I Want a New Toy!

…and I got some new toys!

First up is the Sailor Fude de Mannen which is a fabulous fountain pen made in Japan. I think it was meant to be a calligraphy pen, but it works great for drawing. You can get a variety of line weights depending on the angle you hold the bent nib to the paper. It’s like having a whole set of technical pens or brushes in one pen. It’s nice not having to juggle a number of Micron Pigma markers or Rapidographs looking for the right thickness of line. This new pen is really a pleasure to use!

The Sailor Fude comes with a couple of ink cartridges filled with water based ink. The ink in the cartridges is nice, but it’s not waterproof, and I want to use either wash or watercolor in conjunction with the ink work. I got an ink converter that fit the pen so I could use whatever ink I wanted.

The waterproof ink I bought is also a product of Japan called Platinum Carbon Ink. It’s pricier than ink I usually get, but it came as recommended for use with the Sailor Fude pen.

I’ve yet to break out the Sailor ink converter as I am still using the cartridges that came included with the Fude pen, but I have managed to breathe new life into an old pen that I acquired while working at an art supply store 30 years ago or so.

The Rotring Art Pen is no longer made, but there is nothing wrong with the pen itself. The original ink converter that I bought with the pen was shot so I had to find a replacement. After a little research I was able to find the Schmidt K5 Fountain Pen Converter that would fit. I loaded it with the Platinum Carbon Ink, and it works very well. The Rotring Art Pen doesn’t have the flexibility of line that the Sailor Fude has, but it’s still a lot of fun using. I make sure I have it with me along with my other pens and pencils.

I’m still getting the hang of these new and old toys so I will eventually be sharing the fruits of my labor here on these pages. Stay tuned!