What Bujo-Related Thing Are You Excited About in February?

[inkstone]

We're starting a new month and for many people, new months mean new beginnings. It's arbitrary, but there's something about seeing that 1 on the calendar, right?

So let's turn to our bujos. Are you trying anything new in February?

Maybe you're getting a new journal. Or do you want to try out that new fountain pen? Perhaps you've decided to experiment with a habit tracker. Or are you beginning a bujo for the very first time ever?

Whatever it is, let's talk about it here. Go!

Comments

[lunabee34]

You're writing with a fountain pen, right? I am such a fountain pen newb, but my friend gave me two Smiggles which I adore (and also am not too afraid to use because they're just cheapies), but it looks like the nib on the pen you're using is bigger than mine and I really like it. What size is it (if that's not a stupid question)?

[yhlee]

Yup! I'm using a pair of Aurora Optimas. (Although, uh, they are not cheap pens.) The nib size is medium, and they're Italian pens so they probably run a bit wide compared to, say, Japanese nibs. I think the line width is a bit broader than half a millimeter?

(If you mean the physical size of the nib, I can get those measurements too.)

I am always happy to talk fountain pens--there are a lot of great pens that are also more affordable, although far be it for me to stop you if you someday decide to splurge. :)

[lunabee34]

Thank you!

I don't really know much about fountain pens. I like the ones I have, and I've had fun putting new ink cartridges in them and changing the ink color.

But I think I would like a slightly thicker line. My rapid handwriting does not hold up well to an ultra-fine writing utensil.

I was talking to the friend who gave them to me today about wanting some new pens/markers, and she suggested maybe a fountain pen upgrade. Hmmmmm....

[yhlee]

You probably want to experiment with medium nibs from European companies, then, if you can get them at your location. There are some fountain pens that have swappable nibs so that if you find one doesn't work, you can just buy a new nib instead of a whole new pen. The Lamy Safari is one example. (Not everyone likes the triangular grip section or the aesthetic, though, and they take proprietary cartridges or, for bottled ink, a converter.)

Have fun!

[lunabee34]

This is wonderful advice! Thank you so much.

I have decided that bottled ink is far, far in my fountain pen future. I just see it going everywhere. LOL

The Lamy Safari looks great to me. IDK how the grip would feel, but I'm fine with the aesthetic. I should see if my friend has one I can try. I know she has a collection.

[yhlee]

No problem! Cartridges are definitely much more convenient. I haven't had a bottled ink spill yet but it's only a matter of time, lol.

If your friend has a fountain pen collection already, you should definitely see if she's willing to let you try [edit: fixed pronoun error] hers [/end edit]--it's so much better to try before you buy. With a Lamy Safari it's not so bad, but for some of the more expensive pens, it's kind of D: if you buy and it turns out not to be your thing. ^_^

[lunabee34]

That's a good point. I'd have a really hard time shelling out major cash for something I'd never seen/touched in person.

I think she has several different kinds, though, so this should be fun.

If you don't mind still talking fountain pens, what colors of ink do you like the best?

Any pen or ink anti-recs?

fountain pens & ink!

[yhlee]

I like teal/green-leaning blues, especially the darker ones, blue-blacks, rich jewel-tone reds and burgundies, more subdued greens and browns for sketching. :) How about you?

Pen recs:

The Pilot Metropolitan is a Japanese pen, but it does come in a 1.0 mm stub, which might be worth experimenting with if you think you might like a thicker line--it'll give your writing a more calligraphic effect. Those run about $15. I prefer lighter pens (they're metal), but they're rugged and a lot of people like them, and they come in a ton of fun colors.

If you like the Lamy Safari and someday want to try bottled ink, I've tried and liked the Lamy 2000, which is the more expensive upper-tier pen they offer. A friend of mine who likes Lamys has more than one and swears by it--if you like Bauhaus design, that's pretty much it in a nutshell.

If you ever want to try lever fillers and don't mind going vintage, Esterbrooks Js, LJs, and SJs come in a variety of fun colors, are generally pretty affordable ($25-$50 for most of them depending on rarity and condition), have exchangeable nib units that screw out (there are literally dozens of different nib units of different widths, etc.), and are built like tanks. Lever fillers are bottled ink only, but if you decide you want to give one a try, message me.

If you ever want a customized fountain pen and have spare cash lying around, I can recommend Edison Pens or Scriptorium Pens. The former is a bigger operation and the wait time will tend to be less; Scriptorium is currently running, yikes, seven months' wait (it's one person). But Scriptorium makes some beautiful stuff; I have a Master Scrivener (mine is pictured, the Red Stardust one with the ink window and two gears), which was a reward-to-self for selling my first novel. You can get your choice of nib width with these--they're JoWo nib units (German), so basically once you know what JoWo works for you (if they do) you can extrapolate.

Ink:

I don't have much experience with cartridges...I've liked Platinum Blue-Black (proprietary), which is water-resistant, although Platinum is a Japanese company so if you want a "medium" line width, you'd probably have to go to a B or even a BB nib on one of their pens, depending. That's available on some of their higher-end options but not, so far as I can tell, on the lower-end ones like the Preppy (Fine or Medium only, where the Medium is probably equivalent to a European Fine).

I do like a lot of the Diamine colors, and I believe a number of their colors are available as standard international cartridges, if you have a pen that takes those. Depending on location, it may or may not be worth actually buying from Goulet Pens (I have been happy with their service, but I'm in the USA), but if you go to the ink section, everything they sell has photos so you can see swabs and writing samples and what the ink actually looks like. :)

Not an anti-rec per se, but Noodler's (bottled only) has some fabulous and unusual inks with interesting properties, BUT some of their inks are high maintenance and should be used with caution. Baystate Blue is the most notorious of these (some love its color, but it's an aggressive ink and you need to be diligent with pen maintenance is what I hear), and the other Baystate colors are also to be approached with caution. Noodler's Black is probably pretty safe in a modern pen, though (as opposed to vintage pens).

Re: fountain pens & ink!

[lunabee34]

First off, congratulations! How exciting to sell your first novel. :)

Your celebratory pen is absolutely gorgeous.

My friend gave me a Pilot Parallel today. This one has a much larger nib and it creates a calligraphic effect. She also told me you can stick two nibs back to back in it and write with two colors which sounds super cool. I think I'm going to like this pen, but it does have the differently shaped nib that creates the calligraphic effect. I still want to try a regular one with a larger nib.

As far as ink goes, I don't even know what kind I've used. Whatever was cheapest on Amazon and came in a pack of multiple colors LOL or was something she gave me. I've used several different blues, purples and greens that I liked. I was pretty meh on the brown that was included in one pack. I've got black in one of the Smiggles now but it's not a very black black and I don't like it as well as I would something darker. The Pilot Parallel came with two ink cartridges, what looks to be a red and a black that is super inky and sexy.

I've got a yellow that I don't know what to do with; I guess some people use their pens as highlighters? IDK

Re: fountain pens & ink!

[eleanorjane]

FWIW, also, if you invest in Lamy Safaris and then decide you want to try bottled ink, you can easily get converters that will facilitate that.