Today is Fountain Pen Day – “Celebrate good times, come on!“.
The October pen of the month was an obvious choice, the Benu Skull pen.
I just thought this pen was the coolest. Why? Well, I have a fondness for black pens and a fascination for Día de los Muertos. There are many “skull” pens on the market but this is the one for me.
A pen covered with smiling skulls is an experience, add ink that looks like blood…
No change in the cast of characters, yes the same as last month. Making the rotation is an Esterbrook J pencil, an Esterbrook SJ, and a Parker “45.”
I know, what a slacker. Next month I will change up the rotation.
The November pen “of the month” is the Pilot Vanishing Point Fountain Pen, Mustard Yellow (I really like this color), a medium gold-plated Pilot steel nib manufactured in 2021.
Did you miss any of the prior month’s blog posts? Welp, here is your chance to catch up…
- Fountain Pen Rotation: What’s in Your Cup this Month? It’s a new month, what’s in your pen cup? It’s a new month and time to shelve your current choice of pens in favor of new pens or those that may be long forgotten and feeling neglected. Also, let’s review how the pens from last month fared? And the obligatory recap of the prior month’s posts.
- Sampson Mordan: The Innovator Behind Victorian Pencils and Sons Another beautiful antique find with an interesting story and ties to a contemporary mechanical manufacturer – wonder which one?
- Decoding the Mystery of a Burnham Fountain Pen. I made a purchase months ago. The seller advertised a Burnham model 40 with an Osmiroid nib – Burnham did not make a model 40. How could I refuse an Osmiroid nib and a mystery?
- Paper Matters to the Ink. This is not the normal journal or ink review. I read a review of a sheening ink (until now I did not care for sheen) but this ink spoke to me. Add cheap, no-name journals, it is surprising how the ink responds. Guess what ink I am Jonesing over.
- #ThrowbackThursday After three years of posts the desire to share the older stuff becomes more relevant. My last moldy post from the past was in July – I am overdue. Today I am digging up a project I enjoyed, my wife called me a loser and just shook her head. If you are a fan of TV drama, this will interest you.
- Isn’t it Ironic or is it just Pathetic? Way off topic today, I was enjoying a trip down memory lane; however, I stumbled upon a 42-year-old video. The lyrics are obvious, while the message is subtle.
- Fountain Pen Day 2024. The first Friday of November we celebrate the most wonderful day of the year – YES it is Fountain Pen Day. Don’t be shy, pull out your favorite pens, and shout to the world “It’s fountain pen day, these pens are not extinct, they are popular and I used them.” And yes, my wife still says I am a weirdo.
In the News
When Reynolds launched the first retail ballpoint pen, making $100,000 on Day 1. “On October 29, 1945, Manhattan’s Gimbels Department Store buzzed with excitement as people lined up around the block for the latest invention – a pen that didn’t need refilling and could write instantly without smudging.
Sharpie, pen, pencil…does it matter what I use to fill out my mail-in ballot? Onondaga County Democratic Elections Commissioner Dustin Czarny, said they are often asked by vote by mail voters, what type of pen is best to use when filling out a ballot. “Any pen works on our Clear Ballot scanners, whether vote by mail or in person. No need for Sharpies or special ink.
Bay Area artist scribing entire US Constitution with quill pens to get out the vote. A Brisbane artist is hoping that her art, created with the stroke of a pen, will help get out the vote this Election Day. Beth Grossman is in the process of transcribing the entire US Constitution on old US Mint money bags with quill feather pens. The pens are the same tool used by scribes of the original document in the 1700s.
Seeking ‘Warmth and Personality’ in the World of High-Priced Pens. “For collectors and enthusiasts at the London Pen Show, the finest writing instruments can cost thousands of dollars. As one dealer put it, “This is art of the highest quality.”
I found this story in Link Love (by Well-Appointed Desk) and loved it. Fountain Pens that reek of Old Money. “Old money is inheritance passed down generations…often be spotted from miles afar by the subtle sartorial elegance, of aristocratic undertones that, like wealth, whispers…No. They do not, I repeat, do not carry ball pens. It is always a fountain pen– a legacy pen that is as rich with provenance as the person holding it is, with lineage.
I feel this story received no attention, Phil Lesh (bass player for the Grateful Dead) died last week. Bob Weir, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann Pen Tributes in Memory of Bandmate Phil Lesh. The global music community is reeling from the loss of Phil Lesh, the original bassist of the Grateful Dead.
Best songs attributable to Lesh: ‘Box of Rain,’ ‘Fire on the Mountain,’ ‘St. Stephen,’ ‘Cumberland Blues,’ ‘Truckin’ (Library of Congress recognized this song as a national treasure in 1997),
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COPYRIGHT © 2021-2025 DANNY WATTS and CHRONICLES OF A FOUNTAIN PEN.
Fountain Pen Chronicles and More 
Yah, my cup might be a little empty. Nothing much in it, but what a great theme for a blog post.
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Thank you Ally. I’ve always been interested in pens. Most people don’t give them a second thought – until they run out of ink.
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Do like the In the News section. Some nice links. As I said in a reply to you Danny, looking forward to more pen use over the next months. Have the Kaweco Brass and Bronze always at hand in the man bag. Use cartridges of Kaweco make now too. Keep them in an old small silver metal camera film pot. Vintage aesthetics. May introduce a Swan, the Ty-Phoo (fantastic nib flex) or the Onoto Junior choice alongside. To use with deeper red and green ink choices from the bottles. Christmas is a-coming soon don’t you know. I can then get into the festive season’s colours vibe. Cheers Danny.
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Gray, the news this month was plentiful and interesting. Kaweco is an excellent daily use pen. Metal film pot, I don’t believe I’ve ever seen one. I’ve used the plastic ones for a variety of uses. Swan, Ty-Phoo or Onoto a tough choice. With the holidays in mind I thing the flex nib would make an excellent choice. It is time to consider colors for the season – maybe a topic for a future post. All the best.
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The Kaweco’s have become my go to pens for months now. Alongside the Kaweco Brass mechanical pencil. Cartridges are so easy to replace quickly too. I love that a 1920s pen, as a give away tea promotion, survives over a hundred years and still gives me smiles in the way it can be seen to express itself on a written hand made paper result. Unique and wonderful all round. So will certainly use this choice for a few months.
My fave colour is green so do tend to choose it after black. Found some amazing Diamine reds though now to really pick up on the spirit of a green and red Christmas vibe. Hope you do write about colour and the way it makes us feel when writing. You could certainly undertake such a subject with panache Danny. Cheers.
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I love your pick for pen of the month for November! I have a Pilot Decimo, but have been thinking of getting a Vanishing Point, and the yellow one is the colour that appeals to me most.
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Thank you. I love the color, but after reading your review of the Decimo I feel I should have purchased that. I have small fingers and the VP is a well, fat pen. Regardless it is a wonderful pen.
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Yes, the Decimo is a nice slim pen. Maybe the Vanishing Point is one I should try to test out before I buy it to see if I like the larger size, because I do really like the Decimo.
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i have a Wing Sung 699, Asvine V200, Conklin All American, Pineider Avatar Twin Tank Touchdown, and a MaJohn P139 inked this month.
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What color is the Pineider? I am fond of the green one. My All American had to grow on me – a bit too fat. The Asvine is an interesting pen – how is it writing for you?
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I have the Demonstrator model. I wanted to see how much iink was in the barrel and watch it slosh around. I spent the money on getting the Quill nib which is very wet and writes like a dream.
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The V200 may be the best pen Asvine has made. Holds a lot of ink and he nib is very smooth. I haven’t gotten the new J16, yet.
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Which nib is on your V200? Bock or Asvine? The J16 is an attractive pen, I like the solid with the ink window. I considered the P38, that overlay got my attention.
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It originally came with the stock Asvine nib (fine). I swapped in a BockTitanium nib and decided to use the Asvine nib, instead. I wanted to keep with the titanium theme but the Asvine was a smoother nib.
I had the P38, but for me the P20 was a better performer.
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