Cleaning a fountain pen the way we do it at the bench
Flush intervals, what never to soak, and the dish soap debate settled.
Read →Notes from the bench —
the studio journal
Occasional long-form pieces on pens, paper, ink and the craft of writing by hand. Written between commissions — no SEO filler, no affiliate links, just what we've learned at the bench.
Featured
Why 90gsm office
Sarah W. · 12 Oct 2026
Why 90gsm office
paper ruins a good nib
Sarah spent two years testing paper stocks for the bindery. This is the piece she wishes every customer read before asking "does it matter which paper I use?"
Short answer: yes, enormously. Long answer involves feathering, fibre direction and why Tomoe River spoils you for everything else.
Sarah W. · 12 Oct 2026
All entriesSix pieces worth
Six pieces worth
your tea break
Sheen, shading and shimmer: reading an ink before you buy
Why the same ink looks dull in one pen and dramatic in another.
Read →
A beginner's calligraphy kit that isn't junk
The $60 starter kit we hand to every new student — and what to skip.
Read →
Gifting a leather journal: sizes, paper and personalisation
A5 vs B5, blank vs lined, and when embossing makes the gift.
Read →
Setting up a writing desk you actually use
Lighting, angle, and the pen tray that stops the "where's my pen" ritual.
Read →
Paper weight explained: gsm, texture and why your pen cares
The featured piece — two years of bindery testing condensed.
Read → The indexBy date,
By date,
no scrolling
Six pieces and counting — we publish when there's something worth saying, roughly once a month.
Cleaning a fountain pen the way we do it at the bench24 Oct 2026
Paper weight explained: gsm, texture and why your pen cares12 Oct 2026
Sheen, shading and shimmer: reading an ink before you buy18 Sep 2026
A beginner's calligraphy kit that isn't junk29 Aug 2026
Gifting a leather journal: sizes, paper and personalisation15 Jul 2026
Setting up a writing desk you actually use06 Jun 2026
The Margin Notes
A short email when a new piece goes up — plus bench news, drop dates and the occasional offcut sale. Once a month at most.
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Journal FAQ
About the writing
All three of us, depending on the topic. Daniel covers pens and repairs, Sarah writes about paper and bookbinding, Ollie handles photography and the odd engraving post.
No. If we recommend a paper or an ink it's because we buy it ourselves and use it at the bench. Nobody pays for a mention here.
Please do — half the existing pieces started as customer questions. Write to the studio with "journal idea" in the message.
Quote away with a link back to smartpapercraft.net. Republishing a whole piece needs a quick email OK first.