Goulet Pens April 2011 Ink Drop - Finale

The five ink samples in Goulet Pens April Ink Drop were labeled only with a number. The idea was that members would guess what ink each sample was for a chance to win free bottles of ink. This was a very fun idea and reason enough for me to break out some additional pens to test all of the inks. All of my guesses where wrong, wrong, WRONG. Oh well. It was fun.

So the Easter Eggs were:

Easter Egg #1 was J. Herbin Eclat de Saphir

Easter Egg #2 was Diamine Marine

Easter Egg #3 was Diamine Majestic Purple

Easter Egg #4 was Noodler's Navajo Turquoise

Easter Egg #5 was Noodler's Black Swan in English Roses

My favorites for the month are Diamine Majestic Purple and Diamine Marine. I'll probably only get the Marine though. The Navajo Turquoise is too close to Lake Placid Blue which I already have and I found it to be a bit messy since it took quite a while to dry. The Black Swan in English Roses didn't really turn me on either. It is designed to be used in a broad nib or flex tip pen so that its shading can be shown off.

My last test maze is a blank decision maze. Think up your own question and write in likely answers in the provided blank circles. Then solve away! The Black Swan in English Roses (the brown ink) was a little messy. It seemed to take a long time to fully dry. I used it in a Noodler's Fountain pen and it wrote smooth. Not like a Ducati or a Pilot, but acceptable. The Navajo Turquoise in the Pilot Vanishing Point was very smooth on the Clairefontaine paper. It smeared because of the aforementioned dry time.

During the drawing of this decision maze I put the Noodler's pen containing the Black Swan in English Roses aside for over a week before finishing the maze up. You can see the distinct difference in the color of brown caused by the delay in finishing. Perhaps this color change was caused by some settling out of the ink inside the pen. I don't know, but the effect is a real one.

Here is the scanned and edited version.

Here is the maze in real life. You can see all of the smudging and such. Beside the maze is the Noodler's fountain pen that I used and a page of my fifth maze on which I used the Navajo Turquoise.

The Ink Drop club is a wonderful way to get a chance to try out many different inks. The inks may be ones that you would not think to try if you had to buy an entire bottle of ink. The various themes which Brian and Rachel Goulet put together are fun and bring a great selection of colors. If one of the inks excites you there is a member discount for that ink. I've said before, and I'll say it again here, that the Ink Drop samples provide me with all the ink that I've used since I joined in October of last year. The only problem is the guilt I feel to not be using the inks I have already bought. I wonder what the May inks will be.

Until next time!

Jonathan

A Maze - Page 49

Here is the next page of my first maze. First the scanned and edited version.

Page 49

Here is the same page in the wild. Again it is up at the New Camaldoli Hermitage in Big Sur.

Tomorrow I will have the last of the April Ink Drop Mazes.

Jonathan

A Maze - Page 48

Here you go. I'm sorry about that. I missed two regularly scheduled days of post and people have been clambering for more pages of maze. Today I give you page 48 of my first maze. First the scanned and edited version.

Page 48

Here is the same page up in the wild. This is back up at the New Camaldoli Hermitage. What a view!

And the sky and sea look nice too.

I hope this page tides you over until the next one. Newcomers to this maze should start at the start on page one.

Jonathan

Goulet Pens April 2011 Ink Drop - Part 4

This post deals with the April Ink Drop sample labeled “Easter Egg #3”. This ink is a very nice purple ink. I want to say it leans to the red a little, but next to the green of ink I paired it with it is hard to tell. I will be pairing Easter Egg #3 with Easter Egg #4 next, so I will be able to see if I still think it is a bit reddish. It is a well behaved ink with no skipping or feathering. There was no shading to speak of with the Fine nib of the Pilot pen I used. It is bluer than Private Reserve Plum which I have and can compare it to. It looks redder than Private Reserve Purple Mojo.

I don't know. I'll be totally guessing on this ink too.

For the test I did another decision maze. This time the it is based on the big question kids get asked quite a bit and I still ask myself from time to time. What do you want to be when you grow up? Just start from the question mark and follow any path and you will arrive at your answer. Now all of these occupations are honorable. Well some people might quibble with one of them, but I'm assured that there are some honorable lawyers. I'll be trying this maze later today to see what I will be when I grow up.

Here is the scanned and very lightly edited version.

Here is the same page in real life with the Pilot Vanishing Point pen I used for the Easter Egg #3

This clears out my completed tests of April's inks. For the rest of the day and tomorrow I will be trying to get the tests done for the other two ink samples.

Jonathan

Goulet Pens April 2011 Ink Drop - part 3

This is the second of April's Goulet Pen's Ink Drop inks, “Easter Egg #2”. I paired it with the blue “Easter Egg #1” from earlier in this test maze. I will say that using the #1 for several more pages of my fifth maze as well as for this maze, it has started to grow on me. I had said that it is an unremarkable blue, but it is a nice blue. It is well behaved and dries quickly. It looks quite purplish when it first hits the paper, but turns more bluish and softens as it dries. It still reminds me of Bic pen ink, but if I didn't have a ton of blue ink already I could see purchasing it. What brand and color is it? I'm still working on that.

Now to the Easter Egg #2. It is a bluish-green ink. I like this ink. There is quite a bit of shading with it even with a Fine nib. The Ducati Medium Nib pen I used actually looks like a Fine to me. The pen/nib combination was great, very smooth on the paper surface with a steady ink flow. I did get a little smudging, but that's because I'm clumsy. The shading properties of this ink remind me of two inks from the October Ink Drop. These are the Diamine Pumpkin and the Private Reserve Orange Crush. So I'm looking among these brands for my guess and Diamine Green are not green enough to be this green. So for me, this seems to be a Private Reserve ink, but I'm probably WAY off.

For my test maze I drew a quick decision maze based on the biggest decision that we make in our lives. That question is of course, where should we go the eat? I put down a few of the places we like (Notice that Subway is not on the list. They haven't come through with sponsorship for my Line Around The World Project yet). Then I drew a simple maze that leads to them all. Trace a path to one and that is the place to go eat. It is as easy and yet profound as that. Not to be morbid, but each meal could well be your last so it might as well be a good one.

Here is the scanned and edited (and corrected) version. Speelling is nat mi strng suete.

Here is the same page in the wild with the Ducati pen which I used for the green Easter Egg #2. The cap is post-able, that being technical talk for, “you can stick the cap onto the back end of the pen”. While using the pen I don't post it. If you do the balance is very much to the back. Much as Casey Stone's Ducati was last year in MotoGP. He often lost the front end when cornering.

It will be a busy weekend. I still have three more ink to test. The deadline for the contest for guessing  what the inks are is Monday April 18.

Jonathan

A Maze - Page 47

Here is the 47^th Page of my first maze. By this time the initial excitement of your attempt to solve this maze has worn down. It has become a chore to squint your eyes and carefully trace the path from node to node, from page to page. I know, I've been there. Now is the time to dig deep into yourself and find the gumption to carry on. Sure you may be having nightmares of being trapped in a maze in which a huge gorilla is chasing you in the pitch black passageways. Or that you are being audited for the tax year 1983 and you are trying to find your records for that year. You'll find those if you look  behind the exercise bike in the garage under the doll house kit that you never go around to building for your kid and in the book marked text books. But you are over halfway done with this project. You can do it!

Here is the 47^th page in the scanned and edited form.

Page 47

Here is the same page in the wild. This is back up at the New Camaldoli Hermitage. The hillside has whole herds of these feathery plants on them. They seem to gather down in this area of the coast. Perhaps they winter here before migrating north in the summer.

 

Tomorrow I'll post the second April Ink Drop maze.

Jonathan

Goulet Pens April 2011 Ink Drop - Part 2

The Goulet Pens April Ink Drop is a different sort of ink Ink Drop. Each sample is labeled with a number and we can guess as to which brand and color they are for a chance to win a bottle of ink. The pressure is on in this competition. I take too long to test my samples to meet the mid month end of the contest. Still, I'm giving it a shot.

This first test maze uses just one of the April inks. This is the one that came in the bottle labeled
'Easter Egg #1”. I paired in with the Noodler's Kung Te-Cheng from last month since I was still running it out of my pen. The Egg #1 is a blue and after the dramatic Baystate Blue from last month, this unknown blue seems quite unremarkable. Someone that saw it called it regular blue. I would be very surprised if it is a Noodler's ink. It seems to me to be a J. Herbin ink, but I don't know. I should test it to see if it is waterproof to narrow down to options a little. Maybe run a spectral analysis on it. Maybe bombard it in a linear accelerator, or use a Oujia Board to really narrow down my guess. I can say that it is an ink that I do not currently own. To tell you the truth although the ink was well behaved, there is nothing about it that makes be want to purchase it.

Now about the test maze itself. It is a different sort of maze. I call it a decision maze. To use it, just ask it a question. Then starting from the question mark in the center and follow any path until you arrive at an answer. It works like one of those Magic 8 Balls you probably had when you were a kid. It is just as reliable and accurate in the answers it gives.

There is a cutting edge theory about how this type of maze works. The theory states that you subconsciously see the maze as a whole and your subconscious guides your hand along the path to the answer you mind really desires. I know this is a truly cutting edge theory because I made it up as I was typing this. Anyway it is all just for fun.

Here is the scanned and edited version.

Here is a picture of the real life maze with the few smudges.

That's it for today.

Jonathan

A Maze - Page 46

In case you missed it, the last page I posted was the end of the first half of this first maze. Today begins the posting of the second half. It is all downhill with a tail wind from here. So without any rambling, here is the next page.

First the scanned and edited version.

Page 46

Here is the same page in the wild. Last Friday morning at about 0130 hours we have a huge hail shower. We got up to watch it since they are rare in our area. When the sun came up there was still some ice on the balcony. This is a picture of it.

Tomorrow I will post the first April Ink Drop maze. It is something new.

Jonathan

Another Fountain Pen - Ducati

Aliens, they walk among us. They are difficult to spot in normal day to day life, but put one on a MotoGP motorcycle and they are easy to recognize. Their blinding speed compared to the best of the rest gives them away. From time to time a youngster will join the cast of riders at racing's top level and be revealed as another such alien.

Currently common opinion is that there are four aliens riding in MotoGP. There is Dani Pedrosa the Spanish rider at Honda. There is Casey Stoner the Aussie who won the World Championship for Ducati in 2007. There is aging super Champion Valentino Rossi. Now there is the youngster Jorge Lorenzo who in the reigning World Champion. Over the last two years Lorenzo made Rossi's life at the Yahama Team less than comfortable with his sheer speed. Finally Rossi decided to leave Yahama for greener pastures. And by greener, I mean redder. As in Ducati.

An Italian riding for Ducati is a big deal, but if that Italian is 9 time World Champion Valentino Rossi it is a huge deal. The Ducati GP bike has for years been a bike that only Casey Stoner could win with. Stoner moved on to Honda and it is Rossi's task to get the red machines to work for him. So far this season it hasn't looked good.

Here is a model of Casey Stoner's Ducati in 2008.

Ducati is known for their motorcycles, but they also make fine fountain pens. I recently purchased one of their limited edition pens. I figure there when be a limited edition Rossi pen out in a year or two, but I had to have this one.

 

Today I got it out and inked it up for the first time.

Only 500 of these pens were made worldwide. Each is numbered on the ring around the cap.

It is made out of aluminum which might make you think it is light. It is not light. It is a substantial pen. I like the styling of it. It is a retro look, almost Flash Gordon like.

I inked it up with the Easter Egg #2 ink from Goulet Pens April Ink Drop. Now it is time to try it out on a maze.

I have the first Ink Drop maze done. I just have to scan and edit it.

Jonathan

A Maze - Page 45

Today is a grand day. It is the halfway point in the posting of my first maze. It is possible that they may have to shutdown down the government to mark the occasion. I have called to tell congress that it isn't necessary to do that, but they think it is a big deal. It is the 45^th page! Is this page necessary for the solution path? I'm not telling. You will have to find out yourself.

Here is the scanned and edited version.

Page 45

Here is the same page in the wild. This is a statue of a member of congress doing what they all do best, picking his nose. Of course I'm kidding, the statue has wings. A member of congress would have horns.

That is a close to talking politics as I will ever get on this blog.

 

Until next time!

Jonathan

Goulet Pens April 2011 Ink Drop - Part 1

As I mentioned, I received the April Ink Drop package yesterday. I also said that it was very surprising. This is because although I have it right in front of me, I can not tell you what the inks are. Brian and Rachel Goulet came up with a fun idea for Easter. Each sample bottle is labeled with “Easter Egg and a number from 1 to 5. The idea is that we are suppose to try out each sample and guess which color it is. We can then enter our guess on InkNouveau.com for a chance to win a bottle of ink. We will have to check out InkNouveau for all the details.

About half way through the month the correct ink matches will be revealed and at that time the discount prices for Ink Drop members will go into effect. I will say that the colors look very Easter Egg-ish. Here is a picture of what I got. I had a bit of spillage from Easter Egg #5 which got on some of the labels. If you zoom in on the card that came with the Ink Drop you can read pretty much what I just wrote here.

If you are not a member just head on over to http://www.gouletpens.com/ and click on the Ink Drop link on their page. It is only 10 bucks a month. As I've said before, the Ink Drop samples are about the only inks I need for a month. It is a cheap way to get a fantastic variety inks to try.

Both of my Pilot Vanishing Points are still full of March Ink Drop colors so it will be a while before I can post a test maze for April. The prime directive states that a pen much be run dry with actual productive use. I violate that prime directive a lot less than Captain Kirk violated his prime directive.

Until next time!

Jonathan

A Maze - Page 44

Tonight I bring you the 44^th page of my first maze. I was right about receiving the April Goulet Pens Ink Drop on Monday. I got it today and I will try to have a post about it tomorrow. Right now I'll just say that it is surprising. Very surprising!

For the last week we have had perfect Spring weather. Temperatures have been in the high 70s and sometime the low 80s. The trees are putting out their leaves in droves. Or whatever. So first here is page 44 in the wild. You can see the leaves in the background.

 

Here is the scanned and edited version.

Page 44

That's all for today.

Jonathan

Goulet Pens March 2011 Ink Drop - Part 4

The last ink that I tested from the March Ink Drop was Noodler's Kung Te-Cheng. This is a dark grayish blue ink which is suppose to have the characteristics of the first royal ink of China. It is one of Noodler's bulletproof offerings and has a limited availability. I found it to be an excellent ink. It flows strongly making the drier writing of my two pens write wet. It shades quite a bit even with the Pilot fine nibs. It reminds me of Private Reserve Ebony Blue a little bit, but it is a better ink. I could see using this as a daily work ink. Then I was born to be King.

Here is the one page test maze which was drawn with the Noodler's Kung Te-Cheng and Noodler's Baystate Blue. For some reason the scan leans much too far to purple.

 

Here is the maze in real life. Here you can see the blue better. Next to the test maze is a page from my new big maze using the same inks.

 

Monday the April Ink Drop will probably show up and I'll have to work hard again. I'm going to take Sunday off.

Jon

A Maze - Page 43

Yesterday was opening day for the 2011 Major League Baseball season and already I can tell that both of my fantasy league teams are a butch of bums. What was I thinking when I drafted these clowns? True, since it was a light schedule of games yesterday, most of them haven't had a chance to play yet. That just means that their work ethic is not what it should be. Just because there is no game scheduled for you doesn't mean you can't go out and get me some homeruns or strikeouts. Show me some initiative.

 

Anyway, I was distracted yesterday and forgot to post the next page of my maze. So here is the scanned and edited version.

Page 43

Here is the same page in the wild. This picture shows the interior of the chapel up at the New Camaldoli Hermitage. The straight backed chairs are where the monks sit during the services and the benches are for guests.

I have finished the last of the March Ink Drop mazes which I will post after I get a chance to scan it.

Jonathan