Editing The Pen Addict 681/transcript (section)

== Welcome. Hello. We love Enigma Stationary. ==
* Welcome.
* Hello.
* We love Enigma Stationary.
* Brad, that couldn't have been the more perfect segue to what we're saying here.
* But this is a good message.
* This is great.
* It's paused because Enigma is working on a brand new enigmastationery.com website.
* Right.
* Members of their mailing list will be the first to receive a notification when they relaunch in mid-September.
* The website relaunch will include pre-orders for Enigma InkVent 2025.
* So we're telling you to go sign up for their mailing list right now at enigmastationery.com.
* You go there, sign up for the mailing list, which is a great thing anyway, because then you find out about all the new stuff they're doing.
* But also you'll be the first to know about InkVent.
* Can I tell you about their InkVent?
* Yeah.
* They do a curated InkVent and it's limited, right?
* So they will actually, the team there will actually source what bottles of ink samples they want to build out for this set.
* So like each year it's just, you know, it's like a, basically like a brand sampler of different inks from different brands.
* And they put it all together and it's usually like a really cool setup.
* And so, yeah, this is definitely one of the cooler InkVents going.
* So, yeah, you want to go check it out because you want to know when it's happening because it will sell out, right?
* Yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure.
* They don't, but since they're hand making, like they're hand curating, like the inks, they're limited.
* I don't know what the number is, but like it's not a ton.
* It's not like they're buying, getting like thousands of ink samples in for these things.
* Like it's, you know, they're a small business, which is why they're closed now because they were just at the San Francisco pen show too.
* So they're busy.
* While you wait for Enigma to return, the amazing folks over there want us to remind you and the pen addict audience about St.
* Jude.
* So go to stjude.org slash relay.
* Once again, you can sign up for the Enigma Stationery mailing list and be the first to know about InkVent 2025 at enigmastationery.com.
* As always, you can support Relay for St.
* Jude by going to stjude.org slash relay.
* Our thanks to Enigma Stationery for their incredible support of this show and our community here at Relay.
* All right.
* I just signed up for the mailing list.
* I'm not on mini mailing list, but that one I want to be on.
* So, yeah, I shop with them a lot.
* So really love what they're doing over at Enigma.
* All right.
* A couple more small notes and then maybe a small topic and then we'll see if we can do some Ask TPA.
* We need to catch up on some Ask TPA one of these weeks.
* People have over the years of the show, people have always asked, can you use fountain pen ink as a highlighter situation?
* And there's there's some things that you can.
* I don't know that this is the answer, but Octopus Fluids is now making highlighter ink, what they're calling highlighter ink.
* It might just be like a pigmented ink.
* I don't know if you're going to write over stuff, but these are super neon-y fun inks.
* This would actually match my Esther Brook Funky Town orange pen pretty well with the different neon colors, but they have your classic highlighter colors.
* Again, this is a pigmented ink.
* I don't know that it's like technically like use it as a highlight to highlight over text.
* Right.
* But it's that neon fluorescent orange, pink, green, violet.
* And what am I missing?
* Yellow.
* So, yeah, it looks it looks pretty cool.
* If you like these bright inks, I have had really good success with Octopus inks in the past.
* They've been really, really good performers.
* I've used some of their pigmented inks regularly.
* And yeah, that's a that's a good good looking set of inks for those who are interested in that type of shade.
* Pelican Hubs.
* Myke, we talked about them earlier this year when the signups happened.
* They broke the registration record for Pelican Hubs.
* 10,850 people worldwide have registered for the Hubs.
* I do not mean this in a bad way.
* Yes.
* I don't understand why.
* Don't understand why that many people.
* Oh, why this year?
* Okay.
* I didn't know what year exactly.
* Like what's going on that they've like.
* Do they break it every year?
* I would imagine so.
* But like it's good.
* It's just continued good marketing and good like public relations for Pelican to get people together and have people want to be part of this.
* You know, we see like again in the big picture, like the things we do are very, very tiny, like to like in numbers.
* Right.
* But like we're getting people having smaller gatherings in areas that haven't had it before, you know, five or ten people.
* And then you're getting some of like the bigger clubs and cities having like massive, you know, like 100 people events.
* So that adds up quickly when you're looking worldwide.
* And it's great.
* And honestly, I wanted to put this in here because it's great to see this, that Pelican sharing these numbers and that it continues to grow because we obviously love what we do.
* And we couldn't do it without all of these brands and these these in taking, you know, interest in our community and helping just grow the community and these these passion projects that they have.
* So I don't know.
* I think it's just kind of a pretty neat thing to see continue to grow.
* And people enjoy participating in that every year.
* Back in the day, if you're new to the podcast, when this started, they were really, really small.
* And what Pelican would do was they would literally if you had eight people at your hub, they would send eight bottle of inks, like full bottles of their Edelstein, like ink of the year.
* That that ship sailed a few years ago when the numbers were too high.
* How many bottles of ink?
* 11,000 bottles of ink.
* I've got a business.
* But I remember some some people will say, you know, back in my day, they used to send bottles of ink to the thing.
* Now it's really just an opportunity for people to meet up and talk about stationery.
* And it's pretty cool.
* So I love it.
* Do they send anything?
* They send like just some basic like banners, flyers, some paper goods they sent last year, some like pads and things.
* And then they'll send like like the hub masters will get like the ink and that so the ink they can like parcel it out in samples and things like that.
* And so like they they do provide some things to for people to share.
* And then, you know, different communities will have like different people bring different things and share with the, you know, do donations, door prizes, things like that.
* Each individual hub is does it a little bit differently.
* But Pelican does send them like a care package.
* And like you'll see pictures with like the banner that they do for the year that the club gets and things like that.
* So it's just kind of fun.
* All right.
* I put a topic in here, Myke, on how to finish a notebook.
* I would like to skip that.
* Okay.
* And do that next week.
* Like I have the whole it's all written down literally in my notebook.
* So I have a topic called how to finish a notebook.
* I'm ready to talk about it.
* I really want to do some ask TPA.
* Okay.
* Instead of spending 10 minutes on this.
* And we can move this part till next week as just like a general topic.
* So if anyone has any notebook questions on like, hey, how do you write so much or how do you use your notebooks?
* That's the topic I want to hit.
* But I genuinely want to hit some of these ask TPAs because we're getting a little bit.
* I feel like I'm getting a little bit behind on these.
* So this is we've spent a good amount of time talking about stuff.
* So let's hit some people's questions.
* And we'll talk about my notebooking next week.
* Elliot asks, I'm going to be in Japan soon flying out of Tokyo at the start of November.
* I've seen that the Tokyo Pen Show will be in town while I'm there.
* Is it a bad idea for my first pen show?
* Will I find it difficult as primarily an English speaker?
* Is it too big as a first show?
* This is a really, really good question.
* And just as a point I want to make on the front, I have not personally been to the Tokyo International Pen Show.
* So understand that anything I say, I have not actually been there.
* But I've had a lot of friends there have gone and have told me about their experiences.
* So I'm speaking a little bit secondhand here.
* I think it would be a bad idea if you didn't go because you would have regrets.
* No matter the size and scope of the show.
* Because you're not in Tokyo all the time, I'm assuming.
* The way this is worded is like, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity that happens to line up with a thing.
* You go to the thing.
* You will regret not going to the thing.
* I don't actually think it's going to be too big.
* It'll be big and crowded.
* But I believe, and I will have to double check this.
* But in the past, they have segmented the ticketing to like half days, right?
* So you're assigned like a morning Friday or an afternoon Friday.
* Or a morning Saturday or an afternoon Saturday.
* And you can go to multiple events.
* But that's how your ticketing breakdown is.
* So you can just pick one of those times that's the most convenient to you.
* And just go with no expectations, right?
* Walk in there saying, this is a real treat that I happen to luck into this timing.
* And just take it all in, right?
* Just from an observational perspective.
* Don't overthink, is this too big?
* You know, should I be here?
* Can I communicate with everyone?
* On that front, on the English speaking front, again, I can't speak directly.
* But I think you would be surprised at the opportunities you will have to easily communicate.
* Now, I'm sure definitely not everyone, every vendor is going to speak English.
* But knowing a lot of the vendors that are there and knowing a lot of the people that travel to the show from other countries, I don't think you're going to have a major issue.
* Like, yes, there's going to be some times where there's going to be a communication barrier.
* I think in the general sense of the term, you're not going to have much of an issue, at least, you know, based on the things that my friends have told me that have been to the show.
* So, you should go to the show, you should go for a half a day, and you should just go to take it in.
* No plans, you know, if you buy something great, if you don't, great.
* But you should be there and have that experience, given the opportunity that you have, without any of the barriers that you should be worried about, the size or the communication.
* I agree.
* You don't have to talk to anyone.
* You know what I mean?
* Yeah.
* You could just go and just, like, look.
* No one's going to, like, get all up in your business or anything.
* Yeah.
* If you feel uncomfortable or you feel like you maybe, it's not a scenario where you can communicate with somebody, you just don't have to.
* Yeah.
* But I agree with Brad.
* Like, you would regret this.
* Even if you just spent an hour at the show, like, that would be, I think that would be a regret.
* Like, if you were there at that time and you listened to this show, right, which means you obviously care.
* Like, you've got to take that opportunity.
* Yeah.
* I mean, literally, one of the people that runs the show is an American, right?
* Yeah.
* Like, so, Bruce from Bungu Box, you know.
* Like, you're going to have a great time.
* Yeah.
* Like, I fully expect that you go, wow, I can't believe I didn't think, I didn't, I thought about not coming to this.
* Oh, like, I can't believe I thought this was going to be a problem.
* Right.
* Yeah.
* So, you're good to go, Elliot.
* Do it.
* Endorsed.
* Endorsed.
* Gina asks, I don't know if it's possible, but I would love to combine two of my passions, fountain pens and the Elder Scrolls V Skyrim.
* Yeah.
* So far, I haven't found any overlap in the two.
* Are there any pens you know that could fit in this category?
* I love this question.
* So, I'm very familiar with Elder Scrolls and that whole series.
* I don't, I haven't played it in years, but I play a lot of video games and Myke's also a video gamer.
* And we often talk about some of the video games in stationery collaborations that we like, whether it's paper or, you know, like Kuretoga pencils or, you know, Tactile Turn making the Nintendo theme stuff.
* So, we're always into like, big into the theming stuff.
* But given what I know about like the Elder Scrolls story and environment, in that kind of the more medieval-y type of look and theming, you want to look at someone like Ryan Kruzak's pens.
* So, I put the website in here.
* The designs of his pens are modern in style, but classic and almost medieval-looking in like the execution and some of the artwork that he does.
* You can just have a basic, beautifully finished wooden pen, or you can have a very intricately painted or, you know, etched or different designs on the pen that would, I think, fit some of the theming from the video game series.
* Right?
* That style.
* Am I, do you feel like I'm on point with that?
* Like, do you have any thoughts on that?
* I would never have thought of Kruzak, but it's like perfect.
* Yeah.
* Yeah.
* I think that's the way to go.
* Like, you just go look at like his product pages, look at like the main pages, and you're like, oh, are these from Skyrim?
* Is this an Elder Scrolls pen?
* And then on the paper side, I've been talking with a company out of Australia named Parchment and Hyde.
* They make some insanely cool products that look like they could be like movie props, like do using the different covers, leather covers, traditional.
* Traditional styles with like the different wraps and the different hardware.
* Some of the embossing is, you know, very on theme, different themes of that.
* So that's a company to take a look at from, you know, like a paper perspective.
* You're looking for like a pen and paper products.
* So I think that's a good combination to give us that Elder Scrolls feel.
* Do you want to do another question?
* Yeah.
* Let's hit this one and then we can wrap it for today.
* Love it.
* Because this is a really good question.
* Leith asks, I have...
* No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
* I love you, but let's hit Dave.
* Leith, you're going to have to wait.
* No, they're going to have to wait.
* We can do both.
* Dave asks, I was using my Tusby Diamond 580 with an EF tip on some special hand laid paper that apparently clogged the nib with some fiber.
* I can't see it under a loop, but I'm wondering about cleaning it so it's usable again.
* Do you have any advice?
* Dave, you're in the right place.
* I have all the advice.
* This happens, even not with just the hand laid paper.
* I could take my most fanciest, smoothest paper here.
* I'm looking at my life notebook right here.
* It's a very smooth paper.
* Sometimes you write over lines, right?
* You end up getting the ink more saturated on the page.
* It pulls up paper fibers, even on a non, very fibrous paper.
* So what you want to do, if you can't see it under a loop, two things.
* One, you just want to clean it, right?
* And you can kind of spread the tines a little bit just on your thumbnail, real soft, run it under some water.
* That's usually nine times out of 10 going to solve your problem.
* The next thing, and everyone who uses fountain pens should have this.
* You should own a brass shim.
* And it's a little thin piece of brass that allows you to essentially floss the tines of your fountain pen nib.
* I keep this at my desk.
* And if I have a pen that I feel that it's very, very noticeable in extra fine type nibs like Dave's using in this Twisby, it's noticeable when your line thickness changes, right?
* Once you get paper or fiber in those tines, your extra fine line all of a sudden goes to like a fine line and it's noticeable.
* It's like, oh, this isn't as clean as it was before.
* You take the shim, even with the ink in the pen, and you just run it through the tines and it gets out the gunk.
* Like, I could not enjoy my fountain pens as much if I didn't have this brass shim literally sitting on my desk.
* I don't use it every day, but like once every week or two weeks, I might have a situation where I just grab it and run it through my pen and everything's better.
* It makes everything better, Dave.
* Brass shims make everything better.
* I would just like to say, just please be careful with them.
* Yeah, for you, not on the pens, but on your hands.
* Yes.
* Yeah, you will cut your hands if you're not paying attention.
* The worst paper cut you could have ever imagined.
* Is that right?
* Please be careful.
* They are so, like, sharp and delicate.
* Yeah.
* Just bear that in mind.
* And I'm going to do it, Brad.
* Leith asks, Yeah.
* I have a Lamy Pico, which is super useful, but the refill it came with has leaked all over the inside of the pen.
* I put a new refill in now, and that is covered in sticky ballpoint ink, and the retract slash extend mechanism isn't working smoothly.
* How on earth do I clean out all of the old ink?
* The insides look like plastic, and I don't want to damage or break them while trying to access all of the parts, or by using the wrong cleaning product.
* I'm in New Zealand, by the way, so I don't have access to US brand cleaners.
* Yeah, so this is bad.
* Yeah, not great.
* Because oil-based ballpoint inks, like, they get in places, and they don't like to leave, right?
* Unlike a fountain pen ink, which is water-based, you can generally flush that with water.
* I don't have a perfect answer, unlike Dave's question.
* Sorry, Leith.
* But what I think I would do is soak it in warm water with a dab of your dish soap, and you want to use one of those dish soaps, you know, that's like the grease and oil, like, what's the right word?
* The break, that'll break down.
* It'll, like, break down those types of things.
* Like, a little dab, make soapy warm water, and let that pen soak in there.
* And then, I don't know, probably, like, shake it up within that water.
* Just see what you can get in the crevices.
* Take the refill out.
* Engage the knock mechanism several times while it's in the water, so, like, the soapy water can get into those spots.
* Kind of engage it, toss it around in the water, then let it sit overnight, and see if that does the trick.
* That's probably kind of the best, like, over-the-counter remedy that I could have.
* Anything else, I wouldn't be confident in, you know, with, like, your cleaning alcohols and things like that.
* I have no idea.
* Like, I wouldn't do that.
* Yeah, you could start.
* Unless it was, like, an emergency situation.
* Even if the plastic didn't get harmed, you could pull some of the color off.
* Yeah, so start with, like, your traditional dish shapes that break down oils and greases and kind of rinse it and wash it through there.
* I think that will do most of the job.
* But, yeah, give that a shot.
* Let us know.
* I'm curious.
* If you would like to send in a question of your own, go to penaddictfeedback.com, and you can send yours in.
* You can also write to Brad at hallowatpenaddict.com.
* Please go to stjude.org slash relay to donate and also check the link in the show notes for Brad's fundraiser, too.
* You can find that at relay.fm slash penaddict slash 681 or in the podcast app of your choice.
* If you want to find Brad online, go to penaddict.com, twitch.tv slash penaddict and spokedesign.com.
* You can find me here at relay at theenthusiast.net and at cortexbrand.com as well.
* Thank you to Enigma Stationery and Squarespace for the support of this episode.
* But most of all, thank you for listening.
* Until next time, say goodbye, Brad.
* Goodbye, Brad.

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[[Category:The Pen Addict Podcast Transcript]]