Myke was busy hanging out with Tim Cook this week, so I brought in another Mike to help out with this weeks episode. Mr. Inkdependence joins me to recap the Raleigh Pen Show, talk me into YouTube, and answer all of the #ASKPTA we can handle.

Show Notes & Download Links

This episode of The Pen Addict is sponsored by:

Blue Apron: A better way to cook. Get 3 free meals, with FREE SHIPPING.

Pen Chalet: Click the ‘podcast’ link at the top of the website and enter the password ‘penaddict’ for this week’s special offer, and to get your code for 10% off.

StoryWorth: A new way to bring the family together.

The moment I saw the Kaweco Sport Sunset I knew two things. One, I would own one, and two, I’d be giving one away. This is a perfect limited edition in my book, and I’m glad Fontoplumo is so easy to work with across the ocean from me. My Kaweco Sunrise has been in my pocket non-stop since arriving, and I hope the winner of the Sunset enjoys it as much as I do. And the winner is:

Congrats Elizabeth! I’ve sent you an email to collect your shipping address.

Thanks to everyone who entered, and stay tuned for next week’s giveaway!

Each week in Refill, the Pen Addict Members newsletter, I publish Ink Links as part of the additional content you receive for being a member. And each week, after 10 to 15 links, plus my added commentary on each, I'm left with many great items I want to share. Enter Misfill. Here are this weeks links:

— A New Special Edition Lamy Safari: LAMY BROWN The Black Edition (Bleistift)

— The Author Notebook Review (Mountain of Ink)

— Lihit Lab Smart Fit Case Review & Giveaway (The Pen Haul)

— BBC Earth’s Open Ocean: 10 Hours of Relaxing Oceanscapes (NotCot)

— Zenfish’s Refillable Leather Sketchbooks (Core77)

— Eye Candy: New uses for pen cases. (The Well-Appointed Desk)

— Over 400 Lichtensteins Go to the Whitney Museum and an Early van Gogh Sells for $8.3M (Hyperallergic)

— News: Pelikan Hubs 2018 (The Pelikan’s Perch)

— KWZI Liquid Words 2018 LE Ink (Wondernaut)

— Karas Kustoms Starliner XL and Starliner Fountain Pen Review (Pens! Paper! Pencils!)

— U.S. Money (Coudal Partners)

— Pilot Iroshizuku Yu-Yake (Irv’s Stationery)

— Fountain Pen Quest Trail Log – June 3, 2018 (Fountain Pen Quest)

— Six Month Review, Part III: Favorite Pen Accessories (The Gentleman Stationer)

— Tiffany Taylor (Uses This)

— Field Notes Summer Quarterly Editions So Far (Three Staples)

— Pelikan M205 Demonstrator Special Edition, M405 14K Fine, inked with Noodler’s Air-Corp Blue-Black (TooManyPelikans)

— Best EDC – The Sixth Annual Carry Awards (Carryology)

Want to catch the rest, plus extra articles, reviews, commentary, discounts, and more? Try out a Pen Addict Membership for only $5 per month!

The Japanese are known for two things around these parts: Amazing stationery and terrible naming conventions. Luckily for my sanity, the former outweighs the latter by a large margin, but sometimes I have to post the full product name solely for the humor it provides.

While the name leaves a lot to be desired, the pen does not. The Tombow Mono Graph Multi Pen - yes, I’m shortening the name - is a great choice in the 2+1 multi pen category.

What is a 2+1? I’m so glad you asked! It may not be the textbook definition of describing multi pens, but I refer to any multi pen with a pencil component as a +1. This Tombow has two ink cartridges and one pencil cartridge, therefore it is a 2+1. I like that designation because it saves me from writing “multi pen and pencil” over and over again. These are multi pens, with a pencil component.

Uni-ball, Pilot, and other Japanese brands make multi pens up to a 4+1 size, which requires a wide barrel, as you can imagine. One of them made a 1+1 in the past - I’m thinking Uni-ball or Zebra - but I don’t see it as available right now on JetPens.

When thinking about buying a multi pen, I consider barrel diameter first. How many components can I jam into one barrel and still feel comfortable writing with it? Secondly, I consider the refill choices. If the first part doesn’t satisfy my needs, the second part doesn’t matter, does it?

This Tombow multi pen fits three components in just a slightly larger diameter barrel than most standard gel ink pens. That’s a great thing, primarily for one rarely talked about reason. More components and a wider barrel lead to the refills being deployed at a less-than-vertical angle. That means the tip of the refill looks like it comes out of the front of the barrel crooked. Rotate the barrel in your hands, look at the tip, and you will see.

This isn’t always avoidable from a design perspective, but some companies do it better, and some do it worse. Another thing to keep in mind when shopping for multi pens.

In lieu of a knock mechanism, this Tombow uses a twist to engage the component you want. Rotate the clip around the barrel in any direction (there is no hard stop at any point) to line it up with the component name you wish to use. This one has black and red 0.5 mm ballpoint refills plus an 0.5 mm mechanical pencil.

Unlike other multi pens with a +1, this one has an eraser, and a killer one at that. Tombow makes some of the best quality erasers on the market, and this one has a jumbo twist eraser built right in. No dinky mechanical pencil eraser here!

From a writing perspective, I love the 0.5 mm tip sizes, but they aren’t for everyone. That is especially true for ballpoints, because an 0.5 mm tip gets you a line finer than 0.4 mm, or even finer, gel ink pens. And it’s not completely smooth due to the ink type. Know the fineness of this pen before diving into it.

I had zero issue diving into this one personally. In fact, if I worked at Tombow, this is a pen I would have designed for myself. Two extra fine refills, a fine pencil refill, a large, high quality eraser, as narrow of a barrel as I could fit it all into, and a killer paint job. All for under $10? Count me in.

I’ve been putting this one to good use over the last few weeks, and I can see myself carrying it for some time to come.

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

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

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

Kobe fountain pen inks are some of the best on the market, and JetPens has 26 colors freshly stocked and ready to ship. I’ll be sending the winner of this giveaway one bottle of any color they choose. From Ouji Cherry to Romance Gray, the choice is yours! To get with this, read the rules and enter below:

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

As this pen hobby continues to grow and transform, I seem to have an endless fascination with multi pens. This goes back to my early school days where the BIC 4-color pen was the envy of every student. What makes it so enjoyable these days is the superb quality of the refills available to us.

Speaking of school days, the Dr. Grip exploded on my radar during my middle school years. It was so unique and intentionally different from every other pen available at the big box retailers. Even though it was over the ten dollar mark, it was still a pen I had to have.

With the Dr. Grip 4+1 multi pen, you have the best of both worlds. The grip section shares the same excellent grip from the original Dr. Grip, which lends itself nicely to the larger barrels that multi pens require. The grip isn't as "squishy" as the regular Dr. Grip pens, but it still has a great feel.

As for the rest of the body, you might assume it's a variant of the Acroball multi pen line, which is fair. The grip and Dr. Grip branding on the barrel are the only unique features that distinguish this multi pen from the Acroball line. Luckily, the 0.7mm refills provided with the pen are the same found in the Acroball multi pens. And, if you prefer, you can also use Uni Style Fit gel refills in this body. The Style Fit refills are a personal favorite, so the options are a nice perk.

The colors provided with the pen are black, blue, green, and red, as well as a 0.5mm mechanical pencil module. Like the Acroball line, the colors are vibrant, bold, and clean. I especially love the red because of its near fluorescent glow.

Like a lot of multi pens, there are slim tab buttons at the top of the pen that you depress to extend the color you want. To retract, just half press any other button. The mechanical pencil shares its button with the clip, which works great. The clip also manages to be quite strong, which is helpful in securing the pen to pockets, clothes, and other items.

To extend the lead, simply press a bit harder on the clip/pencil selector. There's also a small eraser hidden under a small cap at the top of the pen. I worry that I'll either lose the cap or that it will fall off in my bag at some point, but this hasn't happened yet after a few weeks of jostling around. It's a pretty firm fit, and given the smooth surface of the cap, it would take a lot of effort at the right angle to accidentally knock it off. To add more lead to the pencil, just remove the cap and the small eraser to uncover the lead tube.

In use, this pen has been really enjoyable. It reminds me of my old Dr. Grip from the late 90s, but updates it with much, much better refills and more color options.

At the $14 mark, it's a bit pricier than the Acroball counterpart, but the Dr. Grip branding and grip are worth the premium. Plus, the Acroball version doesn't include a pencil module. Overall, it's a great value and joy to use. There are several body colors to choose from, as well as options between 0.5mm and 0.7mm refills.

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

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

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

(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.)

Montblanc's color of the year for 2018 is a lovely, bright emerald. It's a rich color--nicely saturated and well-behaved. It's also the exact same color as probably a dozen other less expensive inks. This bottle was a birthday gift from my lovely husband, who likes to spoil me and knows to go to Anderson Pens to do that.

The ink comes in its sturdy ribbon-pull drawer box, which holds the beautiful rippled 50-ml glass bottle with the boldly logoed Montblanc lid. I really like these bottles. They're deep enough for a good fill, but squat enough to be sturdy on the desktop. They're beautiful in their construction--the sort of bottle I'd keep around if I could ever empty one.

One thing that did surprise me about this ink is that it's very wet. Most of my Montblanc inks are dry--some unpleasantly dry and almost unusable in a fine nib. This one is nicely lubricated. That does mean a long dry time, though. It took between 30 and 35 seconds for a fully dry line on Clairefontaine paper. For me, that's worth the writing experience, but lefties and folks in a hurry might find that a downside. If you routinely buy Montblanc inks because you like your inks dry, this one might not meet expectations.

It does have some lovely shading, from a pale spring eggshell green to a deep teal. There's no trace of any sheen, even where I've pooled the ink. But it definitely has character and depth to it. I can tell I've been writing with a snazzy liquid ink.

It has almost no water resistance. Don't even sneeze on your paper. If you soak up a spill very quickly, you might be able to see a few lines, but if water sits for even a few seconds, all trace of writing disappears.

Color-wise, it doesn't appear to be a very complex color recipe. It's a true blue-green. Which might be why it has so many twins on the market.

It's a good thing it's such a lovely color that I'm not likely to get tired of any time soon--because I now have a lot of it. There's a good chance you have some, too. So, unless you're collecting Montblanc inks, you can probably save yourself the $43 for 50 ml. Or, if you're super picky about ink behavior and prefer wet inks, this is the best one I've tried. Of all the emerald greens in my collection, this will be the one I reach for first. If this hadn't been a gift, I probably would have skipped it (don't tell my husband that; I'm trying to encourage this sort of behavior) but I am enjoying it a lot.

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

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

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

Organics Studio inks are made in Maryland by Tyler Thompson. He offers several different series: Elements, Masters of Writing, Masters of Science, and Vintage Writing Ink. The Masters of Writing inks “attempt to merge a famous writer from previous centuries with a color that brings them to mind” (from the Organics Studio Masters of Writing page).

Ralph Waldo Emerson Twilight Blue is a dark blue ink with intensive magenta sheen. In fact, the ink is so sheeny, it’s actually hard to see the blue, especially in sunlight or bright light.

The ink comes in a brown cardboard box with a photo of Ralph Waldo Emerson, his signature, the dates of his life, and the date the ink was introduced (2017). The bottle is plastic and has a simple sticker with “O.S.” and “Ralph” with the photo of the writer.

For ink testing, I used my Oldwin fountain pen with a fine nib and Maruman Septcouleur paper white paper. Sometimes sheen doesn’t show up with fine nibs, but Ralph Waldo Emerson’s sheen certainly did. You can see the blue color best in the water test (the ink is not waterproof). The ink is also very wet. Even after 30 seconds of dry time, it smudged easily.

The chromatography test shows that Ralph Waldo Emerson Twilight Blue contains a base of peachy-pink with turquoise and blue tones.

The most striking feature of this ink is its exceptional sheen. I must say this is the sheeniest ink I’ve encountered so far. The magenta is so intense that it overwhelms the dark blue color.

Here are some close up photos of the sheen.

Although I am a big fan of sheen, Ralph Waldo Emerson Twilight Blue is actually too sheeny for me for a couple of reasons. First, I love blue inks, and I want to see the blue, but as I said before, the magenta sheen overwhelms the blue in this ink. Second, the sheen makes this ink sticky on the page. I used it in my Nanami Seven Seas journal, and it stuck to the facing pages and to my hand when I rested it on the page to write my next journal entry. Even after several days of drying, it still smudges and gets on my hand. Because of this, I doubt I will use this ink as a daily writer.

I wrote this journal entry on June 1 and on June 3 it still transferred to my hand

The ink also smudges even after days of drying

I love the innovative inks produced by Organics Studio. If you want an ink with intensive magenta sheen, then Ralph Waldo Emerson Twilight Blue is definitely the perfect choice. Just be aware that the ink smudges and is sticky even after several days of drying. You can purchase a 55ml bottle from Vanness Pens for $15.00.

(Vanness Pens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

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

Myke is so smart. Did you know he knows EVERYTHING about Japanese nibs there is to know? In this episode, he schools us all. We also hit on the latest release from Platinum, 3-D printing, and reselling fountain pens.

Show Notes & Download Links

This episode of The Pen Addict is sponsored by:

Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code PENADDICT at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.

Harry’s: Claim your trial set!

Are Kobe fountain pen inks the way to go price-wise over the newest Sailor Shikiori inks? I’m thinking almost certainly yes. I have one bottle of Kobe ink to giveaway, and the winner gets to pick the color. And that winner is:

Congrats Claire! Look for an email from me shortly, and be thinking about the color you would like.

Thanks to all who entered, and stay tuned for next week’s giveaway!

Each week in Refill, the Pen Addict Members newsletter, I publish Ink Links as part of the additional content you receive for being a member. And each week, after 10 to 15 links, plus my added commentary on each, I'm left with many great items I want to share. Enter Misfill. Here are this weeks links:

— How Nike turned Nigeria’s World Cup kit into a fashion phenomenon (The FADER)

— Majestic Photos Of Mount Fuji At Dawn That Will Inspire Your Week (Design You Trust)

— Fast Dry Inks (Mountain of Ink)

— Fountain Pen Review: Pilot Vanishing Point, Raden Stripe (The Well-Appointed Desk)

— Review: Leda Art Supply Sketchbook (Notebook Stories)

— Hector Silva Tells the Story of How Advanced Design Sketching and SQ1CON Came to Be (Core77)

— A. Savage and the Art of Parquet Courts (Juxtapoz Magazine)

— Extremely Shortened Versions of Classic Books For Lazy People (Design You Trust)

— Artists need pockets (Austin Kleon)

— Review: Elixir Siloso Sunset (Alt. Haven)

— Review: Tofty via Shapeways Pen Clip (Comfortable Shoes Studio)

— The Final Pen Habit Giveaway Blowout! (The Pen Habit)

Want to catch the rest, plus extra articles, reviews, commentary, discounts, and more? Try out a Pen Addict Membership for only $5 per month!

It seems that every summer we all search for the perfect reading material for our vacations, or to pair with that weekend cup of coffee. Refill, the Pen Addict members newsletter, can help you in that search!

Each weekend, I publish a 500-1000 word essay or review, often on the hot topic of the week, the state of the industry, building a business, or any number of related topics. Additionally, I link to 10-15 articles I find interesting and add my own commentary to each - Ink Links on steroids, if you will.

But wait, that’s not all! I mix in personal notes regularly, including things I’m reading or listening to, recap the previous week at The Pen Addict, do a big monthly member giveaway, have a quarterly charity donation, write up pen show trip reports, sneak preview upcoming Pen Addict goods, offer Pen Addict shop discounts, and plenty more. This is also an ad-free space - no sponsors or affiliate links in any issue of Refill.

And let me be perfectly clear here: This is my job, and Refill is part of how I make a living. Your support means the world to me, and I never take it for granted. I work hard to give you a great bang for the buck, and have fun doing it. I think you will have fun being a part of it too.

For $5 a month, or $48/year, you can join over 500 current Pen Addict members, get something awesome in your inbox each week, and support me and this site directly.

Hit this link to find out more, check out a sample issue, and subscribe. You get access to the full archive as well, with 128 published issues to catch up on!

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Image via JetPens

Doane Paper goods are some of my favorite products on the planet. Chad Doane gets me, and I get his products. The Large Utility Notebook is one of my favorites in a long line of favorites, and I have one three-pack to give away to a reader. Read the rules below and enter away!

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

The Parker Jotter is an iconic classic that is both easily recognizable and unassuming. If you've never owned one, then you've probably seen one out in the wild. They're available all over the place, from our favorite retailers to big-box local stores. But, just like every popular pen out there, special editions are a fairly common occurrence. The latest special edition to cross my desk is the Parker Jotter London Architecture Red Chrome edition.

Even though this is a special edition, you immediately know that it's a Jotter. The red upper body has a great candy apple sheen , and the grip section has an ornate argyle pattern that gives the body a nice texture and visual interest. Apart from the color and unique texture, the pen is a standard Jotter. The clip is the usual Parker arrow design, and the only branding is found on the clip assembly around the body.

One of the things I associate instantly with the Parker Jotter is the unique "ker-thunk" that the click mechanism produces. When you want the room to know that you're using a pen, this is the one to get their attention. One of the other things I associate with the Parker Jotter is the character Boris Grishenko from GoldenEye and his amazing pen twirling skills. I'm pretty sure that's a Parker Jotter used in the scene, but I can't be sure since Boris is just so good at pen acrobatics.

Once you get down to the writing portion of this pen, you're greeted with the understated (yet reliable) Parker Quinkflow refill in blue. I always have mixed feelings about the Parker Jotter refills, mostly due to the fact that they can be a bit finicky when first starting to use them. After the ink starts flowing, though, they usually perform great. They're not on the same level as a Schmidt EasyFlow 9000, but they're pretty darn close. For a refill that the manufacturer makes and includes with the pen, it's a great choice. Of course, since this is a Jotter, you have many, many refill choices if the Quinkflow refill isn't for you.

Overall, the Parker Jotter London Architecture Red Chrome edition is a great addition to the Parker lineup. It's not terribly expensive, and, at $25, it's only a few bucks more than a standard Jotter. If this catches your eye, pick one up before they're gone.

(Vanness Pens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

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

So much new stuff to discuss this week! I had many words to share on said stuff, including the new Blackwing Volume 10001 and Sailor Pro Gear Ocean. Listeners asked a ton of great questions too. Tune in to hear me ramble!

Show Notes & Download Links

This episode of The Pen Addict is sponsored by:

Pen Chalet: Click the ‘podcast’ link at the top of the website and enter the password ‘penaddict’ for this week’s special offer, and to get your code for 10% off.

Simple Contacts: Contact lens prescriptions from home: Use offer code PENADDICT for $30 off your contact lenses.

(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.)

The Pentel Fitline set of highlighters includes the standard basics--yellow, pink, orange, green, and blue. They're double-ended, with the classic chisel tip at one end and a 1 mm bullet felt tip at the other. They're designed to work both for highlighting and quick note taking, though that always baffles me a bit. Generally, ink bright enough to highlight is terrible for reading notes, and ink dark enough to read is terrible for highlighting. Still, the design persists across a number of brands, so maybe I'm missing something.

These are, in nearly every way, just your standard highlighters. They've set themselves apart with two features, though. One is a notched neck which allows the chisel tip to flex a bit for easier highlighting over curved pages. It's an interesting feature in theory, but I didn't see much flex in my samples. In order to get any bending, I had to press hard enough that the tip was getting squished and there was a risk of ink bleeding. It's possible they'd become more flexible with use. And due to their other unique feature--they are refillable--it is actually worthwhile to break them in. The refill is for pigment only and does not include a replacement tip, so eventually the tip will move past the broken-in phase and become worn out--at which point the whole pen will have to be replaced.

These are on the pricier side for a standard highlighter at $1.75 apiece. And refills are $1.40--quite high for pigment alone. That cost would make sense if you were getting a replacement tip, and I wonder if the felt tips will last more than a few fillings.

The tips do write smoothly and well. The ink distributes evenly and there are no issues with bleeding or show-through, even on cheap printer paper. There was some slight smearing on rollerball and gel pen ink, but surprisingly none with fountain pen ink. It also did well over pencil, ballpoint, and printer ink.

The clips are sturdy and have enough space between them and the body to be clipped to a book cover. The caps snap securely and both can be posted to the other, but the fine-point end caps are very small--so be careful not to lose them.

Overall, I think these are a good quality school supply, if a bit on the pricier side. They work very well, but fall short of being anything particularly innovative. For highlighters, though, my only real expectation is that they be practical, and these do that very well.

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

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

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

I’m always on the lookout for new ways to share my love of stationery with the world, and Twitch is the next place for me. You can follow me at Twitch.tv/penaddict.

So, why Twitch? I’m so glad you asked! Here are the reasons, in no particular order:

It’s fun. I try not to do anything in my personal or professional life that isn’t fun. That can be a challenge sometimes, and it’s not always rainbows and unicorns, but life is too short to not have fun. Talking stationery and playing games is fun!

When I’m not at a pen show or event, I miss talking and hanging out with people, and while doing this online is not exactly the same experience, it’s nice to have a live conversation with live feedback. Twitch is perfect for this.

Sharing is caring. I like to help others as much as possible, whether it is basic stationery questions, or blogging and business questions. I’m an open book, and want to give others the opportunity to get live feedback and discussion around their questions.

I mentioned my idea for open office hours a few times recently, and this is a way to do that in a more open and accessible fashion. I will be scheduling the majority of my stationery streams on Twitch, and will try to vary the times so you can get live feedback if you are interested.

Opportunities. Working for myself, I have to keep moving the goalposts forward. Twitch is a great way to grow The Pen Addict brand, work with new makers and creators, and expose myself to new things. I’m chomping at the bit to see what I can do and who I can meet because of the platform Twitch provides.

Charity. Thanks to the support of Pen Addict Members, I’ve been able to donate around $1000 per year to various causes. I can do a lot better than that. One of the things that has fascinated me the most about Twitch in the last year I have been watching the platform is the amount of charity streams there are. I want to be a part of this in a big way.

It’s fun. I mentioned that already, right? But it’s true, and I can’t wait to start having fun!

Here is what you can expect from my Twitch channel.

Dedicated stationery streams. I think there is a real opportunity here. Once I get all of the technical details behind me and my workflow set, I hope to schedule a minimum of two, 2-hour blocks per week to discuss stationery.

These streams could be as simple as talking about the huge worlds of gel ink pens and pocket notebooks, or as detailed as nib grind questions and fountain pen cleaning. Today’s stream will feature an unboxing of new goods, which will be a recurring theme. Everyone loves a good unboxing!

Additionally, these streams will be available to watch in the future if you can’t make it to the live shows. Twitch makes it easy to export to YouTube, which I will do for all of the stationery streams. You can follow my YouTube channel here to watch the archives.

Gaming streams. Many people wondered when I turned my hobby into a business what my next hobby would be. It’s gaming.

My gaming history goes back to the Magnavox Odyessy console and playing Wizardry on the Apple IIc. I was mostly a Sega guy in the heyday of Nintendo, with both the Genesis and Dreamcast getting a ton of play. I took a gaming break in the late-90’s and early-2000’s, but the rise of PC gaming brought me back with Half-Life, and eventually World of Warcraft through the first three expansions. The original XBOX got me back into console gaming, and over the past few years I’ve been all-in on the PlayStation side of the ledger.

90% of my gaming time these days revolves around two games: MLB the Show and Destiny 2. You will find me streaming those games a lot for the next few months. I’ll be looking for new games in the fall, both on PC and PS4. I’m open to playing with anyone online as well, so feel free to reach out.

Game streams will be a secondary aspect of the channel, but will likely comprise most of the hours. These will be generally unscheduled events and primarily on nights and weekends - aka my downtime. These sessions are wide open for AMA questions on stationery or any topic you want to hit, or just drop in to hang out.

Work streams. Is this a thing? Not really, and may not be a thing for me either, but many times I’m just sitting at my desk working away on my task list. I may flip the stream on from time to time to hang out, but it may be too distracting for both of us. We’ll see how this goes.

These are my initial thoughts and ideas, and I would love to hear what you think. As always, I’m open to any questions, tips, tricks, ideas, etc. that you would like to share.

On that note, my first dedicated stationery stream is tonight at 5 p.m. Eastern at Twitch.tv/penaddict. Be there!

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

Krishna Ink Sailor’s is the third Krishna ink I’ve reviewed so far. If you want to read about the founder of Krishna Ink and a little background about the ink, please see the link here.

Krishna Sailor’s is a dark turquoise ink with magenta sheen. I tested it using my new Sailor 1911 Large Stormy Sea with a medium italic nib (review here). The ink is a perfect match for this pen (if you like being matchy). The paper I use for my initial ink tests is Maruman Septcouleur white paper. This paper is good for showing off the true color of inks, but it does not reflect sheen (if any is present). My testing shows that the ink is highly saturated with good shading (in wider nibs). It is fairly wet and is not waterproof.

Chromatography reveals that this ink is comprised entirely of blue shades, so the magenta sheen is a nice surprise.

In order to get the best sheen, you need to use paper like Tomoe River Paper, MD Cotton Paper (reviewed here), or Col-o-dex Rotary Cards (reviewed here). The examples below were done on MD Cotton paper and a Col-o-dex card.

Sailor’s is an excellent deep turquoise color in and of itself. An added benefit (if you like sheen) is the beautiful magenta exhibited in wide nibs and sheen-enhancing paper.

You can purchase a 20ml bottle of Krishna Sailor’s from Vanness Pens for $8.50. I love Krishna Ink so much that I will probably wind up buying the entire line at some point. I just wish they came in larger bottles.

(Vanness Pens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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I love Doane Paper, and I especially love the Large Utility Notebook as an on-the-go companion. Hopefully the winner of this giveaway enjoys them as much as I do.

Congrats Mark! I’ve sent you an email to get your shipping address.

Each week in Refill, the Pen Addict Members newsletter, I publish Ink Links as part of the additional content you receive for being a member. And each week, after 10 to 15 links, plus my added commentary on each, I'm left with many great items I want to share. Enter Misfill. Here are this weeks links:

— Pen Review: OMAS Paragon Arte Italiana Brown Arco Celluloid with Silver Trim (Macchiato Man)

— 100 Club Stories: Fred Perry and Ditto launch new book to celebrate London’s legendary club (Creative Boom)

— Pelikan M800 Royal Gold Raden Limited Edition, M800 18K Medium, inked with Montblanc Petit Prince Red Fox (TooManyPelikans)

— Patrick Kyle’s helpful advice on how to start out at illustration fairs (It’s Nice That)

— Review: Bn Works Twiist 2-In-1 Pen (The Pencilcase Blog)

— Vintage Review: Esterbrook Ballpoint Pen Brought Back to Life (The Well-Appointed Desk)

— Ink Review #325: Montblanc Petit Prince Red Fox (Mountain of Ink)

— Review: Laban Kaiser Antique Ivory & Silver Fountain Pen @GoldspotPens (Gourmet Pens)

— World Cup 2018 Illustrations and Drawings (Doodlers Anonymous)

— People are falling back in love with stationery (Craft Business Magazine)

— Bill Murray Explains How He Pulled Himself Out of a Deep, Lasting Funk: He Took Hunter S. Thompson’s Advice & Listened to the Music of John Prine (Open Culture)

— Review: Graf von Faber-Castell Olive Green (Alt. Haven)

— PenBBS 308 Unboxing and Review (Penultimate Dave)

— A sad update about a scissors maker that went viral (Kottke.org)

— Pen Chalet’s Retro 51 Argo (Inkdependence!)

— Pentel Sharp P207 review (Irv’s Stationery)

— Smithsonian Gets Some Vibranium with Acquisition of Iconic Black Panther Costume (Hyperallergic)

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