2016 Holiday Gift Guide for Fountain Pen Addicts

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Pen friends in the US are celebrating Thanksgiving this week and the countdown to Black Friday begins!  It got me thinking that a holiday gift guide would be helpful.  This guide is primarily intended for the non-pen person looking for a gift for the fountain pen aficionado, whether newbie or seasoned, in his or her life.

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Currently Inked: November 2016

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October came and went in a flash!  With the Scriptus pen showthis past Sunday and yesterday being Halloween, I didn't have much time to prepare my pen + ink combos for November.  Without further ado, here they are...

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Throwback Thursday: Quick Look at Platinum 3776 Century Sai + Bungbox Kotohogi Kurenai (New Year Red)

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We’ve had a couple of unseasonably warm days here.  So for this weeks’ Throwback Thursday, I revisit a hot red pen + ink combo from my July line-up.

Handwritten Review

Pen: Platinum 3776 Century Sai F

Ink: Bungbox Kotohogi Kurenai(New Year Red)

Paper: Rhodia No. 16 Grid

> I mean, this is not a dark red.  It’s bright.  Kind of a water colour type look when it dries.  But it doesn’t look at all pink.  I didn’t think this ink would be good for writing but it’s OK.  Even in this Platinum medium nib.  I’m not sure I would go with a narrower nib than this one though.  I did enjoy having this ink in the line-up just to have something very bright.  Sunny.  I could actually live with this as a daily writer.  Of course, it works for emphasis, accents, etc.  This ink flows well.  It’s lubricated just right.  Well-behaved on Rhoda.  I don’t think I have many red inks so this is something a bit different for me.


**Closing Comments**

On a sad note, this review was one of the last things I wrote with this Platinum 3776 Century Sai before it’s nib made a break for freedom [down the drain][2] whilst I was cleaning it.  I miss using that crystal clear pen and that sweet nib!!

[2]: http://pendorasbox.com/blog/2016/8/30/pen-cleaning-disaster-again

This red ink is hard to miss.  I enjoy using it for annotations or editing.  Is it the perfect teacher’s red?

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Currently Inked: Loadout for Short Cottage Escape

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Last Wednesday, I posted some picturesI took on a recent hike. In fact, I went on a 1 night, 1 day get away trip to the cottage with the family. To be precise, we headed up on Friday night, September 30th. And headed back home on October 1st. I pondered a bit on what pens I should take seeing as I still had a couple of September inked pens to use up and my planned pens for October were only partially inked up. So, I did what any rational pen addict would do for a 1 day trip that starts at the last day of one month and ends on the first day of the next month: I took all pens in sight! 

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Currently Inked: September 2016

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It’s the unofficial end of summer.  The weather is cooler and days are shorter.  My little guy is ready for a new school year.  It’ll be back to normal routines both at home and work.  I echo this sentiment with this a new pen and ink line-up.

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Platinum 3776 Century and My Lucky Pen Day

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Those of you tapped into the pen and stationery blogosphere have likely come across the Pencilcase Blog run by Dries, a Belgian student.  Somehow between his busy schedule of exams, projects and studies he has managed to become a seasoned pen collector and writer-extraordinaire.  The Pencilcase Blog turned 3 years old this summer which makes Pendora's Box's 6 months of existence seem rather infantile.  As a veteran blogger, Dries was kind enough to offer this rooky some encouragement and advice.

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Currently Inked: Loadout for Trip to Philadelphia

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After coming home from my annual family cottage vacation, I barely got my luggage unpacked before repacking for a short trip to Philadelphia.  A few days was for working but there was a little time for sightseeing too. 

Since this would be shorter trip I decided to pack lightly in terms of writing instruments and stationery especially since I was intending NOT to check any baggage.

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July Long Weekend Getaway EDC

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To celebrate Canada Day, we decided on a weekend getaway to wine country at Niagara-on-the-Lake.  I had a June 30th project deadline at work so I was going all-out the day before the trip.  Still, I managed to get most of my pens inked for July and select my stationery and pens for the road trip.  So, what made the cut?

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Wordless Wednesday: My Fountain Pen Families

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Edison Pens

Pilot/Namiki

Platinum

Lamy

Franklin-Christoph

Pen Review: Head to Head Comparison of Platinum 3776 Century Sai and Platinum Cool Crystal Rose

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I've referred to the Platinum Cool quite a few times in the blog so it was a surprise to me over the past week when I realized that I had not yet done a proper review of it.  As I discussed here, this was one of my first fountain pens. 

At the same time, the Platinum 3776 Century Sai had entered my pen collection without much fanfare. It has, in fact, quickly become one of my favourites in the past couple months.  So, I thought I could do a double pen review with a Platinum pens head to head comparison.

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