Consult the Doctor Episode 74

[@danielklopp7007]

I do not (directly) count the number of fills for each of my fountain pens, however I do keep an "ink journal", noting the date, pen, and ink. I could go back through this journal and search for entries on a specific pen, thus developing a "refill count" for each of my pens. I thought about putting my ink journal into a spreadsheet (so I could easily sort by pen, ink, or date), but after further reflection, a spreadsheet seems too "digital" for keeping track of an analog hobby.

[@randy-9842]

@danielklopp7007 - I do the same with both a spreadsheet version and a written log which provides a visual rendering of the ink and nib. Additionally, I log both the fill and the cleaning date so I can tell how long the ink has been in the pen "this time." These logs also track whether or not a particular pen, ink, nib configuration dries out prematurely or lasts a long time though that becomes confusing if I add a drop of water to a nearly empty converter to extend the writing period. (That works well for highly saturated inks.) So, "counting" the refills is not the primary goal, but I can figure that out!

[@manelgrimaltbals4120]

I count how many times I ink a pen and ink used. For this I use an android App: My Fountain Pens & Inks. It's part of the fun for me!!

[@paddrino5991]

I don’t count the number of fills. I do however keep a spreadsheet on when I purchased and why. I also record the last time the pen was inked so I am sure to use all the pens in my collection. I usually ink the oldest first so every pen has a use. :)

[@JoseFbt6bk]

Hey There! I am guilty of keeping a note of the brand and colour of ink in each of my pens. If the ink is different from what a particular pen had before, I also note the date of the refill. I find it very useful. I know it sounds strange or just plain weird, but at my advanced age this kind of control helps me to keep things in order. Greetings from Spain.

[@Rgc571]

I tract my Pens in Use by Pen and Ink, so could count. Occasionally I forget to log an ink change but not often. My log is primarily used to identify ink currently in pen, not to count, but now, because you brought it up, I will have to count, so thanks for that. Thanks for the video.

[@markcotter2931]

I’ve no idea what fill number I’m on, but my Montblanc Heritage 1912 has been constantly inked since I bought it in 2013.

[@TheMarkRich]

Counting ink fills is another OCD I don't need.😂

[@joistevens4454]

I have been keeping track of my pens, inks and such on a notebook. I have the name of the pen at the top of the page. Under it, I have the date and the name, brand and color of the ink. I have why I changed it was I bored with it did I not like the properties of it or was it just a color I could not read. I’m surprised especially with a lot of Ferris wheel press inks that just are illegible. I got this idea from Seemownays channel! And occasionally, it’s because I have written it dry. Which is ideal. There is also another KZbin channel called pens and tea who has made a challenge of using 10 pens for 30 days. Right now I have almost 20 pens inked which is ridiculous. So as I write them dry, I will put some of them away until I have only 10. 🎉

[@criscavi19]

Fine review. I appreciate recommendations on paper. Thanks!

[@andrewr5411]

I believe that Rhodia is a French made paper. Otherwise, thanks for this series of videos. Genuinely helpful. Best wishes.

[@JoseFbt6bk]

Yes , you're right. According to Wikipedisa 'Rhodia was a group founded in 1988 that specialized in fine chemistry, synthetic fibers, and polymers. The company was acquired by the Belgian Solvay group in September 2011 in a deal valuing Rhodia at €3.4 billion'.

[@merijohnston8521]

I love Write Pads out of Baltimore, I believe.

[@rileycone4939]

I don't count the time I've filled a particular pen, but I keep a notebook where I record every time I filled a pen with a new ink. Since I rarely re-fill a pen with the same ink it was already inked up with, it could work fairly well for such a statistic. Or at least it would, if I started it way back when I really started to go down the rabbit hole called fountain pens, not a year after the fact. Not counting the fact that prior to that I've had only one pen I used, and 2 bottles of ink that I emptied with it. Still it works fairly well for me since I started it.

[@KarenKarn]

Please advise: I bought a fountain pen years ago and it arrived with an extra converter which was full of clear gel.Any idea what this could be? I threw it in a drawer, because I didn't need it at the time. Now I do need it, and I've extracted as much of the gel as possible - as if emptying ink - but not all of it has been expelled. Obviously, I'm not desperate, because I have more than one pen, but it is frustrating.

[@draganaj6752]

I do keep a journal for currently inked pens (pen + ink name, date of filling, date of cleaning); just because I keep forgetting how long a pen has been inked and when I should maybe clean it again. As other commenters here have written, I could figure out the number of fillings for a specific pen from this listing; but as I lived happily without this so far, I do not see the need. I have a feeling which pens I use often and which not, so I do not see a benefit here for me. Since people keep talking about digital methods to keep track of inks/pens, I have given it a thought - but again: I do not find some benefit in lot of these listings, why would I spend the time and effort. And digital solutions (mobile or not) have one risk: Data loss. I have experienced a number of hardware issues during my life - laptops, mobile phone - and data being gone (as I am not a fan of offering my data to cloud solutions). Probably I am now belonging to old-fashioned people with this attitude, but that is just how I am. May everyone be as they are (as long as others are not affected of course). Thank you Stephen for your great input as always! 👌 (Please do keep up, also with ignoring comments on video quality - the video content is the important thing!)

[@bluesplotch]

Dr. Brown, I have a question for you. I'm starting my PhD journey and was wondering how you managed note-taking during your studies. Up until my master's, I've been taking notes by hand and storing them in binders. This worked fine for my BA, but in my MA, I found it harder to organize, collate, and reference notes later when writing papers. I think it will get worse for the doctorate with much more reading and note-taking. How did you do it?

[@thanhtong2281]

St. Nib-iss? The god of fountain pens? LOL

[@booktivism]

Rhodia, which belongs to Clairefontaine, is a French company.

[@mojavejoe190]

Excellent consultation, doctor. First, it had never occurred to me to count fills, and I don't think it would work for me since I change ink so frequently. Second is a question for the doctor: why don't nibmeisters make KZbin videos about their craft and techniques? Perhaps they don't want to divulge their trade secrets? Given that there seems to be a KZbin video on every conceivable subject, the lack of videos by nibmeisters (unless I am missing them--always a possibility) is very curious.

[@SidF-l8j]

interesting Q&A. thank you. Also, I have noticed on this and other presentations that the seems to be a change in the facial lighting that takes place during the presentation - Like a light turning on and off. Perhaps it only appears on my machine? To me, it is very annoying and disconcerting. It makes watching the videos MUCH less pleasant.

[@Vovvilina]

This is the case because his device is attempting to adjust the lighting when it detects a change -- so whenever he moves, it adjusts accordingly. Others have commented on this but he appears to prefer simply recording and being done with it. If I were aware of the camera he uses, I'd suggest he place a bit of black electrical tape over the red light on its front, since that usually remedies the flashing we see, but this may not be the solution, and his actions are outside of my control. I suffer from photosensitivity and must only listen to his videos due to that chronic flicker, but I can see why he'd want to be able to just record and not be concerned with adjusting the lighting, etc. -- it's not easy spinning so many plates. I don't know how he does it, frankly.