Of Moleskine and Pens

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shinobi77

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Jul 18, 2008, 2:53:07 AM7/18/08
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I admit it, I am an addict of fountain pens. I could not help feeling
the glide of tiny metal tines on smooth paper, watching the trail of
gleaming ink dry on the surface, binding with cellulose and
immortalizing your thoughts. It is an enormously pleasurable feeling
and best of all, it unwinds my day, relieving my thoughts of
excitement, frustrations and unfulfilled aspirations.

It is like resetting my mind for the next day or the day ahead as the
case may be. Pairing with this obsession, the Moleskine is a great
notebook because of its compact profile, good paper quality, practical
closure band and the useful pocket in the back cover. Excellent for
travel and it does not take too much space among the things I daily
bring to work. I can pull it out and start writing as thoughts stream
out of nowhere in the middle of a busy (or not so busy) day.

Call it therapeutic writing, a comfort journal, or simply a repository
of musings. I know that the pair of a good fountain pen with an extra
fine nib and my moleskine is a constant companion, a friend and
confidant that will probably be the closest thing to a clone of my
soul.

MikeM

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Jul 20, 2008, 12:11:08 AM7/20/08
to Moleskinerie
Completely agree with your sentiments. I too write in my Moleskine in
fountain pen. The very act is soothing and I often write just for its
own sake as it slows me down, forces me to focus.

kevi...@gmail.com

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Jul 25, 2008, 3:04:37 PM7/25/08
to Moleskinerie

I agree wholeheartedly.

I use a Pilot Birdie fountain pen, medium nib, with Noodler's Black
ink. The Birdie is small enough to clip on the spine of the
Moleskine. See the pic: http://i526.photobucket.com/albums/cc341/kevin257_/diary-with-birdie.jpg

The Noodler's Black is waterproof (in case my diary gets wet) and
doesn't bleed through the Moleskine's thin paper.

sergio

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Jul 25, 2008, 3:23:46 PM7/25/08
to Molesk...@googlegroups.com

On Jul 25, 2008, at 3:04 PM, kevi...@gmail.com wrote:

> I use a Pilot Birdie fountain pen, medium nib, with Noodler's Black
> ink. The Birdie is small enough to clip on the spine of the

that birdie looks like a great pen..

a ten minute look around seems like it's not available in usa.. dangit..


___
sergio t. ruiz
network analyst
red red design
419.281.8483

Frank

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Jul 25, 2008, 6:07:12 PM7/25/08
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I agree on the use of fountain pen. As I learned writing with a
fountain pen, this also makes my handwriting highly legible. For
writing text I use a medium-nib Pelikan (I think that in today's
models it would be an M 200). Even though medium nib is not optimal in
terms of using space, it has a nice flow to it and I am using this pen
for nineteen years now, so the nib is optimally adjusted to my hand
which makes a huge difference. I also have to Lamys for writing in
black and red (the Pelikan is royal blue).

fw

david.r...@gmail.com

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Jul 27, 2008, 1:09:28 AM7/27/08
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Can you tell me what fountain pen you all use? I use a MontBlanc with
MontBlanc ink and I've given up writing in a Moleskine because it
always bleeds. Please advise. Thank you!

Smitty

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Jul 27, 2008, 7:34:10 PM7/27/08
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On Jul 27, 1:09 am, "davidrsin...@gmail.com"
<david.r.sin...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Can you tell me what fountain pen you all use?  I use a MontBlanc with
> MontBlanc ink and I've given up writing in a Moleskine because it
> always bleeds.  Please advise.  Thank you!

I have several Heros, a Bookworm, a vintage Reform 1745 (bought
through the Fountian Pen Network), aRotring artpen, a WingSung, and a
Duke Spyder. None of them bleed through. I use Private Reserve almost
exclusively, just because that's what I have available locally. I use
their Avocado, Velvet Black, Black Cherry in bottles, and Tanzinite
and Midnight Blues cartridges. None of them bleed, since most are very
fine (or light medium) nibs.

kevi...@gmail.com

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Jul 27, 2008, 9:50:56 PM7/27/08
to Moleskinerie
> Can you tell me what fountain pen you all use? I use a MontBlanc with
> MontBlanc ink and I've given up writing in a Moleskine because it
> always bleeds. Please advise. Thank you!

I strongly recommend Noodler's Black "Bulletproof" ink in a fountain
pen with a fine nib. The fine nib will ensure that not too much ink
gets deposited and Noodler's Black behaves quite well on the
Modelskine paper (very little bleed and feathering). You can buy
Noodler's ink from several online stores.

In my experience the paper used in Moleskines 3 years ago was much
better quality and most fountain pens worked fine with it. For
example, I used to use a Parker Frontier with Parker Quink ink and a
Lamy Safari with Lamy ink without any problems. But then the new
batch of Moleskines arrived, late 2006, and things weren't so good :-
(

Apart from the Pilot Birdie, I also use a Hero 329, which has a very
fine nib and is just about perfect for Moleskines.

For more advice see: http://wiki.43folders.com/index.php/Moleskine_Friendly_Fountain_Pens

blacknotebook

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Jul 29, 2008, 12:29:06 PM7/29/08
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I use a Pelikan M200 and Noodlers black ink. Very little bleed on
moleskine paper. I gave up on my Mont Blanc about a year ago for the
same reason (oh, and the fact my £300 pen leaks ink all over my
fingers, but that is another story....).

The M200 is a great pen and costs about £40 in the UK. Being moleskine
friendly influenced my buying decision but it is also very easy to
change nibs on the pen. I have ruined several fountain pens by
dropping them on the nib. If disaster strikes again, it cost about £10
for a replacement.

If you are going to buy one, try it first. The standard medium nib is
quite wide and you may prefer a fine.

A.




On Jul 27, 6:09 am, "davidrsin...@gmail.com"

kaiho

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Jul 30, 2008, 10:36:54 AM7/30/08
to Molesk...@googlegroups.com
Hi moleskine  friends,
I have  just  started  to create  shark  skin cover for moleskine . 
If you are interested  you can contact me 


2008/7/25 sergio <sr...@redreddesign.com>



--
"Katana wa bushi no tamashi desu".
The sword is the soul of the Samurai
http://www.sanbokyodan.com
moleskine-big.JPG

Speedmaster

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Jul 30, 2008, 12:01:09 PM7/30/08
to Moleskinerie

Nice sentiments, agreed. ;-)

seligerj

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Jul 30, 2008, 12:01:19 PM7/30/08
to Moleskinerie
> Call it therapeutic writing, a comfort journal, or simply a repository
> of musings.  I know that the pair of a good fountain pen with an extra
> fine nib and my moleskine is a constant companion, a friend and
> confidant that will probably be the closest thing to a clone of my
> soul.

I would tend to agree: you might want to read http://www.fountainpenforums.com
for ideas. Numerous threads also question how good the paper quality
of recent Moleskines are; you can find them in the paper section.

Finally, 43 folders has a <a href="http://wiki.43folders.com/index.php/
Moleskine_Friendly_Fountain_Pens">fountain pen page</a> here.

ThaIwan

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Jul 30, 2008, 1:27:46 PM7/30/08
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Okay I admit...I had a few scotches tonight but when I read this...I
smiled and thought...it could have been my thought...it wouldn't have
been me writing this. Great phrasing, my compliments...I think you
managed to define the characteristics of a fountainpen addict in one
sentence.

My wife liked the picture a lot, not sure if she really got the
message though.

Cheers

ThaIwan

Ms. Cin

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Jul 30, 2008, 2:36:50 PM7/30/08
to Molesk...@googlegroups.com
I use the Pilot Birdie, fine nib, with a variety of inks.
 
Sadly it's no longer in production - my contact at the Vancouver Pen Shop tells me this is the second time it's been retired (the first time it was brought back due to customer outcry).
 
I'm seriously considering hunting down some used ones for backup, I love it that much.
 
Cin

Speedmaster

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Jul 30, 2008, 7:26:03 PM7/30/08
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Very cool! ;-)

On Jul 30, 10:36 am, kaiho <frank.ka...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi moleskine  friends,I have  just  started  to create  shark  skin cover
> for moleskine .

Boats

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Jul 30, 2008, 7:53:28 PM7/30/08
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I use a Pilot Prera Fountain Pen. They come with a fine nib. I use
the Pilot & Namiki Fountain Pen Ink Cartridge. All of these I
purchased here: http://www.jetpens.com/index.php/cPath/214_410

The blend of this pen on a Moleskine page is very conducive to
effortless, fine lines of handwritten musings that do not bleed
through the page. This is my fountain pen of choice for the
Moleskine.

On Jul 27, 1:09 am, "davidrsin...@gmail.com"

David Gonterman

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Jul 30, 2008, 8:00:26 PM7/30/08
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On Wed, Jul 30, 2008 at 6:53 PM, Boats <CHHowar...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I use a Pilot Prera Fountain Pen. They come with a fine nib. I use
> the Pilot & Namiki Fountain Pen Ink Cartridge. All of these I
> purchased here: http://www.jetpens.com/index.php/cPath/214_410
>
> The blend of this pen on a Moleskine page is very conducive to
> effortless, fine lines of handwritten musings that do not bleed
> through the page. This is my fountain pen of choice for the
> Moleskine.
>
> On Jul 27, 1:09 am, "davidrsin...@gmail.com"

For me, Pilot G2s always work fine for me. I have them in varying
widths as well.

What I'd like to get is a cheap (~$10 US) fountain pen that works well
with Moleskine.

--
Daveykins Foxfire of FoxFire Studios
http://foxfirestudios.net
-----
This is my VIP E-Mail address. Please refer to my primary E-Mail
address of daveykins (at) foxfirestudios [dot] net for the general
public to use. Thank you :)

Frank

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Jul 31, 2008, 10:47:37 AM7/31/08
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David,

I do not know about the $10 range, but at the $30 range you can get
the Lamy Safari

http://www.lamyusa.com/safari.html

Even though the plastic looks may look cheap-ish, this is actually a
very good fountain pen and it is very well crafted on the inside. You
can use it with cartridges or with a converter. I have two Al-Stars

http://www.lamyusa.com/alstargreen.html

which are Safaris in Aluminum and work really well on my black
notebook.

When I went to school (in Germany, where pupils learn writing with
fountain pens) this was the first "grown up" one people used. The
first one is often a Pelikano

http://www.montgomerypens.com/product_detail.asp?product_id=4669

They come in different sizes but if you have a large hand, they all
may be too small for you.

fw

MikeM

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Aug 2, 2008, 6:08:11 PM8/2/08
to Moleskinerie
I use a Pelikan M200 and Lamy Safari both wtih fine nibs. I have a
Waterman Phileas with a medium nib but only Noodler's Black works well
on Moleskine paper, IMHO.

I also have a Monteverde Mega, which also love, but only the Noodler's
Midnight Blue works well with it on Moleskine. It bleeds as the Mega
only comes with a Medium point, but bleeding never bothers me (much).
Now feathering

In my experience, the ink is key on Moleskine paper. I have had most
success with Noodler's Legal Lapis and Midnight Blue. Old Manhattan
doesn't work so well, but maybe it was the pen :)

For all of you Pilot G2 fans out there: I love the way the gel ink
works, but I hate the way the pen feels in my hand. Guess what? the
catridge fits in a Waterman Phileas Roller pen - and I love the width
and heft of that pen. So I but a bunch of G2-'s, toss the plastic
body, and use the cartridge in the Phileas.

Mike McG

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Aug 2, 2008, 8:45:16 PM8/2/08
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There are G-2 refills also.

Smitty

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Aug 3, 2008, 4:36:08 PM8/3/08
to Moleskinerie
On Jul 30, 8:00 pm, "David Gonterman" <daveykinsfoxf...@gmail.com>
wrote:

> What I'd like to get is a cheap (~$10 US) fountain pen that works well with Moleskine.

For that, you'll want a Hero or one of the other Chinese pens of
similar make. I have bought them from I Sell Pens:

http://www.isellpens.com/hero2.html

and from His Nibs:

http://www.hisnibs.com/chinese_pens.htm

The difference in price comes because His Nibs inspects and tunes the
nib of every pen he sells, so it's going to write smoothly out of the
package. If you know how to tune one yourself, go the less expensive
route. I Sell Pens actually sells a bulk pack of 10 Jumbo Hero 616's
for $45!

These are not, by and large, heirloom quality pens, but they are more
than servicable, and I have never had a Hero nib bleed through my
Moleskine, even when crossing out (within reason, of course!)

If you're currently writing with a roller pen, try one. Do without
lattes for a week and your cost is covered, even for the bottle of ink
you'll need. (They do not take cartridges.) Once you've gotten used to
a fountain pen, a ball point is tough to use.

YMMV

Smitty
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