Raffle for Liberia - Winner!

First, I want to express a heartfelt thank you to all who participated in the raffle.  We had $325 raised (also means 325 entries...) which is humbling to say the least.  I am extremely grateful for your generosity and appreciate your willingness to help with a good cause.

Aligning all of the entries in order and using a random number generator, the winner is:

Derek Knoble!

Congrats!  I'll be in touch via email to get your details and which Dudek piece you'd like.

Also, a big thank you again to Karas Kustoms for donating a G2 Aluminum Render K for the raffle, and thanks again everyone!  

Sailor Jentle Ink - Miruai (Seaweed Indigo)

As I've progressed in my fountain pen hobby, ink, or course, is a part of that which I haven't reviewed too much on the blog.  When you use primarily blues or blue/black inks all of the time, is there really too much to say about it?...

I've recently acquired some other colors in the non-blue/black variety, one of which being one of the new Sailor Jentle series, Miruai.  Pen Chalet was kind enough to send me a bottle to try.  Thanks guys!

Miruai is described as a seaweed indigo or dark blue/green color which is perfect really.  The green is VERY dark and with finer nibs (like the F nib Vanishing Point I loaded it into) it could easily be mistaken as a black or very dark blue.  I've yet to really get into inks that are a bit out there in the color spectrum like orange, so a dark conservative green may suit the needs of every day use.

I usually write on Rhodia when using fountain pens for my day-to-day stuff, but when I want to really see what a nib is doing or what a color really looks like I break out a sheet or two of Tomoe River.  This paper really is fantastic and blows me away with just how crisp everything is on such a thin and delicate surface.  I've been looking at getting a bound Tomoe River notebook, but haven't decided on one.  Any suggestions would be fantastic.

Miruai, being so dark, lays down a very rich line and is very smooth.  From what I can tell there is a nice almost reddish sheen on the ink as well.

Of course I was using it on Tomoe River which will impact and extend "normal" dry times, but after about 15 seconds or so it seems to have no smearing.

In comparison to inks like Iroshizuku, the Sailor Jentle series is pretty reasonably priced at around $18-$20 per bottle, but I understand this is a bit of a price hike from before...

Thanks again Pen Chalet for sending the ink my way!  If you're looking to pick up a bottle of Sailor, Pen Chalet has pretty much the entire line I believe.  Also, remember to use CLICKYPOST at checkout for an extra 10%. 

The Clicky Post Yard Sale - A Few Pens For Sale

Hello Readers!

Being a pen blogger means one thing for sure: I buy a lot of pens.  Usually this is because something catches my eye that I want to try or is something that I feel would make for a great review on the blog.  I don't usually try and part with too many pens, but from time to time I have to go through the arsenal and thin out some pens I don't find myself using very often.

I did this recently and wanted to offer some pens up for sale here on the blog if anyone was interested in getting something new.  All pens are in excellent, mint, or like new condition so no surprises....  I also tried to price these VERY reasonably. 

(Additional notice: these are all pens purchased by me that were not provided complementary from site sponsors/companies)

What I have available:

Lamy Safari in White - M Nib - $20 (SOLD)

BIGiDESIGN PHX Pen in Stainless Steel - $20 (SOLD)

Namiki Falcon Fountain Pen - M Nib - $115 (SOLD)

Pilot Vanishing Point Fountain Pen in Black and Chrome - F Nib - $115 (SOLD)

Retro 51 Tornado Fountain Pen in Black - M Nib - $35 (SOLD)

Lamy Econ Ballpoint - $20 (SOLD)

TWSBI Mini Classic - 1.1 Stub - $40 (SOLD)

TWSBI 540 in Amber - F Nib - $45 (SOLD)

rOtring Newton Ballpoint in Silver - $85 (SOLD)

Kaweco AL Sport Ballpoint in Raw Aluminum - $45 (SOLD)

For domestic/US purchases, USPS Priority shipping would be $5 and for International First Class, $10.  This will likely not cover the full cost, but I like round numbers... : )

If interested in any of these pens, please shoot me a message through the Contact page and we'll work out a PayPal arrangement.  These are first come, first serve!

- Mike