Image via JetPens
I love the Uni-ball Kuru Toga, and when I saw the latest batch of Limited Editions, I jumped right on the Skeleton model. Turns out, I picked the right one, because it is already sold out! You are covered though, as I’m giving this one away to one lucky reader. Read the rules below and enter away!
If you have been following me for any length of time, you will have heard me discuss the cigar box pen storage I use on my desk. They are made by a friend of mine named John, better known online as Bamapen.
John is a tinkerer at heart, and a lover of pens of all types. These two things came into play with the latest toy he sent me: A 3-D printed adapter to allow D1 refills to be used in the Esterbrook FJ ballpoint pen.
It took me a while to get to this review (sorry John!) and I’m sorry I waited so long because this is a fun pen to use, and a part of what makes this hobby of ours so great. There was a time not so long ago where pens like this Esterbrook with proprietary refills were a lost cause. With the advancements and accessibility of 3-D printing technology over the past several years, enterprising writers can get their old favorite pens up and writing again.
John did just that by designing an adapter based on the original Esterbrook refill, and making it compatible with a common refill from the modern market - in this case the D1 sized refill. The D1 is commonly used in mini pens and multi pens due to its short, skinny format. It has become popular enough that many top manufacturers, such as Uni-ball, have added them to their product lineup using their best ink formulations, like the Jetstream.
I’m using a black 0.7 mm Jetstream refill with the Esterbrook adapter in this FJ pen, and it works like a champ. The fit is perfect, almost as if it is the original setup. That’s kind of the point, right? The original pen, with a modern writing experience.
Using Shapeways, or other 3-D printing services, has become a great way for us to get old pens back in action, or make changes to modern pens - like adding clips - to better fit our respective styles. The growth and popularity of services like these can only benefit us all.
Maybe I need to 3-D print one of my old favorite pens, The Pilot Explorer, and get it back into the market.
My thanks to John for entrusting me with his creation. I may just need to buy this one off of him.
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Each week in Refill, the Pen Addict Members newsletter, I publish Ink Links as part of the additional content you receive for being a member. And each week, after 10 to 15 links, plus my added commentary on each, I'm left with many great items I want to share. Enter Misfill. Here are this weeks links:
— Review: Franklin-Christoph Model 31 Omnis Purpurae Fountain Pen 18kt Gold Nib (Gourmet Pens)
— The Jinhao X750 (The Pen Boffin)
— Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Acquires 34 Works by Outsider Artists and a Basquiat Sells for $45.3M at Phillips (Hyperallergic)
— Book Review: The Perfection of the Paperclip (Write eXperience)
— Six Month Review: Favorite Pens from the First Half of 2018 (The Gentleman Stationer)
— Kubo, Momose, and Iwase (Crónicas Estilográficas)
— Railway Logos (Reagan Ray)
— Ink Review: Ink Institute Cut Jade (Macchiato Man)
— Naples (and Amalfi Coast) Pen Store Recap (Hand Over That Pen)
— Review: Sailor Moon x Sailor “Make up Pen” Fountain Pen (All about the Ink)
— Imagined Insects Camouflaged as Star Wars Characters by Illustrator Richard Wilkinson (Colossal)
— Chicago Pen Show 2018 Recap (Part 2) (The Well-Appointed Desk)
— Review: Pilot Custom 823 - Waverly Nib (Alt. Haven)
— The Many Odd Jobs of Andy Warhol (Messy Messy Chic)
— The First 300 Inks (Mountain of Ink)
— Hobonichi Haiku (From the Pen Cup)
Want to catch the rest, plus extra articles, reviews, commentary, discounts, and more? Try out a Pen Addict Membership for only $5 per month!
