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Indeed, it seems to be hard to get outside Europe. The irony is in the fact that you can't buy it in dedicated office stores but in the food supermarket. There it is among the cheapest and, for pen and ink, among the best you can get. This one is the loose sheet 80 gsm paper which is OK-ish, but not great any more. Somewhen during 2023 the composition was changed. If you are lucky and can get one of the old batches, it will be excellent paper. The new is below average. Something similar happened with the formerly excellent Staufen Post, which is now in the range of toilet paper. 👎 Another one is the also discontinued Neusiedler Japan Post 80 gsm, which was available until about 2-3 years ago, but is discontinued as well. 😪 If you find some NOS, buy immediately. This one is the good Kyome (the link points to the blanc, it is also available lined or with square grid). The Brunnen letter pad is another very good paper. If you can live with heavy paper in the range of 90 to 100 gsm, the already mentioned Gohrsmühle paper in loose leafs (Amazon) or Fritz Schimpf letter pad are a strong recommendation. The 80 gsm Rhodia paper is a good choice, but is in its quality a tiny bit below Gohrmühle and Fritz Schimpf. Surprise of 2024 is the Faber Colori pad 70 gsm, which is darn cheap and has surprisingly good compatibility with pen and ink. It makes a bit thinner ink lines (ink repellent?) but is a shading master, similar to the 70 gsm Kyome!

Watermans Hundred Year Pen in maroon and amber transparent end. Akkerman ink. Medium nib

Cool idea and reuse of an item @txomsy

In fact in the box and papers pictured is readable "made in Germany".

got wind of

and the vampires

Missed this earlier on. Some of us have no sense (me for example). I have two custom Ebonite Ranga Majestics. One with a Bock Ti #8, and the other with an MB 149 14k nib -FNF housing.

Thanks for your answers. I had not heard of titanium nitride, it certainly is a good imitation.

Thank you. Didn't watch the 13 minute videos. To solve this long known inconvenience, which is not peculiar to #8 nibs, I use sample vials.

Then, my guess is that for normal, healthy ink, it should suffice with good hygiene. Nothing fancy unless one lives in a nasty location. I still keep bottles I opened 30 years ago containing clean ink. You can guess that some inks I do not use much. What I do: I just keep them in their box in a drawer (not exposed to light), open only to fill the pen (I always use converter or piston pens), introduce the pen tip, fill, take pen out, put pen on a rag (to avoid staining the table) and close the bottle and put it back to storage. Then use the rag to wipe the pen section of ink to avoid staining my fingers (which I invariably stain anyway). I follow that order for I know my careless self and am always terrified I will hit the bottle and spill all its contents over the table if I do not close it immediately. But not because of any specific hygienic reason. Pens... I clean them before switching inks, not every time I fill, with running tap water (good tap water here), and wipe them out if dirty before filling. Nothing fancy. Normal inks have enough biocides to last a long (very long) time unless highly contaminated. At leas that has been my experience so far. Occasionally, for very old bottles, I put some silicon grease on the lid or bottle mouth rubbing with a finger because dried ink can be a problem to open them in the future and I prefer to close them tight to avoid evaporation (ten years ago I had a bottle of black Cross ink -from the '80s- go so thick that it had trouble to run on some pens). So, I do not worry that much as you can see. Yet, my somewhat old Sheaffer, Parker Quink and Penman Ruby, MB Burgundy and some forgotten UK brand bottles first opened 30 years ago are still in working condition. YMMV though: if there is high humidity, light and warmth, there could be a high level of fungi, bacteria and spores floating in the air and contamination might be easier. One should notice that though: stained walls, respiratory diseases, foul smells, etc... tend to (not necessarily) go hand in hand with high spore content, independently of ink.

Platinum teal short long with a soft 14k EF nib, inked with the eponymous blue black on it’s maiden voyage. Schneider BK406 EF, inked with Diamine Jet Black. Osmiroid B4 inked with Diamine Gold Star. Platignum Gold Nib Cartridge “M.”

Not by far as nice. Anyhow, I'm a bit overwhelmed now, and at work. Will have a look when back home this afternoon to see if I keep something or can produce anything... would hate to lose this thread.

Added: just had a look. It seems to be available on several Amazon stores, among them US, e.g. https://www.amazon.com/-/es/4054153964593/dp/B00MA95R9S https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.amazon.de/-/en/741163/dp/B00UL2LS7G&ved=2ahUKEwis5I_xzteFAxWoTaQEHfQOAJoQFnoECBoQAQ&usg=AOvVaw1imz3ZXOWYoQtF1jobEZKJ Don't know if that's the same though...

@marlinspike Could you elaborate? (I have been reading this entire thread from its inception over the weeks as posts were created, but I do not remember mention of flaws, of design or manufacturing, so forgive me for being lazy and asking you to possibly repeat yours or another’s points instead of rereading the thread.)

Good to know about that Kyome paper. Thanks for the tip, I'll be on the lookout for it in case it is also available around here.

Speaking of pouches, I stumbled upon a leather football (soccer) themed cigarette pouch last week-end that has a size perfect for carrying several Kaweco Sport (or Liliput) pens on a pocket. Yeah, they'd be in contact and rattling against each other, but, as mine are Stonewashed, Brass or Copper, I do think that would not harm, but rather add to them I prefer to carry them in a pouch 'cos otherwise they tend to lean horizontal, which is a PITA, and this way I can take several with various inks.

@penwarrior32 Thank you for your informed perspective. Your intention to collect a full card suit is inspiring.

Hello and welcome to FPN.

Hello and welcome to FPN.

Hello and welcome to FPN.

Hello and welcome to FPN.

Hello and welcome to FPN.

Hello and welcome to FPN.

Hello and welcome to FPN.

Hello and welcome to FPN.