fountain pen

by Tony Thomas Ray Blake is well known as champion of personal organizers, notebooks and journaling.  His You Tube video on making your own travelers notebook has received over a quarter of a million views. When I saw that he wrote a new book on pocket notebooks, I was intrigued. I bought it in Kindle format and began to read.  While it is a short book, it covers a lot of ground.   He begins by discussing how to buy and set up your notebook.  I would have liked to see some reviews of different notebooks rather than generic descriptions, but I still found his information helpful.  He continues by providing different applications for pocket notebooks. This is the real "meat" of the book and the reason you should buy it. This is a great book for fountain pen users looking for more ways to use their pens.  Users of rollerballs, gel pens, pencils, etc. will also resonate with its contents.  If you have a pocket notebook or plan to get one, I think this boo...

by Tony Thomas Over a month ago I ordered some tooling leather and dye to create another traveler's notebook using the Ray Blake method.   The last time I created one was a year and a half ago and you can find the article here .    This time around, I went with thinner and lighter leather for a more floppy appearance.  Also, I used a brown dye rather than a reddish one.   It holds four notebooks (currently three handmade and one Field Notes).  I took some time to distress it before dyeing for a more weathered look.  I am very pleased with the results and this will be my EDC!

by Tony Thomas I ordered a pack of "pitch black" Field Notes brand notebooks to try out recently.  Although I have been familiar with the brand for quite some time, this was the first time I have had a chance to use them. A Bit of Background If you are not familiar with Field Notes, they are a company that makes a line of pocket-sized (3.5" x 5.5") notebooks in various colors and styles.  They are sold in 3 packs of plain, ruled, grid or assorted pages.  They are well-known for their limited-edition notebooks which are very collectible.  When I saw their new "pitch black" edition in dot grid, I thought it was time to try some. First Impressions Upon opening the pack, I was instantly impressed with the quality and attention to detail of the notebook.  It is staple-bound, has rounded corners and feels good in the hand.  According to the specifications, the cover is French Construction 100#C "Blackstop".  The ink is a soy-based  Saphira ink...

by Tony Thomas After my success making a traveler's notebook out of heavy felt, I decided to make a few more out of leather using the popular Ray Blake method . For the first one, I used some vegetable-tanned tooling leather (highly recommended) from my local  Tandy Leather .  The piece was only a bit larger than the 6" x 9" I needed to make the notebook.  It was a fairly thin piece at around 4 oz. (approx 4/64").   I also bought a small punch to create the holes.  After cutting the leather, punching the holes, trimming the corners, threading the elastic cords, and applying a bit of oil, here is what I came up with in about 20 minutes: After living with the notebook for a week or so, I decided to make a second notebook out of heavier tooling leather I found on eBay ( DC Leather ).  It was a about 8.5 oz. (almost 9/64").   I also bought some dye ( Angelus ) for both notebooks to give them a more finished look.  The heavier leather was a bit more ch...