Friday, December 21, 2018

3 vintage fountain pens and modern pen & ink unboxing

I am sharing in this video two vintage fountain pen acquisitions, one newly restored pen that I showed you prior to restoration, and I unbox my latest Birmingham Pens order. Here is the previous video I mentioned on the Waterman Safety Pen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_XfmCnvr90 This is the link to Grandmia Pens' YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/user/penkino1

Thursday, November 29, 2018

S.T. DuPont Classique Fountain Pen

Today I share with you the S.T. DuPont Classique model fountain pen. I have been wanting a DuPont for a while. I found a decent price on one with Pen Gear Global. https://www.ebay.com/usr/prevoua

Monday, November 26, 2018

Vintage Montblanc 342, Pelikan GO!, & Pelikan M200 fountain pens

In today's pen mail, I received a vintage circa 1951 MontBlanc 342 with a flex nb, a "new old stock" Pelikan GO!, and a "new old stock" Pelikan M200 fountain pens.

Saturday, November 24, 2018

Kreuzer German Cartridge/Converter Fountain Pen

Today I share a Kreuzer German made cartridge/converter fountain pen that I recently bought. If you like this pen, you can check out others from the same seller.
Pen Gear Global
https://www.ebay.com/str/PGG-PenGearGlobal

Sunday, November 18, 2018

Benjamin's Baptism Nov. 18, 2018

At The Bridge Church in Princeton, NC, water baptism is regularly practiced. I had the pleasure of baptizing my son, Benjamin today. Also, the first child in the video is Logan, who is in my Royal Rangers class for 1st and 2nd graders, so I included him in the video, as well.

Tuesday, November 13, 2018

Waterman Safety Pen & Waterman 0552 Vintage Fountain Pens

I share my latest two vintage pen acquisitions, a Waterman Safety Pen (circa 1905 - 1935) and a 1920's Waterman 0552.

Tuesday, October 30, 2018

Vintage Fountain Pen Advice & Pen Mail -- or Something Like It

I share a few experiences in cleaning vintage fountain pens and something I recently got in the mail.

Thursday, October 25, 2018

Sailor Profit 1911 Fountain Pen - Pen Mail

My latest pen mail is a Sailor Profit 1911 fountain pen from Japan. I give my opinion on it and Japanese fountain pens in general.

Wednesday, October 24, 2018

Friday, October 19, 2018

Monday, October 15, 2018

Pelikan Celebry P580 Pen Mail

I got back from a brief vacation to find that my Pelikan Celebry P580 had been delivered. It is a cartridge converter pen from the late 1990s to early 2000s.

Monday, October 08, 2018

Some of My Favorite Vintage Fountain Pens

I was recently asked what some of my favorite vintage fountain pens were. I share some of them from my collection.

Monday, October 01, 2018

Vintage Pen Mail - Parker 51 and Waterman 54

Today I share the two latest pen acquisitions. In the mail just today I got my Parker 51 Vacumatic back from being restored. I had purchased it some time ago, but it was going to need more of a restoration than I can personally perform. I finally sent it out for repair and got it back just today. I will show you it being inked and writing for the first time. I also recently got a Waterman 54...or did I?
Here is the link to the video supplied by Antique Digger of the restored pen. https://youtu.be/3dR7l3m4WRQ

Sunday, September 23, 2018

New Pens - Pelikan M1000 & Karas Kustoms Fountain K

My two newest additions to my pen collection are a new Pelikan M1000 and a Karas Kustoms Fountain K. I show them to you here.

Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Pen mail - Sheaffer PFM III and vintage Waterman lever filler

In today's pen mail video, I show the Sheaffer PFM III, which had been on my wish list for a long time. I also got an old 1940's or 1950's lever filler Waterman's fountain pen.

The Sheaffer pictures I harvested from the internet can be found at http://www.penhero.com/PenGallery/Sheaffer/SheafferPFM.htm Pen Hero is a great web site for history, pen profiles, and information, especially for Sheaffer pens.

Thursday, September 13, 2018

Thoughts on hurricanes, social media, and prayer

As I am sitting here at my desk, we are waiting for the landfall of Hurricane Florence. Like many others, I have prayed for God to lessen the storm, to steer it away from populated land, and push it back out to sea. Earlier forecasted tracks of the storm took the eye right over where I am sitting, making landfall as a category 4 storm. I have endured many hurricanes since moving to North Carolina over 30 years ago. I have seen the devastation that Hurricanes Fran and Floyd brought, especially. Another storm with a name starting with the letter F heading towards the North Carolina coast did not particularly enthuse me. I have been reading on social media about people thanking God for answered prayer with the hurricane’s path being diverted away from the original path that looked like we were “in the crosshairs” and is now heading in a more southerly direction, lessening the impact to our local area. Sure, we will still get heavy rain and winds. We will see flooding and loss of property. But at this moment, it appears that we may not get whacked as hard as originally thought. Personally, I am thankful for that. But I have an honest question for those who attribute the change in the storm’s path to answered prayer. Do you believe that God, in His love for you and your prayers of petition, care more for you than the other people that are now in the path of the storm? Are your prayers more special than the prayers of others? Does God love His saints in North Carolina more than those in South Carolina? Did God get more prayers from North Carolinians than He did from South Carolinians, so He decided to shift the storm track? What does that say about your discernment of The Body and mankind in general? Is your rejoicing at the price of others’ peril? Sure, “when the righteous prosper, the city rejoices” (Proverbs 11:10). The other half of that verse says that "when the wicked perish, there is shouting." Are those who are now going to be in the storm path all wicked? Of course not. He sends rain on the just and the unjust alike (Matthew 5:45). Yes, we can be glad that our level of danger has lessened some. But let us not attribute that to some act of God in response to your prayers which is still contrary to the prayers of others. Let us still pray for those in greater danger than ourselves, for their preservation and salvation, and not blame God one way or the other.

Wednesday, September 12, 2018

Vintage Pen Mail - Sheaffer Tuckaway & Waterman's Crusader Taperite

In today's pen mail, I follow up with a viewer request on a writing sample on a Scripto 1950's lever filler fountain pen. I also share some new acquisitions of a Sheaffer Tuckaway, a Waterman's Crusader Taperite, and a circa 1970 - 1980's Waterman cartridge/converter pen.

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Vintage Fountain Pens Can Be Affordable

Today's pen mail demonstrates that vintage fountain pens can be affordable and still be quality. Just today I got a Scripto and a Venus fountain pen, both from the 1950's.

Tuesday, August 28, 2018

Waterman 3v & Imperial Lever Filler - working on 2 vintage pens

I have been tinkering with a couple of vintage fountain pens, a Waterman 3v and an Imperial lever filler. Here is the latest on these.

Monday, August 27, 2018

Waterman 52 & Waterman Book - Pen Mail

I share two of the latest pen mail items - the book, "Waterman Past and Present - The First Six Decades" and a vintage Waterman 52 fountain pen in red ripple.

Monday, August 20, 2018

TWSBI GO First Impressions

Pen mail brought the newest TWSBI product to the market, the TWSBI GO. These are my first impressions of the pen as well as a demonstration of inking one up, some pen size comparisons, and a writing sample.

Thursday, August 16, 2018

Waterman 12, Good Service, Platinum Plaisir Pen Mail

Today I show my new acquisitions of a century plus old Waterman 12, a 1920's Good Service fountain pen made for and sold by Sears & Roebuck, and a modern Platinum Plaisir.

Monday, August 13, 2018

Vintage Sheaffer Balance circa 1936 - 1942

Recently I got a vintage Sheaffer Balance that I knew would need a little work. I did not do a thorough restoration job on it, but more of a "sprucing up" of this venerable pen and got it both writing and looking great.

Wednesday, August 08, 2018

VINTAGE PEN MAIL - Waterman 55, Sheaffer Balance, Waterman C/F, and a Cu...

In today's episode of pen mail, I share recent acquisitions that include a vintage Sheaffer Balance, a Waterman 55 in red ripple, a Waterman C/F, and a vintage official Cub Scouts pen.

Tuesday, August 07, 2018

Adventures in Shaving Part 3

I share my most recent results in experimentation with "wet shaving" with double-edged, single blade razors, soaps, creams, brushes, etc.

Monday, August 06, 2018

DC Pen Show 2018 Overview, Pen Haul, & Giveaway

An overview of our experience at the DC Pen Supershow 2018, our pen haul, some walk through video, and a giveaway.

Here is the Jim Hinze Beacon custom pen review I referenced in the video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RJaHDHEdho

Tuesday, July 31, 2018

An update and a little bit of pen mail

Just an update since I have not done many videos lately. Here is why and what is coming up. I also share my paltry pen mail as of late.

Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Give Me Liberty - 1936 Dramatization of Patrick Henry's Famous Speech

I found this movie short from 1936 one day. It is a Hollywood dramatization of Patrick Henry's speech of March 23, 1775 arguing for American independence from Britain. I had never seen it before, but wanted to share it with others. I eventually managed to find a listing for this video on https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0027678

Sunday, July 08, 2018

Pen Mail & a Primer on Stylograph Type Fountain Pens

Today, not only will I share my four newest fountain pens that were added to the collection, I will share a primer on stylograph fountain pens. Pens that were added to the collection include vintage Waterman's Stalward, a vintage Inkograph, an Aurora Style, and a Lamy ABC Student Pen.

Thursday, July 05, 2018

More on Vintage Fountain Pen Collecting

I have gotten some feedback lately about my previous videos on vintage fountain pen collecting and gotten some private correspondence on the same topic. So I figured I would add to the subject a year or so after the last video on it.

Friday, June 22, 2018

Vintage Sheaffer Desk Set Fountain Pen - Pen Mail and review

I recently got a vintage Sheaffer Desk set fountain pen that was manufactured for sale in Sears and Roebuck stores. I will introduce you to it here.

Monday, June 18, 2018

A YUGE Pen Mail Day

Today I will show you my latest additions...with a YUGE pen mail day. If you love vintage pens, keep watching. The vendor's website that I mentioned in the video is www.speerbob.com

Friday, June 15, 2018

Wancher Oshita Urushi Maki-e Fountain Pen Review

Today I share and review the Wancher Oshita Urushi Maki-e fountain pen. If you like Japanese artwork and pretty pens, you will want to watch this one.

Tuesday, June 12, 2018

FOLLOW UP: Birmingham Pens Model A1

I wanted to follow up on my previous video of my review of the Birmingham Pens Model A-1 fountain pen. I had a recent experience with it and with the company. Was it good or bad? Watch and find out.
Here is my previous review video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-hD1P1iPa8

Monday, June 04, 2018

Triangle Pen Show 2018

Matthew and I went to the Triangle Pen Show in Raleigh, NC June 1st and 2nd, 2018. We show you some of the sights and people, as well as the booty we accumulated.
www.trianglepenshow.com

Friday, June 01, 2018

Frustrations in shaving part 2

A follow up to a video that I did a year ago about frustrations in finding decent shaving materials and my most recent discovery/assessment.

Wednesday, May 30, 2018

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Top picks for newbies - fountain pens under $25

Today I go back to the purpose of my channel, to give some fountain pen advice for the person new to the fountain pen hobby or just plain new to using them. I have my top ten picks plus another eight "honourable mentions" as suggestions. I wish I had known about many of these when I first started on this journey.

Tuesday, May 22, 2018

Episode 102 - Moonman M2 Fountain Pen Review

Today I review the Chinese made Moonman M2 eyedropper filled demonstrator fountain pen.

Thursday, May 17, 2018

VINTAGE ADDITIONS: Esterbrook Desk Set & Waterman 32v

Today I show you my two latest additions, a vintage Esterbrook desk set and a Waterman 32v. I also give a little backstory to the addition of these two great writing antique pens.

Monday, April 30, 2018

EPISODE 100! Pen Mail - Vintage Waterman 52v, Noodler's Konrad, Faber-Ca...

Since my last pen video, I have added to the collection a vintage Waterman 52v, a Noodler's Konrad, a Faber-Castell Basic, and a Chinese made Moonman M2 eyedropper filler.

Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Pen Mail - Vintage OMAS Rinascimento Modello and Waterman 32v

In today's pen mail, I share my "new" vintage OMAS Rinascimento Modello and a vintage Waterman 32v lever filler.

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Pen Mail - Cross Star Wars C3-PO, Vintage Waterman W2, and Pelikan M120

In a quick pen mail video today, I cover my new Cross Star Wars C3-PO, vintage Waterman W2, and Pelikan M120 fountain pens.

Tuesday, April 17, 2018

The Jim Hinze Custom Beacon Fountain Pen

Today I review the Beacon fountain pen custom manufactured by Jim Hinze of Hinze Pens in Texas.

Monday, April 09, 2018

Pen Mail - Pilot Tank 1970's Vintage Fountain Pen

In today's pen mail, I received a 1970's "new old stock" Pilot Tank fountain pen. I will show you the pen and how to make this eyedropper design pen to be able to use an ink cartridge or converter.

Retro 1951 Tornado Fountain Pen Review

Today I will review the Retro 1951 Tornado fountain pen.

Sunday, March 25, 2018

Matthew's Recent Pen Acquisitions

Matthew shows off recent additions to his fountain pen collection. Stay tuned until the end for some special outtakes from the recording session.

Thursday, March 22, 2018

Monday, March 19, 2018

Thursday, March 08, 2018

Pen Mail - Montegrappa Game of Thrones Westeros and Vintage Sheaffer Cadet

In today's pen mail, I show you my Montegrappa Game of Thrones pen, Westeros edition, and my Vintage Sheaffer Cadet.

Monday, March 05, 2018

Pen Mail - Visconti Homo Sapiens Jade, Sheaffer Taranis, Jinhao Dragon Pen

Since the last pen mail day video, I have received a Sheaffer Taranis, which has been on my hit list for a while, another Jinhao Dragon Pen, and a Visconti Homo Sapiens Jade that is on loan.

Thursday, March 01, 2018

Vintage 1950's USSR Soyuz Leningrad Fountain Pen

One addition to my collection that has seen a lot of use lately is a 1950's vintage Soviet Union Soyuz fountain pen manufactured in the Leningrad factory. I share the pen and my thoughts on it.

Saturday, February 24, 2018

Thornton's Novice Disposable Fountain Pens

I purchased some packs of Thornton's Novice disposable fountain pens hoping to find a nice, inexpensive pen for use, travel, and giveaway. Were they just that? Watch and find out.

Monday, February 19, 2018

Sheaffer Imperial II Deluxe Vintage Fountain Pen Review

Today I review my vintage Sheaffer Imperial II Deluxe fountain pen. I love both new and vintage fountain pens, and enjoy a good old Sheaffer.

Sunday, February 18, 2018

Birmingham Pens Model A Fountain Pen Review

Today I am reviewing the new Birmingham Pens in-house turned Model A fountain pen. This is the first batch of handmade pens created by Birmingham Pens of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I was fortunate to get in on the first ten ever created for retail sale. As a repeat customer of Birmingham Pens, I wanted to check out the latest incarnation of their business. Here is the Birmingham Pens Web Site

Thursday, February 15, 2018

Latest acquisitions - Playboy, Wancher, Waterman, Italix, Birmingham

Since my last pen mail video, I have acquired a Wancher urushi maki-e, a couple of Watermans, an Italix Deacon's Doodle, a collection of Playboy Magazine branded pens, and the very first Birmingham Pens' offering of their Model A hand-turned pen.

Wednesday, February 07, 2018

Another pen mail day! Lamy Aion, Retro 51 Tornado, inks, etc.

Today was yet another pen mail day! From Anderson Pens, I got a new Lamy Aion, a Retro 51 Tornado, some ink samples, bottled ink, and a few other little goodies.

Monday, February 05, 2018

Pen Mail Day - Vintage Style

In today's pen mail, I got a Vintage Sheaffer Imperial II Deluxe Touchdown model and a Parker 95 in Laque Thulya finish.

Saturday, February 03, 2018

Friday, February 02, 2018

Pen Mail - Lamy Nexx, Conklin Duragraph Purple Nights, Osmiroid 65, and ...

Today was pen mail day! I show the newest arrivals, which include a Lamy Nexx, a Conklin Duragraph Purple Nights, two Jinhao demonstrator models, and Waterman C/F cartridges.

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Wing Sung 3008 Fountain Pen Review

Today I review the Wing Sung 3008 fountain pen. This pen has gotten a lot of attention lately. Is the attention warranted? I will let you know what I think.

Saturday, January 27, 2018

Finally back to doing a video. Recent acquisitions, recent experiences, ...

After a hiatus out of necessity because of work, vacation, and family, I finally was able to sit and record a video. I cover a few recent additions, upcoming additions, and where we are going next.

Wednesday, January 03, 2018

By Request: Jinhao 15 Fountain Pen Review

By request, I review the Jinhao model # 15 fountain pen. I used a different nib than came with the pen, however. I used a fude nib (that was given to me by chrisrap52 here on YouTube) instead of the erroneously sent fine nib that came with the pen. On a side note, I tried using a different microphone and was horrified to hear its results. I won't be trying that mic again.

Tuesday, January 02, 2018

Latest acquisitions and shopping advice

Today I cover some of my latest acquisitions, which include several Watermans, some Esterbrooks, Thornton's disposable fountain pens, a Baoer, a Jinhao, Montblanc 221, Monteverde Indicia; I also cover pen storage, ink sample vials, and the use of and lessons learned from wish lists.