Sunday, October 04, 2015

YELLOW


13 comments:

  1. From the bottom of the last thread:

    :-) I hope you found the info-raisins okay, Alan. And it's good to hear that with all the work you do you've found a way to have less strain when writing. I'll be interested to hear what you think of the book when it comes.

    Also, how does the Platinum Preppy compare to your other pens?

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    1. The Preppy has, like most Japanese pens, a rather stiff nib, with a little scratchiness on poor paper, maybe. I accidentally dropped it smack on the end of the nib, and it survived. It is made to use either cartridges or converters; Platinum invented the fountain pen cartridge, and is said to still have the best. Even the Preppy 03 puts down a pretty fine line, but I am going to get my hands on a Preppy 02 (finer) for comparison; and I am going to try using Noodler's Black Eel ink too. The patented seal device inside the Preppy cap does in fact seem to work well; it is the same as in their expensive pens. Reviewers say Platinum nibs ALWAYS work fine out of the box. The plastic used in the Preppy is said to be a trifle brittle--people advise putting some cellophane tape around the bottom of the cap. For the price, it is a very capable pen. If one prefers cartridges, it is less expensive to order cartridges and converters from Japan than from the United States, even with the higher cost of shipping. But to buy a Preppy from there you will have to purchase a box of them. All in all, it's a good every day carry fountain pen, that you needn't be concerned about lending to someone who doesn't know how to use a fountain pen. Here is a review:

      ”disposable” fountain pens [Click]

      Oh, and the Preppy has a peculiarity—the nibs seem to be roughly european/US sizes. So a medium Preppy nib is like a european/US medium nib. Other Japanese pens (including Platinum pens) run about a size smaller, so a Japanese “medium” nib is about like a euro/US “fine” nib.

      For an inexpensive pen readily available in the US, I think the Preppy is the best. Except for having to add a bit of tape. The Pilot Petit1 takes proprietary cartridges, and is a stubby little thing. The Pilot Varsity puts down too wet a line for me, and is not made to be refilled.

      And here's a review of Japanese premium fountain pen makers:

      Japanese “big three” fountain pen makers. [Click]

      --Alan

      P.S.: We had a thundershower on Thursday, and another this morning (Sunday). Cooled things down and cleared the air. Nice.

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  2. Alan, the venue for the concert last night was a large room in a nearby public library. Given the lancet shape of the windows and one stained glass window still on display, I gather it was once a small church. I'm always sad when a church is no longer a church. At least that was an excellent use of the space.

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    1. Yes, that is so. Despite the fact that deconsecrated churches are put up for sale from time to time, and on the face of it might be a good deal for a conversion to a home, I couldn't bear thinking of all the emotions, karma if you will, that I fancy have soaked into the very fabric of the building. Ghosts, I guess.

      And that reminds me of a rather long but very interesting read in The Atlantic:

      How an 18th-Century Philosopher Helped Solve My Midlife Crisis [Click]

      --Alan

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    2. Yes, Alan, you say it well. It's the feeling that something which should exist in this space no longer does, and it doesn't feel right to use the space another way. For me, it's less about ghosts and more about the reality that years of prayers and confidences have soaked into the very walls, as well as that a community of good souls can no longer gather there.

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  3. puddle's phone has been off and on. :-(

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  4. Just called, and they said the work order is still open and the line should be fixed by tomorrow.

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    1. HUZZAH!!! I surely do hope they do the deed!! I have absolutely no hope that "it'll stick" for a super long time…since when has it yet? But I love the idear of you able to communicate and do NOT like the idea of you up there with the river and no way to communicate! You and Nancy may yet need to rig up two tin cans and a length of string! ;-)

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  5. listener--I just set to work balancing my checkbook. Broke out the Pilot Petit1, and despite being a finer nib than the Pilot Varsity (same design of nib), it was too wet--no bleed-through, but plenty of see-through on the other side of the thin paper. The Preppy 03 is just right. There's a little feedback from the nib, but I wouldn't call it scratchy. Combined with a fast-drying ink, maybe a lubricated one like Noodler's Eel series (comes in various colors), I bet it would work well for you.

    --Alan

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    1. Thanks! I may ask for some of these supplies for Christmas. I'm making a file in which to keep the info. :-)

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    2. I keep forgetting to mention that my favorite nib is a medium-wide calligraphy nib. I love the motion and the result of writing on cards! But that's not for everyday letter writing.

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    3. A wide nib should be smoother, but put down more ink. Two weekends from now I will be at a store in San Jose that should have the Preppy 02 and 03 in stock, and also the Pilot VPen; I mean to check out the first and third, and purchase at least one of each (assuming they have them and they are not marked up too much). Those are all pretty fine nibs, which should serve my needs well. I can send you samples of handwriting so you can see how they write.

      --Alan

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