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@tuanh5987 Tú Anh oh thank you so very much for your kind words! Thank you also for being here and sharing your time with me! I am glad you are here. 💚

@fountainpensinksmore3290 Thanks Jane! You are as always ever so sweet! I hope you are having fun in SF!! Ogle all those beautiful pens for me 😉

@@Neko-KittyLovesFountainPens having a great time.

@@fountainpensinksmore3290 So glad to hear that! You deserve it!!

@@Neko-KittyLovesFountainPens thank you 💖

@JatinGotRizz Sorry, as I indicated in the description box below the video, these pens arrived a few months ago in early May, and I they were part of a pre-order that I had placed in January or February or thereabouts, so I don't remember the price. BENU pens are available at most online stationery vendors like Goulet Pens, Yoseka, Atlas Stationers, Goldspot, Dromgoole's, Vanness, Pen Chalet, etc., and you can order directly from the BENU website.

@scribblesandinkstains Hi Mari! I hope you are well, and I hope you love your pen when it arrives. Yes, so far they have all been so pretty and unique that it's like seeing a completely different pen in each video. Have a great rest of your weekend and summer off. School here starts in a few weeks even though it seems like the summer break just started.

@fountainpensinksmore3290 Oh Jane, of course you do! I can't wait to see your Bronze Age when you get it and the goodies you bring home from the pen shows. 😉😉😉

@@Neko-KittyLovesFountainPens it arrived today. Video should be out Monday (5pm EST), if I get wifi at the hotel.

@@fountainpensinksmore3290 How exciting! I can't wait Jane. Have a wonderful time at the pen show!! And keep that mask on. 😷

@@Neko-KittyLovesFountainPens mask will be on! I’m going out of town for a while. Video may be late, if wifi isn’t any good.

@shutupandcrochet I am very excited for you Alicia! I agree, I love their pens. Let me know which color and model you got. I've been watching his site and have been very tempted, but several of the new listings are for larger pens, and I am not sure they would be comfortable for me because I like the smaller body sizes, but I am really thinking about a few of the new ones there.

@@Neko-KittyLovesFountainPens Violet Abalone, Watts Slim Model <BB> nib.

@@shutupandcrochet Oooohhh!! That's such a BEAUTIFUL one!!! 😍🥰🥰😍😍 And the Watts Slim is my favorite model of his. What a great combination! It will be a joy to write with and stunning to look at. I have to try his BB nibs: I really like my Kaweco BBs, and Brett's nibs are so well-tuned that the double broads will likely turn out to be my favorite nib size, too.

@Heidejournal Thanks Kirsten! Yes, get that kiri-same in a pen. Have a great weekend!! 😉

Yes I did. Hopefully everyone else does, too. Thanks Alicia!

Thanks!!

Thanks Jane! 😊

@MorganScorpion Thanks very much Morgan, and thank you for sharing some of your time with me. I am really glad you like the video. Good luck with your Italian language studies! I hope to find some time next year to dip back into Japanese or German, also taking the online route. Have a great day!

@tbayless8324 Oh thank you so very much, and thanks very much for watching!! I appreciate your time and your comment. ☺ Have a great, tranquil day!!

@@Neko-KittyLovesFountainPens You Bet!! Where did you get that Elf stamp on your ink cards please?

@@tbayless8324 Sorry I'm so late replying! I got the Elf stamp from PaperGameCo on Etsy. I am not sure if she still has them because I got it early last year, and her shop has so much washi and PET tape now, but it is worth a look because she has several other ink bottle-type stamps. www.etsy.com/shop/PaperGameCo Have a great day!! 😊

@@Neko-KittyLovesFountainPens I don't mind the late reply--You answered and it means alot. And yes I ran across it when I was searching. I cannot believe that is not all over the place on the internet. Thank you.

@@tbayless8324 You are very welcome. Oh thanks for being patient with me! I agree, I can't believe that cute stamp isn't available in more places. I wonder if it is hard to come by. The stamp itself is manufactured by or for Designed by Plain, which is a Stationery Shop in Taiwan. I just found a listing for the stamp on their website: www.plain.tw/products/plain-ink-stamp They carry some cute stationery goodies. I have a weakness for rubber stamps and have been collecting them for decades. 😉 Have a great day!

@fountainpensinksmore3290 Thanks Jane! I agree! Hope you are well 😊

@@Neko-KittyLovesFountainPens I’m pretty good, thank you 💖

@sarahsarahkk Oh Sarah, I am so sorry that your nib is dodgy, too! To be honest, I am really quite surprised by the nib issues folks are encountering with this pen. Ordinarily, my experience with JoWo nibs has been great, so I am sad for the number in my small universe of pen/ink friends who also had some unhappy writing experiences. I would have to think the problem is with JoWo unless there was some part of the laser etching process that affected the nibs' points, but mine is so scratchy and rough that I think that the problem is JoWo's quality control. Other than that tiny envelope with a QR code in the pen box, I didn't receive any paperwork at all from my Esterbrook purchased pen. The pen box was loose in the shipping box, missing the red Esterbrook sleeve that came with my BunGuBox-purchased pen, with the extra converters I purchased dropped into the pen box, which had slid open during shipping. The BunGuBox pen box, on the other hand, was wrapped securely in plastic and well cushioned with paper stuffing, and there was a pink and white floral business card that explained the homage to the Someiyoshino cherry tree's blossoms, but no other paperwork for that box, either. Usually JoWo nibs have a stamped letter on the right side of the nib where the side of the nib bends around the feed. It is just at the point on the nib where the collar begins. Both of mine are stamped with a B, so you should check your nib to see if the stamped letter is around that part of the nib. If you can't see it, maybe the nib unit is set too far down into the collar/section. JoWo nibs are made in Germany, so depending on whether you are used to Japanese nibs like Sailor or Pilot, JoWo fine nibs would be closer to a Japanese medium/broad than a Japanese fine. I have no explanation for feedback on these nibs, but skipping could be due to a problem with the tines being misaligned or the feed seated farther down than it should be or other issues with the nib/feed or perhaps the converter isn't providing a steady supply of ink. This is my first experience with an Esterbrook, and I have had to prime the converter multiple times during a writing session, so I am not sure what is going on. If you are in the states, I would contact Esterbrook since the pen is an Esterbrook model/make. I think the contribution to the collaboration between Esterbrook and BunGuBox is that BunGuBox approved the pattern on the body, the nib etching, the box, and BunGuBox probably provided the maki-e converters that I think are maki-e silk-screened, so I think the warranty is with Esterbrook because the body is definitely made by Esterbrook's manufacturing source (I think in Taiwan). Have you scanned that QR code to see what information that provides you (I have not, but I contacted Esterbrook via their website and sent them a web-form email describing my nib problem). I really hope this gets resolved for you so you can enjoy your pen!! If a far, far less expensive TWSBI can write well out of the box every time no matter how many millions of TWSBIs are out in the world, there is really no excuse for these pens not to ~ TWSBIs have JoWo nibs, too!

@@Neko-KittyLovesFountainPens Thank very much for your reply. I have checked the collar and it does indeed have an "F" so I think it is my mistake in not knowing the nib would be German made. I will order an EF. As for the skipping hopefully a new nib will solve this also. I am in Australia so shipping back to Japan would be difficult and expensive.

@@sarahsarahkk Hi Sarah, bummer! Yes, the hassle involved, not to mention the cost of shipping overseas, often makes returning things untenable. If you are definitely thinking about getting a replacement nib, you could also get some brass shims and run one or two through the split in the tines of your pen to see if that helps improve ink flow to eliminate the skipping. There are some good TH-cam videos that demonstrate how to do that if you haven't tried it before. I'd also look closely at your feed to see if your feed is aligned well with the nib. If the feed is too low or crooked, then that could be causing the skipping, too. Another thing to consider is the converter. I find that I have had to prime the feed more than with other pens, so I don't know if these converters are as well-fitted to the nib unit as one would hope or if they just tend to let ink stay closer to the back of the converter than the front. I know Desk Bandit carries both Esterbrook as well as replacement nibs ~ the entire nib unit: feed and collar, so at least there is a way for you to order a nib closer to home though it certainly is annoying to have to add to the cost of the pen by having to buy a new nib. But the folks at Desk Bandit are splendidly helpful, and I am sure if you emailed them or left them a note if you order from them that they would double check the nib for you before the send it out to you. I also shop with Bookbinders Design AU a lot for Sailors that don't often make it here, but they do not carry Esterbrook or replacement nibs for them. It might be worth checking around to see if there are nibmeisters nearby who could work on your nib and grind it down to an EF or to a Japanese-equivalent EF. Lots of people over here tend to try that as a solution to a nib they aren't thrilled with although it can often take several months for the nib to be returned because most of the nibmeisters tend to earn a living by traveling the country to various pen shows or the few remaining stationery shops for a weekend nib-grinding service, so they don't often get to the mailed-in nibs as quickly as when they are approached for work at a pen show. To be honest, I was miffed that Esterbrook did not provide a shipping voucher for me when I sent the nib in to them to get smoothed; instead, I had to absorb the cost of mailing the nib back to them, $10 for what is effectively a $15 - $20 steel JoWo nib! Plus, the "smooth - tuning" job under their warranty for a brand new pen didn't provide much smoothing. This nib is still scratchy, so this is my last Esterbrook for sure. JoWo nibs are on so many fountain pen brands and are so common that it's hard to believe so many of them on this specific model are rough. I really wonder what happened. Good luck with your decision! Have a great weekend!! 😊

@nrs6956 You received an extra nib with your BENU? Congratulations, that IS cool. Goldspot sells replacement Schmidt nibs, but I'm not sure anyone else sells them. It is nice to have an extra nib though.

@@Neko-KittyLovesFountainPens Actually I was quite impressed.

@fountainpensinksmore3290 Agreed! Me too! I especially love this one and Tassie Salmon 😊

@fountainpensinksmore3290 Me too! Sea Glass is one of my favorite colors, but it drives me nuts because it is so dry, even in my broad TWSBI ECO. I finally remembered to get some White Lightning the last time I placed an order with Vanness, so after this 30inks shenanigans, I am going to see whether the additive will improve my writing experience with that color.

@@Neko-KittyLovesFountainPens I’ve found the additive works well. I also like Troublemaker Abalone.

@@fountainpensinksmore3290 Great, I want to also maybe try it with Wearingeul Jane Eyre - maybe. I'd like to see how that one would look with a bit more flow. I have it in a TWSBI ECO with a medium or fine nib (can't see the nib stamp because the nib is seated so low and can't remember if that one is the fine or medium cuz I have two of that color), but I'd like to put it in an ECO with a broad nib and see how it performs and looks in the broad.

@fountainpensinksmore3290 Thanks Jane ~ you are always so kind!! hugs!!!!

@fountainpensinksmore3290 I don't blame you. I just got another email notice of some new colors, but I haven't opened it, so I am sort of eager to see what they developed now.

@@Neko-KittyLovesFountainPens that’s what I started doing, not opening the emails. Always something I want.

@@fountainpensinksmore3290 Absolutely!

@clasic... You are very welcome!! Thanks so very much for watching!! I appreciate you hanging out here. 😃

@tinacampbell2610 Hi Tina, Happy Birthday!! 🎂🥳I am so excited for you that you have one of these beauties on the way. I hope you enjoy it!! I love those pinkish brown inks, too. Thanks for watching ~ have a great day!! 🎂🥳

@ShariArts Hi Shari, I wholeheartedly agree with you! This is a lovely looking pen, and it is quite lovely in-hand, and it took only a few circles and lines on the mesh to get the nib in working order. I am sorry yours was scratchy too, but I am glad you were able to smooth it out. I have a LOT of pens with JoWo nibs (including my Serendipity Hybrid Dip pens), and save for one, they are all splendid writers ~ some of my favorite nibs in fact. I just discovered one that I haven't used until recently is misaligned, but other than that, all have been superbly tuned, mainly because they are in hand-turned pens. I'm not necessarily surprised that I got a bum nib considering these Esties are pretty popular, are mass produced, and there was such a run on the inventory. I've had a couple of scratchy Kaweco nibs ~ the coated ones, but I am surprised that a pen at this price point, and with a BunGuBox collaboration, would let a scratchy nib get through to the customer because my general experience with JoWo nibs is that they have always been among my top three nibs right up there with Sailor and Pilot. I guess I should include TWSBI in there, too, because for a pen brand that really seems like one of the best sellers of all fountain pens, their nibs are always superb out of the box, and I know TWSBI uses JoWo nibs, so I just assumed if nothing else, I would like the nib. I guess I shouldn't be surprised because I have a Pelikan that was just awful and I had to send it in for warranty repair because it was so bad (and because there was no way I was willing to fiddle with a nib that cost more than some of my favorite pens!). I have to admit, I am now on the Estie bandwagon, and I ordered another one from BunGuBox directly because Esterbrook was sold out but I also wanted to get a few more BunGuBox inks because I am running low on one of my favorite brown inks that is part of their limited edition line. I have been eyeing the tortoise shell Estie for a couple of years now and am watching for a chance to get it with the Journaler nib though I am also interested in CY's Tech nib. Do you have experience with either of those grinds, and if so, how do you like them? Thanks for watching! Have a great day!!!

@Heidejournal Hi Kirsten, Oh, that sounds like such a lovely combination! I bet it's beautiful to look at. I don't have any Private Reserve inks yet. How do you like them generally? Thanks much for your kind sentiments about the nib. It was a bummer, but otherwise, the pen feels very good in hand, and of course, it is a serious piece of eye candy!! I am glad yours was in good form, and I hope it gives you many years of pleasurable writing experiences! Hope you and yours are well ~ and have a great day!!

@@Neko-KittyLovesFountainPens I really like Private Reserve inks, they flow very well out of all my pens so far. :) Have a great day too !

@@Heidejournal Hopefully I'll remember to put some in my cart next time I order some inks!

@fountainpensinksmore3290 Hi Jane! Thanks! I wholeheartedly agree! I especially like the TWSBI ECOs! I think I am going to get a couple more of this color since it's turning out to be my favorite. From the photos online, I wasn't sure I was going to like it because I thought it might be too pale, but I am glad I succumbed to my TWSBI fetish and got it. I don't have that KWZ color yet, but I really want to get it. Those KWZ inks smell SOOOOO gooood!! And I am a coffee drinker, so I can really get onboard with a coffee-scented ink! Hope you are well and having a great day today!!! hugs!

@@Neko-KittyLovesFountainPens I agree with Twsbi’s I call them workhorses! They take shimmer inks, abuse (leaving ink in them a bit too long) they take it. KWZ smells like Coffee is…. I can highly recommend it. I’m planning on buying a full bottle.

@tammy-lynperry4100 Tammy-Lyn, Thank you so very much for your very kind words!!! They mean a lot to me. And thank you for being here!! 🤎I hope you have a great day ☺

@fountainpensinksmore3290 Hi Jane, Me too! I have really fallen in love with this color: it is so warm and chocolatey. Hope you are well ~ have a great day!!

@Heidejournal Hi Kirsten, yes, it would be a great fit for that Benu ☺!! I hope you are well. Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

@MariaRosseau Hi Maria, I swear, I don't know how you and Manda do it, especially when you were sick last April. We'll see how long I can manage posting since I didn't get my act together enough to manage to film ahead even though I had been planning to do a #30inks with browns for at least a year or more. Your beautiful calendar of almost all blues 💙💙💙 last time really made me determined to at least try to keep up this month, and it also made me want to get some of those blues. Hope you are well.

@fountainpensinksmore3290 Hi Jane! I hope you are well. The SBRE Brown Brown used to be so hard to snag, but now it is often in stock at Vanness and Appelboom Pens. If you would like a sample, I would be glad to send you some. Let me know. 😉

@@Neko-KittyLovesFountainPens thank you so much, Neko. I’ve been having problems with ink getting thick, I think it’s due to the heat. I don’t want the ink to be ruined.

@@fountainpensinksmore3290 That's a bummer. I used to keep fingernail polish in my fridge to keep it from thickening during the summer, but I don't know if that would be a solution for ink, especially for the amount of bottles/samples I imagine you have in your stash. It's hard to combat those Florida temps and the humidity down there.

@@Neko-KittyLovesFountainPens why I’m trying not to but any ink on line, during the summer. See if it’s the heat traveling here. We’ve been 99 with feels like 110+. Cooling to 85f either rain.

@@fountainpensinksmore3290 UGH!! I hope you can stay cool and that you don't get that flooding that I've seen coming out of Miami. Fingers crossed that your A/C keeps up and that you don't experience any brown-outs/blackouts or power outages!!! I'm so glad to hear you feel strong enough to go to some pen shows this year. It should be much cooler in SF this time of year, so hopefully there won't be wildfire problems up there during the show. This weather has been so crap the past few years! Last year we had hazy days all day for a full year: no blue skies because of all the wildfire smoke that moved in from Canada and the Western U.S. This year promises to be more of the same. We are heading into a heatwave next week, too: high 90s, low 100s ~ in Michigan in June! We already had several days of very high 80s in February, which was unheard of. Now we are bracing for an awful, hot, humid summer. If I wanted these temps, I'd be back in Florida. 🙄

@fb02 Hi Francisco! I hope you and yours are well. 😊It is a lovely color, isn't it? I hope you decide to use your Vanishing Point soon, and I hope you like the way it writes. Let me know how it goes and what color ink you use. Pilots have such nice nibs! They are a lot softer than other nibs, but they are very smooth writers. I think that Con 40 converter is a twist converter that will also allow you to fill from a sample vial or bottle by twisting the back end of the converter once you have the converter in place in the nib unit so you do not even need to bother with a syringe (one less thing to clean). The larger Con 70 converter does NOT fit the Vanishing Point, but that converter is a push converter that is pretty cool to use. My favorite way to fill a Vanishing Point is to use the empty cartridge that usually comes with it and to fill that cartridge the same way as I filled this converter, using a syringe. The Pilot cartridges are very, very large and hold a lot of ink. When you use the cartridges, make sure you always cover them with the little metal case that comes with the pen before putting the pen body together. Some of the Pilot Iroshizuku inks are available in cartridge form, which is really convenient. I am at heart a cartridge type person, and I like to keep them, rinse them, and reuse them. The Iroshizuku inks come six in a package. You can also use the standard Pilot ink cartridges in these pens ~ the same size used in a Pilot Metropolitan and most other Pilot pens. Look for the Pilot Namiki Fountain Pen Ink Cartridges IC-100; they come in packs of 6 - 12 cartridges. These cartridges are available from many places. Pen Boutique has them ranging from $3.45 a six pack for colors like green, purple, red, and orange to $4.66 a 12-pack for black or blue cartridges: www.penboutique.com/products/namiki-fountain-pen-ink-cartridges-refill-green-6-each The cartridges are also on sale right now (6/1/2024) at JoAnn Fabrics for $3.49 a 12-pack. Thanks for being here! Have a great day and weekend!! 😉

@kayeurbano3309 Hi Kaye, thanks so much for watching!! For daily personal journal writing I use Hobonichi Plain Notebooks (Tomoe River paper) A5 size or Yu-Sari Notebooks, also A5 size. They are my favorite papers to use, especially the Yu-Sari Notebooks, regardless of which pen I use on a given day, and more often than not, I use several pen brands each day. I have different notebooks with Tomoe River paper, most of which are 52 gsm, though I have several that are 68 gsm; of the two weights, I prefer the 52. Unlike many others, I think I actually prefer the newer run of Tomoe River paper (the Sanzen?) because whatever paper Hobonichi is using in the 2024 Plain Notebooks feels slightly textured to me, which for me feels cool, especially with Sailor M/F nibs: I like that extra feedback, but I am used to using highly textured stationery that was available everywhere back in the 70s and 80s. Now, I am not sure Hobonichi has changed the paper for the 2024 Plain Notebooks though. The website indicates the 2024 Techos use the new Tomoe River S (Sanzen) paper, but they do not specifically mention that the plain notebooks have the same paper yet. They might have leftover stock of previous runs that they are using until those supplies run out. I routinely use Rhodia dot or unlined paper for ink swatching and letter writing though it isn't one of my favorite paper surfaces: it feels coated in a way the Tomoe River and Yu-Sari don't. I often use Midori MD paper in both notebook and loose paper form for letter writing, but I don't often use Sailors on that paper because it seems a tad dry for those M/F nibs. I like the Midori paper, but most of the time I will use a steel size 6 JoWo nib or TWSBI (which I think uses JoWo nibs) or Kawecos on that paper. I use Leuchtturm1917 A5 Classic dot grid notebooks for knitting project notes and for workout notes, and in those, I'll use any pen that is handy. I like that paper; it reminds me a bit of the Midori MD but not quite as dry. It is an 80 gsm weight paper that is cream colored I think. I have also used Apica CD notebooks for writing samples in videos, but I don't like that paper at all regardless of which pen or ink I use. There is something about the surface feel of the paper that I don't like, and for me, it seems like my nibs drag on the paper, especially my Sailor nibs, and I feel hesitant to use my Sailors on that paper other than the rare instance I use it in a video. I doubt I would buy it again once I use up the two that I have. I am basically a slave to stationery, so I have all kinds of blank notebooks that I have accumulated over the years from Borders Books, Barnes & Noble, Hallmark stores, and college bookstores. A lot of those tend to be house brand notebooks, usually with a lot thicker paper. I'll use any pen with these, also, but I wouldn't consider these to be my favorite writing experience because I have a feeling that most of them are just a step above copy paper quality, so they are better suited for gel pens or a Japanese pen named Le Pens by Marvy Uchida, and I have gobs of those in coffee cups all over the house. I have dozens of Le Pens that I have had since the 80s that are still going strong even though I used them for note-taking in college and for knitting notes, so I can highly recommend those pens over Micron pens if you want to try something new. They were always available at local art stores like Utrech or Hallmark stores and the like. Have a great day!!!

@@Neko-KittyLovesFountainPens hi thank you for the thoughtful feedback. I took some time to consider your response. I was surprised that you like the hobonichi with sailor because I haven’t found it a very textured surface. I think that I will take your word for it until I see for myself with a hi-quality (feedbacky) sailor nib. I’m content to wait. I will have to look into Yu-Sari notebooks, I’ve never heard of the brand and I’m excited to do some research. I’ve grown to love Midori MD in the days since I left my message. They are toothy and they can confuse me when trying to understand a new pen, but once everything is calibrated, I think it’s addicting. Have a great week!

@@kayeurbano3309 Hi Kaye, I am glad you are enjoying your Midori paper! It's great when paper, pen, and ink mesh, isn't it? I don't know what's going on with the paper in this Hobonichi I am journaling in, but I am at the last page of this notebook, so I'll be interested to see if the next one up has the same texture. I sort of think that this is an anomaly, or I wonder if the effect is because of the pencil board right underneath the page I am writing on? Vanness and Yoseka carry the Yu-Sari notebooks, but they are both currently out of stock in the A5 size. JetPens doesn't seem to carry them, which is surprising, and I can't remember if Goulet Pens carries them. Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you are well ~ and have a great day!!

@DivineDorothy Hi Dorothy, I wholeheartedly agree! 🤎🤎 Thanks so much for watching ~ have a great day!

@gadsdenrose I can relate 😉: I have a serious weakness for brown, reddish brown, pink-brown, and green inks! Thanks for watching. Have a great day!!!

@moultingrook8091 Thanks Kathryn! Yes, they are very similar in color, especially on some papers. I think that the Colorverse inks tend to be on the dry side, but that is not to say the Teranishi inks are more lubricated because they aren't. I do like that they both dry quickly, though, because some of my more deeply saturated pinkish inks like Taccia Benizzkura or Van Dieman's Tassie Salmon tend to take longer to dry, and I am always smearing the ink as a result because I don't pay attention to where my left hand is when I write when I am trying to hold the notebook open by pressing down on the pages with my left hand to try to get a flatter surface.

@sistergoldenhair0727 Thanks so much, Tracie. What a lovely YT handle!! I love that song and that band: saw them live at the Diamond Head Festival of Life on January 1, 1976 with Seals & Croft, Melissa Manchester, Bachman Turner Overdrive, Cheech & Chong, and several others - then later that same year at 🌴🌴🏄Aloha Stadium 🏄🌴🌴 on July 5, 1976 ~ Gerry Beckley's long blonde hair blowing in the breeze; it was a wonderful all-day concert, America, Cecilio and Kapono, Flash Cadillac. ☺Nothing like outdoor concerts on Oahu!

@danielmccann4055 Can't ask for more than that, eh? ☺ How lovely!! And thanks!! Have a great day!!!!

@penthevision4706 Thanks!

@luciano2166 Luciano Olá, bem-vindo! Muito obrigado! Tenha um bom dia. 😊

@Heidejournal Hi Kirsten, I am eagerly awaiting Diamine's release of this ink in a larger bottle because I am really going through it quickly. Thanks for being here!! 😊Have a great weekend!!

@fb02 Hi Francisco - I agree, thanks so much for being here!! ☺ I hope you and yours have a great weekend!!☺

@IAmWillJR Thanks! Books and birds are the stuff dreams are made of, am I right? 😉☺

@Calcprof Hi Tom, yes, that is my grail pen. I treasure it most of all the pens I own, and if I only had one to keep, it would be this one. Right now the blind cap is stuck open for some reason, maybe because I had an ink leak and a former habit of leaving pens standing nib upwards in cups and small ceramic vase-like things which may have exacerbated the leak. I don't know how the leak occurred since I use only Sheaffer cartridges in it. I have tried soaking the body in water to no avail, and it really dismays me that I cannot get the cap to turn in any direction. I am too afraid to try a pen cleaning solution because of the finish. I don't like silver toned anything, and this finish tarnishes really easily, so I hate to think of what might happen if it comes into contact with ammonia or another harsh chemical. I have reconciled myself to the fact that I will have to send it off for repair, which I am really loathe to do because of the unreliability of our postal system. I am so afraid it will get lost. My plan is to send just the body and not the nib or cap - that way if something happens, I still have the most important part of this pen. Hope you are well - have a great day today!

@Calcprof Hi Tom, I feel the same way ☺. How is your biking going? Have a great day!

@@Neko-KittyLovesFountainPens Thanks. Good.

@fb02 Francisco ☺You are so kind!! Thanks so very much: I hope you have a great day today!! Thanks for being here.

@MariaRosseau Thanks!! Yeah, I blame you first and foremost, then Manda! I guess if I have to copy someone, it should be the best, eh? It is so cool that the ink always seems to match: I like that Japanese aesthetic-like attention to detail: h€ll that's an awkward way to say that. My brown ink supply seems to know no bounds 😉. Nor does my love for Taccia boxes. 🙄 I have a hard time staying away from a blue ink that I know I won't use just because I want the box so bad as it matches one of my favorite Hobonichi A6 covers ~ the Taccia Hokusai-Fukakihanda (Light Blue) ink. When I break down and buy it, I'll send you the ink, sans box. I hope you have a wonderful day today, too!

@Heidejournal Hi Kirsten. Thanks so much: Brett of Walltown Pens does such great work. I love those finials, too ~ such a soft, delicate color, perfect for Sakura season!! Thanks for watching! Hope you have a great day today!!

@Calcprof Hi Tom! Thanks! I love them, too; I agree, they are beautiful, and I do love the size #6 JoWo, especially the broad. I can't figure out how to find comments on the actual video thread with this new TH-cam interface, so who knows if this reply will find you. You mentioned in a post to Maria that you had cataract surgery. If you don't mind my asking, I was wondering if you would be willing to share how it feels to have the lenses from cataract surgery? If you would care to let me know and don't want to write the answer here, my email is in my profile I think. I ask because have recently been told that I am developing cataracts, so it seems that the surgery is probably on my horizon, but I have had severe allergic reactions to all forms of contact lenses in the past, so I am not looking forward to that possibility if they get bad enough to warrant the surgery. Thanks for watching. I hope you are well !

@@Neko-KittyLovesFountainPens Yes I would be willing to talk about cateract surgery.. What would be a suitable forum?

@@Neko-KittyLovesFountainPens Email sent. I'm glad to help.

@@Calcprof Thanks so much Tom!!