The Pen Addict 292/transcript

Transcript

I'm just gonna be excited to be somewhere that's not 28 degrees east. Exactly so we have one related asked TP a from Benjamin Jack's what do you get with hands on experience that you don't get with online I thought this was a good pen show related type of **** TP a so what do you think ana at a pen show what type of hands on experience. Do you try to. You know take care of if you're look been shopping online and you don't really know what you gonna do it a pen show that's maybe a little bit different. Well I think the pride the best example would have been the platinum at 3776 Shenoy issue that we had last year. I'm. Where we tried what 3 or 4 different ones and there was a different writing experiences with the soft fine. I'm depending on which one you picked up. So I'm. Yes are to get new jobs nibs are big deal yeah Eleanor could not get your story. And then we tried one of the platinum table and she couldn't get it to write. But it's like I can write with yours as but the one of the platinum table I couldn't get to write and then I went to never Smith's table and I could get a dance math and I could get the one it has tables right so I ended up buying from day and. But it was one of those things where was like had I bought one online I would not have had that experience be able to try several different ones and realize that depending on the pen like depending on you know especially with something like a soft fine it's really going to be a matter of trying different ones yeah and you've had that experience might go into like some of the choices right like bearing down the choice factor yeah I mean so many times I've been like does a pen I really wanted and then I tried it was just like this doesn't work for me but then I can find something else that does or even just nip tries to say like I don't know Wever I will want a medium are fine because of a sedate differ depending on when the pain comes from and like yeah it's like it's the end there is a great benefit in being able to actually pick it up and try it like it can really help them form a purchasing decision or even like turn you around you know that intense I thought were ridiculous so silly or too were boring and I try them and then my mind explodes right so. There is a real benefit. Yeah people were talking about the the Pelikan oceans for all. Yeah pictures that they saw on line are presented it in a certain it looked a certain way and then when I saw them in person depending on each individual pan the colors of the swirls looked different and so that's a pen that you know maybe you would really want to buy in person just because you might not like how the color pattern came out and so being able to purchase it and say that is the very specific one that I want you know and this again like with like very custom pens buying from somebody like rain Krycek or from. Know any of the other you know pen makers where you can really choose a guy like that they'd would grain on this specific one or I like that the resin pattern on this pen as opposed to buying online where you're not sure if you're going to get the one in the picture or a different one. I I I would say if you're into this hobby pretty deep and haven't been to a pen show it's actually worse trying to save up and make a travel budget to get to one just so you can see all these things you've been reading about or didn't have the opportunity to try with a local pen clubber pen posse or meet up or things like that are pen store you know a lot of people only have an online shopping experience it's worth you know even after if you have to save up you know over a year to get to one in the following year it's worth getting to one to find finally get to see all the things you've been reading about if you have some questions it's definitely worth your time. That doesn't even get into the vintage stuff yet we didn't even touch on all of that right like I would a yeah like that's not even that's pretty much something I would only by in person right I mean I I don't know that I've ever bought anything vintage online unless it was from a friend or you know something about you that they can vouch for it but yeah that that's pretty much the only way I would buy vintage these days at all. And one other thing is inks you can get a lot better color sample seeing the ink in person yeah in the end and shows that have it have in testing stations where you can actually sit down with your paper. And try them out and play with them as long as you want. Why wouldn't you exactly. Exactly. All right you wanna get in the rest this asked EPA Mike we got some good ones here yeah I did want to mention super quick like it might be a bit late by the time that you hear this but January 25 at noon eastern man Brad going to be an Instagram live together doing a thing on the pen addict Instagram life so you may have just gone to the same time all but it but it will be at least live for 2004 hours right after that point is that how the scenes with yes save them now too right so if it's a good one you could save it to your. Profile by them yeah that will be that for you to go and check out I guess we just gonna do a parade of pens I expect as well so that's actually that's actually tomorrow right yes. Yeah I'll I'll have a good pen to show off into some new yeah I should write this down should write this down spin in my calendar for like 3 weeks some you know I'm discusses some much more organized and yet federalism as time goes to pay I'm gonna read those little spoken enough this episode of the first guys from Ganon 800

#AskTPA Questions

Hong Kong stationery

Question: I'll be going to Hong Kong with my family in a few weeks is there anything pen related the I should go and see in my free time. Has the community got any tips for me? Let me know what you think so what what do you think guys where I should Ganon 800 go in Hong Kong?

Answer: So we have the right person to ask Mike. So excited that I could actually contribute to we got a lot lot of on a specific questions that I asked for this was unknowingly on a specific when he asked that.

Anna: So I did actually get to go to Hong Kong couple years ago am and am these are so these are 3 tips for me: city super. We have a link that we can provide their several locations and in city super on they have a whole pen section a lot of it is sort of the more gel and that kind of thing that they do have paper and they have a little they also have a shop called log on that has like travelers notebooks and things like that in their separate they have some separate stores, but then they also have them included in city super and city super is sort of, it's kind of like a home department store they have like groceries and things like that but then they have this little section it's their stationery part in the grocery store is really cool because it's like an international grocery store so few went like: weird potato chips and things like that they have to so it's kind of fun to go in there there's a mood she. Store at the harbour city. And it's a really big one and so you can get lots of Muji, you know, notebooks and pens and stuff and then my last one is that you have to take a ride on the star ferry harp from across the harbor. It cost like $2 it's totally worth it and if you can do it at night it's really fun because it's a great way to see across the harbor. So and it's very safe in Hong Kong so. It's beautiful you'll have a great time no matter what you do there's a lot of other stationery stores and if you're staying at a good hotel you should be able to ask the concierge if they can recommend are where a good stationery store or paper store is.

Notebook variety anxiety

Question: Our next question comes from @letterlovebug: How did you settle on a on the right note book for a big project or classes something like that you have a procrastinate because you're not sure which notebook from your never ending stash to to pick from.

Answer:

Anna: Yes I've been to (inaudible) but my recommendation is not to postpone joy if you have a great project to start on. Don't wait. If you probably have a great notebook there. I am that you've been saving for the perfect project for that perfect thing but we all do it, we save that thing because we think it's too nice for whatever we were doing. And I, I was thinking about this the other day when I saw the question and I just had that moment where I thought you know what. We we all need to stop saving our notebooks for that thing that we think is you know it's, that notebooks too nice you know for this you know my Buffy the vampire slayer rewatch notes like this is it just use the notebook you know. Start. You know. Eventually we'll have earned those notebooks and we won't ever find them if you don't start using them so just. You set the no always be a next notebook writer will always be another one.

Brad: So yeah I stopped, I used to do this like religiously behind a few years ago I finally stopped and now I don't ever procrastinate I just grab a notebook and go you know even if I have 3 other notebooks and use of I want to do something else with this other new notebook I'm going to do it and not just go for it yeah like you said don't postpone, don't postpone joy just do it.

Anna: You never know what might happen. Further down the line.

Brad: Yeah, exactly.

Exciting new stuff

Question: Next question comes from 'me attacked' and they ask: What is the most exciting new inks for writing and doodling and stuff, what exciting stuff is happening.

Answer: Anna: I don't know if this is specific to art work or doodling but I did just recently here about the Birmingham pen company inks and I've been pretty excited about them I just simply because there is something new and fun to try out but the inks I'm inclined has been all based around a places in and around Pittsburgh I believe I'm named after either famous people who came from Pittsburgh or famous places around Pittsburgh which I thought was really nice. Although I really wish they would name an ink after some famous woman from Pittsburgh but I am a little slack right now yeah because you know look at their here yeah they do have Gene Kelly raspberry rain and Jeff Goldblum Independence gray and anyone who names in ink after Jeff Goldblum is a friend of mine.

Brad: And they have they have Forbes Field green which you know I can get behind the baseball thing they do have a lots of blacks and greys. Well it is Pittsburgh so maybe that's that's reasonable so. There's smoked iron and. Cole, coking coal and you know all kinds of weird things Allegheny arsenal gun powder so this is a really neat names and the colors look very interesting have you got to try one of these yet

Anna: I did get the I am the gene Kelley N. B. Jeff Goldblum of course. And that they're actually really nice at the very appropriate I think for winter right now because they are sort of a smokey and darker colors. But so far they look like they're pretty good inks I think they're actually, I got to the 2 bottles and I think they said they came they were made in Germany so I'm not sure. What that means like who who actually produces things for them ehm but so far they seem like they're pretty sturdy. How is that right yeah prices reasonable of the packaging was very nice so I'm feeling good about them and they shipped them when the weather was the absolute worst. And they didn't freeze. Made it here safely so. All is well in the world.

Vanishing Point cleaning

Question: H Ason asks, when cleaning your own vanishing points do you try to clean the door mechanism or just the nib unit?

Answer: Brad: Almost never, although I have done it because you'll see when you extend the nab if the ink is kinda dragging on the door you'll see a little bit more ink mess on the nib. When you're putting it in the writing position that means you've probably got some extra ink or some kind of spill or leak in the kind of the nose. Of the pen but in general almost never because you have to take out the navy unit when you're cleaning the vanishing point. So you'll know. If there's extra ink around kind of the front the front nose of the pen when you do that you'll see it and most the time I I've not had any leaks or any issues with ink pulling up towards that now if my pen got jostled around a bunch you'll notice like some of the ink splatter around the nib unit when you take out to clean so then yeah I'll run some water through but I don't do anything extreme to clean out of vanishing point more than running some water through through the nose of the nose of the pen to clean out the the door in the mechanism.

Sailor inks debate

Question: Thomas wants to know what the heck is going on with Sailor's inks right now.

Answer: Brad: Do you want to go Anna, because I'm just gonna get angry.

Anna: This really makes me mad.

Brad: No not really okay but I mean it's. It's more of an annoyance then makes me mad okay I mean it's very very much more expensive they're just changing how they're doing everything it's more expensive and it is what it is like if they did this first and we never had the taste of the sweet sweet fruit that where the 50 milliliter bottles for the same price as a 20ml bottle then I wouldn't have any complaints but that's my complaint I've tasted the sweet fruit ana and I want my 50 milliliter bottles back.

Anna: But you can still get the 50 millimeters bottles. They haven't taken them away.

Brad: Yet.

Anna: Okay yet I'm on the Vaness website. And their listing you can get this Sailor gentle. On the 4 seasons colors in the 50 ml or the 20 ml. She Chiari bottles. I will see your Vaness pens link and raise you a jet pens link where they're closing out all of their 50 mlbottles which tells me they're no longer being offered.

Anna: Is that just JetPens though?

Brad: Well they don't yet they would stop at think any store with stock both fifties and twenties if they're available. I would think I mean like why wouldn't you but every 50 milliliter sailor gentle ink on JetPen's getting closed out and there's only like 5 a month because they've sold out the rest of them. They're not available anymore so I think the fifties are going away is my guess.

Anna: I see you and I raise U. an Anderson pens.

Brad: They have a mall

Anna: well an 8 there not listing the securities. 20 milliliter bottles for any of the original 4 seasons colors. I just have the 50 ml bottles present.

Brad: So the new chic your he's come in. A bunch of the old the standard colors not standard colors but the nor the original colors yeah. For new colors Mariah can McKee said a pretty Chow. Neo semar so I am I think they're doing away with the fifties and I'll just be sad because now it's more expensive now I don't know if it can be my favorite ink anymore I guess it still can but I just don't like the smaller bottles I I don't know it's weird I I'm not a fan I mean and Sailor's my number one ink right.

Anna: Sailor is my number one ink as well. So I mean from the standpoint of I'm somebody who has all of the sailor gentle 4 seasons colors in the 50 ml bottles, I actually have 2 bottles of apricot because I bought it the first time in about a second time

Brad: Same here

Anna: I am an idiot. And I bought all 4 of the new chic yori colors that came out dash should more yo don't make minimum all kicked to it

Brad: Actually had a question about that did you fill did you buy it like the full bottle or sample and if you bought the bottle how was it to fill a pen using the bottle.

Anna: I have not for it I didn't have any problem filling a pen because I did I actually filled from a very large pen. Okay. From the bottle it's of a wide opening I didn't have any trouble.

Brad: Cool.

Anna: It's a it's a square bottom wide round top. No trouble now I haven't gotten all the way down to the very bottom of a bottle so I I can't tell you what it'll be like to try to get the last drop out of it but from that standpoint I don't think it would be any more challenging than the small mini pilot Shizuku bottles yeah

Brad: I actually got a pro tip on filling these bottles that you can't get your nodes all the way down into someone Simeon emails and they bought 2 bean bags off of Amazon and Cheney one up and my god if. They tip the angle and wrap it up with the bean bags sales your bottles angled why you fill it and I thought that was just brilliant:

Myke: I've done that thing well I come like trying to hold it right. handing to try and somehow keep the everything at an angle but the bean bag saying nice genius that is that as a life hack.

Anna: I've heard somebody else I recommend to actually take like a large like a cereal bowl or something and fill it with dry rice well yeah which is even cheaper because who doesn't have. In a big bag of dry rice because you can do that with the arm the little sample vials as well. And then there's those won't tip over. So you can jam one of those little simple files into the dry rice and you can do it with any bottle and angle it anyway you want. Wonderful because like well I get it brilliant.

Losing interest in hobby

Question: Last question today, comes from cutyscribbles: Have any of you come close to losing interest in this hobby I've been feeling this way for awhile now scribble says.

Answer: Myke: I'll start off with this one but nope. Nope never happened to me I can see why it would very because of that of the hobbies where. You kind of get older that but like can kind of guess all you get bored of it I think the reason for me is because there's so much new stuff all the time that my tastes constantly evolve and I found like little niche hobbies within the hobby even you know like so I I think it there's enough going on for me over a long period of time where it keeps me engaged and interested in the new equipment that is that is coming out. Anna, what about you?

Anna: I don't think I've ever gotten, lost interest in the hobby I do have occasions where I get lake. With the blog and everything I it sometimes starts to feel a bit like a job yep yep yep yep there some days where I don't wanna go to work yeah of course of course yup.

Brad: Yeah like I'm gonna go ahead and book you for future episode believe visit the burn out topic like we did with Ed Jelly like 200 episodes ago that was a very popular he episode at the time and I think you know I I would actually like to talk with ana with you about that a little bit more.

Anna: Yeah and it's it's something that I don't think I've ever really talked about but I have it it's a precarious. Work work work life balance thing I have going here. Yeah.

Brad: Yeah and you know to answer Stuart's question you know I you know back in the in the past I I've. You know gotten burn out on it and like the the blogging aspect of it you know a few years ago stuff podcasting and blogging act aspect of it but I've never gotten burned out on the hobby itself as far as like the stationery products and goods and things I would I get such enjoyment out of using Bic Crystal that I'll never lose interest in all the other cool things that we get to try and and test out it's just such a part of my life just picking up a pen and getting just pure enjoyment out of any pen in any piece of paper and you know trying to understand what these things are in figure them out I I I don't see that going away ever for me now.

Anna: Yeah and I think you know act actually I think just being a part of the community and I think for me I'm going to the pen shows and talking to people and getting a cake you know just being around other people talking about the hobby really helps recharge my batteries and remind me why I stay up until midnight writing her review. I'm you know that really just like it just feels of you know that the passion and it's like this is why I do this you know and it makes up for the days when I either get like absolutely no feedback or I get the really negative feedback.

Ending

Myke: Yeah that will hold town sound and all right thanks everybody submit a question if you wanna ever have any questions on set on the show just sent out a tweet with the hashtag AskTPA and we might pick it for a future episode you can find links we've had lots of links today there's lots of brush pens and I'll show notes which were relayed on offense as penance access to 9 to all hopefully in the podcasting apple client that you use you should be able to function as in there but if they're not they always of that on the web and as always we give our greatest thanks to on our third host the wonderful and run if you wanna see what I am is up to the few places you can go to do that you can go to well appointed desk.com I'm all you can follow on online she is well APP T. desk on Twitter and Instagram. Brad is at Downey is a mantra to his pen addict on Instagram I am I am like I am way Katie thanks again to square space and Harry's for the support of this episode and we'll be back next time until then say good bye, Brad and Ana.

Brad and Ana: Good bye Brad and Ana.

Myke: Nice. Nice, good work guys, thanks.