Goulet Q&A Episode 149, Open Forum

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In this episode, I talk about eyedroppering pens, whether you should buy smaller or larger ink bottles, and ink that makes you crave food!

This week

recording this ahead of time
will have been on Christmas break, visiting both sides of family
spending quality family time, much needed
No real new products to talk about, actually
Finishing up our holiday season, it's been a good one
I'm not real huge on new year's resolutions...but I do believe in reflecting on the previous year
Recap: launched a ton of great pens, Visconti, Namiki, and Filofax were notable expansions for us
lots of internal focus for GP this year
lots of personal challenges too, mainly around illness/health issues in our family
2016 has been a real rollercoaster of a year, and much of it has been very challenging
I feel like I've grown a lot this year, and I feel really good about the time that I have taken off to take care of my family when they've needed me
I'm still so grateful for all I have been entrusted with, and ready to carry forward into 2017

Pens/Writing - (8:45)

1) @jgrantmerrill- Instagram - (8:48)

I never sought out two-tone nibs in the past, but out of nowhere I found myself wanting one. What are some good options for two-tone nibs? Do you prefer one with a silver clip or gold clip?

I used to really have a thing for two-tone in general
I personally really like two-tone nibs, these tend to be the most popular when given the option because they match almost everything
Goulet two-tone nibs are quite popular (fit #6 pens)
Pelikan has a lot of good two-tone nibs in their higher end pens
Visconti's two tone nib (like on the Homo Sapiens Oversize) is fantastic
Edison two tones are nice
Jinhaos actually aren't too bad!
Namiki urushi
You almost always see two tone nibs with gold trim, I think I might actually prefer that

2) @reclinerjockey- Instagram - (15:43)

Any plans for an updated video on the new Parker Urban?

not 100% sure, we don't have the mediums yet
let's do a little feature now!
show old vs new
there are a LOT of colors, we're carrying Metro Metallic, Muted Black, Nightsky Blue, Vibrant Blue, and Vibrant Magenta
fine and medium nibs
stainless steel nibs
converter not included
Parker proprietary cart/converter
nib is very stiff but smooth
flow is generous but not the wettest I've used, probably a 7/10
feedback is minimal
nib is forgiving for rotation

3) Mher G.- Facebook - (26:40)

How does the wetness play a role in line width of a pen?

it can play a role, depending on the ink used and the paper
generally speaking, the wetter the pen/ink, the wider the line it will draw
this isn't always the case, like with really ink resistant paper it will just kind of pool up and look darker/shade more on the page but keep a tight line
more absorbent paper will spread the wetter ink more and make the line look much broader
so the answer is really it depends, mainly on the paper

4) @sazmeow- Instagram - (29:21)

In a q&a ages ago, you showed a vintage pen that had a very complex filling mechanism. There was a sort of spout that came down from the bottom of the pen and somehow that sucked up the ink. Can you show it again? It was really neat. What was it called?

I believe you're referring to a Sheaffer Snorkel, which I think is such a cool pen!
I don't do a lot with vintage pens, but this is one I picked up at DC in 2015 because it was on my pen "bucket list"

5) @VVintermuute- Twitter - (34:06)

What's the best way to de-eyedropper a fountain pen and get rid of all that silicone grease?

silicone grease is not really easy to remove with chemicals (that's kind of the point!)
physical removal is most effective
a small brush like a toothbrush can help, but that's a little messy
I think a q-tip is the best
a little bit left on the threads actually isn't so bad, it helps lubricate the threads so it operates smoother!

Ink - (37:56)

6) @cygnuspens- Instagram - (37:59)

Do any inks make you crave a specific food or drink? J. Herbin Poussiere de Lune makes me want grape jelly and Kon Peki makes me thirsty. Sorry if you've covered this before.

great question, I can't remember having been asked this one before
honestly....no. I can say I've actually never had this happen!
I've smelled some of the De Atramentis scented inks that are supposed to smell like food and that kind of reminds me of food, but I really never actually crave anything based on my ink
but I'm really intrigued by it, so I wanted to answer it just to prompt the conversation in the comments :)

7) @jaimexandres- Instagram - (40:20)

Quantity or quantity? I'm talking about the small Diamine or iro ink bottles. Is it better to buy multiple small bottles for a variety of colors or to get a few big bottles to last longer

There's definitely a fixed cost associated with labor, inventory, bottles, etc for any given ink, so it will pretty much always be more economical to purchase larger bottles of ink when you do the $/ml
of course, it's going to come down to everyone's individual preferences when it comes to sizes of bottles, because some people would rather have more colors than more ink volume
50ml of Iroshizuku goes a pretty long way, and 80ml of Diamine last longer (obvi)
30ml Diamine for $7.50 = 25 cents/ml
80ml Diamine for $14.95 = 18.7 cents/ml
34% premium for the smaller bottle...I do like the 30ml Diamine bottles for travel though!
15ml Iroshizuku (1/3 of the set) for $10.67/bottle = 71 cents/ml
50ml Iroshizuku for $28 = 56 cents/ml
42% premium for the smaller bottle, and you have to buy a 3 pack
it's a matter of personal preference
both Diamine and Iroshizuku small bottles are more economical/ml than our ink samples are, so you just have to decide where the line is for you

Troubleshooting - (54:51)

8) Argent S- Facebook - (54:54)

Do all eye-dropper pens drool after during long writing sessions?

yes and no
all of them could, but it's not necessarily a foregone conclusion
it's commonly associated with the heat from your hand increasing the likelihood of burping, and I've even talked about that in past videos
I have talked to others who believe it has nothing to do with that, but rather entirely with the stability of the liquid in a large volume
I have intended to study up on this more, I have homework to do here
but in general, the takeaway is yes, be aware that there's this inherent risk with any eyedropper pen, especially if you carry it around a lot

QOTW: What have been the most notable events in 2016 for you? - (1:01:56)

Thanks so much for joining us this week! You can catch up on any old Q&A videos you missed here.

Write On,

Brian Goulet