Category Archives: Inspiration

The price of good customer service

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Over the last couple of days I’ve been dealing with very good customer service, the kind of customer service people talk about how good it was. I made an order from one of my favorite companies and it got screwed up. It arrived in the mail, I’d been waiting for it, eagerly. I contacted the company and they took care of the issue in a way that will have me forever telling people about their exceptional customer service and I’ll keep coming back.

I’ve asked myself in the past what is cheaper, not replacing/repairing a book or piece of art and having the customer talk about that forever or is it cheaper to replace/repair the book/ art and have them talk about me in glowing terms forever?

Let’s put it this way, I will forever talk about the company that gave me great customer service and I have customers from over 10 years ago that still come back to me. Why? Great customer service. If anyone who bought a book from me, even 13 years ago tracked me down and asked me to repair it? Guess what, I’d do it,happily.

Oh yeah, the company that gave me exceptional customer service? Gouletpens.com

Easy Leather Cord Keepers

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I saw these over on the jetpens blog and I thought to myself, "I bet I can make those out of leather." Here are my results:

Easy cord keeper

Easy cord keeper
It's a simple project. Cut a strip of leather .75 inches wide (15mm or so) and 3 inches long (7.5cm). Get some no sew snaps- I used 7/16th's size because it was all Michael's carried and I was too lazy to stop someplace else. Use the tools to hammer on the snaps, the snapping together bits must be on the same side of the leather to make these.I left just enough leather on each end so I could grab it and pull the snaps apart.

They work AWESOME.

These could be made with canvas or fabric as well. I could see these made out of vinyl too. So many possibilities with sucha  simple project!

 

Fountain Pens and Inks I use

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Dave asked me on YouTube to link up my favorite fountain pens. So here’s a list:

Kaweco Sport– I like it for it’s ability to fit discreetly in a pocket and be converted to an eyedropper. (at jetpens)

Platinum Preppy– for $3 it’s a workhorse, it comes in an array of colors and can be converted to an eye dropper. (at jetpens)

Lamy– To get this to convert to an eye dropper you need to find a clear tube to fit inside the case or find a matching roller ball. Even then you need to epoxy the vents. In my opinion it’s worth the hassle you can get interchangeable nibs and expand your nib size for not a lot of money. (at jetpens)

TWSBI– the most expensive of my pens, it lays down a smooth even line and its a joy to sketch or write with. (not available at jetpens)

Pilot Parallel– These come in a range of sizes and I think act more like a paint brush than a pen. I have a 6mm size and it lays down an awesome swath of ink. (not available at jetpens)

Inks:

Private Reserve– I enjoy their shades of blue. (not available at jetpens)

Diamine– I enjoy their chocolate brown shade. It’s deep it’s dark it’s really nice. (at jetpens)

I hope this list, though not exhaustive helps out make some choices about what fountain pens to start out with and if they are for you.

Please note that I am not compensated for linking to these particular sellers, I link to them because I’m a happy customer who has recieved nothing but top notch service from both sellers. I’m happy to steer people in their direction.