I never had a specific interest in vintage pens until I went to the Colorado Pen Show last year. (Here, I'm loosely defining vintage pens as any model that is no longer in production, mainly from the 20th century.) I had acquired a few here and there before then, but I didn't truly understand the sheer range and appeal of these pens until I saw tables and tables full of them in person. There was the usual garage sale thrill of finding cool old things, as any secondhand enthusiast would know, and I really enjoyed listening to people ramble about the pens they were selling.

I have a particular interest in pens from the 70s-90s because they usually feature cartridge/converter filling systems, which are less fragile and picky about ink than pens with built-in filling systems, but I've become increasingly interested in lever fillers because you can find a lot of interesting flex nibs in those pens. In any case, I've found that older pen nibs have a certain character to them that modern mass-produced nibs usually don't.

This is an excessively deep look at the vintage pens I have at the moment.

I love making book covers out of things that otherwise would have ended up in the trash, so I couldn't pass on one of these handmade book-sketchbooks from Arsenik Press. I don't have the time or energy to bind a new sketchbook right now, so I was happy to buy this one because it's still handmade and (importantly) it looks cool.

I love the ridiculousness of 80s book covers: the typography, the painting style, the corny catchphrases, the whole thing. The jacket synopsis is as follows:

Deep beneath the city streets lurks a creature hideous beyond description, powerful beyond imagining, a creature so dangerous that it can destroy its victims by the virulence of its thoughts.

The emanations of its computer-like brain invade every sanctuary, searching for those it would destroy. It is remorseless, cunning and inhuman. The pitiful human weaklings it has chosen as prey shudder with terror and disgust, but there is no escape from the ultimate torture that is far worse than death, unless...

I stole the idea to draw/paint an overview of my current favorite supplies on the first page from Apple Pine. I always struggle with what to put on the first page of a sketchbook, so I like this exercise. There's no pressure to make a masterpiece, and it helps give the sketchbook... context? I guess? My previous big sketchbook was a little more clinical because I was still relearning how to use one, but I'm hoping future books will be a bit more diary-esque.

My current supply rotation includes some stuff that I haven't found the time to talk about yet, so I'll merge that into this post while it's relevant.

I've been enamored with Rubato Pens for a while now and finally took the plunge on commissioning a pen a few weeks ago. And now it is here!

Rubato is operated by one woman, Emi, who makes fountain pens, nib holders, and other trinkets. Her pens are made of resin with decorative inclusions that give them a distinctive look (plants, glitter, charms). They're beautiful little art pieces in of themselves, but I was primarily drawn to their functionality. They take dip nibs!

I like Platinum pens. I have a few, and they've all been great and reliable and I use them very frequently. The affordability is a huge plus (Platinum's budget pens all clock in at under 20 USD), but if you're looking to burn a little more money, there's the Platinum 3776 Century, a pen that retails in the US for around $200.

I had my eye on the 3776 because they can come fitted with a soft fine nib, which has been described as "springy" by multiple people. What does a pen have to do to be called springy? I had to know. I was hoping to buy one in person because I loathe online shopping, but my local art store didn't have the green color... and I needed that green. I reluctantly ordered it online, and here we are!