Fountain pens

qwertyydude · Oct 15, 2008

Strangely enough even with my obsession with high tech gadgets, probably like most on this site, I still favor writing with fountain pens. I'm left handed too so it can make it worse if you write on paper that smudges. But I find that cheap ball point and even roller balls either clog up or rip into paper. I got introduced to fountain pens from a kid who also was left handed and loved his fountain pens and ever since I've been hooked.

I don't think they're outmoded writing instruments since writing with them is such a pleasure, less fatigue and the smoothest blackest line you get. Plus you can get absolutely waterproof, chemical proof ink in any color you choose. So I'm wondering is there anyone here who also appreciates these pens?

LuxLuthor · Oct 15, 2008

There have been a number of topics on this subject here and on the Marketplace. The best place to find out and discuss about FP's is at FPN here. They are also a nice group that make people feel welcome.

qwertyydude · Oct 15, 2008

Already a member obviously I'm qwertydude, only one y. When joining this forum for some reason the y doubled up. Would it be possible to change my username to qwertydude like on my other forums?

da.gee · Oct 16, 2008

You gotta ask a mod or Queen Greta to get that done.

Echo63 · Oct 16, 2008

another lefty who loves fountain pens here,
i dont have any at the moment, but most of my writing, the last three years of high school, was done with a very worn/dinged up parker51 that i found
when i can afford it i will replace that pen, it was the best, smoothest writing pen i have ever used, i just cant afford to buy another one at the moment (it got stolen when i was in my last year of high school

qwertyydude · Oct 16, 2008

Echo, you should consider purchasing a Hero brand fountain pen. They have Parker 51 clones for really cheap and they write just as well and smooth. I have couple and can attest to their quality.

Monocrom · Oct 16, 2008

Here's a good thread....

http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=172041

TedTheLed · Oct 17, 2008

this little $4.50 fountain pen writes smoother in my left hand than my Montblanc !

http://www.jetpens.com/index.php/cPath/214_70 it's a Pilot Petit1 Mini Fountain Pen

also you can fit the right O ring into the barrel to make the thread seal water-tight and fill it with ink instead of using the carts..

meuge · Oct 17, 2008

qwertyydude said:
Echo, you should consider purchasing a Hero brand fountain pen. They have Parker 51 clones for really cheap and they write just as well and smooth. I have couple and can attest to their quality.

I have to tell you that I bought the Hero100, and my impressions were less than stellar. Yes, it writes, and writes well... but it's a little scratchy, and too fine.

After a while, I settled on Waterman fountain pens as providing the best price/performance ratio. I do most of my writing with a Medium Nib Waterman Charleston, and I love it... both for the aesthetics, as well as the smoothness.

I've also tried using a Lamy2000 and a Parker100, and didn't like either. I guess at some point in the future, I'll pick up a Pelikan 400, but since I am satisfied with the Waterman, I can hardly justify the expense... sort of like my flashlights nowadays. Ever since I filled up every niche, I can't really justify buying any more of them.

Fallingwater · Oct 17, 2008

qwertyydude said:
I don't think they're outmoded writing instruments since writing with them is such a pleasure, less fatigue and the smoothest blackest line you get.

As far as I'm concerned, ink itself is obsolete

I long for the disappearance of paper, and I'm waiting for e-ink displays to become more widespread in the hope they'll bring about the end of pulped wood.

As for the pens themselves, whenever I'm forced to use one I always use ball points. Fountain pens are just a mess waiting to happen. Free-flowing ink... ugh!

I must say, however, that there is an exception: the Fisher "Bullet" space pen. It doesn't mitigate the displeasure of having to write, but it's definitely a very useful EDC gadget for those times when some dinosaur who doesn't know the meaning of "e-mail" insists that I write my name on some form or something.

Also, when it starts collecting all the scratches, bumps and decoloration of EDC duty, you tend to get sentimentally attached to the damn thing. I was really sad when I lost mine.

PhotonWrangler · Oct 17, 2008

For as much as I hate to write, there's something comforting, old-school and even classy about a fountain pen. That free flowing ink was the same type of stuff used to sign some of our oldest and most historic documents; even our founding fathers had to worry about smudges as the ink slowly dried.

Maybe that slow-drying ink explains the line about "life, liberty and the purfuit of happiness."

LuxLuthor · Oct 18, 2008

TedTheLed said:
this little $4.50 fountain pen writes smoother in my left hand than my Montblanc !

http://www.jetpens.com/index.php/cPath/214_70 it's a Pilot Petit1 Mini Fountain Pen

also you can fit the right O ring into the barrel to make the thread seal water-tight and fill it with ink instead of using the carts..

Do you know the nib size in these? I got the eyedropper that Noodler's Nathan Tardif puts in Eye of Darkness/Nikita Red which are the Platinum Preppy pens which have a fine 0.3 nib. They don't have them in medium nib.

I'm looking at the two Kaweko that Nathan also did the o-ring modification of because the medium nib, also the Swisher staff highly recommended the eyedropper rollerball which is a novel idea.

TedTheLed · Oct 19, 2008

I have those Kawecos, the fountain pen nib, and the ball point.

The ball point, on it's side, in the sun, leaked a bit..so I keep these point-up now. To tell you the truth I haven't tried putting ink in the o-ring Pilot yet, but the o-ring seems to fit perfectly in just the right place, sso I think it should work. The Pilot also seems to have a bit larger more sophisticated ink 'transport metering system' (what's the tech name for it?) for delivering ink to the nib, but I'll have to try it today!

I'm sure you could get nib info emailing the jetpen site, but just checking it now (and it wrote perfectly after being on it's side for days..) I'd say it was fine-medium fine..definitely not 'medium' -- I'm not sure but the Kawekos may well be avilable in a choice of nibs..

qwertyydude · Oct 19, 2008

If you get scratchy nibs they may just be misaligned. I use my jewelry loupe to inspect them and make sure it is aligned. And if it still writes kinda funny I use a somewhat controversial technique, I write curlyques on fine 2000 grit sandpaper, make sure to keep it wet it with water by dipping the nib in clean water. And then I apply metal polish, mother's billet I find works best, to thick non-glossy cardstock preferably recycled for extra roughness and run the pen back and forth at various angles to polish up any rough edges left by sanding. And for the final extra touch, that's kinda a trade secret in fountain pen modders, is I rub the back of a clean penny with the nib, where the Lincoln Memorial makes tiny copper ridges. Run the pen back and forth with the slit perpindicular to the ridges. This method has never failed to turn the scratchiest cheap pens into the most buttery smooth writers that rival some of my more expensive $150 plus pens.

Flashlight Aficionado · Oct 19, 2008

I have had a fascination with fountain pens, off and on through the years. I have never scratched the itch, but I own a few very cheap calligraphy pens.

O.K. you fountain pen users, I've got a question for you. What is the best cheapest pen to try out? Also, what one pen will leave me satisfied, not wanting more?(price no object) Last question, sort of; Will a quality calligraphy pen write smooth? Can I get two exchangeable nibs, regular and calligraphy?

LuxLuthor · Oct 20, 2008

qwertyydude said:
If you get scratchy nibs they may just be misaligned. I use my jewelry loupe to inspect them and make sure it is aligned. And if it still writes kinda funny I use a somewhat controversial technique, I write curlyques on fine 2000 grit sandpaper, make sure to keep it wet it with water by dipping the nib in clean water. And then I apply metal polish, mother's billet I find works best, to thick non-glossy cardstock preferably recycled for extra roughness and run the pen back and forth at various angles to polish up any rough edges left by sanding. And for the final extra touch, that's kinda a trade secret in fountain pen modders, is I rub the back of a clean penny with the nib, where the Lincoln Memorial makes tiny copper ridges. Run the pen back and forth with the slit perpindicular to the ridges. This method has never failed to turn the scratchiest cheap pens into the most buttery smooth writers that rival some of my more expensive $150 plus pens.

Bless you for those tips! I did read some of that in either one of the FPN threads, or maybe on Richard Binder's site....but now I'm gonna try this.

I have a tube of Simichrome polish that I think was mentioned as a way to polish minor ceramic scratches...wonder how that would be instead of mother's billet? I was always afraid of using a non-water soluable metal cleaner on a nib...that it would get trapped in the slit/feed...but I like this idea of spreading it on the card stock. And the use of the Lincoln Memorial pillars is priceless!

I ordered one of each Kaweco's. Also, I believe the O-Ring in the Platinum Preppy is a 9mm OD, 7mm ID, 1mm thick either Buna-N or Viton materials. I wanted to get some extras.[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Sans-serif][/FONT]

LuxLuthor · Oct 20, 2008

Flashlight Aficionado said:
I have had a fascination with fountain pens, off and on through the years. I have never scratched the itch, but I own a few very cheap calligraphy pens.

O.K. you fountain pen users, I've got a question for you. What is the best cheapest pen to try out? Also, what one pen will leave me satisfied, not wanting more?(price no object) Last question, sort of; Will a quality calligraphy pen write smooth? Can I get two exchangeable nibs, regular and calligraphy?

That's like asking a CPF member which is the best cheapest flashlight to try that will leave you satisfied and not wanting more. LOL! I'll give two...but there are many valid opinions, in addition to brands/colors of ink & paper. Well first on paper, the most amazing for fountain pen use is HP Premium Choice Laser Jet 32# (sold at Staples).

Pens: I would say depending on your style/budget $48 Waterman Phileas or $24 Lamy Safari (or $32 Lamy All-Star better asthetic). Medium Nib will give you better flow. These can use standard cartridges, or you can get refillable converters for bottle ink. You can get interchangeable nibs, but from my experience, I would recommend getting a dedicated pen for each purpose. Again, there are many valid opinions. Compared to many members at FPN, I'm a pen-noob with only about 30 pens and 40 bottles of inks.

Monocrom · Oct 20, 2008

Sadly, the Phileas is not what she used to be. The nib is far too soft. The last one I owned, the nib curled up after little use. Obviously, without applying too much pressure on it.

Cheapest fountain pen would be the Varsity line of disposable fountain pens. (About $3.50 each).

TedTheLed · Oct 20, 2008

for me if the barrel isn't half an inch I get writers cramp, so a fat barrel is a primary requirement.

For a best pen for all time: The Montblanc 149. Fat body, and holds a big load of ink.

I don't know what Swisher charges for them.
I got my two when they were much cheaper - one I bought very cheap off a guy who didn't like it cause it leaked: Montblanc fixed it quickly with no charge; the barrel had a crack (probably the guy sat on it) and they replaced it.

I was surprised to see the Phileas Waterman was a 1/2" too. Waterman is a good brand.

so is Pelikan. If you can afford a little more (alot more for the 1/2" ones) you must give them a try.

Flashlight Aficionado · Oct 20, 2008

I can't seem to find calligraphy nibs. I find a few places that will modify a plain nib to a calligraphy one. Where do I find them? Oh, this is the price no object . category.

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