Superheroes! In Which Dr. inkenstein Handles The Dark Knight

Super Heroes! 

 

Really, Dr. Inkenstein got this idea from friend Susan, and we thank her for it.

If you were a superhero, what fountain pen would you use?  (or even BE, as a weird alter ego)?

　

Because of course superheroes use fountain pens.
 

What, you never named your fountain pens?   This trio of Superheroes just happen to be my heaviest, costliest, most 'significant' pens.  Ones you've even heard of.  Coincidence?  I think not!

Well....ladies first:
 

Wonder Woman had no trouble picking out this one. The Waterman Carene matches her favorite nail color, tomato red, and its inlaid nib has the elegance of a freshly-manicured fingernail.  


This sleek, well-balanced pen has no trouble fitting into any magic belt, and its cartridge/converter versalitity makes it the perfect choice for the heroine on the go.


The ink?  Why, Noodler's Black Swan In English Roses, thank you for asking.

 

 

 

Take the Batman Pen: a Sailor 1911 M, given to Dr. Inkenstein by children’s book author Steve Light.  Many thanks!


Like The Dark Knight, this Sailor is all silver and black and stealth.


The ink is none other than Everflo True Blue, which apparently only the likes of Batman can tame.

 

　

 

Now for the Superman Pen, in brushed gold, just right for those long days journaling in the Fortress of Solitude. Dr. Inkenstein’s second ‘real’ (ie: costing more than twenty bucks) fountain pen, the Sheaffer Legacy was ordered with a bold and suave B nib, and is heavy enough that only Superman can comfortably wield it. 

Writes with Skrip King's Gold, naturally.

　

 

And as for the nemesis.... The monstrous Model "Tageschlicht X-530."

This is the biggest pen Dr. inkenstein owns.  It is one of the biggest pens we have ever seen.

This weighty silver torpedo features a glittering clip jewel capable of blinding an unsuspecting foe, and a mirror finish that defies radar, sonar and even Superman's x-ray vision.  

With a bevy of unknown and arcane powers, it uses a black ink, Chesterfield Obsidian, to confound its foes.   Its code name is... Bairasu, after the giant flying squid-lookin' Daikaijuu, or Japanese monster.

Not to worry, though.  With the likes of Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman on its tail, this nemesis will not achieve world domination.

Spring Green! In Which Dr. Inkenstein Tests Color and Shape

Spring has sprung (or so the calendar says!  the Actual Real Life Weather has other ideas), and so has Dr. Inkenstein's ink supply.


 It's that time of year when you want to move from the dark, brooding browns and burgundies of winter toward something lighter and brighter.

One day I found myself staring at three new, untested green inks. So I grabbed some pens for dipping and went to work.

Of all the dippers, a cheap little Wing Sung 285 (or maybe 235, it's hard to read...) proved the best and most pleasant to use, writing up to a half a page on a single dip. 

Thin paper beware.  These inks, tested on Clairefontaine's nice little Twin Book, do not show through, but will show through on Bagasse paper, except for Noodler's Zhivago.

 Despite not being light and bright at all,  Zhivago happens to be Dr. Inkenstein's favorite of the new greens, with its blackety-greenish undertones that show especially well when the ink is diluted.  I have been using the ink in a Nemosine Singularity (see previous review) for sketching.  It adds an intriguing glimpse of now-you-see-it, now-you-don't color in an ink that otherwise reads as black.

Many of you know Dr. Inkenstein as the Chief Engineer on the Cheap, Cheerful Pen Express.  So when I discovered this little oddity while surfing fleabay, I snapped it up.

The Papermate DJ uses standard international cartridges (and came with a free one from the dealer).  It comes in a few different colors, and this one was sold as green, labeled blue, and definitely looks a green that leans just slightly toward blue.  The Skrip Green in was IT for this pen.  A perfect pen/ink combo, owing entirely to laziness and luck.

At first, Dr. Inkenstein came away with green fingers and thought this little fountain pen leaked.  Later on, it was discovered to be Operator Error.  This has turned out to be a nice, wet, smooth writer that is yes, obviously cheap, but very comfy to hold and write with.

It has rubber-ish trim rings, and the translucent black cap does post (though not all that securely), and has the extra added advantage of two little 'relief''  hearts displayed on the clip if you are into cute.  I am.

I don't know if this is NOS or just new, but I had never seen the like, and jumped on it.  I'm sure if you searched for 'Papermate DJ Fountain Pen' you'd find it.  I think if you're a fan of inexpensive and cheerful writers this will be right up your alley.

One of these days: Superhero Pens.  Really.

Finding Nemo: In Which Dr. Inkenstein Explores Singularities

Submitted for your approval:  The Nemosine Singularity presents itself in triplicate.  Muahaha.  Left to right: Ivory, Granite, Black.

Available from xfountainpens, this re-tooled Chinese number offers splendid possibilities.

Admittedly, the Nemo nibs are nails.  Across the board.  No spring, no flex.  But sometimes, you just need a nail.

Dr. Inkenstein already owned a Nemosine Singularity in Granite (read: shiny gray), with a small cursive italic nib.  Actually the nibs themselves are huge.  The point is the smaller of the offered cursive italics. 

And this brings up another good point about the Nemo: all nib (point) sizes are available at no extra cost.  And there are quite a few.  Two cursive italics, and Fine, and Extra Fine, and Medium.

Nemo also fits Dr. Inkenstein's personal quirks.  It's a large-ish, fattish fountain pen but lightweight.  Another good thing about these x-pens is that they usually come with free shipping above a certain dollar amount, and this time, they came with about eight free ink cartridges of assorted blue and black to get you started writing.  But they also come with a free converter, if you wanted to use bottled ink.  In either case, they allow you to dive right in.

With Dr. Inkenstein being on a fine-nib kick, it seemed important to order two new Nemos: an Ivory with an F nib, and a black with EF.  They also come in blue and red and a few other finishes with silvertone trim.

And they are fifteen dollars each.  Come on, now.  Fifteen bucks!

As usual, they were tested under worst-case conditions.  I did not flush the nib or section, but yanked the pens out of the box (yes, they come with a light card box and instructions, great for first-timers) and heedlessly made them guzzle Noodler's inks: Black Swan in Australian Roses for the ivory F (yes, Dr. Inkenstein is indeed a ledge-walker) and Zhivago for the black EF.

And they wrote far better than they dipped.  Dipped, they were somewhat scratchy.  Filled, they were smooth nails, producing a fine, firm line. 

In short, these make great ink testers.  Or beginner pens.  Or starter pens.  Or just I-Want-One-In-Every-Color-And-Nib pens. 

From Lemon To Love: In Which Dr. Inkenstein Goes on Safari

Once upon a time, early in Dr. Inkenstein's Pen Collecting and Using Life, there was a yellow Lamy Safari with black clip and black medium nib.
 

But it never wrote all that well.  Scratchy.  Stingy.


Crash of thunder.  Flash of lightning.  Ooo, scary!


Dr. Inkenstein gave the Safari away and never looked at another one until, for some unknown reason, a Charcoal Safari with 1.1 italic nib found its way here.


Still don't recall why I bought it.  But I inked it up.  Hey.  It wasn't bad.' It had GOOD ink flow!  Wasn't scratchy or nothin'!


Then I began reading all sorts of Safari and AlStar-related posts on the Fountain Pen Network.

And then, I discovered the Nexx.  And all was lost.  Or found, depending on your perspective.  I started buying Lamys again.  They are sturdy, inexpensive, come in a variety of nibs, and best of all, COLORS galore.  Each year Lamy puts out a Limited Edition color.  And they are collectible' (translated to English: wayyy expensive on fleabay).


The Pink Nexx, F nib:

 

 

 

The Coral Nexx (M), and the Pearl (color looks like Champagne, really) AlStar (B):

 

 

 

Lamy family, top to bottom (Coral Nexx, Pink Nexx, Pearl AlStar, Yellow Safari, Apple Green LE Safari, Aqua LE Safari, Ocean AlStar, Blue Safari, LE Pink Safari, Red Safari, Charcoal Safari.  Unable to make it to the photo shoot was my blue Lamy ABC):





The really sad part of this tale is that the original 'lemon' was probably fixable.  And that the yellow with black nib/clip combo is now selling for hundreds of dollars on fleabay.

One of these days Dr. Inkenstein will actually return with the Superhero Pens post.

Nose In The Air: In Which Dr. Inkenstein Does Fude

There is something about a fountain pen with its nose turned up. And not just the fact that it looks like someone dropped it by accident head-first on a granite floor.
　
No, fude (or, as some of you know them, ‘Chinese calligraphy pens’) actually come that way. On purpose. This is because the snub nose gives you great variation of line, if you happen to be lucky enough not to be a southpaw hooker.
　
Even then, a fountain pen with a fude nib will make your handwriting look a bit less as though scribbled by a monkey with the espresso jitters.
　
Fude. Naturally, Dr. Inkenstein is crazy about them. And has been collecting them for a while.
　
In my little fude family are three or four Sailor ‘bamboo’ stick-type pens, each with its nose turned up at a slightly differing angle. And another Sailor, the Profit Special Script, which resembles a 1911 in shape, only cheaper. This one’s an everyday writer in my rotation, currently loaded with Iroshizuku Fuyu-Syogan ink, which, for those of you without a Japanese dictionary on hand, means ‘gray.’

Even if it looks blue here!

　
There is also the very spiffy-looking golden-brown Bookworm and the jaunty marine-y Jinhao, among others. All of them have their strengths and weaknesses. All have their noses in the air to varying degrees.

My selective group shot, L to r;

 

Jinhao, Bookworm, Sailor Profit, GLM:

　
But we are focusing this time on the newest of the lot, the Guanleming 193. Which was, like the other Guanlemings in my collection (previously reviewed here in Some Like It Cheap), a mere five dollars.
　
　
I wasn’t thrilled with the GLM 193 when I first inked it up. Maybe it was just the wrong ink.
　
From that previous review, Some Like It Cheap:

　
When it was empty of green, I loaded my GLM with a mix of mostly Waterman Havana Brown and a drop or two of Levenger's Shiraz. Because you can't be Dr. Inkenstein without a science experiment or two.
　
The more I use, the more I like.
　

This little wonder has become one of my all-time favorites.   Like other GLM pens, you can get it while it's still available at isellpens.
　
　
With the nib at a high angle, fude write almost like a normal fountain pen with a little flex and flair tossed in. At a lower angle, they’re almost like paintbrushes. With the nib held upside-down, they produce a hairline.
　
In short, they are the Swiss Army Knife of fountain pens. And for only five bucks (the GLM 193) you can dip your beak into the Turned-Up Nose Brigade.

Spy vs. Accountant! In Which Dr. Inkenstein Compares The Inner Pen-sonality

Bond. James Bond.
　
I don’t understand the characterization of the Hero 007 as cheap and flimsy. Maybe the price is low, but right off the bat, the spy pen wrote with a buttery feel and excellent flow.
　
Whereas the Accountant (Guanleming 978), while deceptively elegant in appearance, wrote reluctantly, dry-er, somewhat scratchier, though it got easier as it went along. And, befitting an accountant’s pen, it’s a little bit particular about the paper with which it associates. Unknown yellow lined pad, begone. Office Max comp book, we can live with it. We just don’t love it. Staples bagassee, now that’s more like it.

Spy Pen, Accountant Pen:

　
This particular accountant probably works for James Bond. Hence, the fancy-dress. Someone’s got to do the books.
　
　
Here we have the case of two pens whose personalities contrast their looks. The Spy Pen looks like it belongs to an accountant. Which makes sense. You don’t want a neon sign flashing, "Hey! I’m a secret agent! Everybody watch out!"
　
　
No, you want to do your work undercover! So it’s fitting that the spy and the accountant swapped clothes. After all, if you’re an accountant, people aren’t shooting at you and aiming giant lasers at your personal areas. At least, not most of the time.
　
Sleek and silver and black. James Bond in a tux, watching out of the corner of his eye.
　
Silver and gold with patent-leather black section. M’s most trusted bookkeeper.
　

Behold the two tests and judge for yourself.
　
James Bond:

　

Accountant:

　
　
The 007 James Bond pen (donated to me by a kind member of FPN) is available from various ebay sellers.
　
　
The GLM is available from isellpens, who also has much better pictures than I am able to take. He probably uses a spy camera.