Few random questions from a FP noob ...

[JCinPA]

I have just gotten back into the habit of using a fountain pen, and it is a time waster fun way to spend some quality COVID time away from the TV.

I have a couple questions I've not found the answer to in my Internet searching, though, I hope you'll indulge me.

1. People amass tremendous quantities of pens. I have one filled for each ink color I have right now, black, blue, blue-black, purple, and green. I do not think I'd ever keep more than one pen inked per color. How long will they sit without use before you have problems with them? I know you don't want to let them dry out, if you don't plan on using a pen for months, empty it and clean it. But if I don't use my purple pen for a week, is that too long? A few days? Two weeks? How much use do they need to keep them flowing?

2. What is the fascination with older Sheaffer Skrip inks? I've seen a ton of photos of them around here, and I'm old enough to have actually used Sheaffer school pens up through about the fourth grade or so. I wouldn't think it would be anything special, given the tremendous variety of modern inks available today. I'm curious why I see so many of the old Sheaffer inks in collections. Not so much their current packaging. Did the composition of the ink change over the years? I'm really happy with the Namiki, Iroshizuku, Waterman, and Noodler's inks I have. Just curious about this, because there is so much of it around here.

3. Other than regular cleaning, is there any periodic maintenance fountain pens need? All of mine are writing to my satisfaction, but being inexperienced, I don't know how knowledgeable I am about that. I've read that cleaning between every second fill is a good habit, but I've not read about any longer-term periodic maintenance that they benefit from. Is there any?

4. Pens come in sooooo many shapes, sizes, weights, and nib types I am going to try to NOT spend any serious money on them for quite a while, but I would like to try a bunch of them to discover what I prefer, and to learn about how different pens behave. I do not want to have a huge collection of pens I do not use, I'm not wired that way, and I am interested in them more for their utilitarian function than esthetics, generally speaking. I'm not likely to want to collect a lot of them, that means I will want to cycle through a lot of used pens, and resell them. I could see wanting to cycle through a couple dozen used pens, while keeping relatively few of them on hand before splurging on something like an Edison, for example. What are the best resources for buying/selling used pens? Is eBay OK for this sort of thing, or am I better off on fountain pen aficionado forums classified sections?

5. Traffic here is fairly light--understandable as it is a shaving forum with an FP section, not an FP forum with a shaving section. What are some of your favorite FP resources, both for information and for supplies? I'd say I'm not at the bottom of the learning curve at this point, but I'm certainly not too high up the curve yet, so good resources for noobs and intermediates is appreciated.

Thank you all, in advance!

-John

 

[thefenlander]

From the top:

1. You should be able to leave a pen capped for a couple of weeks without issue. Some pens have special cap designs which are claimed to prevent dry-out, but if I wasn't using a pen for more than two weeks I would ask why I have it inked at all.

2. I've never used the old scrip inks, but I gather that the bottle had a convenient insert to help with filling. This may be part of the popularity.

3. No. Obviously some mechanical filling mechanisms can require periodic attention (sacs replacing, or piston fillers may need greasing), but these are very infrequent. I think there is more danger of damage from unnecessary fiddling than benefit to be gained from tearing down a pen every month to clean it. Just run some water through it when you change inks and maybe give it a polish if you're houseproud.

4. Depends on what you are buying and how happy you are to learn some basic skills e.g. aligning a nib. If you don't want to learn, or plan on a Montblanc habit, I'd stick to recognised dealers - plus it puts money into the pen community. If you're willing to tinker a bit (or if that is a major attraction) then eBay will doubtless supply some bargains, some frustration and a lot of opportunities to practice pen craft on.

5. I look at the UK fountain pens blog and Raven's March quite a bit.

 

[JCinPA]

Wow! Thorough! Thank you very much! I am perfectly willing to tinker a bit, that's what I'm looking for.

 

[jar_]

On number 1.

It is REALLY pen dependent. Some pens will sit unused for ages while other will dry out if unused for more than a day.

On number 3.
I don't do anything to any of my pens unless there is a problem that is NOT caused by me.

 

[tankerjohn]

I'll do my best to chime in...

1. I concur with the others - it really depends on the pen. Platinum claims the "Slip 'n Seal" cap on their pens will keep them from drying out for 2 years. I would say in general, newer pens seal up better than vintage pens. I'm sure you can go longer than a week for your purple ink.

2. Collecting vintage ink is a whole aspect of the hobby that many people enjoy. I wasn't aware there's a particular thing for Skrip, but that doesn't surprise me given how popular it was back in the day. I speculate that its the sort of thing that people have old bottles kicking around their families' desk drawers, and its probably cheap and easy to find at pen shows and whatnot.

3. I only clean when changing inks or putting away longterm and haven't noticed any ill effects on the pens I just keep refilling with same ink. I agree that less is more with pen maintenance.

4. The best way to do this is to join a pen club. Obviously, COVID-19 has impacted this space a lot. But ignoring that for a moment, many large cities have active pen clubs where people get together to socialize, try each other's pens, and even buy and sell. You can do similar things at pen shows, which are also pretty much hiatus due to COVID. As far as the internet, I completely agree with the above comment that its pretty risky business, but doable if you want to put in the effort and don't expect too much.

5. Yeah, it can get slow on here sometimes. It ebbs and flows. I try to post interesting things when I can, but have been kind of busy lately. Anyway, the "B&B" of fountain pens is Fountain Pen Network. I poked around there for a while. Honestly, I find the forums there hit and miss as far as interesting content. I probably get more out the ink reviews than other topics. As far as diving into the rest of the internet pen community, such as it is, a good place to start is Pen Addict. If you really want to go deep, Pen Addict has a very active and longrunning podcast as well. Gentlemen Stationer and UK Fountain Pens (as noted above) are also excellent blogs. Plus, they do weekly rollups of other fountain pen content that you can link to and go further down the rabbit hole. Of course, Youtube is full of fountain pen content. Just do a search for a pen model that interests you and I'm sure there's a video about it. But beyond that, Goulet Pens has an excellent Youtube presence and SBREBrown is kind of the OG of Youtube fountain pen reviewers.

 

[Slivovitz]

...Anyway, the "B&B" of fountain pens is Fountain Pen Network. I poked around there for a while...

A very useful site if they come back up, but they have been down for several days now with massive database corruption issues. Hopefully they'll be back eventually.

And it's only fair that I mention Fountain Pen Geeks, since I mentioned B&B's Nib forum over there the other day. Gave some pictures of my vintage razors along with my vintage pens as well.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

1. Depends on the ink and the pen. Inks behave differently in different pens, just as blades do in different razors. Most of mine handle a couple of weeks just fine. If one isn't flowing right, I tend to wipe down the groove on the top of the nib with a wet tissue, then leave the pen stood up nib down for 15 mins or so. If that doesn't clear it, I'll give it a proper clean.

2. No idea, never used them. Most of mine is Diamine. I don't have a vast array.

3. Not on mine. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, is my approach. Maybe some other pens have quirks I don't know about

4. I got a few cheapos off ebay to try. I liked them so much, I stuck with them. I haven't bought any pens that enthusiasts would consider proper pens.

5. I'm just a user, not a collector or enthusiast. If there's something I want to know, I'll either ask here, or go to my favourite search engine, and see where it takes me. For the most part though, I just use them, and fill them back up when the ink runs out. As such, I don't have a whole lot to say really.

 

[H4nk]

I have a Sheaffer pen that I can ignore for months and the ink will move like an unrepentant man running towards sin. I also agree with FPN. Fine site.
They can be a hole to throw money in but I resist that. What little I spend is nothing compared to what I will spend when the oncoming dementia gets here. Writing things down is a great way to stave that off.

 

[Doc4]

1. How long will they sit without use before you have problems with them?

2. What is the fascination with older Sheaffer Skrip inks?

3. Other than regular cleaning, is there any periodic maintenance fountain pens need?

4. Pens come in sooooo many shapes, sizes, weights, and nib types I am going to try to NOT spend any serious money on them for quite a while, but I would like to try a bunch of them to discover what I prefer, and to learn about how different pens behave. I do not want to have a huge collection of pens I do not use, I'm not wired that way, and I am interested in them more for their utilitarian function than esthetics, generally speaking. I'm not likely to want to collect a lot of them, that means I will want to cycle through a lot of used pens, and resell them. I could see wanting to cycle through a couple dozen used pens, while keeping relatively few of them on hand before splurging on something like an Edison, for example. What are the best resources for buying/selling used pens? Is eBay OK for this sort of thing, or am I better off on fountain pen aficionado forums classified sections?

5. Traffic here is fairly light--understandable as it is a shaving forum with an FP section, not an FP forum with a shaving section.

1. As others have noted, "it depends". You will find how your particular pen/ink combinations fare in terms of surviving longterm non-use.

2. Mostly, I think the cool jar with the "filling reservoir". But it's generally pretty good as ink, too.

3. No ... unless the pen needs it. Some people use "lubricating" inks for piston-filling pens to help keep the piston lubricated. No idea if this actually helps the pen.

Other than that, it's mostly just a case of "keep using the pen". Eventually something may wear out or need replacing after decades of use. If there is a "sack" or "bladder" filling mechanism, eventually the sack/bladder gets brittle and needs replacing.

4. "I am going to try to NOT spend any serious money .... I do not want to have a huge collection of pens ... I'm not likely to want to collect a lot of them"

5. Keep talking ... keep asking questions ... make more traffic here! We have some of the most knowledgeable, helpful pen-nuts on the planet posting here! (No, not me, ... the guys I learn from!) But they can only answer the questions that are asked.

 

[JCinPA]

I do remember those side filling wells. As I said, I'm old enough to have used NOTHING but fountain pens (other than wooden pencils, which I still much prefer to mechanicals) through about the fifth grade. I mostly used Sheaffer School Pens with the cartridges, but at some point my mother got me some pen that had a filling lever on the side (maybe an Esterbrook?) because I always liked playing with hers. So I did have a few of those bottles of Skrip. Ah, memories. Once I started using clear Bics, though, the fountain pen went the way of the dodo for me.

By the way, the Namiki black and Namiki Blue inks have neat little filling reservoirs in the bottles.

You don't normally see it, it's removed in the photo above. It's usually inside, you just turn the bottle upside down before opening to fill it. I like that feature.

 

[Ligeti]

As a huge FP user, let me focus on one suggestion for now. On your 4th question.
As I experience my FP journey, there are a few things you'd like to test to find out your preferences. Things like: long vs short pens, heavy vs light, thick vs thin, various ink types and colours, filling systhems. The one thing that I had no clue about when I started that journey: nib-sizes. So my first two pens have a regular F nib. They do not get much attention any more. Not since I discovered Stubs and Cursive Italics. Now, buying a new pen, that'll be my first action. I just got a Lamy2000 with a BB nib, it was sent from the store to a nibmaster grinding it to CI. I received it last week and haven't stopped writing with it.

The cheap and easy way to find out your nib-preferences: buy a simple Lamy (safari or Al-Star) with spare nibs (EF, F, 1.1, 1.5). These spare nibs are dirtcheap and you can easily slide them off and on the feeder. (lots of youtube tutorials if you need one).

 

[TinyTim]

You've gotten some superb answers to your questions, to which I have nothing to add except that I have personally found that a pen flush solution can be useful to keep FPs in good shape. A little goes a long way. You can buy a bottle at any of the internet pen dealers.

I have written with a fountain pen for many years and enjoy the feel of a fountain pen in my hand, the sound of the nib on the paper, and the beautiful results.

Have fun!

 

[H4nk]

I graduated from college the day my GPA went over 2.0. I couldn't even have my parents at graduation because I didn't know if it would happen. When I was 30, I went back to college to get an Accounting degree. I ended up with a 3.5 GPA and that was with a full-time job (programmer). The difference? I wrote down everything. I found it solidified things into my mind.

32 years later, I still have to write things down to remember them. If it comes to mind, I write it down. So I "invested" in fountain pens and paper. I don't buy expensive things because I will lose them. But my day is spent writing things, though less than I should. So pens aren't an investment but writing is an investment.

 

[TinyTim]

I graduated from college the day my GPA went over 2.0. I couldn't even have my parents at graduation because I didn't know if it would happen. When I was 30, I went back to college to get an Accounting degree. I ended up with a 3.5 GPA and that was with a full-time job (programmer). The difference? I wrote down everything. I found it solidified things into my mind.

32 years later, I still have to write things down to remember them. If it comes to mind, I write it down. So I "invested" in fountain pens and paper. I don't buy expensive things because I will lose them. But my day is spent writing things, though less than I should. So pens aren't an investment but writing is an investment.

This has been my experience, as well. And writing things down with a fountain pen is the best mnemonic aid. Don't ask me to explain why that is. I have no idea why, but it works.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

This has been my experience, as well. And writing things down with a fountain pen is the best mnemonic aid. Don't ask me to explain why that is. I have no idea why, but it works.

Memory works on different levels. It's often said that smell best trigger. The oldest memories for example. The smell unlocks the door, and then the memory itself might be predominantly visual, auditory, kinesthetic, or a combination thereof. Other aspects trigger different memories too, such as a song might remind you of going to a concert, photos remind us of people and places from the past too.

Writing something down, helps build a memory in triplicate. Auditory, from saying the words in your head as you write, visual, from seeing it written down, an kinesthetic from the action of writing it. In essence, you multiply the number of triggers for that memory, with words, pictures and motion, so there's more chance of recalling it when you need to.