The Pen Addict Podcast: Episode 518 - Just Spell it Lewis

It’s been a rough couple of weeks for my podcast partner in pens, but Myke is back on the mic this week to break it all down with me. We cover new goods from Lamy, Sailor, and Platinum, the re-opening of the Benu store, and a bit of Narwhal news on this jam-packed episode.

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.

Trade: Save Big, Support Small Roasters. Get $30 off your first order.

Kanilea Pen Co: Choose your Aloha today!

What is Twitch?

Twitch.tv is a streaming platform you may have heard me mention from time to time, but what exactly is it? It is a live streaming service, which allows someone like myself to point a camera at their face and have a live conversation with anyone who cares to join the chat.

My topics range from product tests, unboxings, journal writing, planner updates, and any form of stationery show & tell you can imagine. I’m almost four years into my Twitch streaming journey, and each week it gets more fun.

I stream 2-3 times a week on Twitch.tv/PenAddict, at 10 a.m. Eastern on Tuesday and Thursday, and usually a post-podcast stream on Wednesdays around 11:30 a.m. Eastern. Can’t make the live stream? I’ve got you covered! All of my Twitch streams are saved in their entirety on my YouTube channel. Yes, I have one of those too.

If you have some free time during the week you should come hang out and watch, chat, or even just lurk. And, once you discover how fun Twitch is, you can find more stationery friends to follow in the Stationery Brew channel directory. See you there!

Anderillium Avian Series: American Goldfinch Yellow Ink Review

A relative newcomer to the fountain pen ink scene, Anderillium has some exciting lines of nature-inspired ink colors. Anderillium are based in Tampa, Florida and currently have two collections of inks: Cephalopod and Avian. The Avian series features eight colors that represent different feathered creatures. The ink I've had the opportunity to test out first is called American Goldfinch Yellow.

American Goldfinch Yellow is a happy, cheery color, which is representative of the bird. The color is fun, but it's so light that it has difficulty showing up on white paper. As such, I can't really see myself using this ink very often since it's difficult to read what I've written on white paper.

The behavior of this ink is fantastic, though. The ink flows well and hasn't shown any bleeding or feathering on the several types of paper I've tried. The edges of the lines are crisp and sharp, which is something I particularly enjoy with any ink.

There's no shading to speak of, but that is probably a good thing if you intend to use this ink for highlighting — which is also the exact purpose I'd recommend this ink to anyone. It's a lovely highlighter yellow! Load it up in a broad-nibbed pen and use it to highlight printed words or even hand-written passages as long as the dark ink is fairly permanent. In my writing example, I've highlighted over a black gel pen ink. Looking at the sample closely, you can see that the underlying dark ink is still crisp and un-smudged or diluted. And, the yellow highlight is bright and transparent to call attention to what's beneath!

The main downside to this ink, aside from it being a non-starter for me in terms of normal writing situations, is that the dry time is extremely prolonged. In my tests with this 1.1 mm stub nib, it took the ink between 45 and 80 seconds to fully dry to the point that it didn't smudge with light pressure. Pretty sure I can say that this is the longest dry time I've encountered so far. This will be problematic if you're using this ink in a notebook where you intend to close it up after jotting down some notes or making some highlights with this ink. The yellow ink will transfer to the page on the opposite side of the notebook. While this might not be a disaster due to the super light shade of the ink, it still requires a concerning amount of time to properly dry.

While American Goldfinch Yellow won't be in my regular rotation, I'm intrigued to see what else Anderillium have to offer with their other inks. If you'd like to give this ink a try, head over to their website to pick some up. A 1.5 fl. oz. (44 ml) pot of ink is just $14.50. The glass pot that the ink comes in reminds me of a small jam jar, which is an instant bonus. The wide mouth makes it really easy to fill your pen.

(This ink was purchased directly from Anderillium at full retail price at the 2022 Atlanta Pen Show.)

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