The Pen Addict 302/transcript

The Pen Addict Podcast Transcript
Episode:	302
Title:	BradDowdy Brad-Dowdy Edition
Release Date:	April 4th, 2018
Hosts:	Brad Dowdy Myke Hurley
Guests:	No guests this episode
Additional Information
Official page:	Episode 302
Audio File:	Audio Episode 302
Podcast page:	The Pen Addict 302
Length:	6464 min <br />1.067 h <br /> minutes
Previous Transcript	Next Transcript

Myke Hurley: From RelayFM, this is The Pen Addict, episode 302. Today's show is brought to you by our friends at Squarespace. My name is Myke Hurley and I am joined by Brad Dowdy. Hi Brad Dowdy.

Brad Dowdy: My name is Brad Dowdy and I get Myke Huggs next week. Myke Huggs are always the best time of year. You will be travelling to Atlanta for our wonderful Atlanta Pen Show event. Are you ready to roll?

Myke Hurley: Oh, I am almost losing my mind of excitement and that is no joke. I cannot wait. Every other day in my journal, in my looking forward to section, I keep putting Atlanta in. And it's only going in every other day because I don't allow myself to put the same thing in two days in a row because it feels like cheating. Right. So, every other day, Atlanta is going in my journal because I tell you, I cannot wait. I'm really looking forward to it. I'm looking forward to travelling again, looking forward to seeing you again and all of our friends that are going to be there. I can't wait for the live show. I can't wait. And we're going to talk about that in a little bit. But you, as I saw from Instagram, just as is normal. Had a little problem yesterday. Just like dying on the boxes, like Casey Neistat, mail time level, just constant boxes everywhere, everywhere. And you did a Instagram live video where you showed off some of the stuff that you got. And now I think we're going to talk about a few of these things in a bit more detail, right?

Brad Dowdy: Yeah, just because it's some new to me products and some new products in general. And I just wanted to talk about them a little bit more than what I did on Instagram. But what happened was I started getting a few packages in and then it sometimes takes me a day or two to like, I want to sit down and open the packages and go through them and, you know, see what's in them and, you know, use the things, test out the pens, look at the inks, whatever it is. So I started, they started to pile up a little bit and I knew I had some more coming in the mail. So I just took whatever packages I had, waited until yesterday morning, the last one arrived. And I was like, okay, I'm going to do this, this grand unboxing thing. And it was just something to goof off on Instagram live, right? That's all I really do this for. It's just, it's just kind of a goof off. But I know people like to, to see me open the mail, which is funny. You know, one of our, one of my, my good friend, John Santo replied in one of my Instagrams, like people watch you open mail. And he's, he's a drummer. I said, well, people watch you play drums, don't they? So people watch you hit sticks against things. So, yeah, you know, I just wanted to do, I hadn't done an Instagram live in a while and I thought that was a good opportunity. So I had all kinds of stuff. I had a new pen from BN Works, which they sent me to, to check out. I had a new pen from Prometheus Lights to check out. I had a new huge loot crate from JetPens, which is a bunch of stuff that I picked out. Got, finally got the field notes in hand, not from my field notes subscription, which I forgot to renew, but from them. So I finally got to see them and, you know, just all kinds of cool stuff. And there were a few pens that were really nice that I wanted to, to point out, including Myke. Today's my new, my new favorite pen, at least for today, the Pelican M805 Ocean Swirl.

Myke Hurley: What a journey. What a journey we've been on.

Pen Review

Brad Dowdy: This is an awesome pen. Like I knew from the jump, this was awesome. I was like, oh, I'm going to pass. I'm going to spend money on other things. You know, I've got other things on the list. And I went to Arkansas and they were still pretty widely available at the Arkansas pen show. So I got to take a look at one, pick it up, hold it, admire the beauty of the pen, and just realize how perfect of a pen it is for me. And then I didn't get it. And then I had the opportunity to pick up one from JetPens. Full disclosure, they are a sponsor of the Pen Addict blog. My long running, awesome sponsor of the blog. Had an opportunity to get one from them and I jumped at it. And I was a little bit nervous, but I'm more than thrilled with this pen. So first off, I don't know that there is a company whose nibs are better out of the box than Pelican. We had a question a long time ago about, you know, it always comes up when people talk about Visconti. And, you know, nib quality could be sketchy. Or the Lamy 2000 used to have like a nib problem out of the box. And we had a question, okay, what nibs are the best out of the box? And I think at the time I was saying Pilot was really good and Platinum was really good. And, you know, I have a lot of experience with the Japanese pens. This Pelican Extra Fine nib just sings. And, you know, it's a touch wider than I would normally use for an Extra Fine or a Japanese Fine. But it feels so good, like in the entirety of the pen, you know, the way the size and shape and look and feel of the pen is.

Brad Dowdy: It's such a great nib. I inked it up with Pelican Edelstein Aquamarine, which is an ink that's probably made for this pen, it seems like. I wasn't sure exactly which color I was going to ink it up with, but this was the perfect shade. And the 805 or the 800 series in Pelican is the sweet spot for their size. So everything from, you know, the 200, 400, those are the same size. The 600 is a little bit bigger. The 800 is a little bit bigger. Then the 1000 is the huge gigantic pen, which I do not like. The 805, it just fits my hand perfectly. And this is someone who just a couple weeks ago bought a 101, which is their smallest pen, which I love equally as much. But there's something about this 800 series, Myke, that just, it feels the best when I pick it up and use it. It's everything I want in a fountain pen. I can see why people love Pelican so much. I can see the 805 being like a new problem area for me, especially in the limited or short run type series like the Ocean Swirl is. Not the standard, you know, regular green stripe, blue stripe, red stripe with the gold trim. But when they do something cool and special, I might have to jump. And the kicker is the price. So this is not an inexpensive pen. But with their price drop around, this pen is now 500, low 500s when it used to be low 700s.

Myke Hurley: When I clicked the links and saw that this pen is available for 500, just because I know how much it's been spoken about. And it's a good Pelican. Right. I was really surprised. Like, I've got it, like, you know, you got it on JetPens. I see it on Pen Chalet, like 520. And it's like, wow, okay. Like, that's not, now I'm like, oh, danger territory. Because I love the look of this pen. And I implore you to bring it to the pen show. Oh, yeah. Because I need to see it. But, like, I mean, if you get a good one, you know, like, if you get one that really speaks to you, it's like, it's like how I feel about, like, can of layer pens, right? And, like, I can look at it and I'm like, I can see you're going to be trouble for me. Right. If I get one that I really like the look of. So, like, I don't think I've ever used an 805. So, like, the dimensions are just way bigger, right? Mm-hmm. Okay.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah. You know, they just gradually ramp up the barrel size and the nib size as each one increases in size. They get bigger. Yep. And once you get to the 1000 series, they're, like, holding a giant cigar in your hand.

Myke Hurley: It's like when you're king of penny type levels, right?

Brad Dowdy: Yeah, but the problem with the 1000 is the nib is super springy. So, that's the trouble that I have. As someone who writes small, I can't write with a nib, even an extra fine nib in that size because it is so springy. It is so large and soft. It's not a good writing experience for me, even if the pen might be, you know, pretty, pretty cool. The 805 is kind of the sweet spot. It feels really, really great. But, yeah, the price is what kind of threw it over the top. And it's ridiculous to say that a $500 pen is a good deal, but these 800 series pens used to be in the 700s not too long ago. So, and I think they actually, I remember seeing on the Pelican's perch that Pelican actually already might be, like, rethinking their pricing. Like, a year ago, they had a price drop, and now they're already talking about a price increase because this is kind of crazy. Like, this feels like a, this sounds, I understand. So, don't email me. I understand this sounds ridiculous. But this sounds like a good deal for a $500 pen, right? I mean, the way this pen looks and feels and performs.

Myke Hurley: I don't think that's ridiculous. Because what, okay, so here's, here's the thing here, right? Like, people ask us all the time for, like, advice on, like, when they're getting into this tier of level. Like, what, how do I spend my money effectively? Like, from the way that you're explaining it, it's like, well, this is something. Like, if you're, if you have $500 that you want to spend on a pen, like, you would maybe be hard-pressed to go wrong with this.

Brad Dowdy: Right. Yeah, I agree with that completely. So, anyway.

Myke Hurley: I'm excited to see it. I am genuinely really, really excited to see it. Because from the moment I first saw pictures, like, and I, I mean, I have been in the camp with this pen that, like, pictures on a webpage and pictures on the, uh, on Instagram and stuff like that. I've loved all of them. Right? Right. Like, because I think both looks of this pen really speak to me. Like, the kind of dark, almost hidden look that it looks like sometimes. Or, like, when it's just, like, big and bright and bold and vibrant. Like, both of those really speak to me.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah, so we talked about the differences in their promotional pictures and then what the reality of the pen looks like. And let me talk about how mine, you don't know necessarily what you're getting unless you pick one out at a show. You can't, you can't tell. But mine's a perfect four quarters matchup design. So it's like, I have four unique slices around the pen. So it's a really bright section, a dark section, a bright section, and a dark section. Almost divided evenly between four quarters of the barrel, barrel cylinder. So it looks perfect. Like, as you spin it, it goes from light, dark, light, dark. It's kind of like a perfect little setup for me. So I think mine came out great. I really like it. So, yeah, I think there are some that you can get that are darker. Some that you can get are lighter. But I like how this one is almost equal all the way around. And as you spin it, it's every other quadrant is perfect.

Myke Hurley: It feels like maybe an in-person purchase, this pen. Mm-hmm. So, yeah. That's really, really cool. What else did you get your grubby mitts on?

Brad Dowdy: So, this one I was going to skip. And it's the Platinum 3776 Oshino. But it's hard to stay away from Platinum pens because they write so well. I love Platinum's fine stock nibs, just like we were talking about nibs right out the gate, are awesome. Mm-hmm. Platinum's one of those where it's everyone I get out of a box is perfect from the first inking on. So, I've been loving the pictures of the Oshino because it looks like a darker gray trim. It's really not. It's pretty much a Platinum trim, if you will, on a Platinum pen. So, I wanted to try this one, not because I thought it was going to do anything special, but I wanted to give it a look at in person and use it because I love using Platinum pens. But what I'm having trouble figuring out is what Platinum's incentive for making this pen is. Because you've seen, how many of this pen have you seen in the past three, four, five years? At least one a year, you see like this exact pen. You know, there's just slight differences in the demonstrator coloration of the hardware, I guess. But they make a clear demonstrator almost every year, and I'm having trouble figuring out what they want to do with this lineup. So, I don't know. I'm delimited because it's a top-tier pen, right? I love it. It's one of the best performers you can buy.

Brad Dowdy: It's almost like it's the same limited edition pen they sell every year. So, as someone who's bought the, whichever the previous ones are, the Psy is one of them. There was a different, there was another one that was clear. I think every year for the past year, they've released a clear demonstrator that's awfully close. And they call them something different, and they have a limited edition number. Except these, they've stopped putting them on. One of the things I don't like that they're doing is, if they're making a limited edition, they're giving you a card with the limited edition number where they used to stamp it on the barrel or put it on, you know, one of the bits of hardware.

Myke Hurley: One of them is stamped on. Yeah. A card is nothing, right? Like, it doesn't actually delineate the limitedness. It's just like, how limited was this piece of paper?

Brad Dowdy: Yeah. You know what I mean? Like, it doesn't feel the same, right?

Myke Hurley: Like, if it's limited edition, like, mark it on the pen. I think that's way better.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah. So, each year, the clear demonstrator just has a little bit, like, if you lined them all up, you could say, okay, that's three different pens. But if they're not sitting next to each other, you're going, well, how is this one different than the last one? This one actually kind of looks like a 1911. You know, it's close to, like, the hardware style of a Sailor 1911. So, it's like, I'm not knocking the pen itself because it's a fantastic pen, but I'm just thinking about it from Platinum's perspective.

Brad Dowdy: And, like, last year, I talked about how they were the, basically, the brand of the year last year with the changes they made in their product lineup and adding their new inks. And I just thought they were doing the right thing. At some point, they're going to have to branch out and do something different in this lineup. So, I'm just waiting to see that. The Oshino's not it. It doesn't mean it's not an amazing pen. I mean, you're talking about an 8 or 9 out of 10, you know, quality pen here. But it's just not different enough for someone who's a constant, you know, user of Platinum Pens and, you know, what's the buying decision to be made for something like this from a consumer's perspective. So, I don't know. I just thought it was interesting. But it, you know, dang if it's just not an amazing pen. So, it's really great. So, if you haven't bought a Platinum, you know, these are kind of the things you want to look at. This is a wonderful, wonderful pen. So, last one. I've been waiting to get my hands on this one since, I don't know, when did Carrie show this to me? So, Carrie Yeager, Kenro Industries, Fountain Pen Day. So, they, you know.

Pen Naming

Myke Hurley: You need to, like, I will not allow you to say the name of this pen without you giving it, like, what it deserves. Because this is all respect to everyone. This is one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

Brad Dowdy: So, I've already killed this to Carrie in person. So, they, Kenro distributes Aurora, Montegrappa, Monteverde. They distribute a lot of pens. No, not Monteverde. Sorry. I'm getting them mixed up. But, so, they, Montegrappa is the one that does the Mule Pen. They did the Game of Thrones Pen. They did the Blue Blazer Pen recently, which is cool. They did some really good looking wood barrel pens, which I think they're fantastic. And I keep, like, I'm tempted constantly by Montegrappa. But I never pulled the trigger until I think this is going to be the one that I end up buying for my own. So, I have on loan the Montegrappa, Montegrappa Pen, which is the worst name they could have come up with.

Myke Hurley: The company's called Montegrappa, or one word. But they've called the pen the Montegrappa. Why?

Brad Dowdy: Yes.

Myke Hurley: What is the reason?

Brad Dowdy: Because it's, I guess it's the actual name of the mountain that they're named after. So, I just looked at Carrie, and I said, are you serious? I think that was my first, my first response was, it's called the Montegrappa. I was like, I know, but what's the name of the pen? It's like this who's on first thing. I don't know if you're familiar with that skit, Myke. Abbott and Costello did a famous skit called Who's on First. And it's this whole, you know, wordplay type of thing. And he said, it's the Montegrappa. I'm like, I know, but what's the pen called? He's like, Montegrappa. I'm like, are you serious? And he just kind of, you know, he just kind of squinted his eyes and like grinned at me. And, you know, you pick up the pen, and sure as heck, like on the barrel, it's got Montegrappa, and then it's got the little mountain logo, and then grappa on the other side. So, this is the Montegrappa, Montegrappa.

Myke Hurley: I'm on Montblanc's website right now, just to check if they ever did it. Do they ever Montblanc Montblanc?

Brad Dowdy: Surely.

Myke Hurley: They do?

Brad Dowdy: I don't know. They have to. I mean, you'd expect so, right?

Myke Hurley: Like, I can't find one right now. But I bet they've done it at some point as well.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah. So, the thing is, this pen is pretty great. So, they redid the nibs. I think, historically speaking, and I don't want to totally talk out of my butt, which I'm prone to doing, their nibs have been hit or miss in the past with their steel nibs. So, they reworked this nib with Jovo and came out with an absolutely killer nib. Like, right out the box, this is a steel fine nib. It's wonderful. So, it also fits other Jovo number six nib units, nib sections. So, if you wanted to play around with the nib, you could do that. Where in the past, I'm not sure if you could or not. I'm not totally spun up on the history of Montegrappa's nibs. I will say, this is probably the best nib that I've tried. And I've tried a few of them. I haven't had all their pens recently because none have spoke to me like this one. So, it comes in a lavender, a navy, and I got the coral one, which is orangey. Looks like the rouget noir Montblanc, that reddish orange. Nice colors.

Myke Hurley: The lavender and the orange, they're really nice colors. They're different.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah. Yeah. So, I got the orange. It's a great color.

Myke Hurley: Violet, coral, blue, and black are the colors. Yeah.

Jovo Nibs

Brad Dowdy: So, Tony's informing me in the chat room they switched over from Bach to Jovo, which I think just, it made a world of difference to me. I think Jovo is a better nib anyway. And then what they did with this nib, it's just fantastic. So, hopefully this is a step in the right direction for Montegrappa as a brand. But, so this pen has a lot of weight to it. It's a piston filler. It's a steel nib.

Myke Hurley: Oh, piston filler. It's not cheap.

Brad Dowdy: That's nice.

Myke Hurley: I wouldn't have expected that. Yeah.

Brad Dowdy: But, I mean, it's like 400 bucks. But, you know, I don't know why I wouldn't have expected it. I think they're less than that. I think they're like $350. Okay. $350 or less. But still, it's expensive for a steel nib pen. But that's the selling point. So, the nibs are new. And it has a piston filler. So, I opened up this pen on Instagram Live yesterday. And I'd never inked it up. And I knew it was a piston filler. And I was spinning the piston. And it was not rising out of the back of the barrel like you would normally see. Like, when you spin the piston down, usually the end cap raises up. And you see, you know, like a little piston. This one has a ratchet mechanism in it, Myke. So, you just spin it. And it ratchets the piston down. You can't see any of this. And then it finally hits a stopping point. And then you ratchet it back the other direction. So, the actual piston mechanism does not move up and down on the end of the pen, if you will. So, that confused me.

Myke Hurley: That is a really nice... That's nice. It's kind of classy, in a way. That, like, you don't have to see a little rod sticking out. Like, it's kind of like a classiness to that that I quite like.

Brad Dowdy: Right. So, I would spin it for you. You can hear the ratchet, except I've inked this pen up. Don't. I will shoot ink everywhere. Yeah.

Myke Hurley: Don't do that. I will not do that. I will say. So, I really like that. Like that. I really like kind of the colors and stuff. But this pen suffers from something that I can't put my finger on. That I have felt of basically every Montegrappa pen that I've ever seen. The design just doesn't do it for me. And I don't know why.

Brad Dowdy: They're all built around the same general shape. And I think I just don't like the shape. In this level of pen. Yeah. So, they're a rounded in the middle barrel. Right? So, they taper towards both ends of the pen. So, yeah. I implore you to try this one when I bring it to the show. I think this one might change your mind.

Myke Hurley: Because I think you're right, right? Like I like the idea of that system. I think that's really smart. And if the nib's really good, then it might swing me. But there's just little parts of it that I don't like. Like I don't like the clip. I don't. I can't really see from pictures what's going on around the bottom of the cap. But it looks kind of strange. Like they just. They don't. They've never really blown me away. They. There's kind of like a. Maybe like a generic feeling. I can't work out what it is. But there does seem to be some stuff in this one that. I don't know. It sounds pretty cool.

Brad Dowdy: So, the shape's a little bit different. I've always been thrown off by the caps. Even though I'm not really a cap person. I don't post. But like. It's part of it though. The mule, the blue blazer, and the wood pins. The heartwood pins. They all have the same cap design. And so, the barrel. You know. Has a tapered shape. So does the cap. The cap is rounded. And then tapers toward the top. And I always thought they were a little bit large. So. I don't know. We'll see. I'm really happy with this pin. I'm going to end up. Finding. Finding out. You know. How to get one of these. I think. So. I'm going to play with it a little bit more. This is the first time. But every time I've picked it up. In the last couple of shows. I've seen carry out. I've. I've always enjoyed it. And I've. I've wanted to try one out. And now that I have one in hand. I'm. It's as. It's as good as I thought it might be.

Myke Hurley: All right. I'm keen to try this one out. Because. You know. I've never really picked one up. Because I kind of look at them. And they don't. They don't. Speak to me. And I can't work out. Exactly what it is. Same here.

Brad Dowdy: We're on the same page. And this one's different.

Myke Hurley: I don't like the Montegrappa. Stamped in the side of it.

Brad Dowdy: Oh. I love that. That's one of my favorite things. Oh.

Myke Hurley: Let me see that in person. Because I don't like it from looking at the pictures.

Brad Dowdy: It's a very old school classic. That's. That's a highlight for me. The cat band. I could do with or without. That's not my favorite part. The stamping on the barrel. Love it.

Myke Hurley: I'm looking forward to the signature. Brad Dowdy. Brad Dowdy edition of something.

Brad Dowdy: We'll work on that.

Myke Hurley: Coming soon from Brad Dowdy. It's Brad Dowdy.

Brad Dowdy: No. Now. Great. Now I'm going to hear about this. For the rest of my life. It's coming.

Squarespace Sponsorship

Myke Hurley: The Brad Dowdy. Brad Dowdy. Yeah. Should we talk about the Squarespace Squarespace?

Brad Dowdy: We should. Because they rule.

Myke Hurley: All right. Today's show is brought to you by Squarespace. Make your next move with Squarespace. Because they have everything that you need to get your next project or idea online. With the ability to take advantage of beautiful award-winning templates. Which can be designed and tweaked to your heart's content. You'll be able to show off your great ideas. With the option to get a unique domain name. You'll be able to give your website the name that it deserves. And you can get that all through Squarespace. They are the all-in-one platform that will help you get your project online. And that extends to the functionality that they offer. No matter what type of website you want to build, Squarespace has the tools for it. If you want to have a blog. If you want to have a portfolio. Maybe you want to add in functionality to play music. Maybe you want to sell stuff. Squarespace is the platform that can let you do all of that. There is absolutely nothing to install, patch, upgrade or manage. They take care of all of that stuff for you. They've got it covered. So you can just get on with doing whatever it is that you want to put online. You can sign up for a free trial today with no credit card required. Just go to squarespace.com slash penaddict. Their plans start at just $12 a month. When you decide to sign up. Use the offer code penaddict. To get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. And show your support for this show. So as you will know, I have spoken to Squarespace. Got our code changed. So if you're used to hearing me say ink. You don't want to use that anymore. That is squarespace.com slash penaddict. And the code penaddict. To get 10% off your first purchase. Our thanks to Squarespace for their continued support of this show. Squarespace. Make your next move. Make your next website. Well you're so fancy now. I wanted to get it changed. We've used ink for so long. Basically we set those up. Like there were five shows. When Real AFM began. And those shows. There's only four of them around now. Have been keeping the codes. That were kind of just like jokey references to stuff. But all the other shows. I just use the names now. Because it's the most memorable. So I decided to get it changed. Yay. I like it. I like it too. Speaking of which. Talking about Squarespace. I saw this in the show notes today. I clicked the link. And I was like. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

Brad Dowdy: So we're going to talk about the Atlanta Pen Show real quick. And we're singing praises. Because they updated their website. You can thank Mark Backus for that by the way. So tell him when you see him at the show. Oh I will. Next weekend. So if you go to atlantapenshow.info. It is now a Squarespace site. With all of the Pen Show information there. That you need. Including the schedule of events. And yeah. You can actually. Can you actually. The.

Myke Hurley: It's at atlantapenshow.info. If you're interested.

Brad Dowdy: Yep. Yep. So yeah. It's very cool. So that was good. Good to see that they did that. But. We wanted to do a quick rundown of events. For those attending the show. Where. You can find us. What we're going to be up to. You know. If you want to do any of the. The Pen Addict. Not Co. Stuff. We'll be around. But. It's a really fun show. Just to come. Hang out for the weekend. Or even for an afternoon. If you're there. So. The show starts on. On Friday. I think it's about 11. I should. You know. I'm bragging about the schedule. I should probably look it up. Oh. So. Nine o'clock. Wow. So. We got to get up early. We can't stay up too late. On. On Thursday night. Myke. But. I'm sure. I'll be.

Myke Hurley: I'll be good for bedtime. Whenever that's going to happen. You'll be good.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah. You'll be good. But. Friday's show is. Is. Nine. For early admission. Twelve. For the public. Five o'clock. The show ends. And one of the cool things. That Atlanta does. Which. Only a couple other shows do. Chicago's one. That I can think of. For all the vendors. And weekend pass holders. On Friday night. They do a cookout. So. This is included. Like. If you're a weekend pass holder. Or a vendor. At the show. You go. And eat. On. On Jimmy's dime. So. He does a really fun cookout. You know. Burgers. Dogs. Chicken. Different things. You know. They usually have it outside. In the pool area. If the weather is cooperating. Like. It's really good.

Myke Hurley: It is. It is. Like. For this. Like. Type of food. Served to this amount of people. It is way better than. I always expected to be. Which I'm very pleased about.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah. For the shows that do this. This is far and away. The most people. I have ever seen. Go to a show cookout. Like. You should plan on. If you're there for the weekend. And you have a weekend pass holder. This is. Like. A mandatory event. Everyone goes to this. And I implore you. To go to this. And I pimp this out. Because I got in trouble. The first year. When we took everyone. Out of the hotel. When we didn't know any better. So. Like. Four years ago now. I guess. It was. And I got in super trouble. Because. You know. There wasn't as many people. They had overbought food. For planning for the event. But it turns out. That this event. Is legitimately awesome. And you should go to it. And I make a point. To go to it. So. It's very cool. If you're a weekend pass holder. And. Any of the weekend pass holders. Who were there last year. Can. Can definitely. Yep. Talk about how great. An event it was. It's just packed. So. It's really. Really cool. They do a great job. And everyone's. Invited. Who's a vendor. And a pass holder. So. That night. Atlanta's one of the. The one downside of Atlanta. Is there's not a lot of great stuff. Outside of the hotel. Like within walking distance. For you to do. Besides Waffle House. So. We spend a lot of time. In the bar. Bar area. And we actually have a side room. That Jimmy gives us. Like an overflow room. Where we can hang out. But we just kind of end up. Taking over the bar area. It's not the largest bar. In the. In the show. The show world tour. That we go on. But. It works for us. So. Friday night. Afterwards. At the bar. We'll be there. Hanging out. So. You know. From. Eight o'clock on. Or whenever. Whenever the show goes. Yeah. I mean. Whenever the. The cookout ends. So. We'll roll right into the bar. And just be hanging out there all night. In preparation for a busy Saturday. Saturday is usually really packed. At the Atlanta Penn Show. It's very. Very busy. Which is great. We love it. So. We'll have the knock booth. We're right in the same place. If you've been there.

Brad Dowdy: In previous years. Or you're new. We're right in the first ballroom. You take a left. And you run smack right into us. So. You can't miss the knock table. This is the only show we get two tables at. Just because we end up having so many people. Just hanging out. And chatting with us the whole time. And we can bring some more things. Like paper and stuff. That we normally can't bring to other shows. Because it's so heavy to travel with. We can just drive to this show. So. It's a. Great table location. Come hang out. With us. At the knock table. Come say hi. Check out all the wares. I hope to have seed A5 cases. That's. Been my main job for the past week. Is to figure out. Where the production is. I have a call. When we get off this podcast today. Myke. To figure out. What shipped in the last couple days. So. Crossing my fingers. If we don't have that. I'm going to be in trouble. You know. I'll get yelled at by a bunch of people. So. I'm planning on having some for the show. So. Stay tuned. Then Saturday night. Myke. That's the big event. Right? So. I do this every year. What time do we do that? It's either 6 or 6.30. Show ends at 5 on Saturday. And then we try to roll right into it. About 6 o'clock. Maybe 6.30. We'll tell people to start showing up. For a 6 o'clock start. But it might be a little bit after that. By the time we get all set up. Get everyone. In place. Get everyone seated. We fit about 100. Maybe a little bit more. More people in there. Sometimes it's standing room only. Every time. All Kickstarter. Yeah. Every time it's standing room only. But. But there's plenty of seats too.

Myke Hurley: Yeah.

Brad Dowdy: But. All of our Kickstarter backers. You need to come see. Me. Myke. Or Jeff. At the knock table. Get a ticket. For the event. Because we will have. Seating. And we want you to get in there first. Since you're a Kickstarter supporter. And we'll also do giveaways. So. Mm-hmm. You know. At the end of the show. I already have one. Really awesome thing to give away. Myke. So we'll pick up another. A couple more things. To give away. And. At the show. And. It ended up rolling. Last year. We had a bunch of. Bunch of giveaways. You know. Once we start giving away things. People start donating more stuff. Which is really cool.

Myke Hurley: And we'll also try and make sure. We have some stuff. To give away. To backers who can't be in Atlanta. As well.

Brad Dowdy: Oh. Absolutely. Yeah. We'll do that separate. From this event. Exactly. That'll be taken care of separately. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. And we should. We should be able to do that this year. And so. That's always fun. And. That. I mean. That's really the highlight. Of the weekend for me. Is doing that live show. Oh. We'll have. Oh. Yeah. We'll have two guests. We have. We have two guests. We'll have. Last year. We had. Jonathan Brooks. And Vito Grippy. So. Jonathan from Carolina Pen Company. Vito from Story Supply. This year. We'll have Lisa Van Ness. From Van Ness Pens. And Kerry Yeager. From Kenro Industries. And Fountain Pen Day. So. Two of my bestest friends. In the pen world. So. It should be. It should be a riot. Last year. It ended up. Just. It went amazingly well. Despite. Myke's worries. It went. Off the charts well. So. I expect nothing. Less this year. So. No pressure. Lisa. And Kerry.

Myke Hurley: Yeah. You heard me. You always say this. I will just reiterate. The only thing I was concerned about. Was technical stuff. But we got it also. I know. So I have no concerns this year. Because I. I know it's going to be fine. And you need to stop. Making fun of me.

Brad Dowdy: Never forget. Never forget.

Brad Dowdy: I could just not pick you up at the airport.

Myke Hurley: That would be. I mean. You'd be letting a lot of people down at that point.

Brad Dowdy: I would. I would. I'd be letting myself down. Because I wouldn't get a hug. So.

Pen Shows Logistics

Myke Hurley: This is kind of like. You know. This is. The logistics. This is what we tend to do. But pen shows are about more than that. And this is my first pen show of the year. May actually be one of two. You know. Well. It will only be one of two. I'm going to go into two shows this year. So. I wondered if you had any specific purchases on your radar. Because I do. For me. I have some things I've got my eye out for.

Brad Dowdy: No. I've been out of hand. Way too much. Yeah. You're going to buy something. This year has gone off. I'll buy something. But this year has gone off the rails quickly. I had a really. Really good. End of 2017. Not spending money. And that's come back to bite me. Really quickly. In 2018. I'll end up with something. I have nothing on my radar.

Brad Dowdy: The next purchase that I know I'm going to make. Is that Sailor Ocean pen. In the summer. So I don't have anything. Like that I have to have. Like I got my Crusack pen. That I wanted. You know.

Brad Dowdy: You know. I've gotten the Pelican 101. That I wanted. I just got these. These new. This new Pelican Ocean Swirl. So like we talked about those pens in the beginning. The Ocean Swirl is mine. Like that's the one I bought for me. The. The Platinum. And the. The Monte. Grappa. Will be. You know. Other people's. You know. Either I'm returning them. You know. They were on loan. Or giving them away. Something like that. So. I don't have any particular purchases. I know you have something up your sleeve though.

Myke Hurley: Well okay. So. I have some stuff. That I want. And hopefully. Maybe I'll pick it up at this show. Maybe I won't. Like I haven't made my decisions yet. But. Everyone knows. That I want. My King of Pen. My Pro Gear. King of Pen. Yeah. And that's something that I will be looking for. Right. Like I'm going to be looking out for it. And maybe that's the thing that I'll get. But I'll see. Right. Like I'll see when I. When the time comes. But I'm looking for two inks. I know that much. I'm looking for a gold ink of some kind. For my fifth anniversary. Oh that's right. For my fifth one works. And a new orange ink. Which. For the tangerine. My 1911 tangerine.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah.

Myke Hurley: So that are two things. Okay. That are two inks that I'm looking for. And I will. I will be handling any King of Pen. That I come across. And see if I find the one that calls out to me.

Brad Dowdy: Gotcha. Yeah. I think that's awesome.

Myke Hurley: But I'm sure I'll buy a bunch of other stuff as well. I mean. Like I'm going to be buying a bunch of other stuff. Like let's be real. But they're the things that I have on my radar.

Brad Dowdy: I hope you have enough room in your luggage. Because I'm bringing at least four pens that I can think of to you. Interesting. And there might be something else. Like I can't even.

Myke Hurley: Oh yeah. Because you've been just randomly buying me stuff this year. Which has been very interesting to see. Yes. I'll bring some extra cases. I hope that's okay. I mean. The thing is though. I mean. I know a guy who can help me with pen cases if I need them.

Brad Dowdy: True. True. And you also know a guy that can help you with shipping. So. Yeah.

Myke Hurley: No. I'll have space. I'll make sure I have space. You got it. You got it. If you go into a pen show. You got to keep space in the case. Come on.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah. Yeah. So. Let me rewind real quick to the live show. We. After the show. We usually do a pizza party afterwards. So that's still on tap. Right after the show. We'll do pizza and bar. I mean. Like. This is the one. I guess. Other shows I do this at. This is one show I don't ever leave the hotel. Because. Because. There's just so much going on. You know. That's one of the. Features of this show. Is. There's a lot going on after hours. So every night the bar is packed. Until we close it down. So that'll be Friday night and Saturday night. We'll just be full time. You know. Going. Either. Doing something. Or at the bar. There'll be a lot of Waffle House pictures. There's a lot of Waffle House in our future Myke. I'm fine with that. It's definitely one of the. It's the most convenient. Most convenient food we can get to. If we're not eating at the hotel. We eat at the hotel a bunch. Luckily.

Myke Hurley: Hotel breakfast. The Atlanta hotel breakfast. Is one of my favorite things in the world. Yeah. It's so good. They do a good job. The cappuccino French toast man.

Brad Dowdy: And the one thing. For those visiting. One of the closest places you can get. Is one of the best barbecue places in the south. That's called heirloom barbecue. I usually get that brought in. For lunch. One of the days. But if you're visiting. And you can. You can get out. It's about. I don't know. It's about two miles down the street. So it's. It's about as close as anything is. Heirloom barbecue. Put that on your radar. If you've never been to Atlanta. And want to eat some amazing barbecue. They are out of hand.

Brad Dowdy: I don't know if we got it last year. We got it the year before. Right. It's completely out of bounds. It's. It's one of the best. One of the best places. You know it's basically. In an old convenience store. That's just kind of. Expanded into this amazing barbecue place. So it's great. So yeah. That's. The Atlanta Penn Show. Is the most fun we have all year. It's the biggest event for me. All year. Personally. With Knock. And the Penn Addict. And. We have fun. And I appreciate everyone. Who supports us. Doing this Kickstarter project. Allowing us to fly Myke over. For the event. That's a big deal. It's a big ask for us. Every year. Every year. For. You know. To ask you to help us put this on. On that note. The. The pins. PIN pins. Got ordered. This morning. So I'll send out a. Or yesterday. I should say. So I'll send out an update. As we get ready for. The event next week. They won't be ready in time. Obviously. But just know that the. The ball is rolling on everything. Right now. The cases are in line. The pins are. On order. So everything's coming together. And we'll have the audio. Out. What? Saturday night. Sunday morning. For everyone. It'll be outside tonight. It'll be out Saturday night. Myke usually gets right on it. Right after the show. And then. We'll have the video. Sometime in early May. That's. You know. It takes the guys. Three or four weeks. But that's actually. A super fast turnaround. They. They do a really. Really quick turnaround. Hell. It could be. By the end of April. Knowing how good they've done. In the past years. They have this down to a. Science. The Hackett brothers. The video. Audio. The AV crew. Yep. For. For the. AV squad. For the event.

Starbucks Availability

Myke Hurley: I like to think of him as the squad. AV squad. You know something I'm very excited about. This year. Is that a Starbucks. Is open across the road from the hotel. Did you know this?

Brad Dowdy: Oh good. I did. Now that you say that. I'm very.

Myke Hurley: I'm very excited about this. Because one of the biggest problems. At the Atlanta bed show. Is availability of. Half decent coffee. Right. So. Having the Starbucks. Across the street. Is going to. Is going to be very good. For my general temperament.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah. Waffle House coffee is okay. But at its peak. It's half decent. Right. Like at the best. It's half decent. So you can get something. Better at Starbucks for sure. So yes. That's great. There will be. Many. Many. Many. Starbucks runs. Yeah. During this show. So. Yeah. I'm excited. I can't wait. I still can't believe it's next week. I'm not quite. Like mentally prepared. For. What next week's going to bring. For me. Just getting ready. So. I'm still. I'm a little bit nervous. You know. I'm a little bit anxious. But you know. That's all good.

Myke Hurley: I can't wait. I'm really excited. Yep. I'm really really excited. But that's not all. What should we do. Some. Some. Last TPA. To finish up today.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah. So. We have several questions. We have a bunch. We didn't get to last week. And. I got a couple of email questions. I want to get to. Two of them. These first two Myke. Are kind of tied in together. In a very interesting way. So let me just. Let me just go. Right into it. This first one's from Twitless Dan. And you met Twitless Dan. Maybe two years ago. Maybe three years ago. Yeah. At the Atlanta Penn Show. He hasn't been for a couple years. But he's an awesome dude. Hopefully he'll make it this year. I haven't asked him. But I told him I'll be talking about this question. That he sent me. So. He says. I have a friend who's getting started in a stationery. I want to put together a starter kit. Of a few things. Do you think it would be possible. To put together a sampler set. For about $25. I've introduced him to story supply pocket notebooks. Not being a pocket notebook guy. That and Doan are the only ones I can wholeheartedly suggest. I'm not really a field notes guy. I typically use Rodi and Tomoe for my pens. But those don't meet his needs. He is a truck driver. That's an important note. We'll come back to that later. I also don't use gel. Ballpoint. Or rollerball very often. And I don't always know what to suggest. I like to get him a sampler of ballpoint gel. And rollerball pens. And a few different tip sizes. As a kit. For about $25. I'm going to add in a Uni power tank. To the mix from my stash. What else should I add? And he said. Separately. I'd also like to suggest a few notebooks. Larger than pocket notebooks. That work well with all writing instruments. So. This kit. That I put together. Is definitely under $25. Heck. It might be $15. By the time you get down to it. If you're not counting notebooks. Because. The Uni power tank. Is a great choice. So. Especially for a truck driver. You want to have. A ballpoint pen. To. Write in different situations. That you come across. You know. You might not always be writing. On a perfectly smooth surface. You know. It could just be. It could be anything. And the power tank. Is a pressurized refill. So you want that. In the kit. For sure. If you didn't pick. The power tank. I would have probably thrown in. The power tank. Or a Tombow Air Press. The Fisher Space Pen. Kind of blows out the budget. But you can get. Better. Or. You can get. Equally. As good. Pins. For much cheaper. Than the Fisher Space Pen. But the Fisher Space Pen. Is always a great call. So. From. Outside the power tank. I went with a lot of. Uni ball products. Because I think they make the best. All around. Pens. The Jetstream. I pick an 0.7 millimeter Jetstream. That's the sweet spot. The 0.5. Are too fine. For most people. The 1.0 millimeter Jetstream. I don't have as good of luck with. As far as. Like quality writing. Then I. For a gel pen. I'd pick a Uni ball Signo. If he needs retractable. Which he's a truck driver. Retractable might be better. I'd pick the 307. If he didn't need retractable. I'd pick the DX. The UM 151. That you can find. Um. Also. Have a Pentel Energel. As an option. They're a wonderful writing gel ink pen. That do really really well. I'd throw in a Secura Pikma Micron. Just to see if he likes. That type of tip. I find them to be amazing. They may not be from everyone. For everyone. Um. They're certainly. Something a little bit different. But for two or three bucks. You can figure out. And see if he likes it. The Pilot Precise. V5. Or V7. For the rollerball ink. That's always a good choice. Those. Never go wrong with those. Same thing with the Uniball Vision Elite. So that's another. Rollerball option. That's very popular. So if you picked. The Jetstream. A Signo. Of some sort. The Micron. And either the Pilot Precise. Or Vision Elite. You're getting out for probably. Less than 15 bucks. Like you can pick. Between. The Signo. And the Energel. Pick one of those two. Whatever you think might. Be best. Pick one of the two. Between the Pilot Precise. Or the Uniball Vision Elite. I like the Vision Elite. Because it has that. It has. It's. I like the barrel. I like. That it has the. Super ink. Technology. Um. They say they're airplane safe. Also. They have this really interesting. Refill. They're not necessarily. Pressurized refill. But you know. Not that you know. He's flying into space. In his truck. Unless he's driving for. Elon Musk or something. But. The Vision Elite. Offers a few things. In the ink department. That are. Better than the precise. But people swear. By their precises. You're definitely getting out. For under 15 bucks. For. A set of pens. That will kind of. Give him a one of each. One of each. Type of thing. For notebooks. I look at. Write notepads. I think the story supply. Is a perfect. Pocket notebook. For him. It's fantastic. For all pen types. The write notepads. They make some larger formats. That are really. Really nice. As well. And their pocket notebooks. Are a little bit larger. Than. Like the. The story supply. Just a little bit. Different dimension. Not necessarily larger. But a little. Maybe just a little bit. Wider. A little bit taller. And then. The Notco Spiral. A5. Is a good. All around. Notebook. For. Just having a notepad. Like a spiral bound. Pad. That's good. With fountain pens. Pencils. Rollerball. Gel. Anything you can throw at it. That's. One of my favorites. Obviously. I make it. But it's. Good. All around. Paper. For every type. Of writing instrument. So. That's my kit. For this truck driver. But hold your horses. Myke. We have truck driver. Number two. Are you ready? Of course we do. Of course we do. Yeah. I'm ready. Well. So. Here's the thing. About truck drivers. They have a lot of time. To listen. To podcasts. Yep. When they're driving. Yep. I learned this. When I used to drive a lot. You know. To. I used to drive to. Atlanta. Probably like three times a week. At least. Back in the day. When we were manufacturing everything. And I listened to. Sirius. So I'd listen to. You know. The satellite radio. And on the MLB network. It was constantly truck drivers. Coming in. I was like. What is going on? And then it clicked to me. It was like. Well they're in the truck all the time. You dummy. They need something to listen to. So. This. The. The pen attic podcast. Is perfect for truck drivers. And. They actually need pens. To do stuff. For their job. So that's what this question is about. So this one's from Jeff. He says. Hey Brad. I've been listening. To and enjoying the podcast. For a couple of years now. And I could use a little help. I'm a truck driver. And I'm trying to find. A couple of pens and inks. To match my company colors. I need to have a ball pointer roller ball. With a nice dark green ink. That will work. On my bill of lading book. It's in triplicate. So I need to exert some pressure. To get the writing. To make it through. To the bottom page. So that's one pen. The other pen I'd like. Is a fountain pen. With a nice dark green body. And an ink to match it. Price for either. Isn't especially important. Maybe cap the fountain pen. Around $400 or so. I've included a picture. Of my truck. I love this guy. To help get an idea. Of the color. I'm trying to achieve. Look forward to. Listening to the next episode. As I cruise down the road. So. Yeah. I have a pic. I have a picture of the truck. Myke. Okay. So I'm gonna share this. With the chat room. And we'll have it in the show notes. So if you have any recommendations. For Jeff. But I have a couple. So I think the first one's easy. And.

Brad Dowdy: It's a gel ink pen. That's retractable. And the best green gel ink. Which y'all have heard me. Say it a million times before. It's the. Sarasa. Sarasa. Ugh. Zebra. Sarasa. Push clip. In viridian green. This is the best. Green. Gel ink. It's on the darker side. It's not a bright green. It's not lime. It's not standard. It's. You know. We had this question before. Trying to find a match to. Uniball's. Old evergreen ink. That they used. This is the one. So I would. You know. Is it a perfect match for the truck? I don't. Think. But that's a. It's a stunning truck. Right? Isn't that a beautiful truck?

Myke Hurley: It's pretty sweet man. The grill on the front of that thing.

Brad Dowdy: Boy. This is completely awesome. I'm really glad he sent this picture. And. God. This thing is like a. It's like a. Double. Uh. Double trailer. Yeah. Man. He's carrying. He's carrying a load. So this. Uh. This green. This truck is just completely awesome. So. I think that's a. A really good. Uh. Green ink. So. Myke in the chat room. Saying the. Uh. Paper made ink joy gel green. Is really good. I've. I've had great experiences. With the ink joy. Paper made ink joys. So. Maybe take a look at those too. So. Those are cool. So I think. The first part of the question. Is easy. You know. These type of pens. Are going to work well. On your triplicate forms. They're going to be able to push down hard. And take a beating. And it's got a cool clip. And it's retractable. So it's kind of what you need. For that on the go. Type of writing. I think it's good. The fountain pen. I thought was easy. I mean. I. I do think it's easy. But the pen. Itself is not. Easy to get. Because it was last year's limited edition. The. The. Lamy studio. And racing green. I mean. I. It's not a dead ringer. For the truck. But man. If it isn't close. Like. It's hard to find. As cool as this. Truck is. With the green and silver accents. The Lamy studio. With the green and silver accents. Yeah. It's like a perfect match. But it was last year's limited edition. They made enough of them. Where you can hunt one down. I'm almost certain. You can find one Jeff. I didn't find one. In my first. Looking around.

Brad Dowdy: You know. That was still currently for sale. But it's so recent. I think. You could probably find one. And. They're less than a hundred bucks. I think. So. I mean. It's a pretty inexpensive pen. You don't have to spend a lot of money. To get a really. Really good match. I kind of. Love that. As a match. To the truck. I've seen. Franklin Kristoff. Do a ton. Of like. This green. Translucent. Acrylic. That looks. A lot. Like your truck. I poked through the site. I didn't see any. In. I didn't go through every pen. To see which color was available. But they do a wonderful. Deep. Green. Translucent. Acrylic. In a lot of their pen models. That might be worth. Checking them out. Then. I also found. The Pilot. Capless. Fermo. Which is. If you're not familiar. With this pen. It's kind of a cousin. To the vanishing point. Where it doesn't have. A click mechanism. It has a twist mechanism. And it's in. It's really. Really dark green. That might match. The truck pretty well. And that type of pen. Might work well. For your job. Since it's a retractable. Fountain pen. You don't have to worry. About the cap. So those were kind of. My choices. To match the truck. But. Man. This is awesome.

Myke Hurley: This is. The Fermo. Is the closest. Because like. The truck. Is almost black. Right. Like when you're looking at it. Yeah. You know. Because that really. Really dark green. I think the Fermo. Works pretty well. Like just from the images. They look pretty close. And also. I agree with you. Like. Not having. A cap. With the fountain. It's like. So much easier. That you don't have to worry about it. I think that's a good idea.

Pen Challenges

Brad Dowdy: Yeah. So. Those are my choices. This one was fun. Yeah. This is a good one. I want more of these challenges. Like.

Myke Hurley: Let us match pens. To your trucks. Come on.

Brad Dowdy: It's like. I want to use that truck. As my desktop wallpaper. It's so cool. I'm like. Really fascinated. By this whole thing. So. I hope we help you out. Jeff. I hope you stay safe. Driving down the road. And thanks for listening. To the pen addict podcast. While you're. While you're. Cruising. Making your. Making your deliveries. So. It's very cool. All right. So let's get a few. Ask TPA. We had queued up. From last week. We couldn't get to. So. Amy wants to know. Are there pens. From different brands. That don't get as much. Attention. As the more popular pens. That you think. Need a spotlight on. I always think. This is a tough question. Because. Yeah. I think there is. Like a pen hierarchy. If you will. And there's always. These kind of new pens. You know. Trying to. You know. Get a piece of that. Larger pie. If you will. The one I've seen. Recently. That's gotten. It's not a huge brand. By any means. It's a new brand. That's called Opus. And we're going to. Actually talk about them. On a future question here. But. They have been getting. Really. Rave reviews. Susan reviewed one. For the blog. I know. Joe. At the gentleman stationer. Has reviewed one. And they consistently. Get quality reviews. I'm trying to get another one. In for myself. To review. So. That's kind of. You know. An up and coming brand. If you will.

Brad Dowdy: I'm trying to. There's always. Like custom makers. That. You know. You. You can. You can. Dabble into. Yeah. I still think. Franklin Kristoff. Doesn't get enough play. In the big picture. Like as it relates to. Like pilot. Sailor. Pelican. You know. All the big. The big players.

Myke Hurley: Like a really weird. Like point. Where they're. Like they're bigger than. Kind of that world. Of. Of like. We're making our own pens. Kind of like. Small. One. Two person. Company. Type dealios. But they're not yet. At the level. Of a. You know. Pelican. Or whatever. They're in. Like this weird. Middle ground. Where they kind of. At the top of one market. But lower than the bottom of the other. Not on quality. I think purely just. On recognition.

Brad Dowdy: No. Well that's why people love them. It's like them and Edison pens. Are right in this. This weird market space. Yeah. They're. They're huge for what they do. But they're not. A. World ride. Brand. Like a lobby.

Myke Hurley: Yeah. Yes. Yeah. Exactly. This Opus pen is a weird looking thing.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah. It's very cool. I like it though. So. So yeah. That's a. That's always a good question. That's something we. We want to. To talk about all the. All the time. And we do try to shine the light on these. These companies. So.

Myke Hurley: Yeah. I think our main thing is that we. You know. It's just our tendency that we get really attached to like. The one two person shops. You know. Sure. And we've. I mean I think over time we've done a really good job of. Shifting focus from company to company. As. As time's gone on. So.

Brad Dowdy: Yep. So Donna. Donna. Has. An awesome question. That I hope. I can give an awesome answer to. So she says. We sail. So. Let's just. I want a picture of the boat. Let's go from there. So. You had me at we sail. Donna. Where's the boat? Donna said. I want a picture of it. We sail. And I keep a handwritten log book on board. I'd like to start using a fountain pen. When I switch to using my new story supply company expedition notebook. Which those are awesome. Vita is going to be at the Atlanta pen show. We'll get. I'll pick up one of those to do a giveaway for. I'll pick up two. We'll do a live giveaway. And we'll do that for the backers who couldn't make it. Because it's a great product. So she's using that as their log. What long lasting ink would you recommend for a marine environment. If there is such a thing. So. The marine environment. I'm not sure. But any of the inks that have permanence features. Like iron gall inks. Or pigmented inks. Like sailor nano black. Or sailor blue black. That might be. Sailor nano blue black. I should say. That might be. A really cool match. For the notebook. For the paper. It's going to have permanence. It's going to be waterproof. And you know. I think it would be very cool. Platinum. If you want a different color. Platinum's classic inks. Are an iron gall based ink. So those will have waterproofness. And you know. Should handle. You know. The humidity. Well. In the ocean. The. KWZ. Does some really unique colors. Of iron gall ink. So anything iron gall ink. Or anything pigmented ink. The first one. Like that I think. Like the sailor nano blue black. Would be kind of cool. Like. I think that would be. Like a good match. To the expedition notebook. And it performs well. All these inks I've mentioned. Are not overly strong. Iron gall. Like. Diamine registrars. I would never recommend that. Because. You would have to. Maintain your pen. A lot more frequently. You know. As far as cleaning goes. Than with some of the other inks. I recommended. You still have to pay attention. To your ink. You'll have to. I mean to your pen. You'll have to. You know. Clean it out on occasion. But these are all. Good performing. Inks. So. Look at those sailor pigmented inks. The nano series. I call them. What's. Kira. Kibaguro. And. I can't remember the official name. Of the blue black. But. Those are great.

Eyedropper Pens

Brad Dowdy: So. Amit. Wants to know. What's the best way. To clean an eyedropper pen. Before changing ink color. The regular bulb syringe procedure. Yeah. That's pretty much what I use. If I see. Ink lingering around. In a clear barrel. For an eyedropper. I'll just soak it overnight. I have a. Um. What's the. The. The. Ultrasonic cleaner. That. Seems to do okay. But. Nothing beats cleaning an eyedropper. Than soaking it. You can. You know. Add a tiny. Tiny. Microscopic bit of dish soap. In there maybe. If you're having a real problem. But. I usually have. I can get. You know. 99% of the ink out. Just by soaking it overnight. In water. If. Just cleaning out. With a bulb syringe. Doesn't work. But yeah. That's a. Pretty straightforward. To. To clean those. So. Albert. Had. An interesting question. What's the significance. Of 88. The number 88. In fountain pens. There's an aurora 88. Now a pen maker. Opus 88. That's what I was. Talking about. Stipula has a prisma 88. 88. So. I have. I have two theories. On the 88.

Myke Hurley: One. It's the year I was born. So like. Everybody just decided. To celebrate that. Right.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah. Absolutely. I think that's probably it. That's. I mean. That's the winner. Probably. But what else.

Myke Hurley: My other more serious. Is. Except for some. You know. For. I think for a lot of brands. That maybe are bringing out 88s now. Is that means 30 years. Right. 88. To now. Is 30. That's my thinking. Right. That there's. A bunch of 88s now. Because it's signifying 30 years. Or something.

Brad Dowdy: Right. So. I looked this up online. To see if there was like. A real answer. And. Eight's a lucky number.

Brad Dowdy: For Chinese people. So. Double eight. Maybe. Just like. Double lucky. But. I don't suggest. Necessarily looking up 88. Why it's important. Because there's actually some. Negative connotations to that. Which I didn't realize. Before looking up. But obviously not. In these pen world. So. I don't know. What the. You know. Maybe it's some type of anniversary. Maybe it's just good luck. But like. You know. Why would. Why does Aurora name it. 88. You know. Because. You know. They're an Italian company. Not a Chinese company. But I guess they have. Maybe have a big. You know. Asian market. Where the number eight is popular. So. I don't have the perfect answer. For you. But I have noticed there being. A lot of 88s. And. I don't know. It's a cool number. So. It's a. It's something we'll probably keep seeing. So. It's very cool. So. Scott asked. One thing I've been wondering about. Is how to store extra nibs. For one's pens. That's a great question. So. They're small. They get away from you. I have trouble. If I swap out a nib. That I've had custom ground. Say like a Yovo nib. Where I have a separate nib unit. And forgetting. Like. Okay. Which one. Is really the ground one. And who did this work. So. You can use small. Like ink vials. To put them individually in. So. Like the sample ink vials. If you want to keep them. That way. And you can write a little note. On. That type of case. If you wanted to use it. Then I throw them in. Just like a pen case. Like we have a. Just like a. Chimney top pen case. Is just like an open storage. For those little. Types of cases. So. I do try to. Separate them. As much as I can. And write information. On there. Because I do forget. If I don't use them. For a while. But I. I do just. It's easy to find. Those little. Those little sample vials. So it's. It's. That's kind of the thing. That. That I do. So this last question. Myke. We'll. We'll pose to the. Listeners. And I know. We have some people. We have some people. In this chat room. That can answer this. Question. But we need. A detailed. Answer. I think. And I'm. Neither one of us. Can answer that. But I think it's an important. And fun question to ask. So Jim wants to know. What equipment is needed. To start making fountain pens. What's the initial investment. I don't know. And I hate saying that. You know. I hate saying. I don't know. But this is a case. Where. I think the question. Merits. An answer. From. Some of the pen makers. So we have. Chewbacca. In the chat room. He just started. Making his own pens. So. Maybe he can chime in with. Hey. What's involved in getting that started. We're obviously friends with some. Really. You know. Big pen makers. Like. You know. Jonathan Brooks. Well. He makes materials. He doesn't really make pens. So. You know. I don't know. That he would know. Sean Newton. Would be able to tell us. You know. What does it take to get started. In making pens. Maybe these people. Don't want to divulge their secrets. So. Who knows. But. I think it's a good question. People are always interested. In. You know. What it takes to. Start making their own pens. And I think it's a very cool thing. So maybe we'll get some response from that. And I will. Report back. With my findings. Myke. Just like we did with. Should we. Keep or destroy our notebooks. When we die. That one. Lasted about a month.

Myke Hurley: I wonder if this one will go on as long. Who knows.

Brad Dowdy: We'll see. So. That's out there. All you pen makers who listen. I know there's a few of you. Hit me up. At pen addict. Not at pen addict. At dowdyism on Twitter. You can hit me up. Pen addict dot com. You can find my contact information. Send me over all the info.

Myke Hurley: I'm really interested in this one. Actually. Because I'm keen. Like. What does it take to start. Aside from. Buckets of makeup. As. Jonathan. Yeah.

Brad Dowdy: So. Chewbacca's already got us started. At the stationary wiki. Stationary dot wiki. He started to. To. Put some things together. There. So. And. He's going to shoot me an email. So. We will follow up on this. Not next week. Because that is our live show. Which we should remind people. Myke. Our schedule is different next week.

Myke Hurley: Of course it is. We're not going to be recording on Wednesday. Because. It feels almost wasted. Considering we're together a few days later. So. The episode will be out. On Saturday. We're recording on Saturday. And it'll be out Saturday night. So. We won't be around Wednesday. You can just wait a couple more days. And then you'll get us live. From the Atlanta Penn Show.

Brad Dowdy: Yep. And then we'll follow. Back that up with a Wednesday recording. The following week. So we'll have two close episodes then.

Myke Hurley: Yeah. For sure. Because. We'll do our kind of wrap up. Two days. After I get back home again. Yep. Yep.

Brad Dowdy: As is normal. Good times. Good times ahead. Myke. Most definitely.

Myke Hurley: All right. So. Go to. Related.fm. Slash. Penaddict. Slash. 302. That's where you get our show notes for this week's episode. Thanks to Squarespace for their support. If you want to find Brad online. He's at penaddict.com. He's penaddict on Instagram. Dowdy is on Twitter. I am imike. I-M-Y-K-E. We will be attempting to stream live next week. Just keep your eye out for that. So we're kind of aiming around kind of 6 p.m. Atlanta time. Whatever that is in other time zones. So yeah. Just keep your eye out for that. We're going to be trying to stream live as we always do. But the episode will be out shortly after we record anyway. So until next time. Until Atlanta. Say goodbye Brad. Goodbye Brad.

Myke Hurley: Goodbye Brad.