Kronenheft

Kronenheft, Morning Glory pencils (with point protectors) and Noodler’s X-Feather ink

Back from Germany, I am going to try another four-in-one blog post. I did not take part in the Faber-Castell factory tour mentioned in one of the previous comments because of a bereavement – which resulted in a very different trip than planned. I hope to take part in one of their factory tours in December and hope to find the time to visit Staedtler’s shop in Nuremberg, too.

This is going to be a four-in-one blog post because I want to speed things up as there are so many things I want to write about but I do not write enough blog posts – so the queue gets longer and longer. The low number [1]i.e. one of comments on the previous four-in-one blog post about the Black n’ Red polynote does however make me think that writing about multiple items in one blog post does not give each individual item the attention it deserves, so I might switch back to one or two items per post…

…but today another (the last?) many-in-one blog post.

Kronenheft

The Kronenheft must be one of the most understated notepads available. I bought mine at Antiquariat Daniel Osthoff in August 2010. I mentioned this shop and some of the papers they sell in my blog post about the OHTO Super Clip. The Kronenheft notepad has been on the market for many years and is distributed by Carta Pura. It measures 15 cm x 10 cm and features a 290 g/m² Preßspanersatzkarton cover, an “imitation particle board” traditionally used, amongst other things, for book covers. It is a sturdy material made from wood pulp. The paper of this pad is 80 g/m² Salzer Werkdruck paper from Austrian paper manufacturer Salzer. Even though paper has been manufactured in Salzer’s town since 1469 and at the their mill, Obere Papiermühle, since 1579, the history of Salzer is slightly younger as the founder Kaspar Salzer did not have his own paper mill until 1798. Even though the 80 g/m² Salzer Werkdruck paper is not their best paper it is very good with a great feel and texture and a slightly creme-coloured tint.

Carta Pura, the distributor, sells this notepad in twelve different colours for € 7 each. You can also get a refill (40 sheets) for € 3. I paid less, but I am not sure how much exactly. FontShop used to sell them for a good price, but when I check recently I could not find it in their online shop any more.

The crown (German: Krone) in the Kronenheft

Morning Glory

This is the second appearance of a Morning Glory pencil at Bleistift. The first appearance was last month, when I wrote about RAD AND HUNGRY’s STMT X Korea kit. This time I used a much older Morning Glory pencil that my wife bought about ten years ago, the morning glory No. 33322-45229 HB. You would think that such a long product number can definitely point to one specific type of pencil, but there are actually different versions of the morning glory No. 33322-45229 HB pencil, with different colours printed on the pencil, but with the same product number.

The pencil itself writes very well. It could be a bit smoother, but it is by no means a scratchy pencil.

Pelikan M100

Since today is Star Wars day (May the Fourth be with you) I have to include the Pelikan M100, too. I cannot look at this pen without thinking of Stormtroopers and am convinced that if Stormtroopers had fountain pens  this Pelikan M100 would be standard issue! It is a great fountain pen and all of its parts are either white or black, even the nib is black. The piston mechanism does not feel as smooth as it does with a Pelikan M200 or a Souverän, but when this fountain pen was released in 1987 it was not an expensive pen so it is no surprise that the piston mechanism is not on the same level. The nib however is excellent for a steel nib and is quite flexible, too.

If Stormtroopers had fountain pens this Pelikan M100 would be standard issue. Here you can see the M100 camouflaged between other black and white items.

Noodler’s X-Feather ink

The ink used in the M100 is Noodler’s X-Feather ink, a black ink that is bulletproof, i.e. resistant to bleach, chemicals, light, etc. I have used this ink for years and am very happy with it. There is only one disadvantage I noticed. If you use it in a wet writer and use paper that does not absorb ink easily (e.g. post cards) it can happen that a layer on top of the ink does not ‘dry’ completely. In this case it can smudge or smear, even days after the text has been written. Under normal circumstances this is however not really a problem.

Conclusion

The Kronenheft is just great, but with its price tag I am not sure I will use it often. It copes well with ink (no bleeding though) and pencil and has a nice colour and texture.


You can find another photo of the Kronenheft in my previous blog post Wooden Letter Rack with Draw.

You can find English blog posts about Carta Pura at bloesem travel and at snowflakes & blackvampires.

Noodler’s X-Feather ink has also been used in my previous blog post Carrefour Bloc-notes.

I’d like to thank Ms Schwamborn from Carta Pura for additional information about the Kronenheft.

In case you wonder where my Cherry G80-3000LSC went: the photos show my wife’s desk, which is very similar – except the keyboard.

References

References
1 i.e. one

5 thoughts on “Kronenheft”

  1. A pity you weren’t able to take the tour, but family comes first. I’m sorry for your trouble.

    On to the stationery: the Kronenheft looks great. I’ve never seen that brand before, and must check out some of your links.

    I’ve seen the Pelikan 100 around before. It reminds me of the Lamy Safari special edition from a few years back which was also stormtrooper ™ white with black trim. A nice pen.

    As for the Noodler’s ink: I’ve got Bulletproof Black in one of my pens as a permanent ink. If I am careful with it, it is excellent stuff, but it does take a while to dry out, though I believe it has a shorter drying time than the X-Feather.

    Personally I don’t mind the multi-review posts, so keep them going if you can. Which reminds me, I really must be posting on my own blog…

  2. I second the vote for the multi-posts, especially when they are a “suite” of items. Rather than describing each thing in isolation, we get to see how they work together…

  3. Stormtrooper Fountain pen LOL.
    Regarding multi reviews: I think it depends on what you are looking for in a review. If you want information before buying – I guess it is not possible to be thorough or fair, unless the review is a very long one.
    On the other hand it is nice to see what this or that looks like and read a qualified opinion or the story behind it.. So, go right ahead. 🙂

    Regarding Noodler’s and Private Reserve inks. I stopped using them after they killed one of my vintage Pelikans – it seems the chemistry in these is very aggressive towards cork seals and ebonite feeds. Sadly, because they have bright colours and some interesting capabilities.

    Oh, and welcome back to the blogosphere…
    Regards
    Henrik

  4. any idea where one can get the Kronenheft? Went to Germany last year and didn’t see it around.

  5. Thank you for your kind comments.

    Bruce, hehe I like the strategically placed ™. I am quite sure I had a white Lamy Safari in the 80s, at that time the clip was black. Maybe I’ll find it one day. While back in my mother’s house over Easter I did find lots of old pens I used in the 70s and 80s 🙂 I might present some of them in the blog.
    About the X-Feather ink. Part of the problem might be (this is just a guess) that the fountain pen is always in my shirt pocket. Maybe X-Feather doesn’t like being stored at warmer temperatures for a long time.

    Sean, thanks. I might do more multi-posts then..

    Henrik, I read about problems with vintage pens, but the guy behind Noodler’s says his ink is less aggressive than many other inks. I haven’t used it in vintage pens yet, so I haven’t had problems yet. I like that Noodler’s ink are water and document proof and not expensive.

    Ccorrada, there are not many shops that sell them, I assume because of the relatively high price. You might find some online shops, there were some in the past that sold it. If you cannot find online shops that sell it you could contact Carta Pura or Font Shop.

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