Inky Fingers Currently Inked Notebook: A Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

I am notoriously bad at keeping track of what pens I have inked and what inks are in those pens. For example, I inked my TWSBI mini AL blue with a simply wonderful blue ink, and now I’m not sure what it is. I think it’s Bookbinders Blue Racer Snake Ink, but it could be one of many other samples I’ve tried out in the past month. Ugh. So frustrating.

Many people keep their “Currently Inked List” in one of their regular notebooks or journals. I know one super-organized man on Twitter who actually created a database that automatically tells him when it’s time to ink up a particular pen and then it chooses a random ink from his collection. This forces him to try each pen with a different ink. That’s genius, but I don’t know how to build such a database, and I’m ridiculously obsessive about inks matching the pen color, so I probably would not use a random ink generator. Still, very cool.

The Pen Habit offers a nice analog solution for keeping track of your inked pens. It’s called the Inky Fingers Currently Inked Notebook.

Currently Inked notebooks come in both pocket and Travelers Notebook sizes. I chose the Travelers Notebook size so that I can use one of my many TN covers to carry the notebooks.

The paper in these notebooks is 80 gsm wheat straw paper. It is fountain pen friendly and environmentally sustainable. It’s pure white, so it won’t throw off the color of your inks.

For each entry, there’s space to list the pen, nib, ink color, date inked, date cleaned, and room for a small swab. There’s also a little triangle to the right of the pen field that you can use to hashtag reinkings of the same pen and ink or for any other purpose you can think of.

The paper is high quality. There’s a bit of show through with the swabs but no bleed through.

Each notebook has 44 pages with enough room for 176 entries. You can purchase these notebooks from The Pen Habit website for $6.00 a piece.

(I purchased my Currently Inked notebooks with my own funds.)

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Posted on June 9, 2017 by Susan Pigott and filed under Inky Fingers, Notebook Reviews.

Story Supply Co. Pocket Staple Notebook Edition 407 Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter.)

I'm late, and not even fashionably so, to the Story Supply Co. party. They launched right when I hit pocket-notebook-overwhelm in my own stash, and I was on a self-imposed moratorium. And even though I loved their name (I love stories more than I love pens--shh, don't tell), and I love their awesome mission to bring writing and creative expression to underserved communities--I still was not allowed to buy any more pocket notebooks.

I'm really sorry I waited. These notebooks are delightful. I can already hear my stash growing again.

This 407 edition was named to honor the 407 Kickstarter backers who helped launch the brand. I would also like to thank those folks--you've done the world a great service. This special edition has a wine-colored 100 lb cardstock cover, embossed with the logo. The cover has a gorgeous linen-finish texture to it. It feels fantastic, and it's both rugged and elegant. It's bound with copper staples and the standard 48-pages, here in 70 lb dot grid.

Every writing tool I tried loved this paper. It was a bit smooth for a soft pencil, but I had no trouble even with my broad, wet fountain pen nibs. To really put it to the test, I dragged one around with me on a four-day writer's conference, using it to take notes on panels, write down people's contact info or book titles, and as a general daily journal. I was deliberately hard on it. And if you look closely at the notebook that's outside of the label in the picture--the one that's face-down--you can kind of see fingerprints on it. As in...it still looks new. I was almost disappointed in its durability because I wanted it to look as loved as it is. But you're just going to have to take my word for it--or, better yet, try them out for yourself.

For every pack you buy, a Story Supply kit will be sent to a kid in need--and those voices, those stories really need to get on paper. So load up! Forget whatever silly rules you have about pocket notebook quantity limits. You'll get some great notebooks, and so will the next generation of storytellers.

(Story Supply Co. provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Posted on June 8, 2017 by Sarah Read and filed under Story Supply Co., Notebook Reviews.

Diplomat Aero in Sunset Orange: Update and Giveaway

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

A few weeks ago, I wrote a review of the Diplomat Aero in Sunset Orange. I noted a few things that I felt detracted from the quality of the pen: (1) the fact that the cap did not post securely; (2) the painted-on logo which could eventually wear off; and (3) the nib’s stingy ink flow.

Hillary from Points of Distinction, the US distributor of Diplomat, wrote me to address those weaknesses. First, the factory is redesigning the inside of the cap so that it will post more securely in the future. Second, all orange Aeros have engraved logos rather than painted ones, so if you purchase an orange version, the logo should not wear off. Third, she offered to send a replacement nib to replace mine, in case it’s faulty. That’s terrific customer service! It’s really great to know that a company stands behind its product and is working to improve it based on customer feedback.

In addition, Pen Addict is giving away the Diplomat Aero in Sunset Orange which was used in the review to one lucky reader, including the spare nib. Read the Termas and Conditions below and enter away!

Posted on June 7, 2017 by Susan Pigott and filed under Diplomat, Giveaways.