Three weeks ago I asked you to take a short survey so that I could know which blog/video efforts I've tried have been most impactful for you. I received 186 responses, which is incredible! Thank you so much everyone for taking the time to give me such meaningful and thoughtful feedback. I wanted to share just a few of the results with you from the survey that I thought you'd find most interesting.
When asked, "How long ago did you discover Goulet Pen Co or InkNouveau.com?", 55% were within the last year.
When asked, "How would you describe your Goulet fan-dom?", not one vote for "You don't know what you're talking about and I don't know why I'm wasting my time taking this survey". I thought for sure I'd have at least one as a joke ;)
When asked , "What is your preferred method for getting fountain pen info?", of the choices given, 49% said videos (granted, this is surely biased since I solicited this survey through a video).
When asked, "Of all the various Ink Nouveau formats that have been tried over the years, what has been your favorite?", there wasn't a clear frontrunner, it was a fairly even split with Goulet Q&A, FP101, Pen reviews, Tips and tricks leading the pack.
I surely caught some of you off-guard with this one, and it solicited some of the funniest responses in the part of the survey where you wrote a custom message…"Cake or pie?". 54% pie, 46% cake, much to my dismay as a steadfast "cake man" ;)
Okay, so that was fun, but on to the questions for this week's Q&A. It was an Open Forum this week, which means that I was taking any questions about pens, ink, or paper that you had. Be sure to check back for old Q&A videos, as well.
Next week, I'll go back to a theme with "Using Your Fountain Pens", where I'm encouraging you to ask me any pen related question regarding buying, using, cleaning, fixing, transporting, or otherwise doing anything where you're actually going to be using your fountain pen as a writing tool. It should be good!
Here are this week's questions:
1) Ron H.-email (6:51):
How does a newcomer to fountain pens determine quality? What makes a quality pen? What makes a $100 - $150 pen six to ten times better than a $15.00 pen?
law of diminishing returns
don't buy anything expensive for a while
main reasons for higher cost:
gold nib
filling mechanism
body material
company's reputation/name brand
rarity
2) @jdanley09- Twitter (13:10):
Do you plan to carry the J. Herbin wax seal ink pad line? Do you like the look of wax ink?
3) Andrew M- email (14:49):
When writing thank you notes on orders are dip pens used? How often are the inks rotated? Who decides what colors are used? Who invented liquid soap and why?
4) Octopusbeak- YouTube (16:31):
What is the most romantic pen/paper/ink combination?
G. Lalo Vergé de France or OCM Classic Laid
J. Herbin Rouge Hematite 1670, Diamine Red Dragon
1.1 or 1.5mm stub, flex nib
5) Djentle Djiant- YouTube (17:55):
Is there anyway of making the back of a nib smoother?
Flip That Nib! video- July 17th 2012
6) Fer Nando- YouTube (19:55):
I have 3 questions! 1) What are your thoughts on collecting fountain pens? I know there are a million types of collectors (by brand, by models within brands, by filling mechanisms, and the list goes on..) 2) I've commited to one brand (Parker, mostly because in my country, it's easier to find a Parker fp than any other brand combined), so my question is do you think that commiting to one brand is worth it, or am i missing out on some other great brands/models by doing so? 3) The desert island question!. You can collect all models from only one brand. Which one?
Platinum-
huge range
gorgeous collectibles
Lamy-
fun and vibrant affordable range
attainable collections
Pilot/Namiki-
great performers
diverse range of styles and filling mechanisms
gorgeous LE's
7) 4stringkingstf- YouTube (24:22):
Do you have plans to offer Goulet fp nibs in anything smaller than #6 size? I do very much like your nibs for use in the Noodler's Ahab and Konrad pens that are in my collection, but I wish to swap nibs in other pens that require smaller-sized nibs.
8) DaiReborn- YouTube (25:41):
Could you tell us a bit about the platinum desk pen that's kinda new on your site? Specifically what is the cap shown on the desk pen for? Does it go inside the opening of the stand? How heavy is the stand? Is the hinge on the stand hard to move or is it loose?
9) Keith- email (26:19):
I just got a sample of Noodlers Polar Blue because I like the color, but the water and bleach resistance properties of eternal inks concerns me. Is this an ink that will be difficult to clean out of a pen? If it gets on my clothing will it permanently stain? Finally, do you have any clever suggestions on other uses for ink sample vials when the ink sample is gone?
Vials- refill with ink from bottle
use for sending samples to pen friends
pen flush/cleaner
nib soaking
small flask
very small vase
portion control container for candy
10) Mark C.- email (29:08):
I have found that turning to highly lubricated or very dry-writing inks is an effective way to address problems with nibs that write too dry or too wet. In fact, I have been happily surprised at how effective this approach can be. Can you give us a list of the most lubricated inks (in addition to the obvious answer: Noodler's) and the least lubricated, most scratchy, dry-writing inks? I would great appreciate knowing this.
Noodler's Eel's, Polars- wet
Monteverde- wet
Pilot Iroshizuku- wet
Noodler's Eternals- dry
Pelikan 4001-dry
11) coffeeflush- YouTube (30:33):
Can u suggest any notebooks that are refillable?
Midori Traveler's Notebook
Rhodia padholders
Levenger Circa System
12) Alan L.- Facebook (31:28):
I am new to collecting and using fountain pens and found myself attracted to the vanishing point. But one thing I have noticed is it seems to be very temperamental with what inks it likes. I like my pens to write as smoothly as possible with a fairly wet ink, and I have found that the only one that seems to flow well and dry nicely is Namiki black, everything else just seems to skip, scratch and just not write to my liking. Do you have any experience with the VP, and what inks do you recommend that write the best with the VP?
13) Jean F.- email (32:58):
Did your forefathers come straight from France to the US (I doubt it!) or from Québec (with an é!), or from Louisiana, being Cajuns thrown out of Acadia just like mine were?
14) Jeanne P.- email (33:38):
I overheard a discussion about whether ink could collect under the gold piece of the new Delta Fusion 82 or perhaps the Pilot Justus 95. I am sure a pen company puts a lot of R&D into a pen prior to production. What are the possibilities on this subject?
Thanks so much for tuning in this week, and for all your great questions! Don't forget to post your questions for next week's episode, "Using Your Fountain Pens" in the comment below.
Write On,
Brian Goulet