Tuesday Toolset, Black Stripe Edition

My mind is always up to something when it comes to stationery usage. Finding the balance between using ALL OF THE THINGS or only some of the things is an eternal fight. One I’m more than happy to step into the ring for.

1. Pilot Custom Black Stripe fountain pen. I adore this pen, and two things made me want to ink it up: A recent post on Cronicas Estilograficas, and my ink cartridge review series. Needless to say, I popped a Pilot Blue Black ink cartridge in this pen, which is always in my heavy rotation.
2. Tombow Mono KM-KKS 4B. I’ve been sitting on this one since my visit to C.W. Pencil last fall. I almost didn’t buy it because 4B is not normally my thing. Then I almost didn’t use it because I wasn’t sure I could do its specialness justice. What I have missed over the last several months of seeing sitting there, inactive, is a truly special pencil.
3. Yoseka Notebook. If you are looking for a new A5-sized notebook and want to try something different, this is the one you should buy. I feel safe saying you will be pleased with it. I’m enamored by it every time I pick it up.

Tuesday Toolset, Picture Sticker Edition

Despite being surrounded by pens and paper all weekend at the Atlanta Pen Show, there was only one pen and one notebook I kept on me at all times. And, by the end of the show, my notebook was upgraded greatly.

1. Nock Co. DotDash Sidebound Pocket Notebook. That’s right, side bound. Getting mine at the show was the first time I got to hold the final product, and it came out great. The Bright Orange DotDash pattern is practically an optical illusion. From a distance, the page looks almost like a blank ivory page until you pull it closer and notice the fluorescent pattern. It’s wild!
2. 22Pen. I was asked to bring a lot of pens for show and tell at the show - Sailor King of Pen and Conid Monarch for example - and I knew the 22Pen was going to be joining that illustrious company. It drew a huge range of comments, all of which were expected. It is such a strange pen and I wanted to get it into people’s hands to check out.
3. Polaroid Zip Mobile Printer. I’m well versed in the resurgence of the small instant photography camera, but I didn’t know anything about the image sticker printer I saw being passed around at the bar. It can connect via Bluetooth to your smartphone and print 2”x3” stickers for you to use anywhere. As I did.

Tuesday Toolset, Daily Doodle Edition

My partner Brian at Spoke Design keeps a notebook for his dedicated daily sketch time. Rain or shine, home or away, he makes the time to brain dump a product idea or three. I’m now attempting this myself…

CW&T Studio Sketchbook. It didn’t take long to for me to come up with a use for this notebook. I knew it needed to fulfill a more creative need in my workflow, and this usage is perfect. The A6 size is ideal, and I’m enjoying the paper so far.

Koh-I-Noor Duo Carpenter Pencil. I’ll buy pretty much any double-sided pencil on the market. I grabbed these at Goods for the Study in NYC last fall, but they are not available on their online store (the product link is an Amazon Affiliate link.) I love carpenter pencils too, but they are too wide for regular A6 notebook usage. The cores feel great though.

Schon DSGN Classic Machined Pen. Me, Schon, Fisher, and Lisa Frank get along well. This may end up being my go to pen for this notebook. I love the medium blue Space Pen ballpoint refill. It allows me to be comfortable using this pen at the dusty fields of baseball practice, as well as at my desk at home.

Blackwing Volume 811. The Tuesday Toolset series allows me to mix in new products more frequently, and get a feel for them before reviewing them. The latest from Blackwing - the library edition - is practically perfect.