If the #6penchallenge wasn’t enough for you, members of the Fountain Pens UK Facebook group decided on their own ‘Desert Island Desks’ style equivalent.
The ONE PEN, ONE INK, ONE PAPER challenge!
Or, select the three stationery items that you would happily use for the rest of your life if the rest of your stash had been auctioned off to support pen addict veterans/eaten by zombies/sold by an irate lover.
I know, it’s a killer decision isn’t it? I wasn’t going to entertain this idea at all, but the crazies of Fountain Pens UK took to it like ducks to water. And came up with some cracking combos.
So, this week, I’m handing over Top of the Pen Pots to my fellow pen nerds as their selections inspired me!
Anthony N. – The Indecisive Inker
Pen – Pilot 912 with FA nib. It’s like two nibs in one, plus super comfy. Pilot 91 FM would be the runner up.
Paper – Tomoe River, duh! Simply the best paper for making inks look good.
Ink – Much more tricky! If it’s until the end of time I don’t want something so in-your-face that I’d get bored of it. Kobe Kano-Cho Midnight is the best candidate I’ve got right now, since it’s dark but expressive. But Akkerman Passage Blauw, Diamine Ancient Copper, Sailor Oku-Yama and Noodlers Manhattan Blue are runners up!
Steven J. – The Purist (in a good way!)
Pen – Montblanc 146 from the early 80’s barleycorn gold plated . Lovely weight great size almost perfect for me.
Paper – Rhodia notebooks great paper.
Ink – It’s harder to pick my current favourite it Montblanc Blue Hour due to shading and sheen . Thought Pelikan aquamarine is right up there.
Vanessa H. – The Ambidextrous Aphrodite
Pen, Paper and Ink – I can’t possibly select only one pen: I’m ambidextrous, so I have different pens for each hand! That said, for my right hand it would be my Parker 45 CT with its fine 14K nib, with Parker Quink black (the only ink it likes). For my Ieft, probably my Edison Collier with fine nib and J Herbin Lie de Thé. Paper: Rhodia (not tried Tomoe River yet).
Philip W. – The Man of Few Words
Pen – Pilot Custom 823. Paper – Tomoe River. Ink – Sailor Yama Dori
Li R. – The Pukka Pen
Pen – probably my TWSBI Diamond 580
Ink – Sheaffer Skrip Turquoise Ink
Paper – I’m going to have to go with my Pukka Pad Lavender A4 pad purely because if it’s forever, I’ll need to actually be able to read it (dyspraxic with Irlen syndrome)!
Lisa R. – The Straight-Talking TWSBI
Pen – TWSBI 580 because I love everything about it, it fits my hand just right.
Paper – Rhodia, because I crease Tomoe River like nothing else.
Ink – this is a difficult one! Probably Pilot Iroshizuku Ku-Jaku
Jo. M – The Lamy Lover
Pen – Lamy Safari with a 1.1 nib. Paper – Rhodia R paper. Ink – J Herbin Vert Olive (love the shading). Good combo IMO. 
(Great example of this combo from the Inkophile blog below!)
Bernardo B. – The Nib Grind Extraordinaire
Pen, Ink and Paper – Franklin-Christoph Model 02 smoke and ice with Mike Masuyama Medium Cursive Italic, eyedroppered with Diamine Blue Velvet (that sheen) and Rhodia dot pad.
Ali C. – The Classic
Pen – Montblanc Oscar Wilde with OB nib for its classic looks, size and balance.
Paper – Rhodia hardback notebook.
Ink – Diamine 1864 Blue Black
So, big love for TWSBIs and Mont Blancs, Tomoe and Rhodia paper, and Sailor or Pilot Iroshizuku inks. No surprises there.
But what about Laura, I hear you cry?! I racked my brains on this one. It was a tough call. But, I ‘manned up’ and got there in the end…
Laura E. – True Blue
Pen – My beloved Lamy 2000. BUT with a fine, not my current medium, nib. I’m after a finer grind so I can use it with ALL kinds of paper, not just strictly fountain pen friendly ones. It is a workhorse pen, and I want it to reliably write on ANYTHING. A finer nib will sort this.
Oh and I love the ink capacity. I love the smooth nib. I love the sleek looks. Did I mention, I love it?
Paper – William Hannah Notebook paper. I like Tomoe River but it is impossible to find and I tend to rip it easily as I have the motor skills of a toddler. Rhodia is a contender too; great quality, loads of size options but a bit…ubiquitous? I’m sticking with my William Hannah paper: 100gsm of pure joy in a durable leather cover that goes with me everywhere. I like to look pretentious as much as I can ;).
Ink – J. Herbin Bleu Pervenche. This was a difficult one. It has to be a turquoisey-blue. But which one? Pilot Iroshizuku Kon Peki? Too dark. Diamine Mediterranean Blue? Too saturated? Akkerman Tréves Turquoise? Too light. So Bleu Pervenche is has to be; it is a striking turquoise and at only £6 a bottle, is economical too!
What would your pen-ink-paper combo be?
Keep those nibs mucky!
Nib & Muck 
