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About reudaly

Posts by reudaly:

[Pen/Pencil Review] The Mithril Mechanisms Chess Knight Pen

Posted by reudaly on July 15, 2023 in Review, writing instruments |

SoonerCon is one of my favorite science fiction conventions. They have great programming and an amazing Art Show. I love hanging out with some of our favorite artists and meeting new ones. Especially ones that create wondrous works in ink pens. Allan Seyberth is just the newest one. He had an amazing display. He’s currently a hobbyist who is just starting to sell his work, so hopefully we’ll be seeing him at more art shows (maybe Fencon in February 2024).
The Mistril Mechanisms Chess Knight pen - a black and silver checkerboard pen with a business card and box
I had a hard time choosing just ONE to bring home, and I am happy with the one I chose. This is the Chess Knight. This pen is also a piece of art. It’s crushed silver and black segmented acrylic on black and satin chrome. What that MEANS is the body is a waved checkerboard to represent the chess board. The satin chrome cap is etched with chess pieces. The black metal clip is the “horse” knight piece with a rook as the topper. The cap is a screw on cap that also screws onto the black base to securely post.
The Mistril Mechanisms Chess Knight pen - a black and silver checkerboard pen with a business card and box
The grip is a long, narrower taper black that has a rounded lip before the tip. It came with a thick Schneider refill in black that is a smooth and supple ink. But Allan mentioned that he created the pen to also take the Pilot G2 refill, so I had to try. And it does take the G2, and now currently has a black G2 refill in a 0.5mm point. Because I do love me a good extra fine point. It’s just under 6” with the cap posted, just under 7” with the cap posted, and just over 4.5” uncapped.
The Mistril Mechanisms Chess Knight pen - a black and silver checkerboard pen with a writing sample
This pen has a decent weight and heft with a decent balance. It should be more awkward to write with but it’s actually quite comfortable. Allan mentioned that this was one of the more complicated pens he’s built to date, taking three attempts to get right. Fortunately, know that he has the knack, there may be more. Which is a good thing.
The black and silver Mistril Mechanisms box
This one was $50, which was the average price of the pieces Allan brought with him. For the quality of the craftmanship and the intricacies? That’s VERY affordable. It’s a functional work of art that is completely refillable with easily available refills. The trick will be finding them. He’s still rolling out his online presence and this may have been his first outing to sell them. But I had to share this one, so if you see them in your travels, you can snag them.
The Numbers:

1. How does it work?1 It works well. The design should be bulkier than it is. The fact it is takes multiple refills makes it easy to use. The cap is a secure post.
2. Grip and feel0.5 – The grip is smooth, so no serious ergonomics, but the taper to the grip is narrower than you’d think, but not so much that it throws off the feel or balance. There are some ridges that could cut into the finger if you choke down.
3. Material1 This is chrome and metal. It’s completely solid and strong. The threads on the barrel and tail end make for a secure capping and posting. It’s a solid work of art.
4. Overall Design1 -It’s amazing. Allan has a great eye for detail. This is intricately designed and sturdily built. It’s a great piece of artistic engineering.
5. Price Point1 – It’s not expensive for being a handmade piece of functional art. I will say that all day long, but it’s not a BIC. These pens start out at $50, which is low for this kind of craftsmanship.

4.5 out of 5 Bronze Pencils
4.5 bronze pencils

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[Pen/Pencil Review] The BIC 4-Color Ballpoint Pen – Flerken Edition

Posted by reudaly on June 24, 2023 in Review, writing instruments |

I found out recently that fellow Yard Dog Press authors, Phillip Drayer Duncan and Tracy Morris talked about pens and this blog on Phillip’s Future Best Seller Podcast. Which means, I should keep up the work…right? While in East Texas a couple last weekend, I picked up a BIC 4-Color pen with Flerken on it […]

[Pen/Pencil Review] BIC Cristal ReNew Re-Fillable Pen and 2 Refills, Black

Posted by reudaly on June 10, 2023 in Review, writing instruments |

Today is National Ball Point Pen Day, which seemed like a good time to another pen blog – and to start making it more of a habit. And there’s nothing more classic on National Ball Point Pen Day than a BIC stick pen. Today we’re talking about the BIC Cristal ReNew Re-Fillable Pen. I know […]

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[Pen/Pencil Review] Sharpie Goes Sherpa

Posted by reudaly on June 4, 2023 in writing instruments |

It’s been one hot minute, hasn’t it? I have so many pens and pencils to review – and so much guilt for not doing it. Guilt that I’m trying to let go of by getting started once more. I need to just do it. So, okay, we’ll start slow, maybe not every week again at […]

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New Year…It’s All About Heart

Posted by reudaly on January 4, 2023 in Life |

This is a life update story. And it might border on both TMI and TL:DR After 3 years of adulting (and yes, and adulting sucks), I finally found out something I’ve been struggling to learn. I finally, finally Know what’s been going on with what I thought was my Dad’s heart valve AFib. After THREE […]

[Pen/Pencil Review] A Slow Return — the Dallas Pen Show

Posted by reudaly on September 25, 2022 in Review, writing instruments |

It’s been a long time since I’ve done any kind of blog. There’s been a lot of–stuff. A lot of stress. Maybe some fog from some low-level anti-depressants I took for some menopause symptoms that failed. But now SOME things are settling down (others will be a constant thrum for the next year to 18 […]

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New Beginnings

Posted by reudaly on April 30, 2022 in Life, Writing |

I’ve started Day Job 2 this week. I have a great team. It seems like an encouraging environment. Everyone is excited to have me and my skillset (I am trying not to let Imposter Syndrome come knocking). There’s a lot of information flowing right now that’s a touch overwhelming, but that will ease off in […]

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[Life Update] It’s Been a Minute

Posted by reudaly on April 3, 2022 in Life |

It’s been a minute. I apologize for dropping off the face of the internet. I fully intend to get back to pen blogging. There’s a lot to catch up on — pens, and life. First of all, I’ve struggled with fiction writing over the last several months. Every time I’ve gotten started on a project, […]

[Write the Story] The Hottest Day of the Year

Posted by reudaly on December 3, 2021 in Write the Story, Writing |

The very last page of the Write the Story Journal. I’ve done every page in the journal. It’s taken longer than I anticipated or thought it would — but I have finished. Prompt: The Hottest Day of the Year Words: suspense, dogwood, speculate, playground, peel, avenue, moderation, classical, yummy, bluster Story “Where are we going?” […]

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[Write the Story] A Wedding Reception for Hundreds of People

Posted by reudaly on November 28, 2021 in Write the Story, Writing |

Prompt: A Wedding Reception with Hundreds of Guests Words: war, nag, omit, Ramadan, downpour, vouch, loop, gridlock, allegro, Filipino Story “Who serves Filipino food at a wedding reception?” Heddy sniffed in her wine glass. “How about the millions of people who live in the Philippines?” Mark glared at Heddy. “If you are going to complain […]

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