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Hi, I usually like to always have a pen on my person when I go out, run errands, or whatever and I usually keep a pen or two or on occasion even three clipped to my shirt neckline. I was just wondering what the most amount that y'all do.

A simple topic about THE pencil: BLACKWING 602 Eberhard Faber. I managed to fit some original Blackwings in a Traveler's Notebook (this is a passport size) setup. I inserted a Blackwing 602 (in this case a BW of the 7th type, following the lineage suggested by the late Sean Malone on his website Blackwingpages) stub in the Traveler's Company brass bullet pencil. This was planned to record news, history, facts, users and market prices about the magic 602... In this way the Blackwing history, already analyzed and reported by Sean, is recorded and further enlarged and (I hope) studied in deep, following news, documents and images found on the web, papers, magazines (even vintage), catalogs and books. Rarities, images surfaced on the web, and sale prices are also recorded. I plan to then publish a pdf here, on fountainpennetwork (in the present forum, of course), when a final version will be ready. Any contribution is welcome

Hi all, Relatively new here.... Anyway, I have a few magic pencils which I assume are Victorian Era. For 2 of them, the sliding mechanism is stuck, meaning, the part you move up and down to produce the pencil won't move. I was hoping for some tips on repair for these, I've tried the normal ways, heat, oil and nothing seems to work, they are just stuck. Any help with this issue is greatly appreciated. Bret Battaglia

For those who are interested in the history of fountain pens, you are undoubtedly familiar with The American Stationer. This was the major trade publication for the stationery and fancy goods trade from the 1870's through the 1920's. The amount of information from the articles and advertisements is invaluable to researchers and the merely curious. For a while we had some big gaps, and some important ones. Recently we saw the critical 1900-1901 issues digitized, but there are still about a dozen missing volumes. (after 1880, all years were bound into two volumes, one for Jan-Jun, one for July-Dec). I was recently able to get a bound copy of one of these missing volumes, vol. 70, from the second half of 1911. I'm in the process of exploring options for getting it scanned and OCR's so that it can be added to the list of online versions of this critical resource. I received the volume in the mail yesterday all the way from Germany. Yes, it was in Germany. It's in great condition. I took a few quick snapshots with my iPhone on my dining room table last night to send to a possible collaborator and the images are so fun I couldn't resist sharing them with y'all. These aren't great scans, but they give you an idea of what the ads are like. The real surprise were the color inserts. I've found three so far: one for Hardtmuth pencils, one for Hardtmuth tracing paper and one for Waterman pens. These are gorgeous, full-page ads. The Hardtmuth pencil one in particular has a ton of color and even shiny silver highlights. Anyway, here are a few ads from 1911.

What are the best mechanical pencils under $50? I want them to look and write nice simultaneously. Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

New York Times Magazine article about inside one of the last pencil factories in the U.S.: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/12/magazine/inside-one-of-americas-last-pencil-factories.html

Interesting article in the Sun Sentinel newspaper about the future of pencils in the digital age as seen by the Italian owners of Dixon Ticonderoga pencils and art supplies. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/os-bz-dixon-art-supplies-20170802-story.html Bob

A couple of weeks ago, I posted on the forums saying that I was going to NYC for work but had a few extra hours to wander about, and asked if anyone had any suggestions about where I should go. Thanks to everyone who gave me advice! One of the places I visited was CW Pencils on 100 Forsyth St. ( https://cwpencils.com ). It's a tiny shop but WOW, does it have a lot of different pencils! I asked the clerk for advice and she put out a bunch of sample pencils for me to try as well as a test notebook. I ended up buying a lot of pencils I can't wait to start sketching with. My pencils at home are horrible and scratchy and I am going give them away as soon as I can.

Blackwing Palomino “Volumes” John Steinbeck Limited Edition 24. Appearance: The packaging on this John Steinbeck Edition is very simple and elegant. Basically the same as the regular 602’s, but with the simple edition of a slip of onionskin detailing the concept behind this limited edition. Lead: I find the lead on these is lighter and harder than on the regular Blackwing Palomino Pencils I have (Blackwing Pearl White 602), which I find to be very soft and closer to charcoal. So much so that I think they are not so useful as a pencil, but more suited to drawing instead, with their shading and smudging capacities. I much prefer the firmer graphite of this John Steinbeck edition to the regular edition. The pencil’s themselves, unsharpened… The onionskin/ tracing paper/ baking paper detailing the concept behind the John Steinbeck Edition… Verdict: Simple, modern and classic. The best a pencil can be in 2016. IMO

Graf Von Faber Castell Here are my new Graf Von Faber Castell Pencil’s. Alas, still no Perfect Pencil. The difference between these and the Perfect Pencil is the heavy metal cap (is it silver?), integrated sharpener and integrated eraser. Appearance: The pictures speak for themselves. I very much like the look of these. Lead: A lighter, harder lead which nevertheless has a nice soft feel. Goes down nicely on GVFC paper. Here they are… Close- up of the ends… A GVFC pencil resting on it’s GVFC Grain Leather A5 Notebook holder… Face down in their GVFC pencil-pot… As you can see, I’ve being going all- out on GVFC Accessories lately…

A young man came into the Boutique and asked me if I wasn’t interested in “Blackwing” ? And not just a Blackwing but a “602” ? A Blackwing is more than a pencil : 'Blackwing has grown from a single pencil into a culture'. I ordered the Blackwing and not only the “602” but all of them ! http://www.sakurafountainpengallery.com/en/boutique/blackwing-art-amp-graphics

A Somewhat Informal Press Release 23 March 2016 for more information, please contact either Carolyn Haines — or — Catherine Russell Carolyn’s Email: carolyn@chirography.org Catherine’s Email: catherine@chirography.org http://chirography.org Time to let you know about a new project out there in the world, and to ask for your support in spreading the word with editorial and/or social media coverage. Time is of the essence, too, because we’re currently in the midst of a Kickstarter campaign. There’s a new organization starting up, one that focuses on some very old skills and some very contemporary problems: The Chirography Alliance If that one word there is unfamiliar, for today’s exercise in endangered basic skills, look it up in the dictionary. “Chirography.” Not chiropractic. Or chiromancy. And really not chiropody. Though the word does share a Latin root with all those other words: chiro, meaning “of/by the hand.” And it isn’t calligraphy or cursive, either, those these would be included. Chirography: writing by hand. There’s more at our website and our Kickstarter page, but here is the basic info: The Chirography Alliance is a community that connects and supports those who believe in the art and science of the handwritten word. Yeah, yeah, sounds all warm and fuzzy, cute, and maybe unnecessary, but it’s really none of those. You see, we have noticed that lots of people and organizations are currently thinking about and trying to address our imperiled ability to write with our hands. And imperiled it is, so don’t go kidding yourself. Check out your own handwriting, or try to read someone else’s. Better yet, just think about Leonardo da Vinci’s notes, the letters of John and Abigail Adams, war letters in museums around the world, Hemingway’s jottings, or that one deeply treasured love note you’ve kept stashed away for years. What if those things never existed in the first place? Handwritten lasts for centuries; digital is designed to evaporate. There is a place in this world for both. So, maybe you’ve noticed a few cultural and economic trends related to this, as we have. There are groups that write letters to strangers, teach penmanship, employ handwriting as art, advocate for cursive in the classroom, and create and sell fine and fantastic writing supplies — each of which is a great idea in its own right. — Page 1 of 2 — Well, The Chirography Alliance is a way to bring all those people and groups together: bloggers, moms, dads, journalists, grade-schoolers, business people, college students, authors, nonprofits, YouTubers, creatives, and individuals. It’s a gathering place, and a canopy under which all these worthy organizations can reside alongside individuals who care about the future of chirography. Let’s get everyone together, pool our energies and our knowledge, creating a multi-faceted partnership. We believe that — together — we can preserve the handwritten word. And yes, we are fully aware of the irony: We are using digital to help preserve that which is not digital at all. Gotta love it. For a more complete version of all this, a cool video, and for a chance to join, support, and participate, visit: chirography.org — OR — Kickstarter Read, watch the video, enjoy — and please share this information with others, in your pages, tweets, and posts. We’d love to talk with you, too, so feel free to contact either of us at the numbers above. Oh, and we do have art, lots of it, if you want it. Chirography. Is it all just one big throwback, designed to fade into dubious history in the company of Pet Rocks and 8-track tapes? We think not, in fact, quite the opposite. Chirography is something that we all need, especially as we move forward in this terribly complex, blazingly fast, sometimes exhausting, very digital world. We hope you’ll talk it up, and we hope you’ll join us, too. Thanks, The Chirography Alliance #### end ####

I have 4 Pelikan pencils (2 twist filler, 2 click filler). None of them work. I've had these for years and don't have any proof of purchase, so I would be looking to someone other than Pelikan for repair. Whom would you recommend to handle the repair work? These are such nice looking specimens, but I'd like to return them to work ASAP for a reasonable price. Thanks in advance.

Dear Lead Drivers, I was in York, NE, a the Marble Museum this week and found a number of wooden pencils in cardboard and metal cases (the German ones were in the metal tins) that all had the "Blackwing type" eraser. They were in black as well as "Copy-" red, blue and green. The prices seemed reasonable to me (not a pencil guy) of about $1 each, including the packaging. There were also some older mechanical pencils still on the display card which also seemed well priced. The quality was superb on all these. It is worth the stop to see if they are still there! Not affiliated. Just a passer-through.

My son is a big fan of Pelikan pens and has several of them. I am trying to find a US retailer either online or brick/mortar store that carries the black-blue-silver D405 push button pencil. I can't seem to find it anywhere in the states. Is this a model that is only sold outside of the US or is it a special order only? If not, does anyone know of a stateside retailer that carries it? Thanks.

I have a black carbonesque Pilot VP with rhodium accents. It's beautiful. And next to it, my Pilot Dr. Grip pencil looks dreadful. Anybody know of a pencil that would come close to matching? I want one with a fat body like the VP, and from what I can tell Pilot doesn't make a VP pencil. Thanks.

Thanks to some members of this forum, I've been quite bitten by the sterling silver bug. Yard-o-Led has found a special place in my collection as you can see, but I've tried to branch out to other manufacturers. Most everything was bought second hand and I've been cycling through using each one (even the ballpoints sometimes). Anyone else found that silver writing instruments are a real joy to use? I didn't think I would like the pencils as much as I do. I'm sure part of that is the unique and novel YOL system of lead storage and replacement. Enough of my rambling and onto a picture.