Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “How To”
Writing letters can be one of the most enjoyable and rewarding ways to use a fountain pen. It gives you a chance to choose a pen, ink and paper that highlights your personal preferences and write something that someone else gets to enjoy. The first time you sit down to write to someone new can be a little daunting, though. …
If you’ve ever tried to photograph your fountain pen nib using a macro lens, you’re probably aware of how frustrating it can be trying to get everything in focus. It seems like no matter what you do, a small part of the nib is in focus, while a big part of the nib is out of focus. Unfortunately, due to …
Fountain pen blotting paper can be very useful, especially if you enjoy using inks or papers that have higher dry times. What is blotting paper? Essentially, it is a highly-absorbent paper that can be used to soak up excess ink on the surface of your paper. If you’ve never used blotting paper or don’t know anything about it, there are …
From time to time, you might see Rakuten Global Market mentioned as a place where you can get great deals on fountain pens or find pens that aren’t normally available in the United States. Indeed, Rakuten has a huge, almost overwhelming, selection of fountain pens and supplies. If it’s your first time visiting the site, there’s no doubt you’ll be …
Writing with fountain pens can give your written words a lot of character. Some properties of fountain pen inks can give them even more character. In this post I want to discuss shading and suggest a few ways that you can get better shading from your fountain pen inks. What Is Fountain Pen Ink Shading? If you’re not clear on …
One of the most important aspects of using fountain pens is cleaning them. With regular and proper cleaning, your fountain pens should last for a very long time without any issues. Without regular and proper cleaning, you will likely experience skipping, ink flow issues and possibly even mold. If you’re new to the world of fountain pens, in this article …
Look through photos on social media platforms like Instagram and it won’t take long before you see the popularity of ink splat photos. There’s a good reason ink splats are so popular. They can show off all of the properties of ink, from shading to sheen, and usually represent the different colors you can expect to get from a given …
If you enjoy using fountain pens, there’s a chance you also enjoy photographing and sharing photos of them. In this series of articles, I want to share some tips on how to photograph a fountain pen so that you can get the best images possible, regardless of what type of camera you use. Before you start taking photos, you’ll need …
If you enjoy using fountain pens, there’s a chance you also enjoy photographing and sharing photos of them. In this series of articles, I want to share some tips on how to photograph a fountain pen so that you can get the best images possible, regardless of what type of camera you use. In this article, I’m going to focus …
A few weeks ago I moved from San Francisco to Denver. While this can explain my lack of recent posts, it also gave me a good opportunity for a new post! How do you move an entire collection of fountain pens and ink across the country? Having done it a few times, I’ve learned a few things and will share …