For Christmas (actually it arrived in my hands on the evening of the 30th) I've received a very beautiful handcrafted #dipPen and yesterday I tried it.
The first surprise is that the nib (which they declare is a vintage one from the early 1900s) seems to be glued inside the pen. waitwhat? Don't they know that nibs get ruined with use and have to be changed?
Oh, well, I've tried it with my fancy nib test setup¹ and it's a beautiful fine/extrafine flexible nib that writes smoothly. Sadly I can't know which nib it is, but I guess that when it will get worn down I can try to pry it out and find out.
And then in the package there was a small bottle of black ink. That I tried with my fancy ink test setup² and was really horrible and hard to use even with a rigid nib, never mind the flexible one on the pen.
And ok, I get it that most people who buy a souvenir pen at a tourist attraction (like this one was) do so to keep it unused, but really, it's a pen, it's a tool! why can't they make a tiny bit of effort of making it usable for the few people who would want to actually try to use them³? It wouldn't take much, just a cheap off-brand german fountain pen ink (maybe they require too high a quantity to allow for rebranding? but there must be a solution that is still cheap)
This way they are going to spread the myth that writing was really hard in the past and we have to be thankful for having ballpoint pens (UGH), and discouraging young people who may have shown interest in writing with the tools that are actually nice to use!
And now, off to check whether that ink is usable on fancy paper, because this specific kit. WILL. BE. USED!⁴ :D
¹ a random scrap of paper and cheap but trustworthy Pelikan 4001 black ink.
² a consistent piece of the same printer paper (not fancy, but known to work decently with average liquid inks) and a variety of nibs (rigid extrafine, lettering, flexible)
³ I mean, other than the enthusiasts who are already well equipped with their own favourite inks, fancy paper and everything :D
⁴ At least the pen. the ink is probably not worth too much effort, except as much as I'm having fun being stubborn over it :D
ModestinoSycamore
in reply to Elena ``of Valhalla'' • • •Elena ``of Valhalla''
in reply to ModestinoSycamore • •rag. Gustavino Bevilacqua
in reply to ModestinoSycamore • • •@ModestinoSycamore
Ho trovato il cren in vasetto della Zuccato che è meno piccante dell'Harissa di Cap Bon in tubetto.
Devo provare a mescolare… sono due piccantezze totalmente diverse.
@valhalla
rag. Gustavino Bevilacqua
Unknown parent • • •Quella non è roba da Burger King, è roba da Burger Papa 😋
Elena ``of Valhalla''
in reply to rag. Gustavino Bevilacqua • •@Rag. Gustavino Bevilacqua @LaVi 📚🐈 :peacelink:
hamburgheria MammaDiValhalla (che prende il pane al panificio Valhalla) :D
rag. Gustavino Bevilacqua reshared this.