Here is a fountain pen story for December 2015. Stories have been edited slightly for language and coherence. As it is the Christmas month, watch out for more fountain pen posts later on. Enjoy! The Pen Is Mightier Than The Sword – Anton, Singapore My first contact with fountain pens was neither scholarly nor artistic. Sometime in year 2000, I was into survival gear, collected knives, and was interested in swords and stuff. I was an avid reader in self defence and blade forums. Then came the Sept 11th incident and thereafter, one couldn’t carry knives on board the plane anymore. Not that you could in Singapore anyway, but it also meant no Leatherman tools, nor Swiss Army knives. The self defence people on those message boards came up with the idea of fountain pens because of the sharp tip yet innocent and classy look, and one could easily apply the martial art techniques of Kubotan, which was commonly taught to police and special forces. Not that anyone is going to run into a situation everyday that needed such skills, but that’s what got me interested in fountain pens. I went to Montblanc at Takashimaya for the 149, when I realized that the price tag was immense! I had been […]
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Here are the contributions of fountain pen stories for November 2015. Stories have been edited slightly for language and coherence. The Rise And Decline Of An Addiction – Eli, Singapore My addiction with stationery began back when I was in secondary school. My favourite pastime while out accompanying my mum at shopping malls was to go straight to the closest stationery store to check out what new marvels they have imported in from japan that month. I started hoarding gel pens, to the point my mother remarked that ‘I don’t see your grades getting better despite that many pens’. Fast forward to yet another day of staring at mosquitoes flying about in bunk during my time in the Army I decided I would get back to journaling. This is not something new to me, but I never managed to muster enough discipline to maintain it for more than a few months. I got hold of a suitable journal, but out of curiosity decided to do some research on fountain pens. One search led to another and I took possession of a brand new Lamy Safari Demonstrator pen a few weeks later. Like most budding FP addicts, I decided that I needed […]
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I don’t always post about pen meets even if we hold them every month, but this time I managed to have a bit of time to go around and peek at what people are doing, and take lots of photos. The meet was held on Saturday, 17 October, at the Tea Party Cafe, which seems to have become our usual pen meeting place. It was sponsored by Fook Hing Trading Co., who contributed both refreshments and sponsored items for a lucky draw and an ink testing station. I went there a few minutes early with my fellow admins to set up the place and prepare these ink swabs for the ink testing station. Fook Hing Trading Co. has sponsored the entire set of Rohrer & Klingner inks (18 in total) for members to dip and test, or even to take a small sample of, if they really loved the ink. R&K produces a bunch of really nice, saturated inks which are all very vibrant in colour! Most of the members, however, grouped themselves together to talk about their latest pens, their grail pens, and try out everyone’s pens. The seats filled up really quickly as usual, but members also moved […]
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In a very unfortunate event at Aesthetic Bay Singapore on 15 October 2015, 3 very exquisite Namiki fountain pens were stolen. I am posting this up so all you out there in the fountain pen community and beyond can be aware of this and help to nab the thieves. And if you have stolen the pens and are reading this right now, shame on you! The stolen pens are: Here is the statement from Mr Tan Fong Kum, Managing Director of Aesthetic Bay, on the stolen pens: Hi All, Re: 3 Namiki pens were stolen from Aesthetic Bay Please take note that 3 pens were stolen from Aesthetic Bay on the 15 Oct 2015. -Namiki Limited Edition Emperor Setsugekka Fountain Pen #63/99 -Namiki Limited Edition Emperor Polar Bear Fountain Pen #94/99 -Namiki Limited Edition Yukari Royale Nyoutan Namazu (CatFish) #198/200. In the midst of distracting the sales staff, the 3 pens were stolen. Therefore please be careful if someone offers to sell these pens without box and papers. The box and certificates are all with us. We have made a police report. Pilot Singapore &Japan are also aware of this. These numbers would be registered as stolen items in their […]
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Here are contributions of fountain pen stories for October 2015. Stories have been edited slightly for language and coherence. I Draw With Fountain Pens, And I Collect Pink Ones – Annie, Singapore The first time I got into contact with a fountain pen was in school. I’m studying architecture and drawing was an important part of our curriculum. Of course, drawing was done not only with pencils but also with technical pens. We had to purchase technical pens by Rotring for our drawing exercise. Rotring pens are not easy to use unlike fountain pens with customised nibs. The technical pens are basically a pointed needle where the ink flows out, and it breaks REALLY easily too. So fountain pen is really a much better alternative to obtain nice strokes for drawings. My first fountain pen was a Lamy Safari, because it was new in the market then and really affordable. It took me some time to really get used to writing and drawing with fountain pens, and now, I use them for my daily activities! So how did I develop this obsession with pink fountain pens? It started with me going to Eslite bookstore in Taiwan, where they had a promotion […]
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Another #pendelight post this week, this time it is about the Danitrio YOK-3 Jurojin fountain pen. I was recommended by Arthur (House of Pens) to take pictures of this wonderful looking pen, the Danitrio YOK-3 Jurojin fountain pen of their Kyokuchi (Zenith) Collection. I have a personal problem where I tend to only look at pens especially when they are exceptionally intricate-looking, and feel wowed by them, and forget to take pictures to share here on my blog. Not so anymore, and you’ll probably get a chance to see more beautiful pens in future posts to come! The Danitrio YOK pens are made using Japanese ebonite for the cap and body, with 18K gold nibs (#50 size, which is huge). In contrast to the body of the pen, the nib is rather plain-looking. I suppose it is to draw attention away from the nib and towards the masterpieces that are hand-painted onto the pen body instead. “Yokozuna” in Japanese Sumo wrestling refers to the highest rank a Sumo wrestler can achieve. For fountain pens, it refers to the huge pens that Danitrio produces, each with a lot of space for the maki-e artists to work on to implement their art […]
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It’s been a long time since I last posted up a #pendelight. I was delighted that Fook Hing Trading Co. let me take photos of this gorgeous pen, the Montblanc Writers Edition featuring Leo Tolstoy. Just a note, though, that I did not write in the picture above, but this pen photographed above is the Leo Tolstoy 1868 fountain pen, which is different from the regular Writers Edition Leo Tolstoy. Why 1868 The most famous book that Leo Tolstoy wrote was “War and Peace”, and 1868 marks the year that the first edition of the book was published. Some Similarities And Differences Both pens have similarities, having the centre section of the barrel designed with an special uneven texture, but the non-1868 version is silver-plated while the 1868 version is gold-plated. The cap of the non-1868 version is made of precious dark grey resin with platinum-plated fittings, while the 1868 version has a blue lacquered cap with guilloche patterns that reminds us of the aristocracy in Russia. At the end of the barrel, there is a wooden cone attached to represent the trees among which Tolstoy requested to be buried. The wooden cone tells the story of his beloved estate, Yasnaya Polyana, […]
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I’m trying out this new series where I share a couple of fountain pen stories from readers, friends, and fellow fountain pen enthusiasts, in the middle of each month. Let’s see how it goes. Here are the stories for September 2015. Stories have been edited slightly for coherence and language: My Grandfather Led Me Into The World Of Vintage Pens – Roy, Singapore I had always wanted to try or see this mysterious pen which wrote with a nib. Remembering that people used fountain pens in the past, I decided to ask my grandfather if he had any fountain pens. He went to dig around, and came back with a grey/green pen with a gold cap. It had a hooded nib, so I was surprised when I first saw it. I was wondering how on earth the pen worked. He passed me a huge bottle of Parker Quink ink, and I pressed the sac to see if ink would go in, and it did! After I brought it home I thought that was it, and I left it in a corner because I was busy with work. A week later I decided to Google and find out more about the pen, which stated “Parker […]
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Pilot Pen Singapore hosted a fountain pen meet for Singapore Fountain Pen Lovers (SFPL) yesterday at Milagro Spanish Restaurant, Orchard Central. Due to the overwhelming turnout, we admins of the Facebook group had to do some attendance control before the event so that the venue wouldn’t be bursting at the seams! The total turnout was 73 pax or so. The event started off with a speech by Mr Benjamin Teh, General Manager of Pilot Pen Singapore. During the speech, he addressed some of the questions that SFPL members have asked on the Facebook group regarding Pilot products. At a corner of the restaurant, Pilot showcased a few new products that were launched recently. One was the beautiful Pilot 2015 Limited Edition Capless fountain pen, the “Twilight Blue”. The pen features a nice gradient from blue to purple throughout the body, and has an 18K rhodium-plated nib to match. In addition, another of the products launched was the 15mL Iroshizuku 3-in-a-box ink set, or what they call the “Mini Iroshizuku Inks”. All 24 colours were showcased at the meet as well. Another highlight of the day was the “special feature table” at which we could try out 3 different nibs belonging to the Pilot […]
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Namiki is launching the Limited Edition Kabuto fountain pen, and only 170 pieces are available worldwide. Designed and decorated by skilled artisan Michifumi Kawaguchi, this piece features the Kabuto (helmet) and Tachi (sword), which are Samurai armour essentials. Today, the Kabuto and Tachi are honoured during the Boys’ Festival in Japan on May 5 every year, which is a festival to celebrate the transition of Japanese boys to adulthood. The Namiki Limited Edition Kabuto fountain pen features an 18-karat gold nib with rhodium accents and piston ink delivery system that ensures peerless writing quality and long-lasting performance. Released for the world at a limited quantity of 170 pieces, the exquisite Namiki fountain pen is packaged in a lavish specially handcrafted Japanese Paulownia gift box and comes with a matching limited edition ink bottle. — Pilot Pen Singapore The Namiki Kabuto fountain pen is designed using a combination of various Maki-e techniques, such as Taka Maki-e (raised Maki-e) for the Kabuto, Hira Maki-e (flat Maki-e) for the Tachi, and Togidashi-Taka Maki-e (burnished raised Maki-e) and gold powder for the background. In addition to Maki-e, the dome of the Kabuto has sparkling Raden inlay. Artisan Michifumi Kawaguchi is also known for his other […]
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