Category Archives: Foutain Pen Ink

The Pens of March

I like the month of March.  Maybe because it’s a bit unpredictable.  For one thing, you can never tell what the weather’s going to be in March.  Especially if you live in the Chicago area.  It can be sunny and 50 degrees one day, and then later in the week, snowing.  Wait, that actually happened here in the past week.  So, you just have to be prepared.  And, maybe you can’t tell what the day will be just by looking out your window in the morning.  Just hope for the best and plan for…well…snow.

Which brings me to pens.  (Nice transition huh?)  It’s usually this time of the year when I consider what new products to bring to TT Patton.  Last year ACME launched the Beatles series and Visconti introduced the Van Gogh line.  It’s also this time of the year that many of the big stationery and pen shows are happening around the country and new product launches are all the rave.

So when I met with my Pilot representative this morning, in the midst of all the new lines (you’ll love them) we both agreed that the Namiki Vanishing Point by Pilot is still one of the coolest pens on the market today.  That’s because it looks like a traditional push ballpoint with a pocket clip, but it’s actually a fountain pen. You can’t tell just by looking at it (now you see the transition), but it has a nice 14K gold nib to make writing handwritten notes smooth and effortless.

And although some people (Jessica Liebman) think writing a handwritten note “just feels ancient”, I actually think it “just feels real”.  So why not get something that is real practical (looks like a ballpoint) and real fine (but it’s a fountain pen).

This is just the beginning of the “transitional season”….we have much more coming real soon to your favorite pen store in Barrington, TT Patton.

Pen Question…wait for it…Answered!

I’ve been thinking about bringing in the Graf von Faber-Castell pen line as an addition to the Design line of Faber-Castell.  It’s an “outstanding product, celebrating 250 years this year, and handmade in Germany.”  At least that’s what the representative said a week or so ago.  But I have a lot of new pen lines to consider and just couldn’t make up my mind.  So I had to think about it.  I was secretly waiting until the Chicago Pen Show which runs this weekend, Thursday May 12th thru Sunday May 15th.  Real pen enthusiasts take over the Westin O’Hare Hotel and major sponsors such as Krone and Stylus Magazine bring in the goods.

The editor of Stylus, Nancy Olson is a good source of information.  She’s kinda like an encyclopedia of pens you might say.  So my goal was to corner Nancy at the show and get her opinion after her many tours and interviews with some of the major pen lines on the market.


But before I could schedule her time during what is sure to be a busy weekend, a box arrived from Stylus Magazine.  I can tell from the cover of the 2011 Stylus Pen Annual what Nancy thinks of Faber-Castell.

Now where is that Rep’s phone number…

Ink in USA

What’s your favorite color?  Mine is brown. So when I bought a bottle of Polar Brown fountain pen ink I thought I would love it.  I thought it would be a rich chocolate brown color, but I was wrong.  Actually when I opened the bottle, it had this weird grayish tan-ish color.  But guess what?  The manufacturer is changing the formula to a dark brown color more true to the name Polar Brown.  So, I just placed an order for more Noodler’s Ink and I can’t wait to see the new formulation of Polar Brown.  Noodler’s Ink happens to be a brand of ink that I’ve grown to really like.  Maybe because it comes in over 100 colors, or something close to that number.  Or maybe because it’s 100% made in the USA from cap to glass to ink. Or it could be that cute little catfish on the label that intended to symbolize a southern sport that attempts to equalize the struggle between man and animal in the quest for a sense of fair play — and thus a fair price.  But I’m not the only one who likes it.  Many of my customers collect different colors and I ship bottles all over the country and even to places as close as Chicago.  So stop in and pick up a bottle or two or three.  They’re only $12.50 each.  And you just have to have Concord Grape because it looks just like grape jelly!