If at first you don’t succeed, swap nibs
I settled into seven pen-and-ink pairings for this week. Two combos survive intact from multiple prior weeks: the clear Pilot 92 and the TWSBI 580-ALR in Prussian Blue — both of which sport B nibs. A bold coincidence. (Oof.)
The heart of this week’s currently inked is a collection of pens sporting novel nib assignments. Nib swapping has been the activity of the week at my desk.
Experimentation and scrawling through the stationery forum-verse revealed that my Jinhao 82’s are excellent vehicles for #5 Jowo nibs. So I swapped a blue-coated B Naginata-togi nib into my newly-composed Kettle Pond 82. A wet B SIG nib now breathes in my Mint Julep 82. And a rounded F nib now lives in my Franklin-Christoph 45.
Customized, swapped, and ready to go.
Grey/Black
Nakaya Neostandard Heki-tamenuri (Mini Naginata-togi, by Tokyo Station Pens). Troublemaker Petrichor. A perk of summer months is that I have far more loose working requirements. My notes are overwhelmingly just for my own consumption. I have newfound freedom to play with reverse writing as my daily driver. And a multi-shader like Petrichor to save my squiggles on the page. Task management, calendaring, scratch notes, reading notes, and D&D notes.
Blue/Teal
TWSBI 580-ALR Prussian Blue (B). Colorverse α And. The rock star duo has an extended tour into this week. The B nib keeps And’s haloing sharp and constant, and Andy’s hue a readable light blue-grey. Wide lines contrast readably against the EF reverse writing from my Nakaya. Excellent for both journaling sessions, accent reading notes, and creative writing.
Jinhao 82 “Mint Julep” (B SIG, by Franklin-Christoph). Kuretake Meiji Shimbashi-iro. Shimbashi flows generously from this B SIG nib. Wide, smooth lines with bountiful shading and infrequent pops of sheen. A joyful journaling pair, for sure. Reading notes should similarly pop against Petrichor’s subdued color.
Franklin-Christoph 45 Blue Diamondcast (F). Franklin-Christoph Ink ‘20. I resuscitated this pen and ink combination for the week given my need for a cool-toned ink and a narrow line width. I intend some detailed notetaking on my reading and lesson prep for next school year. Ink ‘20 is a staid, cool blue that leaves me to my thinking without competing for my attention. Perfect.
Earth Tones
Pilot Custom Heritage 92 Clear (B). J. Herbin Vert Empire. Vert Empire’s grey-green shades strongly in this Pilot B nib. Some hard starting limits this pair to slow writing sessions wherein I can take my time and methodically scratch my thoughts onto the page. Journaling, daily recaps, and teaching reflections seem appropriate. I also aim to use this pair for laying out sections in my D&D notes.
Wild Cards
Jinhao 82 “Ferment” (F). Kuretake Meiji Ebicha. Ebicha is a new earthy red-purple ink. This particular Jinhao F nib offers some softness, so the ends of my letterforms shade to a lovely brick-red color. The narrow F lines run true-to-size, which suit detailed notetaking tasks like reading and early lesson planning.
Jinhao 82 “Kettle Pond” (B Naginata-togi, by ???). Kyo-no-oto Sakuranezumi. The broadly ground nib continues to breathe life into this pen-and-ink combo. I reach far more often for this pair as the wide letterforms fill up lines with murky shaded purples. Excellent for thoughtful journaling reflections and daily recaps. I also like this pair for short-to-medium length reading notes. Any longer and the feed dries out.
