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The legend of the Blackwing exceeds the reputation of any other pencil. Its exceptional balance of softness, darkness, and sharpness, set off by an elegant ferrule and replaceable eraser, makes it instantly recognizable and highly addictive. Celebrated authors, musicians, and artists declared that they could not work without the original Blackwing after it was discontinued in 1998. The revived family of Blackwing pencils and companion products... read more
‘Your first?’ regular readers of my blog will ask in a surprised fashion – yes! While I regularly completely disassemble, clean and polish pens, I only bought the parts to repair some three days ago. Once the sacs and shellac that I needed had arrived (yesterday, as Vintage Pen Parts were startlingly efficient) I immediately […] read more
Artists, students, writers, and designers alike rely on wooden pencils for their work. Varying lead grades, smooth graphite cores, and erasability are just some of the reasons why people go back to wooden pencils again and again. Plus, who can resist the earthy smell of freshly sharpened wood? Follow along as we explore the world of wooden pencils and all that they offer for the discerning... read more
Tomoe River notebooks are omnipresent these days, offered by various brands in many different styles. With good reason of course, as everyone wants a piece of the Japanese wonder paper to get the absolute best out of their fountain pens! Turkish stationery and leather goods company, Galen Leather, jumped on the Tomoe River wagon quite a while ago with their collection of 'Everyday Books': a selection of thin softcover... read more
My ongoing work as a physician on the front lines of this pandemic and the demands that the most recent COVID-19 surge placed upon me sapped my will, leaving me with precious little time and even less energy for other tasks. Now that we are at the tail end of the Omicron variant’s destructive toll, […] read more
Jackdaws are the poor relations of Swans, the school pen of the Mabie Todd range. Both the nibs and the plating are thin. There was a period during the late thirties when they shared the colourful patterns of the Visofil but mostly they were rather plain pens. This Jackdaw is a basic model but has […] read more
