1:24:00 Kay is a FANTASTIC professional! You guys at Goulet couldn’t be more lucky by having her there!!! She is also such an amazing personality. A pure DIAMOND 💎 for the company guys! BRAVO! 👍👏🙌 (from a customer)
Kay!! So lovely to get to know you a bit better. You have been one of my favorite people to interact with, at customer service! You went above and beyond to make sure I felt heard and understood, and to also make sure I understood what you had done to test and work through the issues I was having with the latest Magna Carta. Thank you for doing such a great job!!
My mother-in-law's parents had a kind of what you guys would call a general store in the 1970s here in Germany. When we moved into their house about 20 years ago, we found lots of the classic Pelikan standard blue cartridges they had offered in their store but obviously had not sold. The cartridges were stowed away in a pretty dark workshop area with thick stone walls and without any proper heating, still in their original packaging. My father-in-law wanted to trash them, saying "Nobody uses fountain pens anymore!", but my husband was able to stop him just in time, shouting "Yes, there is one person!". I threw the cardboard packaging out as it didn't smell too good anymore, but I still use the cartridges once in a while. About a third of each has evaporated during the past 40+ years, but the ink left still works perfectly. I have about 150? cartridges left...
I love Kay's Hello Kitty sweatshirt! Nice to hear from a newer member of the team too. I love both my TWSBI and Opus 88 - they have the best nibs of any modern pen I've tried. But I like smaller pens, so I have a Vac Mini and a Fantasia instead of the bigger models.
Kay is wonderful, she helped me solve a pen issue and was so helpful and nice! I told my husband that customer service like that makes you loyal to that company! I’m glad I have a face with a name now!
Happy Birthday, Brian. I loved meeting Kay, I felt like she is someone I could totally hangout with. I hope she comes back for another visit on the pencast. Thank you both for another entertaining video.
Happy Birthday Brian! Sax on a Tractor is going to be a classic (I see a sticker in the future). Drew, if your brown sugar is hard you can put some in a microwave safe bowl, cover it with a damp paper towel and microwave at 10 second intervals, checking it with a fork, until you can break it up. Much easier than trying to chop it up!
You guys had me cracking up with your discussion of tweed. I now must quote Brian at some point with "the tweediest tweed that you can tweed!" Thanks for all you do for our community!
I have a big, glass cutting board. It lasts forever, but of course our knives need frequent sharpening. But it's also easier to disinfect because it's not porous at all.
I am watching from Germany. In schools I used Pelikan (4001) ink in glass bottles. It is still in, after more than 25 years. There is no recognisable evaporation. But some old plastic cartridges are dry, now.
Wow! I got so excited when Brian mentioned playing the sax on his tractor. Yaaay 😁 All the best to Brian! I hope he will reach his 100h goal very soon and show off his berry sax during the pencast at some point. 🎷🎉
I have eaten kumquats right off the branch. They are sooo tasty, sweet and sour and slightly bitter from the rind. Wishing Drew's tree thrive and bear many fruits for your family to enjoy
Great to "meet" Kay! She sent the nicest note back when I dropped a quick one to say thank you to Goulet for taking me down the rabbit hole. ;-) I didn't expect any communication in return and was tickled to see her note in my inbox. Great customer care! AND she likes LoTR and "Rouille d'ancre!" Cool! The brownish pinks like "Rouille" and Diamine "Handel" have a place in my heart. (Strangely, I'm generally not a pink lovin' person, but I love these.) And, of course, can't forget to say "Happy Birthday," Brian!
Kay: both is always the answer 😂 but also, I’ve modified my Opus 88 Demonstrators with parallel nibs and it’s suuuper fun with all that ink capacity, I’d still definitely get the TWBI :) so… yes both. Ha!
I agree with the both plan! I have the twsbi vac in iris and love it, and am currently deciding which Opus 88 I want to add to my collection. Quantity is quality!!
Sending birthday wishes to Brian from CA! And have many many more birthdays! That’s so great you have never been ill in the hospital. I think it’s all those backyard projects you do that keeps you healthy. Stay awesome!
About sneezing , if you feel a big one coming tilt your head up, do not tilt your head down when you sneeze that is how you can hurt yourself sneezing. I should clarify, just don't tilt your head down when sneezing that is when you can get hurt. Keeping your head looking straight ahead or any angle tilting up is good.
My trick for ink bottle storage. I use hinged lid wooden boxes to store them on a shelf, the boxes are roughly 8"x9"x4" so they accommodate bottles of all sizes & I group them by brand so i can find them easily.
My favorite Edelstein limited edition ink is Turmaline! I use it mostly in my M800 Brown Tortoise and my M200 Rose Quartz. When I bought my first bottle, I saw how beautiful it is and went back for 2 more. My second favorite is the Amethyst. A couple years ago, I broke my bottle of it and that was that. I saw a bottle on ebay for $300!!! I did not buy it. But a few months ago, I was looking in my pen cabinet and found a new, unopened box of Amethyst!!! I gues it really is a great thing to buy 2 bottles of a LE ink you love. Great show!!
Brian- knowing how much you LOATH cleaning pens it was precious to hear you say that you cleaned tourmaline out of “a TON of pens” because Rachel inked up so many. You certainly are an acts of service person.
I was one of those SUPER fortunate kids to have both systems. Genesis and SNES. It was...it was an amazing time growing up. Link to the Past, Toejam & Earl, Super Mario World, and Sonic galore. I even had the 32x and Sega CD. Video games were a HUGE part of my youth. What I wouldn't give to go back to those years...
Kay, sometimes when I have trouble deciding between two things, it helps me to imagine getting one of them (even going so far as to add the item to my cart, anticipate receiving it and unboxing it, etc.) and then if I feel a bit of disappointment, I know I really wanted the other thing. I love my Vac 700R, though. It's in Iris also 😁
Ha, injured because of a sneeze. When I was 42; I sneezed and gave myself a double hernia. Yeah,that stuff happens now. Welcome to your Carlsberg years, gentlemen. I was quite embarrassed so for some months post surgery, I outright lied and blamed it on a hockey game.
LOL - Brian's "What?!?.... I know what a tree is." to Drew's "I bought a Kumquat tree" almost made me spit my coffee out! Hilarious!! Love the pencast! Brian's BD surprise was amazingly hilarious as well! Loved Kay. She seems so fun. She made me look at the Benu Vodka on Rocks and now I think its going to be on my Mother's Day list. 😀 I do need to say, I have been praising the Goulet Brass Sheets all month. I got them in the small pen maintenance pack months ago but didn't really know what they were for. In April I had 5 pens filled with shimmer ink and few kept hard starting/clogging completely. It was driving me mad because my usual method of wetting the nib was not working. I decided to pass the brass sheet through the nib hole and down to the tines and like magic the ink began to flow so easily!! I was estatic!! Now I keep one fo the brass sheets in my pen case. It is a must for anyone that loves shimmer ink, like I do!! Thank you for including this in the kit. You guys need to show it off more in the pencast.
Speaking of getting older and hurting more, I also woke up with a painful left knee this morning. I think I slept wrong and twisted it. For full disclosure, I am 51 and also have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome so I am very fragile. I also know all too well about sprained ankles. I twisted one once walking on even sidewalk during a workday and it felt fine. I got on the train hours later and the pain arrived. Then the swelling. This was one of many similar incidents, unfortunately. Sorry you had to deal with this injury and pain, too, Brian.
Happy birthday Brian...! Thank you for the amazing video of you saxaphonic prowess, sensational stuff for sure. Kay is a sweetheart and I love her Hello Kitty top. Drew is such a natural at getting people to chat, loving the meet the team series. Keep trying to break the longest episode record, and I'm loving every tangential, daft and adorable moment of each video 😍
Pens that need more colours: any pen that doesn’t come in a nice vibrant purple (like the TWSBI grape or your Sailor Northern Lights) needs to do so! Imagine a diplomat aero in that colour!? And any brand who’s had a purple pen, but it was a limited edition and it’s gone now (looking at you Custom 74!) needs to come back so I have the option to get one! PS: The 92 was my first gold nib and gets plenty of love from me 😊
I know EXACTLY the heavy duty hose Drew is talking about, I have one . I also know exactly which smaller hose he’s talking about. I have two. The small hose is PERFECT for watering the plants in your yard BUT Drew the problem with the small hose is it will only last about 3 seasons and it will fail. I’ve had that happen twice. You can drain all the water out of the heavy duty hose , unless you have one of those tall racks the fire department has you can’t drain all of the water out of the small hose. Stuff can grow in the small hose.
Happy weekend! Today i will ink up and test my new Kaweco Piston with Pelikan 4001 royal blue. That was the ink usually used in school some 40 years ago in germany. This ink is "erasable" by a Tintenkiller pen, it somehow chemically makes the blue invisible.
I'm amused that my Pilot Custom 743 nib is stamped 823, and I hope there are some Custom 823 owners out there with 823-stamped nibs. I have the Lamy Cursive nib installed on my Goulet exclusive Lamy Vista Black. It's a great looking combination and an interesting writing experience which you described very well. I write with italic handwriting and often use stub nibs, but the cursive nib leans the opposite which is a good challenge for my brain. Happy Birthday to Brian, and thank you both for a fun episode!
Brian and Drew, regarding your inventory system for ink: I believe it is referred to as FIFO ( first in first out ). Love the Pencasts. Even my husband watches. Thanks for being my guide to the wonderful world of fountain pens! Happy Birthday Brian. I am nearing 70 so no sympathy here. My mind feels 35 but my body doesn’t agree 😊
You're exactly right, we practice FIFO with all our ink! Thank you for the birthday wishes, haha. My father likes to say that age sounds better if you think of it like computer software operating system versions. When you're a low number like 2.0 you might be fast there are still a lot of bugs to work out. The higher the version, the more stable the software ;) 7.0 is quite stable, moreso than 4.0 ;) -Brian Goulet
Happy Birthday Brian! So much hype about your sax! I got into concert mode, glass of wine, turned up the volume! Did not Disappoint! Thank you so much for sharing!
Oh! The Lego hands pen got me thinking.. Halloween Lego Frankenstein themed Benu that is various Lego limbs and heads! I bet even Drew would enjoy that. 🤣
Sounds like you need a HoseLink Drew! It's a retractable hose where the outer case doesn't crack or discolor in the sun. No kinking since you dont need to pull out more than you need. It's the best hose in the business👍
Kay, thank you for joining us. Regarding your pen decision. First, I think it's great that you've saved your gift card. I bought several pens which weren't comfortable for my hands, e.g. Conklin, a Sailor Pro Gear, a Pilot with a nib that is too bouncy (FA). I think it's nice to have several pens, but not pens which are uncomfortable. So my suggestion is to use those two pens and others for as long as you can. Get into a comfortable position without anyone looking over your shoulder. Try them for long periods of time. And clean them out. I don't have the Opus 88 demonstrator or the vac 700. I'm interested in trying the Opus with a #6 nib. I don't want another TWSBI because it's easy to break their feed fins. On the other hand Brian K could prob. show you how to use a non TWSBI nib on the vac 700.
Drew, the solution to hardened brown sugar that I learned on the internets years ago is to microwave it for a few seconds until the brown sugar is soft enough to work with. Now the state of your brown sugar will never be a hindrance in future baking endevours
@@Gouletpens That's right, I forgot you don't have a microwave! After some brief searching, looks like the bread like method might be a good option. Put a slice of bread with brown sugar overnight and that should allow the brown sugar to soften up. It might take longer depending on how dry it is.
"More colorways?" Definitely the Pilot Custom Heritage 912. I have two SFM nibs and a FA nib. I painted one of the SFM pens and kept the sticker on the FA pen.
As someone who regularly uses Hangul, Mandarin Chinese, and Hanja, the Lamy cursive nib is absolutely useless. That being said, it actually write nicely for Romantic languages, and looks pretty. Brian: Congrats on having survived a minimum of five pandemics, including the mess that was Corona, a century change, a stock crash, a bunch of riots, another stock crash, the technological revolution, and several dictators from various countries! You survived that, you can survive through anything. Drew: I pulled the trigger on the Pilot Elite and I think I’m in love. I didn’t know pens could write like this. It adjusts perfectly even through my varying degrees of pressure and writing angles, and looks gorgeous doing it. Manufactured sometime in January 2024, about to be christened Enid Hestia on the new moon. Anyway, thank you so much for giving me the push I needed to get this pen - I smile like an idiot every time I write with it. I’m sure everybody thinks I’m insane. Then again, aren’t we all, just a little? Lapis is a great ink. I did want a more actual ultramarine shade, though - the bright blue is decidedly not lapis-like. Maybe a dark version of Troublemaker Milky Ocean would work.
Hi Kay, Welcome to the team, please select the TWSBI VAC700R iris in fine if possible, it is a joy to use and every time i uncap the pen, i am fascinated. It is such a joy! belated Birthday wishes Brain!
Happy Birthday Brian! That's so great Brian plays saxophone! Worlds collide! My son just graduated with a degree in saxophone performance. So happy to know someone who loves pens AND saxes! Maybe you could use a music nib to write your own compositions ; ) And I'd like the TWSBI Swipe to come in different colorways and materials. I would love a rose gold trimmed TWSBI Swipe. I'd also like more permanent colors in the TWSBI Mini. Glad you kept your job after your hot takes video Drew!
So far, the Golden Beryl has been my favorite Edelstein LE ink. My husband bought me the Lapis, but it’s under the birthday tree (we have a rule that anything bought in the 30 days before birthdays mustn’t be opened until said birthday). I do really like Apatite, Aquamarine, and Adventurine ( pretty much all of the blues and teals), and have an old 1990s Twist loaded with Rose Quartz now. I was using Smoky Quartz as my brown for a long time. It’s such an easy line of inks to deal with, even the shimmers.
You guys really didn't let us down. It takes real talent to not just play the sax on a tractor, but to also drive the tractor while doing it? This is a hobby you surely should never give up.
Definitely more colors for pens. Drew's Gatorade Rain color way would be great with so many pens. I would love an E95S with silver/dark grey and that purple color. I blame Drew for the E95S purchase, but he was so right about that pen. But Drew never mentions how great that satiny top feels when you write with it.
I have some Waterman CF cartridges from probably the 1960s. They are about half full. I opened one up, and topped it up with boiled water. It wrote really well, without any issues. I can't vouch for any other ink, though.
I love this podcast. I like to think I'd love this podcast even if I didn't like pens, because your passion about the subject makes it fascinating and you're both such genuinely nice, kind chaps.
Back with another comment! I think a fun way to do an instrument pen would be to, taking the saxophone for instance, flecks of the brass in a resin with mother of pearl trim or inlay for the keys, and maybe do a cork grip? I guess the whole pen could actually be brass...
Love the pencast, i watch it every week. This one took a turn aftershave 1:41:00. Whiping kinky hose into shape and kumquats. Had to put in my headset so nobody misunderstands.
Another great episode! Kay: get the Vac 700 so the ink is on display so clearly, and thanks for all you do in customer service. Brian, happy 40th birthday! We (the Community) should buy you a 🎂 to celebrate with you. Thanks for showing your sax progress, on a tractor no less!
Happy birthday to Brian! What a gift you have given the community with sax on a tractor. It is an instant classic!
1:24:00 Kay is a FANTASTIC professional! You guys at Goulet couldn’t be more lucky by having her there!!!
She is also such an amazing personality. A pure DIAMOND 💎 for the company guys!
BRAVO! 👍👏🙌 (from a customer)
Yes she's really good (from another customer).
Sax on a tractor would make a great sticker! Great job Brian.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for finally sharing your hard work on the sax, Brian! Made my morning.
What a treat - to have you give us the gift of your music, on your birthday, Brian! Happy 40th!!
Kay!! So lovely to get to know you a bit better. You have been one of my favorite people to interact with, at customer service! You went above and beyond to make sure I felt heard and understood, and to also make sure I understood what you had done to test and work through the issues I was having with the latest Magna Carta. Thank you for doing such a great job!!
I'll pass this along to her! Thank you! - Drew
Sax on the tractor was amazing!!! Gonna make it my new ringtone 💯❤
My mother-in-law's parents had a kind of what you guys would call a general store in the 1970s here in Germany. When we moved into their house about 20 years ago, we found lots of the classic Pelikan standard blue cartridges they had offered in their store but obviously had not sold. The cartridges were stowed away in a pretty dark workshop area with thick stone walls and without any proper heating, still in their original packaging. My father-in-law wanted to trash them, saying "Nobody uses fountain pens anymore!", but my husband was able to stop him just in time, shouting "Yes, there is one person!". I threw the cardboard packaging out as it didn't smell too good anymore, but I still use the cartridges once in a while. About a third of each has evaporated during the past 40+ years, but the ink left still works perfectly. I have about 150? cartridges left...
I love Kay's Hello Kitty sweatshirt! Nice to hear from a newer member of the team too. I love both my TWSBI and Opus 88 - they have the best nibs of any modern pen I've tried. But I like smaller pens, so I have a Vac Mini and a Fantasia instead of the bigger models.
Kay is wonderful, she helped me solve a pen issue and was so helpful and nice! I told my husband that customer service like that makes you loyal to that company! I’m glad I have a face with a name now!
I LOVE my little Opus 88’s. Kay could get the new kitty Opus 88 to match her Hello Kitty shirt!
Happy Birthday, Brian!🎉
Happy belated birthday, Brian! 🎉
That was the BEST sax on a tractor 🚜 that was probably the weirdest thing I’ve typed in a long time. Love the pen cast!
Wow Brian, you're so courageous! I would never dare to play for some thousands of people! Keep it coming and happy 40th!!!
Happy Birthday, Brian. I loved meeting Kay, I felt like she is someone I could totally hangout with. I hope she comes back for another visit on the pencast. Thank you both for another entertaining video.
Happy Birthday Brian! Sax on a Tractor is going to be a classic (I see a sticker in the future). Drew, if your brown sugar is hard you can put some in a microwave safe bowl, cover it with a damp paper towel and microwave at 10 second intervals, checking it with a fork, until you can break it up. Much easier than trying to chop it up!
It was awesome to see Kay on the show! I've been working with her on an issue and she has been doing a wonderful job!
You guys had me cracking up with your discussion of tweed. I now must quote Brian at some point with "the tweediest tweed that you can tweed!" Thanks for all you do for our community!
Finally! Tractor sax! But, Brian, you forgot to show the cutting board and I genuinely want to see it, please? 😊
I have a big, glass cutting board. It lasts forever, but of course our knives need frequent sharpening. But it's also easier to disinfect because it's not porous at all.
I am watching from Germany. In schools I used Pelikan (4001) ink in glass bottles. It is still in, after more than 25 years. There is no recognisable evaporation. But some old plastic cartridges are dry, now.
Thank you for the info... 😊 !!!
Kay is darling! Love that she’s a LoTR fan and yeah, she’s right Drew. Don’t watch Rings of Power unless you want to get angry, confused and sad.
LOL I'll keep that in mind! - Drew
@@Gouletpens I so so wanted to love it, too!!
love the mini oppus 88s! glad to see you finally carrying them!
Wow! I got so excited when Brian mentioned playing the sax on his tractor. Yaaay 😁
All the best to Brian! I hope he will reach his 100h goal very soon and show off his berry sax during the pencast at some point. 🎷🎉
@Kay. Both are good choices. The Opus 88 is really easy to clean, and handles shimmercinks well
I have eaten kumquats right off the branch. They are sooo tasty, sweet and sour and slightly bitter from the rind. Wishing Drew's tree thrive and bear many fruits for your family to enjoy
Great to "meet" Kay! She sent the nicest note back when I dropped a quick one to say thank you to Goulet for taking me down the rabbit hole. ;-) I didn't expect any communication in return and was tickled to see her note in my inbox. Great customer care! AND she likes LoTR and "Rouille d'ancre!" Cool! The brownish pinks like "Rouille" and Diamine "Handel" have a place in my heart. (Strangely, I'm generally not a pink lovin' person, but I love these.) And, of course, can't forget to say "Happy Birthday," Brian!
"Forty is the old age of youth, fifty the youth of old age." - Victor Hugo Happy Birthday and thanks for helping me on my pen journey!
I dug up my old 18 year old Schaeffer calligraphy kit two months ago, the cartridges were still at least 3/4 full.
You were even better than I thought you'd be and after all these years! Well worth the wait for the Sax on the Trax.🎉
Kay: both is always the answer 😂 but also, I’ve modified my Opus 88 Demonstrators with parallel nibs and it’s suuuper fun with all that ink capacity, I’d still definitely get the TWBI :) so… yes both. Ha!
I agree with the both plan! I have the twsbi vac in iris and love it, and am currently deciding which Opus 88 I want to add to my collection. Quantity is quality!!
Night Falcon sounds like a new sticker
great to meet Kay! Go with the Opus88 Bela in Red!!! A sure winner!
🤣 How do we go from fountain pens to Gatorade and Baja Blast. This is the conversations of distinguished gentlemen.
Sending birthday wishes to Brian from CA! And have many many more birthdays! That’s so great you have never been ill in the hospital. I think it’s all those backyard projects you do that keeps you healthy. Stay awesome!
About sneezing , if you feel a big one coming tilt your head up, do not tilt your head down when you sneeze that is how you can hurt yourself sneezing. I should clarify, just don't tilt your head down when sneezing that is when you can get hurt. Keeping your head looking straight ahead or any angle tilting up is good.
Getting to watch the Pencast is always a great way for me to unwind and relax. I break it up over the week as it helps me decompress from teaching.
My trick for ink bottle storage. I use hinged lid wooden boxes to store them on a shelf, the boxes are roughly 8"x9"x4" so they accommodate bottles of all sizes & I group them by brand so i can find them easily.
Happy Birthday Brian, my bday is today, may 3rd as I watch you two. Drew always makes me smile.Thanks
Happy birthday! -Brian Goulet
Had the Lamy cursive nib on my Vista Black, writes uniquely cursive, block and Han characters, one of my coolest pens, thanks Brian.
Kay, to help you pick a pen: which one would fit into your love of LOTR? I could see Aragorn with the Opus, but perhaps the Vac for Legolas.
My favorite Edelstein limited edition ink is Turmaline! I use it mostly in my M800 Brown Tortoise and my M200 Rose Quartz. When I bought my first bottle, I saw how beautiful it is and went back for 2 more. My second favorite is the Amethyst. A couple years ago, I broke my bottle of it and that was that. I saw a bottle on ebay for $300!!! I did not buy it. But a few months ago, I was looking in my pen cabinet and found a new, unopened box of Amethyst!!! I gues it really is a great thing to buy 2 bottles of a LE ink you love. Great show!!
Oh Brian!!!! happy birthday. Thank you for your gift. Your kids should be so proud
Brian- knowing how much you LOATH cleaning pens it was precious to hear you say that you cleaned tourmaline out of “a TON of pens” because Rachel inked up so many. You certainly are an acts of service person.
I was one of those SUPER fortunate kids to have both systems. Genesis and SNES. It was...it was an amazing time growing up. Link to the Past, Toejam & Earl, Super Mario World, and Sonic galore. I even had the 32x and Sega CD. Video games were a HUGE part of my youth.
What I wouldn't give to go back to those years...
Happy birthday, Brian!
Delta had an Adolphe Sax fountain pen that looks quite interesting.
Kay, sometimes when I have trouble deciding between two things, it helps me to imagine getting one of them (even going so far as to add the item to my cart, anticipate receiving it and unboxing it, etc.) and then if I feel a bit of disappointment, I know I really wanted the other thing. I love my Vac 700R, though. It's in Iris also 😁
Oh!!! I love Kay she’s helping me with some of my Twsbi troubles that I’m having with my stuck plunger 😅
Ha, injured because of a sneeze. When I was 42; I sneezed and gave myself a double hernia. Yeah,that stuff happens now. Welcome to your Carlsberg years, gentlemen. I was quite embarrassed so for some months post surgery, I outright lied and blamed it on a hockey game.
That sucks - but the hockey thing was funny. Thanks for the empathy! I know it's just a matter of time! - Drew
Carlsberg? Hockey injuries? You must be a Canuck! 🍁
Well, Happy 40th Birthday, Brian! It's a good year. Love the sax vid. Many blessings
Happy birthday, Brian! Wishing you and your family many more years of health and pen-abling! ✒️🎉
Happy belated birthday Brian!! Fantastic music Brian, I think you surprised us all with your greatness! 😁😜
You have to watch to the end! Brian's birthday surprise is unbelievable!
Happy birthday Brian! This might have been the best Pencast yet - loved hearing you play!!!
LOL - Brian's "What?!?.... I know what a tree is." to Drew's "I bought a Kumquat tree" almost made me spit my coffee out! Hilarious!! Love the pencast! Brian's BD surprise was amazingly hilarious as well!
Loved Kay. She seems so fun. She made me look at the Benu Vodka on Rocks and now I think its going to be on my Mother's Day list. 😀
I do need to say, I have been praising the Goulet Brass Sheets all month. I got them in the small pen maintenance pack months ago but didn't really know what they were for. In April I had 5 pens filled with shimmer ink and few kept hard starting/clogging completely. It was driving me mad because my usual method of wetting the nib was not working. I decided to pass the brass sheet through the nib hole and down to the tines and like magic the ink began to flow so easily!! I was estatic!! Now I keep one fo the brass sheets in my pen case. It is a must for anyone that loves shimmer ink, like I do!! Thank you for including this in the kit. You guys need to show it off more in the pencast.
Happy Birthday Brian!!! She thinks your tractor's saxy!
Haha wow. I was working at Circuit City when that song was popular. I won't say that it's trauma...but it's close. - Drew
@@Gouletpens I miss Circuit City, ours is planet fitness now
Speaking of getting older and hurting more, I also woke up with a painful left knee this morning. I think I slept wrong and twisted it. For full disclosure, I am 51 and also have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome so I am very fragile.
I also know all too well about sprained ankles. I twisted one once walking on even sidewalk during a workday and it felt fine. I got on the train hours later and the pain arrived. Then the swelling. This was one of many similar incidents, unfortunately. Sorry you had to deal with this injury and pain, too, Brian.
Happy birthday Brian...! Thank you for the amazing video of you saxaphonic prowess, sensational stuff for sure. Kay is a sweetheart and I love her Hello Kitty top. Drew is such a natural at getting people to chat, loving the meet the team series. Keep trying to break the longest episode record, and I'm loving every tangential, daft and adorable moment of each video 😍
Pens that need more colours: any pen that doesn’t come in a nice vibrant purple (like the TWSBI grape or your Sailor Northern Lights) needs to do so! Imagine a diplomat aero in that colour!? And any brand who’s had a purple pen, but it was a limited edition and it’s gone now (looking at you Custom 74!) needs to come back so I have the option to get one!
PS: The 92 was my first gold nib and gets plenty of love from me 😊
Yes, we need more purple pens.
Definitely! More purple always!
The Edelstein smokey quartz ink is accurate to what actual smokey quartz crystal looks like. A fun color, if you're into browns or crystals!
Happy birth week, Brian! Everyone gets the full week to celebrate their birthday in my book. And well done with the sax playing.
Brian gives US a gift for his birthday, that's great.
Brian, you beast. The birthday surprise absolutely surprised me. Kudos.
I know EXACTLY the heavy duty hose Drew is talking about, I have one . I also know exactly which smaller hose he’s talking about. I have two. The small hose is PERFECT for watering the plants in your yard BUT Drew the problem with the small hose is it will only last about 3 seasons and it will fail. I’ve had that happen twice. You can drain all the water out of the heavy duty hose , unless you have one of those tall racks the fire department has you can’t drain all of the water out of the small hose. Stuff can grow in the small hose.
K just seriously helped me out and went above and beyond to help me get my favorite pen repaired!!
Happy weekend! Today i will ink up and test my new Kaweco Piston with Pelikan 4001 royal blue. That was the ink usually used in school some 40 years ago in germany. This ink is "erasable" by a Tintenkiller pen, it somehow chemically makes the blue invisible.
I'm amused that my Pilot Custom 743 nib is stamped 823, and I hope there are some Custom 823 owners out there with 823-stamped nibs.
I have the Lamy Cursive nib installed on my Goulet exclusive Lamy Vista Black. It's a great looking combination and an interesting writing experience which you described very well. I write with italic handwriting and often use stub nibs, but the cursive nib leans the opposite which is a good challenge for my brain.
Happy Birthday to Brian, and thank you both for a fun episode!
Brian and Drew, regarding your inventory system for ink: I believe it is referred to as FIFO ( first in first out ). Love the Pencasts. Even my husband watches. Thanks for being my guide to the wonderful world of fountain pens! Happy Birthday Brian. I am nearing 70 so no sympathy here. My mind feels 35 but my body doesn’t agree 😊
You're exactly right, we practice FIFO with all our ink! Thank you for the birthday wishes, haha. My father likes to say that age sounds better if you think of it like computer software operating system versions. When you're a low number like 2.0 you might be fast there are still a lot of bugs to work out. The higher the version, the more stable the software ;) 7.0 is quite stable, moreso than 4.0 ;) -Brian Goulet
Happy Birthday Brian! So much hype about your sax! I got into concert mode, glass of wine, turned up the volume! Did not Disappoint! Thank you so much for sharing!
Oh! The Lego hands pen got me thinking.. Halloween Lego Frankenstein themed Benu that is various Lego limbs and heads! I bet even Drew would enjoy that. 🤣
Quality surprise, Mr Goulet. A gifted man, to be sure.
Sounds like you need a HoseLink Drew! It's a retractable hose where the outer case doesn't crack or discolor in the sun. No kinking since you dont need to pull out more than you need. It's the best hose in the business👍
Happy Birthday, Brian! Amazing sax playing!
Bet Drew could iron on some patches to the denim cases. Maybe we need a dragon patch!
Kay, thank you for joining us. Regarding your pen decision. First, I think it's great that you've saved your gift card. I bought several pens which weren't comfortable for my hands, e.g. Conklin, a Sailor Pro Gear, a Pilot with a nib that is too bouncy (FA). I think it's nice to have several pens, but not pens which are uncomfortable. So my suggestion is to use those two pens and others for as long as you can. Get into a comfortable position without anyone looking over your shoulder. Try them for long periods of time. And clean them out. I don't have the Opus 88 demonstrator or the vac 700. I'm interested in trying the Opus with a #6 nib. I don't want another TWSBI because it's easy to break their feed fins. On the other hand Brian K could prob. show you how to use a non TWSBI nib on the vac 700.
The Lego piece needed for a Benu collab is the tiny feather!! It would give quill vibes!!
Great idea! - Drew
Drew, the solution to hardened brown sugar that I learned on the internets years ago is to microwave it for a few seconds until the brown sugar is soft enough to work with. Now the state of your brown sugar will never be a hindrance in future baking endevours
I would need a microwave first! Haha! - Drew
@@Gouletpens That's right, I forgot you don't have a microwave! After some brief searching, looks like the bread like method might be a good option. Put a slice of bread with brown sugar overnight and that should allow the brown sugar to soften up. It might take longer depending on how dry it is.
That shirt you wore on the tractor 🚜 was epic! Mr Sax man 🎷. The most epic birthday treat ever ❤❤❤
Wow, Brian! Bravo! Impressive musical skills. 👏👏👏
I really wish TWSBI would make an Iris Vac Mini. I have the Vac700R in Iris, but I really want a pocketable one.
"More colorways?"
Definitely the Pilot Custom Heritage 912.
I have two SFM nibs and a FA nib. I painted one of the SFM pens and kept the sticker on the FA pen.
As someone who regularly uses Hangul, Mandarin Chinese, and Hanja, the Lamy cursive nib is absolutely useless. That being said, it actually write nicely for Romantic languages, and looks pretty.
Brian: Congrats on having survived a minimum of five pandemics, including the mess that was Corona, a century change, a stock crash, a bunch of riots, another stock crash, the technological revolution, and several dictators from various countries! You survived that, you can survive through anything.
Drew: I pulled the trigger on the Pilot Elite and I think I’m in love. I didn’t know pens could write like this. It adjusts perfectly even through my varying degrees of pressure and writing angles, and looks gorgeous doing it. Manufactured sometime in January 2024, about to be christened Enid Hestia on the new moon. Anyway, thank you so much for giving me the push I needed to get this pen - I smile like an idiot every time I write with it. I’m sure everybody thinks I’m insane. Then again, aren’t we all, just a little?
Lapis is a great ink. I did want a more actual ultramarine shade, though - the bright blue is decidedly not lapis-like. Maybe a dark version of Troublemaker Milky Ocean would work.
Happy birthday Brian !
Trust me, you are starting the path of "Things I used to be able to do, but not anymore apparently !"
Happy Birthday 🎊
Hi Kay, Welcome to the team, please select the TWSBI VAC700R iris in fine if possible, it is a joy to use and every time i uncap the pen, i am fascinated. It is such a joy! belated Birthday wishes Brain!
Happy birthday, Brian!
My favorite Edelstein is definitely Olivine - love any medium to dark green ink. Noodler's Zhivago is my favorite ink on earth.
Happy Birthday Brian! That's so great Brian plays saxophone! Worlds collide! My son just graduated with a degree in saxophone performance. So happy to know someone who loves pens AND saxes! Maybe you could use a music nib to write your own compositions ; ) And I'd like the TWSBI Swipe to come in different colorways and materials. I would love a rose gold trimmed TWSBI Swipe. I'd also like more permanent colors in the TWSBI Mini. Glad you kept your job after your hot takes video Drew!
So far, the Golden Beryl has been my favorite Edelstein LE ink. My husband bought me the Lapis, but it’s under the birthday tree (we have a rule that anything bought in the 30 days before birthdays mustn’t be opened until said birthday). I do really like Apatite, Aquamarine, and Adventurine ( pretty much all of the blues and teals), and have an old 1990s Twist loaded with Rose Quartz now. I was using Smoky Quartz as my brown for a long time. It’s such an easy line of inks to deal with, even the shimmers.
Happy Birthday Brian, the Sax 🎷 on the tractor 🚜 was worth the wait!
You guys really didn't let us down. It takes real talent to not just play the sax on a tractor, but to also drive the tractor while doing it? This is a hobby you surely should never give up.
I loved smoky quartz!!!!
Definitely more colors for pens. Drew's Gatorade Rain color way would be great with so many pens. I would love an E95S with silver/dark grey and that purple color. I blame Drew for the E95S purchase, but he was so right about that pen. But Drew never mentions how great that satiny top feels when you write with it.
Oh how great to hear you on this fine Friday
Thanks for joining us! Happy Friday! - Drew
I have some Waterman CF cartridges from probably the 1960s. They are about half full. I opened one up, and topped it up with boiled water. It wrote really well, without any issues. I can't vouch for any other ink, though.
I love this podcast. I like to think I'd love this podcast even if I didn't like pens, because your passion about the subject makes it fascinating and you're both such genuinely nice, kind chaps.
Happy Birthday Brian! Loved it!!
That Opus 88 is cute! And what an awesome sax performance, Brian!
Back with another comment! I think a fun way to do an instrument pen would be to, taking the saxophone for instance, flecks of the brass in a resin with mother of pearl trim or inlay for the keys, and maybe do a cork grip? I guess the whole pen could actually be brass...
Love the pencast, i watch it every week. This one took a turn aftershave 1:41:00. Whiping kinky hose into shape and kumquats. Had to put in my headset so nobody misunderstands.
LOL that's marvelous. - Drew
Another great episode! Kay: get the Vac 700 so the ink is on display so clearly, and thanks for all you do in customer service. Brian, happy 40th birthday! We (the Community) should buy you a 🎂 to celebrate with you. Thanks for showing your sax progress, on a tractor no less!