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Fingers Were Meant to be Inky

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November 19, 2017 / Ken Crooker / Fountain Pens, Reviews / 4 Comments

Newton Pens Eastman Review

Close shot of the Newton Pens Eastman Fountain Pen, showing the black-finished Bock nib and gentle contours of the section

Something a little different…a little special…a little “oh yeah!”

Newton Pens Eastman Fountain Pen

Price: $225.00
Nib: Extra Fine (Bock)
Filling System: Cartridge/Converter (Standard International)

A Different Approach:

This will be a slightly different type of review for me. Up to now, the pens I’ve reviewed have been mass produced in factories, rolling off well-oiled production lines. But this pen is different. It’s as much a piece of art as it is a tool for writing. So you may notice that I’m using different terminology for some sections and not assigning scores.

About Shawn Newton:

Tucked away in the rolling hills of Pendom lies a cozy little hamlet where wildly talented (and sometimes eccentric) artisans sit in their basements, garages, or workshops, transforming various slabs of raw materials into fine writing instruments with their bare hands…and typically with machinery that consists of sharp things that rotate at high speeds. One of these wizards is Shawn Newton, and the pen I’m reviewing is his Eastman model. If you’re unfamiliar with Shawn’s work, you need to drop by his website or his Instagram feed and check some of his amazing work.

An image of the Newton Pens Eastman Fountain Pen, uncapped, with the pen laying down and the cap standing up behind it

Shawn is a former art teacher turned full-time pen maker (see what I did there?) who’s made quite the name for himself in the pen world. He has developed a number of different designs and you can work with him to build a customized pen out of any material you want. His work is highly regarded for its beauty, uniqueness, and functionality. And as if creating beautiful writing instruments wasn’t enough, Shawn has also devoted himself to… Read More

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February 22, 2017 / Ken Crooker / Ink, Reviews / 4 Comments

Quick Look: Robert Oster Signature Inks (Part 5)

Banner image for the Robert Oster Signature Ink Quick Look posts 4 and 5. This banner shows inks swatches from 12 Robert Oster Signature Inks.

More Eye-Popping Colors from Australia!

But first…a song!

There’s red in my head, but I don’t want it
The blues were swarming there in my soul
Shadows over me and
The only colour I can paint my soul

I want black and don’t fade away
I want it black forever
Inside of me, all I wanna see’s the colours in my head

I’m in black the only way
And make it black forever
Go inside and…go inside and…never come back out again

—Black Forever by WASP (One of the best bands, EVER!)

Sorry…I’ve expended the interesting bits of inside information I have on Robert Oster and his inky endeavors, so I don’t have much to lead off this post with. So instead, you get heavy metal lyrics about colors. Yes…it’s your lucky day.

Honestly, by this point, the man and his company probably don’t need much… Read More

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January 22, 2017 / Ken Crooker / Ink, Reviews / 4 Comments

Quick Look: KWZ Standard Inks (Part 1)

Banner image for the Quick Look Review of six KWZ Standard Inks

Eksplozja Kolorów: Beautiful & Vibrant Colors from Poland!

About a year ago, I started to see KWZ inks mentioned on the Fountain Pen Network and shortly afterward, I noticed them for sale at Vanness. They started to get lots of positive “press” around the innernets from various reviewers and blogs, and I picked up a couple samples. I instantly fell in love with Foggy Green, and decided they warranted a closer look.

KWZ Ink is a small ink company run by chemists Agnieszka and Konrad Żurawski in a town just outside of Warsaw, Poland. The KWZ vision began in 2012 when Konrad—unhappy with the performance and variety of the Iron Gall (IG) inks that were available—decided to try creating his own. Konrad used his super-charged chemistry skills to… Read More

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September 5, 2016 / Ken Crooker / Ink, Reviews / Leave a Comment

Quick Look: 11 Callifolio Inks

Sampler image and title block for the Callifolio ink comparison: Anahuac, Baikal, Bleu Equinoxe #6, Botany Bay, Cannelle, Cassis, Grenat, Inca Sol, Oconto, Olifants, and Olivastre

Callifolio Inks: Mostly Unknown, but Super Interesting French Export

Callifolio is a line of fountain pen inks from French art supply manufacturer Artisan Pastellier. They actually have two lines of ink (their other is Encre Classique, which  are mixable so you can create your own colors). Artisan Pastellier also makes art pastels, watercolors, natural & metallic pigments, sealing wax, and a few other brightly colored art supplies.

There’s not much talk of the Callifolio inks out there, and I only know of… Read More

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What’s Next?

You may have noticed that I haven't posted anything in a really long time. Sorry about that. Once we started up the St. Louis Pen Show and the St. Louis pen meetups, most of my free "pen time" started going into those activities.

My goal was always to write very thorough reviews with lots of great pictures, and that takes a ton of time. The writing, editing, and photo editing for one review took up a full weekend, and that doesn't take into account actually using the pens and taking notes along the way. With all I have going on, it just wasn't sustainable to keep this site going on a consistent basis.

Will I ever come back and start doing reviews again? Maybe. But not anytime soon. I am still around, though. You can catch me at the monthly St. Louis Area Pen Meetup & Eats (SLAPME) events, the St. Louis Pen Show, and a handful of other pen shows around the country.

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