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<html>
<head>
<title>
Pen Corner | C. Caruvana
</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="main.css">
<link rel="icon" type="image/png" href="favicon.png">
</head>
<body>
<div>
<h1>C. Caruvana</h1>
<h2>The pen corner.</h2>
</div>
<div class="navbar">
Some navigation....
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
18 April 2019
<h3>Math in Pen</h3>
We are taught from early on to do math in pencil probably mostly in part because we are expected to erase a lot. When writing for some other subjects, we may instead produce a few rough drafts before penning a final edition. As an armchair speculator I suspect that, at least in how it may pertain to maths, this may inspire two problems.
<ol>
<li style="text-align: justify;">We may interpret our proneness to "error" as incompetence.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">We fail to value the pitfalls and other detours which are useful in themselves. (As they say, it's not about the destination but rather the journey.)</li>
</ol>
I didn't start using pens for math until a year or so into graduate school. Of course, maths and its practice look a bit different at the graduate level but one of the primary goals is the same. You must communicate a solution or argument to a potential reader (like your teacher or classmates in a class setting). I used to avoid rewriting things as much as possible so I would erase the "unsightly" and submit a final draft of sorts without really ever writing a real rough draft. There would likely be some "scratch" work that would get hidden away from the sight of others lest they find occasion to think less of my intellectual abilities. Accepting one's (perceived) imperfections can be a difficult task but expecting to arrive at an efficient and elegant solution in an initial attempt is unrealistic. The suppression of all of the inconclusive, incorrect, or failed attempts is a practice I hope to see diminish over time, not only to offer a more realistic representation of each person's journey to understanding, but so that we can freely accept and learn from our "mistakes".
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
18 March 2019
<h3>Some early thoughts on the TWSBI Vac700R</h3>
<p>
Early in my fountain pen habit, I bought a TWSBI Diamond 580 with rose gold trim. This was circa 2014. It wrote pretty well but not a lot of time passed before a small crack appeared in the body. I emailed TWSBI customer service and they sent me a replacement part without questions (I think I had included images) or charge. The piece arrived pretty quickly and the whole experience was quite pleasant. So, if anything, the customer service was top notch. Unfortunately, after a bit more use, a crack formed between some threads on the section causing ink to leak onto my fingers from the barrel while writing. I decided to just let this one go since it would have required a replacement of the barrel unlike the previous affair. I hesitated a few years to give TWSBI another opportunity having read comments online of similar inconveniences with other users but the strong online presence, affordable pricing, and variety of filling mechanisms finally won me over.
</p>
<p>
I primarily purchased the TWSBI Vac700R as a pen for travel and because vacuum fillers are quite fun. As a positive testament, I'm writing (the initial draft) of this review on an airplane.
</p>
<p>
The nib, being an extra fine steel, doesn't offer much in terms of line variation or gliding smoothness but it is a consistent and pleasant writer, nonetheless. At the end of the day, a pen's <i>telos</i> is to put ink on paper and this pen does that very well. The filling mechanism also works as promised and has a capacity to satisfy even the most indefatigable writers. Another important observation given my past experiences is the lack of cracking. The construction seems solid and I really like how sturdy the clip feels while offering some pleasant spring which increases its utility.
</p>
<p>
Conclusively, anticipating no cracking or other functional failures, I would recommend this pen to anyone looking for something like it.
</p>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
20 January 2019
<h3>First venture in nib revival</h3>
<p>
I recently got back into pen tinkering since I was so pleased by the inexpensive Moonman M2. The idea of swapping nibs and making a pen truly one's own is alluring. This led me to buy a Conklin Endura in mahogany since I don't have any wooden pens and the price point for these is agreeable. Another point in its favor is the relative affordability of standard #6 nibs. I can lecture with pens sporting inexpensive nibs without any anxiety about potentially ruining them.
</p>
<p>
The stock Goulet branded #6 JOWO nib on the Conklin Endura was almost incapable of writing out of the box though it would consistently write in the reverse orientation. After some examination with my loupe, the culprit seemed to be a baby's bottom. I'm writing this mostly to record what seems to be my successful treatment of this ailment (after having attended a nib tuning seminar led by Richard Binder and watching a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5VOKFXEvL8">video</a> where SBRE Brown addresses the baby's bottom problem directly).
</p>
<p>
This is by no means a tutorial but just another voice shouting into the void hoping to inspire the unsure pen enthusiast in their own journey.
For more detailed information on nib tuning, please check out Richard Binder's <a href="http://www.richardspens.com/pdf/workshop_notes.pdf">notes</a> and/or Brian Gray's <a href="http://edisonpen.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Nib-Smoothing-Notes.pdf">notes</a>.
(Of course, one should only initially experiment with inexpensive nibs.)
<ol>
<li>
I removed the nib from the housing first since the feed was too close to the tip and reassembled the unit to get a more reasonable placement.</li>
<li>
I made sure the tines were aligned.</li>
<li>
Hemispherical sanding to remove the baby's bottom.</li>
<li>
Some fine grit polishing for re-smoothing.</li>
<li>Profit.
The pen now writes consistently and is quite pleasant on paper.
I even polished the top a bit and the reverse writing, while still pretty scratchy (by virtue of being very fine), is not abominable.</li>
</ol>
Having had a successful experiment, I now write with the extra joy resulting from an increased intimacy with my instrument.
</p>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
12 January 2019
<h3>Checking the Moonman M2 hype</h3>
<p>
After seeing plenty hype about the Moonman M2 on the web, I had to jump on the band wagon and get one (or two) for myself. After using one for a little over a week, I wanted to share my experiences with others in case they find themselves wondering about the things I've explored. Although I'm sure I'll repeat some of what has already been circulated on the web, I'll try to not be too redundant and include only a few remarks. For more detailed reviews with writing samples and the like, a web search will not disappoint.
</p>
<p>
I ended up purchasing two of these from Amazon as you can see pictured below.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="MoonmanComparison.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="1600" height="141" src="MoonmanComparison.jpg" width="320" /></a>
</div>
</p>
<p>
I'll refer to the one with the red band as Red and the one with the blue colored section as Blue. I ordered both pens with the fine tipping size. Red's nib reads "iridium point" and Blue's is branded with the Moonman logo, as pictured below. Both nibs are #5 steel nibs.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="IridiumPointBrandedNib.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1376" height="320" src="IridiumPointBrandedNib.jpg" width="275" /></a>
<a href="MoonmanBrandedNib.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1568" data-original-width="1600" height="313" src="MoonmanBrandedNib.jpg" width="320" /></a>
</div>
</p>
<p>
Out of the box, both pens wrote pretty smoothly. Red hasn't skipped at all and, aside from a very short spell of dryness, has been quite consistent. I've used Red with Sailor's Sei Boku ink for a little over a week with daily writing. Since I use it for lecturing, I sometimes pause to talk without writing and don't cap it. When I do that for a few moments, I have to give a few strokes to the page before it starts writing again but this could be a consequence of the current ink choice. Nevertheless, after just a few of strokes it regains its flow and all writing pleasure is restored.
</p>
<p>
Blue's stock nib had more issues starting up after resting capped and nib up for even just a few minutes with the Sailor Sei Boku ink. Rather than trying to adjust the nib (mostly because I wanted to experiment with the pen), I swapped it for a Goulet branded #5 JOWO nib with medium tipping.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="GouletNibFront.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1060" height="320" src="GouletNibFront.jpg" width="211" /></a>
<a href="GouletNibBack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1089" height="320" src="GouletNibBack.jpg" width="217" /></a>
</div>
</p>
<p>
Taking the stock nib out was a bit of a chore without any gripping material other than my fingers. After wiggling out the stock nib (the feed didn't want to budge so I let it be), I tried to fit a Jinhao #5 nib but it resisted enough for me to give up. The Goulet nib, on the other hand, slid in without any effort. I then filled the pen with roughly three-quarters of a standard international converter's worth of Conklin's 120th Anniversary Blue. After writing with it for a short spell, a glob of ink was building up under the nib. This could have been simply a result from the heat of my hand. With that said, these pens may be more susceptible to pressure changes when they are low on ink since Red dumped its little remaining ink (j. herbin Perle Noire) during a plane ride. In Red's defense, it was stored horizontally in a pen case in my backpack, however, my Lamy 2000 has survived similar circumstances. In any case, I cleaned out the pen and refilled it with Diamine Majestic Blue and it has been behaving well since then.
</p>
<p>
In terms other than writing, the pen itself has a unique aesthetic appeal. It is definitely an eye-catcher and its 3mL ink capacity is baffling. Also, since there are just a few parts and no other real technology inside, this pen should prove to be quite reliable as long as the body resists cracking.
</p>
<p>
Immediately, there are two possible complaints: the pen has no roll stop and, since it can't fit a converter, cleaning can be tedious. To remedy the rolling issue, there are a few options suggested on the web and I chose to try on the Kaweco clip which fits well, though distracts from the overall minimalism of the pen.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="WithClip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="741" data-original-width="1600" height="148" src="WithClip.jpg" width="320" /></a>
</div>
</p>
<p>
Though I haven't tried it yet, I suspect using a bulb syringe can help with more thorough cleaning. I'll have to try that out soon.
</p>
</div>
</div>
</body>
</html>