2022 state of the scholar, tray two
I continue taking inventory of my pen collection this week. A process I started back in July.
I like to think through my collection from time to time. My goal is to revisit my foundational principals. As I wrote then,
“I hold the same rule for my collection as I do for technology (new apps and the like): each pen should work for me, not me for it. As the kinds of projects I take on change, the pens and inks that serve me best also change. Moving targets.
“With respect to my writing, this means sifting each pen from my trays through three filters.
Do I regularly use the pen?
Does the pen spark joy when I ink it up?
Is it well-suited to the kinds of writing I most commonly take up?”
This week, I journey through a second of my four 13-pen trays. The tray I lovingly call “The pen tray of large assortments.”
Lamy Safari: All-Black, Blue Macaron, Dark Lilac, Petrol and Terra Red. I appreciate the Safari’s sturdy construction. The plastic takes a beating — easily surviving life in-pocket and out-and-about. Lamy’s easily-swappable nibs also make each Safari readily adaptable to all sorts of writing.
Praise stated, I infrequently include Safaris (Safareis?) in my currently inked. Two have been just last month: the Dark Lilac and Terra Red. My two most recent acquisitions. The remaining three have resided tray-side since spring of 2022.
It seems prudent to release two of these five pens into the wilds of pendom where they’ll get more frequent attention. Three seems to be my ceiling for common inclusion in my currently inked rotations.
TWSBI 580-AL & ALR: Lava, Prussian Blue, Silver and Turquoise. I have three of my color families covered: a grey, two blues/teals, and an earth tone. The moderate weight, large size and easily swappable nibs combine to make my 580’s some of my most-used fountain pens.
The tripartite combination makes for pens that are well-suited to quick jottings, long writing sessions, and even pocket carry. No surprise that I’ve inked all four at least once within the past three months. An accomplishment given my Lava AL is the longest-owned fountain pen in my collection — purchased from JetPens back in 2016.
These pens spark joy, work for my most frequent kinds of writing and so make regular appearances on my desk. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper. Keeper.
TWSBI Vac 700R Iris. One of very few wildly colorful pens in my collection — balanced, of course, with TWSBI’s penchant for demonstrator bodies. The Vac also ticks the sole remaining color family omitted from my team of 580s.
This particular TWSBI sports a fun F cursive stub italic grind care of Mr. Speer over at Pen Realm. My mom and I both got a Vac at the same time. And, upon viewing our respective pens, agreed to swap pens right away. The model I received was more yellow (her aesthetic preference). Her own was dominated by purple and green, which certainly fits in my wheelhouse.
The large pen is comfortable, especially during long writing sessions. And the narrow F ribbony lines this ground nib produces is excellent for reading notes, analytic reflections and lesson planning.
Used often and with relish. A certain keeper.
TWSBI Eco-T Mint Blue. My Eco works great, is easy to clean, and sports a perfect-for-me EF nib. Narrow lines with pencil-like feedback. I can feel the threads in my paper as I write without any scratching or dragging.
The pen’s narrow, angled section is hit-or-miss with my untraditional writing grip. Adequately comfortable for short spurts of writing. Task management, planner notes, reading notes, and tracking detailed lists (e.g. grades or student projects).
An honest reflection: I reach for other EF nibs before this one. The Eco was last inked in March of this year — five months ago. I’m unsure as to why. More thinking to do.
Parker Vacumatic Silver Pearl. Age is beautiful. I’m drawn to history. And I’m a sucker for stacked pen materials. This Parker Vac (spoiler) is staying in my collection. This is my “I’m in a rut” pen.
The Parker offers breezy novelty. The plunger filler is clothed in a blind end cap that unscrews silently. A feature I often use as a concentration device during long meetings.
The subtle colorway easily suits the mood for every kind of meeting educators attend. Further, the small size tends to camouflage the pen — allowing meetings to proceed without the distraction of a pen being called out by a young person eager for distraction.
It also sports a petit width and a short section befitting its birth date (circa 1945). I find the smaller size best for short writing sessions. And the one-and-a-half turn to uncap suits this writer for jottings and scratch notes. The nib produces a true-to-size F line that I find useful in both daily driving my tasks and for detailed notetaking.
Put simply: I like this pen.
Montblanc 146 LeGrande Le Pettit Prince & Fox. Lastly, my one and only Montblanc is a callback to my favorite chapter from Antoine de Saint Exupéry’s Le Petit Prince. Sentimentally meaningful.
What’s more, the pen’s size sits firmly in my goldilocks zone. Wide enough to remain comfortable over long writing sessions. And narrow enough to accurately shape small letter forms.
Sentimental and functional. A solid balance.
A quick final word. You’re welcome to explore my entire collection of pens over at my pen database page. I use a Google Sheet to track which pens I’m using, which I’m ignoring, and which are out on loan to friends. The same can be said for my ink collection, which you can find in my ink database.
Both pages live-update to mnmlscholar as I make changes week-in and week-out. Futuristic.
This week’s Inked Tines update includes last week’s currently inked writing tools.
Toolset
Pens. The standout combo for me this week is my Pilot Custom 74, with a newly tuned EF nib. The week’s daily driver. Hairline narrow lines were excellent for detailed notes and tracking in my planner and journal lists. I am pleasantly surprised by how soft the Number 5 nib proves to be. Gentle, careful pressure results in a European-F line when needed. And Sohayanotsuruki makes for smooth, consistent writing. Everything a growing boy needs. 1/2 remaining.
Gratuitous Pilot picture
Monteverde Giant Sequoia (F CI) — Just above feed. The Sequoia is a great size for longform writing. Moonstone shades prominently, which keeps journaling fun. Journaling, poetry, and lesson revision.
Franklin-Christoph 03 (F SIG) — 1/3. Smooth, disciplined F lines in a denim blue that shades moderately and sheens infrequently. Well-suited to detailed reading notes and slower lesson revision.
Nakaya Neostandard (Mini Naginata) — 1/3. The lovely Naginata grind translates into an ability to write both B emphasized notes and EF width detailed reading notes. Great for running lists for the same reason. Journaling, lesson revision, reading notes.
Sailor Pro Gear (Z) — 1/2. A star journaling combination. Sakuranezumi shades powerfully paired with this particular Sailor feed. The result is I sought out excuses to write with this combo. A great sign. Journaling, reading notes, lesson revision, some commonplace notes.
Carolina Charlotte Dragon Scales (B) — 2/3. Beautiful pen. Comfortable, wide section. Wet, reliable nib and ink combo. The sheen keeps reading notes exciting. Reading notes, commonplace notes, and some lesson revision.
Notebooks. Journal. LIFE Kleid Noble Note (B6). I scratched seven more pages into the inky black this week. A duo of longform two-page entries, two pages of lists, and a one-page poem draft.
This week’s journaling brings me to the sewn center of the LIFE notebook’s third signature — of four. Two-thirds complete with this journal. Trekking.
I used the Nakaya and Pilot for my lists. Each for one page. The softness of Pilot’s Number 5 EF nib allowed me to emphasize section headings within my list without changing pens. A fun nib for detailed notes.
The Monteverde and Sailor each carried one journal entry. The Masuyama CI grind brought out Moonstone’s moody brown personality.
I drafted an anniversary poem with the Giants Sequoia as well. The ink flow kept up admirably with my scrawlings, crossed out words, and line revisions.
One creative writer
Written dry. All six pens completed the week with ink remaining. Three cheers for spreading writing duties around.
Newly inked. I was on my best behavior. All week. Not a single new pen inked. Rewards are due.
The collection
Incoming / new orders. No new orders this week. I’m still riding the pen show high and exploring what I brought back from DC.
Outgoing / trades or sales. Today’s inventory reflection continues to help me recognize those pens that are not serving my writing needs.
I do not yet have pens prepared for sale. But a list of pens is growing. Two Safaris and the Eco-T are on said list.
Currently reading and listening
Fiction. I wrapped up Anthony Ryan’s The Pariah on Thursday. I immediately bought Ryan’s sequel, The Martyr. And have read 50% of the book in the days since.
Alwyn Scribe is swept along into a borderline holy war. The story grows darker and grittier as it progresses. Alwyn’s character, flawed and human as he is, draws me back to the book each morning and evening.
Alwyn’s character and thoughtful prose like this: “An insoluble problem is not, in truth, a problem; it is an obstacle and therefore best avoided or bypassed. A mind trained in proper calculation will always find a solution to an actual problem.” An idea I’ve been thinking about through last weekend.
I miss writing in the margins though
Nonfiction. I also read three more chapters from Jason Stanley’s How Propaganda Works. 36 pages of annotated margins and thoughtful analysis.
Stanley’s philosophical history and epistemology of democratic ideals fascinates me. He compares Plato’s ideas to Rousseau’s ideas to modern American ideas.
Plenty to think about
I leaned heavily on my tried-and-true Mildliners — in Mild Grey and Blue.
The star of my reading experience this week is easily the Mitsubishi 9850 woodcase pencil. The HB core writes clearly on the soft recycled paper and retains it’s tip for 2-3 pages of margin notes before needing a trip to my sharpener.
A great reading buddy makes a mess, apparently
Music. My partner lovingly calls Sigur Ròs the [makes falsetto humming noises] band. It’s far afield from their preferred music. But they keep asking for me to play them.
I find them a magnetic blend of subtle orchestration and driving energy.
We’re even listening to Sigur Ròs’ excellent concert with the LA Philharmonic as I type this blog post. I recommend them with all my heart. The first half of the concert below is played with the Philharmonic. The second half is Victory Rose in all their solo glory.
Yep. Jònsi plays his guitar with a bow. Cool.
