Self-Destructive Pen Companies?? Cleaning a New Pen?? | Pencast 105

[@kristiw.1823]

Alita Battle Angel is a very cool movie. Tons of heart and wicked animation

[@jcortese3300]

A possibly strange gift idea: a fancy sugar bowl/creamer set. The creamer or a glass tumbler work beautifully to hold pens upright and to hold water if you use dip pens. You can get really pretty antique ones made out of colorful depression glass. You can even sometimes get glass trays that you can use to lay fountain pens on their side. They make for really pretty desk sets.

[@iterationomega]

Coffee! Check! A bunch of pens to clean! Check! Start Pencast! Check! Weekend...!!!

[@Gouletpens]

Whooo! Let's do this! - Drew

[@jeremyschuh]

I start every pencast by wondering what 3 pens Drew has inked and whether or not Brian is wearing cargo shorts.

[@heretolevitateme]

Turns out Brian has cargo pens and Drew has inked his shorts.

[@theresa_lili]

LOL

[@bluejchou4404]

😂

[@tatyana22455]

😂😂😂

[@bluejchou4404]

Drew I LOVE the outfit! Oxblood cords, mustard yellow shirt with the awesome kicks, and a nut Sailor to boot...PERFECT autumn vibe!

[@mikideez623]

Brian: [gives "unofficial" advice "should one desire" to hack their 823] Drew: [can already hear the customer service calls start rolling in]

[@angelinatran4930]

Not fountain pen related, but as a young person, I appreciate Brian and Drew talking about their kids' struggles with empathy. I know a lot of youth who have parents that dismiss their feelings and perspectives. Many things do mean a lot to us as we grow up, and your empathy will mean a lot to your kids (in the future, when they are able to reflect on it haha)

[@Gouletpens]

Thank you! - Drew

[@anac9313]

39:10 - Drew I LOVE your outfit! Even the way you matched the yellow cherry socks!

[@soyouwannamokatiki]

Really enjoyed this pencast (I have watched the slices but never a whole one) and the leadership conversation was so helpful at the end! I have been a manger a while, and very much a "Drew-style" focused on supporting and being kind. Ive been really lucky that this has worked well with the teams I have managed so far, and have seen some amazing development etc. I have recently been promoted and now managing a department instead of just a small team and have basically got one of those under-performers who has been transferred all over because people don't want to deal with them. I've struggled on how to approach it, but this has really helped re-frame it and i def feel more motivated going into their mid-year review next week!

[@Gouletpens]

So glad to hear that your first full-length show didn't scare you off! Thanks for joining us! - Drew

[@rohan.chatterjee.m1000]

Brian Goulet and Drew Brown, you are always amazing. I appreciate the time you gave to discuss that topic. I am searching for the answer to that question many times. Thank you, you two made my day better.

[@Gouletpens]

Thanks for asking! - Drew

[@kathyfannon7563]

I so much love it when you guys talk about leadership. I learn a lot from both of you and your different styles.

[@Gouletpens]

Thanks for joining us! - Drew

[@jorgeknightwalker8872]

Alita Battle Angel is amazing and it is based on an older anime. And it was done very well.

[@Sparklepony]

Mnemosyne was the mother of the Muses and Goddess of Memory in Ancient Greece -- it's also the word for memory. Our word mnemonic (as in a mnemonic device) comes directly from her name. A great name for paper as both an artistic launchpad and the capturer of memory.

[@MarshaLove0723]

I'm not a big fan of vac fillers. I like to change inks often and prefer cartridge/converters pens over everything else - low maintenance. But I got the TWSBI 700R when they came out in the Iris color. I syringe-fill (and clean!) it since the grip screws off. 😊

[@MohamedSamyAlRabbani]

One of the reasons i like this pencast, is Drew and Brian always take me back to the 80s. Both Brian and Drew would totally be charachters in Scooby Doos gang of crime solvers.

[@namniag]

I am definitely "one of those persons" who gets excited about paper. There truly is nothing quite like cracking open a brand new beautiful journal and putting down some ink. I'm not much of a journaler, but I love journals so much I've started keeping a commonplace book just to have an excuse to keep buying nice journals...

[@crystalca9082]

Count me in as one who’s watched from ep. 1 and never missed a Pencast. Having coffee with pen friends is always a great start to the day, and I look forward to it all week. Excellent leadership tips this week, Brian. Good info to carry into any interpersonal relationship. As someone who considers myself a good communicator and people-reader, it’s both humbling and inspiring to know there’s a limit to how well I can do the latter without the former. It gives me a better idea of which skill to actively develop. Thank you!

[@pontoon_cat]

As a parent of young kids, a bulb syringe is in multiple places in our house. But not the blue ones they give away at the hospital; as you say, they get gross inside. However, there is a solution for you! They make ones you can disassemble and clean that are clear (Can search the big A for them). They come apart in two pieces so you can wash and dry, no risk of mold. :)

[@ChavaJ77]

@drew - thank you for being so open, honest and authentic about your schooling struggles. You are breaking down stigmas, normalising struggles, being open about it, which gives others the opportunity to reach out and get the support they need. Total respect! Also, respect to Brian for letting Drew speak his truth, showing such amazing support & respect of Drew.

[@Gouletpens]

Thanks for saying that! Yeah, it's tough - but it's less tough when you talk about it! - Drew

[@personette3226]

I'd actually love to hear more about Brian's budgeting! Goulet sells stationery, and it's planner season, so it's a great time to talk about planning.

[@crystalca9082]

Everything Everywhere All At Once is one of my favorite films. We’ve seen it four times already. I definitely recommend finishing it, because as weird as the first half is, the second half is beautiful and emotional. Worth it.

[@evayaaasantewaa448]

Absolutely correct.

[@Gouletpens]

I really should finish it, then! Thank you! - Drew

[@evayaaasantewaa448]

YES!!!!!

[@McAmeron089III]

DEEP THOUGHTS: "If trees could scream,would we be so cavalier about cutting them down? We might,if they screamed all the time,for no good reason." -Jack Handey

[@woodthrushcottage]

Mandrake!

[@donnarion1147]

THe Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben

[@Gouletpens]

HAHAHAAA! Classic. - Drew

[@tootsfour956]

Wow, what a great pencast! Not only inspired by pens, but a very good discussion of how best to communicate with one another. Thank you!

[@gwenmph]

One Piece!!! Yes, it has been going on since 1997 and just celebrated over 25 years! It is the best selling manga series in history, and was #1 selling worldwide for 11 consecutive years (2008-2018). I’m so excited that they finished the live action season 1 this year and more people get to experience the story that means so much to all of us One Piece fans. The story-telling and world-building is top notch. It breaks my heart and puts it back together all at the same time. To me, it is not only an adventure of great pirates but a story about finding your chosen family and supporting their dreams. It’s about everything. I hope Archer is loving it.

[@Stitchxavi]

37:38 YOU HAVE brought back fountain pens. I’m serious. How many of us wouldn’t be here if but for Goulet?!?!??

[@Slaughter0tter]

I've always cleaned new pens as a habit but never really felt like it did too much. Until the day I got a bunch of grey gunk out of a new nahvalur original plus.

[@Gouletpens]

Oh wow! I've never heard of anything that drastic before! Thanks for sharing! - Drew

[@hollishan]

As soon as Drew mentioned Adrienne's suggestion of Phantom of the Opera by Wearingul, I immediately placed an order (didn't even wait for the Pencast to finish - Thanks Adrienne)! I'm a huge fan of the musical as well as anything related to it. 😁 I'm looking forward to receiving the sample and hopefully,. purchasing a bottle. Great Pencast as always!

[@Gouletpens]

Yay! Thank you! - Drew

[@JefferyHall-ct2tr]

Hey Guys!: An extra informative pencast this week! Really enjoyed the discussions on why manufacturers really can't make vintage quality pens and make any money on them. Also Brian's discussion on leadership ideas was GREAT! As to cleaning new pens, another maker I have been cleaning upon receipt are Jinhao pens. When I clean the "new"pens I get some ink residue, so perhaps they are testing the pens or at least the nib/feed units before shipment. By the way Drew NICE Chucks!! Brian needs to do some sort of bushcraft demos and tell us about them! I'm sure he would be good at it!

[@TheWanderingFire]

BRIAN! You've never read The Lord of the Rings?! YOU LUCKY MAN, you still have that to look forward to!! I would give anything to experience it again for the first time.

[@nordlyselsker]

For tree nightmares, you should read the chapter "The Old Forest" from The Fellowship of the Ring (first book of the Lord of the Rings trilogy). That's not in the films.

[@tbayless8324]

More like " The Giving Tree" if you want a story to bring you to tears. 😭

[@TheNightowl001]

The pen I would love to see added to the Hall of Fame is the Pilot M90. No question but that should be included as a unique Hall of Fame pen. Also, I think a great gift for pen lovers is stationery sets, with nice paper and matching envelopes. I'm surprised Goulet doesn't carry more of these, but then I guess they aren't manufactured as much as when I was a kid (60 years ago!).

[@Gouletpens]

Unfortunately the M90 wouldn't meet our current criteria - the pens we induct need to still be in production. - Drew

[@mephitstophilis]

On the vac filler question: Theres always some slop in the threads so the knob is easy to turn. The first turn or so is often just the knob turning without actually engaging the piston yet. What i do with my Vac700 is turn the knob until i feel a bit more resistance, which means the piston has engaged, and then go about a full turn farther. Finally, I screw the knob back in just until i feel resistance again to take up the slop and keep the knob from being loose.

[@karibean13]

The Japanese fairy tale pens are also part of the Shikiori line. Each of the Shikiori pen lines has its own title, like Amaoto/Sound of Rain, but some are used more than others. I think the Amaoto line tended to use that name more than some of the others lines because they have 21k nibs whereas most of them have 14k (of the PGS-there are also several series of the Procolor with steel nibs). Sailor actually made a whole separate site for all their Shikiori stuff, which I have used repeatedly when needing to double check Japanese vs. English names.

[@severalwolves]

One nice detail is that all of the Shikiori releases correspond to the four seasons. This is why they always come out in sets of fours. I really appreciate how they keep this theme going with every release.

[@dawngilkison6123]

In the Pacific NW, we are also plagued by yellowjackets and this year is bad. Through research from pest removal companies, I learned that aggressive yellowjacket behavior can be triggered by vibrations nearby. So, just using a chainsaw in the vicinity of yellowjackets may not be a good idea. When the night time temperature begins to drop to 45 degrees F or below, their populations start to decline. Can't happen soon enough for me!

[@Much2shy142]

Loved the leadership/unity tips!

[@woodthrushcottage]

Thank you so so much for the leadership tips. I wrote in lovely BLUE WATER ICE 💙calligraphy in my journal: 📙'To be unclear is to be unkind' and I've used that and the others tips in personal and work situations. 👏🏼A Rickshaw laptop bag as a canvas for patches is a great idea. 🙏🏻Thank you.

[@MohamedSamyAlRabbani]

Brians eyes watching Drew tell his car story and expecting him not to have a problem is priceless.

[@timothymay9646]

There needs to be a sticker of the Canadian Boy Band, Chainsaw Chaps...with Drew and Brian as part of it. I look forward to their first album.

[@JohnD77notJade]

My dad loves Phantom of the Opera and played it when we decorated the holiday tree on one of those 80s speakers in a 6-disc changer along with holiday music. My brother and I thought Phantom was Christmas music until our 20s.

[@Gouletpens]

My wife is crazy about it as well! - Drew

[@justusspace]

I LOVED ferngully!!! Batty was my BOY! His song slapped the hardest out of all the music scenes. THEY USED AND ABUSED ME, BATTA AND BRUISED ME, red wires, green wires, stuck em right through meeeee

[@dawndemanda]

Easily one of Robin Williams’ best roles and the most under appreciated! I bought the DVD the day after he died and treasure it and the memory of seeing him in person.

[@MarshaLove0723]

I saw FernGully in the theaters and loved it. I have the DVD, but haven't watched it in years. Time for a rewatch.

[@phonoirlex]

I've been brain fried, electrified, infected, and injectified. Vivisectified and fed pesticides!

[@kristiw.1823]

The "Ents" are living, sentient trees - guardians of the forest. And Brian, don't worry. You'd have to be wholesale clear cutting forests for them to be upset at you. The Orcs and Saruman were decimating entire forests, to create industrial furnaces for weapon making. I suspect that the Ents would gladly give up a few trees, for you and your family to commune with the rest of nature. 😉😇

[@TheWanderingFire]

Gimli felt threatened for just carrying an axe, and Treebeard only softened his opinion when he learned that Gimli uses it on orcs, not trees.

[@kristiw.1823]

@@TheWanderingFire that's a fair point.

[@culinarykid92]

I forgot to add the butter previously to my order. Shame as I already used Buttered Popcorn and like it. It pairs perfectly with my cream Lamy Safari. But it is too niche for me to personally buy a bottle. But I would have given the sample to my friend. But I wanted to report back on the broad Stealth Purple Sailor. It is wonderful. The pen fits my hand nicely while writing, and has that nice bit of pencil feedback even as a broad. The color was just what I wanted, professional yet fun. If I remember, I'm going to try the Pirate Party at work this week.

[@avaDesdemona]

Being German, I've used a lot of Lamy pens. And I never clean them first. But I kind of enjoy the mixing of colors from one fill to the next. We learn to write cursive with fountain pens in school, and I've used fountain pens throughout my school time. When you run out of ink in your cartridge, you can refill the cartridge with water (from a tap) at least twice (I think three Was still legible, 4 was pushing it) before the writing gets too light. I had a competition with a friend, how many times we could get away with...

[@SandyToesStudio]

LOL, Drew trying to act cavalier showing off his Converse😆 which are super AWESOME and am googling 'mustard converse' atm😉 Love you guys and would love to see Drew's shoe collection on the weekly, but only in an inconspicuous set up (impossible)!

[@Gouletpens]

I got them on clearance at the Converse outlet! Only $20! - Drew

[@lindacooper2579]

Lol, definitely buy o-rings if you want to disappoint your friends. 😂 Your pencast never fails to make me laugh.

[@MohamedSamyAlRabbani]

Brian and Drew do fountain pen Mythbusters!

[@itsmeLori]

I just got a girologio case from Goulet recently, should have waited a couple of extra weeks because I like this shape better!

[@TaskmasterWilco-X]

I thought exactly the same thing that Brian did about the “takeout potluck” dinner, lol. 😂 Also, please finish watching Everything Everywhere All At Once. It’s weird, but it’s beautiful in both the visuals and the writing. Also, the fight sequences are absolutely freaking amazing. Just the Fanny pack fight itself is worth replaying over and over. Just perfect. 😂

[@lisacrowder4090]

Yessss! Clarity is kindness🎉❤

[@bluejchou4404]

Hope you all had a great company picnic! ❤

[@jacobling2119]

About the accessories, for me I think the Loupe is THE most important tool in this hobby, more than anything else, more than even the bulb or blunt tip syringe.

[@keefensera2004]

Christmas Vacation is our favourite, and we have been watching it every year for the past 20 years, and often quote memorable lines from it (we do know it word for word by now). May have to give Vegas Vacation another chance as we would have ranked that in 4th place after European Vacation🤔🤔

[@keefensera2004]

We can't believe Drew was actually likening Brian to a member of Sauron's dark army in LOTR. Orc-ward!!!😂😂

[@karismadelacruz9172]

Omg Brian, I felt all that you were dealing about yellow jackets and having to take care of stuff outdoor. But fun fact I remember hearing although I am not sure if it is 100% true but the queen is actually is one to die off. The colony will kick her out since they have a hard time to keep warm during the winter so they cut out larva and queen just to survive until spring where the eggs that hatch including a new queen will continue the colony.

[@steamdome9162]

Brian and Drew, I have a question. Over time I have noticed that threaded caps and nib sections develop a slight increase in friction when screwing the sections together. Can silicon grease, bar soap or beeswax be used as a lubricant/friction reducer? Or is it best to leave the sections dry?

[@tbayless8324]

Crazy as it seems, I use Vaseline.

[@isabellarozendaal]

Would you consider doing a Parks & Rec edition of matching pens & characters? I'm dying to know which pens you think embody the spirit of Leslie, Ron, Andy, Tom, Jean Ralphio, Ben, April, Donna, Jerry, but also Jeremy Jamm, Tammy 2 and Joan Calamezzo!

[@Gouletpens]

Oh, we could definitely do that! - Drew

[@callummcneilage4438]

My family quotes National Lampoon all the time. Especially, the dam tour

[@debhan]

Worth noting that the new pink Estie, as well as other Esterbrook Esties, can be modified with the company''s MV adapter to hold Esterbrook nibs from the "glory days"...!

[@rebeccaplusa7381]

Drew: The homework trauma is SO real! I also have a 4th grader, and she's getting homework, and I'm not quite as extreme of panic as you, but totally get it! I also struggled with homework and school, and felt everything you said about it!

[@user-mq4hx6tp3t]

Drew, I feel your pain when it comes to homework! I was very lucky to have a longtime, caring neighbor who would help my daughter with math. We also hired a math tutor for a time. What a relief it was when both kids went off to college! :) Whew.

[@Gouletpens]

Whew! Glad to know I'm not alone! - Drew

[@RobertFisher1969]

I’ve bought some modern tributes of classic pens made by other manufacturers. I have to believe that the original brands-while often not the same company-could make those pens and make a profit off of them. The Parker 51 is a great example. I find it hard to believe modern Parker couldn’t make a 51 more true to the original than the current 51. Because other companies are. Now, as you addressed, “vintage flex” is indeed a whole other thing and is a niche. But there are plenty of vintage designs that I believe would sell better than the pens those brands make today. It feels like the people running many of those brands still think the fountain pen market looks the same as it did during the nadir of the market or when they first revived the brand.

[@tbayless8324]

I agree. Die laughing, but I would still like to see someone make a wood pen today that would not have a whole lot of problems with all the materials they have. When I think of fountain pens, I think old and aged in the materials. They are bringing a Kaweco Ebonite that looks like wood with a ridiculous high price tag to match it, for me anyway I will pass on that Kaweco.

[@karenstepanov1703]

Great, as always!) how You recommend to select a pen/nib size according to the format of stationary (A4,5 etc) Thanks

[@johntwahl]

Y’all have to both finish “Everything Everywhere All at Once” - not only is it absurd in all the ways you pointed out, but it ends up telling a really beautiful story of intergenerational understanding and healing.

[@evayaaasantewaa448]

Yes!

[@paulherman5822]

On the topic of vintage vs modern nibs. The vintage was really just a jewelry grade alloy. So, would have varied between companies and probably over the years. There's a guy on Fountain Pen Network who went to his local jeweller, and had a nib made from what he had available. Turned out an equal nib to vintage, even flex. For less than the price asked for a modern gold nib, because of the mystique spread that they were so much more special. Was several years ago, so the thread is harder to find, I'm sure. If not lost when they did their platform update...

[@Gouletpens]

That's terrific insight! Thank you! - Drew

[@paulherman5822]

@@Gouletpens Kind of throws out the idea that they were a mystical special alloy lost to time, like orichalcum, which is just a copper/gold alloy the Irish have called "red gold" for millennia. Just really takes a thin sheet of jewellery grade 14K, the mystery isn't that mysterious. 😁

[@EmperorLeyba]

The PAN AM Rollerball pen from Retro 51 reminds me of the movie Catch Me if You Can.

[@Gouletpens]

I agree! - Drew

[@bluejchou4404]

Everyone bring take-out-food grab and leave, an introvert gathering. 😅 So true! I'd love that!

[@johngrubb007]

Here's a question that popped into my wee brain when you were discussing vintage fountain pens. Could you say that the current popularity of the fountain pen industry is driven primarily by people who are likely to have large or larger collections of pens? I think it would be safe to say that most fountain pen users today are more likely to have many pens rather than just 2 or 3. I know my mom had just one pen throughout her teaching career which started in 1945 but it was a treasured item. As a result of this, I could see that most modern fountain pen users probably don't hold their pens in as high a regard as they were held back in the day when money could be tight and a good quality pen was something that had to be worked for and saved for.

[@Calcprof]

I had a boss once that would play "buddy buddy" with me (and others) spending really scurilous gossip. Incredibly bad situation. No trust whatsoever. Luckily the company was large enough (with enough independence at my level) so that I could simply outlive the situation. I love the VAC 700R. EEAAO clearly has one of Jammie Lee Curtis' best performance

[@creamsiclecat]

I'm a head manager, and the hardest thing for me is making the people like supervisors I manage, communicate with other employees. I dont want to work 16 hrs a day taking care of all the issues! I communicate regularly with my supers and their orders are really clear. But I recently found out that my own managers under me, dont follow ny example. Its exhausting haha

[@fossilimprint2954]

QUESTION: are there waterproof inks you would recommend for most pens vs waterproof inks you would say are only for easy to clean pens?

[@anneK3801]

Speaking of painful movie destruction, I could only watch Mousehunt once. I practically cried as they destroyed that beautiful old house. I know I have had the same feeling about some classic car destruction scenes, but it didn't hit me as badly as seeing that victorian trimmed house come down.

[@bluejchou4404]

"Chainsaw Chaps" the Canadian boy band. 😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@AlainSTO]

Aw what? I loved Alita Battle Angel. It was even a passion project by James Cameron.

[@dibbi3237]

Just got my new Sailor pro gear slim from yall and I love it! There's a learning curve to a nib with some bend but I'm loving it! Quick question: would you guys ever consider doing notebook samplers? I really want to try out the paper from Rhodia, Mnemosyne, Moleskine, LEUCHTTURM, etc but I don't have over $100 to burn on journals 😅

[@Gouletpens]

You're in luck! www.gouletpens.com/products/notebook-sampler-package-set

[@dibbi3237]

@Gouletpens Awesome! Thank you guys for everything you do for this community 😄

[@530nm330Hz]

For the free ink samples, would you consider making them valid for two weeks instead of one? You may drop episodes on Fridays but I (and perhaps others) don't generally get time to watch them until the middle of the next week.

[@katealoguedit]

I’m dying, I did NOT expect you guys to actually respond to my comment. But I am here again 😂 And well done on the pronunciation, it’s French.

[@mephitstophilis]

Here's a random fact for you Drew, relating to your "Star Trek" shirts comment. The shirts worn by the command officers in The Original Series weren't mustard yellow. They were actually avocado green. The combination of set lighting and type of film used caused them to show as yellow in the finished prints. You can see the correct color in Captain Kirk's dress uniform and Captain's wraparound. They were made of a satin that photographed more accurately. By the time Next Generation came around, the mustard yellow color had become the de facto fan expectation so the new production just ran with it (even though they switched "command" and "engineering" colors).

[@abigailmcleod3206]

Love your pencasts! Thank for sharing your knowledge! Quick question though… What kinds of fountain pens do no travel well on long flights (5 hours or more)? Do vac-fillers or retractable pens fall in that category?

[@Gouletpens]

Most pens travel just fine. In fact, vac fillers are often considered to be better than average at traveling, considering that you can shut off the flow of ink from the barrel to the nib! - Drew

[@evayaaasantewaa448]

Darn! I ordered from you this morning and did not know about OPERA! Is there any way I can get in on this?

[@soyouwannamokatiki]

Lol, coming back at the end after my last comment. Everything Everywhere All At Once I think while truly being really weird is mostly a story about being out of place, generational trauma, immigration...I can imagine that if you don't relate to any of that, or at least enjoy weird scifi stuff its not gonna work! I really love it, but I'm a scifi nerd who's parents are immigrants and who also has a complicated relationship with my mother :DTBH the 2nd half is weirder, but there are still a lot of really lovely moments so I hope you give it a chance.

[@dawndemanda]

It’s an interesting movie but the multiverse concept is overdone at this point. It was even on Big Brother this week, according to a promo I saw. I hate the show, but see promos.

[@diane_elizabeth]

"I write for de-light" agreed 😊

[@jolienkrispijn]

Thanks for the explanation about how much to open our vac fillers. I had been wondering that. And I'm with Drew in this, vac fillers aren't my favourite. Mostly for the hassle. But then the pen companies make all those vac fillers their coolest pens. So, what can we do? So, I just buy them and be happy 😂❤️

[@Gouletpens]

Thanks for watching! - Drew

[@kolaloh]

You guys should spotlight the Sailor Pro Gear mini (if you haven't already done it)!! It'd be nice to see the old v new version compared to the regular Pro Gear

[@Gouletpens]

We did that one back in Episode 40! - Drew

[@kolaloh]

@@Gouletpens Oops, it's been too many!

[@Davidfromsaskatoon]

I keep wanting to post this, but forget until the day before the next pencast! A thought for a topic/question when thinking about Drew’s three pen system. (I have adapted it for my pens, and no more dry pens, hardest part is picking which inks)…on to the question: If you could only pick three Inks, what inks would they be? Guidelines and detail: • You always have three pens filled, one with each ink. You can switch out the pens as often as you like. So only ink choices • You get a basic black, Blue and Red roller ball, so don’t need to fill a choice for legal/professional things, these all fun colors (unless you have a blue, red, black you would like to add) • you can pick any delivery style inks, they would be available in all the cartridges, and bottle sizes so just need to think ink colours based on colour! •don’t need to worry about scarcity, just like some good fried chicken you can order the ink by the bucket fulls!! I hope you pick my comment for a future episode, because I am curious the answers! I have my predictions (Long time listener via podcasts)

[@bluejchou4404]

Brian is what we lovingly call my husband, a Renaissance Man.

[@albertlecuyer6761]

Brian's leadership principles would make an enjoyable regular (or occasional) spot in the pencast. Bug jail? (lol)

[@karisbarfield8948]

I hope you make a "short" video from the leadership principle? It was great, very informative.

[@GuagoFruit]

I got a Pilot Myu for an amount I don't want to remember, but looking at it I can't help but feel it could be optimised with modern manufacturing that it doesn't make sense that they don't try something like it again.

[@keefensera2004]

You lucky person. That pen is so much on my wish list. I don't know why I did it to myself, but I decided to do an Internet search yesterday, and found one for sale on a vintage pen site. Unfortunately, at the moment all my spare cash is going into home renovations. Aaaaggghĥhhhh!!!! One day that pen will be mine.

[@CharlesLaughlin]

I loved Alita! I saw it by accident. Although she's anime/CGI, she resembles Rosa Salazar, the actress who plays her. She was also in a really good animated series between 2019-2022 called Undone with Bob Odenkirk. On Everything, Everywhere All at Once, if you're familiar with kung fu movies (from Hong Kong especially), it's easier to get into the vibe. Michelle Yeoh by the way is a martial arts megastar since the 1990s (not to mention having been a Bond girl). If you know, you know. There are also Asian American family themes that might not be appreciated by everybody, but it does a great job of representing their experience and struggles as well. Fun facts: in addition to Key Huy Quan having been Indiana Jones' pint-sized sidekick in The Temple of Doom (1984), Stephanie Hsu, who plays the daughter, also played Joel Maisel's love interest in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

[@GmPn]

Hi there beloved and extemporaneous friends! have a question for you... I have found that thick grips are more comfortable (for me)to write with. So which from your catalog would be similar in that section size to a Leonardo? I have Lamy & TWSBI and are smaller Thanks for your answer! Here have a 🌮.

[@JustinBakerDeDav]

You guys should get yourselves some of those Star Wars Imperial Officer jackets, they have pen slots on them.

[@bartgrossman9361]

One of the things I've noticed with sanctioned incompetence is that the person who is under-performing is often allowed to do less and less and various of their responsibilities will get transferred to others. So now we have a person who is no longer expected to do their job and other people, who are now doing more work, are resentful.

[@Gouletpens]

Indeed! Not a good thing at all. - Drew

[@daviddelburgo2851]

Alita Battle angel was, at source, a Manga as well (hence the anime aesthetics, big eyes etc)

[@PlanBudgetDisney]

The parent portion of this pencast was exactly what I needed to hear. 😅

[@Gouletpens]

Haha yes! I know we're not alone! - Drew

Drew, I think you’d enjoy Alita Battle Angel. Ed Norton’s there (a cameo)! Let us know when you’ve watched it. 😊

[@makingshavings6616]

This may be here already; I haven't scrolled through all the comments. The Lord of the Rings reference with strong trees is in The Two Towers when one of the Uruk-hai yells Saruman "The trees are strong, my lord. Their roots run deep." Then Saruman replies,"Rip them all down." Yeah. Haven't seen the movie in years and still remember that line verbatim. No idea why.

[@Seamstress9]

is the tree creatures in The Lord of the Ring are called Treebeard of Fangorn forest. Their name is derived from an Old English word for "giant". i had to look it up.

[@jodij.8074]

I am just starting to move out of “starter pens”. Are there modern inks that can cause permanent damage to a pen? I assume there can be damage to appearance such as permanent staining. Are there other ink issues that can permanently damage the writing performance? For example if a modern fountain pen ink dries in a pen, can it forever clog the feed or will even permanent inks wash out? How “dangerous” are shimmering, sheening, etc? Can modern inks damage feeds or gold nibs? What are the risks in fountain pen inks that are outside of the “safe” category?

[@Broxigar83]

What cheap fountain pen would you recommend? Edit: Also, which online class would you recommend? For writing.

[@blktauna]

Pilot Kakuno. They are inexpensive, very comfortable to use, come in fun colours, and are ready to go out of the box.

[@kat_koe]

yep or the Platinum Prefounte

[@Broxigar83]

Thanks guys even those are $9-$15 pens. I found some on Temu for $2-$5 fountain pens, and they look like luxurious pens. Edit: Although they take more than 1 week to arrive. Would you recommend those?

[@Broxigar83]

@blktauna They do arrive in fun colors, although $10-$15 is still expensive for me. Edit: I still bought one just to check it out. I might return the pen if I don't like it.

[@blktauna]

@@Broxigar83 I don't recommend anything on Temu. Cheap pens are not really good and you wont get the result you wish.

[@miksmi]

Do Japanese pens with large (#6 or larger) gold nibs and snap caps (that don’t require posting like E95s) exist? Any idea why not? Vacuum or piston fill demonstrators get extra points. My dream pen would be a Pilot Custom 823 with a snap cap sporting an F or even better, EF nib. Sadly, an EF nib on an 823 is made of unobtanium. I, like Drew, are partial to extra fine nibs.

[@agachwosta3101]

Drew, my husband and I also binge watched the One Piece series (he reads the manga), and I wanted to recommend it to you afterwards, but you beat me 😂