In this Goulet Q&A episode, Brian talks about pens reflecting personalities, his favorite pen we’ve never sold, and what paper he’ll never use!

This week:

• we launched a new website
• team is getting new bearings, we appreciate grace and patience!
• Got in Stipula Passaportos, finally!
• Pelikan m205 demo
• Lamy 2000 BB, OB, OBB
• Visconti Torpedo
• Conklin Omniflexes coming really soon
• GPC nibs on Monteverde Regatta LE Northern Lights, MV Nebula, Conklin Nozac Israel
• new flex pen video, tried to be very comprehensive
• Starting a cool contest with Getaway, Ultimate UnpluggedWriter’s Retreat! Pilot VP, Traveler’s Notebook, 3 night Getaway tiny cabin rental outside Boston, NYC, DC, $600 transportation, $500 Lo & Sons Catalina Deluxe Weekender Bag, $158 Signature Reads Book Curation, $240 General Assembly credit towards classes on digital marketing

Pens/Writing

1) Josef B- Facebook (12:30)

Hi Brian, I love all your Goulet #6 Steel Nibs, especially the stub nibs. I am looking for something with less width than the 1.1 stub nib for my daily writing. Maybe something like 0.7. Do you have a recommendation for me? Thank You

• yeah, there’s a real shortage of sub-1.1mm stubs out there!
• Nemosine has .6 and .8, and they’re decent nibs, #6 even and you can swap them
• we don’t have any Goulet ones
• Pilot Hand Lettering sets, have sub 1.1mm Plumixes and you can swap those nibs onto other pens like the Metropolitan, Prera, Kakuno
• I don’t have any others! And no others easily come to mind, honestly 🙁

2) @djpappas- Twitter (16:40)

Do you believe the material used to make a feed influences ink flow? It seems as though a more flexible material – for example, ebonite – would produce a more generous ink flow. And if it does matter, why isn’t it a characteristic you include for each model?

• it can, yes
• it’s not the only factor, all else equal ebonite will flow better ink than plastic, but some modern feeds are quite reliable even as plastic
• the feed design still makes a big difference, and that can vary from pen to pen
• Really, it’s just plastic and ebonite as your options
• ebonite’s not necessarily more flexible, or at least that doesn’t make the difference here for flow
• ebonite is hygroscopic, so it assists in capillary action
• ebonite can be heat set to the individual feed easier than plastic
• we try to advertise it when a pen has it, but we haven’t always been consistent here
• we don’t have it as a filter on our site, but it’s something we can consider, I’d love feedback on that
• Aurora gold nib pens have ebonite feeds
• Noodler’s pens have ebonite feeds
• Namiki does
• Omas did
• that’s it, on our site
• if they have it these days, it’s usually pretty well advertised because it’s so rare

3) justus.castillo- Instagram (21:01)

Do you find that the tastes of pens and inks go with your team members’ personalities?

• it’s all over the map!
• some of us here stick to colors and styles that very much speak to other aspects of our outward reflections of ourselves (the way we dress, etc)
• others, use their pens or ink to be more expressive or professional than they might portray otherwise
• after having met a LOT of pen people, I’ve really never met two who are identical in their tastes, which is part of the joy of this whole endeavor!

4) cushing.ethan- Instagram (24:22)

What is your favorite pen that has never been sold on your site.

• I have a few I’ve talked about before, and this may well change from time to time
• right now I’m quite smitten with Conid, the design and engineering is pretty dang cool
• I have a Conid Minimalistica that I love
• there are other crazy LE pens and stuff that I could shout out, but I have really only seen pictures of most of them, the Conid I have and really like

5) oogleatluxury- Instagram (26:38)

I’m planning on making a custom leather sleeve with a magnetic closure for my fiance’s favorite/brand new pen – his Pilot Custom 823. Will the magnetism hurt any mechanisms in the pen?

• short answer: don’t sweat it
• I’ve never heard of this being an issue
• ferromagnetic metals include: iron, nickel, cobalt, some rare earth metals
• you might see a small bit of iron or nickel in a stainless steel or brass alloy used in a pen, but it’s not often going to be enough to be an issue
• some pens have magnetic caps, literally magnets in the pens! No issue
• the Custom 823 doesn’t have any magnetism to it, so you’re all good 😉

6) noctriwina- Instagram (29:37)

Looking to get into fountain pens, and I know I will “need” different nibs. Should I go for one with easily changable nibs, like a twsbi 580, which is expensive, or buy several cheaper ones with different nibs, like a twsbi eco. On one hand changable nibs sounds cheapee, but will I be bothered changing them? And maybe one pen per nib is more efficient in practice?

• this is going to be different for everyone, of course
• personally, I think if you’re just starting out, the interchangeable nib thing has some merit to it bc you can get more pen for your buck
• the biggest drawback is that you can only use one nib at a time, which really kinda stinks
• between these two specific pens, I’d personally go for more Eco’s with different nibs, and you can use multiple inked at the same time

7) @nj_ian- Twitter (33:48)

Would fountain pen enthusiasts (your typical customer) enjoy attending a Pen Show, or are these shows geared to retailers and seious collectors.

• I’ve only been to two shows, so I’m not the expert
• more or less, there are similar experiences at all the shows: drive somewhere, pay a small fee, in a hotel conference room with a bunch of vendors set up with tables of more pens than you can imagine, lots of pen nerds geeking out, very knowledgeable people there
• personally, I think everyone should attend one, if at all practical, it’s just a cool experience
• you can absolutely enjoy it if you’re at all into fountain pens
• bigger shows like DC get very overwhelming very fast
• smaller shows may have less selection but they will be slower pace and you can talk to vendors easier
• pen people generally are very helpful, there are some curmudgeons but most are friendly
• most shows have a lot of serious collectors, and there’s no better place for that, but that’s part of what trader (pre-show) days and auctions are for. Main show days are ideal for the general public

Paper

8) rhedhaering- Instagram (40:01)

Are there certain kinds of paper you definitely DON’T use with your fountain pens?

• I probably experience a little less diversity of bad paper than most, perks of my job 😉
• photo paper, not going very far there bc of the coating
• newspaper, not that I ever write on it but no thanks
• receipts, so hit or miss for me, I’d rather just not bother
• stone paper, just not a fan but some are

Personal

9) nathan_laake- Instagram (45:01)

Many people enjoy fountain pens because of the sentiment that is attached to them (signing their mortgage or marriage licenses). Is there a particular pen that you have used for milestone moments in either your personal life or during the life of your business?

• I’ve only hit a couple of milestones that have warranted signing actual paper (some have been digital)
• marriage license, but that was before I discovered fountain pens so it was signed with a $0.10 stick of nonsense
• Mortgage with Noodler’s Black in Lamy 2000
• Will with Custom 74 in Liberty’s Elysium (get a will, people)

QOTW: Do you find that your pen/ink choices match other aspects of your personality, or does it bring out another side of you? (50:52)

Writing prompt: Write about a challenge you had to overcome and what you learned from it (51:51)

Write On,
Brian Goulet