Goulet Q&A Episode 281: Which Fountain Pens Stain, and the Best Pens to Come in 2020
In this Goulet Q&A episode, Brian talks about if all demonstrator pens are doomed to be stained, best ways to incorporate fountain pens into your daily life, and the best pens to come in 2020. Enjoy!
Pens/Writing
1) voltronsleftfoot- Instagram (0:50)
Is reusing pen flush ok?
- Yes! That’s actually part of why we provide the little vial
- If you have an ink you know shouldn’t be mixed with others (like Noodler’s Baystate) then you shouldn’t reuse
- otherwise, reuse to your heart’s content
2) mohitdongar- Instagram (4:51)
Which pens are you expecting to be a hit in 2020?
- This is so tough, because we only have visibility mayyyybe a few months out, with some brands
- we don’t know at the beginning of the year what’s coming, honestly
- Monteverde and Conklin will be coming out with a lot, they have their new JoWo nibs and they plan to make a splash with those
- TWSBI for sure
- I’m hoping Namiki has some releases again as they’re catching up from their 100th anniversary backlog
- Lamy has a lot of cool stuff in the works, some of it’s leaked!
- Montegrappa’s got some insane LE pens coming
- For sure there are a number of really exciting things on the way, 2020 will be a fun year for pens
3) karveto- Instagram (10:25)
Hi Brian! I am wondering what happens when people “regrind” nibs? Can any nibs be reground?
- yes, they sure can!
- there are two reasons to do it: to revive/repair a worn nib, or to alter it to match a preference
- it’s a craft, part art and part science, and to really do it well takes a lot of practice and ideally some special training
- it’s essentially using a series of tools and abrasives to reshape and smooth a nib to write finer/broader/wetter/drier/etc
- I had 3 days of training on it myself from Richard Binder and could go on and on about the details
- basically nibs are metal, they last a long time, and they can be altered several times over their life!
4) wonderbreadmel Instagram (14:42)
How do you pronounce “Kaweco”? Is it ka-way-co, or ka-weck-co?
- I believe the proper pronunciation is “Ka-vay-co”, since it’s German and their “w” is spoken as an English “v”…but of course I say it wrong…
- I debate about how properly I should say it…truth be told foreign languages are an absolute struggle for me, so this is a weak area for me…
Ink
5) ciao_Ig- Instagram (16:30)
Will all clear demonstrators stain with ink – or does it depend on the specific resin & ink used?
- no, not all will stain, it really does depend
- sadly, I don’t have super good sense of which do and don’t, it’s just too much to keep in my brain!
- 700+ inks we carry (and even more we don’t), many different pens, it’s thousands and thousands of combinations
- I think generally there are some pens more prone to it, some inks more prone to it (especially some pinks, purples, and blues)
- but it is not a given that it will stain
Business
6) chrismaklive- Instagram (20:41)
Are there any makers that have tours of their manufacturing?
- to the public? Not many that I know…
- Pelikan does, that I know
- Montegrappa’s done many private tours, we’ll have a video out on that
- Aurora has a writing museum, I don’t know how much of their factory is open to the public though
- I have heard of people touring Visconti, but it might just be by appointment?
- that’s all I can think of, honestly, Pelikan’s the only one that advertises it
- it’s not super common, I think just because of safety, liability, practicality, and general disruption to their operation
- most of these pen companies are way smaller than you’d think, and public tours are quite a logistical feat, it just isn’t something most of them are set up to do, which is why it’s good to do video tours when we can!
7) ayesha_0222- Instagram Pens/Writing (24:42)
What ways can I incorporate my fountain pen in my daily life?
- This is a great question, great!
- It’s something I’ve been thinking a lot more about recently, as our digital age is challenging the daily practicality of writing at all
- I think this depends a lot on what your daily life is
- the best way I’ve found is to just get one pen that you really like keeping with you, and carry it everywhere you go
- ideally, keep a notebook with you too, as that’s kind of important too in writing
- and just look for ways to write
- there are surely a lot of good writing prompts that can help, but here are 3 to get you started:
- write down the names of people you meet and one thing from your conversation, you can reference it later and it will wow them that you remembered
- write down things throughout the day you’re grateful for
- write down the 1-3 most important things you want to do that day, every day, and look at it several times throughout the day
- This is honestly a question I’d be interested in exploring even deeper in a future video, so I’ll reflect on it more
Question of the Week: How do you incorporate fountain pens into your daily life? (38:41)
Write On,
Brian Goulet
New Goulet Pens Exclusive: Monty Winnfield
We’re very excited to announce our latest exclusive fountain pen opportunity, we’ve partnered with Monty Winnfield, a Colorado-based company specializing in rings and fine writing instruments. As of the date of publishing, this pen model is only available at Goulet Pens. We’re excited to introduce the pen called Highwater. Read on to learn more about the brand, the pens, and their historical connections.
Brand History
Jeremiah Hackett, the creator of Monty Winnfield (a name which he chose as an homage to his dogs), began his career in high end automotive and motorcycle machined parts, handcrafting them with meticulous attention to detail. This prepared him well for a shift to custom jewelry-making when he began offering a selection of stunning wedding rings on his website. He worked with a variety of metals and woods to craft stunning one-of-a-kind designs. While familiarizing himself with these materials and exploring their possibilities, Jeremiah identified an opportunity to further utilize his skills to craft fine writing instruments. This pivotal decision has lead us to this exciting announcement today.
Monty Winnfield Highwater Fountain Pen
You may think that Highwater is just a really neat sounding name for the pen model but the moniker also carries a historical meaning to the brand. The building that houses Monty Winnfield’s operation is in a historic area of the town, which was largely destroyed by a massive flood of the Arkansas River in 1921. During the catastrophe, the building was submerged in 10-12 feet of water but stood strong to survive the test of time and nature. The name for the pen, Highwater, is derived from this story.
The Monty Winnfield Highwater fountain pens will be available in three great colors, Blue Topaz, Amethyst, and Linen. These names harken back to the creator’s history in jewelry making. The Blue Topaz and Amethyst designs are hand-turned from resin.
The Linen model features a Micarta body, created using a process in which resin is poured over or used to encase another material, such as linen or metal, to create a distinct design. The cap is fashioned from unidirectional carbon fiber. The titanium grip section of each pen features a unique brushed texture pattern that is distinct but subtle enough to not impact the writing experience. The design is completed with a custom titanium clip and a #6 JoWo steel nib engraved with the Monty Winnfield logo. Each pen comes elegantly packaged in a metal and wood gift box and includes a Standard International converter.
These elegant pens are inspired by the Japanese approach of Shibui. Shibusa balances subtle designs with luxurious elements to produce a look or experience that exudes “timeless tranquility.” These objects appear to be simple upon first glance but by closer inspection, it’s revealed that they offer some complexity in the form of textures or design elements that make it distinct. The purpose is that a shibui object continually encourages the user to find new meaning and complexity, thus continually increasing interest and value to the user over time.
To learn more about each of these gorgeous pens, be sure to check out the product pages on GouletPens.com.
What do you think? Will you be getting one?
Write On,
The Goulet Pens Team
Tiny Paintings by Crystal from Goulet Nation
Crystal is a member of our Goulet Nation Facebook group and has shared her amazing work in the group. We asked her to contribute a guest blog post sharing more about her technique so we all could be inspired! We invite you to join our group as well for conversation and inspiration related to all things fountain pens.
My journey into “Inksploration” (to borrow a Goulet Pens phrase), started with a drop of ink remaining in a Goulet sample vial. One of my other hobbies is doll photography and diorama making, so I have a number of small canvases at hand. Being the thrifty person I am, I couldn’t let that beautiful drop of ink (Diamine Citrus Ice) go to waste so I grabbed one of the canvases and dropped the ink onto it. As the ink dried, it changed, getting a lovely halo around the edge and some beautiful shimmer concentrations. I loved the effect so much, I added drops of other inks, until the canvas was covered in bright splotches of color. It made me happy and appealed to my thrifty nature.
A few weeks later, when sakura (cherry blossom) season arrived, I was so captivated by the beauty of the blossoms that I wanted to try painting them. The image looked, to my husband and I, like the blooms were engaged in a dance of joy. He took it to work with him to brighten up the strictly utilitarian Japanese job environment, where it proved to be quite popular and lead to requests by co-workers for similar paintings to tape to their monitors. (Personal items were forbidden from the desktops, so the monitor was a “safe place” for color.) Thus began a two-week marathon of learning watercolor techniques via YouTube videos and applying them to paper cut small enough to tape to a monitor. I must have produced over 150 tiny paintings over the next two weeks, sending them with my husband to pass out to homesick ex-pats and Japanese folk who just love color and tiny things.
The process of painting with ink is an excellent way to get to know what the ink is capable of doing. Adding water can cause the dyes to separate as the ink blooms across the paper, which is one of the primary reasons I prefer using them over traditional watercolor paints. My technique is referred to as “wet-into-wet”, meaning I add water to the paper first, then apply the ink and allow it to blend or spread on its own. This gives a sense of freedom and uniqueness to each piece, as even using the same ink will give different results each time. I often limit myself on how many inks I use in a single painting. Many are done with one ink, some are two or three, but all tend to be very simple compositions. I like to concentrate more on landscapes, with a narrowed focus on texture and ambiance over detail. I’ll use a very thin poster paint for a spatter of stars, or a white gel pen for a wave break, but otherwise, it’s only ink and water. My primary motivation though is color. Color warms us, cheers us, soothes us, takes us back in time. The various shades and vibrancies are associated with holidays, seasons, and moods. Some are vibrant and some are subdued, but they all do one thing: make us feel.
Write on,
Crystal
Sneak Peek: Edison Nouveau Premiere Winter 2020 Edition
For six years now, we’ve been releasing a seasonal edition of our exclusive Edison Nouveau Premiere fountain pen. Some seasons even two colors, for a total of 26 so far. You can view all the past editions here.
This 27th will be our final seasonal edition of the Premiere.
However, don’t despair — special editions of the Edison Nouveau Premiere aren’t going away. We’re just making a decision to stop doing seasonal editions in large batches, in favor of more limited editions with unique materials.
A bit of a backstory here. For some time now, it has been getting more and more difficult to choose materials for these seasonal editions. We have to choose from a selection of in-stock materials in enough quantity to satisfy demand, in a material that works well with the Premiere profile, in a color and pattern that isn’t too similar than something we’ve already done before, that is appealing, that isn’t being used for another production line pen or another retailer exclusive, and also a material that is not too translucent because of the additional labor involved to polish inside & out (it wouldn’t stay the same price). Recently the Edison Pen Company has acquired new machines that will allow them to use a greater variety of materials, like Alumilite or the DiamondCast blanks that you may have seen from other suppliers. They’ve been experimenting and are ready to start using these for special limited runs.
So we’re choosing to pivot from the large-quantity seasonal regularity, and shift to a few launches per year of more interesting, limited materials. The price may vary depending on the material, but it will allow us to really do some cool things. We can also open it up to our new Ascent model and experiment with materials there, or other Edison models for that matter!
But…. we wanted to give the seasonal Premiere one last run.
So without further ado, here’s a sneak peek at the winter 2020 edition: Aquarius!
Aquarius will be available likely around mid-February. Sign up for the email notification list on the product page so that you’ll be the first to know when it arrives.
What do you think of our final seasonal Premiere color? What types of colors/patterns/models would you like to see in future limited editions?
Write on,
Rachel Goulet
8 Tips for Conquering InCoWriMo 2020
Love writing letters? Then InCoWriMo might be for you! International Correspondence Writing Month is a challenge that asks you to write a letter every day for the entire month of February. We asked if you had any special strategies for success and we got some great responses. If you’re planning on participating this month, make sure to take notes! Here’s some of our favorite advice.
1. Make sure to purchase all of your materials ahead of time.
2. Your letters don’t need to be long.
3. Keep track of the letters you’ve sent.
4. Choose your recipients ahead of time and get their addresses.
5. Don’t despair if you don’t get a response.
6. Decide ahead of time when you’re going to write your letters.
7. Use your imagination.
8. Have fun!
Want to learn more about how you can participate in InCoWriMo 2020? Check out our blog which includes a step-by-step guide.
Write on,
The Goulet Pen Company
How To Participate in InCoWriMo 2020
If you’re interested in pens, ink, and paper, you should have heard of InCoWriMo! If you haven’t, you’re missing a fantastic way to use all of your favorite writing tools. International Correspondence Writing Month is a letter-writing challenge. Throughout all of February, participants will write a letter EACH DAY. For more information, read the official InCoWriMo Website. So how do you participate in this celebration of connection through stationery?
1. Get your writing tools together
If you want to impress your pen pals during this mad month of letter writing, you’re going to want to bring your stationery A-game. Lucky for you, we at Goulet Pens have (almost) everything you need to make this year’s InCoWriMo a success. Make sure you stock up on:
- Paper: If you sit down to your desk on February 1st and realize you have no paper, you’re going to be really embarrassed. We’ve got Stationery Sets that include matching paper and envelopes, so your letters will automatically look special and put-together.
- Ink: These letters are going out into the world, possibly on display if they’re pretty enough, so you need to use an ink that will really WOW your recipient. For those who want to dazzle, we recommend a blindingly sparkly shimmering ink. For addressing envelopes, you might want to be a bit more reserved. Rain, sleet, sweat, and many other liquids could come into contact with your envelope, so make sure you address it with water-resistant ink.
- Pen: If your letters aren’t going to be very long, or you’re a dipping enthusiast, you should take a look at our selection of lovely glass dip pens. They are gorgeous and will look lovely if you decide to photograph your letter-writing setup. For the writer who hates having to ink their pen, the TWSBI ECO has a huge ink capacity, so it will write pages and pages of letters between fills.
- Sealing Wax: While not technically necessary, sealing wax shows your letter recipient that you’re serious about your stationery. Give your recipients an experience. We carry everything you need to shock and awe your pen pals this year.
- Stamps: Unless you’re hand-delivering all 29 of your letters in February, stamps are completely essential.
2. Figure out who you’re writing to
Starting out with a list is absolutely critical for succeeding in this challenge. Lucky for you, we’ve put together a handy list of prompts to help you come up with your 29 lucky recipients. You could even write to us! We might not be able to write back to all of you, but we love getting mail. You can reach us at:
The Goulet Pen Company
1590 E Parham Rd
Henrico, VA 23228
3. Determine when you have time to write letters
Our lives can get hectic. We’re running to the grocery store, the doctor, to go buy scented candles, there’s a lot happening day-to-day. Before February 1st, you need to plan when you can write your letters. Will you set aside time in the morning? The evening? Will you write one every day, or in batches? You need to create a roadmap for your InCoWriMo. Otherwise, you might end up hunched over your desk on February 15th, randomly stuffing four-word letters into envelopes. Don’t be that person. Come up with a plan and stick to it. Happy writing!
Write on,
The Goulet Pen Company