Whenever I have the time to surf the net, there are around ten internet sites related to fountain pens that I always check first. I am not saying these are the “best” - there are a lot of other good sites out there that I visit regularly - but these ones provide me with what I am looking for when I am in a hurry.

What do I look for? Well, I try to keep up to date with new “stuff” - the latest fountain pens, inks, and paper as they become available. One of the easiest ways is to subscribe to different newsletters that some sites provide. I can also share these newsletters with others in our pen club - if I see something that might be of interest to everyone. I also want to find out what is going on in the pen community - what are people talking about, reviews and comments on new “stuff”. And I am always on the lookout for a good deal on a great pen.

So, here are my top internet sites (in no particular order). If you know of others that are worth a look, let me know.

Fountain Pen Hospital

I always check their New Arrivals and Super Specials tabs and their free catalog and annual calendars are a must have.

Oscar Braun Pens

Pam’s service and prices are legendary - I always check the specials in order of Newest. When I get nostalgic, I click on the Old School format!

Pendemonium

Sam aka “The Pen Goddess” is also well known for her fantastic service and Pendemonium carries just about everything you are looking for, especially ink and paper. Read the News and Updates page first and don’t forget to subscribe to Inky Greetings.

Swisher Pens

Swisher Pens has always been one of my favourite retailers. I have always received polite and prompt service. They have been a leader in developing their own inks. For some reason when they updated their website, it takes f o r e v e r to load and sometimes, well, I just don’t have the time to wait. If you are patient enough, check out the bottled ink and the clearance section.

So, here are my top internet sites (in no particular order). If you know of others that are worth a look, let me know.

Discussion boards are great sources for what’s happening with pens and great deals on pens from honest and knowledgeable sellers.

Pentrace - PenMarket aka “The Green Board”

I cut my teeth on Pentrace, both the discussion board and the penmarket. However, after a while, the discussion board aka “The Yellow Board”, seemed to be filled with constant bickering and vitriole so I stopped reading it. They know have registration which has likely helped - even though I have registered, I have still not read the yellow board. Instead, I always check the green board to see what the folks are selling. This is a great place for pens or even if you want to research prices. And virtually all of the people are top-notch.

Fountain Pen Network

After being disillusioned with the Pentrace yellow board, I found and joined the Fountain Pen Network. What a breath of fresh air. Friendly and knowledgeable people. I just wish I had more time to check out all the Forums. When pressed for time, I check out the Chatter Forum or use my assistant to skim what has been posted since I was last there. If you love fountain pens, you simply must join. And don’t forget to donate once a year or so to keep it going.

Ebay

Yes, Ebay can be a bit like the wild west but there is a good market for pens and “stuff” - look in the Collectibles category under Pens & Writing Instruments. If you want to filter out all the junk, like the cheap pens and refills, you need to create an Advanced Search that is customized to your interests (while filtering out the junk).

Remember that it is caveat emptor; however, if you are very careful and only buy from reputable sellers with a healthy dose of feedback (and read the feedback!!), you should be okay.

The Writing Desk (UK)

The Writing Desk has one of the most complete selection of fountain pen inks that I know of, anywhere, period, full stop. Best of all, they have two cool tools to help you choose. You have your choice - you can view up to 3 colours side by side in their Ink Colour Comparison Page or you can display their bottled ink by colour in their Colorama Page. If you have a bit of time on your hands, you can view something in excess of 240 colours.

Remember, I am not saying these are the “best” - there are a lot of other good sites out there that I visit regularly - but these ones provide me with what I am looking for when I am in a hurry.

Some recent items involving fountain pens that at least I found interesting:

Fascinating facts, figures and insight into the “stationery” business

http://www.prweb.com/releases/stationery_products/paper_ribbons_cards/prweb781914.htm

The new Lamy line-up for the year - check out the ultra cool Lime Lamy Safari!

http://www.lamy.com/products/new_products/index_eng.html

I was able to obtain a couple of the Lime Lamys from a Limey on Ebay.  I have not yet to see it available in the US or Canada.  When it does arrive, it will be hot.  And although it is not listed here, I have also seen a lineup of Lamy’s pens in Raspberry at Art Brown -

http://www.artbrown.com/Lamy-Rasberry-Fountain-Pen–P18324C1213.aspx

Also of note is the new (triangular shaped) ball-point, the Noto. 

One of our members recently brought home a Montblanc catalog from Germany.  Although I have not seen it, I understand it contained a number of diamond encrusted pens.  To wit:

http://www.tradearabia.com/news/MEDIA_140613.html

A fascinating blog on fountain pen restoration:

 http://munsonpens.wordpress.com/

“A blog devoted to writing, grammar, good manners, and basically trying to save Civilization, one punctuation mark at a time.”

http://punctualityrules.com/2008/03/28/how-to-improve-your-penmanship/

The how to improve your penmanship is just one of many useful posts on this blog.  Check it out!

Oh, the Parker 51!

http://www.collectorsweekly.com/blogs/dave/guest-column-collecting-the-parker-51-a-classic-vintage-pen/

Short demonstration on YouTube on refilling a fountain pen ink cartridge using a syringe and blunt needle:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbIoMEPyg5U

Esterbrook history, for you JP:

http://www.courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070201/SPECIAL23/106290002/-1/special23

Ah, spring has finally sprung - the “freshness” of renewal and new arrivals.  A spirit of optimism and hope prevails as the seasons change from dark to light.  Enough already, I am not a poet (although my feet may show it, they are Longfellows!). 

Back to pens - what has recently arrived in the mail or is on the wish list  to dream or lust about or maybe just the thrill of the hunt - ebay, discussion boards, antique shows and shops or best of all, a heavenly pen show.  Or maybe, just maybe the children or spouse of a member will find this page bookmarked or left on screen so that they could check out this list as a shopping guide for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, birthday, anniversary, or just because day.

Here goes:

 ”Oh, the LPC meeting you say?  Ah!  Follow the ink drops that direction.  You’re close when you smell the coffee & Noodler’s.”

Courtesy of our good friend and member, KR.

Our pen club met on March 29 at the usual William’s Coffee on Wellington. The theme selected for the week was “desert island” pens and accessories. In other words, you are being sentenced to spend the rest of your life on a desert island - what are the 2-3 pens and accessories (ink, paper, etc…) that you would take from your current collection. Of course, some people took this literally (read: too practical) while the rest grasped the spirit of the theme.

So, off we go with ladies first. Our sole lady member, KR, provided me with her list as follows (I will not add to her comments; she can write quite well on her own behalf!):

1. MB 149 because if I leave it lying around my Mother will pinch it. That and I love it. Ink in this pen: PR Orange Crush because the pen likes it and the cheerful colour will make me feel better when all I have to look at is sand and green stuff.
2. Caran d’Ache Ecridor Retro (with matching pencil) because it is indestructible. I may need a hammer or a drill or a stabby (ed: sharp?) weapon. Plus, I love it. Ink in this pen: Noodler’s Old Manhattan Black because it is the best ink in the known universe and it is bulletproof. I will need something enduring to write my memoirs with, should anyone ever run across my ink stained corpse in a cave.
3. Visconti Van Gogh Midi Vanilla because it looks yummy and when I am starving on the island I can lick it and pretend that it is a frozen treat or a stick of swirly white/milk chocolate. I will then feel better. Ink in this pen: MB Season’s Greetings (brown, smells like cookies) because it will add to the fantasy. Plus, it looks really good coming out of this particular pen.
4. Paper: Ecojot looseleaf, Apica notebooks and G. Lalo deckled edge Ivory Correspondence cards with matching envelopes (for birthdays, thank you letters, invitations….you know. For all of my imaginary friends I will find on the island as I go slightly mad.)

There are two additional posts that follow which detail the desert island items selected by the men of our club.  Enjoy!

Of course, I have to write on behalf of the men in the group as they do not possess the imagination or the same writing skills as KR (with a few notable exceptions including the present company, of course!).  I would not want to call them lazy!

So for the men, I will simply list what they have provided to me (with a few editorial comments where appropriate).  The numbering of the pens in the table below has no significance.

Last but not least, are my desert island pens and accessories (Me) and for those gentlemen who were away at the time, my best speculation as to what they would pick.  Enjoy the final post on this subject!

I recently test dipped a number of grey/gray and black inks for comparison.  The paper is Rhodia notebook graph.  Of particular interest is the relative blackness, if you will, of the Noodler’s Heart of Darkness (HoD) ink.

In my own opinion, Aurora black (which has been my favourite until now) is a worthy competitor; however, Noodler’s HoD is the black ink that I prefer.

Sorry for the delay in posting this.  I have included in this post a scanned copy of two pages of Herbin inks that were made using a glass dipping pen.  The inks scanned represent the different colours that our members ordered from PenandCo .

All in all, I think everyone was happy with their ink purchases.  There are a number of very nice and interesting colours in the scans - and Herbin makes quite a few more as well.