The Pen Addict Podcast: Episode 362 - A Blueprint of the Nib Grind

A single podcast episode was not enough to contain Dan Smith, so we had him back for one more round. This time, we tackle all of your questions about nib grinding. Tune in for the what, when, where, why, and how Dan works his nib magic.

Show Notes & Download Links

This episode of The Pen Addict is sponsored by:

Pen Chalet: Click the ‘podcast’ link at the top of the website and enter the password ‘penaddict’ for this week’s special offer, and to get your code for 10% off.

Moo: Custom business printing and design. Use promo code PRINTMOO for 15% off, when you spend $50 or more.

J. Herbin Kyanite du Népal Ink: A Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

A new limited edition shimmer ink is on its way as part of J. Herbin’s 1798 Anniversary Ink Collection. It is due to be released on June 21, 2019.

Kyanite du Népal is named after a mineral mined in Nepal. It is a deep blue color which J. Herbin has captured well in this ink.

Parent Géry (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Kyanite du Népal is a saturated blue ink that is more turquoise than purple on the color spectrum. The ink contains silver shimmer that complements the blue nicely.

In my testing on Maruman Septcouleur paper, the ink demonstrated good flow, shading, and shimmer in both fine and broad nibs. It dried fairly quickly, but the ink did not seem dry in any of the nibs I used. It is not colorfast.

The chromatography test doesn’t show much in terms of color variation. There’s a faint line of silver shimmer at the bottom, and the color ranges from light blue to turquoise to darker blue.

Obviously, shimmer inks show up best in wide nibs and splatters. That’s definitely true of Kyanite as you can see in the following examples. The shimmer is quite stunning.

Because the ink contains shimmer, the particles settle to the bottom of the bottle or within the barrel of your pen. It’s always necessary to shake the bottle or pen (capped, of course) before using the ink. I relegate shimmer inks to my less expensive pens, such as my TWSBI Eco, simply because I don’t want shimmer particles possibly clogging up my expensive pens. This is probably just paranoia on my part, since I’ve yet to experience clogging in my less expensive pens.

Kyanite du Népal is a gorgeous shade of blue with burgundy sheen and silver shimmer. It’s a bit darker than Diamine Blue Lightning (which also has silver shimmer), and Kyanite contains sheen in addition to silver shimmer which gives it more character than the Diamine, in my opinion.

You’ll be able to purchase Kyanite du Népal on June 21 from your favorite retailers. A 50ml bottle is $26.00.

(This ink was provided to Pen Addict for review at no cost by Exaclair.)

Lamy Safari Fountain Pen Mint Glaze Review

Lamy's pretty, new pastel colors for 2019 are a big hit with me. So fresh! So airy! I had trouble deciding which one I wanted. I was just leaning toward the inevitable Mint Green, when Brad sent that very pen for me to review. Delight! But how do I review a Lamy Safari? Surely we've reviewed it a dozen times already. I thought maybe I had even reviewed it! So I went back to check, and--nope. It has only been reviewed here once, ELEVEN years ago, by Brad, when he got one as his "first non-disposable fountain pen." He starts his review: "So many readers of this blog are fountain pen fans and have been trying to get me on the bandwagon for the longest time." Hey, good job, crew! I think it worked!

So, what has changed with the Lamy Safari in the last eleven years? Nothing! Or only very subtle things. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. The Safari has been a staple and a classic of the fountain pen world since 1980. They are many people's (including Brad's) first fountain pen and are therefore responsible for a lot of the world's pen addiction. For that alone, they are due reverence, but they're also just a really good pen.

I'll admit upfront that I prefer the AL-star (sorry, Brad), but I don't think they could get this beautiful soft color on an aluminum barrel, and I LOVE this color, so my allegiance may be slipping a bit.

The plastic is durable and sturdy. It doesn't feel cheap, brittle or disposable. It does show some scratches and wear after a long time of use, but it does it in a way that looks loved rather than worn. The self-springing aluminum clip is very well designed. It slides onto paper or fabric easily but holds firmly, and the continuous loop shape means it never snags on anything. The body has a handy ink window so you can see when you're due for a refill.

The cap snaps to close and posts well, though it is also nicely balanced when unposted.

The nib is steel, and quality can be a bit hit or miss with them, but I've never had one that needed much. This one is an extra fine and had a bit of snag-and-drag on left-to-right strokes, but was perfect after 20 seconds of smoothing.

The pen takes proprietary cartridges or a converter. It comes with one cartridge. Lamy cartridges are generous and hold a ton of ink, but I really wish pens would come with converters. The color line for cartridges, even with the added Monteverde for Lamy colors, is pretty limited, so it's worth picking up one of the $5 converters.

Probably the most contested element of the Safari is its grip section. It was designed under the philosophy that there is a correct way to hold a pen and its shape is molded to corral you into that grip. Which of course does not work for everyone, because there are lots of ways to hold a pen and several of them don't work at all with this grip section. And with a molded grip, you don't really know if it's going to be comfortable for you unless you try it, and trying it can be a barrier to entry for many folks who don't live near pen access. Lamy does have a large distribution, so if you're curious about trying one, it's worth inquiring about nearby retailers.

JetPens has their lovely Safaris for $29.60. The color is limited edition, as are the other pretty pastels this season, so be sure to grab one or all of them quickly. And if you're not yet a fountain pen user but think you might like to be, this is a great place to start. Just don't think too hard about where you might be eleven years from now if you jump down this rabbit hole with us.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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