Blue Pen Club- Show Me Your Blue Pens!

[Penguincollector]

3 hours ago, Ceramicist said:

Thank you! That's what drew me to the pen, and it's really that bright, not enhanced in iPhoto. I do love blue pens and am not sure why I don't have more. 

  I also love blue pens- I look for blue first, then black, then metal. Your pen is my favorite shade of blue. 
 

3 hours ago, Ceramicist said:

These are lovely, especially the textures of the ATX and Viper.

 

  Thanks! I have started a micro collection of blue pens from stem to stern. I know there’s a Sheaffer 100 and an Aurora 888 Blue Mamba that I am missing, probably more. I really like the texture as well!

[Ceramicist]

10 hours ago, Penguincollector said:

  I also love blue pens- I look for blue first, then black, then metal. Your pen is my favorite shade of blue. 
 

 

  Thanks! I have started a micro collection of blue pens from stem to stern. I know there’s a Sheaffer 100 and an Aurora 888 Blue Mamba that I am missing, probably more. I really like the texture as well!

Thank you again! I love that you collect blue pens. What is your favorite blue pen out of the blue pens you own?

[inkstainedruth]

I'm glad you didn't ask me that question!  Because it would be like asking some parent who their favorite child was....  

I guess at some point I should sort my pen stash by color and take photos, but then have to re-organize them by brand to put them back in the cases....  Because of course my problem is "Oooh -- SHINY!"  And that could be a different color of something I already have (which is why I have so many Parker Vectors) or different models of a particular brand, or "oh, that looks interesting...".  Or just, "Well, I went to an estate sale over the weekend...."  And I just got back from the mechanic's down the hill and had been using the M120 Iconic Blue for today's morning pages entry and  his daughter who works for him in the shop, was going, "I really need to get a pen like that!"  And I told her about all the Vectors I have (including the Shrek "Puss in Boots" one) and that one of the other Vectors I have is pink and her eyes just lit up.... 

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Penguincollector]

1 hour ago, inkstainedruth said:

using the M120 Iconic Blue for today's morning pages

  That’s a gorgeous pen- I tried to find one about a year after release and the price is off the charts for it. I’m hoping someone gets bored of theirs and I come upon it at just the right time. 

[inkstainedruth]

Yeah, I got lucky on mine and bought it when Pelikan first came out with them a few years ago.  Of course, after the conversation I had this morning at the mechanic's when his daughter was ooh-ing and ahh-ing over it, and said she was really wanting a FP because they looked so cool to write with, I told her about how I started with Parker Vectors, which are inexpensive and fun and come in a bunch of different colors and designs, and how I'd gotten several from a vendor in the EU on eBay, including a pink barreled one.  And her eyes just sort of lit up and she was going, "PINK?  OOOH!"  So just to see if there were any out there that I could point her at, I did a quick search on eBay when I got home -- and not only were there no pink ones currently, the prices in general have jumped up....   And to way more than I EVER paid for a Vector....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Penguincollector]

6 hours ago, Ceramicist said:

Thank you again! I love that you collect blue pens. What is your favorite blue pen out of the blue pens you own?

  I would say that it has always been my blue marble Parker Duofold Centennial. She was my debutante gift from my parents in 1991, and has been with me from pillar to post ever since. I recently had Kirk Speer grind the medium nib into a crisp italic, and it’s amazing how much more I love it.  It’s seen better days, it’s turning grey because I grew up in sunny Florida, but it’s still the one. 

 
 

  More recent blue pen birthday gifts that I have really enjoyed are a Pelikan M400 old style OM nib blue stripe, a 1970s Platinum slim pen with a fine inlaid nib and painted leather wrapped barrel, and a late 1920s Parker “True Blue” ringtop (I picked up a Jr. streamline version this summer which I also love). 
 

 

 

Bonus blue beauty: a restored blue Parker Parkette Zephyr I bought from Jessica Sall/Modern Analog Pens on Etsy (local pen friend who I heartily recommend) at the PNW Pen Bazaar last November: 

 

[inkstainedruth]

OOOOOH!  I've always wanted a True Blue -- ever since the first time I saw one.  But every time I've seen one I get nosebleeds when I see the price tag....  

And between still paying off the driveway and the retaining wall, and then dropping another five figure price on the plumbing work (and that's not counting how much of the replastering work that I suspect the insurance company WON'T be paying for, I don't think I'm gonna be able to afford one any time soon....  

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Ceramicist]

2 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

I'm glad you didn't ask me that question!  Because it would be like asking some parent who their favorite child was....  

I guess at some point I should sort my pen stash by color and take photos, but then have to re-organize them by brand to put them back in the cases....  Because of course my problem is "Oooh -- SHINY!"  And that could be a different color of something I already have (which is why I have so many Parker Vectors) or different models of a particular brand, or "oh, that looks interesting...".  Or just, "Well, I went to an estate sale over the weekend...."  And I just got back from the mechanic's down the hill and had been using the M120 Iconic Blue for today's morning pages entry and  his daughter who works for him in the shop, was going, "I really need to get a pen like that!"  And I told her about all the Vectors I have (including the Shrek "Puss in Boots" one) and that one of the other Vectors I have is pink and her eyes just lit up.... 

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

Yes! I want to see your entire collection! I ordered the Levenger inlaid pen case, which is on backorder, but it only has a capacity for 40 pens. Ordering the case was the impetus for me to cull my collection and make a spreadsheet for the remaining pens as I've developed definite tastes for certain pens. I probably won't limit myself to 40 pens as 17 alone are Bayards.

[Ceramicist]

@PenguincollectorThank you so much for sharing part of your wonderful collection of blue pens. That Duofold Centennial is gorgeous and a nice-sized, substantial-looking pen. I have a few Pelikan M400 models in blue, green and brown tortoise and I do love this pen! The Platinum with the leather-wrapped barrel is very unusual and quite beautiful. I've not seen anything like it. Where in Florida? I'm originally from Miami.

[inkstainedruth]

I don't really have a place to store something that large.  I have a bunch of inexpensive 20 pen zipper cases (including two I've never taken out of the plastic wrapping) -- don't remember where I got them; and five or six of the Girologio 12 pen leather zipper cases, and a couple of smaller vinyl zipper cases that have pockets for smaller stuff like spare nibs or sample vials, and the 7 pen crocheted wrap that I got in a gift exchange with someone here a number of years ago -- it's made of thick enough yarn that it cushions the pens very well, but I do have to remember to keep the wrap upright....

And of course, dragging out the entire stash would mean that my husband would ALSO see the entire stash....  

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Penguincollector]

2 hours ago, Ceramicist said:

@PenguincollectorThank you so much for sharing part of your wonderful collection of blue pens. That Duofold Centennial is gorgeous and a nice-sized, substantial-looking pen. I have a few Pelikan M400 models in blue, green and brown tortoise and I do love this pen! The Platinum with the leather-wrapped barrel is very unusual and quite beautiful. I've not seen anything like it. Where in Florida? I'm originally from Miami.

I will PM you!

[Ceramicist]

2 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

And of course, dragging out the entire stash would mean that my husband would ALSO see the entire stash....  

Haha! 

 

I made pen wraps out of vintage kimono material when I first got into fountain pens. I have three that I can use to transport my pens safely. The ones in use usually stay on the end table in the living room and one is in my planner that goes everywhere with me. 

[CSSD]

A quick update on the Conklin Duraflex 120th Anniversary pen I posted about on October 24th ...... to be kind, I'll just say it was a total mess.  It wouldn't write. 

   A pen that looks good but doesn't work ....... worse than miserable.

 

I got lucky and found a review that said the Duraflex nib is a mess.  It was recommended to replace the nib with a basic Conklin No. 6 nib unit.  So I ordered one, it arrived yesterday.

 The Good News:  the pen now works perfectly !!  I am now happy to report that I'm glad to have a Conklin.

 

.

 

[Ceramicist]

5 hours ago, CSSD said:

A quick update on the Conklin Duraflex 120th Anniversary pen I posted about on October 24th ...... to be kind, I'll just say it was a total mess.  It wouldn't write. 

   A pen that looks good but doesn't work ....... worse than miserable.

 

I got lucky and found a review that said the Duraflex nib is a mess.  It was recommended to replace the nib with a basic Conklin No. 6 nib unit.  So I ordered one, it arrived yesterday.

 The Good News:  the pen now works perfectly !!  I am now happy to report that I'm glad to have a Conklin.

 

.

 

Yay, but what was wrong, specifically, with the Duraflex nib? So glad you're happy with your pen, and it is beautiful. 

[Misfit]

I buy Conklin pens often, always with the 1.1mm stub nib. Only once did the nib seem wrong. The seller made good on replacing the nib. 
 

@CSSD Your Conklin is beautiful. 

[CSSD]

What was "wrong" with the Duraflex nib ...... 

 

Operation was inconsistent, sometimes it would start writing with a minimum of movement of nib-on-paper.  Other times, no ink flow for an inch or three.  Very Frustrating.

 

.

[Penguincollector]

That does sound very frustrating, @CSSD. I’m glad you were able to find a solution. 

[Penguincollector]

On 10/29/2025 at 11:03 AM, inkstainedruth said:

OOOOOH!  I've always wanted a True Blue -- ever since the first time I saw one.  But every time I've seen one I get nosebleeds when I see the price tag....  

And between still paying off the driveway and the retaining wall, and then dropping another five figure price on the plumbing work (and that's not counting how much of the replastering work that I suspect the insurance company WON'T be paying for, I don't think I'm gonna be able to afford one any time soon....  

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

  Mine were rather inexpensive,  mostly because I was specifically looking for user pens. I think the ring top was $150 and the Jr was $200, both restored. They can get ridiculous if you’re looking for barrels that haven’t been darkened by sacs or unused pens.  I hope you run into one at a good price once your household maintenance is less of a concern. We have to paint the exterior and replace all the windows soon- I am dreading it and other renovations. 

[Ceramicist]

9 hours ago, CSSD said:

What was "wrong" with the Duraflex nib ...... 

 

Operation was inconsistent, sometimes it would start writing with a minimum of movement of nib-on-paper.  Other times, no ink flow for an inch or three.  Very Frustrating.

 

.

Thank you for the clarification. I wonder if it was that particular Duraflex nib or if it is all of those nibs? Anyway, I am glad it was remedied. 

[inkstainedruth]

@Penguincollector -- I feel your pain about the renovations.  Today we had a guy come out to clean the gutters and check the roof, and apparently there was damage from tree branches (we had a bad windstorm the other day and another one last night).  A couple of large-ish branches came down the other day in the wind but barely missed one of the cars in the driveway.  And are now waiting for a tree guy (recommended by the guy cleaning the gutters) to give us an estimate on trimming/cutting the branches (not on our property) and who will also cut back the broken limb the driveway people did a lousy job of trimming on one of the magnolia trees we planted in the front yard a number of years ago.  

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth