February Inks

(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)

What started out as an innocent “How many pens do you have inked” question in a group chat, ended up with me suggesting that someone ink up 14 pens with red/pink inks for Valentine’s Day since they were going to be out of town for the first 14 days of February. Of course, it took minimal encouragement for me to consider doing this myself, so here we are!

First, I had to pick the pens. Thankfully, I already had some inked up! Yes, I’ll admit it’s sorta cheating, lol.

Left to right: Kaweco Sport Carmine; Pelikan Pura P40 Bordeaux; Leonardo Momento Zero Coral; Esterbrook Estie Maraschino; Pelikan M600 Red Tortoiseshell; Platinum 3776 Carnelian; TWSBI 580 AL Pink; TWSBI Eco Pink; Franklin-Christoph 19 Pink/Silver/White proto; Kaweco Sport Blush Pitaya; Retro 51 Sprinkle Ops; Visconti Van Gogh Souvenir de Mauve; TWSBI Eco Pastel Pink.

I used my trusty steel Kakimori dip nib for the swatches and writing samples in the A5 Odyssey Tomoe River notebook.

This Galen Leather exclusive Kaweco Sport Carmine will probably never see another ink besides its namesake, made by Robert Oster.

I’ve had this Pelikan Pura Bordeaux inked up since last year’s Pelikan Hub. It’s inked up with an oldie, but goodie, Diamine Red Dragon.

Leonardo Momento Zero Coral, which is definitely red and not remotely coral, with Robert Oster Red Candy, which is a little lighter in the swatch than irl.

Esterbrook Estie Maraschino looks really good with Monteverde Viva Magenta, which is a bright red and definitely not magenta.

Another one from the Pelikan Hub, the M600 Red Tortoiseshell’s orange/black/red barrel needs a slightly orange leaning red, like Laban Ares Red.

This Platinum 3776 Carnelian looks great with Wearingeul’s Anne of Green Gables, which has a greenish gold sheen with wetter pens.

I haven’t busted this one out in a long time - the TWSBI 580 AL Pink (not to be confused with the ALR Punch Pink). It’s more red than pink, but definitely more pink than red. And that describes both the 580 and the Diamine Cashmere Rose ink.

TWSBI Eco Pink, which is a bright, almost neon, pink - perfect for a bright pink like Akkerman x GourmetPens’ GourmetPens Pink.

One of the weirder inks I own, the Tono & Lims Burma Tourmaline goes down grey, almost green, but it dries in shades of pink and grey.. It goes surprisingly well with the Franklin-Christoph 19 in a pink/white/silver prototype material.

This bubblegum pink Kaweco Sport Blush Pitaya looks great with Inkebara Fairytale Pink.

The Visconti Van Gogh Souvenir du Mauve is pink, not mauve (which has more purple/grey undertones), and its namesake ink is more of a magenta, but Sailor Jentle Peche works well with the darker pink swirls in the material.

The last time I inked up this Retro 51 Sprinkle Ops pen, I put the above Inkebara Fairytale Pink ink in it, but I think it would look good with Wearingeul The Flowers on the Way even if it’s not the best match. It’s also showing up a bit more red in the picture.

Wearingeul x Atlas Stationers Twelfth Night is a great match for the TWSBI Eco Pastel Pink.

All the inks in the lineup (and wishing I put the Burma Tourmaline at the bottom).

After going through the exercise of picking the pens and matching inks, I definitely did NOT ink up everything. I’m nuts, but not that nuts! The Pura, Leonardo, Pelikan, and Platinum were already inked, but I just couldn’t refuse inking up a few more! It’s not inking up 14 red/pink pens, but it’ll have to do!

The final list: Kaweco Sport with Robert Oster Carmine, Pelikan Pura with Diamine Red Dragon, Leonardo Momento Zero with Robert Oster Red Candy, Pelikan M600 Red Tortoishell with Laban Ares Red, Platinum 3776 Carnelian with Wearingeul Anne of Green Gables, TWSBI 580 AL Pink with Diamine Cashmere Rose, TWSBI Eco Pink with Akkerman GourmetPens Pink, and Franklin-Christoph 19 pink/silver/white with Tono & Lims Burma Tourmaline.

Whether you celebrate Valentine’s, Galentine’s, Pal-entine’s, Lunar New Year, or you just wanted to see some red and pink inks, I hope you have a great February (and beyond)!

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The Pen Addict Podcast: Episode 702 - Still Sweet, Just With Edge

The new Blackwing Pen.

LAMY Limited Edition season is here! It’s one of my favorite times of the year, and #TeamAL-Star is off to an admittedly hot start. Even Myke gets in on the action - live during the show! I also share my thoughts on the new Blackwing Pen, attempt to figure out what Omas is doing, and decide which Bestie we are.

Show Notes & Download Links

This episode of The Pen Addict is sponsored by:

Factor: Healthy, fully-prepared food delivered to your door. Use code penaddict50off

Enigma Stationery: Unique items, top brands and hard-to-find imports. Get $10 off.

Caran d'Ache 849 Germanier Ballpoint Pen Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Bluesky. And her latest book, The Atropine Tree, is now available!)

Having lived in Switzerland, I have a soft spot in my heart for Caran d'Ache. As a Swiss brand, it dominated the stationery store, and I had no complaints about it. I've admired their special editions a lot--they're all gorgeous--so I was very excited to try out this lovely 849 Germanier Ballpoint.

The pen comes in an aluminum presentation box with the colorful pearl pattern on it. The box has a hinged lid and the pen sits in a cardstock cubby inside. The pen itself is also aluminum. It is an eye-searing neon green color decorated all over with the signature pearl design of Swiss fashion designer Kevin Germanier. The collaboration has a number of exciting designs (designer-bedazzled pencil sharpener, anyone? Um, yes), with this ballpoint as one of the more accessible features.

The lilac pearls on the bright green background highlight the blend of natural and futuristic elements in Germanier's aesthetic. The overall effect, for me, reminds me of eco-horror science fiction like Jeff Vandermeer's Area X series, which is one of my all-time favorite reads. It's like space lichen. I mean that in the most complimentary way.

As an art object, it's fantastic. As a pen, it's decent. The body has the hexagonal shape of all Caran d'Ache pens, with its angular metal clip and silent click-nock. The refill is the medium black Goliath cartridge. It writes like a typical ballpoint. The ink is not a deep black, but the charcoal grey of most ballpoint black inks. It also does that glob-smudge thing when the ball shifts directions. The globs have a tendency to smear. But the ballpoint ink writes on darn near everything and never bleeds, so it's perfect for coated papers like receipts or sticky notes, or on thin or fibrous papers that would be incompatible with liquid inks.

While the writing experience runs more practical than fun, the pen design is way more fun than practical. It's a good balance, in the end. The Caran d'Ache 849 Germanier Ballpoint pen sells for $70 at Dromgoole's, which is more than twice what the standard Caran d'Ache 849 ballpoints cost. That's a pretty steep premium for the limited edition, even if it is a fabulous design. It's definitely eye-catching. I've had it clipped to my shirt collar at work, and it gets lots of comments! It's a great design on a good pen, though it is a bit overpriced. The blinged-out pencil sharpener doesn't even have a price listed on it. It's priceless.

(This product was purchased from Dromgoole’s at regular price.)

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Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!