Ink Flight #28 Reveal, May 2019
May 2019 was a special month for our Ink Flight Captain. Tom had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go to Germany for a week to film factory tour videos with the Goldspot Pens crew at three of Germany's fine writing brands: Pelikan, Lamy, and Kaweco. As of this writing, the footage is being edited. Videos will be released in the coming weeks. Stay tuned by following our Flex Nib Friday newsletter and we'll share them as they debut.
To commemorate the trip, and give you all a taste of one of Germany's oldest writing brands, we took a flight to Pelikan in Hannover for this month's ink selection.
Before a single pen bore the mark of "Pelikan," the company that German chemist Carle Hornemann started in 1838 primarily made inks, paints, and watercolors. Their first "fountain pen friendly ink" debuted in 1889. Dozens of varieties with different color properties were organized into numbered series - 2001, 3001, 4001, etc., with 4001 being the remaining descendent of those inks. For more information on Pelikan's inky history, check out Josh's detailed article on the Pelikan's Perch.
Here is a rundown of May 2019's Ink Flight lineup.
Pelikan 4001 Turquoise
A bright, refreshing blue color with a slight hint of reddish-purple sheen. Some say the 4001 series is a bit on the drier side, but I find no problem in writing for days with this turquoise.
Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Brown
Warm, inviting, and rich, Brilliant Brown is quite deserving of the name.
Pelikan Edelstein Adventurine Green
Part of the original set of Edelstein premium quality inks that debuted in 2010. Adventurine is a wet-writing, rich green with shading.
Pelikan Edelstein Tanzanite Blue-Black
A dark and mysterious blue-black that has a deep violet sheen. This ink was added to the Edelstein line to replace the 4001 blue-black that is no longer being imported into the USA.
Pelikan Edelstein Aquamarine
Pelikan started the "Ink of the Year" color in 2012, releasing a new, limited color each year. Aquamarine was released in 2016 and is now a permanent fixture in the catalog.
Pelikan Edelstein Olivine (2018)
Picked by fountain pen fans around the world, the dark Olivine green won out as last year's "ink of the year."
Pelikan Edelstein Star Ruby (2019)
Star Ruby is the latest edition that made its worldwide debut in March. This lightly saturated pinkish-red has got nice shading.
I've been a fan of writing with Pelikan's Edelstein inks for years and still think quite highly of their 4001 line. Each color has a subtle quality about its appearance on paper. They are also gentle on your pens and generally easier to clean out.
Box Extras: Kokuyo IDEA B6 Slim Notebooks - Tomoe River & Sticker Marche by Midori
I have an idea that I think you'll enjoy. Let's include a notebook that has some of the most awesome paper for fountain pen ink in the Flight Box this month. Sound great? That's why we brought in the Kokuyo IDEA notebooks from Japan. They are filled with 80 pages of thread-bound, lightweight 52gsm Tomoe River paper. The grid page format is compatible with Kokuyo's CamiApp available for Android or Apple devices. Did I mention it has Tomoe River paper?
When it comes to paper for fountain pens, it's hard to beat Tomoe River. Sure, it isn't for everyone. Some people like a bit more substantial paperweight or more tooth to their writing surface. Tomoe River Paper can show off a fountain pen ink like no other paper. The vibrancy of the hue, the dramatic shading, the deep sheen - Tomoe River can do this without feathering or bleedthrough.
Have you ever stared at someone's journal or planner layout, only to exclaim, "I can never draw like that!" To decorate your pages with no artistic effort, we included another stationery favorite from Japan - stickers! These aren't your ordinary, dollar store type stickers, although there's nothing wrong with those. This sticker sheet is filled with fun, colorfully illustrated stickers in a wide variety of designs. Plus, you'll also find a rather large sticker of an "Inky Goodness" Pelikan Edelstein ink bottle. This is an InkJournal exclusive sticker design printed by Stickermule which you can put anywhere, even your travel coffee mug!
Let us know what you think about the May Ink Flight contents by leaving a comment below. After you're done with that, head over to @inkjournal on Instagram to find our giveaway post so you can enter for a chance to win a June box coming up shortly!
======
Previous Ink Flights (Ink Flight #1 - Noodler's, Ink Flight #2 - Robert Oster Signature, Ink Flight #3 - KWZ, Ink Flight #4 - J. Herbin, Ink Flight #5 - P.W. Akkerman, Ink Flight #6 - Papier Plume, Ink Flight #7 - Platinum Mix-Free, Ink Flight #8 - Franklin-Christoph, Ink Flight #9 - Organics Studio, Ink Flight #10 - Monteverde, Ink Flight #11 - Krishna, Ink Flight #12 - Caran d'Ache, Ink Flight #13 - Rohrer & Klingner, Ink Flight #14 - Blackstone, Ink Flight #15 - Colorverse, Ink Flight #16 - De Atramentis, Ink Flight #17 - Aurora & Montegrappa, Ink Flight #18 - Krishna, KWZ, Papier Plume, Ink Flight #19 - Diamine, Ink Flight #20 - J. Herbin, Ink Flight #21 - Robert Oster Signature 80's Collection, Ink Flight #22 - 3 Oysters, Ink Flight #23 - InkJournal Holiday Blend, Ink Flight #24 - Taccia, Ink Flight #25 - Kyoto TAG, Ink Flight #26 - Kaweco, Ink Flight #27 - April Fool's Surprise)