1) What would your recommend for a short point pencil sharpener? Think the stubby point on a golf pencil. My husband is obsessed with short point pencils, but his current method of using a wider sharpener to make a short point isn’t always ideal.

There are three readily available adjustable pocket sharpeners: The Kutsuwa Stad T’Gaal ($6), the Sonic Rachetto Capsule ($5.50) and the Dux Adjustable ($22 with leather case). Each has a dial that will allow you to adjust the pointiness of the graphite tip.

If you are looking for a manual crank sharpener, I can’t recommend the Dahle 133 (approx. $20) highly enough. The Dahle will also adjust the point by rotating the dial on the crank handle.

2) Can you recommend a leather traveler’s style cover (with the elastic loops to insert notebooks) that would fit 8.5×11 notebooks? 

Your second question was a bit of a stumper. I got some help from our Patrons during our monthly Zoom meet-up. The first suggestion was to reach out to the Curnows for a custom-made cover.

Rustico and Levenger stock some padfolios that might work though they are not specifically designed like a Traveler’s Notebook. The slats designed to hold a legal pad or notebook would work to hold a large notebook.

Another option would be to look on Etsy for “Traveler’s Notebook A4” for other custom made traveler’s style notebook options.

Isabell asked:

Hello, I own a lady sheaffer skripsert fountain pen and would like to know what ink converter goes with it – if there isn’t a converter for it then simply what cartridges fit would be great. 

The sad truth of the matter is that Skripserts take a slender Sheaffer converter which is no longer produced. Often, folks at pen shows swill have a converter  available for sale but but will sell them for upwards of $30 per converter. They are squeeze-style converters so used or NOS converters might need to be repaired or have sacs replaced which will be an additional cost.

What is often not known is that standard cartridges are still produced by Sheaffer and will fit into Skripserts. Most online and brick-and-mortar shops should have an assortment of these cartridges available for purchase. I save these cartridges and refill them.

I received a tip from one of our Patrons that other converters might be modified (like a standard international converter) by building up the material around the lip of the converter with UV curing glue. If you want more details about modifying or making your own converter with this technique, drop me an email and I will put you in touch with our Patron.

Peter asked:

Hi! Staples has discontinued my favorite legal pads and i’m wondering if you have a recommended replacement. …what I like about them is 1. college ruled 2. thick paper 3. lines are very faint… so far cannot find any other yellow legal pads that meet those three criteria!

Peter, your question was the hardest of the lot. Our Patrons suggested I reach out to some of my favorite Legal Eagles and ask their recommendations. When asked, Gentleman Stationer said, “There are none. Unless you can find bagasse or sugarcane, save yourself the headache and go Rhodia (No. 18 is A4 sized and No. 19 is legal sized, available in white or yellow) or Blackwing I honestly use the Write Notepads letter size memo pads.”

Marla asked our lovely Jesi:

I love your beautiful calligraphy (this comment comes especially from the Monteverde Jungle review, but applies in general)… especially on the Jungle test strips. Is there a special name for that style? Biz work has severely degraded my speed-print/cursive blend and I’d love to be able to write and letter beautifully. I’m sure that I can improve with practice towards a goal.

Jesi taught herself a more refined style of handwriting using books and worksheets by the much-revered Michael Sull. She utilized The Art of Cursive Penmanship particularly but Mr. Sull has produced another books of note; American Cursive and Learning to Write Spencerian Script (available for order via his web site). She uses a dip pen for her swatches with Nikko G ($3,85 for a pack of 3) or vintage Esterbrook dip nibs.

If you have questions for the Desk, use the link at the top of our site to submit them. 

DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this post were provided free of charge by JetPens for the purpose of review.And 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 a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. Please see the About page for more details.

The post Ask The Desk: Sharpeners, Skripsert Converters and Staples Legal Pads appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

My father-in-law who passed in 1988 used a variety of fountain pens which we just uncovered in the attic. The pens have not been used in probably 35 to 40 years. Can you recommend a site that would recondition the pens? These pens have a rubber bladder Which would need to be replaced. Thanks.

If you know what brands, some repair people specialize in certain brands and will have parts on hand for that particular brand. For example, Martin of MartinsPens51 specializes in lever fill, button fill, Parker Vacumatics, Sheaffer snorkels, Touchdowns, and PFM’s, Osman Sümer in MontBlanc, Sheri in Sheaffer and Ron Zorn at Main Street Pens started on Vacumatic-filling (Parker Vacumatic, Sheaffer and Parker “51”) pens, Aerometric Parkers and Sheaffer Snorkel and Touchdown pens but does handle other pens.

There are many other repair people — too many to list here but any web site for a pen show will often list vendors which often includes many repair people.

Rob asks:

Hi: I see references to beginner fountain pens and next step fountain pens, but what is an expert fountain pen? Is it based on price? Performance? I have not come across a suitable explanation. Thanks in advance for your help.

I don’t know that anyone would call them “expert” but there are some advanced level pens.

Some pens will not resonate with a fountain pen user until they’ve had some experience with pens. Sometimes this can be pens with flexible nibs (or just a little more bouncy like a Montblanc), pens that utilize a more complicated filling system or pens made of particularly unique materials (urushi, casein, etc). Advanced or Expert-level fountain pens can be 21K instead of 14K gold nibs as well. Then there’s pens that just fall into the top tier price points because they are limited edition and designed for a specific fan base (the Writer’s Series from Montblanc).

Any one of these attributes can make a pen significantly more expensive and difficult to find. Many of these characteristics would be lost on a new user who hasn’t had extensive time with a lower-priced pen to be able to appreciate or care for these more finicky or collector-level pens.

Liz asks:

My perfect notebook, which has eluded me my whole life: A4 (or 8.5×11), quad ruled but with bigger squares (4 to the inch), spiral-bound at the top (not the side), and of course, high-quality paper. The options at Clairefontaine and Rhodia are so so close, but the grid squares are too small and they literally cramp my style. As a result, I’ve been settling for the crappy paper of Top Flight’s Silverpoint Quad Planning Pad, which makes me sad. Is the perfect notebook for me out there somewhere? Willing to shell out big bucks for it if it does …

My first thought was to get a custom pad made from Blank Slate. They are not spiral bound but that’s easy enough to fix with a trip to a local copy shop that can put a spiral on a pad for a few dollar. Your requirement, 4 square to the inch, is approximately 7mm, if that helps in your hunt.

Amy asks:

I found a number of old pens in my desk and would love to use some of them again, but am having trouble matching pen refills. The first is an Anson twist up pen (chrome with gold accents?). The ink in it is labeled Mitsubishi Pencil Co., LTD Japan UBR-7P. A quick search did not come up with anything that matched or even really looked like it. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

I would recommend trying the RefillFinder app to try to find a comparable match. If that doesn’t work, there may be a newer refill from Uni Mistubishi available through JetPens who stocks the largest variety of Japanese refills.

The post Ask the Desk: Repairs, Refills, and Expert Fountain Pens appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

Hello–I’m a freelance medical editor. I have to keep track of jobs for ±6 clients each day. For years, I’ve used a spiral notebook and pencil. I’ve been upgrading my notebooks, and now I think I’d like to use a daily planner so I have a more orderly view of finished projects. I would need something that at least 8 inches wide because I have to record client job numbers and project descriptions, as well as the amount of time each job takes. Do you have a recommendation for a nice but moderately priced planner or notebook? I wouldn’t need extra pages for long-range planning or goals.

I think your best bet would be to start with Agendio.com. This site allows you to completely customize a planner to meet your needs. This takes a bit of decision-making on your part but it also means you can get what you want and nothing you don’t. You can save your design and change it or update it next year if you find that there was something you didn’t like about your layout this year. And you can start any month. You can even choose if you want a spiral binding or just what your pages punched to fit into a binder you already own.

Lisa asks:

Hi, I’m thinking of buying a TWISBI ECO to accent my watercolor sketches with ink. What kinds of ink can the ECO use? I’m interested in experimenting with acrylic inks, for example. PS – total newbie. Thanks!

Lisa,

NO ACRYLIC INK!!!

I don’t mean to yell but I want to make sure you don’t miss my comment. Fountain pens use fountain pen ink ONLY. However, there is waterproof (bulletproof, archival, etc) ink that can be used in fountain pens that will work with your fountain pens. I did a post awhile back about some of my favorite waterproof fountain pen inks and urban sketcher Liz Steel is a big fan of using fountain pens for her artwork too. Our own resident urban sketcher Tina also uses fountain pens for her artwork and has lots of recommendations as well. And, of course, my favorite will always be Platinum Carbon Black.

If you want to play with acrylic inks, I would recommend using a dip pen and nib like a Speedball dip nib. These are available for about $1 per nib and a holder is anywhere from $5 and up depending on how fancy you want to be. Using acrylic ink with a dip nib means if the ink dries on the nib, you have only damaged a $1 nib. No big deal. You can throw the nib out (or recycle it with a metal recycler) and use a new one.

John asks:

Hello, I was wondering if you know what pens are compatible with the cross porous felt pen refill. I truly love that you porous refill tips from Cross and looking for a similar experience with a different pen body. I was wondering if you knew of any.

The Porous Point (felt tip) refill from Cross is part of their “Selectip” line which fit in the Cross Century Classic. Any of the BigiDesign capped designs like the Ti Ultra, Ti Arto EDC, and Ti Arto. Pretty must any of the BigiDesign models with a cap. I realize that’s not a lot of options but at least it will give you a pen that will accept other refills should you no longer be able to get the Porous Point or decide you want to use something else.

The post Ask The Desk: Planner for Medical Editor, Waterproof inks and Cross Porous Point Pen Options 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.

I need your advice on the purchase of a drawing table for my 10 year old granddaughter. She really is very good and I wish I could attach one of her drawings for you to see. She draws constantly and learns from books that I and her parents have bought her. She also uses Youtube tutorials. For example, she is presently working on a 100 character challenge, wherein one draws and names 10 characters a week for 10 weeks. I think she is like 4-5 weeks in on this challenge. I taught her a couple of things I learned from Art Supply Posse such as outlining pencil drawings with a fine line alcohol marker of which I sent her an assortment. All of her markers are now double ended alcohol markers. Anyway, she said she would like to have a tablet to use for her artwork and this is where I would appreciate your advice. I remember hearing you discuss Cintiq/Wacom tablets. I think you talked about Apple Ipads as well. What drawing tablet would you recommend for someone who is 10? Thank you for any help you can give.

I talked with my husband at length about your question and what we would do for our niece or nephew who are 10- and 12years-old, respectively. We debated at length about the best options. Not knowing your granddaughter’s current computer access, I’ll run through a few options and describe them as best I can.

There are two categories of drawing tablets: a direct drawing tablet like the iPad and the Wacom CINTIQ (both allow you to draw directly on the screen with a pen tool) and the indirect style — like the Wacom Intuos (imagine a trackpad that only works with a pen tool). There are nuances within each of these: the iPad can also be used for other uses like watching movies, email, chat, playing games, etc.

The advantage of a device like an iPad is that it is a standalone device. It requires no additional hardware other than the pen (which Apple sells separately). Both the iPad device and the pen requires charging but both are wireless so it can be used anywhere in the house, in the car, etc. It does perform better when it has regular access to wifi for updates to software and OS. The recommended software for drawing on the iPad is the beloved ProCreate. It’s $9.99 and worth every single penny and then some.

The advantage of a Wacom CINTIQ (collectively called the Pen Displays) like the Wacom One and Wacom CINTIQ (this is the one I use) is that they are hardware and are plugged into a computer (or even an Android device in the case of the Wacom One). The pen that ships with the CINTIQ is wireless and battery-less which means it always works. Because the CINTIQs are hardware, they tend to have a longer lifespan as long as the drivers are kept up to date by the manufacturer. If you don’t already have a computer, though, it’s a larger investment. And… the benefit of using a CINTIQ is being able to work in professional software from the Adobe CC suite (portal for educational discounts) to animation/3D software like Toon Boom, Lightwave, Maya, etc.

Then the last category, and the least expensive option, is the indirect input, Wacom Intuos tablet. This tablet uses a wireless, battery-less pen tool (often the same pen as the CINTIQ) and a tablet that plugs into a laptop or computer. The Intuo Pro can be used wirelessly with the addition of a battery. I started on a Wacom Intuos tablet and, to this day, still use one as an alternative to a mouse but for drawing I much prefer the CINTIQ or iPad. However, if cost is an issue, the precision available with a Wacom Intuos tablet is far better than a mouse or trackpad. It’s not as intuitive as drawing directly on a screen but makes it much easier to fine tune lines, select vector points and other detail work.

So, after all that exposition, here’s my recommendation. If money is not an issue, go for an iPad Pro 12.9 with Pencil 2. Be sure to add a protective case. The Pencil charges when connected to the iPad but the case will make sure the Pencil doesn’t get lost. I also recommend a surface cover called PaperLike that makes the iPad screen more, well, paper-like and less slick and glossy.

The 11” iPad Pro would be a good alternative and a bit cheaper. I use the 10.9” iPad Pro though I’ve always wished I sprung for the larger 12.9” model. I would still recommend the accompanying case and PaperLike screen. And, of course, ProCreate.

If your granddaughter already has a computer, and can get a student discount on the Adobe CC suite, then a Wacom CINTIQ is a great option as well. It’s obviously less mobile but will feel like a “pro move”.

If your granddaughter is interested in illustration in animation, Laura Price gives a peek into the world of a working illustrator at Disney as well as showing some of her tools, tips and techniques.

Best of luck to you and your granddaughter, wherever the journey takes you!

Erika asks:

Hi! I was wondering if you have ever used Smythson paper in a typewriter? If so, what paper did you use and how did it turn out? Thank you for your time!

Hi, Erika

I have not specifically put Smythson paper in a typewriter but I have used lots and lots of different kinds of paper in lots and lots of different kinds of typewriters: label stock, card stock, old typing paper, index cards… pretty much anything I can get onto the platen (the rubber roller). If the paper is very thin, I will put a sheet or two of plain copy paper behind it (tip from Tom Hanks to protect the platen from damage). Some slick paper like label stock might cause ink to smear or dry slowly and very thick card stock might crack or get stuck when trying to get it on the platen so proceed with caution.

Lori asks:

Hi Ana, and the ladies of The Desk, I learned of Neenah through Field Notes. Walmart has Astrobrights card stock paper. Do any of you have experience with this card stock paper? I admit I’m drawn to them because of the space themed names for the colors. I figure I would find a way to use them with letters. But who knows until I handle them.

I remember using Neenah Astrobrights paper for band flyers when I worked as a copy jockey at Kinko’s when I was in college. For a fledgling graphic designer, it was a cooler job to work in a copy shop than as a waiter. We had access to all the large size copy machines to make weird zines, posters and flyers. So, what I can tell you is that while Astrobrights are tons of fun, those neon colors are not very lightfast. In other words, the colors will fade when exposed to light. As for their fountain pen friendliness, I did not have any on hand but if you are using the cardstock/cover weight, it should be able to handle most gel pens, felt tip and rollerball pens for sure and probably some fine and medium fountain pens. If you are not hoping to archive your creations for ALL OF TIME, I say go for it. It’s just paper. If anything, it can be used to make envelopes, folders and other receptacles for your fountain pen friendly paper. Just don’t sear your retinas!

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 a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. Please see the About page for more details.

The post Ask The Desk: Digital Drawing Tablets, Typing Paper, & Astrobrights appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

I wrote Brad Dowdy this question and he didn’t know however thought you might be able to help me understand.

I am looking to find a way to desaturate some of my fountain pen inks.

As an artist I’m looking to add ink lines, marks by drawing on top of my watercolor washes. Most of my inks: Diamine, Noodlers, Birmingham, Faber Castell, Pelikan and Edelstein are great inks yet their values are too saturated. I’m looking for a way to reduce the saturation to create a more muted tone in the line. Birmingham are some of my favorite as Nick and Josh have created inks that are favorable to me by their faded look – yet those are still a bit dark.

Diluted water I have found does little to alter the saturation while it makes the ink obviously wetter – which is a bit defeating as I am also looking for drier inks. A permanent or water resistant quality would be wonderful to maintain as well in those inks that offer this. I love for example Faber Castell Stone Grey and Noodlers Walnut – however both come off severely too dark.

It’s an odd ask I realize. Just thought if any experience has been noted on this. Advise would be welcomed.

Kiera asks:

I’ve been using diamine marine in my hobonichi cousin, but I want to take advantage of the hobonichi’s paper more. Marine is a lovely color, but not a very interesting ink otherwise. Can you recommend some sheening or shading inks that are similar in color? Thank you!

Kiera, most sheening inks tend to sheen because the pigment-to-liquid ratio is considerably higher. As a result, most sheening inks are darker than the lovely aqua Marine because all that pigment doesn’t allow the color to be as translucent. In the fountain pen world, we think of this as an ink’s ability to shade. So, the more pigment, the more sheen, and the less shading.

At least, up until this point. Someone will figure out how to circumvent this at some point, I’m sure.

That said, there are a few aqua/turquoise inks that have more sheen than Diamine Marine.

As you will see in the photo above, the four other ink colors I found that were in the same color family but had more sheen, are Diamine Aurora Borealis, Colorverse Gravity Wave, Robert Oster Marine and Kaweco Paradise Blue. Some of these colors are considerably darker but will have a red, pink or magenta sheen. The sheen will be more or less noticeable depending on how broad your nib is.

Colorverse Gravity Wave probably has the most sheen and I was able to catch the sheen highlights in the photo above.

There are many other sheening ink options available but they are not necessarily in the turquoise or teal color range. I pulled a few for you to consider.

The classic Organics Studio Nitrogen is the first “super sheener” and it will potentially smudge but if you’re looking for lots of sheen, you can’t go wrong with this one. I would recommend a finer nib for less smudging.

Diamine has created many amazing sheening inks. Some were created as exclusives for European pen shops but others are now available directly from Diamine. The colors are not as smudge-y as the Organics Studio and have some unusual sheening. Robert (and the Pen Gallery Exclusive Manggis) is a purple that sheens green. Skull & Roses is a deep vibrant blue that sheens red. Communication Breakdown is a rust red that sheens green. November Rain is a deep teal green that sheensred-violet.

There are many other sheening inks that will pop up in places you might not expect it like this Lamy Crystal Azurite or even in the most unsuspecting inks like Waterman. I often surprise people when I show them the sheen from Waterman inks, particularly Tender Purple and Inspired Blue. Blows their mind.

I decided to swatch the Waterman inks (and some of the inks on some Tomoe River paper) at the last minute just to show more of the sheen. It’s not all the colors mentioned above, but a lot of them.

This morning it’s overcast so I was able to get the sheen better. The Waterman Audacious Red didn’t show but on some papers, it sheens gold.

Kiera, did I give you enough options?

DISCLAIMER: The item 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 a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. Please see the About page for more details.

The post Ask The Desk: Muting Ink & Sheening Ink Colors appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

Hi there, I was gifted a pen in 2017 which is personalised with my name as I was working as a TA. It needs a refill now (I didn’t use it much) but the refill I bought doesn’t fit properly. It takes a Parker style refill but made of white plastic. I’ve measured it and it’s approx 8.5cm long, with a fat body and tapered tip where the spring would sit. And advice on what sort of refill I actually need would be great. I have pictures of the refill which I can attach to another email if this would help. Kind regards

Refillfinder.com features a Size Guide section that shows a picture of a particular refill along with the length measurements. I didn’t see one that was the same length that you described but since I’m not looking at the refill, maybe there was a modification made to a refill (like the plastic insert on the end was removed)?

The Fisher Space Pen Refill looks closest in length. It’s essentially a regular Parker-style refill but without the plastic fins on the end. It will sometimes ship in a blister pack with removable plastic cap to fit the refill into standard sized pens. Do you think that might work?

Aimme asks:

I am wondering about what kinds of waterproof inks would be best for watercolour art? So I wanted to sketch with a waterproof/resistant ink and then paint over it with watercolours. Any suggestions would be great! Wishing you all a very happy New Year! -Blessings, Aimme

Frederick asks:

Does another gel refill, other than Monteverde, exist for the somewhat unique Montblanc ballpoint format?

Unfortunately, Montblanc has designed their ballpoint pens and refills in such a way that they are proprietary. For drop-in ease, the Monteverde or Montblanc refills have been your only options. I found a listing on Amazon for a new refill that is “Montblanc compatible”, The Jaymo Montblanc Compatible Ballpoint Refill. I have not tested it nor do I know anything about it but this gives you another option to try.

My last option for you is to purchase a 3D printed  adapter from Tofty. He has several available for Montblanc ballpoints:

• Mont Blanc Ballpoint To Uni SXR-80 (AKA Jetstream)
• Mont Blanc Ballpoint To Pilot Frixion Multipen
• Mont Blanc Ballpoint to Coleto (AKA Pilot Hi-Tec C)
• Mont Blanc Ballpoint To D1 Mini

The post Ask The Desk: Waterproof Ink & More Refill Questions appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

I have accumulated a lot of Ask the Desk questions lately so I decided to tackle a few of them in one GREAT BIG post. Please let me know if you have any advice as well. And submit your questions at the tab in bar at the top of the page. Thanks!

Gordon needs some help:

Dear Ana, I am a left-hander who has recently returned to using fountain pens. I have a lovely Franklin-Christoph Model 20p (the smaller EDC version) with a medium stub and, no surprise, have been dealing with the dreaded smudge problem. Before picking up again with fountain pens I’ve been using Doane 8x11pads, whose format I love, but it does smudge. Do you have suggestions for more fountain pen friendly and fast-drying paper and/or small international cartridges that dry fast (I’m partial to blue-black). Thanks so much for you help. Yours, Gordon

Gordon, the lefties at The Desk feel your frustration. Medium stubs are quite wet nibs so you have added to your struggle for dry time. Doane paper is not the worst for dry time overall so let’s start with some unconventional suggestions.

First, I wanted to start with items that could be added to your existing set-up. Rather than having to buy new notebooks or ink, these options might fix your issues.

• Vanness White Lightning Ink Additive ($5.95) This additive can improve dry time of ink you already own. I have some tips for using it but a drop or two in 5-10ml of ink can improve flow and dry time. Adding White Lightning will require using a converter and bottled ink since you’ll have to decant your ink but it opens up your color options dramatically.
• J Herbin Blotter Paper – White ($10) Blotter paper can be used to absorb ink on any page that is taking awhile to dry.
• SmudgeGuard SG1 1-Finger Glove ($14.99) While this isn’t the most aesthetically appealing solution, many artists use a smudgeguard or slide an extra piece of paper under their hand to reduce smudging. Blotter paper works great but an index card make a fine substitution as well.

Paper alternatives:

Since you’re already using a paper not known to be too bad for smudging, I want to remind lefties in general, I recommend avoiding paper like Tomoe River which has longer than normal dry times if you are having smudging issues. I also recommend avoiding Rhodia paper, because it is very smooth, may also suffer from smudge issues. A good alternative may be Leuchtturm1917 which strikes a reasonable balance between dry time and being fountain pen friendly. Baron Fig could be another good option for lefties.

Other ink options:

Finally, there are some inks that have been especially formulated to be “quick drying” but will definitely limit your color options. If you want to pursue this route, look for inks that say “fast dry” on the label. However, utilizing standard inks (non-sheening/non-shimmer) and possibly adding White Lightning mentioned earlier may be all you need. Sheening and shimmer inks will often require longer dry times.

Ed asks:

I love the retro 51 rollerball refill. Do you know what pen bodies will work with it? While I love the Retro 51, sometimes I prefer a capped pen.

For a capped pen that takes the same Schmidt P8126/P8127 that is used in the Retro 51 pens (it’s just custom branded for Retro51) but capped, I recommend Kaweco Sport. It is available in plastics, metal and resin finishes for a variety of price points. All versions accept the P8126/8127 refill.

Most of the Monteverde Rollerball pens accept the Schmidt Short Capless sized refills though they will probably ship with the Monteverde branded version. It is essentially the same refill, just house branded for Monteverde just as the Schmidt refill is rebranded for Retro51.

The Schmidt 888 (plastic tube or the 5888 with metal tube) is the longer version of the same refill. There are a lot of brands that utilize this refill as its considered the standard size for European-style rollerballs. Pen Boutique has a great chart that lists compatible refills for many major brands.

Jeremy asks:

I would love some help in a pen recommendation. I am currently in grad school getting my PhD and find myself writing more than I ever had before. My normal go to for writing utensils has been my Fisher Space Pen Bullet when I want something with ink and a Pentel P205 when I want something with lead. The P205 serves my purposes well and I have no reason to replace that, however the Space Pen is absurdly uncomfortable when I find myself writing for days on end. Any recommendations for a pen under the $50 mark, the cheaper the better, that would be comfortable for extended periods of time when I write? Cheers!

Several years ago, I wrote a post for my Top 5 Pens under $30. I can’t say that my top choices have changed dramatically. Adding an extra $20 to the budget doesn’t necessarily alter things too dramatically but let me give it another glance.

If you are planning to use a rollerball, gel or ballpoint pen, and since you are using more slender pens and pencils in general, here are my best recommendations:

• Caran d’Ache 849 (ballpoint starting at $19.95) This pen is similar in size and width to your favorite pencil. Its available in many colors and finishes and is a classic, just like your Pentel.
• Retro 51 Tornado in Classic Lacquers (starting at $21) The Retro 51 is a classic as well, takes a favorite rollerball refill or a standard Parker-style ballpoint refill and is available in a ton of standard colors. Its slightly wider width may be more comfortable for longer writing sessions. Just be careful about carrying this pen in your pocket as the liquid refill may leak. For a capped alternative, see may recommendation to Ed in this post.
• Lamy 2000 Multi Pen (€61.98) This pen goes slightly over your budget but contains four colors and is one of the most iconic pens available. It also allows for color changes as if by magic — just turn the pen so the color of your choice is facing up and depress the knock.

Refill Questions:

Chris asks:

I need a refill for an Anson Pen, I think it might be a 360?

I ended up learning a bit about the Anson Company in trying to locate a refill for this pen. If the pen is a ballpoint, it will most likely take a standard “stick refill” or a Cross threaded ballpoint refill like you might find at any big box office supply store (I found this photo below in an Ebay listing).

If the pen takes a nylon tip refill, a Waterman fibertip might fit. I’m guessing here based on the shape alone as I am not sure on the length required. While a slightly different shape, the Schmidt 6040 fineliner (or one of the many versions that are branded for Monteverde, Faber-Castell, et al) may be easier to acquire. The pen would also accept a Schmidt rollerball refill if the fineliner fit as well.

If you’re lucky enough to be near a brick and mortar pen store or a pen show, I recommend taking the pen there and trying out a few refills to find the perfect fit.

Gayle asks about other refills:

I want to put other colors in my Uni Jetstream 4+1 pen, other than black, blue, red, and green. Which refills designed for similar multi-pens will fit the Jetstream 4+1? If I understood your multi-pen FAQ video correctly, the Zebra Sarasa pre-fills are too short for the Jetstream 4+1, is that correct? Looking forward to your response!

Gayle, I don’t think I made a multi-pen FAQ video but now maybe I will. That said, let’s see which refills you can put in your Uni Jetstream 4+1 besides the standard blue, black, red and green.

If you’re willing to apply a little hacking, the Uni Signo UMR refills (these are the Style Fit multi-pen refills) will fit. It just requires trimming a bit of the plastic off the end. The same with the Pilot Coleto refills. With the Coleto refills, you need to remove the plastic caps from the end, then trim to the proper length. Frixion multi pen refills will also fit but the little cap on the end will need to be removed and the refill trimmed to the proper length. These can all be trimmed with a sharp pair of household scissors, an x-acto knife or a pocket knife easily.

Lorraine has a refill issue too:

I have an old dual pen desk set from my grandfather that I would love to get working again. The refills are giving me trouble finding. It’s an old basic coppers colored spring load style. Kinda looks like one of those snap to size types. I can send a photo. What I’m really wanting to know is, is there a rollerball or gel or gel/hybrid that will work so the pens will be enjoyable to use? I don’t mind buying a few to try, but I’d love to get the search narrowed down. Thanks!! p.s. love listening to you on The Pen Addict!

Thanks, Lorraine. While I don’t have a copper version of this refill that you mentioned, I think it probably looks something like this:

Trying to find a non-oily ballpoint option is near impossible. The closest I found was a Pilot Dr. Grip which looked close. You’d probably have to save the spring from a previous refill to make it work however. While still ballpoint ink, its probably much better than the cheap oily ballpoint ink originally sold in the refills. The Uni Jetsream SXR refill might also work and is the best ballpoint refill. It might also require a little tweaking but it could be a contender. Wish I could have been more help. Readers, if you have any better suggestions, please leave them in the comments!

The post Ask the Desk: Lefty Smudge Issues, Top 5 Pens under $50 and more refill options appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

I have had several people ask me about the Danish Time Manager planners recently. It’s been brought to my attention that they will no longer going to be manufacturing their inserts for their A5-sized planners.

Hello For 30 years I have used an A5 Time Manager shipped from Denmark for my diary. I am devastated that they cease trading at the end of 2019. I am looking for A5 diary pages to replace the the Time Manager ones. I have looked at Filofax and whilst they do an A5 version the holes are wrongly spaced for my A5 binder. However, the holes of the Filofax smaller size are spaced correctly. It would be a compromise for me to switch from A5 to this smaller size. I would like to know if there is a company which produces A5 pages with 4 hole ring binder where the holes are spaced like this : Hole 1.5 inches Hole 2 inches Hole 1.5 inches Hole 0————————0————————————0———————0 (Not to scale) Can you help? Julie

There was also a comment in one of the planner posts (I don’t remember which one. My apologies!) about this as well. So,  my best advice is:

My best advice would be to try Agendio customizable planner inserts. The advantage of Agendio inserts is that you can order them without the holes punched and then take the pages to a local copy shop and have them punch the holes for you. Just remember to save a page from your old inserts as a guide for placement and size.

Most copy shops will punch holes for a few dollars/pounds/euros and then your inserts should fit perfectly. If you would prefer to punch the holes yourself, there are hole punches available on Amazon with adjustable hole placement. This Officemate Adjustable Hole Punch (90070) can be adjusted from 2-7 holes for about $19.

Alternately, you can print your own pages. Etsy is filled with printable options for planner pages or you can download free inserts from Philofaxy and then punch the holes yourself or take them to a copy shop and have them punch them.

Hashini asks:

Do you know of any water erasable fountain pen inks that will just wipe off, if i tried to wipe them off with a wet cloth. Something like the Pliot Frixon pens. The reason is, i have been wanting to buy one of the reusable notebooks. I write a lot and am very environment conscious. Using as much plastic as the Frixon pens for this purpose seems a waste. I want to make it more sustainable and use a fountain pen in conjuncture with either the Rocketbook Everlast notebook or the Elfinbook which is made of stone paper.

Oh, this seems like such a great idea on so many levels but then there are also so many ways that make it not as great as it sounds.

Where to start? First, stone paper is not as environmentally friendly as it may sound. Some folks have also had issues with potential damage to fountain pen nibs, particularly gold nibs because the surface of the stone paper can act as a “smoothing stone” and gold nibs are generally softer than steel nibs. Long term use of stone paper can continue to “smooth” your nib in ways that you may not like.

As for the Pilot Frixion pens, it is possible to purchase a pen body and just replace the refill which will cut down on the overall waste. An example would be the standard 0.7mm gel refill which, according to JetPens site can be used in 200 different products found on their site alone.

The Rocketbook Everlast books use polyester paper (so it’s still synthetic material) that you can write on and wipe off like a dry erase board. However, this will allow you to combine it with a pen like the Pilot Frixion or potentially (and I say potentially because we have not tested this out) or something like the Noodler’s Watererase ink in a refillable marker like a Platinum Preppy Highlighter (which accepts Platinum cartridges or converters) that could be filled with the Noodler’s Watererase/Waterease ink. On traditional paper Noodler’s Watererase/Waterease is listed as permanent so results on Everlast paper could be mixed..

In the end, all of this seems like a lot of work to find a “paperless” solution. Depending on how long you plan on keeping your notebooks, keeping paper may be an easier task than maintaining digital storage solutions (when factoring in cloud storage fees, changing formats, etc). Especially since paper can be recycled and a good pen with refillable refills, cartridges or bottled ink limits overall environmental impact.

Some paper (like Tomoe River) is made from bamboo, other is made from sugar cane or cotton. All of these are renewable sources and not likely to create environmental issue. If purchasing paper made from wood pulp, be sure it’s FSC-certified which means it’s sustainably grown and harvested.

The post Ask the Desk: Danish Time Manager & Water Erasable Fountain Pen Ink appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

Pete asks:

I believed I had found the pen of my dreams when I came across the very affordable Varsity Pilot fountain pen. Once that pen ran out of ink, I gleefully purchased another. It skipped so much that I had to toss it. Got another, same. Another, same. Another, same. What’s going on here? People love these pens– as I did once upon a time!– and I’ve heard there may be a defect here and there with these mass produced cheap pens– understandable. But three in a row? I’m wondering if it’s me. Any advice?

Skipping in a pen can be caused by a couple different things. The ink might be a bit dry or clogged in the feed or the tines might be misaligned. In a budget pen like the Varsity, both of these can be possibilities.

You can flush the pen by running water over the nib to make sure there aren’t any particles clogging the feed. Since these pens often sit in warehouses for an undisclosed length of time, there is a possibility that the ink may have settled, frozen or dried out.

If the tines are misaligned, pulling the forward and back gently with your fingers may be all it needs to straighten them out. If you have a loupe or magnifying glass of some sort to verify if the tines are a little out of line, that will help.

With a budget pen like a Varsity, I’m not sure I would pursue additional methods to correct issues. Since they have closed ink systems, you cannot dump the ink, clean thoroughly and refill them (as I might suggest with a Platinum Preppy which is a pen in a similar price point). Nor would I take the time to do more detailed nib tuning, unless it was just for the practice. But hopefully, the tips I’ve listed above might help you save one or two Varsity pens.

You can dump the ink if you want. Peninkcillin has a tutorial for disassembling the Varsity and refilling it which would allow you to clean it completely.

Jonas asks:

In search for compatible mont blanc refills, anything y can help me with?

The best option for MontBlanc compatible refills is Monteverde. They offer ballpoint and rollerball options depending on your need and at half the price of MontBlanc refills. You can find them in smaller quantities through most online pen shops or Amazon.

The post Ask The Desk: Varsity Fountain Pens & Montblanc Refills appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.