The Well Appointed Desk - 21 pen questions
Taking a stab at the list of 21 Pen Questions from The Well Appointed Desk
1: What is the pen they'll have to pry out of your cold dead hands?
Schon Dsgn Monoc nib in a Schon Engineered Plastics Ultem full size pen. The Monoc nib is smooth when writing right side up or upside down, the Ultem lets you see how the ink supply is going and it is a nice honey yellow.
2: What's your guilty pleasure pen?
Sailor 1911L 4AM with a 21k B nib. The translucent blue is lovely, the plated nib looks great, and it writes SO nicely! The Sailor B nib is similar to a JoWo M nib.
3: What's the pen you wish existed?
Something with a flex nib like an Esterbrook Oval Point, and a converter for ink. Basically a way to use one of the dip nibs I love without having to constantly dip the pen. Also a way to swap out the dip nib whenever I choose.
I might have found this in the Sailor Hocoro dip pen, it has feeds you can add, multiple nibs including a fude and two stubs.
4: What pen would you give to a new enthusiast?
A Platinum Preppy. If money was no object, I’d give them a stub nib Edison Collier and a Bock Titanium nib on a Ranga pen, because those are fun.
5: What pen do you want to get along with but it just never clicked?
Eyedropper pens make me nervous, so anything eyedropper.
6: What pen do you only keep only because its pretty?
An Esterbrook J pen, lever-fill pen with shimmery copper resin. It leaks like a sieve, the nib isn't great to use, it is a pain to clean, but it looks so pretty. Maybe I'll get it restored some day.
7: What pen (or stationery product) did you buy because everyone else did?
The Esterbrook. It's so pretty, but I really dislike lever-fill and button-fill mechanisms, they take ages to clean out and feel fragile.
8: What pen (or stationery product) is over your head or just baffles you?
Anything with a shiny section. The pens often look great but I hate the feel of the sections. I want some texture or grip or anything but polished metal.
9: What pen (or stationery product) surprised you?
Tactile Turn bolt-action pens. I have a titanium version and I love it. The subtle texture makes it great to hold, and the weight is good.
10: What pen doesn't really work for you but you keep it because it's a collectible?
I don’t have this for pens, but I have a few ink bottles that fit this description. Akkerman 22 Hopjesbruin is a bit too pale for my liking but I adore the bottle.
11: What is your favorite sparkly pen (or ink)?
I don’t do sparkly.
12: Which nib do you love – but hate the pen?
I dislike EF nibs, and scratchy ones. Glass dip pens just don’t work for me but I love the look and the idea of them.
13: What pen (or stationery product) gives you the willies?
Pens that look uncomfortable to hold or write with. About all the BENU pens with sparkly bits and lumps and bumps. Too-heavy metal pens.
14: What's your favorite pen for long form writing?
I have a Peyton Street and Ranga collaboration that is mustard yellow ebonite with a Sheaffer Imperial section and converter, the Ranga 4CS model. It is smooth as a gold nib, flows well, and looks so cool!
15: What pen (or stationery product) do you love in theory but not in practice?
Colorverse Andromeda ink. I love the colour, I love the gold sheen, but it is so dry in all the pens I've used I just don't like using it. I keep trying though. It also takes ages to dry on the page.
16: What pen (or stationery product) would you never let someone else use?
I’m pretty free with letting people try my stuff, I often bring pens to my knitting group for people to try. My dip pen nibs never leave the house, so probably those.
17: What pen (or stationery product) would you never use for yourself?
Sparkly ink. I just don’t like the look, I much prefer shading or sheen.
18: What pen (or stationery product) could you NOT bring yourself to buy?
Visconti. I adore the idea of the Homo Sapiens but it’s too bulky for my hand. All their other pens have a slippery-shiny section.
19: What's your favorite vintage pen?
I have a Parker Vacumatic I got at the first St Louis Pen Show in 2019, and I asked Richard Binder (!!) to smooth the nib. He ended up doing a lot more than that to make sure I had a good working pen because the seller was not up to Binder's standards. I treasure that pen, it is from 1941, black with a gold nib.
20: What is your favorite EDC/pocket pen?
I don’t like pocket pens, I prefer a full size pen. I tried to like the Kaweco Sport but I just did not enjoy using it. A good EDC for me is the Ranga Model 3, mine is a teal ebonite pen with a Bock Titanium nib. The flow is great, the ebonite feels warm and I love the darker metal look of the nib. It wasn’t hugely expensive and I could replace it if I had to.
21: What's the pen (or stationery product) that got away?
Not sure anything fits in this category.
Thank you for an intriguing set of questions!