Editing The Pen Addict 478/transcript (section)

== Ink Bottle Designs ==


'''Brad:''' And then he also says, I want fountain pen friendly paper. That's another question you have to ask yourself. And then I want to spend between $30 and $35. Like that's kind of everything you need to say, does this product exist? And I think for Marty, like something I don't know off the top of my head, but it wouldn't take me long to kind of poke around. And I think we can get pretty close to the check marks that Marty has asked us to tick off here. And like that's the kind of things you need to be thinking about if you're thinking about a planner.

'''Brad:''' You know, just kind of lay it out yourself. Just do some chicken scratch on some blank pages and say, hey, does this work? If it does work, does it exist into a product I can purchase? And am I willing to commit to that for a year? I've found it to be helpful for me, the way I schedule things, to have a paper planner, which shouldn't come as a shock to anybody. But yeah, it's complex and difficult to go planner shopping. So if I can help in any way, let me know. I'm glad to. And then I'm going to end this off with a question for you, Myke. And a question for chat, which they can hit me on Twitter or email. And I'm curious. And I posed this to Twitch chat and I assumed what the answer would be and I assumed correctly, but I was a little bit surprised. For someone who has used a lot of planners, for someone who has used a lot of pens, if you're searching for a new planner, is the first thing you look for your first requirement, the planner layout or the planner paper to use with your pens that you love? And I think the obvious answer and the answer that most people answered was the layout, right? Because what good is a planner if the layout doesn't work for you? But I think the opposite could be said, well, what good is the layout if the paper sucks and you're just frustrated using it the whole time? Would you switch pens to use a better planner layout?

'''Myke:''' It depends how better we're talking. Right? It's not that easy of a question. Right? I mean, the way you're describing it, I mean, you seem pretty positive, but I feel like Marty wants something super specific. And if you can find that thing which is so specific, but it's like the thing you've been looking for, maybe it's worth making some trade-offs for the perfect thing.

'''Brad:''' Right.

'''Myke:''' Like, for example, so I make the Theme System Journal, right? And it's kind of funny, like you were talking about like, oh, you went out and made your own layout. I mean, you ended up working with like getting it sorted with William Hanna. But for me, again, this is journaling, not planning. But I wrote out my own journal layout in a Hobonichi, right? Yes. I do it my own way and realized that I actually think this could be a little bit better for me. And so I ended up designing and producing a product around that. And then building it out to be like, it's the system first. And then there is the product, right? That you can buy and put the system into effect if you think it will work for you. Yep. Yep.

'''Myke:''' But I know that the paper that I use is not as good for my fountain pens as Tamari River paper. Mm-hmm. Because that's not the product I'm making. But I'm happy to be like, well, I'm going to use paper that is by and large better for most people rather than focusing on just like fountain pen performance. Because that's not the product that I'm selling. Like the product that we make is meant for everyone. And Hobonichi Techo is not for everyone. Right. Right. It's like you got to kind of know our audience a little bit. Right. But that's kind of what I'm saying is like for me to get the perfect layout, I was willing to accept not as nice an experience as a full-on fountain pen paper would get me. Where I use a more generic paper, which I think performs great with fountain pens. But it's not perfect, you know?

'''Brad:''' Right. So this puts a bow on my final point. But you're almost never going to find the perfect planner. Right. You're going to have to make some, you know, exceptions to the firm, fast rules that you have to get into a planner that works the best for you. Could be one layout item on the page doesn't suit you, but, you know, 85% of it does suit your needs. It could be that you're a hardcore fountain pen user and the paper is only average for fountain pens. So you might have to switch it up a little bit. That's the biggest thing you want to think about with planners. Like you and I can find the perfect notebook that works for everything exactly how you want. When you start adding planner details into a notebook, that changes. Right. It's hard to absolutely nail a planner 100% perfect.

'''Myke:''' Because now we're talking preprint. Right. Like that's the thing. You can find the perfect notebook. But I mean, and then I guess you could just draw it out yourself like we've both done.

'''Brad:''' Well, that's why bullet journal is so popular because you take your own and then you dial it into yourself. So, yeah. Planners are complicated and complex. And that's why we always talk about them so much. Because I find them interesting. Just the design decisions, design choices. And that's how they actually help me do my day-to-day work. Where years ago, I didn't have like a planner. And now I'm into it. But I'm not like, I'm more on the basic side of the ledger than the G-Boom Tetris side of the ledger. But I do find them useful. So, I wanted to put that out there now that it's, this month is when you're going to see most of the next year's planners launch. And so, we're going to have a lot of questions on that. So, I just wanted to kind of put a little, few little nuggets out there for you to think about if you're shopping for planners.

'''Myke:''' Yeah. Hobonichi's up already.

'''Brad:''' Yes. Hobonichi's out. The G-Boom Techos are next week. I don't have the dates in front of me. But you're going to see pretty much everyone in like the next four to six weeks have their 2022 stuff out.

'''Myke:''' Man, I hope one day I can do this kind of thing. It's like a goal for me. Like, you know how they have these big things. And it's like, here's the next year. And these are all the accessories. And now we've got the different colors. Like, oh, man. That's a dream for me, Brad. I'm not going to lie. Yeah. That'd be cool. You know? Because we could do. It's like, oh, it's theme system season. Like, we started. I mean, yeah. Like, you know, like we are, if people do it, they buy them all year. And we do sell them all year. But we're expecting the biggest time of year for us is always going to be the holidays. We're going to find out. This is like, you know, we get there. Like, we have no idea what it's going to be like if people are going to jump on board again, hopefully. Yep. Please. Yep. Call us to be much.com. And it would be amazing, like, one day to be at that point where we're like, oh, and this year you can get in this color and this color and this color. And, you know, man, it'd be awesome. Maybe one day. Maybe one day.

'''Brad:''' I'd love to see it.

'''Myke:''' Yeah. I mean, I would too. All right. Let's take our final break. And then we'll answer some USTPA to finish out today's episode. This episode is brought to you by Harry's. Hey, if you're heading back into the office now, maybe you're getting out into the world a little bit more again. It might be time to start thinking about getting that fresh, clean, all business look. And Harry's can help you. If you don't know Harry's, it's time you do. They were created to be different from other shaving companies. And they craft high-quality, long-lasting blades with durable weighted handles that make a close, comfortable shave quick and enjoyable. And because Harry's insists that you shouldn't have to choose between a great shave and a fair price, they give you both. With refill blades starting as low as $2, it's an easy decision. And new Harry's customers get their starter set, which includes a five-blade razor, weighted handle, foaming shave gel with aloe, and a travel cover. It's a $13 value for just $3. Plus, Harry's offers a whole range of amazing face and body care products, all delivered right to your door that I know Brad Dowdy is a big fan of.

'''Brad:''' I mean, just look. Look at me, Myke. So beautiful. I mean, come on. Seriously. Harry's made that. Yeah, Harry's.

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'''Myke:''' That is good stuff.

'''Brad:''' Beautiful head of hair over there. Thank you.

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'''Brad:''' I get a crazy amount of questions on the Morning Glory pens.

'''Myke:''' I don't know anything about this pen.

'''Brad:''' And I'll tell you why I get the questions and why you don't know anything about this pen. It's because it has a combination that you rarely see, which is a 0.38 millimeter tip with a rollerball ink. Right? So it is a liquid ink, not a gel ink, not a ballpoint, and it's a needle tip.

'''Myke:''' Okay.

'''Brad:''' So the famous pen in this category is the Pilot Precise, either the V5 or the V7. Those are world-renowned, famous pens. But no one's really done something comparable in a 0.38 tip size. Well, Morning Glory did, I don't know, many years ago. Gosh, I don't even know how long ago. Probably the last six, seven, eight years. And they were great. Like, it was like, oh my gosh, this is actually comparable to the Pilot Precise. It is that good. On top of that, they mixed in, you know, different colors. Like, I had a bunch of blue-black ones, still do. You know, and they do pink and oranges and purples and things like that. And they worked. Like, that's one of the highest compliments that I can say about a pen like this, is that it really, really worked when you wouldn't think it did. So people fell in love with them. And then I can't answer why they went away or why they're not available anymore. Maybe, you know, they're just not getting imported into the U.S. anymore. Maybe they don't exist anymore in their home market. I don't know. And I haven't tried the ProMock Rollerball. I would wager it's just as good. But you can tell by, number one, the design of this pen, and number two, the offerings, that they have kind of reined it in a little bit. Like, this is back to the basics. Office-style pen, three colors, blue-black-red. Still .38. I would imagine the tip and ink technology is still good, so they should be good. But it's unfortunate we don't have access right now to more what the original one used to be, the Mach 3. Which was, like, it was just like this beloved pen, almost like a cult classic type of pen. And that once people discovered it, they didn't, you know, they wanted to know where this pen had been all their lives. So it's a really great pen. And, you know, I assume you're going to do okay with the new model. But it's just a little sad knowing what we used to have with that pen and how great it was. And hopefully it's not gone-gone. Hopefully it's just maybe an access thing. I haven't looked at the sourcing to see if it still exists out there.

'''Myke:''' I actually have one more question. Do you have any recommendations on grips to add to pens and pencils to people with arthritis or repetitive stress injuries? I have several friends and family members who have asked me, and I don't know where to point them.

'''Brad:''' This is a tough question because there's no real pen addict-y answer to this, if that makes sense, right? The stuff that we're into, I can't say. Well, if you're into, like, all of the things that we're into, these are the type of grips you want to buy that are add-ons and accessories. To your existing pens, right? And that's what we're looking for here is the add-on, not the pen itself, which they're mentioning, you know, they can recommend, you know, the wider diameter pens, the softer grips. Like, I always recommend the Uni Alpha Gel. But wider grips help with that. But as far as the accessory itself, to go on top of an existing grip, it's just not out there in our world, if you will. Like, you can find the basics at any store, and I'm sure that's what Lachi has done, is just taken what's available. And what's available is not that great, what they're finding. But there's not actually an upgraded version of that in our world that I'm aware of. So if anyone has used anything, I know a lot of people will reply with, like, their custom and, like, at-home made stuff, which I've gotten a lot of feedback over the years on, hey, I made this for my pen. But as far as a more widely accessible thing, I really can't name one, unfortunately.

'''Myke:''' Yeah, it feels like almost like some kind of gel or, like, putty that you could put on the pen would probably be better, right? Because it could go on any pen and be shaped the exact way you need.

'''Brad:''' Yeah, there's definitely some stuff you could mold around. Yeah, mold.

'''Myke:''' That's the word I was looking for, like something that you could mold around the pen.

'''Brad:''' Yeah. I just don't know, like, what the one is, you know, from my perspective.

'''Myke:''' So we would love to know if anybody has a suggestion because it's a really good tip. Yeah.

'''Brad:''' And we definitely have listeners who would know this or into this thing and trying to solve these problems. So reach out hello at penact.com and I'll pass this along.

'''Myke:''' This comes from Debra. I use it to be eco and love it. Of course, why wouldn't you? My favorite ink is Vert Prix by J.E. Bon. Do you buy a generic ink bottle that is a shape that makes filling easier? If so, which one? The J.E. Bon bottle is large on the bottom, which makes it impossible to fill from once it's two thirds full. So, Brad, do you know of or do you ever buy, I guess, another bottle to decant the ink into so you can actually fill it more easily?

'''Brad:''' I love this question so much. This is a very pen addict-y podcast question. Mm-hmm. Because this makes every bit of sense for someone to do who has a commitment to a singular ink that they love the most and use the most. Right? So, in my situation, my decanting is grabbing one of the 200 bottles I have sitting on the shelf and just inking from there because I'm not that monogamous in my ink relationship. Right? If I were, I would definitely get or find a bottle that was perfect for me and replace the ink that I loved in their not-so-great bottle and put it into the more accessible bottle. And what you get, what a lot of people will do is if, say, you know, they love Orochizuku ink. Well, that's, okay. If they love Sailor ink in the ink pots, right? And those are traditionally poor, poor bottles to fill from after, you know, the first few fills. They're just short and flat and you can't really get the nib all the way in there sometimes. Would you get an Akramon bottle and after you've used that up, pour your Sailor ink into that? I was like, I would 100% do that, like, if that was an option. You know, I don't know. I think that's what a lot of people will do is they'll empty out the one ink bottle they love the most and then put their most favorite ink into that bottle. And that saves them from having to dry to buy a new bottle. But, I mean, you can just buy empty bottles.

'''Myke:''' Maybe this makes me particular, but, like, I couldn't put the ink from another brand into another brand's bottle, if it were. I would want to get some kind of plain bottle instead.

'''Brad:''' As weird as I am about things, that wouldn't bother me.

'''Myke:''' Interesting.

'''Brad:''' But I don't know. Like, you can find the generic ink bottles and ink wells, which you would look for. Like, if you were searching for it online, you'd look for an ink well, not necessarily an ink bottle. And you would get returns of, like, bottle-shaped designs for you to fill your ink from. A lot of them were designed for dip nibs, so they still may have some of the depth problems in the bottles that you're running in. And two with a Jair Balm. But you could start your search that way. I just don't know.

'''Myke:''' It never ceases to amaze me how many ink bottles are not good for filling pens from.

'''Brad:''' It's crazy, right?

'''Myke:''' And I kind of can't understand that. Like, why? Yeah. If you're going to make a big bottle, which I don't necessarily think is a great thing anyway, because the bigger the bottle is, the harder it is. You need to come up with some kind of system, like the Akamon system. Yeah. Where it's the little chamber in the top that you actually do the filling from. Right. If you have a huge bottle of ink, like, the Hiroshi Zuko big bottles are like this. Like, you get to a certain point, and it's like you're doing some kind of gymnastics to try and fill the thing.

'''Brad:''' I get so much joy from bad ink bottle designs. It's just almost a given, right? Especially when someone's trying to be unique with their ink bottles and not just doing something standard and going, this actually takes three hands to fill.

'''Myke:''' It's like, it makes you wonder, like, have you actually used it? Are people using this product? And I know that sounds so redundant.

'''Myke:''' Redundant isn't the word, but you kind of know what I'm getting at. But, like, it just sounds reductive. It sounds so reductive as a thing to say. But sometimes it's like, well, I can't understand otherwise why it is this way. Like, if you've ever used a product like this, you would understand how at a certain point, people are just going to get frustrated with your design. And if people are frustrated with your design, they're probably not going to buy it again.

'''Brad:''' Yeah. I think we need to get the Pokemon Energel designers to make an ink bottle for us all.

'''Myke:''' They'll just put barcodes all over it.

'''Brad:''' It would be upside down.

'''Myke:''' I was going to say, the good design's on the bottom.

'''Myke:''' So you never actually see it.

'''Myke:''' I have one last question for you today, Brad, before we wrap up. This one comes from Matt. Matt wants to know, how long can you store ink before it will spoil or degrade in quality?

'''Brad:''' As all great answers go, it depends. Right? So, in general, with nothing going on, there's no reason your ink shouldn't last you like a decade. Or, you know, five to ten years. Whatever. Just random, perfect situation. It should last you a long time. Like, you shouldn't hesitate to use it after years and years and years and years. The problem is, we have ink stored in different manners, in different lights, in different temperatures. And manufacturers that use different properties and chemicals to keep their ink happy and healthy.

'''Brad:''' That we don't know, you know, we may not have extended test runs on. So, without getting into, like, all the chemistry stuff that I don't know, you should assume that if you're buying a bottle of ink and you're storing it properly and the temperature's, you know, managed and it's not in the sunlight for 12 hours a day, that it's going to last you as long as you're using the pen or paper that you're going to use. I wouldn't put it under, like, a good ten years or so. Like, it's just not going to go bad in a reasonable use time frame. Cool dry place. Cool dry place. All my ink is stored in a dark closet. You know, go in, turn on the light, grab my ink, and leave. You know, just don't leave it out. Don't leave it in somewhere where the temperature's going to change a lot. And don't leave it exposed to sunlight a lot. And it's going to last just an infinite amount of time. I would not worry about it unless you're in an extreme situation, an extreme environment, or have an extreme ink. So, yeah. I don't know how to answer it better than that.

'''Myke:''' So, it's fine for me. If you'd like to send in a question for a future episode of the show, it's very easy to do so. You can send out a tweet with the hashtag AskTPA. You can use question mark AskTPA in the RelayFM members Discord. Or you can email that question to hello at penaddict.com. Thank you so much for checking out this week's episode. If you want to find show notes, you can go to relay.fm slash penaddict slash 478. Thank you so much to Squarespace, Penchelet, and Harry's for their support of this show. I recommend that you all go to stjude.org slash relay. Make a donation to help support the mission of St. Jude. And when you do, send your email receipt to stjude at penaddict.com. And you'll be entered in to our raffle for St. Jude, which is going to be super great. If you want to find Brad online, you can go to spokedesign.com, penaddict.com. He's penaddict on Instagram. Dowdyism on Twitter. Brad on micro.blog. And Brad streams three times a week at twitch.tv slash penaddict. I'm at imike, I-M-Y-K-E. Do not forget to check out the St. Jude, RelayFM for St. Jude podcast-a-thon. On September 17th, starting at 12 p.m. Eastern Time on twitch.tv slash RelayFM. We'll see you there. Thank you so much for listening to this week's episode. We'll be back next week. Well, Brad will. Until then, say goodbye, Brad. Goodbye, Brad. Goodbye, Brad. Goodbye, Brad. Goodbye, Brad. Goodbye, Brad. Goodbye, Brad. next week. Well, Brad will. Until then, say goodbye, Brad. Goodbye, Brad.

[[Category:Podcast Transcripts]]
[[Category:The Pen Addict Podcast Transcript]]