RICHARD INK | A Pen Blog

Happy Earth Day 2009

Happy Earth Day to Everyone...

I wanted to take a moment to say Happy Earth Day to all of our family, friends and all passersby here at the RICHARDink.com blog.  

As a lifelong environmentalist and dedicated outdoorsman, I always have a lot to say about the green movement and our environment.  For the sake of this blog being mostly about pens, I'll save the green speech for another place. And, the fact that everyone is talking about it today, being Earth Day, I'll save it for another time too. 

My wife and I are extremely passionate about green and simple living. It's always something that's on our minds and we're always looking for greener and simpler ways to do things.  It's an important part of our daily lives, and honestly we enjoy taking responsibility for our planet, and surrounding ourselves with like-minded people.  Besides the millions of healthy benefits for us and our planet, being green and eco-conscious is actually fun!  So if you haven't gone green yet, then let me say that today is a great day to start!

Earth Day... It's not just a day — it's a lifestyle.

That said here's a few links to some of my favorite green blogs and podcasts, along with some of our favorite eco-friendly products my wife and I use and recommend.  
(these links are not affiliate links)

Some Green Blogs & Podcasts

• GreenLivingIdeas.com
• GreenTalkRadio 
• TreeHugger.com  
• Sustainablog.org 
• Green-Talk.com 
• Ecopreneurist.com
• PlanetGreen 
• Ecoble.com   
• EcoGeek.org 

  A Few Favorite Green Products

• Simple Shoes 
• Klean Kanteen
• Tom's of Maine 
• Think Bamboo 
• Nature's Path 
• Silk Soy Milk   
• Hemp.com 

Smart Pen: Livescribe Pulse™ Smartpen

The Livescribe Pulse™ SmartPen records and links audio to what you write, ultimately bridging the gap between analog and digital note taking -- and a whole lot more.

Wow. There is so much I'd like to say about the Livescribe Pulse smart pen, but I think you'll get a much better idea if you check out the videos they have on amazon.com.
(or here at Livescribe.com)
This pen totally blew my mind, and I can't wait to get one!

The possiblities of it are endless, and the reviews have been outstanding so far. If you're a geek, consummate note-taker or GTD'er, like I am, then you can understand why I'm so excited. 

When I first heard about the Pulse SmartPen, I really didn't care. But when I stumbled across the videos...
My eyes almost popped out of my head!!!

It's Mac and Windows compatible and comes in 1GB or 2GB memory sizes.

Livescribe 2GB Pulse Smartpen

Livescribe 1GB Pulse Smartpen

Watch The Videos Here...

►And be sure to visit the official website of the Livecribe Pulse™ smartpen for even more awesomeness.

...and tell me what you think.

Libelle Announces New Lines of Pens: New Nature Series and Santa Croce Series Pens

New Fountain Pens, Rollerball Pens and Ballpoint Pens from Libelle!
Libelle is introducing 2 new pen lines at a great price - Only $75 to $90 Bucks.

►This first collection is built on the body of Libelle's most successful line, The Nature Series.  With the addition of new vibrant colors and materials Libelle is now presenting:
“Celestial Rings” and “Moon Stones”.

Available in Fountain Pen ($90), Rollerball ($80), and Ballpoint ($75) models.

Libelle Nature Pen Series Celestial Rings:

Libelle Nature Pen Series Moon Stones:

►The 2nd collection, "Santa Croce" is a beautiful leather wrapped pen dedicated to the beautiful Italian city of Santa Croce.  Santa Croce, located on the banks of the Arno River has been producing the world’s finest leather production since the 13th century. 

Libelle Santa Croce Pen Series Nero:

Libelle Santa Croce Pen Series Bianco:

 

The good folks over at Libelle Pens told me they'll have these in stock in the next week or so. 
Contact me here at RICHARDink.com if you are interested in buying one of these beauties for Mom for upcoming Mother's Day.
Richard Lee Merritt and RICHARDink are an official dealer of Libelle Products.

Parker Duofold Fountain Pen with Free Shipping

Parker Duofold Fountain Pen (Black) with Free Shipping!
A recreation of the 1920's Duofold, the popular pen that started the Parker phenomenon. Every writing mode in this collection employs technology and engineering to satisfy the highest standard for comfort, reliability and performance. The Parker Duofold fountain pen is enhanced with an 18kt gold nib, available in F and M cartridge/converter fill.

The Parker Duofold is one of the most popular fountain pens and Executive Essentials has them In Stock for one of the lowest prices online for $440 --

►Buy a Parker Duofold Fountain Pen Here with FREE SHIPPING

Cross: Fountain Pen Nib Replacements -- Cross Century II Nibs

Cross Solid Gold Fountain Pen Nib Replacements
18k & 23K Gold Replacement Nibs plated in Gold and Rhodium for A.T. Cross Century II Fountain Pens
Choose your width from Extra Fine, Fine, Medium and Broad
►Available at A.T. Cross from $25 to $70

Century II 18 Karat Gold Nib with 23 Karat Gold Plated Nib Ring

Century II 18 Karat Gold Nib with Rhodium Plated Sterling Silver Nib Ring

Century II 23 Karat Gold Plated Nib with 23 Karat Gold Plated Nib Ring

Century II Rhodium Plated Nib with Rhodium Plated Nib Ring

DIY Nib Grinding: How-to Grind Your Own Fountain Pen Nib

(image: Merritt Maestro Fountain Pen Handcrafted in Golden Box Elder Burl w/ Rhodium and 22k Gold fittings. Photography by Richard Lee Merritt)

How to Grind Your Own Nibs in Just a Few Steps
Online Nib Grinding Guide by Ludwig Tan
Here's a fantastic article published years ago at Glenn Marcus' website.
The article was originally published in the Journal of the Society for Italic Handwriting, Writing Matters, Autumn 2000 & Spring 2001.

This is a fantastic article that thoroughly explains the Why and How to polish and grind the nibs of your fountain pens, complete with hand drawn illustrations.
 
In the article Grinding Your Own Nibs, Ludwig Tan covers the following topics:

► Why grind your own nib?

► Choosing a fountain pen - what is available?

► Grinding your nib

► Preparing the pen

► Understanding the shape of an Italic nib

► STEP 1:Flattening the Base of the Nib

► STEP 2: Flattening the Top

► STEP 3: Flattening the Writing Edge

► STEP 4: Grinding a Nib Down to a Finer Width

► STEP 5: Sharpening the Chisel Point (or, sharpening a blunt nib)

► STEP 6: Polishing & Smoothing Your Nib

READ THE ARTICLE: Grind Your Own Nibs

Quo Vadis Blog posts J. Herbin Ink Reviews + Gives Away Free Ink

Earlier today, the Quo Vadis Blog posted a few links of some reviews of J. Herbin Inks after they realized during their recent "planner review" that many Quo Vadis fans and customers are fountain pen users.

Get a FREE Bottle of J. Herbin Ink for you to review!
For a very limited time they are offering one free bottle of J. Herbin green or orange colored ink in exchange for your review.  If you want in on this, you should hurry as they only have a limited supply - one bottle per person. (See the blog post here for details)

If you're looking for a really nice planner or agenda using super high quality Clairefontaine paper -- have a look at quovadisplanners.com

Photo: RLM Desk -- A Merritt Classic & PR Copper Burst Ink

Taking a quick break from writing (actually typing) and refilling my Merritt Classic Fountain Pen (amboyna burl and rhodium) with a new bottle of Private Reserve "Copper Burst" (a medium rusty brown color) ink that arrived in my mailbox today. My buddy loved this color so much that I gave him my only bottle of it. So I immediately ordered a new one.  If you know me, than you know I LOVE earthtones and especially the color brown. (click the image to enlarge)

"The only ink bottles I currently leave out on my desk are: PR/Chocolat, PR/Copper Burst and Noodlers/Brown.

I'm starting to snap off a lot of images with my mobile phone (LG/Dare) so I can start Photoblogging more, so in theory you should start seeing more of this type of posting from me."

Have a great weekend everyone and Happy Valentine's Day!

-Richard