Paper and Hand

In a galaxy far far away... there was a flea-market

2011-07-04T23:01:00.001+02:00

I started visiting flea-markets when I was a kid following my father who was always looking for second-hand tools for his job. At first markets were just tiring and boring, I couldn't find anything interesting for a little girl, until I started looking at shiny coins, pen nibs (sadly many lost now) or old books... and I was hooked!

This is the small flea-market in my town, well part of it. Every time I visit a market it's a different adventure, no matter how many times I've been there before. Sometimes I'm lucky and find many great treasures, some other times I go back home empty handed, but it's a great experience either way because I get to see many different things I never thought I'd see for real or even imagined they existed.

Last weekend I made a nice loot if I can say so myself, especially since I picked everything up for a few bucks: a flock of Pelikan pens and three brand new, yet unreleased, Moleskine Star Wars LE notebooks.

The pens were all in the same box and the first to catch my eye was the barely used (see sticker) Pelikan P470-ST or Pelikan Steno for friends. It's a pretty sturdy pen from the '80s, made to last and take much abuse, with a special flexible nib made for shorthand writing. I hated shorthand in school so I nearly didn't pick this pen!

Then in red and attractive purple a couple of simple school pens from the late '80s I think, but they sport a nice M steel nib I can always grind down and play with.
And last one of these elusive mystery pens I already found last September. Some people over at FPN said it could be a M150 version for the Japanese market that somewhat was distributed in Italy, who knows if it's true. Anyway it's in a nice shape, smoothly-working piston filler, gold plated F nib, really an amazing find for the price I paid.

The Moleskine notebooks appear from time to time in a stall at this market, usually well in advance before sold in stores. This time they had some great Star Wars LE edition :) I think these might be some kind of sales representatives sample or better test copies from the firm that makes them (remember: printed in China, assembled in Italy).
I'm glad anyway, the price was great, and even managed to haggle a little as a long-time customer.

Sadly many markets around here are closed in Summer, I shall rest and save for the next time!

Tweeted late at night.

2011-06-30T00:16:00.001+02:00

Zen and the Art of Fountain Pen maintenance...

Breathe, don't use strength, don't use blunt objects, wipe don't soak...

Breathe, swear.

Repeat, especially the last part.

Spring in the countryside

2011-04-11T14:16:00.002+02:00

I had good intentions, I swear!
I started sketching but then I laid down on the warm grass...and took a nap!

Puzzle anyone?

2011-04-08T13:46:00.001+02:00

It's never a good sign if a pen package sounds like a pack of cereals... those were my first thoughts upon handling a light bubble-wrap envelope, and I was right.

Today is just not a good pen day, so I'll have to grin and bear and hope to salvage the cap (slightly cracked) and nib.
That used to be a McNiven and Cameron Wavelery pen, it was around for 50+ odd years but didn't survive the postal system.

5 April 2011

2011-04-05T15:05:00.001+02:00

Added a couple of pens I need to test to my arsenal this week/month.

I don't use them all together! I usually choose two with contrasting ink and they stay on my desk all day, doodling, making notes on worksheets, doodling again, writing useless notes on worksheets once again.

TWSBI Diamond - Sailor Rikyu-cha
Mabie Todd Swan - R&K Scabiosa
Parker Duofold (Black & Pearl) - DIY dark brown mix
Parker Duofold (Dusty Red) - Sailor Yama-dori
Noodler's Flex pen - dirty mix of blue and purple

Flushing day

2011-02-26T17:08:00.002+01:00

When I clean my pens I often spend more time looking at the pretty patterns ink makes in water than actually flushing the pen.
For the record they are Noodler's Nightshade and Herbin's 1670.

24 february 2011

2011-02-24T09:12:00.002+01:00

A few pens I've restored lately and brought at work to play...

Not dead

2011-01-15T10:22:00.000+01:00

Yes, I'm still around but my desktop computer has finally decided to give up its ghost, again.
This time it's serious and it needs intensive care to replace several parts, if I had the money I'd get a new computer right away but I don't so I'll repair it the old way.

I can't stop buying (or mixing) ink!

2010-12-31T09:12:00.002+01:00

But I'll never finish the inks I've already got!

I got a new drawer unit from Ikea, it looks sturdy so I decided to move there my ink collection. I hope that having a limited space for storage will help me restrain myself from buying more bottles... who am I kidding?
(not pictured here the samples I got off friends *waving at O*)

Someone is feeling crafty

2010-12-28T13:58:00.003+01:00

Altered Muji notebook, done at work without supplies, will probably add stuff at home

Santa was late

2010-12-27T14:44:00.002+01:00

But always welcome :)

A present for myself, even if I'm not always good.
Sailor summer ink Rikyu-Cha and a TWSBI Diamond 530 with XF nib.
Sorry for the blurry photo but I just got it and was in a rush to get to work, I couldn't wait to play with my new toys!

back from the holidays

2010-08-29T21:42:00.003+02:00

Two weeks, and I mean two whole weeks of doing nothing but relax. The place isn't anything exotic or fancy, just the regular family house in the countryside, and old farm really, but I'm grateful for it. I took long walks in the woods, had too many cups of tea and painted a little... now it's hard to think about getting back to work!

Check my Flickr stream in a few days for the scans of the stuff I painted.

Goodness inside

2010-07-26T16:00:00.000+02:00

Usually when people think about Nutella don't think about ink at all, but I'm weird so...

When a co-worker gave me a tiny 30g replica of the famous jar of sweet spread I had to know where I could get more, turns out sets of three mini jars are only sold during holidays so for Easter I hoarded some sets.

They are great for keeping ink! The lid screws tidily, thick food-grade plastic so there aren't many chances it might react with some ink, the jar is quite capacious, the plastic is clear so I can check for precipitations in mixtures, nearly perfect I'd say!

I don't really like sweet stuff that much, the things I do for the sake of pens...

pen guts

2010-07-23T21:20:00.002+02:00

I received a Waterman 52 today.

So far I've managed to open it without much drama and I'm carefully removing the remains of the perished bladder, I'm feeling a little like an archaeologist checking the innards of a mummy.

I can't decide if I like more the thrill of restoring a pen to former glory or the excitement of the first time the inked nib touches the paper, with many of my pens one feeling is often followed by the other, so I'm up for an emotional roller-coaster with this pen.

In Italian the word "pen" (penna) is grammatically feminine so I often use endearments for vintage pens, like old ladies, because they might be old but they deserve some respect for being still around after so many years!

little quiz

2010-07-21T20:39:00.000+02:00

For all the pens/art supplies addicts out there: what is this?

During lunch break I stopped by one of the smallest but best stationery store in town, I was chatting with the owner when she showed me this item and I couldn't believe my eyes! It had to come home with me!

The vial is very small, 5,5 cm or 2,4 made of glass with a rubber stopper but the container doesn't really matter though it's nice, what it's really special it's what is inside.
I'm pondering about getting another one so I can use it without regrets.

So, what do you think it is? :)

16 june 2010

2010-06-16T12:15:00.002+02:00

The pens in my pencil case at work this week (sorry for the photo, taken with my mobile)

Fountain pens for work and mechanical pencils with pocket brush pen for sketching ;)

Lamy Safari XF nib filled with a dyi burgundy mix
Pelikan M150 M nib filled with Noodler's Prime of The Commons
Eversharp Skyline XF nib filled with dyi Noodler's olive green mix
Mabie Todd Blackbird (just finished restoring the other day) M nib filled with J Herbin's Bleu Nuit

Pentel Pocket Brush Pen
Pentel F.357 (multi pen with 0.3, 0.5 and 0.7mm leads all in one)
Muji pen/pencil duo

Vacation at last

2010-05-06T19:53:00.007+02:00

This year has been pretty difficult at work, adjusting to a new office, new coworkers and duties, so I think I earned myself some vacation time.

I went to Paris!

Made this out of my beloved Muji notebooks and I had quite fun spattering white acrylic paint all over.

I went to the Louvre and did this quick sketch of François-Joseph Bosio's "Hercule combattant Achéloüs métamorphosé en serpent".
I didn't care for Hercules, never liked when I studied at school, but the snake was pretty amazing and I'm not happy I wasn't able to catch the details.
I sat there sketching and people walked by the statue without noticing it, then they wandered around to have a look at my notebook so they thought it must have been special and went back to take a picture of it.

My favourite place in Paris was Luxembourg Gardens, or "Jardin du Luxembourg".
Paris in spring is beautiful and especially the gardens are amazing. The Gardens are alive with people sunning themselves, running or engaging in a game of pétanques.
I did a quick sketch of this bronze statue because the bright green patina was really eye-catching among beautiful tulips and a flowering cherry tree in the background.
I got my palette here in Italy and it's made by Fome which makes many palettes for big brands (I think Sennelier used to have this version), it houses mainly Sennelier's paints and it's small but has lot of space for colours and mixing.

Muji passport notebooks

2010-03-18T21:05:00.003+01:00

Every time I stop at Muji I grab an handful of these notebooks, they are small, handy, the size of a passport, and I like to customize the covers. The paper is yellowish, pretty thin and reminds me of Moleskine's paper, it's sewn together so it makes the binding pretty durable.

Some images on Flickr

The one that got away

2010-01-04T09:48:00.002+01:00

As usual today I visited the local flea-market looking for (pen) treasures.
I found a new, and I mean totally mint with box and tag, Pelikan M150, for 15€ (roughly 20$), and I couldn't leave it there could I?

I also found a Parker 51 but I barely looked at it for my dislike of such hooded nib. I'm not a fan of hooded nibs though I own an Aurora 88 and a Pelikan P1. While many might have jumped at the chance to get such a famous pen in their collection it didn't really appeal to me... until I got back home! I'm not saying that I finally saw the light and changed my opinion on the Parker 51, I still think it looks awkard and stumpy but I started wondering why such pen was so famous and well-liked.

So I braved the cold and went back to the market a few hours later only to find the vendor had already packed for the day and vanished.
In some ways I'm relieved I wasn't faced with the choice of getting such pen, but I'm also disappointed with myself for changing my mind and too late.

This is embarassing

2009-12-28T00:17:00.003+01:00

The state of my bed right before tidying up and going to sleep.
I was trying to sort of some colours in my big watercolour box and making charts.

Taken with my mobile sorry for the quality of photo.
Now I really should go to sleep!

a matter of cleaning

2009-12-18T10:58:00.002+01:00

In my opinion you shouldn't mail pens filled with ink, but last week I received in the mail a pen still filled with Waterman Blue-Black, it wasn't a big deal so I cleaned the leaks and started writing with it straight away.

Yesterday I finally ran out of ink so I started my cleaning routine (which basically means flushing for with lukewarm water until the water comes out clean) and I was surprised to see some dried ink particles coming out. As I kept cleaning the pen I saw more and bigger flakes of ink and it was pretty disgusting.
Maybe I'm a neat freak but I was highly disappointed, I've never seen that much dirt in a pen, not even in pens found at flea markets. It's just a matter of common sense, a clean pen works better than one filled with muck, there is no point at flossing nibs or lamenting poor flow when bits of ink clog everything.

my old ladies

2009-12-16T00:54:00.010+01:00

I took this photo for a fellow pen-addict in a rush and only later I noticed I made a few mistakes. Actually the correct age order is 1, 3, 2, 5, 4, 6, 7 .

The Eversharp Skyline is most likely the older, since it sports a visulated section it's probably one of the first models from the early '40s. It has a nice fine nib, sadly quite firm :( but the pen is light and a joy to write with. So far it's my only lever-fill but I'm not sure it will be my last.

The Snorkel Admiral was produced between 1952-1959 so it should go at least after the Aurora in the photo.
At first I didn't like the open nib, too plain compared to variations of the Triumph nib, but I grew to love it, especially its big heart-shaped breather hole and 5 imprint. It's the first pen I detailed on my own so I was very proud of myself when the snorkel started sucking up water.

The Aurora 88 is a very lucky find.
I found the set with a matching mechanical pencil at a flea market. The pen was still in its original box with instructions and warranty, and the guy selling it obviously hadn't the faintest idea otherwise he wouldn't have sold it for merely 25€.
It's one of the first series made so probably it sat abandoned in a drawer since the late '40s! It has seen more action since I bought it than the last sixty years.
The nib is very flexible, I've yet to get used to this nib, sometimes I have problems writing with it because I have a very light hand and I'm used to stiffer nibs.

Again, age mistake. The pen is Sheaffer Imperial III (since it's improbable I had the luck the find a Target). It's a lovely c1961 Touchdown model with Triumph nib.
I love Triumph nibs, and that's enough for me, the pen itself it's quite boring, all black with a few gold accents but probably it accentuates the loveliness of the two-toned short nib. It's a good reliable writer, sturdy but light, usually it's filled with purple ink since that barrel is the safest for the evil staining purple.

Next here there is another Sheaffer Snorkel, a Statesman, common as muck, but who cares? Made in the earlier to mid '50s this pen has been gutted at least twice by yours truly but nevertheless manages to work, this is what I call resilience.
At first I didn't like the stub nib, too broad for my tiny handwriting, but as I acquired a fine nib to replace it I found that I quite liked the stubby quirkiness.

The Pelikan P1 is the least successful Pelikan ever made. The model was so unpopular (obviously inspired from Parker 61) it was only made for five years, from 1958 to 1963. It isn't a pen I wanted desperately but I came upon it at a charity sale still in its original box for merely 5€ so I picked it up.
But it's a good pen! It's a piston filler that holds a lot of ink, it has a surprisingly springy nib, it's light and well balanced, perfect for everyday use.

Last but not least the elusive Pilot MYU 701. I fell in love with this pen through the internet, looking at photos for long hours, until I took the plunge and found one on eBay compatible with my budget. At first I was highly disappointed because it's heavy (compared to plastic pens I'm used to) and the writing experience wasn't very satisfying, but I grew used to its weight, and I also switched to cartridges to improve the ink flow and now it's a smooth writer.

watercolour sets

2009-09-22T09:37:00.004+02:00

I love to take and look at pictures of art supplies so I couldn't wait to take pictures when a friend on LJ asked me a question about watercolours :)

My watercolour sets:
- studio set artist quality Windsor & Newton Artists half pans and some Schmincke Horadam. It started a lot less full than now, some colours are old, some newer, and it keeps growing, I can't help because they are like candy!
- for travelling light and cheap student grade W&N Cotman set, best £9,95 spent ever. It's light and has three tiers of mixing surfaces. Switched Cobalt Blue with Prussian Blue, I really don't get why they included it if there was already Ultramarine (and Prussian is prettier), and threw away China White for Mauve.
- the tiny box is an empty candy tin with Neutral Tint, Payne Grey and Sepia useful if I want to work in monocrome or darken mixes from the sketch kit (you won't see black or white in any of my sets).

A folding 4 round brush and shortened 10 to fit in my pencil case (cut to size with pruning shears!)

And handmade sketchbook of course!

Birdbook

2009-09-21T08:04:00.003+02:00

Crappy sketchbook I made with Fabriano Studio Watercolour 200gsm paper.

I needed a pocket sketchbook to carry on vacation, couldn't find a regular one to my liking so I made it using paper from a big pad I had lying around that wasn't much used anyway.

Can you believe it? There wasn't a single pocket sized sketchbook in my town! And I didn't have time to order it on the internet, it took me less time and pain to make my own and it was fun!

The cover is packing paper, binding tape and prints of stamps, I meant to use real stamps (I have tons) but when in need I couldn't find my stash. And sprayed with a couple of layers of matte acrylic transparent paint to avoid stains :)

Look inside

quaderno

2009-09-06T12:28:00.001+02:00

Page from my first grade notebook, 1984, sample of the cursive I was taught at school.

On the right self-portrait with grandma :)

broken snorkel

2009-06-16T13:34:00.003+02:00

How bad is this? Very very bad!
My poor Sheaffer Statesman suffered an untimely death last night.

It was handled by my darling but totally unsafe father, unscrewing the barrel he must have twisted something off and he also lost the inner spring. It lasted for more than 50 years but not 5 minutes in my father's hands, never leave a pen in a mechanic's hands without supervision!
The metal sac protector broke exactly near the ring, it's not supposed to open there and show the sac :(