The Addiction: Explained

I am a member of a community of pen enthusiasts. I realize that many of us really enjoy just using pens, but for some of us, it goes much farther than that.

I carry all of these around with me everywhere I go!

I'm addicted to pens, but this post will cover a small niche of that area, specifically fountain pens.
I am a college student, so my hard earned money almost all goes into my savings account, but I allot myself a certain amount for pens each month. I am sometimes forced to combine my allotment for two months so that I can make a purchase. This is my method for enabling my habit. The rush of opening a box from jetpens.com or gouletpens.com is without compare.

I rationalize my habit in a number of ways:

1. I have a few bottles of ink (8) and I am often asked, "How long does it to to finish a bottle of ink?" It usually takes me quite a while to finish a bottle, and they don't seem to understand why I have so many. What they don't understand is that there are different inks for different scenarios. Different colors are appropriate for work and letter correspondence. Why should my life be drab and defined by one color? Using one color for a long time, no matter how vibrant, makes it become dull. I enjoy the variety and vibrancy that a reasonably sized ink collection provides.

2. As Nathan Tardif has stated, the price of ink (specifically Noodler's) are the cheapest per ounce on the market. Assuming a comparable pen, such as a G-2, costs $2.00, then a 4.5 ounce bottle of ink holds the same volume as that of 75 pens. The savings are ridiculous, even if you have many different ink colors. You just have to use them all to get the savings. It's a good motivation to write.

3. In regards to the number of fountain pens I own, I not only value each pen that I own, but appreciate being able to write with any ink at any time.  Having a pen ready to write for each ink that I own is a luxury, I realize, but it is also a necessity.  It allows me to easily grab notebooks by scanning a page, because I use different inks for different subjects.

I really liked the lighting in this picture, even though it is pretty much the same picture as above. :)

4. Part of the reason that so many of us in this community are interested in these niche pens is because they're far more interesting than the standard disposable pen and better for the environment. Our words are interesting, so shouldn't our writing instruments be too?


5. Last and most importantly, I feel like I'm more of a part of history.  Everything that I write (especially in the Classics) owes much to the past.  Writing is just that much more enjoyable knowing that I'm part of a great writing tradition.


I look forward to many more years of fountain pen enjoyment and feeding my addiction.  I'll also be sure to pass it on to others. Maybe I'm not addicted. Maybe I'm in love.

Noodler's Blue Ghost

I apologize for the brief hiatus in blog posts, but a combination of school and college baseball have been a bit trying on my already hectic schedule. Hopefully I'll be able to get back on the horse and get more posts up!

Invisible ink. The tool of secret agents. Those of us ink nerds who aren't secret agents, I have a few questions for you. Do you deal with everyday problems such as forgetting account passwords, writing in borrowed books, writing in your own books (it bothers me at least) or glowing in the dark at parties! If so, this is the ink for you!

I promise to get a picture of actual writing with this ink
up soon, but since my photography capabilities are limited,
I should be able to edit it tomorrow!

A few weeks ago, I purchased from gouletpens.com a 4.5 oz bottle of Noodler's Blue Ghost. I have been extremely curious about the UV qualities of many of Nathan's inks and as such, I was curious about this ink specifically because it is viewable in ONLY with the aid of a blacklight.  What could I possibly use this ink for?  Being ever the child at heart, writing secret messages to people immediately jumps to mind, even though realistically, I don't have anyone who would go through the trouble to read them.  The idea did spring to mind in a class with teacher who I especially dislike, that I could tell her in my own words on a homework assignment how I truly felt about her teaching and let her have it.  It would truly be a great exercise in stress relief... assuming my teacher never finds out.

One of the most interesting properties of this ink is that it is bulletproof. This ink is very difficult to wash off of your hands, but who's going to be seeing it anyway? On paper, the ink flows as well as expected from the included Platinum Preppy .03 and is as visible as expected under the blacklight.  The ability to write in glowing letters in the dark is really cool, and if I could video the process, I would, but since my only camera is my cell phone, it would be pretty difficult to do.  I suppose the possibilities aren't endless with this ink, but I suppose if you did want to make an ink uniquely yours, you could add this to it. There's no guarantee that the ink would remain bulletproof however, since they're very fragile in the aqueous state.  This ink without a doubt rocks the world of invisible inks.  Also, it isn't a ballpoint pen, so you don't have to worry about the telltale pressure marks left behind.

I can at least pretend to be the next James Bond, but who knows maybe I'll catch Anna Chapman's eye.

Eternally Inked,

The Classicist

Noodler's Nib Creaper Fountain Pen

As an introduction to a stash of old fountain pens that I found in my basement, which my mom has lovingly let me keep (Thanks Mom!!!), I have chosen to review this rare fountain pen from the company with the catfish logo.  I feel like this pen will be a good transition to the antiques since it owes its design to older pens.

By the way, "creaper" is a play on creeper...

I ordered the Creaper Fountain Pen along with the Bad Green Gator ink that I reviewed in my last post.  I was originally drawn into using this pen because not only because it was made by Noodler's, but also because the nib was modeled after those from the 1950's and thus lacks a breathing hole.  Originally, the breathing hole was included on pens to increase ink flow, but many inks flow very well out of most pens in the modern era. Personally, I have never had any issues with ink flow with any pen, which can perhaps be owed to the quality of Noodler's Inks?

If you don't like nib creep (which is the pen ink all over the metal part of the feed, then this pen will drive you crazy.

Gouletpens.com sold this pen for Noodler's as a test market, and the pen is unavailable and probably will never be produced again. It makes me happy that I bought two!

I have used Noodler's Polar Black and Bad Green Gator in this pen since I have owned it, both working perfectly in it with no problems whatsoever. I am a college student, and I carry my pens with me from class to class. I don't haphazardly stick them in pockets, but put them front shirt pockets and collars if there isn't one on my shirt. I am not by any means rough with my pens, but somehow, this pen is now riddled with cracks.

I can only remember one drop the entire time I have owned this pen, and it was from my hand to a desk, so approximately the length of my elbow. Nathan warns on the piece of paper included with the pen that the plastic used in making it was chosen more for its resistance to penetrating inks (Anyone tried Baystate Blue?) and as such is a bit brittle, but still this seems to be a bit ridiculous to me. The only thing that I can think has caused the cracks is the stress from possibly being screwed together too tight. I've not had this problem with any other pen, even the rollerball version that I bought at the same time (review to come soon).

The crack is hard to see, but it is fairly long.

You can see the crack just under the clip... sadness...

Despite this, this pen is a fantastic writer and there is some flex to the nib.  The piston filling mechanism works flawlessly in both iterations as well. I've found that for both of them, the ink will leak from the tip or flow too fast if there is too much air in the chamber. A simple twist of the piston will take care of that by pushing the air out. If you want to see the line quality, you can visit my review of Bad Green Gator, for which this pen was used.

 As always with a fountain pen that doesn't use cartridges, the pen is an investment for the future that is not only friendly for the earth but your wallet as well.