In this Goulet Q&A episode, Brian talks about expanding rollerball selection, making a nib less wet, and pricing trends in fountain pens. Enjoy!

This week:

• We’re staying pretty busy around here
• LA pen show is this weekend, we’re not going
• Monteverde Coral is being announced at the show, we’ll carry it soon
• staying somewhat quiet with new products
• Retro 51 new fountains have been popular!
• Dmitri and Eiffel rollerballs
• Lamy Crystal ink samples (sorry, not enough bottles yet!)
• Valentine’s video, haha!
• Franklin-Christoph Model 31, Cosmic Dust
• Montegrappa Elmo in black, soon!

Pens/Writing

1) @LightlyFluffy- Twitter (6:50)

Hello! My question is: Have you ever considered carrying rollerball pens from brands you already carry (Lamy, Pilot, Pelikan, Kaweco, etc. Most of them offer RB versions of FP models they make)? With Retro51, do you see a bigger RB market opening up?

• we have carried them, actually!
• Lamy Safari, Al-Star, and Pilot Metropolitan rollerballs
• Pilot G2’s
• they didn’t sell! We are the only account to return G2 rollerballs!
• Retro 51 was a bit of a gamble for us, Atlanta show 2018 convinced us
• It’s really hard to say if we have an opening there, we are just SO known for fountain pens
• Mission: “To provide fountain pen enthusiasts with the most personal online shopping experience through comprehensive education, exemplary service, and products we believe in.”
• the key is fountain pen enthusiasts, we actually changed that from writing enthusiasts in 2015 after we carried then dropped rollerballs
• what convinced us was hardcore pen show-going fountain pen users saying that Retro 51 was pretty much the only rollerball they’d use, or that they buy it for the people in their life that just won’t use a fountain pen, as a “gateway”

2) Gabriel S- Facebook (15:32)

I have a new Homo Sapiens, and love everything about it – except cleaning. Is there an easy way to speed up the process? How do you know when it’s fully clean?

• I feel ya! I hardly change ink in mine because I don’t like cleaning it
• keep in mind, this is the same for ALL vacuum fillers, they’re just a pain
• you basically flush and fill over and over
• shaking when full of water helps
• the nib can be removed, but I don’t recommend doing that every time, only for when it’s dried out and needs a deep cleaning
• fully clean is usually when you can touch the nib to a paper towel and it’s perfectly clear water that comes out, no color/ink absorbs

3) Ryan F- Facebook (24:20)

Why aren’t there more economical vacuum fillers available?

• the TWSBI Vac700R is the most economical I know
• I don’t know exactly why that’s the cheapest, and by far
• I suspect it’s just more complicated to make, and requires a lot of precision to get it right

4) @apostrophobic_- Twitter (27:08)

What do you do when your nib is too wet? This might be sacrilege but i was wondering if there was a way i could tweak and adjust the nib so it’s less of a gusher. I don’t have many inks to choose from and i use mainly watercolor paper for when i draw with pens.

• it can be done, but it may or may not be something everyone’s comfortable with
• we’re into disclaimer territory here, try at your own risk
• sometimes you’re just writing with a nib size that’s broader than what you want, and you’ll only get it to write but so much drier
• if you tighten up the tines too much you can choke the flow and it’ll stop, or at least flow poorly, there is a limit
• that in mind here’s how you do it, there are several techniques but I’ll show the one that’s simplest
• hold the pen with the nib face towards you, feed away from you
• press down on one tine until it “clicks” under the other one
• repeat on the other side
• go back and forth, testing the line width each time you complete a set
• check alignment for smoothness, and you should be good!
• if you go too far, just bend them back up by pressing the nib with some moderate pressure on the page to spread the tines a bit

Troubleshooting

5) @robbob74- Twitter (35:00)

What does it mean if you have a nib that repeatedly get fibers stuck in it?

• it means you’ve been using your pen!
• this can happen for a couple of reasons
• you’re using really fibrous paper
• your nib is scratching the paper and gathering fibers (misalignment or burr)
• you’re pressing too hard
• the fibers will gather up and do one of two things, either act like a wick/felt tip and make it gush (for a while), or block the flow and dry it up
• brass sheet is made just for this purpose, floss that jank!
• cleaning the pen can help, but often it requires physical flossing, then you should be good to go

Business

6) Charles K- Facebook (40:25)

Will you carry Pilot VPs with stainless nibs?

• unfortunately not, in the foreseeable future
• this has been a Japan-only offering, from what I understand
• we’ve asked about it, it hasn’t been an option, so we just ask periodically and wait
• this isn’t unusual with pretty much all the Japanese brands
• I’ve never tried one for myself, if any out there has, leave a comment!

7) Christopher M- Facebook (42:35)

Have you seen price trends relating directly to the popularity of fountain pens (supply/demand) or more to factors such as the manufacturer location with given import taxation, pen nib and component material? What do you see as the most influential and governing cohort for pen pricing?

Oh, would you be providing a review of the Monteverde Regatta Sport Allura any time soon? Just purchased from you folks but nothing online about this fabulous looking pen!

• There may be some factor of popularity, and that can affect it in different ways
• It really depends on the individual product and manufacturer
• Some products are hard to produce and there are limited ones, so increased demand with a shortage of supply could drive up price
• with many manufacturers, the more they sell, the more these fixed costs get spread out over time, and the costs can actually drive down
• this was the case with Pilot Iroshizuku ink, the bottles themselves were expensive to produce (by hand), but as the volume increased, they were able to invest in equipment to more automate it and drive down costs, so it actually lowered in price because it was more popular
• Being in a niche, generally there are R&D, marketing, and overhead costs with adding new SKU’s or designs, so pens are often more expensive when they’re new
• there are factors of currency fluctuations, taxes, duties, tariffs, shipping, etc that can all make prices fluctuate that have nothing to do with popularity
• a lot of times what I see is more incidental factors at play, like a shortage of a certain material, part, labor issue or whatever that drives up costs or affects supply of a certain product
• For the most part I’m not seeing companies raising prices just because they “can”, but it really is just a case-by-case basis
• Let’s take a look at the Regatta Sport Allura!

QOTW: Do you hold your pen at a high (above 45) angle, 45, or low (below 45)? (53:50)

Write On,
Brian Goulet

In this Goulet Q&A episode, Brian talks about when to use limited edition ink, the Goulet pen cleaning station, and how pen retailers feel about each other. Enjoy!

This week:

• Family visit last weekend
• staying very busy here at GPC, some illnesses going around
• Some Lines a Day colors
• Opus 88 colored demos
• new Retro 51 rollerballs
• new Colorverse Season 5

Pens/Writing

1) brutusbiker- Instagram (06:16)

I have some pens whose ink lasts several months before drying out, but in some pens the ink dries out in a couple of weeks. If this is due to bad seals, why don’t manufacturers solve this by making better seals? This has little to do with the cost of the pen.

• it’s true that some pens seal differently than others
• yes, there’s a certain degree of engineering involved that will help some pens seal better than they do now
• sometimes it’s just an oversight, or maybe not the most important thing to a manufacturer
• If you’re writing with a pen regularly, it doesn’t need to go months without drying out, because it would get filled/cleaning in that time
• many manufacturers aren’t necessarily thinking of how some people are using their pens (inked for months)
• certain materials or aesthetics would be compromised by a nib insert, so it’s not always such a no-brainer
• I’m a big fan of better sealing pens though! yes please manufacturers!

2) Eric H.- Email (10:11)

Is there such a thing as a high-quality international converter maker? Even the converters that come with my expensive pens look like they could be better engineered and made.

• eh…not so much
• some are better than others, for sure
• the Schmidt K5 is pretty much the best
• the Visconti metal converter is up there, but it’s just a fancier version of the K5
• manufacturers only make them but so good, because they’re more or less meant to be replaceable

Ink

3) John O- Facebook (15:39)

I have limited edition inks, only 40 bottles will ever be made. should i save them with the thought they’ll appreciate in value? is the value in using the ink? should i figure out a way to share the ink with others?

• this is totally a personal choice
• there are some bottles that will increase in price, but they’re not really a sure long-term investment
• any hobby item is a crapshoot for a financial investment
• I’d say if you love the color and want to us it, just enjoy it!

Business

4) austlosada- Instagram (19:26)

Let’s admit that there has been a revival in fountain pens. Realistically, where do you see fountain pens and the fountain pen community in 10 years?

• haha, okay I’ll admit it!
• this is a great question, since it’s been about 10 years since I started it!
• 10 years ago, I journaled about where I hoped to be in 20 years (10 years from now)
• I truly see fountain pens as continuing to be a niche interest, I don’t think it’ll go mainstream
• I can see them gaining more popularity with handwriting and journaling, not just as standalone tools
• online will be dominant, as most niche commerce will be
• it’s hard to say where communities will be, IG wasn’t even invented 10 years ago!
• there may be a new platform that will dominate social media
• we will see some smaller manufacturers crop up, others may even grow and expand
• we plan to stay around, continue putting out great content and service!
• I could see the community maturing, connecting more and having even stronger gatherings and connectedness
• I’m very optimistic!

5) Joe B- Facebook (36:31)

You have, in past videos, shown us WHERE in your office you have the dedicated Pen Cleaning Station, but can you expand on that? Is Pen Cleaning an”office event” or is it one of those things where if you need too clean, you just go do it? Also, what supplies are at the cleaning station that makes it easier for yourself and your team to clean what I assume are a moderate number of pens on a regular basis?

• Sure!
• we clean as needed, no real “cleaning parties” or anything
• Small stainless steel sinks, formica counters
• paper towels, cups, syringes, q tips, pen flush galore! even ultrasonic cleaner
• this station sees daily use, we’re really glad we built it!

6) Christine K- Facebook (40:36)

You’ve mentioned a few business/leadership/self-growth books that you’ve read and refer back to as references. Do you make those books’ titles (or copies of the books themselves) available to team members to read? If so, are there opportunities for them to ask questions or discuss observations with you and/or other leaders in the company?

• I have a lot of the ones I’ve personally read, sure, and I’ll loan them out from time to time
• it’s not really a library that anyone can just come grab
• our HR Director has a lot of the most popular books for people to just have
• I’m always in favor of buying books for people
• our team also has a budget for books and educational/training stuff
• sometimes we’ll talk about certain books like QBQ! or Ideal Team Player in company meetings (and I’ll supply copies)
• we have regular 1-on-1’s with leaders, there’s plenty of opportunity there
• I’ll cover leadership topics with my managers
• We’re reading Dr. Brené Brown’s book Dare to Lead as leadership right now
• I’m always up for chatting with my team, sometimes we’ll talk over lunch if it comes up, or I’ll make time to talk with people as they request (it’s not often)
• I feel that leaders are readers and I try to encourage as much of it as I can!

7) Solly S.- YouTube (45:10)

What’s your relationship like with other pen retailers (like Anderson Pens, JetPens, etc). Do you see them as partners in servicing and educating the community? Or as more traditional business rivals? How do you react when you see them doing similar things to you (like YouTube videos)?

• It varies a little bit with one to another
• there’s of course the natural potential for conflict, as we are “competitors” if you choose to look at it that way
• Honestly I don’t know a lot of our competitors all that well
• there are a number of folks who work a lot of pen shows together that probably know each other better
• I know a few and have been pretty friendly, I genuinely want everyone in this industry to succeed
• the rising tide raises all ships, I really believe that!
• I’m not a huge fan of outright copying, which I haven’t really seen a lot (in our industry) but it happens here and there
• I love to see other retailers coming up with creative and innovative ways to service the community
• if by “similar to us” on YouTube you mean being personal, sharing their knowledge, and engaging with the community, I 100% support as many retailers doing that as possible

QOTW: What’s your pen cleaning routine? Do you have a special place you clean your pens and what tools do you use? (56:14)

Write On,
Brian Goulet

In this Goulet Q&A episode, Brian talks about budget eyedropper pens, using 20 pens at a time, and fixing pens that dry up.

This week:

• Got back safely from New Orleans
• Goulet Handwritten Note Survey
• Diplomat Esteem
• Conklin Crescent Vintage Green
• Monteverde Prima
• New Conklin Empires
• Monteverde Essenza
• Monteverde Rodeo Drive
• Graf von Faber-Castell Pen of the Year Samurai
• LAMY Vibrant Pink package sets
• Aurora 88 Nera Unica
• Robert Oster Crystal Marine
• 3 Oysters Marine Green
• TWSBI 580 AL Emerald
• Diplomat Aero Red

Pens/Writing

1) Gary M.- Facebook (21:46)

What are the best budget eye-dropper pens among your brands?

• Platinum Preppy– $4
• Jinhao Shark – $4
• Noodler’s Ahab – $23
• Kaweco Sport – $25+
• Online Slope – $24
• *Pilot Varsity – $3.30

2) Gillian B- Facebook (31:22)

Deep dive on Nettuno. Any updates on the ETA of the Nettuno God of the Seas? I know you were really excited by Nettuno when you visited them in Italy. Can you tell those of us who are interested in this pen what you particularly liked about Nettuno? Not many places carry them–who is their distributor? This is my Grail at the moment and want to know more about it as I save my pennies.

• February, but that could and likely will push out
• Nettuno is a small operation, and it’s just taking time to build things up
• I’m excited for the potential of the brand, it’s a lot of people who were the heart and soul of Delta
• Delta went under, so there are limited funds to get it going again
• They aren’t available widely because they’re just not that big yet, so production is limited
• Yafa is their distributor, which is why we went to see them (while seeing Stipula and Pineider)
• Unfortunately I just don’t have a lot of information about the God of the Sea other than what we have on our product page, as I haven’t even seen a sample in person
• It’ll come, in due time!

3) kevin_lukas_klein- Instagram (35:30)

Is it bad if I dry my fountain Pens with a napkin/paper tissue instead of letting it dry on the fresh air. The drying includes (if possible) to go inside the pen to also dry it out from inside.

• nah, you’re fine, as long as you are gentle with it
• some paper towels and tissues will be better than others, you want to make sure you aren’t getting fibers stuck
• my specific favorite brand to use is Bounty select-a-size, where it has the half-sheet, I fold it into a square or smaller rectangle
• you definitely don’t have to let it air dry

4) ayako0chan- Instagram (40:14)

How do you clean behind the plunger when it cannot be unscrewed?

• this is somewhat of an open question as there are different types of pistons
• some pens (like TWSBI) you can disassemble
• many converters you can simply immerse in water and screw/unscrew repeatedly while under water to get the water behind the piston
• piston pens, I’m not completely sure if the water submersion thing works, I think it’ll vary by pen
• ink behind the seal doesn’t really hurt anything, it’s more aesthetic than anything

5) eruannecalie- Instagram (46:20)

I dedicate pens for certain inks and use about 20 pens at a certain time. It takes about a month to use up all ink if in a converter and months if in a piston filler (forever if eyedropper, harhar!). My question is what would be an ideal pen hygiene routine for such pens because for one, I’m a little lazy to clean pens and sometimes I don’t feel I have to because I’ll be putting in the same ink anyway. Thank you and I hope you consider my question.

• this will vary a little bit based on the person/pen/environment
• I generally use around a month as a guideline for when maintenance is needed
• if it’s the exact same ink, you can simply dump and refill the same ink, no need to even clean it unless it’s all dried out
• if you want to get it a little cleaner, just flush with water a few times, wipe with a paper towel, and refill, should take 1 minute max
• if you go longer, you’re risking the ink drying out in the pen, and you’ll definitely need to clean and refill
• 20 pens is a lot, on the upper end of the range, but not impossible

Ink

6) gbusbey- Instagram (50:18)

What is the darkest orange ink you’re aware of? Like a black orange if you will.

• Diamine Ancient Copper (if you consider it orange)
• Diamine Sunset
• Noodler’s Cayenne
• Monteverde Mandarin Orange
• Monteverde Fireopal
• Robert Oster Burned Orange
• There really isn’t a black orange, but you could make one! Just test dropping a single drop of black ink into the orange of your choice and darken it up (try to stay within brands if you can)

Troubleshooting

7) anthonydraper- Instagram (54:01)

I got my first new gold-nib fountain pen 6/7 months ago. I can rarely write with it for more then a paragraph or two. The ink won’t flow through it. Do I just need to use it more, or is there something wrong with it that needs replaced?

• Some things I’d really love to know is what pen you have and how long you’re going between writing
• My assumption  is it’s sitting there for quite a while, and perhaps you haven’t done a thorough cleaning since you got it 6/7 months ago
• Just go ahead and clean it out thoroughly, that’s always a best bet for a pen with flow issues
• Eliminate the paper as a variable, try it on others
• Eliminate the ink as a variable, does it work well in all your other pens? Does the pen write well with another ink?
• I’m willing to bet if you clean it out and refill with the same ink, or maybe clean and change inks, you’ll see it writes a lot better
• try to refill it or clean it every 3-4 weeks and I think you’ll be good!
• Also consider how you’re storing  it, don’t store nib up (if it’s having issues drying out), stick with horizontal or nib-down

Business

8) Josh R- Facebook (01:00:05)

How receptive are most pen companies to the feedback you get from customers and pass on to them?

• it varies a lot, but most are willing to hear us out
• each day that passes, they’re paying more and more attention
• the larger the company, the more feedback they’re getting all over the world, so we’re not their exclusive source of intel
• you can pretty much guess which ones are most receptive, generally it’s the ones we’re doing the most exclusives and co-branded with
• sometimes companies will be very receptive but it’s not so easy for them to act on anything, but most brands are willing to hear it!
• I can’t encourage you enough to keep giving feedback, it really does make a difference!

QOTW: If there was one thing you could tell to a pen company and you knew they’d listen to whatever you say, what would it be? (01:09:38)

Write On,
Brian Goulet

In this Goulet Q&A episode, Brian talks about “detailing” your pens, aligning nib tines, and promoting the art of fountain pen use.

This week:

• Out of town on business but still wanted to record!
• Nock Sinclairs new colors out now
• Monteverde Essenza, Prima available now
• New Conklin Empire colors with lower price, now available
• Conklin Crescent in Vintage Green, with black Bock nib
• Diplomat Esteem, with new red color
• new Magnum colors coming, with exclusive Prismatic Purple
• Opus 88 tinted demos, soon
• Visconti Breeze soon
• Merlot and Teal Custom 74s in March
• Lots of new Lamy stuff this spring
• Pilot 100th anniversary things in March
• Pelikan Herzstuck 1929 LE in Feb
• GVF pen of the year Samurai soon

Pens/Writing

1) pkuziel- Instagram (05:35)

If you could have only one pen from each pen filling mechanism ie: piston fill, eye dropper, cartridge/ converter what would they be.

• This is a toughie!
• Cartridge/converter- Pilot Custom 74
• Eyedropper- Opus 88 Demo
• Piston- Lamy 2000
• Vacuum- Visconti Homo Sapiens
• Lever- Waterman 7 Ideal Pink
• Crescent- Conklin Crescent

2) chrislimyj- Instagram (11:26)

Do you recommend “detailing” a fountain pen in a similar fashion as to a car, because for car detailing, some of the chemicals are rather abrasive, so would a fountain pen material be thick or strong enough withstand such treatment?

• DEFINITELY not
• Cars are made to be outside, withstand direct sunlight exposure to the elements, rocks, bugs, bird poop, etc
• detailing a car you’re working to strip away the oxidation, dirt, and grime from road wear, not really something you deal with on pens!
• a simple rinsing with water and dish  soap will suffice, with a polishing cloth for a real shine

3) jwj5000- Instagram (15:23)

I recently got the Monza gift set with 3 nibs and converters. Is there a good way to store the two nibs that aren’t in the pen but keep them full of ink for easy swapping?

• eh….not really, you pretty much need to clean them out
• flushing with a bulb syringe is the easiest way to get it clean fast

Troubleshooting

4) JT B.- Facebook (19:39)

In your experience, just how sensitive is a nib to having perfectly aligned tines? For example, under a loupe, if one tine is on top of the other, it’s obvious that has to be adjusted. However, when I look at many of my new pens, I can tell that one tine is maybe fractions of a millimeter lower than the other, and it’s very hard to correct that. So, do they need to be absolutely perfect before going to polish the nib with mylar or something if it’s writing scratchy?

• it actually depends a little bit on the nib
• harder nibs (most steel nibs) are a little more sensitive to the tines being aligned
• it’s best to try to align them, sometimes you have to bend them quite a bit to get them aligned
• softer nibs are more forgiving, may not need to be aligned exactly because they’ll “self-correct” under a little writing pressure
• in general, before smoothing, you want to align them

5) Stéphane N- Facebook (22:23)

On storing pens, is it possible that some storage method may damage pen finish, like for example using a varnished or stained wooded tray can damage some acrylic or celluloid or “precious resin”?

• I haven’t heard of this happening a lot with pen trays
• the only storage issue I know about is chrome-tanned leather pen cases causing sterling silver to tarnish
• it’s possible there’s more that I don’t know about, but it’s not anything I’m aware of!

Business

6) raghuugare- Instagram (25:22)

Due the advent of computers and smart phones, the #skill &/or #art of #writing has been on the decline! What do you think we should do to encourage all the people of the #world to pick this lovely art? Having/beautiful #pens is one thing — having something beautiful to share is perhaps the other more important one?

• The best thing is to adapt to the medium
• Use social media to share and teach your medium
• Think of how popularized painting got with Bob Ross’s Joy of Painting
• There are artists like Liz Steel doing urban sketching, sharing their passion and connecting others
• Bullet Journaling has risen as a new medium for scrapbookers and casual artists
• calligraphers like Jake Weidmann and Michael Sull are able to teach and connect with others
• I’m a big proponent of teaching as a way to spread the joy of any craft, and it’s never been easier to do that than now!

Personal

7) susanbethc- Instagram (32:46)

Do you have favorite pens for different tasks? For example do you have one pen you use for journaling, another for quick notes and another for signing legal documents? Do your children use fountain pens for any of their homework assignments?

• I do! I keep a fine Lamy 2000 with Noodler’s Black at my nightstand for journaling
• I daily carry a fine Homo Sapiens for quick notetaking
• Traveler’s Brass pen is my knock-around pen
• Lamy Vista or Safari is my ink-reviewing pen
• I like to use broad nibs for my thank you note writing, Opus 88, Conklin Endura, TWSBI Eco, it depends
• most other pens I’m rotating out for experiencing them, so I use them for all kinds of note taking

QOTW: Who are some of your favorite artists you follow online? (YouTube, Instagram, etc)? (38:50)

Write On,
Brian Goulet