Currently inked: December 2017

With pens and inks coming and going, and a lot of writing going on (blog drafts, Christmas cards), my currently inked lineup has changed a lot in recent weeks. Here's how it stands today, all nestled in my new Franklin-Christoph Penvelope. Pelikan M805 Stresemann EF — KWZ Azure #5 This literally arrived today, in trade …

Resisting the stationery sirens

Gear acquisition syndrome is something I've wrestled with a few times on the blog, and from the forums and sites I visit, I'm not alone. Even after a splurge, and at a time like Christmas, it's all too easy to get fixated on the next target. And in these circumstances I find it helpful to …

The UKFP 2017 awards

The end of a year is a great time to reflect. I thought it would be fun to give some playful awards based on my experiences of a LOT of money spent in 2017. The Inky Fingers award for best ink brand goes to... Birmingham I have 10 bottles of Birmingham inks and I turn …

Looking back: UK Fountain Pen’s first year

I started this blog in January 2017, as a new year's resolution to myself. I didn't have any huge ambitions for the site, no branding or mission statement, no dedicated social media accounts. I just wanted to give something back to the wonderful stationery community, and to exercise my writing muscles outside of the day …

The unconventional flagship: Graf von Faber Castell Intuition Platino Ebony

Attentive readers will remember that at the London Writing Equipment Show I was bitten by the Graf bug. I handled an Intuition — but not just any Intuition, an Intuition Platino. And not just any Platino, a Platino wood. Yes, these distinctions matter, because only the wooden editions (ebony, grenadilla, pernambuco) sport the largest bodies …

Six nibs to make you go “phwoar”

Nibs are what fountain pens are all about. As far as I'm concerned, you can have the flashiest celluloid in the world, but I want my eye to go straight to the nib: it's the jewel in the crown. The best nibs are not only wonderful performers, but gracefully designed and simply beautiful, too. So …

For sale: a radical cull

  Again, I've ended up with too many pens. So I'm reluctantly selling some old favourites with an aim of getting down to 10 pens total. All the prices below include shipping to the UK. I'll consider offers if you'd like to buy multiple pens, although no lowballs please — I've barely convinced myself to …

The origin story

I'm no superhero. But I've been invited to tell my fountain pen "origin story" as part of a new project. So here goes. Forgive me for going into quite a bit of detail — I'm relishing digging up some of the forensic-historical evidence of a growing addiction! I've always liked stationery. I used to draw …