Great channel for people like me who love fountain pens as there is always new news and knowledge about fountain pens.i appreciate the efforts you put in your videos to share information and knowledge about fountain pens.Thank you.
Hi Tom, my question is when will you give us another factory tour...I don't know how many times I have watched your Lamy and Pelikan factory tours...I think it's time to head to Japan for part 2.
Big congrats on 100K! 🎉 My question for next week's show is, does the color of an ink have anything to do with how they flow on the paper? I've noticed many of my blues tend to be wetter, but some purples and oranges seem a bit more dry in my nib.
Yes, congrats to winner of that fab custom Crossflex and wanted to comment on your last JOYful post... so fun! My Q to U (hopefully LMZ worthy): there is lots of info about cleaning the nib, feed and filling parts of fountain pens, but what about our pen bodies? I know this will vary, but in general what is safe on acrylic, metallic / modern Maki-e and other popular finishes on somewhat pricey pens? Like our digital devices, everything needs germ removal. thanks and as always, write on 🖋
Congratulations!!!! I love your videos and it was the majority of the videos I watched when starting my obsession with fountain pens back in 2022! Which pen ignited your love for fountain pens? And do you still have said fountain pen?
Hi Tom, my question of the week is… what inks remind you most of weather? For me, Robert Oster Thunderstorm would be up there at the top of my list as the colour fits the name perfectly. Excited to hear your thoughts!
What features of pens/stationary/ink keep you excited and motivated about this wonderful hobby, through 100k subscribers and beyond? What is happening in the pen and ink world that you are super excited about for 2024?
Some of the pen crafters at my local pen group were talking about custom resins, particularly those made by Mr. Brooks. How does someone ( not me) learn how to make these? Are there companies that make the bases for pen resins, like the companies that distribute pen kits? What equipment is needed to create the rods or other forms? Can substances like old bowling balls or glass slag be cut into smaller pieces for drilling out to make pens? And when a penmaker collaborates with a seller for exclusive editions of pens, to what extent can you ask for particular colors and additives in the resin? Thanks for the cool, fun videos.
This question is best asked to the pen resin makers like Jonathon. I know that many makers use alumilite as the base liquid resin, but I'm not sure about anything else after that.
Thanks for the videos Tom! Ever thought of a collaboration with a smaller pen maker? I recently had a custom pen built with Tailored Pen Co using a Johnathan Brooks Earth Magic 2.0. True artists
I don't have a large personal collection, so I can generally recall which pens are best suited for particular types of inks. For example, I tend to put shimmer inks in my Kaweco Sport, B nib or my Lamy Safari in a 1.1mm stub.
Tell us more about the production team that does your videos? Who else on the Goldspot team helps with shooting? Editing? Or are you one-man-band Tom? Thanks for the great content and the great pens!
Great video and congrats on 100k! My question concerns your personal journaling habits. Are you a daily writer or sporadic? Print or cursive? Plain text or adorned with stickers and washi tape? Its interesting to see what other people's habits are. All the best!
Do you keep a log of pen attributes to, for instance, know which ones stay well sealed & can handle permanent or shimmer inks without drying up and clogging, or do you just have a better memory than me? I feel like I should keep some sort of pen reference/log so I know what I have for different circumstances. So, I could pair dry writers with wetter ink, etc.
I have been watching for awhile and find it very entertaining and informative. My question is what pen and ink would you recommend for pre-teens who are starting to learn to write in cursive?
Clips are often overlooked, as long as they are serviceable, but Leonardo is well known for their roller clips. What are some of your favorite other clip innovations that make the pens a joy to carry around, even if it doesn't really impact the writing experience?
Great video! I LOVE the look/function of the Esterbrook Estie Raven 🖤🐦 My question is about my ever-growing collection of fountain pens... If I am not using a few of my pens on a consistent basis, should I completely empty them and clean them out? How long can/should ink sit in a pen if it's not being used that often?
If you aren't planning on using a particular pen for longer than 2 weeks, then I would empty it out and clean it completely. Even if the nib is sealed in the cap, ink will evaporate over time and cause flow issues when you try to write with it again.
Great videos! How often do you recommend emptying out your ink in the demonstrators to prevent any type of staining? Is there a list of know inks that stain your pens?
Who comes up with the designs for the collaborations with Leonardo or any collaboration that you guys do with pen manufacturers? How long does it take start to finish? In love with your newest Leonardo Collab! Thanks Goldspot!
Congrats to johan that looks like an amazing beautiful pen. Just getting into fountain pens so my question is, what are some of the characteristics of German, Japanese, Italian, Chinese, and USA manufacturers of fountain pens? If you blind tested a pen from each country/region would you be able to tell which country/region it was from? 🤔Cheers glad to see you guys are based in NJ I guess that means short shipping time for me since I’m in NYC. 🎉
As I asked in a previous video, I would love to hear your opinion on this one. What would be your go to pen for a kid that has a safe age to use a fountain pen, and how would you encourage his love for writing instruments to keep him close to books and handwriting and a bit away from screens? Would love to here from you!
Do you have any stub nib recommendations for someone who wants to get into practicing calligraphy? Right now I just use a medium nib for journaling. In my middle school art class I remember using a dip pen with a flex nib and I loved the result, but in retrospect I think we were jumping in at the deep end!
It sounds like you have a lot of exciting things in store for 2024! I'm not interested in expensive color changes, so what is the advantage of exclusives to me as the consumer?
Great video. If you could have any pen body with any nib and nib size, what would you come up with? I would go with something like a Namiki Emperor with a Sumo wrestler maki e design, with a Jowo no 5 nib, just because the ridiculously small nib would get attention from people.
all the pens are soooo nice this round. The Benu are great pens. I do have a question. On the Sailor Ebonite king of pen, are the nibs flexible or pretty stiff? There seem to be different versions of the ebonite with different nibs? can you explain the differences of the nibs on the sailor ebonite king of pen please. Thank you.
Another great video. As far as a question goes... What are your favorite pen and ink combinations for late winter / early spring? I'm especially interested in items released in the last year.
I love that new Opus 88! The new Leonardo unfortunately sold out before I could place that order, but I won't make the same mistake with the Opus 88. What are your Top 5 most important lessons learnt in your fountain pen journey, or Top 5 best pieces of advice for other people in this hobby?
Thanks, Tom! Here's a question: As I get further along in my fountain pen journey, I find that I am purchasing more and more expensive pens. At what point do you think it is worthwhile to insure a pen collection? I rent, so homeowner's insurance might not cover any theft or damage. Thanks!
If you rely on the value of your pen collection as a significant part of your net worth, then I'd insure it. You could get a separate renter's insurance policy, which will cover possessions in your dwelling. You'll have to gauge if it's worth it, being that the deductible of the policy might be more than the value of the pens.
Under what conditions is it appropriate to use and ultrasonic cleaner? Follow up question ... could you provide a demonstration? I'm hesitant to take the plunge; but, I know that some pens really need it. Thanks!
Are there ink additives out there that reduce the clogging issue of shimmer inks? I've been adding my own micca powder to some of my favorite inks as it's difficult to always justify an entirely new bottle when I just want to mess around.
Hi Tom, I do have a question to be answered. It is often as such that vintage pens are sought after for their soft and flexible nibs. How come in this modern day and age of manufacturing the modern flex nibs either are “not so flexible” or are extremely expensive? It makes no sense to me?
Hey Tom, you asked us who we would want to see a collaboration with. What about you? Who would you love to collaborate with, whom you haven't yet collaborated with before?
Great video, what specialty grind nib would you recommend for someone who wants to branch out from “standard” round nibs? Stubs are easy to find, but what else is out there?
I just subscribed to your channel. I have about 30 fountain pens, 25.00 up to 1000.00. I'm old school and I just would like to know about these shimmering inks and inks laden with metallic sheen. Are these inks hard to clean from your pens? Are they recommend for certain types of pens and nibs? Just curious. Im glad I watched your video.
As a fountain pen newbie how long is it considered “safe” to leave ink in a fountain pen? I only have 6 fountain pens currently and are using them all regularly. Thanks!
I'm a recent subscriber and have really enjoyed all of your videos so keep them coming! My question is how many pens do you keep inked at a time? And how do you decide what pen or pens to use? My collection is getting ridiculous (in a good way) but I'd love to know strategies you have used to decide how many pens you keep ready to go and how you go about choosing which one to use. (I just placed an order with Goldspot today so I guess my collection is going to grow yet again)
All your new introductions here are interesting! Here's my question: Why do the numbers 88 or 188 feature so prominently in pen marketing? You featured Opus 88 here, it's in the name. Many other manufacturers use "88" in model names or issue limited editions of 88 or 188 units. These numbers are clearly being used intentionally.
Thank you for the video, Tom! Recently I had a conversation with another penaficiando. Our discussion centered around "Why do people feel the need to match pens and ink colors? Doesn't that limit what you can do with that pen?" What are your thoughts, Tom?
Admittedly, I'm one of those people who love matching ink colors with pens. It's a weird hangup of mine. I can't help it, especially when there are so many ink colors that are available that could match nearly exactly to the same color of your pen.
What pens do you sell that are available with an architect grind? That nib is sooooo hard to find on a nib unless you send it to a nib Meister. What pens can we buy that already has an architect nib on it??
Nice episode Question what is the smoothest notebook paper for fountain pen, the reason for my question is that this Christmas I was given a Leuchtturm 1917 120 g notebook and to be trustful is not as smooth as my Tul notebook from Office Depot I was disappointed because it was supposed to be one of the best notebooks for fountain pen. Thanks any advise will be apreciated
Hi Tom, my question is - when can I throw away my pen? I seem to keep dropping them and duck taping back together. Can’t muster to part with any of my pens.
This is a tough one. If it would be too costly to repair or replace the part in question, then I would consider selling (or giving away) my pen for parts. You never know - there's probably someone just like you that has a broke pen part that could use a replacement and is willing to buy your broken pen for parts.
Are there any pens, pen accessories, or inks that you feel are under-rated, and that more people need to be talking about them? For me it is the Lamy Cursive Nib. I love this nib, and have put it on almost all of my Lamy pens. It offers a very unique writing experience, and I feel my handwriting looks more uniform and neat than it does when I write with any other nib. I've never heard anyone talking about this, and it is somethingi just sort of stumbled upon. What other gems are out there that I might be missing?
I share some underrated pens here - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE--HFW5sHBwcI.html Plus, some accessories you never knew you needed here - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Oey7adAWOy4.html