Fountain Pen Fans?

Any fountain pen collectors/fans/users out there? I just recently acquired my first fountain pen a Lamy Safari with extra fine nib. I do like it, I use it for most all of my writing now except for when a pencil is required (e.g. mathematical derivations) It took some getting used to, it skipped quite a lot the first few days I used it and I just had some problems in general with ink not flowing etc. A few days later my ink samples arrived along with the converter to use bottle ink rather than cartridges. I put some Private Reserve American Blue in which has made it a real joy to use the Lamy ink was a bit too dry for the pen but this Private reserve ink works like a charm. I also cleaned the feed system before I used the new ink so maybe that had something to do with it since Lamy tests the fountain pens at the factory. I have several other samples including Noodlers which seems to be popular that I will try out as well before buying a bottle of my favorite. I find that the fountain pen does reduce the strain on my hand when compared to ball point pens or even liquid ink or gel pens. Any tips for fountain pen use or other comments?

I used to use fountain pens a lot back in high school. Found that cheap paper made it a messy affair and then there was the maintenance. Still have a few of my old Parkers and Sheaffers. Even bought a cheap Montblanc back in 1990 because I just had to have one and couldn't afford a Meisterstück. Love the look and feel of the Parker 51.

I'm a fan of fountain pens as well, though my work doesn't require much writing by hand so my pens have a tendency to dry up.

Some helpful tips that I've gleaned from fountain pen forums:

• Always thoroughly clean a pen when changing inks -- some inks don't play nice together and so mixing can be bad
• The bulb-type ear cleaners from the pharmacy are good for flushing a pen -- fill with water and place where ink cartridge goes and squeeze gently
• To help get the last bit of ink out when cleaning, put a slightly damp paper towel in the bottom of a cup and put the nib in the cup point down. Capillary action will suck out a few drops worth
• Pens with ink should be stored horizontally or tip up -- for long-term storage empty and clean pens (easier to drain and clean wet ink than dried up gunk)

It's a little bit of a financial commitment, but Pilot Vanishing Point pens are great day-to-day users that have the advantage of one-hand use (capless). I particularly like the Decimo line.

I used to have a couple of Sheaffer pens way back in high school, and I liked the look of the lines they made but I didn't like the scratchy feel they made while writing. I eventually gave up on them because of that and the problem of the ink smearing so easily.

One other thing I remember is the scent of those ink cartridges. They had an oddly pleasant odor.

Love fountain pens.

Unfortunately with my writing style, I write far too quickly for the nibs to keep up.

Onthelightside said:

Any fountain pen collectors/fans/users out there? I just recently acquired my first fountain pen a Lamy Safari with extra fine nib. I do like it, I use it for most all of my writing now except for when a pencil is required (e.g. mathematical derivations) It took some getting used to, it skipped quite a lot the first few days I used it and I just had some problems in general with ink not flowing etc. A few days later my ink samples arrived along with the converter to use bottle ink rather than cartridges. I put some Private Reserve American Blue in which has made it a real joy to use the Lamy ink was a bit too dry for the pen but this Private reserve ink works like a charm. I also cleaned the feed system before I used the new ink so maybe that had something to do with it since Lamy tests the fountain pens at the factory. I have several other samples including Noodlers which seems to be popular that I will try out as well before buying a bottle of my favorite. I find that the fountain pen does reduce the strain on my hand when compared to ball point pens or even liquid ink or gel pens. Any tips for fountain pen use or other comments?

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I recently bought a Lamy and mine worked smoothly straight out of the packet,i use only the Lamy cartridges and rinse it out with warm water each time i replace a fuel cell.I have also added a Lamy ballpoint to my collection and converted am old ballpoint to run on a Lamy ballpoint refill just because it was a perfect fit and they have a longer writing life.

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hey , I just love fountain pens , the look like so elegant and they are a classic , i own a Laamy 2000 it's just beautiful !!

I've lusted after an Omas ever since I first tried one. The dealer has since gone out of business, but the memory of that pen persists. Would love to find some reasonable deals online, except I don't know what nib I'd prefer. Do you have a preference with your Lamy?

Take a look at Gouet Pens they have a great site and a lot of videos over on youtube which answer a lot of newbie questions (they have helped me a lot!) They also have a comparison of nib sizes with writing samples although I didn't see Omas pens there they just carry the ink. I generally like a medium nib for general writing. If you have poor paper the broader nibs can cause bleed through and feathering, the thinner ones are better behaved. Also if a nib is made in Europe (Germany) vs Asia (Japan) the nibs will be quite a bit different. If you got a fine in a german nib it would be equivalent to a medium or broad nib from Japan. I see that you are in Arizona there are some good pen shops there! I would recommend Penchetta Pen & Knife on N Scottsdale Rd and Scottsdale pen and knife in old town Scottsdale.

My EDC is a Lamy Safari.

I had 2 Lamy Studios - the first went missing and the second snapped in my pocket. So now I'm using a black Safari so I don't feel too bad if something goes wrong... and somehow it's survived longer than the other 2 very expensive ones.

I've also got a quill set on my desk that I received for my birthday. Writing on Clarefontaine paper is awesome.

Onthelightside said:

Take a look at Gouet Pens they have a great site and a lot of videos over on youtube which answer a lot of newbie questions (they have helped me a lot!) They also have a comparison of nib sizes with writing samples although I didn't see Omas pens there they just carry the ink. I generally like a medium nib for general writing. If you have poor paper the broader nibs can cause bleed through and feathering, the thinner ones are better behaved.

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Looks like some great info on that site. I'll definitely explore Goulet and youtube's offerings!

Onthelightside said:

see that you are in Arizona there are some good pen shops there! I would recommend Penchetta Pen & Knife on N Scottsdale Rd and Scottsdale pen and knife in old town Scottsdale.

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Oh yes, I've been to Penchetta back when they first opened and didn't think much of them, although the owner was quite friendly. I'll have to give them another try. And I don't think I've been to Scottsdale Pen & Knife as my favorite shops were at the Biltmore and also in downtown Phoenix before that. Thanks for the recommendations.

Is there a fountain pen that doesn't feel scratchy on paper, or is that just the nature of the instrument?

A proper fountain pen nib will actually feel like butter gliding across a plate of glass. Well, maybe not that smooth but very close. The quality of paper and ink also plays a role, but imho there's no reason a fountain pen should feel scratchy. I'm not an expert by any means, although I have written with quite a number of pens over the years. The Omas I mentioned above is one of the smoothest I've come across at a reasonable cost; reasonable being subjective relative to the array of choices in the pen world.

Thank you, Peace Train. How much of the smoothness is in the design of the nib versus the lubricating ability of the ink used?

PhotonWrangler said:

Is there a fountain pen that doesn't feel scratchy on paper, or is that just the nature of the instrument?

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The better (more expensive) fountain pens are very smooth. I would recommend my favorite, Cross Century II in gold with gold-plated nib. But I bought mine years ago.... Back when Cross was a fully American company. Before they decided cheap as Hell quality was good enough for them and move production to China. I still recommend the older Cross pens. In general though, gold-plated nibs are the way to go for smoothness.

I'd love to write with a good fountain pen. Unfortunately, I can't afford the ones that have spellcheck.

~ Chance

PhotonWrangler said:

Thank you, Peace Train. How much of the smoothness is in the design of the nib versus the lubricating ability of the ink used?

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Oh man, that's kind of a tough question to answer. Ink is one thing I haven't messed around with much. I got whatever was suggested to me as being best for a particular pen and mostly left it at that. I will say that while every aspect of a fountain pen can be as personal and intimate an experience as the words that are penned, the right ink for your pen and nib is as important as any other facet. And the wrong ink may definitely make writing an unbearable experience, if not a chore.

I used to read in forums how people would go crazy experimenting with the right brand, blend, and shade of ink mated to a particular pen. It's one of the reasons I ultimately veered toward new and relatively inexpensive pens from vendors I trusted, and never got into collecting out-of-production rarities or anything like that. There were too many variables I wasn't willing to immerse myself into...along with all the reading in forums lol. (Although, I did come very close once to buying a rare Japanese holy grail of nibs for nearly four digits, then thought, "Hmm...I might end up in a flashlight forum some day." C'est la vie!). So while I've not had too bad of an experience with ink personally, I'd venture to guess that ink plays up to a 15% role in the smoothness and flow of your writing experience. People in fountain pen forums might argue a higher percent; with a good analogy being like asking in a knife forum, "Which steel is best?"

Just know that anything scratchy is generally due to a poor quality nib, or one that's been misaligned--over time or from being dropped. There are other factors at play of course which directly contribute to smoothness and flow. Weight, balance, form factor, grip, and paper are some. Your writing style is another factor that may affect which pen/nib/ink combo works best for you. For instance, are you looking for something to jot down quick notes, or to relax into the flow--with a snifter of brandy and cigar burning brightly beside you--as you relish in the experience? Is your handwriting neat and precise, or heavy and bold?


Have you ever been in the groove? The perfect pen can do that to you!




(At this point I'm really grateful for auto-save feature on cpf, since the whole page vanished right before I was ready to send. Time for me to go to bed. Hope this helps!)

Peace Train, thanks for your input on this. My handwriting looks like a drunken chicken. With the right pen in hand, I have a fighting chance of having it look like a sober one.

Most of the time I just grab whatever ballpoint isn't clogged or out of ink, but there are those moments of inspiration where I like to have something more substantial and expressive to write with. Sometimes that's just a good quality ballpoint with just the right weight, but I would like to try a fountain pen again. The scratchiness is something I thought was common to all fountain pens, but that's because I've only been exposed to the cheap ones. With the things I'm learning in this thread, I might seek out something better to write with for those moments of inspiration.

PhotonWrangler said:

Peace Train, thanks for your input on this. My handwriting looks like a drunken chicken. With the right pen in hand, I have a fighting chance of having it look like a sober one.

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Haha my handwriting lately has been making me look like a doctor...so maybe not such a bad thing, eh?

If you get a chance to stop by a boutique, ask to try several brands of pens in all price ranges. Allot a couple hours or more of your time, and know there are excellent choices to be had in the double digits. Once you've picked a favorite or two, try an Omas. I'm pretty sure the model I fell in love with was the Paragon. It's understated, has a nice heft to it, and the perfect balance that really made it hard for me to leave it behind the first time I tried one. And I walked in with the mindset that Omas was garbage.

I've tried Mont Blanc, Cartier, Waterford, blah blah blah, and even some of Omas' higher end pens all costing in the thousand$. None of them did it for me. Some of those other brands even felt scratchy...

PhotonWrangler said:

Most of the time I just grab whatever ballpoint isn't clogged or out of ink, but there are those moments of inspiration where I like to have something more substantial and expressive to write with. Sometimes that's just a good quality ballpoint with just the right weight, but I would like to try a fountain pen again. The scratchiness is something I thought was common to all fountain pens, but that's because I've only been exposed to the cheap ones. With the things I'm learning in this thread, I might seek out something better to write with for those moments of inspiration.

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Yeah I do the same when I write, and part of the reason I couldn't justify the purchase above is that I used to lose pens all the time.

An alternative option to consider is a quality roller ball. It's way more fluid than the average ballpoint. While not the same experience, I'm pretty sure they were invented for fountain pen users who didn't want the associated effort and/or mess back in the day.

Yep, I see that I'm going to be stopping by a boutique soon. Who woulda thunk joining a flashlight forum would get me buying pens...and knives (just picked up my first custom for the trail lol).