New Pilot Iroshizuku Inks!

New Autumn colors from Pilot in the beautiful Iroshizuku range!


Such juicy and sweet colors!

Find them here.

Danitrio Takumi Mt Fuji

A photo from this morning's session for my Danitrio Fuji-san:


For once, you can actually click this photo to see a bigger version!

Pen Reviews

I have been slack with my pen reviews these last months, so over the next few weeks I am focusing upon the following:

• Danitrio Takumi 'Mt Fuji'
  
• Various models from Guider Pen Works
  
• Pelikan M640 Polar Lights
  
• Pilot MYU M90 & MYU 701

The MYU review might be awhile away, actually... Pilot are having stock issues, so it may be some time yet before I see the pen. The Danitrio review is mostly complete, and a pen photo shoot has been planned... stay tuned. :)

October Update

No new acquisitions on the pen front at present... although Stan K. has just announced the date for his next Japanese pen sale, so things may change soon enough!

Otherwise, I'm patiently awaiting my third Nakaya Piccolo. Still not due in Australia for a few weeks yet, but I'm loving the anticipation... choosing an ink for it will be difficult, but I suspect I will turn to Sailor Red Brown. That ink will be a harmonious compliment to the colouring of the pen... :)

One thing I am still undecided on is what nib finish to choose for my Piccolo. Nakaya have suggested we wait until the pen is complete before deciding. It will be a tough choice: the sexy two-tone option, or the possibly sexier rose gold? Decisions, descions...

The Five Stages of Acquisition...

While watching an episode of Star Trek: Voyager, I was reminded of "The Five Stages of Acquisition", which according to the Ferengi, are:

1. Infatuation
2. Justification
3. Appropriation
4. Obsession
5. Resale.

I know many folk in the fountain pen community who will identify with this. ;)

Some new arrivals...

Been swamped with work lately, so this will be brief - just a quick look at some of the pens I have received lately...

Sailor Professional Gear LE - White with Pink/Rose Gold. (Shown with my Snow White Mini and Ivory Sapporo.)

Sailor-Ujuku Professional Gear LE - Mandarin Yellow. (Shown with my Yellow Sapporo Mini and my Dandelion LE.)

This week I also received some rather lovely Indian pens, made by Guider Pen Works. I'll post more on these later, but for now, a quick group shot:

Danitrio Takumi Mt Fuji

After seven and a half months, my Mt Fuji finally arrived - and it is exquisite:



Well worth the wait! :D

Pelikan Polar Lights

My Polar Lights arrived! Fresh from Richard Binder and with a sensational XXXF nib. Here it is beside my Tortoise-Brown M400:

On Collecting Pens...

While updating my pen database this morning, it occurred to me how pleased I am with my pen collection at present. I am also pleased to say that I am no longer actively seeking pens for my collection. It's more along the lines of: If I see something I like, I might buy it - or I might not. I'm getting extremely specific now... it's easy to dismiss pens which once caught my eye.

I have been using fountain pens exclusively since 2004, when my collection consisted of several nice pens purchased a few years earlier and a few cheapies from my school days. One day in 2005, I put "fountain pen collecting" into Google, did some reading, and subsequently joined "Rambling Snail" (a now-defunct website which was the precursor to the FPN). When the RS domain was finally abandoned, I registered at the FPN in April 2006, having been a lurker there for several months.

Since that time, my collection has grown. Approximately ~130 pens are listed in this blog as part of my collection, but my database has something closer to 170 records, which is more correct. I have several duplicates of some pens, and then some cheapies, oddities and junkers which are not listed. Let's just say I have enough pens to occasionally 'rediscover' pens in a box or case which I completely forgotten I had.

In Q4 2007, I began drawing classes, and since January 2008 I have also been attending bi-weekly painting lessons, so both my pen collecting and my artistic pursuits have become my primary hobby - but pen collecting is slipping. I have simply lost the enthusiasm for pen collecting. I no longer make a dozen posts on the FPN a day, and also I simply don't enjoy visiting the site as much as I used to.

This is not some farewell post – I am most certainly not packing up my pens and going home, but my interest *has* shifted slightly. As an example: I have spent $6000 on art supplies this year, which normally would have been spent on pens. So yeah... a slight shift has occurred...

However, as I type, I am expecting a Pelikan Polar Lights this week, a Danitrio Mt. Fuji next week, and on top of that, a custom Nakaya will arrive at the end of the year. Along the way there will be others... (the Delta 'Aromatherapy' looks neat, for example!)

I guess I just wanted to say that if I seem absent, or if this blog goes without a post for a few weeks, it's because I'm sitting on the other side of the room, fountain pen (loaded with Sailor Kiwagura Waterproof Black) or paintbrush in hand, drawing or painting quietly. ;)

Pelikan Polar Lights M640

Tonight I ordered the rather delicious 'Polar Lights' SE, the latest pen in the Pelikan Natural Wonders series. Green and black, a very sexy combination. One thing though, why do the Sahara and Niagara look so... completely blah - while the Polar Lights looks so sexy...? One of life's mysteries...

Anyway, the pen is coming from Richard Binder, complete with one of those XXXF nibs which I love so much. :)