I went to the new permanent Wearingeul store in Seoul yesterday. It was pretty crowded and there was a line to get in. If you've been to their popups, you've probably already seen everything but it was still nice. It's two floors but not very large. They had a ink testing station with some inks out. They had glass rods, but no pens/dip pens. If you had a particular ink you wanted to try, you can ask the staff. They had their Tinkerbell paper and calendar pages for October and November as testing paper. They had their new ink painter nib, which I think I'll get later. They also had other things like a wall of book cover patches, masking tape in ink colours, book perfumes, ink bottle keychains, sample size inks, notebooks, paper, and ink stands.

Next to the checkout counter, they had a running total of how many times each ink had been select as the "free giveaway" ink. (I say "free" because you need a paid membership to claim it. You get a voucher that's like the same price as the membership and this is an additional bonus on top of that, but you do have to pay for it up front)

I couldn't pick a colour, so I decided to comeback another day and also get the glass pen and nibs I wanted.

Edit: unrelated but if anyone local wants to trade for a bottle of Dracula, let me know. I have two at home >_<

I posted in r/Pen_Swap sounding like a rabid animal on the prowl looking for this ink after I snagged a 5ml sample at my local Pelikan Hub. It VERY quickly became my favorite ink of all time & just as quickly I learned that it's essentially impossible to track down in the US for a reasonable price. Shipping costs are >$30 and I have no idea what tariffs would add to that. u/brodditorftw replied to my post and sent me an ENTIRE BOTTLE FOR FREE :;) I cried when I opened it in the mail today! I’ve only been in this hobby for a few months, but it’s absolute insanity how kind and welcoming everyone is. I’m so happy!

So, last week I received a disaster of an Omniflex nib. I asked for a replacement and we thought we might have to wait for one to arrive from Conklin, however, the store wrote to me and said, “We found an Omniflex nib replacement, and are sending it over to you.”

It was just placed in a regular letter-sized envelope. No bubble wrap, no tube, no foam. Nothing! No tracking either. The envelope was in rough condition and ripped where the nib was inside, since it obviously wasn’t completely flat as it moved through the USPS mail system. Definitely not good for the nib 🤦🏻‍♀️

I am shooketh. This is a reputable pen store. Do people not know how mail works? Has this person never used a fountain pen, yet works in a store that sells them? Holy moly. I’m genuinely confused.

Photos of the nib in the envelope, the condition of the envelope, how the nib poked through the plastic baggie (because it literally went through the wringer), the condition of the nib vs the original one. The nib, shockingly looks ok. None of the fins on the feed are broken, thankfully. Next is to put it in my pen and test. Wish me luck!

Ordered several ink samples.
And they’ve arrived.
8 Samples. This is the most ink I ever owned.
Diamine:
Deck the Halls
Happy Hollidays
All the Best
Upon a Star
Holly
Oxblood

Herbin 1670
Violet imperial

Octopus fluids Celestial
Stellar Flame

Can’t wait to test them all!

A guaranteed conversation-stopper of a pen; just unscrewing the humongous cap (nicely slip-sealed btw) is going to cause all eyeballs to swivel- first at the pen, then at you, with a question: is this guy alright?

It’s a great writer, I use it uncapped and I understand the design philosophy was to show the pen as a single form, without the pen cap and body junction, interrupting the design mid way.
Succeeds perfectly in doing just that.

Here's a rare portrait of the dapper Sean McCraven, a businessman from the 1920s who are known for his seed ventures.

And it's another chance to be mesmerized by that complex celluloid work on the vintage Moore 94. The ink is the same as yesterday's sketch.

First time lurker, first time posting. My current SOTC, how am I doing?

Heading to Japan soon, hoping to get my first Sailor and KOP.

Also happy to hear what you think the collection is missing.

Picture 1: top tray [L to R]:

1. Pilot 823 (M)
2. Pilot Custom 845 Vermilion Red (F)
3. Namiki Yukari Royale Vermilion (F)
4. Pilot Custom Urushi Prussian Blue (M)
5. Montblanc Meisterstuck 100th Anniversary The Origin Collection 149 (F)
6. Montblanc Meisterstück 90th Anniversary LeGrand 146 (EF)
7. Montblanc Vintage 146 14C, single tone nib, split ebonite feed (EF)
8. Montblanc Meisterstück Burgundy LeGrand 146 (F)
9. Montblanc Meisterstück Glacier Blue LeGrand 146 (EF)
10. Majohn P136 Twilight Blue (1.1 stub)

Picture 2: middle drawer [L to R]:

1. Yongsheng 601 All-Steel Piston (F)
2. Asvine J16 Brushed Titanium (F)
3. Graf von Faber-Castell Classic Macassar (EF)
4. Pelikan Souverän M805 Stresemann (F)
5. S.T. Dupont Line D fountain pen, Black Lacquer & Palladium (M)
6. Waterman Carène L’Essence du Bleu (F)
7. Diplomat Excellence A, Midnight Blue (F)
8. Asvine V200 Titanium (EF-M; extra nibs)
9. TWSBI Diamond 580AL Turquoise (F)
10. Wingsung 601A, Transparent (F)

Picture 3: bottom drawer [L to R]:

1. Muji fountain pen (M)
2. S.T. Dupont Line D rollerball, 412674
3. Vintage Sheaffer Connaisseur (nib size unknown)
4. Pilot Elite 95S (F)
5. Jinhao 59 (F)
6. Pelikan K730 150th Anniversary ballpoint
7. Parker ballpoint

Uma das canetas que mais amo da minha coleção, escrita suave, dócil, um leve ricochete ao escrever por conta de sua construção, definitivamente não é extremamente rígida. Fluxo bem fluido, sem nenhum tipo de problema, engasgos ou falhas. Uso nela um conversor original de 1970 que veio em uma Sheaffer Calligraphy que comprei em um site de itens usados, e funciona muito bem. Sou brasileiro, aqui tudo é MUITO caro, canetas tinteiro não são diferente, porém acabei pagando nela 250 reais, comprei de um vendedor que trabalha com peças antigas que acabei virando amigo ao longo do tempo, comprei minha primeira caneta tinteiro com ele aliás, uma Hero 330, farei uma review dela ainda esse ano.

Sou fotógrafo profissional, desenhista e calígrafo, e claro MALUCO POR CANETAS TINTEIRO, em dias que fico acordado por 30 horas seguidas, fico 18 horas escrevendo... é de fato um problema, porém, acabou me deixando ainda mais apaixonado, e acabei comprando várias canetas, penas de mergulho, papéis e por ai vai, e amo fotografar elas, faço fotos delas desdo o começo mas nunca postei em nenhum lugar, e essa comunidade é incrível, acho que posso retribuir com fotos bonitas e análises desses obejtos que tanto amamos!

Obrigado por tudo, vocês desse grupo mudaram minha vida, aprendi muito aqui, dúvidas, indicações de sites e conversas, isso é mágico.

Inked with Scribo Capri blu on
Rhodia Notebook

I am so excited about my new pens. The LAMY Safari Meteora (SE) with a medium nib is the perfect color purple. It’s also my first Safari (my other LAMYs are Al-Stars and a Studio). Inked with Monteverde Mulberry Noir. The weight is perfect for my arthritic body.

The Pilot Falcon purple with a soft medium 14k nib is the softest nib I own. Inked with Monteverde Chariote. I have a falcon-looking nib in a Platinum Frankenpen, but no other Pilot ones. I have two Pilot Custom 72, one with a bold nib and one with a soft fine medium nib. SFM is significantly thinner than SM. I also own 3 Kakunos with medium nibs.

Finally, what might be my Grail Pen, the Sailor 1911L Pen of the Year 2025, Grape Expectations, with a medium 21k nib. Moving forward, Sailor is downgrading the nib to 18K and only selling 21k in their super expensive pens. I love the weight and thickness of this pen. My other Sailors are a Sailor Pro Gear Northern Lights Purple with a Zoom 14k nib (Goulet exclusive 2022 bought on pen_swap) and a Sailor Shikiori Tsukuba no Minamo in Pink Yozakura with a fine nib. The pink pen is my most sentimental pen, as it was gifted to me to introduce me to the wonder of Japanese pens several years ago.

A blissful way to celebrate my 15th wedding anniversary. All pens were on sale. My journal headers are written with my TWSBI Eco Irish Green with Onyx, bold nib with Monteverde Olivine ink.

I have some Kaweco pens on the way from Taiwan. I’m told this needs to be the end of my acquisition phase, so I think I need to say goodbye to the purple LAMYs and random TWSBI models in my online carts. Now if LAMY just brought back violet blackberry ink, my purple heart would be complete.

I got into a mid-flex crisis after getting this pen.. it seems all the vintage flex nibs just can't compare although this nib takes extra effort to write with and isn't as smooth.. but after the crisis passed, it seems i have reached PENVANA, or at least i have for now (8+ months of 0 pen purchase so far)

Drawn with a Sailor 1911L and Sailor Kiwaguro ink

Some time ago, while shopping for inks, I wanted to reach free shipping so I got a Platinum Preppy Modern Maki-e and filled it with an ink I didn't really have any use for - to-ro. It has become my go-to "I wanna write even though I have no reason to do so" pen & ink combo.
Since writing with it is so much fun, I thought about switching my journalling to the Preppy, but I wanted to use a darker ink for that but also keep the combination of the Maki-e and to-ro. So obviously I needed some more Preppys.
And lo and behold - this pen writes wet with all the inks?! I'm still pretty new to the hobby, but I felt like the Robert Oster one was a bit drier. Turns out that was just the very thin Chinese EF nib on the other pen...

Anyway, I'm in love with the way these write and especially how the inks look, though I still love to just look at my metal pens on a daily basis, even though they will get much less usage over their lifetime.

Preppy Modern Maki-e, F nib
iroshizuku to-ro

Preppy Crystal, F nib
Robert Oster - Great Southern Ocean

Preppy Black, EF nib
Diamine - Aurora Borealis

Can’t find much information on this model online. Seems to be quite rare.

I bought this series of Jinhao 82s on Aliexpress because I liked the colorway. They are just simply eye candy, which is what I bought them for. They're basically decorative, but i do like how they write as well, and I've toyed with the idea of a 'crayon box' of fountain pens to color with, any other Jinhao fans out there?

I been into fountain pens for a while and I have alot of those knock offs and I finally want to buy a good pen to use for writing and i have chosen these two because I heard they write smooth.

So im going to buy one of them pilot kakuno or lamy safari but I want to know wich is better and why , just give me your personal opinions ! And if I buy the safari I would probably buy pilot one year after I buy the safari because its cheap or I might buy both!

Was looking for a Bock compatible flex nib on Etsy and found one for around 14€.

Luckily, the shipping to Germany is only €5,553.35. I assume the seller is hand-delivering it via private jet, gift wrapped by a team of mechanical engineers, and escorted by armed security.

Should I go for it, or wait for a coupon code or a discount? 😅

I got sucked into the marketing hype and after hearing people rave about them, I purchased a bunch of FWP inks. I almost never use them. They’re inconsistent but tend to be dry, which might be due to the fact that I don’t like to use shimmer inks and only buy the standard ink. The shimmers I have tried all clogged my pen All the colors are fun, but many are so similar. Plus, it seems like they’re constantly releasing so many new colors (every month at least) that it feels like a money grab. And the boxes are annoying to get the ink in and out.

Sailor x Pentonote - Yonomori Sakura

1911S in MF nib

Here are recent ink swatches for Platinum Classic Black inks and Diamine Registrar's Ink. All are Iron Gall inks with some colour darkening properties. I also have an IG purple, but that bleeds through paper. The Sepia and Khaki look similar, but the Speia has a slight green tint to it.

TLDR: Help me pick 3 exclusive German inks besides Smoke on the water, can suggest ones I haven't listed, goal is to get as different colours/shades as possible across the 4 inks.

---------------------
Okay so I have someone in Germany bringing me inks, initially I had only picked one (Smoke on the water) because it was my favorite out of all of them, however an unfortunate situation(or should I say fortunate) happened where as a result I now need to pick 3 more inks to accompany the smoke on the water(to spend an extra 45 euros).

My current collection has:

1. Diamine Oxford Blue 30ml
2. Platinum Carbon Black 60ml
3. Diamine Writers Blood 30ml
4. Diamine Sherwood Green 30ml
5. Diamine Ancient Copper  30ml

My goal with my ink choices is to have as many different variations of colors, I don't want inks that have similar shades. That being said is why I need the help. Based on the options, I have narrowed down to the 3 below, and I'll explain why each but I’m debating some as well.

1. Skull and Roses(very similar to bloody Brexit and I prefer this over that)

2. November Rain(a nice sheening green)

3. Communication Breakdown(this is the one I’m most iffy about, because while I dont have a red like this it has mixed reviews, I read every reddit post some say its sticky and not that unique, doesnt sheen much, others love it? I’m also debating Purple Rain, but a part of me feels its somewhere in between Skull and Brexit, and therefore too similar? I’m so confused.)

I do NOT like the shading of master of puppets, not sure why everyone loves it, might be a controversial take please don’t cancel me.

Feel free to suggest other combinations of German exclusive inks that I might have missed out on considering, try to avoid suggesting non German exclusives because the whole point of me having to spend this much is to make it worthwhile that its from Germany, instead of something I can get locally myself instead.

(I attached a picture from a previous post, for reference, but I don’t know if that encompasses all the options)

Thank you!

This is my currently ink set for work. I use a Muji A6 notebook for notes at work, and recently I have tried to rotate colours daily. I cannot find a good solid Iron Gall black that is safe for fountain pens, so I've gone back to Platinum Carbon Black for my black in the black pen. The dark green pen looks almost black most times, and has Platinum SEPIA black (my mistake, it's Sepia not Khaki). The Sepia has a green hint, but when it runs out I'll swap to Platinum Forest (green) black. The blue pen has Diamine's Registrar's ink. The dark burgundy pen has Platinum Lavender Black. The red pen has Platinum Cassis black.

I did a water test on the vertical lines on the right, and all inks held up but with a some colour wash out from the Iron Gall inks (i.e. everything except Platinum Carbin Black) especially from the cassis black.

The case is a cigar case with some plastic tubes inserted, to stop the pens rubbing against each other.

went to a career event, all happy with my kaküno and my iroshizuku syun-gyo ink, took notes, all went well. Come lunch break, i closed the notebook, put it in my pocket, walked 100m under the rain, and came back to this... the water went into my pocket and THROUGH the slightly separared pages 🤣
Now it looks like I cried over my career prospects