Ron Payne
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accipiterf1.bsky.social
Ron Payne
@accipiterf1.bsky.social
450 followers 450 following 1.4K posts
Birder. Reader. Otter Creek Audubon Society President. Vermont eBird hotspot reviewer. Tsundoku master. He/Him.

Book reviews in 500-characters or less: https://accipiterf1.wordpress.com/
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accipiterf1.bsky.social
Here it is. Disassembled Pilot Metropolitan for scale. It fits perfectly onto the section like a cartridge or converter giving a perfect seal to run water through it.

I should note this is for the proprietary Pilot cartridges and converters, not the European standard international version.
A translucent, blue, plastic elongated bulb with an tube opening on one end sitting on a folded piece of card stock alongside the cap, body and nib section of a disassembled, purple, Pilot Metropolitan fountain pen.
September 12, 2025 at 10:05 PM
accipiterf1.bsky.social
A corvid-like bird hand drawn in purple ink perched on the ground with its bill open like it's calling with the word "RAWK!" written above it in black ink.
August 17, 2025 at 8:10 PM
accipiterf1.bsky.social
Went to a charity shop today looking for notebooks and instead found a Pilot Metropolitan Retro Pop Fountain pen.

It had a cartridge with dried ink in it, but it cleaned out easily. I refilled it and it's writing perfectly fine now. Literally. It's an F nib and is by far the the finest nib I own.
A cigar shaped, metallic-purple pen with a decorative silver and blue patterned band in the middle sitting on lined notebook paper on which text is written in cursive in purple ink saying, "Pilot Metropolitan Retro Pop <F> Hongdian Purple."
August 10, 2025 at 12:57 AM
accipiterf1.bsky.social
Yes! Monarch Baby! 🦋

#invertabrates
A Monarch butterfly caterpillar feeding on a common milkweed leaf.
August 5, 2025 at 6:25 PM
accipiterf1.bsky.social
Now I have moved morning pages into another B6 sized notebook purchased during the same charity shop visit. This one is something originally sold at Claire's stores, and has paper almost as nice. Just some slight bleed with ill behaved inks, but not with the Preppy I write use, so that's fine.
A softcover B6 notebook with a French flap style closure. The cover has a keyhole on a flap, and the main cover has the text "imagination is the key to unlock your dreams." Sitting next to it is a translucent dark gray Platinum Preppy Fountain Pen. A page of a B6 journal showing various writing tests listing pens and inks used in them. Holding the page open is a translucent dark gray Platinum Preppy Fountain Pen. The text reads: "Pen test Sailor Tuzu <M> Diamine Oxblood Pen test Pelikan Twist <M> Diamine Eau de Nil Pen test Asvine V126 <M> Diamine Meadow Pen Test Sailor Lecoule <MF> Sailor Black Pen Test Ooly Splendid <F> Lierre Sauvage Pen Test le Grip <?> Noodler's Widow Maker Pen Test le Grip <?> Pekikan Brilliant Brown Pen Test Jinhao 10 <F> Pelikan Blue-Black Pen Test Platinum Preppy <.5> Pelikan Brilliant Black Pen Test Sailor Feude de Mannen <MF> Pelikan Brilliant Black (followed by three lines at different widths) A page from a B6 notebook showing writing from the other side showing through and lightly bleeding through the page.
July 10, 2025 at 4:19 PM
accipiterf1.bsky.social
I've been doing morning pages for 46 days now, and I finished off this B6 notebook yesterday morning. The stickers on the cover are my decoration covering the branding of some children's charity event. I found it for cheap in a charity shop and it has shocking good paper. No feathering, no bleed...
A B6 notebook with a cardboard brown cover decorated with a Drop In Brewery Sunshine and Hoppieness Golden Ale sticker, and a sticker of a fictional, fork-tailed, parrot-like bird. The notebook has a blue elastic band to hold the cover shut, a blue ribbon bookmark, and a blue pen loop with a translucent, dark gray Platinum Preppy fountain pen stuck in it. A page of a B6 notebook with a translucent dark gray Platinum Preppy fountain pen holding the page open. various writing samples in sloppy cursive, listing the name of a pen and the ink it is filled with. It reads: "Asvine V126 Diamine Meadow Pelikan Twist Diamine Eau de Nil Sailor Tuzu Diamine Oxblood Sailor Lecoule Sailor Black Ooly Splendid J. Hebrin Lierre Sauvage Le Grip Noodler's Widow Maker Le Grip Sailor Manyo Sumire Pilot Precise V5 Red Pilot Precise V5 Blue Sharpie S-Gel 0.7 Black Uni-Ball One-P Black Pilot Acroball (with a swirly line and the text "smoothness check!" Jinhao 10 Pelikan Blue-Black Sailor Fude de Mannen Pelikan Brilliant Black Le Grip Pelikan Brilliant Brown Jinhao 10 Colorverse Andromeda Jinhao 10 Hongdian Purple" A page of a B6 notebook with a translucent dark gray Platinum Preppy fountain pen holding the page open. The page is blank showing only light show through or "ghosting."
July 10, 2025 at 4:19 PM
accipiterf1.bsky.social
Another update. After struggling through a week and a half of hard starts with Pelikan Blue-Black, I refilled the pen with Hongdian Purple, and it works fine again.

If you want a purple fountain pen ink that is just plain purple, Hongdian Purple sure is purple.
A silver Jinhao 10 fountain pen with a wavy guilloche pattern sitting on an notebook below handwritten script in purple ink reading, "Jinhao 10 <F> Hongdian Purple."
June 28, 2025 at 3:50 PM
accipiterf1.bsky.social
I saw an orange butterfly flying around my milkweed patch and thought it was a Monarch, but it turned out to be a Great Spangled Fritillary instead. 🦋

#invertebrate
A butterfly perched on a milkweed leaf showing its brown and tan underwings, with with large white spots. the fringe of one of its orange upperwing can be seen as well.
June 27, 2025 at 11:21 PM
accipiterf1.bsky.social
Jinhao 10. It did not work well right out of the minimalist plastic bag it came in. It either didn't like the dryish ink I was using, or it just really needed a serious flush. But now it's writing beautifully. I didn't think I'd like the whole capless fountain pen thing, but gosh, it sure is neat.
A silver colored Jinhao 10 retractable nib fountain pen with a wavy guilloche pattern on a wooden table. Closeup of a silver colored Jinhao 10 retractable nib fountain pen with a wavy guilloche pattern with the nib extended on a wooden table.
June 2, 2025 at 1:05 PM
accipiterf1.bsky.social
New pens. A Uni-ball One P, because I am sick of the crappy ballpoint I've been using for my carry notebook, and a Platinum Preppy, because I am incapable resisting buying a fountain pen I find in a store in real life.
A thick, short, brick orange colored Uni-ball One P gel pen, and a translucent black Platinum Preppy M 05 fountain pen.
May 15, 2025 at 5:45 PM
accipiterf1.bsky.social
I bought a fountain pen at the Dollar Store.
A fountain pen with four cartridges blister packed to a cardboard backing with a $1.25 price tag on it. The backing says: Fountain Pen/Stylo plume Includes four refill cartridges 4 Cartouches d'encre inclus Le Grip Combo Black ink/Encre noire A fountain pen with a black barrel and a clear cap. The clip is black with the words "le Grip" printed on it in white. A fountain pen with a black barrel and a clear cap posted on the back sitting on a notepad. On the notepad, written in cursive is, "Why is this dollar store fountain pen so smooth?!"
March 25, 2025 at 7:36 PM
accipiterf1.bsky.social
A Common Loon where it probably ought not to be. I'm in contact with people who can probably help if it's necessary. 🪶
A common loon in nonbreeding plumage floating on water.
February 18, 2025 at 10:42 PM
accipiterf1.bsky.social
A meme made from the Facebook Crisis Response status update. It shows a blue pennant above the words, "Marked Safe From Connecticut Sun Today."
February 7, 2025 at 2:43 PM
accipiterf1.bsky.social
My method.
A fountain pen ink sample and an empty fountain pen cartridge stuck into a 1oz plastic tub of blue Play-Doh.
January 31, 2025 at 6:47 PM
accipiterf1.bsky.social
Wow. Looks like a pretty big year for Snowy Owls. Just not in Vermont.
An eBird range map for Snowy Owls showing sightings from this year. There are large clusters of them along the St. Lawrence River and around the great lakes, and more modest numbers along the Atlantic Coast. In Vermont there is just one sighting in the north/central part of the State.
January 24, 2025 at 2:11 PM
accipiterf1.bsky.social
Seen in the Middlebury village today.
A bus in the colors of the Connecticut Sun WNBA team parked on a snowy street. A bus in the colors of the Connecticut Sun WNBA team parked on a snowy street.
January 18, 2025 at 5:57 PM
accipiterf1.bsky.social
A four panel comic from theycantalk.com Panel 1: A squirrel standing in snow pointing at some tracks says, "you can see where the squirrel's footprints stop" Panel 2: Close up turning to another squirrel continues, "and where he sprouted wings and flew away. Panel 3: an above view of the squirrels both looking at the tracks ending in the imprint of owl flight feathers in the snow. Panel 4: The second squirrel looking up to they sky saying, "whoa."
January 12, 2025 at 3:57 PM
accipiterf1.bsky.social
This is it. This is the collection.

As for inks. Four bottles, 6 samples, and three packs of cartridges.
Seven fountain pens laid in a fanned out pattern. A green Ooly Splendid with its barrel held together with a zip-tie. A black Pilot Varsity. A blue Pilot Varisty. A frost blue Pelikan Twist. A matte black Asvine V126. A red Sailor Tuzu. A Green Sailor Fude de Mannen.
December 29, 2024 at 3:31 PM
accipiterf1.bsky.social
Oh, look how long this thing is. It's like a magic wand! You can post it too, but then it's really absurd.
Two fountain pens, A green and black torpedo shaped Sailor Fude de Mannen and a black and blue Pilot Precise Varsity. The Sailor is about four centimeters longer.
December 20, 2024 at 7:30 PM
accipiterf1.bsky.social
First impressions. The barrel feels cheap and plasticy, but it's just a holder for the nib, so... It came with two black ink cartridges, one of which I installed. At high angle it gives a nice medium-fine line, but writing that way is a bit awkward. at a normal angle it's good for larger writing.
A writing sample on white dot grid paper with a green and black torpedo shaped fountain pen. the test reads. "Sailor Fude de Mannen <MF> (at high angle) - Sailor Black Ink Cart." "Line variation" Next to three lines of varying width. "BIG BLOCK!" in thick lines. "It's a Little Hard to controll!" in cursive. "But very versitle!" in fine print.
December 20, 2024 at 7:00 PM
accipiterf1.bsky.social
You all really let me down here, folks.

(It was for sale at a local art supply store. Resistance was futile.)
Packaging for a Sailor Fude de Mannen Fountain Pen. A simple paper sleeve covered in Japanese text, and a depiction of the pen's bent nib. The green and black pen can be seen through a translucent part of the package. A long, narrow green, torpedo shaped fountain pen with black conical tips on both ends, and gold colored trim rings. An up close picture of a green and black fountain pen with the nib and section resting on the cap. The gold colored nib is shown from the side showing the 55 degree bend of the tip.
December 20, 2024 at 6:15 PM
accipiterf1.bsky.social
The birds have been counted. 🥶

A Barred Owl seen during the Middlebury Christmas Bird Count.
A barred owl perched on a branch with it's back to the viewer leaning forward and to the right looking down towards the ground.
December 16, 2024 at 1:51 AM
accipiterf1.bsky.social
I love my Sailor Tuzu. It's such a great writer.
A dark red plastic Sailor Tuzu Adjust fountain pen sitting on a small notepad on which is written in red ink, in shaky cursive, "Sailor Tuzu Adjust <M>. Ink: Diamine Oxblood."
November 25, 2024 at 5:29 PM
accipiterf1.bsky.social
This story from The Book of Witches anthology edited by Jonathan Strahan was very fun.
The Unexpected Excursion of the Murder Mystery Writing Witches Garth Nix Dorothy was writing when the ink suddenly poured from her Macniven and Cameron fountain pen in a torrent, to become one giant blot. She scowled in exasperation but made no move to stop the spread of Diamine Blue/Black across the page of Basildon Bond. Surprisingly, it stopped of its own accord at the edges of the paper, eventually making an intensely dark rectangle, which was slightly reflective, a black mirror with a slight blue sheen. A face formed in the ink, or rather an indistinct outline of a face. Not a reflection of Dorothy's own. The mouth opened, shut, opened again, each time revealing the white paper beneath the ink. Finally, it spoke, very softly.
November 24, 2024 at 3:14 PM
accipiterf1.bsky.social
Your last saved meme is your moral philosophy
An image macro showing a picture of Darth Vader from The Empire Strikes Back with text reading, "I AM ALTERING THE STAR RATING. PRAY I DON'T ALTER IT ANY FURTHER."
November 15, 2024 at 4:48 PM