In 2017 I wrote my first “State of the Union” where I discussed ink brands, what they had done, and what I wanted them to do in 2018. In 2018 I did the same for 2019. This year’s has been delayed, unfortunately! I really want to get these out before the new year, but sometimes other things conspire against good timing! 2017 was 3,500 words, 2018 was 6,100 words and this year is 8,600 words! I made a PDF in case people find that easier to read!
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Ink Review: Montblanc Petit Prince Red Fox
in Ink Review
Following on from Montblanc's release of the Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Encre Du Desert alongside a pen as part of their Writers Edition series Montblanc has now released this ink, Petit Prince Red Fox, based on the fox from Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince. Another ink released at the same time is Swan Illusion Plume (as part of the Patron of the Arts series) which is named after Ludwig II of Bavaria who is also known as the Swan King, you kind find that review here.
I bought this ink from La Couronne du Comte.
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Ink Review: Montblanc Swan Illusion Plume
in Ink Review
From the Montblanc's Patron of the Arts series of releases, Ludwig II is the latest pens and ink combination to come out. Namesed after Ludwig II of Bavaria. Ludwig II is also known as the Swan King because he spent much of his youth in Hohenschwangau (“high region of the swan”) which had it's own Schwansee (Swan Lake) which may have inspired Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake ballet. Another ink released at the same time is Petit Prince Red Fox, based on the fox from Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince. You kind find that review here.
I bought this ink from La Couronne du Comte.
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State of the Union 2017: Fountain Pen Ink
The last few years really have been a renaissance for Fountain Pens and this year is no different. Lots of expansions and additions to lineups and several standout inks. I’m going to be talking about how various brands have performed this year and what I hope for next year. This will be, of course, focused on inks and not pens. I try to keep my posts as objective as possible but this one will probably have a bit more subjectivity than usual.
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637 Bottles and 33.47 litres of Ink
It took a while but I finally cleaned the space around my ink shelf and and arranged the bottles somewhat to take a photo of the entire collection. The title is a bit untrue because as of these photos, 619 bottles of ink were on the shelf (well, one I forgot was on my desk) but I have 18 bottles of ink that are on the way as well making for a total of 637 bottles (593 if you discount the 44 duplicated). That's around 33.47 litres (8.84 gallons) of ink. I have an additional 99 samples and swatches of 165 inks that I have neither bottles nor samples of. In total I have 858 swatches of unique inks.
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