Tuesday Toolset, Forgotten Edition

I use a lot of stationery, and because of that, what was hot in my hands months ago may get pushed to the side in favor of the flavor of the month. I don’t have to rewind too far to find some favorites I need to get back into the rotation, so let’s take a look:

-- Diamine Christine Iridescink: I’ve had four of the Cult Pens + Diamine Iridescink cross my desk, and Christine is my favorite so far. So why haven’t I used it recently? That’s a great question, and I am open to answers! I think it boils down to the number of fountain pens I keep inked up, which hovers around six. I need to make room for this ink soon.

-- Stylo Art Kinpaku: Like the Sailor Zuisei I posted on Instagram recently, this is a very beautiful and very expensive pen that I haven’t been using. Again, I must ask why? This one has a better answer. The Kinpaku is such a pretty pen that my wife has been using it as a photography accessory. I need to reclaim this one stat!

-- Caran d’Ache Swiss Wood Pencil: O Stinkwood, Stinkwood, wherefore art thou Stinkwood? I use a lot of wooden pencils, and I could still make an argument for the Swiss Wood pencil as my favorite. And I haven’t used it in months. The Tombow KM-KKS has seen a lot of action, as have a few random Blackwings, but this chocolate soy sauce scented masterpiece has not.

-- Uni-ball Jetstream: Any color, any tip size. But mostly, the micro tip sizes. The Slim Multi 0.38 mm was one of my favorite pens of 2019, and I need to toss it in my pocket and carry it with me more often. I also need to get a hold of the new 0.28 mm model that has released.

In case you didn’t notice, I’m moving the Tuesday Toolset post back to the main site. I did have it mixed in to the Newsletter feed, which sends all posts on the blog to your inbox, but after some great feedback, I’m returning it to its original home. Look for a new Tuesday Toolset every(-ish) week!

Caran d’Ache 849 + Line Friends BT21 Edition Giveaway

Swiss brand Caran d’Ache has been involved in some wonderful collaborations over the years, and this latest 849 Line Friends BT21 model is one of the most interesting yet.

Don’t feel bad if you don’t know who the BT21 characters are - I didn’t when I first saw this pen. But it all made sense once it was explained to me. BTS) are a Korean Pop band, and one of the most popular bands in the world. So popular, in fact, that Line, the widely-used messaging app, created a cartoon group for their Line Friends brand specifically for the band, named BT21.

Make sense?

Regardless of if you have any idea of this, this is an awesome looking pen, and I have one to give away to readers of The Pen Addict. Read the rules below, and enter away!

Caran d’Ache 849 + Line Friends BT21 Edition Giveaway

Rohrer & Klingner sketchINK Carmen Fountain Pen Ink Review

Let’s get one thing cleared up real quick: Choosing a demonstrator barrel fountain pen may not have been the choice for this review. As you will soon find out, Rohrer & Klingner sketchINK Carmen is a pretty darn good ink, but I must admit that “Liquid Rust” or “Damp Tang” are suitable monikers for how it appears in this pen.

The odd color is actually there for a reason. Rohrer & Klingner sketchINKs are pigmented inks, and they tend to have a more cloudy appearance than their standard fountain pen ink friends. That’s a feature if you are looking for a waterproof, lightfast, and quick dry ink for general writing, journaling, and artwork.

I skipped over these when they first launched, thinking why do I need an ink with all of these additional features that I traditionally don’t care about? Well, I still don’t need to draw with ink pens over a layer of sketchINK, or wash over them with a watercolor brush, but others do, and maybe they would like to explore a little.

And, as it turns out, sketchINKs are pretty good general writing inks, too.

I chose a Pilot Prera with a CM (Calligraphy Medium) nib for this review, which is Pilot’s cursive/stub hybrid nib that checks in around 1.0 mm wide. While Carmen, and other sketchINKs are designed to work well with any nib width due to their ink flow, I wanted to see what character was in this shade.

The orange-yellow color is bright, and exhibits a decent amount of shading that I was surprised to get. The ink flow is fantastic, as advertised, and the dry time is average to above-average on Rhodia paper. I also did a quick test on Field Notes stock paper to see how it would perform, and it wasn’t good at all. Bleeding and feathering galore, which is the expectation from a pigment ink on this paper. Other lighter, thinner, absorbent papers will perform similarly.

The only downside to pigment inks are that you need to ramp up your pen cleaning program. JetPens recommends cleaning your pigment inked pens every four to six weeks, or if you don’t plan on using them for more than a week. They tend to clog up when not being used, but the actually cleaning part is easy and normal if you keep up with it.

Rohrer & Klingner sketchINK comes in 10 different shades, and I have picked up Frieda to test out as well, but with an extra fine nib. At $12 for a 50 ml bottle that decision was simple. For more on how sketchINKs work in more artistic situations, take a look at this great review from Parka Blogs.

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

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