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Friday, June 3, 2011

Yet another new pen...

This one's the Platinum Carbon desk pen I found at Jetpens (and now available at Goulet Pens as well!)...someone here recommended it, and thank you!


It IS a desk pen, so it has the long handle that some enjoy--for instance our correspondents Liz Steel and Alissa Duke!  Both like the long, elegant lines of the Lamy Joy pen, much like Rotring's Art Pen.

I like the idea IF the cap will stay put on the end of the pen when it's in use, but in this case it doesn't. (Lamy Joy and Rotring both do.)

So I decided to throw caution to the winds and tweak it.

The pen comes with a Platinum Carbon ink cartridge, so I just unscrewed the barrel and marked how far down the cartridge came, and used my little fine toothed saw to cut below that mark...




You can see the length of the cartridge here...




Ooops. It broke a bit 'cause my saw got cattywompus (you know what that is, right?)  So I just filed it off an a rather rakish angle, and polished it...it's a very handy size now, very portable...



The cap stays on EITHER end beautifully now, so I don't have to worry about losing it...it's faceted so it won't roll off my page when capped, either...and yep, it's a shortie, but the cap extends it to a comfortable working length.


It's got a very nice extra fine nib, so I got lots of detail on this old piece of weathered wood...not much flex, which would be nice, but still...makes a nice effect.

This is pretty inexpensive for a fountain pen--$12--so I don't worry about making it work FOR me, and taking the saw to it.  Now I love it, and plan to get a couple more, one for my travel kit!

Platinum carbon cartridges come with a little ball-bearing in them to keep the ink stirred up, too...nice, since it IS carbon and the heavier particles can settle if you use it in ink bottle form...

The ink is waterproof under most circumstances, so you can add watercolor almost immediately.

19 comments:

  1. Good thinking on the pen, and it's so hard finding a truly fine tip, so I look forward to getting this and customizing it as well. Thanks!

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  2. I have one of these I use just for writing. I do love a fine line and the black is dead black. It has always started up immediately for me and the cap stays on tight, too. What a clever idea to cut down the back so you can fit it in with your travel kit! Looks like it works quite well for you on a sketch pad, too. :)

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  3. Thanks so for the hoot! Nothing like being a mother of invention :) Hey, I already ordered from Jet Pens... haven't received order yet but I guess I'll just have to order one more time :) Great info!!

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  4. Thanks all! Rita, I love it that it stays put on the end of the pen when it's in use, too...I lose caps if I'm not careful...

    You can make an even FINER line if you turn the pen so the nib is upside down...NICE.

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  5. Of smartsmartsmart, Kate. Now it is just perfect for you.
    annie

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  6. Yep, and I won't lose that cap! (I have no fear of plastic!)

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  7. My Rotring ArtPen barrel broke so I had to cut it down :)
    Now it fits in my pen case so it's a win-win situation!

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  8. Well nifty! That IS a win-win! I use the metal case my Rotring came in to hold all my watercolor brushes, dip pens, eraser, pencil sharpener and other tools in my everyday travel kit, also win-win. I love customizing stuff...

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  9. Now it looks better than before

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  10. Thanks, Enrique, it's certainly handier this way...fits in my kit, fits my hand...

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  11. Good idea, Kate! I also like the cap to post, otherwise you don´t know what to do with it when you´re out drawing... :)

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  12. I like it so much I've ordered another for my travel kit, and one for my purse!

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  13. What a sensible idea; I like the balance of any pen when the cap is pushed not the tail end whilst drawing and writing.

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  14. Somehow I missed this post, Kate (Cathy) and thank you SO MUCH for the instructions. Like you I prefer a shorter pen.

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  15. Your idea is cool . My cap usually gets held between my teeth , so I don't loose it
    And always think I might swallow it
    So your solution has a lot of advantages 😎

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    Replies
    1. Glad to help! I still use mine all the time, and this was originally written in 2011!

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  16. Hi, Kate.

    As a recent 'convert' to this great pen I came across your article and thought i'd share a bit of info.

    There's a pen for sale on eBay, the 'Baoer 3035' (a Chinese clone of something or other I suspect) - here's a link.

    https://tinyurl.com/ya4z4k6l

    Turns out the body/barrel is an exact fit for the Carbon Pen. It's also metal so it adds a lovely bit of weight, too.

    Here's some pics; first two are the Baoer and the third is the Carbon wearing the metal barrel.

    [img]https://i.imgur.com/RYKAWvz.jpg[/img]

    [img]https://i.imgur.com/ThgsgQg.jpg[/img]

    [img]https://i.imgur.com/YQeBsUu.jpg[/img]


    The Baoer costs practically nothing so you haven't lost anything if you don't like the swap. Unfortunately the Carbon's barrel won't fit on to the Baoer because of the ink converter's length - it might fit with a regular cartridge but I haven't tried it yet.

    Anyway, thanks for the article & sorry if all this is old news but I thought it might be helpful.


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    1. Well cool, that looks like a fun conversion! Thanks!

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