and then there's China

I ran into this when making items for American Veterans- very few raw material products are still made in the United States.  It started with yarn. Lion Brand Fisherman wool yarn was my favorite yarn. Then I found out it is made in China, and I went back to spinning my own yarn, with wool from my brother's farm.

With art or in this case, calligraphy, and as a Fine Artist, I knew I would both not be able to remove all international products from my studio, but also that I probably didn't want to, simply because of quality.

I thought I had no problem with this project once I received an email from Hunt / Speedball about their pens, and the company stating all their products are made in America. Well, they should have clarified, and this is just like Crayola. No, actually, they aren't.  The older style pen nibs and holders are made in America. The current Speedball calligraphy sets are made in China.

This is like Singer, Levi's, Lion Brand, Sheaffer, Cross, and the list goes on. Almost any of my preferred manufacturers are now using China as a manufacturing point.

So, here I was, balancing India ink on thin brown paper with Hunt nibs, and it not looking all that "well" as a pen and ink artist would have it look, so I decided to look for the modern Speedball calligraphy pen, planning on using that for the lesser ink flow on this paper.  Boom! Made in China.

So, yes, Speedball Customer Service was selective in the facts they emailed to me. On the plus side, as an artist, I now know I probably cannot use an "all-American" pen type for this project, as Speedball was my last hope. The down side, what will I use?  I have several choices, but all roads lead to China. I am going to take the attitude that I can use ANY pen set, because I will be using what is current in today's world, and not necessarily what would have been true when these soldiers went to North Korea. Currently, we need to get people in high places to READ THEIR NAMES BRING THEM HOME, and fiddling over this manufacturing downslide is not helping that.  Maybe every page will now be different, in different colors. We will see what develops.......

I may use my glass pens. Most are made in China, so we'd be getting things directly from the horse's mouth, so to speak. Also China backs North Korea, and if the US administration played their cards right, could possibly assist in getting our soldiers home. Other than that, don't ask me, because I can't otherwise justify using Chinese-made materials on this project. Glass is molten and neutral is about all I got. If I use Sumi ink after I run out of India Ink, we will have the blessings of pine trees in Japan, the neighbors to our fallen soldiers, and those closest to their whispers.

But here is a fairly American choice - a Sheaffer Viewpoint pen, currently available, fine nib. And instead of the brown "trash" paper from shipping boxes, good old American, save a tree (plant one for every 3 taken), notebook paper. You see, I am trying to find a balance of respect and materials.

I just spent another hour reviewing all of my materials, brands, types, etc.  I have PTSD. One thing I had discovered lately is that using glass pens to write gives me more of "my own hand". With PTSD this helps determining how I am doing, and whether or not a seizure is about to begin. When I think of me, and this project is going to take quite some time, and because I am moving, perhaps not always in a studio, then yes, glass pens seem best.  They can also take any ink.  I would be using my own hand, on good days and bad days, to remember soldiers we have left behind in North Korea, or missing from the Korean War. It might be the most I can give them - my own handwriting, without special nibs.