This message is primarily for Drew and Shannon, I am a small animal veterinarian and it is very common for good pet owners to feel like they are jinxed with their pets having all the health problems. But really, it's because you are taking such good care of them that you catch these things early. I've seen far too many dogs become blind due to untreated dry eye because "eye drops are too hard to do". Your vet can tell you are good pet parents because you come in as soon as problems arise and you do what your dogs need, even if it isn't easy. As far as difficulty with medicated baths go, consider asking your vet about Douxo brand products. It's a good brand that makes a variety of medicated shampoos, leave in mousse, and sprays for skin issues. I have golden retrievers (thick undercoat, tough to rinse thoroughly, and they take forever to dry) and I use the mousse in-between baths on my own dogs which has been a game changer for me personally. I also appreciate the shout out to the severe shortage of veterinarians, especially ER vets, all across the country. It is a drastically underpaid field (about 1/4 of what an MD makes despite the same duration and cost of school). There has also been an unfortunate amount of verbal abuse towards veterinary staff, especially at the ER, which led many people to leave the field altogether. Mental health issues in the Veterinary profession has been swept under the rug for a long time. I am so impressed with your company for giving employees paid mental health days. One of the reasons I love the fountain pen community so much is how positive and helpful everyone is towards each other. We could all use more of that kindness in our world. ~Laura P.S. As a Chicagoan, I chuckle-snorted at your description of hot cheese pie!
I found the part about vets interesting, I am in Germany and we have regulated fees for everything that a vet will do, this is regulated by the federal association of veterinarians in Germany and emergency cases are also regulated: the normal fee is doubled or tripled, because that ensures vet clinics can pay their staff on weekends and holidays. So you always know what something will cost (if you care to look it up) and it isn’t something a vet can simply make up. I hope your dogs will get better very soon!
I said something to my vet this summer when I had to put my old cat to sleep, about the high suicide rate among vets. He said three people in his class of 100 have committed suicide.
I have a dog with no tears at all he's a 0/0 and has been since birth. It's hard work to keep his eyes remotely pain-free. But autologous serum is a godsent especially in winter when he gets even dryer. It heals corneal tissue and is the only reason at 9 he has what limited vision he has left. I have so many clients who won't do thing one about their dogs dry eye, and then I have a mini fridge at work So I can keep his serum drops safe when he is on round the clock drops.
I'm a second year vet tech student (mature student, same age as Brian and Drew), and there is a shortage of vets and techs in my area as well. (Southern Ontario, Canada). Some of the vet ERs are down to limited hours due to staffing, and so many clinics aren't taking new clients because they are at capacity. I know there is the mental health issue in this field, and I will make less than I did as an engineer, and definitely have a chance of burning out of another career, but at this point in my life, I'd rather be content and satisfied than rich. I am far happier than I was working at a desk.
The best way to get ink off hands is to wash your hair. As Brian mentioned, shampoo is a good soap for ink, but further, hair has a very rough texture (cuticle) and does a great job getting ink out of the many nooks and crannies on our hands.
Oh it's been a long week and this podcast is what I needed to finish it. Have you ever considered holding a meetup called Briancon where people that enjoy the Lamy 2000, Pilot Kon-peki and cargo shorts can get together?
I feel that we should get Brian that Pilot vermilion pen as a community to show him how much he is appreciated for everything that he's done for us. He deserves it.
Love the long videos but I'll make an exception this time since that means we will see one next week. SAILOR IS BUSY cranking out those pens. I agree that brown and green one is awesome! Great pencast...thank you guys. Another reason to be excited about Friday's. BLESSINGS
I just told the Norwegian Navy barcode joke to my boyfriend who is a Master Marine Surveyor currently working on a ship. He did not laugh, but put me on speaker to repeat it to the Chief Officer who immediatly laughed! He was still laughing when I hung up. Thank you for sharing. By the way, RO Thunderstorm is one of my favorite inks for cathartic writing. I put it in my Sailor PGS Lighthouse to guide my way.
How do you label your ink sample vials? One option is to use a paper punch to punch circles of paper (Tomoe River paper is a good choice as it shows shading properties), and use a glue stick to apply to the vial. Alternatively, use handy paper hole reinforcers - they are self-adhesive, but make sure they aren't the vinyl kind. 🕳 x
I thought I was no longer going to buy any more Sailors... and Christmas Pudding came out. I loved Drew's excitement, and it has made me more excited for this pen. I love how giddy Drew is!
I’m so here for more green and more sparkle on pens and Christmas Pudding is right up my alley, though if Sailor keeps coming up with pretty pens I won’t know which one I need to start saving for!
2/3 right 😁. I guess I’ve been watching too many of these pencasts (and all the previous iterations). Semi important question about the new vial holders: do they stack when you have samples in the bottom one?
Brian's joke about the Norwegian Navy was peak dad humour. Today I bought a bottle of Diamine Marine. After the years of Brian recommending it, and Drew's video about inks everyone should try, I finally caved. You could call yourselves inkfluencers.
Question: when I can’t get a larger bottle of a favorite ink, is it okay to order 2 or 3 bottles hoping they’re from the same batch and decant them into a Twysbi inkwell which better accommodates my larger pens?
I would love a video on a comparison between all the pilot custom pens - size, design, etc. Not that watching your banter about it wasnt a lot of fun! 😂. My favorite part of this pencast was the tiny moment of silence you both had in reverence for how good tiramisu is.
Nurse tip- rubbing alcohol infused single use pads meant for disinfecting skin prior to injections will quickly remove ink from practically everything - fingers, desks, stained pen grips. And it doesn't make a mess.
The Pilot Custom 74 may be my most favorite pen of all time and part of that reason is because of the ball clip part. The red Pilot Custom 74, fine nib, always inked up with iroshizuku tsukushi, is always found in my 3 pen pen case.
Ok....to quote another viewer: "The Podcast made me do it": I pulled the trigger and got the TWSBI Diamond 580ALR Fountain Pen - Navy Blue (Special Edition). I almost bought it at a larger retailer whom shall remain anonymous (had 27 reward points) but went with you guys because you just make me smile every time I watch your podcasts and I appreciate the sort you put into your business including your treatment of the staff. That, and the cool chameleon nib sticker.....lol. So......anxiously awaiting the arrival of my latest acquisition. Keep up the great work.
OMG that really means a lot to us! I just shared your comment with my team here. Thank you so much. It's nice to hear that you find value in this. :) - Drew
On the subject of ink samples; Do you sell little round stickers that could be ink swabbed and placed on the sample caps for easy reference? That would be so helpful for anyone buying your new sample rack.
I’ve just been an active fountain pen user for about a year, but I have definitely had some “inky-fingers”-moments. My normal liquid hand soap could only do so much, and my hands were still inky. In frustration I grabbed a cute little soap bar that my son had made me at school a couple of years ago, and rubbed a bit on the inky spots, and it worked like magic. Some inks are more resilient, and don’t come off completely, but most inks have. I haven’t had the need to try with store-bought soap bar yet, but I’m getting closer to having to do that… And I have certainly told my son that he made me an amazing soap 😊
Haha. 'Miss one and watch them back to back'. That's cute that you assume I only watch these once when it comes out. I definitely watch these at least once more if not more during the week waiting for the next Friday to come around.
Love these pencasts! Re: cleaning inky hands ... Dittos on the hair shampoo suggestion! For stubborn stains, I've also used ** hand lotion ** to help absorb the ink between soap washings. I do an initial wash with dish soap, dry hands thoroughly, rub in a generous amount of hand lotion, (even sort of scrubbing it into tough spots), and then washing again with dish soap. (This basically works like the automotive grease-eating soaps you mention, only cheaper. :)
I had an accident with Diamine Writer’s Blood the morning before I went to the doctor for my regular visit. This was also about a month after I had Covid. I showed him my hands and asked him if it was normal for someone’s hands to look like that after having Covid. He got a good laugh out of it!
Great show, gentlemen! Thanks for the announcement of the Santa Jaws pen. I was able to order one. The information about the yellow jackets brought back some scary memories of living in the woods in New Jersey. I am still terrified of them. I am looking forward to the next pencast. The Sailor Christmas Pudding is stunning! Might have to put that one on my Christmas Wish list if the supplies last.
I found a mixture of 1 part dish soap, and 2 parts hydrogen peroxide cleans out stained fabrics pretty well. Let it soak for a moment and scrub with a brush. May take a few passes, but it'll come out eventually.
Hi Brian and Drew. I have a question. While I am working at my desk, should I tilt the pen slightly to keep the feed and nib full so it’s ready to write?
I like the shorter videos you guys always do such a great job at the pen cast and I hope you guys have a great week ... fun fact Today is my 40th birthday :)
It made me laugh when Brian said he's appreciating winter more because the bugs are all dead then 😂 I'm a winter gal myself, always have been, because between my hate for bugs and pollen allergies, winter is the only season when I don't feel terrible everyday 😂
Honestly - if we hadn’t heard him say it on multiple occasions, would anyone who just watched the pencasts ever believe that Drew is an introvert? Brian is so fortunate to want the Pilot Urushi pen. I intensely desire the Taccia Fossils in the Sky Sunset Peacock. To my horror, I find myself SERIOUSLY trying to make up my mind that I could afford it. I could, yes, but spending that kind of money for a fountain pen for a person like me seems like about 200 degrees beyond sanity. But OMG, it is so gorgeous!!! The Norwegian Navy is going to all my punny friends for their delight and enjoyment. Well played, Brian!
Grime Boss heavy duty wipes do a great job with inky fingers. One side of the wipe is textured/gritty and works with paint, ink, etc. The Baystate colors will require some aggressive scrubbing but I keep a pouch of these in my workshop at the ready. Also, isopropyl alcohol from the medicine cabinet works great too.
I've got a question for Drew here; as someone who follows a limited pen inking system, you must have a lot of empty converters! How do you store them? My converter box is getting a little cramped at the moment and I'm looking larger than my Organics Studio box lol
Diamine Jack Frost is one of my all time favorite blue inks! Do you have any recommendations for a similar blue without the shimmer? I'm digging the Blue Velvet, but wondering if there is another option you recommend with a little bit of the reds that pop out like with Jack Frost?
Another enjoyable hour. The Sailor pudding pen as I understand is based on English plum pudding so showing purple in the right light makes perfect sense. I'm not a great fan of Sailor but that Christmas pudding pen is a stunner really like it. As far as trying to get that last bit.of ink off your fingers use a alcohol pad like they use for giving shots.
hi, i left a comment a couple of months ago when Brian had his hands ful of ink, a pummace stone (that you use to remove dead skin or calluses) gets ink off the best, greets
I think Brians comment about removing the ink QUICKLY is the most important/effective advice. I feel like I have been trying everything to remove ink from my hands. And have found the most effective to be the rough side of a kitchen sponge with hand or dish soap.
Brian may appreciate this … when I was in medical school we were still writing hard copy notes in patient charts, one of the doctors always wrote in blue ink and when we asked him why he said so his notes would stand out in the patient chart among everyone else writing in black ink. So there good reasons to use blue ink!
A weird thing I found that helped get ink off my hands was wet candle wax....don't know why, but it helped. My first ink sample, I got all over my hands trying to fill a TWSBI VAC700R, didn't work well. I was messing with a candle that wasn't burning well and got wax on my inky fingers, and magically much less ink. I now find I like to fill converters with a syringe. Much less mess. Love my TWSBI Vac700r, it writes so well, has a large ink capacity, but not so great with ink samples. Thanks Brian & Drew, love your Pen Cast.
There is a shortage of vets all over. In Jacksonville Florida which is a HUGE city, we have one animal ER that is actually open, and they aren't even open 24 hours.
Inky Fingers, I always wear very thin rubber gloves when cleaning/filling pens. I have a couple small ArtBins where I store all my pen supplies including thin rubber gloves that are reusable. It works. Ink always washes off the gloves and they take almost no space in these amazing boxes/bins I found on Amazon.
If Sailor releases a full size Pro Gear in Christmas Pudding I will order it immediately. But as much as I love that Christmas Pudding, the Slim is too small for me.
Best thing I've ever found to take off even the most stubborn ink stain is Ink Zap. It was out of production for a while but it's back now. I stocked up lol
I gravitate to darkly saturated ink;my favorite encre bleu is Ferris Wheel Press-Tanzanite Sky. It has a soft, velvety look when dry; it flows nicely and the FWP 85ml globular bottles are lovely with their hex-nut caps. Regarding "best" Pilot Custom...as it stands now,I'd go for the Custom Urushi BUT,my dream Pilot Custom would be Custom Urushi size,but made entirely of ebonite(sans urushi) with ebonite feed and ebonite section. Sailor KOP has such a pen but I believe the section and feed are plastic.? Why not go all the way with ebonite? Could be a good reason of which I am ignorant. IDK. The Kaweco Original I just got from GPC is a very cool little pen;I have a cartridge of Kaweco Summer Purple in it now. Have to admit that I had to shop elsewhere to get the Kaweco Dia2,another sweet Kaweco. I couldn't help myself;please don't judge me! These two pens have flown under the radar imho. I love the "full-size" Kaweco pens including the Perkeo. NEWS FLASH! This just in: The mailman just delivered my Halloween/All Saint's Day fountain pen! Brian and Drew's good words about BENU had me looking to get one of their pens. When I saw the BENU Black Skull ,Minima, I knew that it was the one for me. It's not the Skulls & Roses,just black skulls on a smaller,clipless,cigar-shaped fountain pen. I will wait to ink it up at midnight on October 31 with Diamine Writer's Blood. OK... judge me for that one. Thank you both for another great Pencast!
Speaking of cleaning ink out clothes, I was gesticulating with a pen in hand and wound up spraying Pelikan Edelstein Jade onto my cranberry colored pants. I soaked them in cold water with a tiny bit of Dr. Bronner’s unscented soap for a while. For washing my hands, I just use Dawn dish soap.
Had to laugh at Brian's extreme hate for Yellow Jackets.🤣 Once when I was young, a large group of them nested in my house attic. They chewed through the ceiling one night. Thankfully the room they chewed into was a mud room and had a good door separating it from the rest of the house!
Drew, for your doggie health problems, maybe check out Visionary Keto dog food. I put my Mini Aussie on it 2 years ago and he has had really shiny coat and any dirt or mud just falls off leaving his white parts gleaming. He also doesn't have any dog smell or doggie breath. I haven't had to bathe him in the 2 years. But anyway check it out. As for cleaning ink off hands, I use either bar soap, Dawn, or a citrus degreaser spray, with a ScotchBrite heavy duty (green one) scour pad. Works as good as Lava soap and lots cheaper. Also it doesn't rough up my hands.
I find that just adding a bit of table salt to hand soap and scrubbing for several seconds before adding water works great to remove ink stains from my fingers.
Just a small correction. The Namiki Royale has a #20 nib. The #30 nib is bigger than a #9 nib. The #9 nib of the Montblanc 149 is noticeably smaller than the #30 nib. In fact, the entire "oversized" 149 is dwarfed by the Custom Urushi. The only pen case I found that could hold mine is a Visconti case, which is ironic because the oversized Viscontis also look tiny beside the Custom Urushi. The most unexpected thing is that huge as the pen and nib are, it's one of the most comfortable pens I own, and I don't have hands the size of a tennis racket.
This is the only way to pick favourites, I think! Of course we don't know what tomorrow brings, but it's neat to think what brings you most joy today 😊
I'm in nz and the only mention I've heard of yellow jackets is the tool company we sell at work. Thanks for shedding some light on them! Wonder why they chose to name themselves after such um, delightful creatures... Very surprised kon peki wasn't in Brian's top 3 blues!
Yellow jackets are why I'm fond of skunks. Skunks will scoop a yellow jacket nest right out of the ground. I think they like the larvae. I read a story many years ago of someone who was a wildlife rehabilitator who ended up with "pet" skunks in their home. They said the only time the skunks sprayed was the one time they were napping in a pile of laundry and one of the cats in the house jumped on the laundry and startled the sleeping skunk. Apparently skunks have sweet personalities for a wild animal. Anyway, if you ever find mysterious holes in the ground where you thought you had a YJ nest, you have a local friendly skunk.
I love Noodler's ink. The simplest way to clean Noodlers off your hands is by using some powdered Comet cleanser as it contains bleach which works great on Noodlers.
Schrodingers Cap! When its installed we can only guess what’s underneath? Nib or no nib. Brian you’re overthinking it. Such the contrarian. Keep up the joyful banter. Its informative and entertaining. 😊
So enjoyed the podcast. I love those same blues, I keep Twsbi Diamond bottles of each as well as Monteverde Blue Horizon and Sapphire. For ink removal, I've found that Dawn Powerwash is the best for removing ink from skin and surfaces. It even removes Baystate Blue with a few sprays. The Dawn liquid is pretty good, but when it doesn't work, or I've got a lot of ink, only the Powerwash will do. BTW, It also kills ants on contact, better than Zevo or Raid in my test. Give it a try. t
Off the top of my head my 3 favorite blues are Nagasawa Kobe No. 23 Nagata Blue, Diamine Midnight Hour, and Diamine Registrar's Blue Black. But I would be hard pressed to pick just 3 black inks.
Thank you for sharing your favorite blue inks. Dark blue and black inks are my current favorites. Would love to hear what black inks you prefer. I am interested in trying more black inks. I only have Aurora Black,Diamine Onyx Black and Iroshizuku take-semi.
I managed to keep myself in Penman Sapphire until about 2014. Great stuff. Maybe still my favorite blue, though there are a bunch of good blues these days -- PR Supershow Blue, Majestic Blue, and many others. And if you want to go weird, Nitrogen, or some of the Diamine or Colorverse bizarre sheening/shimmering blues.
Minor correction on the Custom Urushi nib. It is truly unique. The Yukari Royale has a #20 nib, not a #30, and it's similar in size to the #15 but slightly different shape. The #30 puts the Custom Urushi in a category of its own.
There was a shop on the Euston Road in London that sold chess sets. You could get classical sets or themed sets with Star Wars, Lord of the Rings etc themed chess pieces. I have not been in that area since the pandemic so I do not know if they are still around.
This message is primarily for Drew and Shannon,
I am a small animal veterinarian and it is very common for good pet owners to feel like they are jinxed with their pets having all the health problems. But really, it's because you are taking such good care of them that you catch these things early. I've seen far too many dogs become blind due to untreated dry eye because "eye drops are too hard to do". Your vet can tell you are good pet parents because you come in as soon as problems arise and you do what your dogs need, even if it isn't easy.
As far as difficulty with medicated baths go, consider asking your vet about Douxo brand products. It's a good brand that makes a variety of medicated shampoos, leave in mousse, and sprays for skin issues. I have golden retrievers (thick undercoat, tough to rinse thoroughly, and they take forever to dry) and I use the mousse in-between baths on my own dogs which has been a game changer for me personally.
I also appreciate the shout out to the severe shortage of veterinarians, especially ER vets, all across the country. It is a drastically underpaid field (about 1/4 of what an MD makes despite the same duration and cost of school). There has also been an unfortunate amount of verbal abuse towards veterinary staff, especially at the ER, which led many people to leave the field altogether.
Mental health issues in the Veterinary profession has been swept under the rug for a long time. I am so impressed with your company for giving employees paid mental health days. One of the reasons I love the fountain pen community so much is how positive and helpful everyone is towards each other. We could all use more of that kindness in our world.
~Laura
P.S. As a Chicagoan, I chuckle-snorted at your description of hot cheese pie!
I found the part about vets interesting, I am in Germany and we have regulated fees for everything that a vet will do, this is regulated by the federal association of veterinarians in Germany and emergency cases are also regulated: the normal fee is doubled or tripled, because that ensures vet clinics can pay their staff on weekends and holidays. So you always know what something will cost (if you care to look it up) and it isn’t something a vet can simply make up.
I hope your dogs will get better very soon!
I said something to my vet this summer when I had to put my old cat to sleep, about the high suicide rate among vets. He said three people in his class of 100 have committed suicide.
I have a dog with no tears at all he's a 0/0 and has been since birth. It's hard work to keep his eyes remotely pain-free. But autologous serum is a godsent especially in winter when he gets even dryer. It heals corneal tissue and is the only reason at 9 he has what limited vision he has left. I have so many clients who won't do thing one about their dogs dry eye, and then I have a mini fridge at work So I can keep his serum drops safe when he is on round the clock drops.
I'm a second year vet tech student (mature student, same age as Brian and Drew), and there is a shortage of vets and techs in my area as well. (Southern Ontario, Canada). Some of the vet ERs are down to limited hours due to staffing, and so many clinics aren't taking new clients because they are at capacity. I know there is the mental health issue in this field, and I will make less than I did as an engineer, and definitely have a chance of burning out of another career, but at this point in my life, I'd rather be content and satisfied than rich. I am far happier than I was working at a desk.
Channeling Brian: is being small a problem for a veterinarian? And isn't it almost unheard of for an animal to be a veterinarian?
Only on the Pencast will you hear that a 1 hour and 20 minute episode is « fun size ». Love it and keep them coming!
The best way to get ink off hands is to wash your hair. As Brian mentioned, shampoo is a good soap for ink, but further, hair has a very rough texture (cuticle) and does a great job getting ink out of the many nooks and crannies on our hands.
Thank you for running 2 "short" episodes instead of missing a week, saves me re-visiting the longer Goulet Q&A of just over 1 hour.
Drew gushing over the Sailor Christmas Pudding’s “brown barrel, with a light brown section, and a green sparkle-y cap” 😂😂😂😂
inky fingers : our badge of honour. 😊
Oh it's been a long week and this podcast is what I needed to finish it. Have you ever considered holding a meetup called Briancon where people that enjoy the Lamy 2000, Pilot Kon-peki and cargo shorts can get together?
I’m in for 2 out of 3.. no cargo shorts for me.
What about guys called Brian? Are they invited?
I feel that we should get Brian that Pilot vermilion pen as a community to show him how much he is appreciated for everything that he's done for us. He deserves it.
I got my Inkvent Calender this morning (packed with ridiculous care by Brenda J...amazeballz) and now I have to sweat it out til December 1st....
Haha Drew! Telling Brian he de-CAP-itated the Lamy giant pen. I see what you did there… :) Another pun that flew right over Brian’s head. 😂😂
Love the long videos but I'll make an exception this time since that means we will see one next week. SAILOR IS BUSY cranking out those pens. I agree that brown and green one is awesome! Great pencast...thank you guys. Another reason to be excited about Friday's. BLESSINGS
I just told the Norwegian Navy barcode joke to my boyfriend who is a Master Marine Surveyor currently working on a ship. He did not laugh, but put me on speaker to repeat it to the Chief Officer who immediatly laughed! He was still laughing when I hung up. Thank you for sharing. By the way, RO Thunderstorm is one of my favorite inks for cathartic writing. I put it in my Sailor PGS Lighthouse to guide my way.
How do you label your ink sample vials? One option is to use a paper punch to punch circles of paper (Tomoe River paper is a good choice as it shows shading properties), and use a glue stick to apply to the vial. Alternatively, use handy paper hole reinforcers - they are self-adhesive, but make sure they aren't the vinyl kind. 🕳 x
Thanks for the idea
I thought I was no longer going to buy any more Sailors... and Christmas Pudding came out. I loved Drew's excitement, and it has made me more excited for this pen. I love how giddy Drew is!
I can't be the only person who thinks the PGS Christmas Pudding also has the same coloring as a mallard duck (making it all the more endearing)!
I can see that! - Drew
I’m so here for more green and more sparkle on pens and Christmas Pudding is right up my alley, though if Sailor keeps coming up with pretty pens I won’t know which one I need to start saving for!
2/3 right 😁. I guess I’ve been watching too many of these pencasts (and all the previous iterations). Semi important question about the new vial holders: do they stack when you have samples in the bottom one?
Brian's joke about the Norwegian Navy was peak dad humour.
Today I bought a bottle of Diamine Marine. After the years of Brian recommending it, and Drew's video about inks everyone should try, I finally caved. You could call yourselves inkfluencers.
Question: when I can’t get a larger bottle of a favorite ink, is it okay to order 2 or 3 bottles hoping they’re from the same batch and decant them into a Twysbi inkwell which better accommodates my larger pens?
I would love a video on a comparison between all the pilot custom pens - size, design, etc. Not that watching your banter about it wasnt a lot of fun! 😂. My favorite part of this pencast was the tiny moment of silence you both had in reverence for how good tiramisu is.
The bee information blew my mind! As always, great pen cast. Have a wonderful weekend! Blessings
Nurse tip- rubbing alcohol infused single use pads meant for disinfecting skin prior to injections will quickly remove ink from practically everything - fingers, desks, stained pen grips. And it doesn't make a mess.
I laughed and laughed during this episode. Thank you, I really needed that. 🥰
The Pilot Custom 74 may be my most favorite pen of all time and part of that reason is because of the ball clip part. The red Pilot Custom 74, fine nib, always inked up with iroshizuku tsukushi, is always found in my 3 pen pen case.
*HEY!!!* You guys gotta get the benu skulls and roses pen! That thing looks awesome!
Ok....to quote another viewer: "The Podcast made me do it": I pulled the trigger and got the TWSBI Diamond 580ALR Fountain Pen - Navy Blue (Special Edition). I almost bought it at a larger retailer whom shall remain anonymous (had 27 reward points) but went with you guys because you just make me smile every time I watch your podcasts and I appreciate the sort you put into your business including your treatment of the staff. That, and the cool chameleon nib sticker.....lol. So......anxiously awaiting the arrival of my latest acquisition. Keep up the great work.
OMG that really means a lot to us! I just shared your comment with my team here. Thank you so much. It's nice to hear that you find value in this. :) - Drew
On the subject of ink samples; Do you sell little round stickers that could be ink swabbed and placed on the sample caps for easy reference?
That would be so helpful for anyone buying your new sample rack.
That would be really nice.
@@S.L._ Yeah, a one stop shop!
Maybe even a sheet thrown with purchase. 😊
I’ve just been an active fountain pen user for about a year, but I have definitely had some “inky-fingers”-moments. My normal liquid hand soap could only do so much, and my hands were still inky. In frustration I grabbed a cute little soap bar that my son had made me at school a couple of years ago, and rubbed a bit on the inky spots, and it worked like magic. Some inks are more resilient, and don’t come off completely, but most inks have. I haven’t had the need to try with store-bought soap bar yet, but I’m getting closer to having to do that… And I have certainly told my son that he made me an amazing soap 😊
For the record, Diamine Blue Velvet does not come in a bottle that resembles a pie slice but a slice of cake!!!! 🍰🍰🍰🍰
Lol 45:21 I also look like a person whos strangled some inky creature when I wash my pens out hahaha
As a Norwegian, this is not where I expected discussion of our navy 😂🇳🇴
Haha. 'Miss one and watch them back to back'. That's cute that you assume I only watch these once when it comes out. I definitely watch these at least once more if not more during the week waiting for the next Friday to come around.
Love these pencasts! Re: cleaning inky hands ... Dittos on the hair shampoo suggestion! For stubborn stains, I've also used ** hand lotion ** to help absorb the ink between soap washings. I do an initial wash with dish soap, dry hands thoroughly, rub in a generous amount of hand lotion, (even sort of scrubbing it into tough spots), and then washing again with dish soap. (This basically works like the automotive grease-eating soaps you mention, only cheaper. :)
I have varying degrees of success with baby wipes when removing ink from my hands. I discovered this when my grandkids started coming into my life.
I had an accident with Diamine Writer’s Blood the morning before I went to the doctor for my regular visit. This was also about a month after I had Covid. I showed him my hands and asked him if it was normal for someone’s hands to look like that after having Covid. He got a good laugh out of it!
Regarding the Brown/Purple pen body on the Christmas pudding Sailor---remember Christmas pudding is Plum pudding!
Great show, gentlemen! Thanks for the announcement of the Santa Jaws pen. I was able to order one. The information about the yellow jackets brought back some scary memories of living in the woods in New Jersey. I am still terrified of them. I am looking forward to the next pencast. The Sailor Christmas Pudding is stunning! Might have to put that one on my Christmas Wish list if the supplies last.
I found a mixture of 1 part dish soap, and 2 parts hydrogen peroxide cleans out stained fabrics pretty well. Let it soak for a moment and scrub with a brush. May take a few passes, but it'll come out eventually.
Thank you!
Hi Brian and Drew. I have a question. While I am working at my desk, should I tilt the pen slightly to keep the feed and nib full so it’s ready to write?
Glad to see the new sample holder. I have one of your originals and it was challenging to put it together. I need another so this is on my list.
I like the shorter videos you guys always do such a great job at the pen cast and I hope you guys have a great week ... fun fact Today is my 40th birthday :)
Happy belated birthday 🎉!
It made me laugh when Brian said he's appreciating winter more because the bugs are all dead then 😂 I'm a winter gal myself, always have been, because between my hate for bugs and pollen allergies, winter is the only season when I don't feel terrible everyday 😂
Honestly - if we hadn’t heard him say it on multiple occasions, would anyone who just watched the pencasts ever believe that Drew is an introvert?
Brian is so fortunate to want the Pilot Urushi pen. I intensely desire the Taccia Fossils in the Sky Sunset Peacock. To my horror, I find myself SERIOUSLY trying to make up my mind that I could afford it. I could, yes, but spending that kind of money for a fountain pen for a person like me seems like about 200 degrees beyond sanity. But OMG, it is so gorgeous!!!
The Norwegian Navy is going to all my punny friends for their delight and enjoyment. Well played, Brian!
Grime Boss heavy duty wipes do a great job with inky fingers. One side of the wipe is textured/gritty and works with paint, ink, etc. The Baystate colors will require some aggressive scrubbing but I keep a pouch of these in my workshop at the ready. Also, isopropyl alcohol from the medicine cabinet works great too.
Inky fingers... Lava hand soap. In a pinch, use an emery board... GENTLY!
The Christmas pudding pen reminds me of the coloring of a male mallard!
Is it worth buying sailor pmma resin fountains in comparison to ebonite?which material is long lasting and less brittle?
Funfact: the time tested way to remove ink from clothing: soak it in milk until it’s gone.
I've got a question for Drew here; as someone who follows a limited pen inking system, you must have a lot of empty converters! How do you store them? My converter box is getting a little cramped at the moment and I'm looking larger than my Organics Studio box lol
Diamine Jack Frost is one of my all time favorite blue inks! Do you have any recommendations for a similar blue without the shimmer? I'm digging the Blue Velvet, but wondering if there is another option you recommend with a little bit of the reds that pop out like with Jack Frost?
Another enjoyable hour. The Sailor pudding pen as I understand is based on English plum pudding so showing purple in the right light makes perfect sense. I'm not a great fan of Sailor but that Christmas pudding pen is a stunner really like it. As far as trying to get that last bit.of ink off your fingers use a alcohol pad like they use for giving shots.
hi, i left a comment a couple of months ago when Brian had his hands ful of ink, a pummace stone (that you use to remove dead skin or calluses) gets ink off the best, greets
The way I get ink off is with a brillo pad or similar. A gentle scrub gets into all the lines in your skin and the soap is effective.
Hi Brian-one year later, where would you place Monteverde Blue Skies?
I think Brians comment about removing the ink QUICKLY is the most important/effective advice.
I feel like I have been trying everything to remove ink from my hands. And have found the most effective to be the rough side of a kitchen sponge with hand or dish soap.
Brian may appreciate this … when I was in medical school we were still writing hard copy notes in patient charts, one of the doctors always wrote in blue ink and when we asked him why he said so his notes would stand out in the patient chart among everyone else writing in black ink. So there good reasons to use blue ink!
Haha very nice! - Drew
Similarly, my dad, who was Head of Labs for an aerospace industry, would always use green ink, so people would know which comments were from the Boss.
A weird thing I found that helped get ink off my hands was wet candle wax....don't know why, but it helped.
My first ink sample, I got all over my hands trying to fill a TWSBI VAC700R, didn't work well. I was messing with a candle that wasn't burning well and got wax on my inky fingers, and magically much less ink.
I now find I like to fill converters with a syringe. Much less mess. Love my TWSBI Vac700r, it writes so well, has a large ink capacity, but not so great with ink samples.
Thanks Brian & Drew, love your Pen Cast.
Regarding making your own chess board, have you looked into using end grain as the top face?
Question - What holiday/Season would you like to see get it's own special edition pen? Who would make it and what would it look like?
There is a shortage of vets all over. In Jacksonville Florida which is a HUGE city, we have one animal ER that is actually open, and they aren't even open 24 hours.
Inky Fingers, I always wear very thin rubber gloves when cleaning/filling pens. I have a couple small ArtBins where I store all my pen supplies including thin rubber gloves that are reusable. It works. Ink always washes off the gloves and they take almost no space in these amazing boxes/bins I found on Amazon.
Ive used my wife's nail polish remover to get ink off. It isnt 100% but it helps more than other things i have used. Does dry up your skin though
Drew, love the shirt!
I always just through my inky fingers over the fence for the neighbors dog the get rid of... hahaha j/k
Brian, you should do what I did: find yourself a milestone birthday (like turning 40), and then give yourself the Custom Urushi as a birthday present!
Art hand soap from the art store. I think it’s masters touch.
If Sailor releases a full size Pro Gear in Christmas Pudding I will order it immediately. But as much as I love that Christmas Pudding, the Slim is too small for me.
Best thing I've ever found to take off even the most stubborn ink stain is Ink Zap. It was out of production for a while but it's back now. I stocked up lol
I gravitate to darkly saturated ink;my favorite encre bleu is Ferris Wheel Press-Tanzanite Sky. It has a soft, velvety look when dry; it flows nicely and the FWP 85ml globular bottles are lovely with their hex-nut caps.
Regarding "best" Pilot Custom...as it stands now,I'd go for the Custom Urushi BUT,my dream Pilot Custom would be Custom Urushi size,but made entirely of ebonite(sans urushi) with ebonite feed and ebonite section. Sailor KOP has such a pen but I believe the section and feed are plastic.? Why not go all the way with ebonite? Could be a good reason of which I am ignorant. IDK.
The Kaweco Original I just got from GPC is a very cool little pen;I have a cartridge of Kaweco Summer Purple in it now. Have to admit that I had to shop elsewhere to get the Kaweco Dia2,another sweet Kaweco. I couldn't help myself;please don't judge me! These two pens have flown under the radar imho. I love the "full-size" Kaweco pens including the Perkeo.
NEWS FLASH! This just in: The mailman just delivered my Halloween/All Saint's Day fountain pen! Brian and Drew's good words about BENU had me looking to get one of their pens. When I saw the BENU Black Skull ,Minima, I knew that it was the one for me. It's not the Skulls & Roses,just black skulls on a smaller,clipless,cigar-shaped fountain pen. I will wait to ink it up at midnight on October 31 with Diamine Writer's Blood. OK... judge me for that one.
Thank you both for another great Pencast!
Speaking of cleaning ink out clothes, I was gesticulating with a pen in hand and wound up spraying Pelikan Edelstein Jade onto my cranberry colored pants. I soaked them in cold water with a tiny bit of Dr. Bronner’s unscented soap for a while.
For washing my hands, I just use Dawn dish soap.
“40 TWSBI Ecos.” “Scan the navy in.” I laughed out loud repeatedly.
Had to laugh at Brian's extreme hate for Yellow Jackets.🤣 Once when I was young, a large group of them nested in my house attic. They chewed through the ceiling one night. Thankfully the room they chewed into was a mud room and had a good door separating it from the rest of the house!
Omgg that punnn was sooo golddd. I diedd
Are the notes from your shipments hand written?
Drew, for your doggie health problems, maybe check out Visionary Keto dog food. I put my Mini Aussie on it 2 years ago and he has had really shiny coat and any dirt or mud just falls off leaving his white parts gleaming. He also doesn't have any dog smell or doggie breath. I haven't had to bathe him in the 2 years. But anyway check it out.
As for cleaning ink off hands, I use either bar soap, Dawn, or a citrus degreaser spray, with a ScotchBrite heavy duty (green one) scour pad. Works as good as Lava soap and lots cheaper. Also it doesn't rough up my hands.
If you need ink off your hands, dish soap and abrasion is the technique I use. So dish soap and a brillow pad or scrubby side of dish sponge.
Caran d'Ache Chromatics - Idyllic Blue is an amazing blue with a slight red sheen. It really pops off the page.
Q&A question: why do pen manufacturer always provide the short international cartridge with their pen, and not the long one?
I find that just adding a bit of table salt to hand soap and scrubbing for several seconds before adding water works great to remove ink stains from my fingers.
Just a small correction. The Namiki Royale has a #20 nib. The #30 nib is bigger than a #9 nib. The #9 nib of the Montblanc 149 is noticeably smaller than the #30 nib. In fact, the entire "oversized" 149 is dwarfed by the Custom Urushi. The only pen case I found that could hold mine is a Visconti case, which is ironic because the oversized Viscontis also look tiny beside the Custom Urushi. The most unexpected thing is that huge as the pen and nib are, it's one of the most comfortable pens I own, and I don't have hands the size of a tennis racket.
I got a big 350mL bottle of Pilot Blue-Black. Using it in a Sailor Pro Gear (Fine) and very happy. It dries quickly even in the Twsbi Precision Broad!
What happened to the aroura duo cart?
This is the only way to pick favourites, I think! Of course we don't know what tomorrow brings, but it's neat to think what brings you most joy today 😊
I'm in nz and the only mention I've heard of yellow jackets is the tool company we sell at work. Thanks for shedding some light on them!
Wonder why they chose to name themselves after such um, delightful creatures...
Very surprised kon peki wasn't in Brian's top 3 blues!
I really like the ink vial holder. I would love a half-size one, if you’re ever considerating that.
Yellow jackets are why I'm fond of skunks. Skunks will scoop a yellow jacket nest right out of the ground. I think they like the larvae. I read a story many years ago of someone who was a wildlife rehabilitator who ended up with "pet" skunks in their home. They said the only time the skunks sprayed was the one time they were napping in a pile of laundry and one of the cats in the house jumped on the laundry and startled the sleeping skunk. Apparently skunks have sweet personalities for a wild animal. Anyway, if you ever find mysterious holes in the ground where you thought you had a YJ nest, you have a local friendly skunk.
I love Noodler's ink. The simplest way to clean Noodlers off your hands is by using some powdered Comet cleanser as it contains bleach which works great on Noodlers.
Have you tried De Atramentis Fog Grey? It’s a muted blue - glorious 😊
To me the Sailor Christmas Pudding is work appropriate. It looks elegant. Thanks.
Scan the navy in 😂😂😂 soooo good! Good luck with the satan-incarnate yellowjackets Brian and Drew - your Dr Strange costume was AWESOME
LOL at the "is it a cap or isn't it?!" ... reminds me of the "that depends on what the definition of 'is,' is..."
Schrodingers Cap! When its installed we can only guess what’s underneath? Nib or no nib. Brian you’re overthinking it. Such the contrarian. Keep up the joyful banter. Its informative and entertaining. 😊
So enjoyed the podcast. I love those same blues, I keep Twsbi Diamond bottles of each as well as Monteverde Blue Horizon and Sapphire. For ink removal, I've found that Dawn Powerwash is the best for removing ink from skin and surfaces. It even removes Baystate Blue with a few sprays. The Dawn liquid is pretty good, but when it doesn't work, or I've got a lot of ink, only the Powerwash will do. BTW, It also kills ants on contact, better than Zevo or Raid in my test. Give it a try. t
☺😅🤗This is always a wonderful blast. Thank you guys. Well done. Pilot 912 eh? I need to check that out.🧐
Off the top of my head my 3 favorite blues are Nagasawa Kobe No. 23 Nagata Blue, Diamine Midnight Hour, and Diamine Registrar's Blue Black. But I would be hard pressed to pick just 3 black inks.
Thank you for sharing your favorite blue inks. Dark blue and black inks are my current favorites.
Would love to hear what black inks you prefer. I am interested in trying more black inks. I only have Aurora Black,Diamine Onyx Black and Iroshizuku take-semi.
Oh shoot is that the gan mosaic cube set in the background? The pre-order talk makes it sound like it is
I managed to keep myself in Penman Sapphire until about 2014. Great stuff. Maybe still my favorite blue, though there are a bunch of good blues these days -- PR Supershow Blue, Majestic Blue, and many others. And if you want to go weird, Nitrogen, or some of the Diamine or Colorverse bizarre sheening/shimmering blues.
Cleaning ink: warm water, dish soap, scotch-brite scrub pad… works every time. I also agree with the wash immediately.
Blue Velvet has been my favorite for years. I feel like hoarding Blue Velvet, so I never run out.
Minor correction on the Custom Urushi nib. It is truly unique. The Yukari Royale has a #20 nib, not a #30, and it's similar in size to the #15 but slightly different shape. The #30 puts the Custom Urushi in a category of its own.
Thanks, Alan! that's why I don't even ATTEMPT to identify & remember Pilot nib sizes. I can't keep them straight! - Drew
There was a shop on the Euston Road in London that sold chess sets. You could get classical sets or themed sets with Star Wars, Lord of the Rings etc themed chess pieces. I have not been in that area since the pandemic so I do not know if they are still around.