Monthly Archive: March 2015

Eberhard-Faber Mongol #1

Vintage Pencil Review: Eberhard Faber Mongol #1

Way back in 1889, at the Paris World Fair, an Austrian company introduced their Koh-i-noor Hardtmuth woodcased pencils. Painted yellow in honor of the Austrian royalty, the Koh-i-noor became a wildly popular pencil, setting...

Lamy Safari

Fountain Pen Review: Lamy Safari

Let me cut straight to the chase here: I DESPISE THIS PEN. After buying my second Pilot Metropolitan, I thought I’d check out the OTHER “budget” pen everyone raves about the Lamy Safari. To...

Cross Helios fountain pen on Rhodia dot grid pad

Tools Do Matter

I recently came across a post by Paul Jarvis called “Tools Don’t Matter“. Jarvis’ contention is that creativity and productivity stem from the skills and talents of the creator, not from the tools he...

Pilot Metropolitans

Fountain Pen Review: Pilot Metropolitan

I have had several fountain pens in my lifetime — a cheap schoolkids’ pen I bought in France, a Yafa pen from Office Depot, a handful of disposable Varsity pens from big box stores,...

Palomino Blackwing Pearl

Pencil Review: The Palomino Blackwing Pearl

Palomino’s Blackwing line has made a name for itself as a worthy inheritor of the Blackwing name. With their gorgeous finishes, iconic ferrules and replaceable erasers, and ultra-smooth dark leads, the line has earned...

Van Dyke Typewriter Eraser

A New Start

Five years ago, I left the world of freelance writing for a career in museum work. Although I still write (and often!) the nature of the work is such that I need fairly few...