Must haves

This post is for Kate Davis, following on from this evening’s chat on Twitter:

.@flexnib ladies, we need a favourite stationery / must haves post series for #blogjune i wanna steal your faves @kimtairi @ACatAteMyTweets

— Kate Davis (@katiedavis) June 25, 2015

My favourites/must haves:

1. A fountain pen. No contest – my first choice always must be a fountain pen. I’m fond of Kaweco pens. I like fine nibs (you can’t really write Chinese characters well with anything other than a fine nib).
2. Nice paper. Because I’m finicky about my writing implement, it follows that the paper I use has to be just so as well. I tend to use “nice” (read expensive) notebooks. For a rundown of all the considerations one must make when choosing A Good Notebook, see Jetpen’s Fountain Pen Paper Recommendations. My personal favourite is Tomoe River paper. Currently, I’m using a limited edition blue Midori Traveler’s Notebook, with Tomoe River inserts. (I’m telling you this to show you the extent of the obsession. How many people would care about the paper they use??)
3. Ink for the pens. Of course. I used to love Parker Quink Royal Blue, but I don’t think it’s made any more. My current favourite is J. Herbin Éclat de Saphir, which is a blue. I’m partial to blue inks. For black ink I like Noodler’s Heart of Darkness, which is bullet proof (a fancy way of saying it’s “water resistant and has other archival qualities”).
   
4. Lead holders. What on earth is a lead holder, you ask: well, leadholder.com * defines it as “any durable instrument that is designed to hold and be refillable with consumable pieces of graphite so that the graphite can be conveniently used for drawing or writing.” It’s sort of like a super pencil. In the picture the four on the right are lead holders.

That’s it. Just four things. Four things which allow an almost infinite scope for indulging my fancies…

This picture gives you some idea of the scale of my writing implement fetish. I have more pens than most people would use in a lifetime, I think. (I don’t actually know how many pens I have…)

Left to right: Ranga Duofold Eyedropper Dark Brown Ebonite Fountain Pen (M nib); Lamy Al Star Copper Orange Limited Edition (XF nib); Kaweco Sport (F); Kaweco Al Sport Raw (M); Kaweco Liliput Eco Brass (F); Kaweco Liliput Copper (F); Kaweco Liliput Silver (XF); Kaweco Acrylic Clutch 5.6mm; Kaweco Special Puch Pencil 2mm; Lamy Scribble 3.15mm; Wörther Shorty 3.15mm. (Another mark of a fanatic, she can tell you what each pen is.)

What are your must haves?

*yes, there is a website extolling the virtues of lead holders. There are also numerous sites for fountain pen lovers. The internet enables us all to find each other.