The Unsung Hero: The Ink Meiser Ink Shot Inkwell

I have an ink problem.

I have never counted them all - partly because I am probably scared as to how many I will find. I have a literal chest full of ink bottles, and I now have a quickly growing rack of ink sample vials.

What is the problem? Well, I see (or hear about) an ink on The Goulet Pencast, or Mountain of Ink and I have to have it! So I go to my friendly neighborhood fountain pen website and procure a bottle. Thus I now have an entirely new 30ml or 80ml (or in some cases, 100ml) bottle that gets lost in the collection!

My solution? I recently discovered The Ink Meiser Ink Shot Inkwell after an episode of the Pencast. The concept is simple, an inkwell where you can easily pour in 1 to 2ml of ink and still get a fairly full fill even in a piston filler such as a TWSBI Eco. It is a very inexpensive addition to my pen maintenance arsenal, and I don’t know why I haven’t picked one up before now.

I know I can get a similar result by using a syringe to fill cartages, cartridge converters, and even a TWSBI Eco with the nib unit pulled, but sometimes I do not want to go through all that drama. I may be loosing a small amount of ink, but I am not that concerned. I have more ink than I could use in a lifetime, and I’ll still buy more.

So, I am happy to welcome the Ink Meiser to my collection. Maybe I will start to buy more ink samples when I see something that interests me, or maybe I will just start distilling some of my larger bottles into easier to manage vials?

This is not a promotional post nor did I receive any product or compensation for the content.

Ink Splotches

A weekly roundup of those links that I found intesteing throughout the week…

WORKHORSE INKS: EXPLORING IROSHIZUKU, PART II (ASA-GAO, MURASAKI-SHIKIBU, AND AJI-SAI) - An ode to one of my favorite workhorse inks - Pilot Iroshizuku Asa-Gao. Currently inked in one of my Lamy Safaris. Fun fact - also the first Pilot Iroshizuku ink I ever purchased.

A Few Thoughts On Getting Started With A Bullet Journal - A great primer and narrative on getting started with the BuJo habit. I am not the world’s most dedicated with BuJo, but I always find it useful when I do it reliably. The migration habit is insanely useful.

Ink Review #1459: Aurora Grey - I am constantly on the lookout for a decent Grey Ink. I actually recently ordered Akkerman 29 Hofvijer Grijs from Vanness after being inspired by this article. Review to come when this arrives, but I think I was just looking for an excuse to buy an ink to get the beautiful bottle.

Podcasts: Talking about pens and other stuff - I love a good podcast. Several great recommendations - glad to see The Pen Addict and The Bent Tines represented. I love both of these shows and will check out the remainder!

Spoke Axle by Spoke Design

When I heard on The Pen Addict Podcast that the Spoke Axle had been released, I knew what the inagrual reivew on The Inked Nib would be. It had to be the Spoke Axle.

I placed an order and patiently waited. Due to some shipping delays with supplies of the JOWO #6 Nibs, my order was backordered for a short period but eventually made its way to me in some very stylish packaging.

I really love the attention to detail with the packaing especially the aluminium pen case. Additionally, I am a fan of anytime stickers are included.

The unboxing of the Axle. The Axle comes with two standard short cartriges - I believe this is Monteverde ink

The Look

The design of the Axle can only be described as industrial.  This is unlike any other fountain pen in my collection.  I opted for the aluminum barrel and grip with a black grip. The best description for the feel of the pen is almost pencil like.  There is no clip, and the cap is meant to be posted by screwing onto the back of the pen.  I really love the anodized aluminum look of the pen, and I can see this aging well as this makes its way into my everyday rotation.

The initial presentation in packaging is excellent.  I can tell Brad and Brian put a lot of thought into the presentation.  While I am normally not one to keep the pen in its original case, I can see this quickly becoming a nice place to store my extra nibs and ink cartridges that seem to collect around my office.

I believe the modular design of this pen makes it very easy to customize, and from the episode of The Pen Addict that introduced this design, I believe there will be additional colors available in the future.  Additionally, the barrel can be swapped with the Axle S. I expect this also makes order fulfillment and customization very easy for Spoke.  Very smart.

The Jowo #6 nib has a wonderful engraving of the Spoke design.  This really shows the amount of detail Spoke went into with the design of this pen, and I really like the little touches like this. For this pen, I went with the medium nib. I suppose that this nib is likely friction fit with the feed and housing, so I believe you can swap.  However, I have not been brave enough to do that this far!

The Experience

When it came time to fill the pen, I decided to go with a syringe filled short cartridge filled with Robert Oster Bondi Blue. The pen does accept a regular international converter (not included), but I had some empty cartridges laying around. I prefer to syringe fill these from my ink collection. 

The pen is very well balanced both posted and unposted. I typically prefer unposted pens, but the smaller cap makes this pen look and feel a bit better with the cap screwed on to post. 

The writing experience is great - the low profile of the pen and relatively smaller barrel size makes this a pleasure to write with.  The best I can describe the experience is like holding a pencil but having all the benefits of a fountain pen.  This pen will easily make its way into my daily rotation. I have grown to know what to expect with Jowo #6 nibs, and the Axle does not let you down in this regard. Flow is smooth and feedback minimal to non-existent - I love a smooth writing experience.

I did notice one oddity while filling the pen.  As I said, I used a cartridge to ink this pen for the first time.  Typically, the capillary action of the feed takes one or two minutes to fill.  With the Axle, I waited a solid two hours with the pen nib down, and I still had to squeeze the cartridge to force ink into the feed and nib.  This is not a deal breaker, but this is the first time I have encountered something like that.  Perhaps I was just too impatient? Is the feed just larger?

Writing Sample
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Spoke Axle - Medium Nib
Robert Oster Bondi Blue

Overall

The Axle is a great addition to my collection, and I can’t wait to see what Spoke does in the future. I will certainly keep my eye out for new products to add to my collection based upon my experience here. 5 out of 5 for me.

~Grant