So I've been trying to decide whether or not to give fountain pens a try. After eying up the nib for a couple months now and seeing all the incredibly cool pens there are out there, I think it's a definite yes! I already placed my first order with Goulet and am patiently waiting for my Noodlers Creaper Flex, Platinum Preppy, and a bunch of ink samples to arrive. Looks like I'll be looking for more than just razors at the antique stores now! Any advice for the new guy when it comes to starting out? Thanks ahead of time!
Another day, Another AD!
- Thread starter tcechak
- Start date
Don't let the Noodler's pen discourage you from fountain pens, or from Noodler's ink.
Great to hear and good luck!
Hi tcechak,
Since the NYC meetup, I have become well-entrenched in fountain pens. Here's what I've learned thus far:
There are so many fountain pens at so many price points. The most expensive pen does not necessarily equate to the best performance or comfort. To that end, Preppy Platinums are a great value! Moreover, they write extremely smooth. Finally, if you convert them to an eye dropper fill (fill the barrel with ink instead of using a cartridge or converter) be sure to invest in the Preppy Platinum o-rings and silicone grease both offered by Goulet. By the way, I love my three Preppy Platinums with a fine nib. Love them!
Nibs:
Nib sizes varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. In other words, a fine nib on one pen may seem more like a medium nib on another pen. Be that as it may, it's fun to experiment with different nib sizes - extra fine, fine, medium, broad, italic, stub, etc.
Broad and medium nibs are simply too thick for my preference. I still have yet to experiment with italic nibs.
Inks:
It's a great idea to invest in some samples before you pull the trigger on full bottles of ink. Let me know what you ordered, I will be glad to send or trade some samples with you.
Thus far, my favorite inks are by Diamine. I love their Sargasso Sea, Denim, and Syrah. I have also tried Private Reserve, Noodlers, and Levenger. However, Diamine inks are still my favorite.
You'll learn more about ink properties such as bleedthrough, feathering, shadowing, intensity, drying time, wet vs dry, etc. as you test different inks.
Fill Mechanisms:
There are cartridges, converters, piston, vacuum, sac, eyedropper conversions - I believe I named them all. Cartridges would be most convenient but least affordable. Some folks hate converters. I prefer the piston fill of my Twsbi 540. And, I prefer converting pens (whenever possible) to an eye dropper fill because it holds a great deal of ink. By the way, a blunt tip syringe is helpful when filling the barrel of an eye dropper converted pen.. Also, some inks are available with an eyedropper. I don't know if I'm making sense here.
Please note: You cannot convert aluminum barrel pens to an eye dropper fill as the ink will react with the aluminum.
Pen Caps:
Some pen caps click on to close where others screw on to close. I have no personal preference here.
Random Thoughts on My Pens:
I've already shared my love for fine nib Preppy Platinums. Let me tell you a bit more about my other pens:
Twsbi Diamond 540. Love the fill mechanism. My fine nib is more like a medium nib. As a result, I ordered an extra fine nib. My Twsbi writes extremely smooth.
Noodler's Ahab Flex. I enjoy the cigar shaped barrel and the various color pens they offer. The jury is still out on their flex nibs.
Pelikan 200 M. This is an excellent writing pen but a bit on the small side. It is best to use this pen capped. Also, their fine nib indeed writes like a fine nib.
Levenger True Writer Classic. An affordable and nice writing fountain pen. I do find their fine nib to be more like a medium nib. Thus far, they do not offer an extra fine nib.
Lamy Safari and Vista Pens:
These are affordable and durable. As you can tell, I prefer fine nibs. I've actually switched out my Lamy fine nibs with extra fine nibs. Some folks feel that Lamys are too scritchy. I have not found that to be the case. Unfortunately, these can't be converted to an eye dropper fill. You either have to use their cartridges or invest in a converter.
Pilot 78g:
A fine nib bit me in the butt here. Way too scritchy! Should have purchased with a medium nib.
Kaweco Ice Sport:
Convenient little pen. Easy eye dropper conversion. Must cap the pen due to the small size. I find this pen uncomfortable for long periods of time. I have been unable to find these with fine nibs. Thus, I have one with a medium nib. I must say, it is a smooth writing pen.
Franklin Christoph:
I am awaiting the arrival of my FC B&B Model 27 Collegia style fountain pen. By the way, FC makes excellent quality, smooth writing pens. Excellent!
Pen Cleaning:
It's always wise to initially flush your new pen with cool water to help remove any excess machining oils that may be present. Levenger says to only use cold water. Others say, use a drop of dish washing liquid mixed in water first then flush with water thereafter. In my opinion, this need not be brain surgery. By the way, invest in a blunt tip syringe and a bulb syringe both offered by Goulet. Also, it's wise to flush your pens before ink refills.
Pen Storage:
Store your fountain pens with the nib up ( not facing down) in a pencil cup to prevent any clogging. Or, you can store your pens in a horizontal pen tray.
Because of fountain pen acquisition disorder, don't buy a pen case right away. Trust me! I truly underestimated how many pens I would buy.
Pen Vendors:
Goulet is tops on my list . Excellent service, fine prices, and excellent training videos and resources on their site. It's where I usually go first.
Isellpens - another fine vendor. Excellent service.
Jetpens - another fine vendor. Excellent service.
Blog/Forums:
As you already know, B&B's Nib forum is an an excellent place with many folks willing to share their wisdom and insight. You may also want to check out Goulet's Ink Nouveau Blog. Also, I have found the Fountain Pen Network Forum to be informative.
Enjoy this journey. I find fountain pen acquisition disorder to be like shaving acquisition disorder:
Pens are like razors.
Nibs are like shaving brushes.
Inks are like shaving soaps and creams.
Thanks for reading. I encourage others to share their wisdom as well.
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Well said Mendel !!!!
Nice post and very informative, thanks.
One thing though.
I can never do this, it seems really hard.
One thing though.
I can never do this, it seems really hard.
Mendel, Next time leave a little for the rest of us!
Well said!
Well said!- Thread starter
- #8
Wow Mendel, thanks for all the information! As for the inks, i decided to get the De Atramentis black edition sample pack, Aurora Black sample, Caran d'Ache Caribbean sample and a Private Reserve Avocado sample. I've only used the Aurora Black and the Black edition-blue, the black is great but i'm finding that the De Atramentis seems to bleed through my paper occasionally. Hopefully its just that color but i guess we'll see!
I find that some inks do well on both regular and heavyweight paper. For example, Diamine Sargasso Sea I can use that ink on regular legal pads without any problems. I would also add that sometimes a bigger sized nib will put more ink on the paper. Since I prefer fine nibs, I don't have a big problem unless I use my Noodler's inks. From my experience, Noodler's inks tend to bleed and feather alot. By the way, I too have Private Reserve Avocado in my Pelikan pen. It's a very nice ink. You made a good choice.
You know, your next AD should be Rhodia pads...many of us here on B & B love them!
There isn't much to add to Mendel's post, but I'll just add this. Have fun! There are a lot of cool looking pens out there, but once you hold them, you will realize the joy comes from how it writes, not how it looks.
The new Pilot Metropolitan is a very smooth, elegant looking writer, and at $15 is quite a bargain.
The new Pilot Metropolitan is a very smooth, elegant looking writer, and at $15 is quite a bargain.
