Mysterious LAMY Feeds and the Mystery of Sticky Ink | Pencast 119

[@smallphilosophies]

This needs to go in the Goulet x Hobonichi Techi collab someday in the quotes section. “I don’t like authority. Even my own authority.” - Brian Goulet, CEO, GouletPens

[@Gouletpens]

Haha! I love it! - Drew

[@brettisernhagen9446]

Put it in the spreadsheet!

[@LucyLu_meztli]

Hey lovelies! Question for the Pencast: We often talk of the trifecta: pen (nib) - paper - ink Could you please share some sweet trifecta recommendations experienced by the Goulet team? Maybe some are personal preferences and there are other variables involved, I still would love to hear of some favs and perfect combos, thank you! 🪷

[@j.s.matlock1456]

Thanks for another great episode! Fun Fact: While the mixing of metaphors is called a "malaphor," the mixing of morphemes (one swell foop) is called a "spoonerism." It was named after the Reverend Archibald Spooner, a dean of Oxford College in the early 20th century, who was prone to doing this. Once, while performing a wedding, he announced, "It is kisstomary to cuss the bride." Another fun fact: In my callow youth, I spent 12 years as a costumed character in a renaissance festival. One of my friends, Zilch the Torysteller, made his living traveling around the ren-fair circuit and telling stories in spoonerisms: The Pee Little Thrigs, Loldigocks and the Bee Threars, and Rindercella and Her Stew Tugly Epsisters to name just a few.

[@patriciaclark7135]

Fascinating! I'd love to hear Zilch the Torsteller. My Grandmother Kitty mixed her morphemes constantly. She is long since gone, but the entire family still uses her "Kitty-isms" on a regular basis.

[@emmac5442]

Chemistry student here, about the dyes in inks: it's incorrect to say that adding more dye means there's less water in the ink. In the case for fountain pen inks the dye(s) dissolve in water, meaning the dye molecules take up the spaces in between water molecules, which results in the volume staying the exact same. The amount of water per volume ink will stay the same regardless of the amount of dye, as long as the concentration of the dye stays within the solubility of the dyes. Similarly for other dissolvable ingredients that are added to ink. This does not go for pigment inks like for example Platinum Carbon Black, as the pigments do not dissolve into the water but rather form a suspension.

[@lccracker]

I guess I'll put on the process chemist hat for a moment. This isn't always true, dissolution of say ionic materials like salt, usually cause some volume shrinkage. This is called negative excess volume. Conversely dissolution of some chunky organic molecules such as many dies can cause positive excess volume. It's still not additive though, you could add like 50% additional raw dye volume and only get like 10-15% excess volume. Ideal solutions, theoretically behave as you say, but as you get weirder with what you're mixing or very close to saturation points, things get quirky.

[@Gouletpens]

Good info! Thank you! - Drew

[@bestthingeverbyjenn]

Hahaha I love the What's Happening segment cut - it made me laugh! Thanks Tyler!

[@CiDirkona]

My favorite malaphor is "Let's burn that bridge when we come to it"

[@prophetessoftroy]

I really didn't realize that it was an unpopular opinion to genuinely *not care* which ink goes in which pen. To me it's pretty straightforward: I buy ink I like. I buy pens I like. When I'm inking them up, I often have a specific ink or a particular pen that I'm really feeling in the moment; but even when I don't, I pick the pen that appeals to me, I pick the ink that appeals to me, and combine. Very often they complement each other, but sometimes they don't, and it really doesn't bother me either way. The focus on matching ink to pen is just not a thing for me. (ETA: I knew! Malaphor was one of my favorite vocab words in AP English.)

[@patriciaclark7135]

I'm the same way. Sometimes my pen/inks match up, sometimes they don't. It doesn't bother me at all if they don't match. I didn't think that was an unpopular way of doing thing either.

[@danbradli4970]

Match - don't match - depends on my mood but as long as it is ink and a pen I like it's all good

[@YuasBirds]

I've never even thought about it, a good portion (well over half, I just like to see the ink and have always liked translucent/clear things) of my pens are demonstrators so the ink more or less is the pen, so maybe that's part of it.

[@SnowDragonka]

I don't care about matching, it's all colours, you can find the relationship any time. You have a green pen with red ink? Well they're complementary colours, so they emphasize one another. Green pen and blue ink? They're analogous, so they go well together. Green pen and purple ink? Both are quite cool colours, so it's a cool season match up. I don't think any of these clash, they just all have different reasonings behind their usage. But also I like a certain colour of pens, but I like more colours in the inks (cause pen colour is kinda permanent unless you replace it, but ink colour is easily exchanged).

[@pilesofthings]

I agree, I don't care to match ink to pen or pen to ink. For me I am often trying new inks so I just choose one I want to try out. I do enjoy contrasting colours, like putting an orange ink into a blue pen, but I've only done that once and didn't realize how much I liked the combo until that point. So, even though I don't match, I might have stumbled upon a "pairing" of ink and pen (blue Lamy Al Star with Trouble Makers Mango). I can't wait to ink up that pen with the same orange ink again. Do any of you have an ink you "pair" with the same pen over and over?

[@jess53nz]

Ha ha ha Tyler you legend. 😂😂😂

[@ina_lina]

My theory on why black pens and clear demonstrators are most popular: The black pen is the "little black dress" of the pen world. Yes, Brian is right that any ink matches a black pen, the same way you can accessorize a black dress a multitude of ways. Even more important, though, a black dress can go anywhere: the office, a party, the theatre, a restaurant, etc. It's never too much or too little, and the same goes for a black pen. Plus, you never get sick of it (like you might a corgi in a crown painting :D). As for clear demonstrators, on top of just being cool, they are also neutral enough to go anywhere and go with anything. I don't spend a lot of time matching pens & inks, but my Retro 51 Harriet Tubman with Diamine Writer's Blood is *chef's kiss*💋! Thanks for another wonderful pencast to start off the weekend right. I hope you have a great week. 🖋

[@michellecanfield8013]

I think that corgi painting should be re-purchased and put somewhere in the pencast background. A cautionary tale, perhaps!

[@Shiruvan]

I chased for fancy colored pens to match some character color schemes, but black and gold pen never went out of style. that Little black dress allegory is spot on!

[@ina_lina]

@@Shiruvan Thanks! 👗(

[@Gouletpens]

Haha! Well said! - Drew

[@StacySchulze-cg1he]

My challenge is I see my fountain pens as a colorful accessory to my outfit. I wouldn’t want a black accessory with my little black dress; so, I maintain a good quiver of colorful pens to choose from to match the occasion.

[@PalehorseThirteen]

Drew... that Sonic pancake is AMAZING!

[@Sparklepony]

We need to create an exercise video of all of Drew's movies during the intro and sell it for huge profit. We can call it PenPump or maybe Pen-lates!

[@crystalca9082]

I'm with Drew on the seasonality of pens. I have a couple of pens that are specifically Halloween themed that will not be used until the first of October. I love those pens, but it will make me uncomfortable to use them outside of their thematic season. I don't choose inks to perfectly match pens like some, but I do like to keep the color within the same family. And regarding Brian's pondering, I buy the pens according to what appeals to me and figure I'll find an ink to work with it later.

[@ina_lina]

I forgot to say: --Drew, you are a pancake artiste! My jaw dropped when you showed the pic. You are making memories Archer will cherish. --Brian: even though you felt like you didn't have enough to share for "what's happening," and even though I love the stories of your antics, I was happy to hear you just had a chill week. --It doesn't surprise me that your video editor has a sense of humor. Thanks for the laughs, Tyler! --And... speaking of youtube metrics: how many people (besides me) bought the opus 88 jazz holiday after watching this pencast?? It sure looks beautiful on video. I hope it looks as beautiful when it arrives!

[@sharonwallraff2226]

That pen is certainly on my Wishlist now!!

[@IAimTo-Misbehave]

Drew should make and instructional video on how to make pancakes!

[@patriciaclark7135]

Happy Friday Pen People!

[@wildwolf3343]

Many happy returns!

[@LucyLu_meztli]

Gotta say, listening to the Pencast, makes me bring out a Pen and write or doodle, thank you both for the nice motivation 🙌🖋️😊

[@beckyisj]

It's hammer time! Doodoodoodoo also not Brian calling us enlightened and then following up with "not really" 😂

[@evanbasnaw]

As an engineer, Brian did well on his explanation of cohesion, adhesion, wetting, and surfactants.

[@tomorrowsconsonant]

The best Neapolitan ice cream is when the flavors are all swirled together, otherwise you end up with someone trying to pick out one flavor over the other two. Get in there and get all three flavors!

[@dawndemanda]

Drew, I know how you feel about physical media. We have an extensive collection of movies. We have upgraded a few things to 4K and keep some of the originals if they are rare or signed by actors. Some of the 4K releases of older 80s stuff is hit or miss, but ET was a good one, as was Ghostbusters. Physical media is also great for when the internet goes down. I can’t believe Best Buy is abandoning physical media, as we always bought from them. P.S. Drew’s pancake art is AMAZING!

[@nkhasselriis]

Pencast stats: Average length of video: 1 hour, 56 minutes, 47 seconds Total length of playlist: 9 days, 15 hours, 37 minutes, 16 seconds

[@JefferyHall-ct2tr]

Hi Guys!: Thanks for another fun and educational pencast! Those Opus 88 pens are quite interesting! Don't really have any annoying quirks, but I keep a LOT of pens inked up, kind of like Brian does. Speaking of Brian, you gotta getta chopper, Brian!

[@Gouletpens]

He'll be overjoyed to hear that! - Drew

[@pilesofthings]

My annoying quirk is when I get a new pen I won't ink it up until I've used up the ink and cleaned out my current pen(s). It's annoying because when I get a new pen I'm super excited and I just want to get into it right away! It can also cause a bit of a "queue" if I buy more than one pen in quick succession, like happens around the new year after the holidays. But I can't, I just can't, abandon what I am currently using, because I love that pen too!(whatever it is) - so the newbies just sit on my desk in an open pen case looking all shiny and tempting until I get to them 🤦

[@SnowDragonka]

Oh my goodness, I do this too! It makes my skin crawl to "abandon" inked pens in favour of a new shiny, even though I sometimes buy them cause limited edition and they might be gone by the time I finish my inked pens, but they still get inked month later than the purchase.

[@pilesofthings]

aha yes! so happy I'm not the only one. The worst wait was when I got my grail pen and then waited 3 months to use it!! @@SnowDragonka

[@SnowDragonka]

@@pilesofthings I may have started to ink my pens with lower ink amount just so I have a pen ready to be cleaned in a month due to this reason :D

[@pilesofthings]

oh the things we put ourselves through 😂 @@SnowDragonka

[@StacySchulze-cg1he]

Thought I’d add that I’m the same boat. No playing with the new toy(s) until a current toy is cleaned and put away. And, I have to use up the ink in the current-no dumping.

[@kiwitwin478]

41:05 What’s the fun fact about the acorns?! I for one love the random fun facts at the end of each episode and for the last hour and a bit I’ve been trying to think of acorn facts that Brian was going to say 🤔😂

[@markvogel4341]

I saw Godzilla Minus One the other day and they used fountain pens. That was a nice surprise. I don’t see a lot of movies in the theater but this one was the best one I’ve seen since Dune 40:23 part one came out. You don’t need to be a Godzilla fan to enjoy the film as it’s focused around a group of people.

[@dandelionpuff]

I always say "I'm not going to count all of my chickens in one basket" which turned into "I better not put my chicken basket before the horse"

[@t.c.8675]

Swell Foop is from Piers Anthony'Xanth series. In which there is a fantasy world, rife with puns. I feel like you both would be amused.

[@t.c.8675]

I should say features in, and was my introduction to wacky humor

[@Gouletpens]

Ahhh! Thank you! - Drew

[@wendywander7]

In answer to Drew's neurodivergent question, my autistic teen son has a spreadsheet for his stuffed toys. As soon as he learned to use Google Sheets in school, he set it up and maintains it to this day. I also am autistic. I learned the basics of some kind of Microsoft spreadsheet program in the 1990's and haven't used it since. I write lists a lot, but I never take it next level to a spreadsheet. Thank you for another fun and informative Pencast!

[@danielklopp7007]

Loved Brian's (shallow) dive into ink chemistry! The piece of the puzzle that Brian (mostly) missed regarding ink clinging (or not) to the inside of a bottle (or pen) is the "surface energy" of the bottle (or pen) material. For example, different types of plastics, and even different formulations of plastics within the same family (e.g. acrylic) have different surface energies, and will therefore change how an ink clings. This surface energy phenomenon is not limited to plastics; different types of glass have different properties also (e.g. borosilicate glass vs. fused-silica glass). These properties of the ink container are on top of all of the properties of the ink (which Brian discussed)... proving Brain's point of too many variables...

[@Gouletpens]

Thanks, Dan! - Drew

[@ellenferris3677]

For the ink well question: I use mini jam jars (like from restaurants) and clean them out for use with ink. The lids are lined and seal really well, and the mouths are wide enough for dipping…perfect!

[@blackhellebore89]

I knew I hoarded these for a reason! Cheers

[@debcarroll8192]

My ink MUST match the pen, to the exact shade. I spend considerable time finding each pen's "soulmate ink."

[@teresaharris-travelbybooks5564]

So do I.

[@wildwolf3343]

Does this mean you end up buying loads of inks or have you found a good way to match online by looking at photos? I ask because I’m struggling on how to decide as I want to match a pen.

[@augustip]

I'm considering mixing my own "soulmate" inks with Birmingham Ink Co.'s offerings! They offer mixable inks with all sorts of properties and will even provide the ratios to make your own on their website. I figure with those recipes and a little color theory help from my artist friends I'll have a great starting point for making custom blends.

[@wildwolf3343]

@@augustip ooh that sounds like fun! Im gonna look at that - could be another rabbit hole to fall down!

[@andysmith5940]

Inks are the funnest part of the hobby to me. I need lots of pens to keep my various inks available. If I didn't keep them color coded to the pen I would never know which pen to grab when I was looking for a specific color.

[@iburley_]

You NAILED it with the black pen thing. I was gifted a Lamy Safari in charcoal (the classic gift of addiction) and as soon as I started looking at other pens I found myself wanting a blue pen for blue ink, green pen for green ink, and so on. The problem is then you can't just find a blue pen, you have to find your *favorite* blue pen, the *best* blue pen. After realizing this was a daunting and likely fruitless task, I decided that all of my pens would be color-neutral and I would use them all with whatever ink I wanted. I've got a dozen black and/or silver pens at this point, ranging all the way from a Jinhao 82 to a Pelikan M605 Stresemann.

[@TheNightowl001]

Regarding stabilizing wood, one thing I see too rarely mentioned is Sealing the end grain. Wood "sticks" of almost any type of wood will absorb more of ambient moisture through that open end grain on the ends than through any other route. That's why when you go to the lumber yard you will see pallets of dimension lumber colored on the ends. That is a sealant to help stabilize the wood. On pen blanks after they're turned, a great way to help stabilize that wood is to seal the end grain before fitting the final components. Cyanoacrylate or epoxy is good for this.

[@cc_likesknives]

Your comments about the amount of variables making the solving of the ink problem almost impossible are spot on! That's why when my students do a science fair project, they have to isolate one variable to test for and make sure all other variables are consistent and accounted for 😅 love the science nerdiness!

[@LuisBorba]

I love these deep dives into the technical qualities of ink and everything else fountain pen related. I'm learning something new all the time.

[@jessicayeo97]

Like Drew, I've a corgi at home and well, they shed a lot. So I tend to wait till he's asleep at night before syringing out 5ml of ink and storing them in those tester vials to prevent any potential corgi fur from getting into the main bottle -- it also in a way "forces" me to use up my inks. I usually have about 5 different 5ml vials going at each given moment, and I don't allow myself to use any other inks unless I've completely used up one full "vial" (then I'd wash it out, and fill it with something else). I found that this actually helps me to use up my ink bottles.

[@shazzagirl9803]

Drew, by this time Shannon's cabaret would be very close. I would just love to see her perform, this is a very big deal. I wish her all the very best, I'm sure she'll knock it out of the park. I cant wait to hear all about it. Will you be able to record a little bit? But of course that's up to Shannon if she is happy for you to share.

[@timothyarcher1778]

Your explanation of "wet water" was great. The firefighting community prefers water(wet water) with an ability to be readily absorbed into tightly packed materials such as hay and cotton bales. We also have a term called "light water" , which is designed to float on water. These are probably mixed into the ink formulation as well.

[@lefthandedclogger]

I loved hearing about the malaphors! (Which itself is a blend of metaphor and malapropism, which is the use of an incorrect word or phrase that sounds close to the correct one, often resulting in nonsense or humor!) One of my favorite existing malaphors is "We'll burn that bridge when we come to it."

[@marypanich9880]

Great pencast today! Thanks for posting it. I enjoyed the fun fact about Tetris. I had to give up that game when it got so fast because it would make me too anxious. 😂 But it was fun to hear about the guys who figured it out. I enjoy jigsaw puzzles so this week I tuned in to the KZbin videos of the world jigsaw championship. I found the speed of the fastest puzzlers to be so amazing. You might enjoy checking that out Brian! Have a great week guys!

[@bec11mort]

That was one of the best deep dives yet, great way to explain that it's complicated chemistry that is proprietary. 😂 I just covered some of the same topics with my marine science students and Drew, that is the same face they made. Thanks for another great pencast.

[@Gouletpens]

Good to know I'm not alone! - Drew

[@daciajohnson32]

Thank you for answering my question! I had seen the empty ink bottles, but those are a great idea!! You guys are the best!!

[@jolienkrispijn]

Great pencast, guys. Drew, my cat Lilo is doing the same thing as Felix. She always turns away her face when I try to make a picture. So annoying! Hahaha, we want to show off their prettiness, don’t we?

[@s.n.11]

In response to Brian's question, at yhe beginning of this journey into fountain pens I used to buy the pens I liked independently of their colour. Now I buy them with the inks I want to use on them in mind. I'm in love with demonstrators by the way.

[@spiderwrangler4457]

The non-clinging (high cohesion) inks have given me more issues in the specific context of the feed running dry when the ink hangs up in the back of the converter...

[@dragonabsurda]

100% agree with Brian about the difference between public speaking and musical performance. I have no problem speaking in front of people, but get mad stage anxiety when I'm playing a solo on a musical instrument. It doesn't make logical sense to me, but solo music is much harder than public speaking.

[@wendywander7]

I have the same response! I have a degree in piano performance, but I still become a nervous wreck when I play in public. I have no problem speaking in public. I can restate if it's verbal, but I can't restate if it's Bach! My mother is the opposite: she never speaks in public, but she plays the piano and organ regularly. She says she can pretend it's just her and the instrument. I'm not able to do that!

[@StacySchulze-cg1he]

Same here. I can flow with speaking but can’t get out of my head if playing an instrument solo.

[@StacySchulze-cg1he]

My quirks: I avoid buying black pens. I also don’t generally color match pen and ink. I prefer contrast or complimentary pairings (blue pen, brown ink; red pen, purple ink; green pen, orange ink). I also generally don’t use black ink, which means the cartridges that come with some pens builds up in a box and never get used. Which brings me to the quirk I have that most annoys me: I have to use up the ink in a pen (no dumping). This results in much handwriting practice and doodling towards the end of a fill.

[@tiantuatara]

Joggers are the best. Glad you guys were able to do the Pencast during that storm. My house lost electricity for more than a day. And my poor dog wouldn't go outside for about 14 hours. I hope Hank managed it.

[@ThatRandomFerarriFan]

hola fellow pen lovers

[@sharonwallraff2226]

Brian, I think you're "spot on" with your theory about black and clear pens and ink-color freedom.

[@juicylouisey]

Vanilla is ALWAYS in the middle to cleanse the palate between the other two!

[@Davidfromsaskatoon]

I really enjoy listening via the podcast. I really like the three pen rule since I’ve started that I find, I don’t have pens dry up as often. It also takes away some decision fatigue trying to figure out which pen I want to use. A question I have is if you had to pick only three inks What inks would you choose? These inks can be bottle or cartridge, and you can use a black roller ball so you don’t need to worry about having a legal colour I personally like to have one professional color, one colour that looks good in a long written format for journalling and letters, and my third one is usually a fun that’s for short notes

[@theinkyhobbit7052]

Ok…so Brian’s refusal to deep dive has me crying…I think the paper deep dive may have broken him a little😅 I absolutely have to ink my pens with matching or complimenting inks. And I do have several black and clear demo pens at the ready for the inks I can’t match with a pen.

[@reenathomas4922]

I try to give my pens equal time. I switch out as soon as ink has run out. I don’t match up inks because I’m a serial color ink user. Doesn’t matter what time if the year. I use it.. I say sparkle on…

[@rossnelson1016]

About the self-annoying quirks: I'll ink up a pen with a big ink capacity, totally intending to do a lot of writing... then completely lose interest in the writing project. That leaves a pen mostly full of ink for two or three weeks until I clean my pens. I hate myself when I do that.

[@personette3226]

I'm pretty sure that the reason why I never buy holiday-themed pens is because I'd feel compelled to only use the pen during the corresponding holiday season, and I don't want pens that I'd only use during a certain part of the year. I can see how one day in the far future 'I need seasonal seasonal pens!' would become a fun way to expand my collection, but I am nowhere near it yet.

[@colette-adcock]

Yes! Neutral colors are easy to pick ink colors. I’m still new but I like Al these ideas!

[@mysimpleintentionallife9899]

I love my Benu Neopolitan and the arrangement of the “flavors” is perfect. Love that the barrel is chocolate because, that is after all, the best flavor!!

[@Gouletpens]

Yay! I'm thrilled to hear that! - Drew

[@lefthandedclogger]

Because you asked us to comment: yes my ink has to match my pen and yes it annoys me sometimes but I can't help it. It doesn't have to be an exact match, but I want it to be close or at least complimentary. For this reason I also have a few pens in gray, white, and black, so I can put inks in those that don't match any of my pens. This is one of the reasons I love my Kawecos - it's reasonable for me to have a bunch of colors (including neutrals) so it's easier to match my inks to those pens.

[@mawood14]

Semi-irritating pen habit: I have a 6 pen case, and I only allow myself to have 6 pens. I aim for quality over quantity, but anytime I acquire a new pen, I have to get rid of a pen.

[@augustip]

I'm sure you've had some tough choices to make! Wow.

[@StacySchulze-cg1he]

I am impressed with you discipline!

[@arsenic3208]

I’ve never thought about matching pens and inks. My blueberry sport has document moss green in it. When I choose a pen I pick what I’m “feeling” at the moment. Same with my ink, they’re separate choices.

[@Tiss17979]

About matching inks and pens: I'm the opposite. I tend to intentially not want to choose matching inks, just because it is so obvious. That doesn't mean I never do it (put Noodler's Southwest Sunset in my Sailor PG Christmas Spice tea). But normally I go the other way.

[@brigitteloranger8692]

I have an Opus 88 Jazz and have been madly in love with it, but…the back cap/rod was open and the pen dropped to the floor from my desk and the rod broke, just a few weeks after I got the pen. I am 😭 , now I have to use needle tip pliers to push/ pull the rod to let the ink flow and have the back cap be able to screw in enough to stay on. I would recommend that when not using the pen that the back back be fully screwed in.

[@artpherr]

I pair pens to inks, to the extreme that if there is a ink I want to use but don't have a pen that color matches that pen, I will buy (usually a TWSBI Eco, the color options 😍) and then there are also inks that are seasonal use only.

[@DBachiniLima]

Information: Nobile is Noble in Italian, pronunce: nò·bi·le The 'No' is the same one from 'Noble' 'Bi' is 'Bi' as it is said in English (or portuguese as my case) 'Le' is like the same in 'length'

[@creamsiclecat]

An annoying pen quirk I have to deal with is using whatever ink cartridge the newer pens I buy come with. I want to use my own ink, but I cant for the life of me just throw out the cartridge or not use it, knowing me I would never use it so that's the only time I would use it. So I can only start to use my newer pens with new inks when the damn thing runs out of the ink it came with lol

[@grreeeeee]

gosh I would love just sitting there syringing ink into small sample bottles. sign me up.

[@WenyuanCheng-s2l]

As a lover of both fountain pens and dip pens, I'd like to mention a choice for inkwell happened to miss by you guys which has now been my best solution. The new released sheaffer's colorful ink features good quality, bright color, a jam jar with big opening and a small glass pool in the bottle for you to collect rest of ink and refill or dip in for pens. I hope my solution can help you.

[@JaniceHutchison-oi9mq]

My coworkers hate when I carry my Ritma as much as when I have a clicky pen because they constantly hear me fidget with it in my pocket. I still love it

[@KarynaLovesToPlan]

I am very much a spreadsheet person, especially with pens and inks! Come to think of it, I have spreadsheets for planning vacations, Christmas presents… 🤔

[@Skreach666]

So I don't have anything but Demo pens but. My Eco with purple trim will only hold purple-like inks; that said, purple is my favorite colour. I have no problem with the idea of putting any colour ink in black pens or my other Demos, to vac700s and the ALR(fave). If you can get an ALR in purples I'm instantly sold.

[@johngrubb007]

I had to chuckle when you were talking about your crappy weather. Here, in Calgary, we woke up to -35C and we have a cold weather warning stating that in Southern Alberta, the temperature with wind chill could be -40C to -50C. I definitely won't be cranking up the bbq for a while I guess. I know. That's not a very Canadian thing to admit to. Keep up the great content and ramblings. Always love sitting and watching your videos.

[@spoonierv1543]

Color HAS to match. Demonstrators are useful because they can be any color, but annoying to clear. My favorite color is pink but I have too many pink pens so what I really want now are pens that are pink + other colors for other color ink.

[@iterumm]

i follow drew’s three pen rule! i switch my pens and ink every month and try to coordinate the inks with my pens and with each other to make a palette. also fairly seasonal. i have some icy, pale colors in right now (along with a black to balance it out). one is always a more pocket-size pen, since i use a hobonichi techo a6 and it goes in the pen loop on my case. i have one little exception, and it’s a platinum preppy always inked with diamine oxblood, because i have a notebook that i write in only in oxblood. i also hate when ink gets on the nib itself and constantly wipe it off, even if it comes right back. on my lamy safari, the logo on the barrel HAS to line up with the nib.

[@michellecanfield8013]

Future sticker fodder: "WYSIWYG," "One swell foop," and Brian's passing comment, the classic "Too many tabs open." Maybe a hammer too. Bring them on!

[@Jennifer-tw8xs]

I don't match ink colors with pen colors, but i do take in consideration how easily the pen is to clean when i use shimmer or heavy sheening inks. I also write the ink color on a piece of washi tape and put it on the pen so I always know which ink is in the pen.

[@CodesmithSoftware]

I got the Red Birch Wood Pilot VP and absolutely love it, fell in love with it at first sight and just had to get it. In terms of habit that's are irritating to only me, that I sometimes fall in love with a pen on first sight and have to get it (see above) and other times I research it extensively, with multiple reviews, comparison to existing pens, etc

[@jasonholmstedt5231]

What have you done to me? I now feel the compulsion to match the ink to the barrel of my new Ritma Espresso 🤦‍♂️

[@MohamedSamyAlRabbani]

When Chuck Norris goes into the water, he doesn't get wet, the water gets Chuck Norrised!

[@jennifertanwu]

Hello from Singapore ❤

[@GummyBear1972]

Spreadsheets are sooooo useful! Any time I need a table of information or formulas or anything that lends itself to the structure of a spreadsheet, I just put it together. Exception for me is my fountain pen and ink collection. I have no desire (at this time) to track my collections and how they interact (which inks I have used with which pens). All things fountain pen stay analog in fountain pen ink on paper. :)

[@taylorclay2122]

My inks have to match or coordinate to my pens (usually). The exception to this rule is whatever pen I have with my planner (usually my pilot prera) has whatever ink coordinates with my planner theme for the time.

[@lizdubdub]

I think the ink question, and similar questions, would be great opportunities to interview or get answers from members of the community who specialize in that field or have similar expertise, like a chemist. I believe the Australian podcast, the Nib Section , did something similar in their discussion of ink properties. Too bad they aren’t making new episodes. All that to say, we have such a wide range of people and I’d go as far to say as experts among us it would be an awesome way to engage the community. My 2 cents as a non-chemist.

[@LucyLu_meztli]

Congrats to Shannon on her show! 🥳🥳🥳

[@Tabbyhasbees]

On the pen/ink debate: Am I the only one who has bought a pen specifically to use with a certain color of ink? Good heavens, I NEED that Benu Tiger's Eye to go with my brown and sepia inks. You can't imagine I could put those in my Laban Rainbow Skeleton!!!

[@NathanKenyon]

I'm with Drew. I'll only use seasonal pens during the season in which they're for. I just picked up a used Halloween pen and it's going to get tucked away until next fall. I also tend to match my inks to one of the primary colors of the pen.

[@CharlesLaughlin]

My quirk (actually an absent-minded slip) that irritates me, is that two of my most frequently used pens are the Pilot Custom 823 and TWSB 580. I get so used to unscrewing the tip of the Custom 823 to keep the flow from stopping before I write with it, that sometimes when I pull out the 580, sometimes I inadvertently twist the back end, pushing ink down into the feed, which makes it drip, spatter inside the cap, and then gets on the back of the barrel when I post it (I just did this last weekend at a conference!).😂

[@FallenHarts]

Im not super particular about which inks go in which pens color-wise, but i have some inks that write *horribly* in all but one or two of my pens. So im VERY particular about what ink goes in what pen but not because of color.

[@iterationomega]

Happy Weekend!

[@sleepawkeen]

IT"S FRIDAY! Thanks for the weekly pause that informs and entertains! IN SEARCH OF: What is the closest ink to the old Sheaffer's Peacock Blue Skrip? I miss it. Nostalgia keeps me searching. Thanks.

[@ChadHerring]

Cool finial on that Retro 51 Tornado Day and Night.

[@IAimTo-Misbehave]

I generally like inking pens with a complimentary color but I don’t give it much thought unless something really clashes, which is rare. I do have more black pens, only because it’s a very common (sometimes the only) offering from manufacturers. I’ve also, on occasion, purchased a black pen over other available colors if it was less expensive. Changing subject, Drew’s analogy 46:50 was spot-on! I prefer having only 2-4 pens inked. It allows me time to really get a feel for the pens. I also much prefer small get-togethers vs large parties - probably not coincidence. Lastly, shoutout to Tyler!

[@spiderwrangler4457]

If i understand the mechanism of the Jazz, it would matter where the rod is when you fill, since when your push it forward it would take up more of the barrel volume? Time for Drew to load it with Baystate and test it?

[@leann848]

So I have a proud/giddy moment to share and a question. First, after 13 years my husband - a very big watch and golf guy - asked me what a good starter fountain pen was for him. I was of course, over the moon at the question having been a fountain pen collector for 30+ years. I gave him a Pilot Prera I had uninked and started him wit some Iroshizuku Fuyu-Syogun (which beats Kon-Peki any day in my opinion) and let him try out some of my VPs and other pens for weight and feel. A few hours later he was placing his first order for the white/black VP and he had started a list for future pens (Twisbi Cobalt, Visconti Homosapiens and a few others). It was a very exciting Sunday for me and I'm not even getting a pen out of it! Now for the question - one of the fins on the feed (Aurora Trilobiti) manged to break. Is this going to impact the flow of ink to the nib? Is it significant enough to send in for repair to the manufacturer? Apart from knowing that there's some imperfection on my feed, I'm wondering how much it will impact performance.

[@sharonwallraff2226]

On the pencast today I noticed in the Q&A segment that you're showing the person's first name rather than their email address. I like that better. It's easier, and it's "anonymous." Thank you for this change.

[@pastelpinkfairy]

I have tons of spreadsheets. I made a list of friends recently. I added data points for how long I'd known them, current status, etc.

[@kathleens1708]

There are small glass jars for DIY cosmetics packaging that work great for inks. Often they are quite small and meant to seal well. They aren’t fancy but you can get many of them for a relatively small amount of money.

[@fiachrahackett]

I would consider the platinum feed (preppy, plaisir, prefounte, (muji polycarbonate) ) a two part feed as the fins are seperate to the central feed channel which is very thin and very similar to a parker 45 feed which is also 2 parts.

[@alexandrasartinsanity]

I tend to have 4-5 pens inked currently, right now I have 7 because I wanted to test out a few new inks and pens. I prefer only having a few inked in different colours and nib sizes though. My pens do match the ink in them for the most part. I do have a few pens, a Parker 21 and a Kaweco Sport, that get inked up every month with the same ink. I live by my spreadsheets they are probably the only thing that keeps me organized.

[@xTeeak]

As far as irritating pen quirks go .. at the beginning of last year I have picked up Drew´s "only 3 inked up pens at one time" policy and I LOVE IT and will never go back to the mess that has been my life before! Drew is my personal hero for sharing his arbitrary rules with us - please moarrr. To be honest with this hack Drew has singlehandidly solved most of my FP issues. I guess I am a kindred ADHD spirit in a sense that I usually do things with specific intentions and in a very certain way to spare myself the possible irritation down the line - not only around fountainpens but generally in life .. is it exhausting? yes, but when it works out, it is blissfull :)

[@xTeeak]

btw. a huge thank you to the customer care team .. I regularly use GP website to get reliable info on things I buy from shops around here .. some sellers have either nothing or a bunch of general and most of the time incorrect info on the products they sell .. you have not let me down once .. thank you thank you thank you, you all rock!