One of my favorite topics to write about - though I don’t necessarily do it often - is “hacking” stationery products. As it’s used in the pen community, “hacking” can mean anything from using a different brand of paper refill in your Traveler’s Notebook to “actual hacking” away at a pen or notebook with an X-Acto knife to create a “personalized” product. Many people are understandably hesitant to experiment in this way, but if you go slowly and don’t attempt anything too crazy, the rewards are great and the risk relatively low.
One of the simplest “hacks” of all is a hole punch, creating your own refills from the paper of your choice for use in ring or disc-based notebook systems.
A Few Things to Keep In Mind When Modifying Your Own Products
Start Small. Maybe it’s trimming down a favorite brand of notebook to fit a specific case/cover, mixing two favorite inks together to create a new color, or clipping the end of a favorite gel refill so that it’s just a touch shorter and will fit in your preferred machined pen. Either way, these are small “hacks” that are easily accomplished at home with tools/materals that you have around the house, and will build your confidence to try more complex projects.
For More Complex Projects, or Those Involving Expensive Pens, Do Your Research. There’s a wealth of information out there on the internet, whether on pen-specific forms and blogs or on YouTube or Tiktok. For example, if you’re considering swapping nibs or feeds on pens from two different brands, the chances are somebody (like me) has done that before and failed, and has passed along and documented their wisdom, or lack thereof, for posterity. (I’ve linked to a post on my adventures swapping Platinum nibs into Opus 88 pens below.)
Don’t Worry About “Hurting Resale Value”. A common question I get from someone hacking a pen is “what will this do to the resale value”? Honestly, if you’re having to ask yourself this question, and you’ve purchased a pen for investment purposes, you shouldn’t be modifying it (or probably even writing with it). On the other hand, if you bought your pens to use them, you should feel free to do whatever you think will make you more likely to use the pen, and make the experience more enjoyable. Which brings me to…
You Will Void The Warranty. Recognize that you are taking some degree of risk anytime you modify a pen or any other product in a way not contemplated by the manufacturer. In other words, while it’s pretty difficult to break a pen beyond all hope of repair, if it happens in the context of you creating the Frankenpen of your dreams it’s going to be your fault, and you shouldn’t expect the manufacturer to replace it.
At the end of the day, if you purchased these products to use, and if you’re goal is to actually use them for work, pleasure, or otherwise, you shouldn’t be afraid to make changes that will allow you to maximize your own enjoyment and the overall experience.
Platinum Frankenpen!
And One More Thing… (A New Hack!)
An hour before I left on vacation a couple of weeks ago, an idea struck me. I recently discovered the Platinum Desk Pen on a recommendation from my friend Ana over at the Well-Appointed Desk. It has a smooth extra-fine gold-plated steel nib, which you can’t seem to find on any of Platinum’s other low-cost offerings like the Preppy or the Plaisir. The good thing is that the Desk Pen uses the exact same feed as these other models, and you can swap them out by gently pulling both the nib and feed to remove them, and inserting the nib from the Desk Pen into the Plaisir (and vice-versa), as shown in the photos.
Further Reading
To read more on how I’ve customized my own pens, inks, and notebooks, you may want to consider giving these posts a read:
Opus 88 Fountain Pens for Maximum Versatility. I’ve long enjoyed the ability to use any JoWo-compatible nib unit with Opus 88’s Japanese-style eyedropper filling system. With JoWo-threaded nib housings from Flexible Nib Factory, you can pair nibs from your favorite brand (such as Platinum) with Opus 88 or any JoWo compatible fountain pen.
Creating Your Own Notebook Refills. Over the past year I’ve shown off my cut-down Stàlogy notebook that I’ve trimmed to fit into a Traveler’s Notebook cover. I’m coming to the last few pages of the notebook as the year winds down, and I’m already thinking of what my next “project” will be.
Ink Mixing. One inexpensive “hack” that can be a lot of fun is mixing your own inks from the hoard of different colors that you already have on hand. Platinum also makes a line of inks specifically designed to be mixed, so that you can experiment with how different colors interact with one another without worrying about whether the different inks are compatible.
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