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In this episode, I talk about old standby inks, the importance of writing surfaces, and my dream ink lineup.

This week:
  • Ellie’s dance recital

New/Upcoming Products – (1:31)

 Pens/Writing – (10:46)

1) Jude C.- Facebook – (10:48)

The surface that paper is placed on, such as a wood table or the remaining pages in a notebook, seems to really affect a pen’s smoothness. Do you prefer a special clipboard or a soft mat under your paper when you write?
  • the writing surface can make a difference in the way your pen feels, yes
  • depending on the wood, it especially feels different if you’re writing on a large pore wood like oak
  • they make leather desk pads for this reason, it’s a pretty good surface for single sheets of paper
  • most often, just writing with a second sheet of paper underneath will provide enough cushion to give a noticeable feel
  • I personally don’t use anything special, just the sheets of paper 
2) edi alba- YouTube – (13:12)
Brian, I really have a existential question … If you like pens, paper and ink …you are a…what? ,like ,is there a word that means “pens, ink and paper lover”?
  • hmm…
3) Jonathan D.- Facebook – (15:15)
When filling a piston filled pen how difficult/troublesome is it to switch out ink on a regular basis? I love the inks that TheGouletPenCompany posts but am not sure how tedious it is to switch inks out.
  • it depends on the pen, honestly
  • if you have a pen like the TWSBI Eco/580/Mini you can disassemble it and it’s easy to clean (except being a demo)
  • other pens like Pelikans, Montblancs, Auroras can be tougher
  • with the exception of the M800, most Pelikan pens are not meant to be taken apart
  • if you can remove the nib unit, that helps a lot bc you can q-tip swap it out
  • if you can’t take anything out, then it’s really kind of a pain, and you’ll want to switch less often

Ink – (21:08)

4) kitssnaps- Instagram – (21:16)

My question is about iron gall inks, and these inks that are blue-black, or have some other name – like Pelikan Edelstein Tanzanite, which, according to your specs, is NOT an iron gall ink, but STILL turns black. And then there is a green-black out there and other colors-hyphen-blacks out there. Do they ALL turn black if they’ve got the hyphen-black in their name? Why? Why does the Edelstein Tanzanite turn black if it’s not an iron gall ink, and why doesn’t it say that it will up front? I see some really cool colors out there (that green-black looks awesome) but I don’t want one that’s going to turn black on me. This hyphen-black stuff confuses me. Can you make it make sense?
  • Originally, the hyphenated names were iron gall bc they’d go from the color to black
  • Blue-black was really the only option for a while
  • the color dye used in iron gall inks is temporary colorant used to give visibility while writing until the iron ions oxidize (turn black)
  • I can’t really explain your experience with Tanzanite, I haven’t seen it darken over time like I have with other iron gall inks
  • what’s kind of confusing is that not all inks that are iron gall explicitly say it, but there aren’t that many of them
  • there used to be more, Lamy Blue Black used to be, Montblanc Blue Black I believe is not anymore
  • modern iron gall formulations use hydrochloric acid (more moderate, less extreme color shifts), traditional inks used sulfuric acids (more extreme color shifts)
  • More mild (changes color less): Platinum Blue Black, Rohrer and Klingner Salix and Scabiosa
  • More color changing: Platinum Classic, KWZ, Diamine Registrar’s

5) Hunter R.- Facebook – (26:01)

One I haven’t seen answered before: If you had to choose a “starting lineup” of inks comprised of your single favorite ink from each brand you carry, how would that play out?
what’s your opinion on some of the “old fashioned” standby inks (Parker Quink, Waterman, Sheaffer Skrip, diamond etc )

  • Parker I’m pretty underwhelmed, quite honestly
  • Waterman and Sheaffer I think are just fine, the palette is pretty conventional but there are a couple of standout colors (Waterman Serenity Blue, Mysterious Blue, Sheaffer Red, and Turquoise)
  • They’re “safe” colors, very conventional and fine if you want to go easy
  • there are SO many other fun colors, between Diamine, Noodler’s, Robert Oster, De Atramentis, so many many other fun things to explore
  • in my opinion, you’re missing out if you don’t explore beyond these, though you can still absolutely enjoy your pens with just these brands

Personal – (36:51)

7) @tubacabura- Twitter – (42:27)

Brian, I haven’t seen your Ooze Tube for a while can you tell me what happened to it?

  • still got it! And some other fun office toys
  • I believe play is an important part of relieving stress and keeping the mind active
  • I’m also a tinkerer, so I like to fidget with things

QOTW: What do you call a pen/ink/paper lover? – (42:27)

Thanks so much for joining us this week! You can catch up on any old Q&A videos you missed here.

Write On,
Brian Goulet