Review - Chinese fountain pen: Seagem from Baoer

Overview 

The pen is a Chinese made fountain pen from Baoer. This pen is a cheap imitation of Waterman Expert fountain pen. 

The body and the cap of the pen is made from metal, where as the grip section and the rear end of the pen are of plastic. The pen is ivory white in color and has a black band with two golden bands on the cap which look very nice. The black band has "Seagem" written on it. The clip and the other appointments are of golden color which do not have a perfect finish. The pen can be posted but becomes a little heavier for ideal use.

The cap is sturdy and is pop on/off and was too tight on my pen. I had to push with immense pressure to close the pen. The clip too is very functional and the cut in the clip looks very good. The overall design of the pen is awesome and is very comfortable to hold. The grip section has a nice depression making the hold very good. The pen is a cc pen and comes with a standard converter.

The nib of the pen is from Baoer and is the only disappointing part of the pen. The nib is a steel nib and the feed does not have any grooves in it. Probably that is the reason why this pen is very dry.  The pen can be fully dismantled so it is easier to change the nib with some other matching size nib. I am not sure of the size of the nib but seems like a number 3 or 4.

The cost of the pen is around $6.

• Material: Metal 
• Nib: Steel, Medium
• Filling System: Cartridge/Converter
• Length (Capped): 142mm
• Length (Uncapped): 125mm
• Length (Posted): 153mm
• Exposed nib length: 19mm
• Grip Diameter: 8mm
• Max body Diameter: 12mm

Pros

• Very cheap.
• Very comfortable
• Decently heavy and well balance

Cons

• Very dry.
• No feed grooves
• Cap too tight

Conclusion

The pen is well made and very comfortable to hold, it is a decent buy, but the nib is a disappointment. If you are ready to change the nib, the pen is a good deal.

Gallery

Sheaffer Green Ink - Is the label correct?

We all know Sheaffer. Sheaffer is a well-known brand that produces high-quality fountain pens and inks. The inks are very well made and can be used in almost all types and brands of fountain pens. The colors are also quite consistent the ink does not fades away easily. 

However, my recent purchase had me thinking. I recently bought a Sheaffer Green ink. I was expecting a green color that would match the bottle sticker without much difference. But I was in for a surprise.

The ink in my opinion has a turquoise greenish color, tilting more towards teal and turquoise. 

I was quite baffled by the color of the ink. I was not sure whether the bottle was wrongly labeled. So to verify I went to a stationery shop and asked for a Sheaffer Green Ink and tried it there. It had the same turquoise blue green color. I did some more research and found out that this is the only green that Sheaffer makes and it does have a bluish tone.

All the other inks from Sheaffer match the bottle label but the green. So if you are in for buying a green colored ink from Sheaffer, better try out the ink before buying it.

Review - Camlin Scarlet Red fountain pen ink

Overview 

Presenting the Indian made ink: Camlin Scarlet Red. This ink looks like a cross between red and pink inks.  The ink is water and dye based and is very thin, so it shows some degree of shading with medium and broad nibs. The flow of the ink is good but the colour of the ink varies with different nib widths and so does the flow. This ink works best with a Medium nib or broad nib pen. The multiple passes on the ink give a nice dark reddish pink color.

The drying time of the ink is a bit longer; it takes around 30 seconds to dry completely on a normal 75 gsm copy paper. Ink feathers on both 75 and 100gsm papers, but the bleed through is not prominent on 100gsm paper(almost nill). The ink is non waterproof and withers easily with water. Other costlier inks are definitely better but it would be unfair to compare this ink with any of those. Being cheapest this ink does its work very well.

The price of the ink is Rs 15 or (around 25 cents ) for 60ml bottle.

Likes

• Nice color
• Nice flow
• Very very cheap
• Produces shading(to some extent)
• Good flow

 Dislikes

• Feathering
• Very thin
• No sheen, kind of dull ink
•  Longer drying time(but it all depends on the conditions the ink is being used.)

Conclusion 
All in all I would say that this ink is solely for academic purpose. It can be used for some minor work and not long writings on normal paper, I would say it will bleed through and feather. I would suggest this ink be used with a high gsm paper only and preferably with camlin fountain pens.

Gallery

 

 
 

Hobbies...bring out the inner you!!

Today life is fast paced, everyone is in a hurry. The advancements in technology have increased the pace of our lives immensely. Now a days we are never off work. Computers, mobiles and internet are keeping us connected to our work always. You may have to answer an email even at odd hours of the day. This uninterrupted cycle goes on for ever and in course of time the you get dull, stressed and often end up destroying your personal life.

Here is when the hobbies come to the rescue. By definition from wikipedia: "A hobby is a regular activity that is done for pleasure, typically during one's leisure time". The problem here is of the time factor, but hobbies do not demand your long hours. Giving even 30 minutes to your hobby can do miracles to your personal life.

I see hobby as a very personal thing. You do whatever you want without anybody's supervision or deadlines. Some people collect stamps, others collect coins and yet some other like gardening and yet other indulge in expensive hobbies like collecting antique. So it is just doing something that gives you a sense of satisfaction and happiness. Once you start doing what you like, there is no other feeling like that. You immediately feel relaxed and de-stressed. You admire your work hence building up your confidence and making you more positive.

I have a few hobbies which fluctuate a bit, but one of the hobbies that I admire the most is writing with a fountain pen and collecting fountain pens(Okay I admit I do not have very expensive pens though :)). I write a weekly journal and do writing for fun as well.  Writing and admiring my collection relieves me of stress. I have been writing regularly from over a year now and I must admit that I am reconnected with myself now. My other hobbies include photography, reading and sometimes stargazing.

One thing is for sure, hobbies give you a necessary break from your daily  routine. They refresh your mind and mood hence improving your performance. It is not difficult to spare few minutes just for yourself where in you can always admire your work without any critics.

Review : Gama forever ebonite eyedropper fountain pen

 

Overview

The pen is a handmade Indian fountain pen and is of large proportions. The material of the pen is ebonite and it is very well balanced and sturdy. The pen is beautifully made and the pattern just looks great. It comes in a few colours: black, green marbled, light brown marbled and dark brown marbled (shown in picture). The pen is decently heavy but comfortable to hold and write. The cap has two rings at the opening, which look great. The clip and other appointments are gold trimmed. The pen can be posted but becomes un-usefully long; besides the pens body itself is large enough that it does not need posting.

The opening mechanism of the pen is screw on type and the threads are pretty smooth but need a few rotations to open. The clip of the pen is also functional and not very tight. The filling mechanism of the pen is eyedropper type which enables it to hold a lot of ink.

The pen comes with dual toned iridium point nib, which was a little scratchy out of the box and needed some adjustment before being used. The flow of the nib was also decent and varies according to the level of the ink in the pen. If the pen is full, the pen has right flow of ink which goes on increasing as the ink levels start to decrease in the barrel and ultimately leads to burping(when barrel is almost half empty).

The pen costs Rs. 675 or around $11.

• Material: Ebonite 
• Nib: Steel. Medium-Fine
• Filling System: Eye dropper
• Length (Capped): 150mm
• Length (Uncapped): 133mm
• Length (Posted): 175mm
• Exposed nib length: 23mm
• Grip Diameter: 10mm
• Max body Diameter: 14mm

Some structural observations

The whole pen is handmade so it has some indentations on the cap.

Pros

• Very sturdy pen (won’t break even if it falls).
• Very comfortable to hold and write.
• Holds a lot of ink.
• Cheap as compared to other western pens.

Cons

• Nib was scratchy, had to do some adjustment.
• Since the pen is handmade the finish is not perfect.
• The appointments are gold plated that erodes very soon.
• The pen being eyedropper needs filling very often, otherwise it starts to burp.

Conclusion

The pen is very well made and comfortable to hold despite being big. The nib was a bit scratchy out of the box and wrote very smoothly after some adjustment. The pen is made for long writing and is ideal for everyday use. But I would refrain using this pen on important documents as it might burp.

Where to buy

www.asapens.in

Writing Sample

Gallery

Losing the art of handwriting with fountain pens.

Finally reviving this blog after a void of seven long years with a re-post of my earlier articles.

"Loosing the art of handwriting with fountain pens".

The title of this post seems adequate as, the younger generation of the 21st century which is highly obsessed with the digital gadgets is forgetting the ways of life and learning that created gentlemen few decades ago.

Only a few decades back, we used to write letters to our friends and family. We used to sit, think and write beautiful letters which often reflected the mood of the writer. Fountain pens and inks used to be the instruments of necessity in every house. It was an art to write a good letter. Alas, this art is almost  lost under the shadow of mobile phones and social media. Nobody today bothers to write a letter and make somebody wait for days to see the message in it.

The advancements in technology have accelerated our lives to such a pace that any kind of delay is unacceptable. Plans are made on the fly, meetings are fixed in a blink of the eye and fair enough as time is money. But this fast paced life is taking each one of us away from ourselves. I believe, writing letters by hand to friends or even just penning down your mind helps connect you to yourself and relieves you from stress.  More over, writing improves ones writing skills and gives you a sense of satisfactions and calmness. Also, daily writing may work as therapy for some.

For years fountain pens and inks have been the principle instruments of writing. Although the advancements in technology has sent these instruments from necessity to luxury, there is still hope that fountain pens, inks and hand writing will make a comeback. Through this blog I try to bring forward these instruments of learning and writing and share my views on them so as, I can motivate the young today to get out of the digital world and get real through hobbies and fun.