The Pen Addict Podcast: Episode 133 - A Banana Explosion

So apparently I am addicted to things other than pens.

I thought this would be a pretty straightforward episode with me and Myke talking about a few of the bags we carry. It started that way when I began to put together the show notes. Then I wanted to talk about the bags I own and no longer use and why. Then I wanted to talk about the bags I have been wanting to check out because who can have too many bags! Then I had to cut myself off.

Also, Starbucks Field Notes.

Show Notes & Download Links

This episode of The Pen Addict is sponsored by:

lynda.com: An easy and affordable way to help individuals and organizations learn. Free 10-day trial.

Artsnacks: Your monthly serving of the best art supplies.

The Mythgard Institute (Sponsor)

“The story grew in the telling.” So starts The Lord of the Rings, one of the most influential books of the twentieth century. Given that the works of J.R.R Tolkien were created over not one lifetime but two (his son Christopher has devoted many years to deciphering and assembling the unpublished and prolific writings of his father as literary executor of the Tolkien estate), this statement is a gross understatement.

Tolkien hand wrote and annotated most of his writings, and we know that he used a dip pen with an Esterbrook #314 nib. How many of those nibs he must have gone through as he created Middle-earth and its history, who can know? And what of other writers? Did Arthur Conan Doyle indeed write at least some of his Sherlock Holmes stories with a Parker Duofold? Science fiction author Neal Stephenson uses fountain pens to write the first draft of his books.

Want to dig deeper into the people behind the pens? The Mythgard Institute began as a place to study the two-lifetime library of Tolkien works. It has since expanded to offer courses focused on other fantasy authors as well as science fiction. With three tiers of course offerings from free and open to the public to a Masters program in Literature and Languages, Mythgard is the place for considered study of the likes of Neil Gaiman (TWSBI 540 ROC, Lamy 2000, Pilot 823 Amber), Richard Adams (who wrote Watership Down with a fountain pen of unknown variety), and other pen wielders.

This post is sponsored via Syndicate Ads.

TWSBI Micarta Review

I'm feeling guilty about this review for many reasons.

One, this pen was loaned to me by the wonderful Ionsomnia many a moon ago. This is his pen in the review, we discussed it and the additional nibs he sent with it several times, and I sent it back in a timely fashion. But I never posted the review, because...

Two, the TWSBI Micarta was discontinued. Version 1 only came with a gold plated nib and clip, plus it had some feed problems that TWSBI wanted to correct. Version 2 corrected the feed issues and added a clipless version to go along with the gold furniture model. Now we are talking.

Three, I bought the clipless model, swapped in a silver steel crispy bold cursive italic nib, and fell in love. And you can't get one now, at least not easily through direct channels.

But this is a great pen and it deserves to be talked about, so here we go.

What the heck is Micarta? That is probably the most often question asked about this pen if I had to guess. I had no idea either, but learned from Wikipedia that it is "a brand name for composites of linen, canvas, paper, fiberglass, carbon fiber or other fabric in a thermosetting plastic". To me, that sounds like scrap repurposed to make a new material, and that is kind of neat.

You can see some of the material and texture in the Micarta pen body, and it has a feel that is warmer than that other acrylic pens. I found myself just holding it on more than one occasion because it felt so great. That is also partially because the barrel shape is fantastic, fitting my hand as good as any pen I own.

These partially natural materials do have some downside though, primarily the ability to be stained by ink. Kind of a problem in a pen, huh? Ionsomnia found that out by dipping the pen in an ink bottle to fill it. I found out by having a bad feed in mine. As you can see below, a crack caused the ink to spread, soaking the inside section threads and the front exterior edge of the grip section.

TWSBI replaced the feed for me, which works fine now, and I didn't ask them to replace the pen. Why? Wabi-sabi. Old me would have had a conniption and would have wanted a new, pristine pen as a replacement. New me has found the beauty in acceptance of imperfection. That acceptance is why I was finally able to purchase my first Nakaya and not worry if it might get dinged or scratched. It's my pen, and things happen, and it's ok because the pleasure of using a pen far outweighs being afraid to take it out of the pen case.

So my Micarta is not perfect, but it is mine, and I love it. That's why I'm guilty about this post, because I think a lot of you would love this pen too. Maybe TWSBI will surprise with a Version 3 one day.