Editing The Pen Addict 377/transcript (section)

== Topic Shift - Notebooks ==


'''Myke Hurley:''' All right. So, the next question comes from Fip. And Fip asks, Brad, I'd love to know your answer to my question. I think it would make a good RSTPA. I'm a high school teacher, and I bring an A4 letter-sized pad of paper to class to take notes. I want something fountain pen-friendly because I like to use my vanishing point on my Sailor 1911 tangerine. I've been using rhodia pads for a while. I like them, but the glossiness of the paper makes for more smudging in the heat of mid-class note-taking. Is there a similar top staple-bound pad that is fountain pen-friendly, but has less glossiness and therefore a quicker dry time? I'm thinking of something like Apica's or Midori's paper quality. I need this particular format because I keep the pad in an A4 folio that has a slot for a top staple-bound pad.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' That top staple-bound is such a kicker. Yeah, yeah. That's why the Rodeo one's so popular. Like, Life and Midori both make A4-sized pads, but they're all side-bound. Gosh, I don't know that I have a great answer off the top of my head. Something maybe exists. Maybe Life actually might make one. I'd have to dig through their catalog a little bit. It's certainly not the most popular, but I know they do do some top-bound stuff. I'd have to look and see if they do a top-bound A4. That's my only guess off the top of my head just because they already have A4 as a regular size. So that's kind of the way to go.

'''Myke Hurley:''' I'm looking through Japans.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. Morriman also does A4, but it's a landscape size, landscape layout. Like, the spiral is make it on the left-hand side, on the long side, I believe. So we'll have to see. Like, that's an answer I do not know off the top of my head.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Life doesn't seem to make the notebook you're looking for there.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. I'll do a little bit of digging. I'll see if I can come up with something else.

'''Myke Hurley:''' All right. Tiny Messy Kitchen asks, Any idea why my brand-new Micron pen won't work on a legal pad, paper, or printer paper? I've had this issue of all of my pens in my office and can't figure out what is making them dry out.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' That is not something I've ever run across. And then the picture that they included, this is a pen problem. That is not a paper problem. Like, does this happen on multiple pens?

'''Myke Hurley:''' It says all of my pens in my office and can't figure out what's making them dry out.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' I'm looking at this output. Maybe it's the paper. I mean, you just need to... I don't normally have this issue with microns, and I use them religiously. I have never seen any paper look like this where the paper's been the cause. This looks like the pen is the cause on this paper. But unless something... It's got some weird coating and weird finish on this one particular paper. I just think it's probably a pen problem. But if it's all the pens, then I guess we've got to boot that paper. But I have never not had a micron work right out the gate. Now, I've ruined them over time because they're very fragile, but not as far as what the ink flow is or should be.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Could it be an environment problem?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' For the micron, I wouldn't think so. Because the way that plastic tip works, the ink is kind of always present. And I don't know that, say, hot, cold, or humidity would change that. It could change the paper more than the pen. So, you know, that could be a thing. But I don't know. The output on this picture makes it look like a pen problem to me, specifically to that one pen. If it's multiple pens, well, then that could be a paper issue and you just have to try something else. But microns don't normally have an issue like that.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Greg Co3 says, How did you open yourself up to trying different nib sizes on pens? Did you just buy one you thought was interesting and force yourself to use it for a while to see if it grew on you? Or did it just seem to happen? Can I answer this? Yeah, go ahead. So, for me, the majority of experimentation that I've done with different nib sizes is when I find a pen that I really like or a pen brand that I really like, like Sailor, for example. And then I see a model of pen that is very interesting to me, but the nib sizes are limited. And then I'll be like, well, I really like this pen, so I'll try a different nib size because I know I already like this company's nibs. So, I have quite a wide selection. I have a fine pen, medium, broad. I have a medium fine. I have a couple of zoom nibs and a music nib in Sailor pens now because I keep finding pens that I like and the nib sizes might be limited. So, I just give it a go. Try something else.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' So, mine's kind of the same thing in that I bought too many pens to try too many different things. And I've actually gone back to the beginning, it seems like. So, I started out. The only reason I decided I could use a fountain pen was because, you know, enough people told me that I could get the super fine writing that I wanted in a fountain pen. And it turns out you can. So, that led into the exploration of all the sizes. Well, if I like that, maybe I'll like all these other sizes. Turns out I don't really like the middle range of nib sizes like medium and broad and traditional, you know, German nibs.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Those sizes don't really work for me. I like the stub nibs and I like the extra fine and fine and even to medium Japanese nibs. But it did take a little while to figure that out and, you know, too much money spent on things that I didn't really like. So, I tried to mimic my handwriting style in non-fountain pens as best as I could. And the results were that, hey, it is, you know, the extra fines and the stub nibs that work the best for me. But it was just a matter of, like Myke said, you know, you end up really wanting a pen. It's only got a certain nib option. And trying it, most of the time, I regretted that decision. Like, I ended up not liking it. So, I'd sell the pen or get the nib modified. So, you know, it's basically that's how I learned what I liked. But it was through trial and error and forcing myself to use things and then realizing that my handwriting doesn't look as good with certain nib types. And then eliminating them from my collection. So, you know, I don't know if that's a great answer to your question. But, yeah, it's basically through trial and error and dollars, unfortunately.

'''Myke Hurley:''' All right. The next question comes from Even Supposing. Once the Kickstarter gets fulfilled and you get more set up, do you think you'll bring the spoke pen to the pen show circuit? I'd love to be able to see one and pick one up in person. And also, when are you going to make a spoke fountain pen?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' So, we got to get through this project first. So, quick update. Brian put out on Monday. We're still having, like, manufacturing ups and downs. So, we're getting there. Hopefully, you know, we can get this thing wrapped up in the next few weeks or maybe month or so. But we're close to getting it wrapped up. And we cannot wait because so many people are on the list to get these pens. We've been happy with the results. And just, you know, I know the people who are waiting are just super frustrated while everyone's enjoying their awesome spoke pen. So, we'll get there. We're almost there.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Oh, what? You mean like this?

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Wonderful. Wonderful.

'''Myke Hurley:''' One of mine has joined my permanent, like, travel kit. So, I have the original Sapello, the blue label one. Oh, wow. Remember that guy?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' That's super rare. Yeah.

'''Myke Hurley:''' That is, like, that was the first ever show special I think you did. That was years ago at Atlanta. Yep. Yep. I have that. And I have the, this is cool. I have the Pen Addict Retro 51. Nice. Pen Addict Sharpie. And my orange spoke pen. Yeah. With a couple of field notes.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. You need to take a picture of this. Is this, have you? You may have already. I haven't seen it.

'''Myke Hurley:''' I haven't. I haven't.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' But I'll do that. So, to answer the question, when I got back from San Francisco, Brian's question to me was, do you think spoke pen would do good if we took it to a pen show? And I think my answer was yes to specific pen shows. Like, San Francisco would be a good show. So, it's a definite maybe. Like, certainly no plans right now. That's getting way ahead of ourselves. I could see it being an option down the line sometime. And when are you going to make a spoke fountain pen? We got to get through this first. And then we have at least two other things in the hopper that we're going to try to bring to fruition before we get to a fountain pen. And that's a whole different level of, what's the word, maintenance that I don't know that we're ready for yet. There's a lot that goes into just stocking and inventorying fountain pen parts and not to mention making a good one that I think would be a good for the market. So, that's less likely than us showing up at a pen show with spoke pens and stuff to sell. But not impossible. We have designs all the time, but we have other designs that we want to do before we even think about doing a fountain pen.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Interesting. So, you mean different designs of possibly gel ink pens?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. Yeah. And other things.