Over the last week or so, I’ve been slowly updating the shop. First, I have added more pen clean out and ink destashing. Patrons get advanced notice when I do stationery cupboard clean outs so if you join the Patreon, you too can get first dibs when I clear out my ever-expanding pen, paper and ink stash. I’ve been a little stressed by my collection — that feeling of having too many things to keep track of, etc — that I’m probably removing items from my collection that are from the core of my collection, not the fluff. My loss is clearly your gain.

Lots of stamps have been restocked in the shop as well as our stamp cleaner (also on Etsy). We are even stocking refill bottles of the the stamp cleaner (8oz bottle for $14) if you have a spray or dauber bottle that needs a refill.

The pen and ink destash is only available on our Big Cartel site which ships to the US only. Sorry to our international readers but shipping ink out of country is very complicated.

And finally, we have created the first products in our new Tiki Collection. Bob and I have been cocktail fans and tiki collectors for years. In the heat of this summer, we wanted to capture the joys of delicious cocktails and that retro vibe of a Trader Vic’s or Beachcomber Don’s bar. When you live in the parched, land-locked part of the country, its fun to dream about the sea breezes and sounds of tropical birds cawing from a nearby tree. Jot down your favorite cocktail recipe on our new notepad (40 lined pages, fountain-pen friendly paper, $10) and put your icy cocktail glass on one of our absorbent coasters (8 coasters, 2 of each design $12). Aloha, friends! See you at the bar!

The Tiki Collection is available on both our Big Cartel and Etsy shops.

The post Shop News: Pen and Ink De-stash (and new products!) appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

Sometimes, I browse through the new items over at JetPens and find a real quirky treasure. The Iconic Diary Stamps are just that sort of item. These are self-inking stamps that feature very quirky art work. There are 26 different designs available ($6.50 each). I purchased three to try and as soon as they arrived, I knew I would probably decide to order the other designs.

From right to left, these designs are: “I don’t know”, “Save me” and “Lazy”. Clearly, not your average planner stamps!

I tested these on my Stalogy planner paper and depending on how much pressure I apply, the stamps performed light to a little too dark. Lighter pressure seems to be better but I haven’t quite mastered the technique. I think a pencil board under the page I’m working on would help to create a firmer surface on which to stamp.

From the back, there is a bit of show through but no bleed through.

I also tested the stamps on 120 gsm smooth sketchbook paper and got similar stamping results.

Because the paper was thicker and more opaque, there was less show through on the back of the sketchbook paper.

I pretty much love the irreverent style of these stamps and the designs I chose speak to my lackadaisical attitude these days. I might have to pick up a few more of these — maybe the “Cheer Up” and “Don’t Give Up” — I’m not always this bleak.

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by JetPens for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

The post Product Review: Iconic Diary Stamps appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

The set also include stickers to label the tubes as well as a piece of double sided tape to use to connect multiple sets together.

This set of stamp pads are designed to be little caps that you can slip on to the end of your finger and then tamp the color onto your stamps. So they will work with any size stamp and you could even potentially mix colors on your stamp to create a rainbow or other effect.

The inks in the pads are pigment based and water washable.

The colors could also be applied to paper as dots or color blocking the way some people use other stamp pads, just on a smaller scale.

The colors in this set are similar to cyan, magenta, yellow and black. It’s a fun set and I am looking forward to testing it out with my stamps. Have you ever tried this little stamp pads?

DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this review were provided free of charge for the purpose of review. Some items were purchased with funds from our amazing Patrons. You can help support this blog by joining our Patreon. Please see the About page for more details.

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Let’s start with the description of this extra special limited edition pen set from Enigma Blanks. I think the full title should look something like this:

Enigma Blanks x Shawn Newton x Custom Nib Studios Purple Striped Jellyfish Eastman Fountain Pen with Reverse Architect Nib plus Vinta Inks Tabuan Purple Sea Star and Frieheit Freestyle Notebook in Ocean.

That’s a mouthful and took up more space than my title would allow! This is such an epic set featuring a 3x collaboration. The set is limited to just 24 units and will be available at the San Francisco Pen Show.

So let’s get into the details and peel back the many layers that make this so extra special. Enigma Blanks, inspired by  a local species of jellyfish, the Chrysaora Colorata found in the waters around northern California, created these alumilite pen blanks with pinks, purples and shades of blue in translucent and opaque material and then added a healthy amount of iridescent shimmer.

Enigma Blanks then passed the blanks to Shawn Newton of Newton Pens to shape them into pens using his Eastman pen design. The shape is a simple, flat-ended tubular shape. This simple shape shows the swirled color of the blank to the best effect, IMHO. I find the more complex the material color, the simpler the pen design should be.

There is tapered grip section that fits comfortably in the hand, even for someone like me with itty bitty baby-sized hands.

The pen is 5.75″ long when capped and 5.375″ when uncapped. The cap does not post in this design. Its a fairly sizable pen but not too heavy thanks to the material used to make the pen. Capped and filled with the included converter, the pen weighs 24gms. Uncapped, it’s a mere 16gms.

THEN… (yes, there’s a then!) the JOWO No. 6 nib was shaped by Gena Salorino at Custom Nib Studio into a reverse architect nib. To quote Gena’s web site: “The Architect Point is on the reverse of the nib. This allows you to have a more usable nib for normal writing, but access to a more expressive nib on the reverse.”

Now, let’s flip the nib and see what we get.

Oh, well that’s fun! I don’t think I’ve worked with a full reversible nib before. When the pen is flipped over (so the feed is facing you and the nib is closer to the paper), the line weights vary pretty significantly.

And amusingly, when an overwriting lefty uses an Architect nib, it becomes an italic. When overwriting lefties use Italic nibs, they look like Architect nibs. So, that’s a bonus.

Extras:

The pen comes with lots of information about the care and maintenance, a certificate of authenticity, info about all parties involved and, of course, stickers!

Then there’s an exclusive ink:

Vinta Inks Tabuan Purple Sea Star

Enigma Blanks worked with Vinta Inks to create a complimentary (Zoey the Mama Cat added: iu’;/÷÷. I think it means “Fabulously sea inspired”) ink, Tabuan Purple Sea Star. This ink is a beautiful, shading ink inspired by another sea dwelling creature, the Purple Sea Star. The ink coordinates beautifully with the pen and presents as more purple, blue or pink depending on the paper, shading or line width.

I was able to compare this ink with a few other pink-to-purple/violet shaders I had in my collection, from top to bottom: Ferris Wheel Press, Kobe #57, Troublemaker Foxglove, Sailor Jentle , Papier Plume Violet and then Vinta Inks Tabuan Purple Sea Star. I put the colors in order from pinkiest to most violet.

Oh, and we must not forget the notebook. It is a Freiheit Freestyle Notebook in Ocean.3 (a lovely sea blue) with ivory pages and a 5mm dotted line graph printed in brown. the notebook is approximately 9.5″ tall x 5″ wide which is not an A5 slim nor a B5 slim. It’s its own unique size.

The paper is very smooth and worked well with most rollerball and felt tip pens in my collection. Pencils felt amazing on the smooth paper but could smear more easily since the paper is not overly textured.

There was some showthrough on the reverse of the stock but not terrible. With fountain pens, the paper does show more ink showthrough and may have a little feathering but its a good notebook for the price (or included in the set).

The complete set includes the Enigma/Newton/Custom Nib Studio pen, a bottle of the Vinta ink, and the Freiheit notebook for $300. The ink will also be available separately for $18. The notebook can also be purchased separately for  $9. If any items are left after the SF Pen Show, they will be made available on their website.

Even More Cool Stuff:

The folks at Enigma Blanks also included a rubber stamp set in the package they sent me. This is a 6-rubber stamp push button set called Kodomo Mo Kao Pochitto 6 ($10 per set). This unusual strip of tiny stamps works by letting you remove the cap on the bottom and then just push down on the stamp you want to use. The stamps are pre-inked so its great to use with your bullet journal or planner.

The stamp does not require a lot of pressure to transfer the image. It took me a couple tries to get the right pressure but I like the pen, ink and nib stamps. They would be perfect to note the pen, ink and nib used on a particular page. I like the book too because I regularly include a “what I’m reading” item in my daily journal. The tape and clip are a little more esoteric for daily use but if you have some ideas for them, let me know.

This rubber stamp set will be available at the San Francisco  Pen Show as well but is not part of the Purple Striped Jellyfish Pen and Ink collection and is sold separately. It will be available on the Enigma Blanks Pen’s Desk Site after the show.

Final Thoughts:

This pen and ink set really encapsulates the spirit of the pen community. There are so many talented people in the pen community and folks are great about combining their skills. Enigma Blanks combined their skills with Newton and Custom Nib Studio then added the Vinta Inks and Freiheit Notebooks and created something that is really a pen show in a set. What a delight!

I think by blending all these elements Enigma created something better than the individual parts. Not to say that the individual parts aren’t great on their own but this set makes it great times three!

And before we go:

Okay, technically there are only 23 of these pens available and, if you’ve read this far, you will be prepared. Later this week, we will be giving away this pen — #24/24. So, stayed tund for your chance to win this beautiful pen.

PS: Not to shamelessly plug but my darling husband printed the pillow pen sleeve for Enigma Blanks at his shop, Skylab Letterpress. This pen packaging meets a bevy of my personal requirements — recyclable, protective without being ostentatious and it’s pretty too.

DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this review were provided free of charge by Enigma Blanks for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

The post Fountain Pen: Enigma Blanks SF Pen Show Collection appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

As we move into the last half of the year, my daily bullet journaling has been a bit more sporadic. I’ve skipped more than one day in a row and I wanted to inspire myself to get back into regularly writing the daily ebbs and flows of my days.

So, I decided to purchase a few sets of stamps in hopes that doing a little pretty-ing of my journal/planner might help inspire me to be more active with it. I could have gotten more brush pens or stickers or other methods for embellishment but I decided to start with stamps and go from there.

I found an assortment of fun and interesting clear stamps on JetPens that I decided to try.

I started with three sets of MU My Icon “Splice Stamp” clear stamps ($4.40 per set). I purchased the Moon Phase Set (Lunar Phases), a Wildflower set (Flowers – B) and a Frame Set (Large Frames -A). There were 16 different sets available on JetPens and they were all pretty so it was hard to pick just three.

I also bought the BGM Ink & Pain Clear Stamp set (no longer in stock!). I didn’t realize when I bought it that it would be out of stock so I apologize for (potentially) tempting you with a product that is not available. I thought it was cute and I wanted to see how someone else did an ink bottle stamp. The large ink spots and spills are not particularly useful to me — I can make a mess all on my own, thankyouveddymuch. But I thought the paint tube and star chart was cute.

In better news, I also got the BGM Cat To-Do Clear Stamp Set ($10.25). The largest stamp in the Cat To-Do sheet is the “checklist” stamp that measures approximately 2.5″ x 1.5″. There is one stamp with Japanese writing (according to Google Translate it says YEAR/MONTH/DAY with a bit of space between each word to fill in your current info) but the others are written in English. The stamp in the lower right corner looks like a cat sitting on a lunch bag which is perfect for adding in info about what you had for lunch or if you like to meal plan.

The final set of clear stamps I found on Etsy and was so charmed by the little tarot symbols that I had to buy it. This set came from Writual Planner Shop and sells for $45. Its a bit pricey but it is the only stamp set I’ve seen like this so I purchased it. I’ve been learning to read tarot and I thought the stamps would be a fun way to keep tracking of the cards I pull each day. The set includes the full Major Arcana and a stamp for cups, wands, swords and pentacles so I just have to write the number next those for the full deck. Really, the set was so stinkin’ cute it was hard to resist. The tarot stamps came with a small acrylic block and a free teeny stamp pad which was nice to have included!

Acrylic Blocks:

If you’re unfamiliar with using clear stamps, you need to adhere them to a firm surface in order to use them. Many makers of clear stamps recommend clear acrylic blocks. The advantage is that you can see where you are placing the stamp so you can be a bit more accurate in aligning the stamp to the rest of the content on your page. I have, over the years, acquired an array of different sized acrylic blocks. Some have printed guidelines on them, round corners, one even has a hole to attach the block to a keychain.

While purchasing the clear stamps on JetPens, I found this set of MU round acrylic pegs ($4.90 for the set of 2). The set include one peg that is 2.3cm in diameter and one that is 1.8cm in diameter. Since I purchased a couple sets of stamps that were quite small, I thought this would be a great addition to my acrylic block collection.

The pegs are long enough to be easy to maneuver at 2.5cm tall. They are also kind of cool to look at — these little pillars of clear acrylic.

The smallest of the clear stamps that I purchased fit neatly on the end of the peg. I kind of want to find more tiny stamps to use these cool little pegs.

I have heard that some folks just stick the stamp to the clear lid from their stamp pad which I think is supremely clever and cuts down on buying a lot of extra stuff. The Ranger Archival Stamp Pads ($7 and up) I sell in my shop do not have clear lids so I think I’ll stick to using the clear blocks for the time being. If I switch to less permanent stamp pads (most of the water-based pads have clear lids) I will have less to carry in my kit.

Using the Stamps:

I tested the stamps on both Tomoe River and my daily bullet journal notebook, a Paperblanks 120gsm notebook.  I wanted to see how the stamps and ink pads performed on both papers as they are the papers I use most frequently. Dry time was pretty reasonable for the Ranger pads on the Tomoe which was a surprise.

When using clear stamps, there is less need to press hard to make an image. In fact, the lighter the touch the better because the material is much squishier than the traditional woodblock stamps. If I pressed too hard on the stamp pad or on the paper, the line widths of the artwork would get a little wider than needed.

On the Paperblanks paper, I added my dates for the coming week and layered the stamps a little bit. It took about 15 minutes to test drive the stamps and then combine into a little collages for each page. I love the cat doing the splits. He looks so stoic. The large frames stamps are perfect for my date on each page. The frames just elevated my dates a little bit. I may start adding color with pencils or brush pens to make my little dates pop a bit more.

Final Observations:

Overall, I’m pretty happy with my stamp purchases. I don’t think it’s a big deal that the Ink & Paint set is sold out because there were only a couple stamps on the whole sheet that I liked. Suffice to say, you’re not missing anything there. I love the MU My Icon “Splice Stamp” clear stamps. The lines were delicate and the designs were beautiful. I will definitely be picking up a few more sets of those. I realize that the tarot stamps are probably a bit specific to my interests but maybe it will inspire you to looks for stamps you could use in your own planner/journal that relate (fitness trackers, books, film, music, etc).

Let me know if you are looking for any themed stamps or what hobby you are into these days.

DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this review were provided free of charge by JetPens for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

The post Journaling with Clear Stamps appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

The set ($40) includes four stamps, mounted on wood blocks: a tiny ink sample vial (1″ x 0.325″), the “Classique” ink bottle stamp and Ink Bottle (short) (both measure 1″x1″), and the tall faceted bottle stamp  (1.5″ x 0.75″).

For scale, I stamped each new mini stamp on a Col-o-ring card. The Calssique bottle is actually the same size as the original full-sized stamp. Everything else has been miniaturized. The goal was to make the stamps more convenient for people who track their inks in journals or notebooks as well as being useful on your Col-o-ring cards to indicate if you have a bottle or just a sample of your ink.

The same stamps do fit on Dipper cards but it’s a bit more of a tight fit.

Just for size comparison, the new mini  ink bottle and sample vial stamps are at the top and my very used, very well-loved full-sized ink bottle and sample vial stamps are at the bottom.

The Mini Ink Bottle Set is also available on Etsy.

Should I miniaturize or maximalize something else in the shop? Are there other ink bottle shapes you’d like to see? Where will you stamp these?

The post Shop News: Mini Ink Bottle Stamps appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

I love your blog! I had a pen that used Schneider topball 850 refills. I liked that pen but it has been damaged so I’m looking to replace it with something similar that uses the same refills.

Do you know how I would find pens that fit the Schneider topball 850? I tried googling it to no avail.

The Schneider Topball 850 is a standard Euro Rollerball refill that is about 110mm long so there is a lot of options available for pens that would accept that refill.

BigiDesign would be a good option for a pen. They make several pens that would hold the refill including the Ti Arto, Ti Pocket Pro, Ti Arto EDC, and Ti Click EDC. Monteverde Rollerball pens will usually take the standard Euro refills and most high-end rollerball pens from Montegrappa, Aurora, Visconti and Diplomat. Pelikan rollerball pens and refills are listed as being 111mm so they are really close.

Custom pen makers will design their rollerball pens to take either a standard Euro refill or the Schmidt 8126 (not what you want) 90% of the time, Kickstarter projects being the exception where there is a lot more customization for specific types of refills.

If price is an issue, I’d lean towards a Monteverde pen but the BigiDesign is the most compatible should you decide to use a different refill in the future.

Mike asks:

Looking for a ball point refill for a Montblanc Meisterstück Platinum High Detail Solitaire Doué Signum Ballpoint Pen. Originally manufactured in the 90’s. My recent refill purchase came up short, in a very literal way. Seems that I need a refill more on the order of 4.5 inches versus the 3 15/16″ current refill. Any suggestions? Beautiful pen, would love to use it. Thanks.

Mike, whenever I have a question about pen refills, I visit Refillfinder first. In your situation, I’d look in the size guide. While in your case, this did not prove helpful, it usually gleans some useful info.

After some further research, I came across this Ebay listing for a modified refill that will fit older Montblanc pens. Looking at it though, it appears to have a plastic cap added to the end of a modern Montblanc ballpoint refill.

My inclination is, rather than to pay $14 per refill ($7 for the refill and $7 for shipping), to modify an existing modern Montblanc or Monteverde for Montblanc refill by adding a plastic plug to the end of the refill. I suspect this could be done using a plastic cap that comes over the tip of a refill. In a pinch, a drinking straw might work if its sturdy enough (maybe from a child’s sippy cup?) or maybe a sleuthing trip to a local hardware store or hobby shop that specializes in model building for a small diameter dowel. This might be a little too much DIY.  If so, I’d say just buy a few refills from the Ebay vendor and then see if you can pop that plastic cap off and reuse it on future refills. Happy refill hacking!

Dina asks:

I have an old Uni-ball 500 pen. I can’t find refills anywhere. Do you know if there are any compatible refills? The last I one I have is a “Uni ball refill for Uniball 500 and uniball Exceed UBr5-P or UBR 7-P.

In my hunt to find a rollerball replacement for your pen, I found a dead link for a Pentel refill that claimed to fit “Fits Pentel’s EX25 Excalibur pen, Waterman rollerball pens and any pen using Uniball Exceed (UXR-5), and Sheaffer Rollerball II refill.” That leads me to believe that your pen may take a Sheaffer Slim refill ($6.50, available in blue or black) or Waterman Rollerball ($8, also blue or black). I’m making educated guesses here and the refill might not fit but it may be worth trying.

Let me know if you try either of these and if they end up working. Good luck!

Kristin asks:

I have struggled with finding an effective way to sharpen my REALLY big pencils like the Faber Castell 9000 Jumbo, or the Koh-i-Noor Magic chunky pencils. None of the sharpeners I’ve found have an orifice big enough to accommodate this size. Do you have a suggestion about how best to sharpen them?

I ran into the same problem but Caroline at CW Pencil Enterprise had the answer for me: the Möbius & Ruppert Brass Round Double-Hole Sharpener ($8.25). It’s worked with just about every pencil I’ve thrown at it and has a sharpener for Bridge-sized pencils, large jumbo pencils, standard round and hex pencils. It has replaceable blades too. You won’t regret this purchase.

Alex poses a question, like a plant in the audience:

Do you carry any archival stamp ink pads along with your stamps? If not, which ink pads would you recommend for use when using stamps in conjunction with ink swatching?

Funny you should ask! I have been working to stock my favorite ink pads (Ranger Archival) in the shop and I’m happy to announce that some of them have arrived and are now listed in the shop. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, not all the colors and styles have arrived yet but I didn’t want to wait any longer to let everyone know.

Ranger Archival Ink pads (like stated on the proverbial tin) are archival making them acid-free, permanent and waterproof so they are perfect for using with your fountain pen inks, on envelopes and in your journals with other media. Because of their permanent nature, they can bleed through some papers so be sure to do a test either in the back of your notebook or on a scrap piece of paper before committing to a final design — just in case.

I will be stocking the “regular size” ink pads ($6) which feature a 3″x2″ raised inking area. I will also be stocking the mini sets of stamp pads ($12 per set) which offer four colors with small 1″x1.5″ raised pad surfaces. Unlike traditional stamp pads you might find at a big box office supply store, these raised surfaces allow for stamps larger than 3″x2″ to be inked on the pad by gently tapping the stamp across the pad until it is completely covered with ink.

The one color ink pad I desperately wanted to stock — BLACK! — is not in stock yet (Breaking news! I just got a shipping notification from Ranger that our black ink pads are on the way! I should have them in the shop by the end of next week), but we do have some regular-sized ink pads and some mini ink pad sets available. I had been holding off unveiling our ink pad offerings until I had the black pads in hand but you convinced to at least reveal my plans.

Ranger Archival inks also offer re-inker bottles so that pads may be reused for some time. I will be stocking black re-inking bottles but would be happy to add other colors in as demand requires.

Please let me know what colors and ink pad sizes you’d like to see stocked in the shop. And thanks, Alex, for being the question that broke the silence!

The post Ask the Desk: Refills, Sharpeners & Stamp Pads appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

It arrived in perfect timing because I had been meaning to try a suggestion I received from the Desk ladies about cleaning stamps. Thanks to our fearless leader’s seemingly endless creativity and talent, a lot of new rubber stamps have been added to my collection recently.

And while we are on the topic, have I mentioned that these are some really good stamps? Obviously, the designs speak for themselves- but the quality of the stamps is also exceptional. If you haven’t checked them out yet- I highly recommend them. Ana even has a few new ones I haven’t gotten my hands on yet… “Don’t Drink the Ink” stamps, a “Maker” series, and lab beakers. Something for everyone. Or in my case, all the somethings.

With all these new stamps around, I was curious how the other Deskettes cleaned their stamps after use. I had an old stamp cleaning pad that really wasn’t cutting it. Sponges were suggested as an option, and maybe even trying pen flush. I decided to search out necessary supplies for DIY pen flush, standard non-stamp sponges, and a few stamp-specific cleaning supplies for comparison sake—time for a show-down.

I decided to purchase two stamp specific supplies: a Ranger branded stamp cleaning pad, and a StazOn branded cleaning solution. The cost was about $15 for the pair.

For the test shown above- the first impression on the paper is the newly inked stamp, and each print after it represents one application of cleaning solution and a single run across the cleaning pad stamp before being re-stamped onto the paper. It took several applications and a little bit of elbow grease with the stamp cleaning pad, but by the time I got to my fifth round, the stamp was nearly clean. Definitely an improvement over my old stamp cleaning pad and water.

Time to break out the big container of Scotch-Brite sponges I purchased for less than 0.75 cents a sponge and see if they could match the results of the Ranger stamp counterparts.

The nice thing about these sponges compared to the fancy stamp-specific one is that both sides are usable. There’s the firmer cleaning pad on one side- which has a similar texture to the Ranger cleaning pad, and a soft spongy side on the reverse that can be used for soaking with pen flush and pressing the stamp into for cleaning.

Basic cleaning supplies and a jar I already had on hand, and it was off to the races.

The same basic principle for this test- although I applied the pen flush directly to the sponge and then simply pressed the stamp into the sponge a single time in between each imprint on the paper.

Needless to say, I was a little shocked by how significant the difference was. Even better, the cheaper DIY option is, the better of the two! It really only took one or two stamps into the sponge to get it 90% clean. Impressive! At the end of the cleaning above, I ran the stamp across the cleaning pad side of the stamps a few times and pressed it into a second stamp that had been soaked with just water. It looked almost brand new.

While I was stamping, I also pulled out all the black ink pads I owned to test for differences. I tried four ink pads: Ranger Archival Ink, Versafine Pigment Ink, StazOn Solvent Ink, and ColorBox Archival Dye.

Out of the four, I would definitely suggest either the Ranger or the Versafine- both options apply the perfect amount of ink to the stamp and provide clean lines on the paper.  The StazOn produced lines that were a little less clean and the ColorBox…

… a little bit overkill, to say the least. I suddenly remembered what prompted me to ask about stamp cleaning the first place!

On the left is the stamp I used for all the testing above after cleaning with my DIY supplies at the end of the night. On the right, we have the stamp I was using before I purchased and made my new cleaning supplies (I haven’t tried cleaning this original one with my new supplies yet). To be fair, I’ve definitely used the old one more than the new one- but I don’t think I ever got that original one as clean as my new one… even after a single use.

Your weekend to-do list:

1. Purchase stamps and stickers from the Well-Appointed-Desk shop.
2. Make your own DIY pen flush.
3. Find or purchase a regular, non-fancy, non-stamp branded sponge.
4. Stamp a few ink swabs, a letter, or anything else that needs some inky flair.
5. Clean your stamps and your pens?

• Stamps: Well-Appointed Desk Rubber Stamps ($7-$16)
• Swatches: Col-o-Ring “Oversize” ($15)

DISCLAIMER: Some items in this review include affiliate links. The Well-Appointed Desk is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. Please see the About page for more details.

The post DIY: Pen Flush as Stamp Cleaner appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

We created two different ink bottle rubber stamp designs. The first stamp is based on a classic bottle design ($14) used by many companies. The stamp measures 1.5″ x 1.5″ and fits easily on a Col-o-ring card, Col-o-dex Card, or Col-o-ring Oversize page.

The stamp is available mounted on wood as an “art block” (no handle) or with a blonde wood handle.

The stamp is thick red rubber, mounted on cushion foam and the design is laser etched on the top to make it easy to identify.

The second design is a tall faceted bottle stamp ($14) based on a vintage bottle design. It is 1.25″ x 2″.

It is also available as the “art block” (no handle) or with a blonde wood handle and laser etched on the top with the design.

The stamp features the same high quality as the short ink bottle stamp.

We recommend using a waterproof, archival stamp pad if you want to swab your ink samples over the stamp. Below we have demonstrated tests using the Avery Carter’s Stamp Pad, Office Depot Stamp Pad and Ranger Archival Stamp Pad. The Avery Carter’s and Office Depot came from Office Depot. Similar big box office supply store stamp pads should work as well. Look for a pad that says “dye-based” not “pigment-based”. The Ranger Archival pad came from JoAnn’s hobby store. Again, any stamp pad listed as archival, waterproof or dye-based should work.

The sample above shows the three black stamp pads used in a Nanami Cafe Tomoe River Notebook. The Ranger pad seems darkest but all three pads have been in my possession for sometime and the quality may be a  result of age.

Above, the same three stamp pads are used in a Col-o-ring Oversize. Again, the darkness of the ink from the pads may be a result of how old the pads are though my inclination is to guess that the Ranger pad may be of slightly higher quality as it’s designed for craft purposes.

Don’t think you have to limit yourself just to black stamp pads. There are lots of different color options in the Archival stamp pads and it could make for some really fun looks in your Col-o-ring Ink Testing Book or other notebook. Here, I used a Ranger Archival green stamp pad with Vinta Sirena green ink. I think it looks pretty cool.

I tried a similar technique with an Avery Carter’s red stamp pad and Ferris Wheel Press Lady Rose ink and I got a little bleeding of the red ink. It could be a reaction between the ink from the stamp pad and the fountain pen ink or that the stamp pad ink is not as waterproof as the black ink. I’ll have to test it further to find out. I still think it looks pretty.

Finally, back to using a black stamp pad and Colorverse Crystal Planet. I left the label open to maybe write the color name in once the ink is dry. So many options!

I hope you are as excited about these new stamps as we are. If these stamps are well-received, we may introduce more ink bottle shapes. What do you think? Do you like them?

The post Product Preview: Ink Bottle Rubber Stamps (Shameless Plug) appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

On various occasions, I’ve had the need for a rolling date stamper, and believe me, I’ve visualized more than once Ana’s impressive collection. But then I’d find a different solution to my need that worked just as well, and I would still be without one. Maybe it was my recent acquisition of a full rubberstamp printing kit that rekindled my interest. Or maybe the unique mix of pandemic anxiety/restlessness/boredom prompted a wave of childhood nostalgia to play “post office” or “library.” Whatever the reason, I suddenly decided I needed the C. Ching Stationery Rubber Date Stamp ($5.75).

Along with the date – which has the date, month and year through 2030 that change with traditional rollers – the stamper offers 11 messages and icons, including “Thank you,” “Congratulations” and “Hey, give me five.” I was especially tickled by the pencil icon.

The messages are keyed to numbers on the roller that turn with a separate crank handle (on the left side for this lefty! High five, indeed!).

The impressions are surprisingly crisp and clean, even the messages with the tiniest type.

In addition to playing post office, I can see dating my journal, undated planner and correspondence with it. At this price, I don’t know why I didn’t get it a long time ago.

P.S. Cleaning out a desk drawer recently during a fit of anxiety/restlessness/boredom, I found a rolling date stamp I’ve apparently had a long time: The last year on it is 1991. As much as I love vintage things, it’s annoying to find them among my own possessions.

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by JetPens for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

Tina Koyama is an urban sketcher in Seattle. Her blog is Fueled by Clouds & Coffee, and you can follow her on Instagram as Miatagrrl.

The post Product Review: C. Ching Stationery Rubber Date Stamp appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.