Editing The Pen Addict 162/transcript (section)

== Ink Properties ==


'''Brad Dowdy:''' Right.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Kind of inks.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' What this ink did was separate itself so far from those other three inks in what it the way it acts on paper. Tell me about actually using this ink and is it as great to use as it looked in your pictures and videos? Because I've never seen anything like this. I mean, I'm a big fan of blues and red sheens, but this is a whole nother level. Unlike any other ink I've seen before.

'''Myke Hurley:''' It really is. At first, like when I was taking the pictures, I'm like, oh, man, I hope everybody else has this experience because I don't want to be like the guy behind false advertising. But then like a couple of retailers have gotten their hands on bottles and I'm like, oh, yeah, it looks the same. Like a Goulet like theirs looks. Yeah. The gold and the red and the green and the shading. There's like four things going on with this ink. That's kind of like crazy. I did the video with like a folded nib, but then I also had it in a broad Lamy 2000. And, you know, it's just kind of like thinner version, but still the same thing. There's a ton of that super fine gold flake. There's the great shading from that like bright teal to almost like a dark green. And then like everything's like surrounded with a slight red edge to it. So it's it's got a lot going on and it's like super fun to just doodle around with even the regular right. Like I threw it in a pilot was a custom 72, 74, 74 fine nib. And it was it was still fun in there. It was like, you know, I prefer it in the super wide, you know, really see it on the page. But I think it's just as capable in the fine Japanese fine nib as it is in the other ones. But it's great. I mean, it doesn't it hasn't clogged anything yet. It's smooth. It's got good flow. Other, you know, can't really say anything bad about it. I really love it.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. So the word on the street after the first batch of Stormy Gray came out was that they modified the formula. So the gold flake was, I guess, more manageable, like from a use and cleaning perspective, like it became finer.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah, it's like a finer powder because it's got to be like some sort of powder floating in there. But it's definitely smaller in nature than it has been like the particles.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah, that's really good. So do you have this in one of your daily carry pens? Would you carry this on a regular basis and, you know, leave it in your pen for a couple weeks?

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah. You know what? It's been in the Lamy 2000 for I've had the ink for a while and I had to keep my mouth shut about it, which is even worse because I found out about it like two and a half months ago and then like a month ago. And then like I'm like, ah, they're like, don't tell anybody, you know, and then you're like, but have you but have you seen this? I have to. Yeah. So I couldn't tell anybody relevant like which is just horrible. But it's been the Lamy 2000. I haven't fully cleaned it out. I haven't had any issues. It's still, you know, chugging ahead with the gold flakes. Not no difference. I've had no problems with it. Yeah. So it's been in that pen, which is with me all the time. Cool. Unfortunately, I have to send the bottle back. So I've just been kind of like filling everything with it. It's going to hold me over. So it's in my Twisby 580 aluminum and the Pilot Custom 74.

'''Ed Jelley:''' This looks, looking at your photos, this looks way more impressive than the Stormy Gray. Like the Stormy Gray for me just didn't really do anything.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. I don't think it's even close. I mean, like I'm not, I haven't been a fan of the Stormy Gray. I'm all in on this ink. This is like calling my name big time. So I can see me using this on the regular. What about, do you think you would, are you into this at all, Myke? I mean, I know, I don't know. I can't decide what you would, what you would do with this ink. Well, I feel like I know you well, but I don't know on this one.

'''Myke Hurley:''' And if you use this in like a medium or a fine nib. Yeah, I have it in the Pilot Fine. It still has like some of the same, you know, characteristics, but not as much magic, I guess you could say. Yeah. You still get the shading. You still get some of the, you know, the gold is obviously less pronounced and you get a little bit of that red outline. But it's really kind of, for me, I'd say like a medium and up kind of ink.

'''Ed Jelley:''' Like, you see, I like mediums. If it shows well in mediums, maybe, maybe I will try and pick up a bottle of this. Like, yeah, I think I'll, I think I'll go for it. What's the worst that can happen?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah, I, I think so too. I mean, I, I, you know, I, I bought the, the stormy gray with the, the same thing and I just couldn't get into it. There wasn't, there actually, the gold flakes didn't bother me as much as kind of the lack of shading. It was just kind of a dark gray ink and, you know, I have plenty of other grays that I enjoy more than that. So I, I gave it away, but this one I am all about, and I know, what is this coming out in August? I think is when this is a landing and retailers shelves. I think, um, I know some of them are taking, yeah, I think some of them are even taking pre-orders. I think gold spot might be doing pre-orders and things like that, but this is all the, the, when the stormy gray came out, it was pretty hyped ahead of time. And retailers had a hard time getting enough stock. Um, this is going to be way worse unless, unless J. Herbron, uh, plans ahead and ships way more. But, uh, I think this is going to be far and away the best of that series. And it's not even going to be close. I think this is going to be, this is going to be the hot ink for the rest of the year. I'm pretty certain. So, well, yeah, you did it. Yeah, you did it. You did an amazing job and that, you know, and I think you're part of making it big just because of the, the pictures and video you did for it. Honestly, I mean, I've watched it several times and, um, you know, when you're a pen addict like myself, you can watch videos of ink drying, like we talked about several times and see something different every time. You're like, oh my God, look at that. And, uh, yeah, I, if you can't tell, I'm, I'm seriously impressed with this ink and I, I think it's going to be going to be hot stuff. So now I want to talk about flipping it a little bit and we've kind of covered it, you know, on the surface. I want to talk about the pens that you're using, the pens that you're carrying on a daily basis, because I've noticed from you over probably the past year, since we've talked about, since we've talked class. And, you know, I read your blog religiously and I read everything you write and obviously look at all the pictures. I've, I've noticed a refinement, if you will, in what you're carrying. Like you almost have like your fountain pen carry game on lock. Like it's set, you know, it's like, I've felt like Ed has found his pens for him. And tell me about kind of what you're going through with like your current pen carry. If my observations are, are real, or I'm just making it up in my head. Um, you know, just tell me about what you're. You know, enjoying using these days. And if this is really kind of a refinement of the bigger picture of all the fountain pens that you've had in the past.

'''Myke Hurley:''' I'd say you're, you're definitely pretty, uh, dead on with your assumption. Like, uh, first off, I'm more of a, like a user than a collector. Like I don't really find any benefit to having like 10 draws full of pens that I'm not going to use because it just seems like kind of wasteful to me. Um, so I think what I'm kind of going through with what I use on a daily basis is kind of a direct reflection of that. But in that, uh, if I don't like something, there's no way I'm keeping it. Like I bought, uh, the M805 Straßman after like two months of being like, oh my God, I really want this. This looks awesome. Um, and then I got it and then I sold it a month and a half later because it just wasn't doing it for me. Yeah. Which is crazy. Like people are going to be like, oh my God, that's like my, my grail pen. I can't wait to get that. And then I got it. Um, actually one extremely devastatingly expensive order from pen chalet that and the stainless steel Lamy 2000 in one shot. Wow. What was that pen? The pen you didn't like? I think I missed the name. The Pelican M805 Straßman or Stressman, the, uh, gray anthracite M805 with the silver trim.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' It's a stunner.

'''Myke Hurley:''' It's like, it's like a $700 pen. Like it's no joke. Yeah. And, uh, I don't know. I got, I got rid of it. I was just like, uh, it's not, not bonding.

'''Ed Jelley:''' Oh yeah. I remember this guy. Yep. Yeah. Yeah. That's a beauty.

'''Myke Hurley:''' So that's kind of been like my attitude. Like if I can like, you know, be lusting over this one thing for, you know, since it was announced to when it shipped and then get rid of it. Cause I'm not using it. I think that's kind of a reflection of what's going on. And I think in the last post I made about what I'm carrying with me, I had that realization that like this stuff is, uh, I'm starting to post the same post every month or so. And, uh, I don't, I don't, you know, that's weird to me that I feel like after like, you know, four or five years of, uh, extreme fountain pen hobbying slash pen reviewing, like I finally know what I want. And then I don't necessarily, not like it's a waste of time. Cause I have fun buying new stuff and trying it, but I don't have that attitude. Like, Oh, my collection's great now. It's like, I just want the stuff that I use to be great right now.