The Pen Addict Podcast: Episode 375 - Nobody Tell Platinum

The Diamine Ink-Vent Calendar, via Cult Pens.

Some of the best episodes we record are when either Myke or I drop a surprise product on the other. On this show, that happened more than once, and we thoroughly enjoyed the ensuing conversations. We hope you do too.

Show Notes & Download Links

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Diamine Gibson Les Paul Guitar Ink in Pelham Blue Burst: 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.)

Diamine produces inks in such a wide array of colors that it’s hard to keep up. But sometimes they offer collections of inks that follow a theme, such as the Gibson Les Paul collection. Each ink in the collection evokes one of the finishes of the Gibson Les Paul guitars. I received the version called Pelham Blue Burst. It is named after the color on this gorgeous guitar:

This is a Gibson Les Paul Studio 2016 T Pelham Blue Guitar. (image via Reverb.com)

As soon as I received my bottle of ink, I put it in a beautiful blue PenBBS Model 323 and have been writing with it for a couple of months. It’s a gorgeous deep blue that leans toward dark turquoise.

In my tests, the ink is simply stunning on Rhodia dot paper. Even in fine nibs there’s a bit of shading, and it only gets better in wider nibs. The ink is medium-wet, not too dry and not so wet that it smears when you write with it. The swab shows how dark the color can get--it actually spans a wide range of blues depending on the width of the nib. It is not waterproof.

On my Col-o-dex card, the deepness of the blue shows in the swab. I used a Brause Blue Pumpkin dip nib to write the name of the ink, and, again, you can see how dark the ink can get. What’s really intriguing is the sheen. The ink splats glow magenta and green.

Chromatography confirms the sheen found in the ink. There’s a good amount of pink/magenta, a bit of green, and, of course, blue.

I always like to test my inks with my Handwritmic ruling pen to see how they perform in a giant nib. Pelham blue definitely shines, with lots of shading variation and sheen where the ink pools.

I am quite taken with Pelham Blue. It’s an unusual blue with a wide range of hues depending on the paper, the nib width, and the wetness of the nib. The sheen is quite striking, but even in normal writing circumstances when the ink doesn’t pool, this blue exudes sophistication.

You can purchase Diamine Gibson Les Paul Guitar Ink in Pelham Blue from Goldspot Pens in a 30ml bottle for $7.50 or a huge 80ml bottle for $15.00.

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

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Leuchtturm 1917 Softcover Composition Book Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And check out her first novel, The Bone Weaver’s Orchard, now available where books are sold!)

Leuchtturm1917 has long since made their reputation as a fantastic notebook company with quality construction and excellent paper, so I always have high expectations for any variation on their recipe that they introduce. My expectations are in good hands. While their recipes may be a bit bland in the sense that there is very little aesthetic variation, so far I have always been delighted with even the smallest adjustments to features and functionality.

This new Softcover Composition Book has all of the important legacy Leuchtturm features, like an index, numbered pages, and the expanding back envelope, but it also comes in this B6 size, similar to American composition books, which makes them ideal for fitting into bags and briefcases while still providing enough page surface for substantial note-taking.

With 121 numbered pages, I think these are the perfect classroom notebooks. The soft cover also adds to the portability. It's lighter and easier to carry and fit in pockets than the hardcover notebooks, but still has enough structure to act as a writing surface when necessary. The last eight pages are also perforated, so they can be easily torn out if you need to write something to turn in or share with a colleague or classmate.

The notebook also has the elastic closure band, lay-flat sewn binding, and two ribbon bookmarks that add to the convenience and usability of the book.

Of course, the most essential feature is the quality of the paper. This notebook has 80 gsm acid-free paper that is labeled "ink-proof" because of how well it stands up to liquid inks of all kinds. I used this notebook for a work conference and took copious notes all with fountain pens. While there is some show-through with darker inks, it's not enough to interfere with writing on both sides of the page, and there was never a hint of feathering or bleeding. I even wrote a bit with the wettest pen I own, with a broad nib, freshly filled--and it still handled it like a dream.

The softcover notebooks are available in other sizes as well, in lined, plain, or dot grid pages, and in a multitude of fun colors. I think this notebook is easily my number one recommendation for a notebook for students and I'll definitely be stocking up when it's my own turn to return to the classroom.

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

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Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!