So as part of what I'm doing in all the conventions I'm at this year, I'm taking along my writing kit and my spares kits, just so that if anyone decides they want to have a go at writing with a fountain pen, or even just decides they want to try writing with a decent pen.
I'll be ready...
The thing is that with a writing kit, you need to have all different possibilities accounted for, thin and thick barrels, light and heavy pens, fast and slow flow, and all things in between. Ideally, you need to have these things covered in a kit that doesn't take a suitcase to carry with you.
And I should add that these aren't my every day carry, and I'll have that with me as well...
So, first of all, it's the pens, in this side of the pen case, we've got a Cross Century ballpen, Platinum Preppy 03 nib, Baoer fine nib, Polar pen with Hi-tec C 0.4 refill, Cross ATX, Sailor EF fountain Pen, two noodlers eyedroppers, Cross ATX (Chrome), Parker XL with hyperfine Ohto ballpoint refill, Parker jotters, Pilot cavalier EF nib
In this side, we've got Pilot penmanship with F nib, Platinum Preppy 02 nib, Ranga eyedropper M nib, Platignum varsity pressmatic with M nib, Signature M nib, Platinum brush pen, LAMY Al Star (3 nibs), TWSBI 580 with EF nib, Platinum Plaisir with 04 nib, Baoer with fine nib, Baoer with Medium nib, Tombow calligraphy brush pen.
Once we've identified the pen they like to write with, we see if inks are required, if they're using a ballpoint or gel pen, then I've got the standard sets of colours to work with, but if they've chosen a fountain pen, then we really get into it... We've got Diamine Night Sky, Pelikan Brilliant Green, Pelikan Turqouise, Diamine Imperial Purple, Deep Dark Blue, Red Dragon, Deep Dark Orange, Asa Blue, Havasu Turquoise, Windsor and Newton Green and Black, Iron Gall Black, Noodlers Heart of Darkness.
And that brings us to the ink testing kit, wherein we've got three five different dip pens with over twenty nibs, ranging from ultra fine to 3mm broad, just so people get an idea of the way inks go down on the page and the difference between a broad nib and a narrow one. The inks in test bottles here are different to the main Ink kits, being AM Frantic Flamingo and Sunset Canyon, then smaller testers of Super 5 Delhi, Dublin, Frankfurt, Dornstadt, Atlantic, and Australia, then Blue Black, Claret, Barbossa Grape, and Diamine shimmers Lilac Satin, Tropical Glow, Moon Dust and Blue Flame.
Many will note that there's a lot of cheaper pens in the kit, and that most of it is readily available, and it's that way for a reason. I've found that when getting people into this sort of thing, it helps to put it in perspective that it doesn't cost a fortune to start off on the hobby. It can if you let it go that way, and that why I've left things like TWSBI in there, so those who want to go straight in at that level have the choice, but for the most part, it's just getting people into the idea of writing again.
Any recommendations on things I might be missing that would go well with the set?