for me this week. Although, I will admit to how charming Vert Empire looks alongside the Slate blue Sailor. Complimentary color pairing. Not matchy-matchy.
Stylin’
Platinum 3776 (F) — Empty. Reliable narrow F line without any hard starts. Dries quickly. Great task manager, tracker, and primary note taker. Daily driver.
KACO Edge (F) — Empty. Feed airs out over night. Once primed, writes a smooth, true F line. I suspect the slip-on cap isn’t sealing fully. A surprising amount of journaling with this combo. Reading notes (details), journaling.
Sailor Pro Gear (Z Architect) — Feed. Truly excellent shading and dusty green color. Fire hose of a feed and ink combination. Slow writing only, so Empire has time to dry before a page turn. Journaling, reading notes, some meeting notes (but only with the EF reverse side of the nib).
Pilot Prera (CM) — Feed. Average shading. Smooth writing. One of a few pens I cap while writing. Wide CM nib brought handwritten diagrams to life during meetings with students. And was a fun change of pace during two nights of journaling. Meeting notes, journaling.
Montblanc 146 (EF) — 2/5. Smooth, reliable EF lines. Aonobi still shades prominently. Grew into a journaling and manuscript editing combo. Le Petit Prince is a great, if strict, editor.
TWSBI 580-AL (M Predator) — 2/5. Meeting pen because of Bacas’ predator grind. The wet, true EF lays drown a sienna brown. The M sheens heavily green. Combined, headings are dark green and detailed notes are light brown. Easy scanning. Meeting notes, journaling.
Notebooks. Work bujo. Hobonichi A5 Plain Notebook. Nine new pages brings the work journal to page 149. I’m also now into the green lined section of the notebook. The color changes keep me from getting bored with the notebook. Clever design choice by Hobonichi.
As usual, I began with a fresh two-page weekly spread. My four-day work week offered new space that I would typically use for Friday’s tasks and events. A new section calls this empty space home: an end-of-year meeting schedule list.
I referenced the page enough times throughout the week that I’ll be adding a washi tape page marker to the edge of the page to make the list easy to flip to.
Journal. Unbranded A5 Cosmo Air Light Notebook. This was a banner journaling week. Fourteen pages across five entries. Five of my now-inked seven pens were tagged in for journaling duty.
My great friend Justin sent me a copy of his pilot script for a new science fiction show he is writing. He asked me to read the script for my thoughts. Monday’s journal entry was a space to process the show.
I reflected on how the politics of Justin’s world feel. He is particularly interested in women characters with full agency. My background in gender and sexuality politics was useful for Justin’s latter interest — though I focus on education politics.
Written dry. Two pens empty this week. Both of my daily drivers. The Star Wars Platinum ran dry Saturday morning. Kylo Ren lasted a whole week of heavy use tracking tasks and making scratch notes.
The makrolon KACO Edge dried out on Friday. It was used less frequently than the Platinum, and for longer writing sessions. The feed kept up with even fast writing – so the Faber-Castell nib and feed worked great in their new home.
I had to prime the feed at the beginning of each day‘s writing. While annoying, the feed would stay un-evaporated the rest of each day. Tolerable.
Two colors = where I primed the feed
Newly inked. I excitedly inked a seventh pen on Tuesday: a new KACO Retro with an EF nib. The pen sports a pretty sleek, mid-century modern look.
Mid-mod vibes
The Retro is a pen of small touches. The tip of the clip adds a splash of neon orange. And the cap hides a subtle ink window. On a sub-$10 pen.
Ink voyeurism
The Retro charmed me.
The collection
Incoming / new orders. Last week, I ordered two KACO fountain pens from a shop on Amazon: an Edge in black makrolon and a Retro in blue. The shop was running a 50% discount, which brought the pens down to less than $10 total. I’m willing to experiment with new brands at that range.
My first Retro arrived pre-used. One of the international short cartridges from the pen box had already been popped into the pen. The converter had already been removed. And the nib had been splayed. Poop.
I definitely returned the used Retro.
A replacement arrived on Tuesday. This one was new, included the converter, and wrote well as an EF. I inked it with Robert Oster Summer Storm.
Huzzah
I’m still figuring out how to remove the nib from the section, if that’s possible. A fun puzzle.
Outgoing / trades or sales. I’m pulling together a few inks to trade and offer samples at next month’s local pen group meetup. June will mark our group’s first in-person meetup since the pandemic began. We’re holding our meeting at a local bird preserve. Layers of awesome.
If I don’t derive joy from an ink, might as well swap or sample it to someone who will.
J. Herbin Larmes de Cassis (8 ml)
Karas Pen Co. Wolf Grey (28 ml)
Lamy Vibrant Pink (sample vial)
Monteverde Gemstone Sapphire (30 ml)
Monteverde Ocean Noir (sample vial)
Platinum Blue-Black (2x sample vials)
3 Oysters HMJE Black (15 ml)
Currently reading and listening
Fiction. It’s been a week of odd reading habits. I read Justin’s script twice. That’s over 140 pages. No new progress on Rhythm of War (Sanderson) or A Wise Man’s Fear (Rothfuss).
Nonfiction. Shulman’s new book is a thematic history of ACT UP. ACT UP’s confrontational and blunt style of activism has since pervaded the ways many scholars study and advocate for making schools welcoming spaces for all students and faculty, regardless of their genders or orientations. Put simply: I’m thrilled to see a book that humanizes this important history.
The book arrived on Thursday. I’m starting my scan of the overall argument this weekend. I love that new book smell.
And an excuse to sharpen a new pencil. Every new book deserves a fresh pencil, right?
Music. Gregory & The Hawk. Godreau has an earnest, acoustic sound that I find addictive. Excellent for a slow, rainy morning. Or for reading.
