Another New York story

Back in April the R&S Strauss on East 14th and Avenue C closed. A New York City area chain, Strauss sold discount auto parts and accessories. The building and lot were sold for over $12 million, which amazed all of us who are from around this area. Heading east on 14th Street one afternoon, I noticed that some stores for rent had white business cards taped to them. I went to take a closer look at one store and they were all questions about the store that had been there, inviting us to submit stories about it to a web site.

So when I walked by the former Strauss building, there were the cards taped to the gates in a long white line. I stopped to take a few photos and closeups to add to my "New York, strange" labels section of this blog. To answer the question, I do about half my shopping on 14th Street or in my immediate neighborhood near 14th Street. I like to keep the money in the area and support the businesses.

Platinum Preppy Sign Felt Tip With My Own Mixed Ink

I stopped by my local hardware store a few days ago looking for silicone grease as used by OfficeSupplyGeek to make his own highlighters. They had never heard of the grease, so I picked up a can of Pro Dope pipe joint compound, a gray goo used to seal pipe threads. I wanted to give this a try in addition to the Teflon tape I've used to seal pens. The process is simple: brush the compound (there is a brush attached to the lid) around the threads, then twist the pieces together until tight. Wipe away excess compound, and your pen is now water-tight and leak-proof.

The pen I'm using is a Platinum Preppy Sign felt tip I got at Kinokuniya just for this purpose. The line is a touch thicker than I normally like for writing, but life is not meant to be lived in fine point alone. The ink saturates well, and the pen flows smoothly over the Rhodia 80 g/m paper. The color is a mix of Private Reserve Chocolate and J. Herbin Bouguet D'Antan, a pale rose. Like the Diabolo Menthe, the Bouguet D'Antan is too light for me to use for writing, so I decided to try for a brown-pink ink. The mix is about 1 part Chocolate to 2 parts Bouquet D'Antan, and is a nice dark warm brown with a hint of rose.

UPDATE: Since making this felt tip a few days ago I was trying out something and rinsed off the marker. The brown is now less intense and the rose-pink more noticeable. I like both colors, so whichever it stays or reverts to is fine with me. The only "problem" is that ink has gotten into the threads near the tip of the marker--that part does not come out so I couldn't put any compound there. Nothing has leaked out of the front of the marker, and the brown ink in the threads actually gives the pen a nice look; I'm just wondering what will happen later.

Muji Recycled Journal

I thought I would try something different and take a look at a new journal I'm using for some fiction writing, one that I just picked up at Muji. This journal, made with recycled lined paper, comes in a 5-pack and is a size B5--just a bit smaller than the Moleskine Cahier Extra Large Journal. The Muji journal has 30 pages, about half the amount as a Moleskine, but each 5-pack costs $3.95 plus tax, significantly less than the Cahier, which comes in a 3-pack and sells for between $15 to $17 plus tax.

The paper itself feels smooth and thick and not at all like recycled paper, which I find tends to feel a bit scratchy. But the pen doesn't resist the surface and glides right over the paper. The ink saturates well, doesn't feather, and dries quickly (I'm using a 0.38mm black gel ink and have tried it with some fountain pens as well). These are really great notebooks at an inexpensive price, and a workable alternative to the Cahier (which is on the right in this pic).

The song is one of my favorites, and this YouTube is the best version.

Times Square at Night

Pic of the pink heart sculpture in Times Square, taken sometime in January or February 2009.

Zebra Disposable Brush Sign Pen Fine Point

I've been intrigued by the brush pens at JetPens but didn't want to get one before I could try it. So while browsing at Kinokuniya I had the chance to play with a Zebra Disposable Brush Sign Pen with a fine point, and decided on the spot to adopt. This is amazing, it feels like I'm writing with liquid silk. The pen glides smoothly across the paper with no drag, and has two different looks to it, depending on whether I hold the pen at a 90 degree or 45 degree angle. The 45 degree angle has a wider line, but both look really nice.

There was no bleed through on the Doane Paper but there was a very definite dark shadow, making this pen ineligible for double-sided writing. But somehow I don't think the pen minds very much; it doesn't look or feel like a delicate writing instrument.

I am definitely going to get a few more of these, and I know they have the Extra Fine version at Kinokuniya as well as several Pilot Brush Pens I've been thinking of purchasing. The only drawback, and it is minor, is that I feel I'm going to crush the brush tip if I press too hard. So I am holding the pen very lightly, and my hand is starting to cramp. Tho' I suspect the pen is meant for a light grip, built to dance over the paper the way a brush with black ink on it does.

Red Ink

I don't think I've ever used a red ink pen in my life, so I'm rather amused that Muji could have produced a pen that caught my attention with its color and quality. This is one of the Muji pens I bought a while back, a gel ink 0.38mm. I like the feel of the 0.38mm gel inks, they flow very nicely across the page with just a touch of resistance to this Rhodia 80 g/m, and they have a fine line that's readable. Not much of a shadow either, so both sides of the page can be used.

The Muji gel inks have a standard ballpoint-type ink cartridge. This particular red ink is vibrant and a true red. The pen has a polycarbonate shell and is slightly frosted so you can't see inside the pen, and refills are available so you'll never run out of red. Very modern design with a rectangular clip. For the price, about $1.60, it is a great gel ink pen. Can't wait to try the other colors.

Mixed Inks: Diabolo Menthe and Bleu Nuit

I love the J. Herbin Diabolo Menthe, but the color is way too light and the pen feels scratchy on the paper (Rhodia 80 g/m). So I was wondering how the ink might look mixed with another J. Herbin. I love the idea of Diabolo Menthe, just the color alone and the drawing of the glass of Diabolo Menthe is so appealing (the drink sounds refreshing as well, green mint syrup mixed with lemonade). But as a pen ink that I would use constantly, I seriously can't think of writing with this color as I have a hard time seeing it.

Getting out my bottles, I found the perfect companion--Bleu Nuit, a Bastille Day gift from Karen Doherty at Exaclair. The soft, dark denim blue would look wonderful with the menthol green. All I needed were the tools: an eye dropper, a glass vial to mix in, and something to store the ink in. All were present in my kitchen, and after a good scrub and some time drying out I began to mix.

The large glass test tube actually held vanilla beans, and I kept the container just in case. I mixed an approximately 1:1 concoction of the J. Herbins, and this is the result (of the three ink colors in the left top area of this pic, the middle ink swatch is the mixed ink color I finally decided to try).


This color is much lighter than the Bleu Nuit but darker than the Diabolo Menthe and definitely a keeper, altough it still feels a a bit scratchy in a fine nib fountain pen. I'm thinking a medium nib might work much better, and will give it a try. I have a lot of ink left, and might also add more Bleu Nuit to darken the color just a bit. I do like this mixed color, and with some tinkering I think it will be a great addition to my inks.