The Fountain Pen Rotation: How (and Why) to Ink Multiple Pens at Once

Some people on the Goldspot team including our very own Tom Oddo have a very controlled inking and pen rotation process. Tom’s rotation is so controlled in fact that he limits how many pens he owns at any given time, that is not who I am.

I would love to be as organized as Tom, but I am not one of those people. I thrive on the chaos of having far too many pens inked up. At any given time I tend to have between 5-30 pens inked up depending on what I am using in my personal life and what I am using in making content for the YouTube channel.

So, how do I control the chaos of having anywhere from 5-30 fountain pens inked up and in rotation? Below, I share the method to the madness.

Alexandra's selection of currently inked fountain pens, featuring a Kaweco Sport, Kaweco Piston Sport, a Monteverde Dakota, a Kolo Tino Brass, and a Nahvalur Horizon fountain pen

Some months, my Inked Up will have a theme, based on YouTube content : pocket pens, Japanese pens, and grey pens have all been past themes of what I happen to have inked for a given month. Some months though, it is purely vibe-based and ink choices become fairly random. Currently my theme is my favourite pens and it's a minimal list, only ten. I wanted to ink up as few pens as possible while still having all my favorites at my disposal.

This month’s pen and ink rotation includes:

- Kaweco Plastic Bordeaux Sport, double broad nib with Ferris Wheel Press Plaited Gold Tress

- Kaweco AL Piston Navy Sport, double broad nib with Sailor Blue Black

 

- Kolo Tino Brass, custom ground architect medium nib with a Kaweco Midnight Blue Cartridge

- Monteverde Dakota Black, fine nib with Octopus Fluid Certified Document Violet

- Nahvalur Horizon Pearl, medium nib with Sailor Manyo Haha

- Nahvalur Roiro 365 Lilac, fine nib with Van Diemen's Dusk

- Pilot Galaxy Vanishing Point, custom ground medium architect nib with Pilot Irohizuku Yama-Budo

- Platinum Preppy Wa Maki-e Asagao, 0.3 nib with Ferris Wheel Press Spadina Rose

- Sailor Pro Gear Slim Hydrangea, medium nib with Ferris Wheel Press Moss Park Green

- Visconti Homo Sapiens Iris Garden, fine nib with The Wet Pen Blackberry

I like having multiple fountain pens inked up for the same reason I carried multiple colours of gel pens and different weights of fineliners for years; different pens give you different looks. I very rarely have 2 pens inked up with the same ink and almost every fountain pen I have inked up will have a different size nib on it meaning I can colorcode notes and always have a pen & ink available that works on the cheapest of papers.

Unlike most people in the pen world, my EDC (everyday carry) cases are not typical pen cases or sleeves. Depending on my plans for the day I alternate between a Galen Leather A5 Expansi Folio in Crazy Horse Navy Blue & an Endless Work A4 Folio in Blue.

Both folios comfortably hold 3+ fountain pens as well as a Retro 51 Tornado Rollerball and I decide on what pens I will be using every morning when I pick my folio for the day. I am also not overly concerned about my pens getting scratched. They are tools and over time they are going to show some wear and tear. There are only a few pens in my collection that truly get babied. My Visconti Homo Sapiens and Pilot Vanishing Point Urushi are pens that I won’t just grab off my desk and put in a pocket or purse when heading out the door to go somewhere.

I think the most overwhelming thing about fountain pens can often be the cleaning of them. To help minimise the constant cleaning I have a ‘to clean’ bin on my desk so that when a pen needs to be cleaned it has a designated spot to land. This means I only clean pens about once every 2 months in fairly large batches which I find makes the process far less overwhelming than the constant pen cleaning cycle that can start when you have multiple pens inked up. While this does mean the pen cleaning takes longer, I find it mentally more enjoyable to clean a dozen plus pens at once versus cleaning one pen every few days. The only exception to this rule is waterproof or archival inks. If I am done using a pen that has been inked with a waterproof or archival ink I will clean that pen right away so that the ink does not damage the feed of the pen.

Alexandra's currently inked pens Kaweco Piston Sport, Visconti Homo Sapiens, Nahvalur Nautilus, Monteverde Dakota, Sailor Pro Gear, Pilot Vanishing Point Raden, Nahvalur Horizon and Kolo Tino Brass Pen

No matter how you set up your rotation, whether you are minimalist like Tom or maximalist like myself, the most important part is figuring out a system that works for you. If you find yourself overwhelmed every time you open your pen case, it may be time to cull the number of pens you are using. If you think your rotation is complete but find yourself missing a specific pen from your collection, ink it up. At the end of the day, you are the one who has to use your pens and the system that works for others may be the exact opposite of what works for you.

About the Author

Alexandra Richardson is a Canadian watercolour and fountain pen content creator. She can be found on Instagram and Youtube under @alexandrasartinsanity.

Back to blog