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Fountain Pens

Last night, during the chat session, fountain pens came up during the discussion. I've just bought my second, a new Waterman Phileas Glittered Green Demonstrator Fountain Pen Fine Point, which allegedly was never sold in the US. It is ebay item 6588238880. I have a Lamy Safari that one of my kids has "borrowed".

Just curious as to who uses a fountain pen, preferences as to pens and inks.

I'm a bit new to this, as I am an avid PENCIL user!

Randy
 
I have fountain pen I received as a gift many years ago when I sold cars....im not sure who makes it but im positive it has nothing but sentimental value. Its black with a stainles steel spiderweb cut out wraped around it. I have been wanting to start using fountains exclusively as well as collect them but dont really know where to start....I would be curious to know these things that Randy has brought up as well.
 
Very nice acquisition! I look forward to an update once you begin using it.


I'm very partial to Pelikan. My favorite being their Souveran 600 Series Green/Black - fine nib. Other pens I enjoy using are:

Pelikan Souveran 300 Series - Green/Black GT - fine nib.
Montblanc Meisterstuck LeGrand Collection - Black & Gold Trim - fine nib.
Lamy 2000 Collection - fine nib
Parker Sonnet Collection - Verdigris - fine nib
Cross Townsend Collection - Black & Gold Trim - fine nib.

My favorite ink is Montblanc's bottled blue/black.

An excellent resource is Joon. I visited their main store and almost had to be escorted out except the guards kept slipping on the drool.:o16:


Ah yes, we seem to have uncovered another addiction. :blush:
 
I have a bunch, many similar to Rik's collection. At work I'll use a Cross Townsend fine point, or a vintage Pelikan. I love Levenger's inks, especially the blue/black, which is the densest ink around. Actually, all the stuff from Levenger is great; I use the paper, etc.

After I started using fountain pens years ago, I can't use anything else.
 
I have been using fountain pens for years. I have a collection of Mont Blanc's. I use them primarily because I have never had any problems with them. I have both the kind that use ink cartridges and piston loading with an ink well. In addition, I find them well-balanced.

I hope this helps.:smile:
 
Hi all,

Since I'm new to wetshaving and can't add value to those discussions, I might as well share my experience with fountain pens, as limited as it is. I've been using a Dunhill Sidecar (fine) for the past year, with a Montblanc Meisterstuk (piston filled, medium) thrown in for variety. I found a store with a lot of selection here in NY and tried as many as they would allow until I found pens I enjoyed writing with.

But recently I acquired a new nib for my Pilot Vanishing Point (retractable fountain pen) that is worth mentioning. John at Classic Fountain Pens modifies the nibs making them italic, cursive italic, oblique, &c. http://www.nibs.com/PilotVanishingPointPage.htm I ordered the medium cursive italic and haven't stopped using it since it arrived! I have miserable handwriting and this nib has made it almost attractive. I didn't really like the nib this pen came with originally, but this modified version has made my minor daily writing tasks a lot more fun.

With regard to ink, I prefer J. Herbin inks (buying different colors has become kind of like buying shave creams). I find that they flow well in all my pens and dry almost immediately, making them great for note-taking.

Best,
Rich
 
Count me in....

I have an Aurora and a Sheaffer White Dot....both with fine point, gold nibs. Love them both. I also have an Omas on my desk here at work with a clear area so you can see how much ink you have left. Great pen but like mty Shaeffer and Aurora better.
 
Greetings, fountain pen men!

I'm a big fan of the vanishing point Pilot/Namiki. I have two of them in extra fine. I use them daily for most writing tasks. My handwriting is fairly small, i find the vanishing point nibs are very stiff, which i like. I have never ruined a shirt with one. I find i use the Noodler's black more than any other ink. www.noodlersink.com.

I have an older montblonc in broad that needs a new nib. Until then, it sits. But my dress shirts are safe.

My favorite place for pen shopping is www.executiveessentials.com
 
I had a Vanishing point in fine, and the darn thing was so scritchy and stiff that I returned it. Cool pen, though.
 
Scotto, they certainly are an acquired taste. I do find them durable and well made, able to take a dive without requiring a trip to the pen doctor.

I print 99% of the time, unless i'm signing checks etc. Cursive is not my bag, despite the nuns' effort :a6:

They suit my style of writing/scratching. Does anyone know of other fountain pens/nib-types suitable for printers?
 
Scotto said:
I have a bunch, many similar to Rik's collection. At work I'll use a Cross Townsend fine point, or a vintage Pelikan. I love Levenger's inks, especially the blue/black, which is the densest ink around. Actually, all the stuff from Levenger is great; I use the paper, etc.

After I started using fountain pens years ago, I can't use anything else.
Nice site! I'll be placing an order with them soon.

It's cool to see we have many fountain pen users.

I too am not a big fan of scritchy nibs. The fountain pen is the only writing implement that I'm able to write a full page without my carpal tunnel flaring up.
 
The Phileas is one of the best pen bargains out there. It has a steel nib but you'd never guess because it's a very smooth writer. I have one in Med and one with a Bold nib. One of them is in rotation at all times. I keep 3 pens in rotation so I can use more inks. Like someone above said... it's similar to the shaving cream thing.
Another "under $100" excellent pen is the Aurora Ipsilon (I think that's the right name). Be sure to get the gold nib version. Should cost around $85.
Pelikan has made quality writing instruments for many years. They are my favorites. I find the 200-400 series too small. More of a woman's pen. The 600 series is perfect for me but many people prefer the larger 800. You will be hard pressed to find a better writing pen anywhere. MontBlancs are not as good. I've owned a few. I have had to send an Omas back, too, because it had very poor feed. I've never run into quality issues with Pelikan.

-Gerald
 
MUCH worse than shaving. There are all kinds of cool accessories, too: vintage blotters, huge variety of inks, rag papers, old ink bottles...

Like my shaving obsession, I justify my fountain pens as being cost effective. You keep the same pen forever and the ink is cheap. "So over my life time I am saving money." Yeah, right. I have more pens than shaving creams (at last count I have 32 different shaving creams). It's a disease.

Welcome to the club! I betcha can't have just one!

-Gerald
 
Well, you guys started me down the path of yet another possible obsession. I've never really used a fountain pen so I made a trip down to our local office supply store to check them out.

I must say WOW when it comes to smoothness of writing! I use a pencil most of the time (because I screw up alot and can erase) but occasionally need a pen. I didn't want to spend too much money to test this new gadget so I tried to stay on the inexpensive side.

I ended up buying a Pelikan M200. Gerald felt they were too small for him but since I have relatively small hands and I don't like heavy pens (at least yet), it worked for me.

I bought Waterman black ink after testing it and another in the store. It seems to have a nice, rich, deep color to it.

Now FPAD to add to all the others.

Jerry
 
Scotto said:
Good choice on the Pelikan! The Waterman inks are nice as well.

And so it begins...

Agreed, great choice. I have an Peilkan M600 in blue and love it. Also in my collection is a Lamy and Pilot vanishing point. I must say that Bexley inks are my favorite.
 
Pen questions:

Do you guys have different inks going at the same time in different pens? It seems it would take a long time to go through a bottle of ink in one pen.

Do you clean your pens, and if so, how often? I can't tell that the nib comes off this M200. It doesn't seem to.

After filling the ink reservoir, do you then just wipe off the top of the nib with paper towel?

thanks
Jerry
 
Jerry,

Of course you will need multiple pens with multiple inks! Mwa ha ha ha! :wink:

After filling the pen, I just give it a quick wipe with a paper towel.

As for cleaning, I do it when changing colors, or when the pen begins to dry out a bit or write poorly. This is where you can tell a cheap pen from a good one - the good ones stay fairly air tight with the cap on and will not dry out, leak, etc.

When it needs cleaning, pull out the converter (if using), and rinse it with room temperature water, filling it up and emptying it as usual. Now take the bottom part of the pen (with the nib, which doesn't come off), and run it under room temperature water, both ends, until it runs clear. This takes a while. Sometimes I will put it in a clean glass of water overnight to soak. Let it dry out, and you are set to go. Don't use very hot or cold water, or you can damage the nib. The whole thing works by a very thin gap in the nib, so severe temperatures can muck that up.

I am told the truly anal retentive will only use distilled water (in case some microscopic particles from tap water clog the nib), but in years and years of use, I have never had a problem with tap water.
 
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