So I posted my intro yesterday. Watched this forum for a few days before jumping in (after saying I could never see myself developing an interest in FP's). I bought a Pilot Metro that is supposed to be at my house tomorrow, complete with their muted purple ink sample set. I can't wait to try it out. I did calligraphy as a kid, though with felt markers not a pen. I bought this one for everyday use, if I can adapt to it.
incoming
- Thread starter red zeppelin
- Start date
I'm sure you'll enjoy it. The Metropolitan is a great first fountain pen.
-Andy
-Andy
Enjoy your new pen!
An excellent choice for a first pen. A Metro was my first pen.
Congratulations! This is always how it start, with one........then, you can't stop. 
Welcome again you sound like your gonna love it all
I can see you having a wonderful AD "problem" developing
Can't wait to see your first post
I can see you having a wonderful AD "problem" developing
Can't wait to see your first post
- Thread starter
- #7
i am interested to see if my writing changes, ie gets better. Anxiously awaiting the package USPS says is 'out for delivery'!
- Thread starter
- #8
so the pen came in on time as predicted. Great job from Goulet packaging everything by the way. I told myself I was going to wait until later tonight or tomorrow when I had more time to fill it and try it out. As most of you can guess, that didn't happen!
I have to say, as a first time FP user, it couldn't have been easier to fill and try. I ordered a sample set of inks from Goulet and was concerned that it would be difficult to get the nib in those little bottles to fill, but that wasn't an issue. I filled it with Noodlers Nightshade and quickly had a go. I will write it up in more detail later, and I will post samples of my writing once I have a bit of time. I was mostly concerned about being able to write quickly like I do with notes at work, and that seems fine with the Metro. I did notice a bit of smearing, not during writing but if I hit it after the fact. That shouldn't be an issue for me at work, and if the paper were better that I was trying it on it may not have happened at all.
So here is my new question - if I am trying out some ink colors is it legit to put the ink from the pen back in my sample vial, flush the pen and try another color? I assume I flush with water until clear?
I have to say, as a first time FP user, it couldn't have been easier to fill and try. I ordered a sample set of inks from Goulet and was concerned that it would be difficult to get the nib in those little bottles to fill, but that wasn't an issue. I filled it with Noodlers Nightshade and quickly had a go. I will write it up in more detail later, and I will post samples of my writing once I have a bit of time. I was mostly concerned about being able to write quickly like I do with notes at work, and that seems fine with the Metro. I did notice a bit of smearing, not during writing but if I hit it after the fact. That shouldn't be an issue for me at work, and if the paper were better that I was trying it on it may not have happened at all.
So here is my new question - if I am trying out some ink colors is it legit to put the ink from the pen back in my sample vial, flush the pen and try another color? I assume I flush with water until clear?
Hey Red, I think if you want to have a look through the samples there is no reason not to squirt any remaining ink back into the vial. Most people just use the ink until it is gone but sampling is another matter. The flushing between samples is most important as you don't want to have colour variations due to contamination from other inks. You're off to a great start, you found an admired vendor and got a solid starter pen. The first rule is to have fun with your new pen and ink samples.
I've also read that mixing ink may not be a great idea because you don't know what reactions may occur between inks. They could create something that could clog your pen's feed or otherwise damage it, so some experts recommend against mixing inks. That said, a lot of people enjoy mixing inks to develop new colors, and most of them don't seem to have any problems.
-Andy
-Andy
I put my samples back into the vials when I'm done if anything were to occur well they are only samples.... like said above just be sure to flush your pen between inks at least for now since you only have just the one pen for now
A blue bulb syringe is really handy for flushing pens. It makes short work of flushing the nib and feed.
Also, one thing I noticed with the converter that comes with the Pilot Metropolitan, is that it's actually pretty hard to clean properly. It'll look like all the ink is out, but if you shake it into a sink, you'll sometimes see some more ink come out. Ink tends to get trapped at the very end of the converter, and it's difficult to flush out under running water, probably because of an air bubble. I'd use the bulb syringe to clean the converter. I've also half filled the converter, covered the open end with my index finger and given it a shake to make sure I'm getting all the ink out. That usually takes a couple cycles to get the converter totally clean. I also have to shake the converter to get all the water out, but that's true of most converters. I tend to take the converter out to clean a pen. Flushing a pen using the converter takes too long. I'm impatient.
-Andy
Also, one thing I noticed with the converter that comes with the Pilot Metropolitan, is that it's actually pretty hard to clean properly. It'll look like all the ink is out, but if you shake it into a sink, you'll sometimes see some more ink come out. Ink tends to get trapped at the very end of the converter, and it's difficult to flush out under running water, probably because of an air bubble. I'd use the bulb syringe to clean the converter. I've also half filled the converter, covered the open end with my index finger and given it a shake to make sure I'm getting all the ink out. That usually takes a couple cycles to get the converter totally clean. I also have to shake the converter to get all the water out, but that's true of most converters. I tend to take the converter out to clean a pen. Flushing a pen using the converter takes too long. I'm impatient.
-Andy
- Thread starter
- #13
great suggestions, thanks for the tips. I will likely flush the pen tomorrow and try another color. I used the Noodlers Nightshade, but was really looking for something a bit more on the purple side.
- Thread starter
- #14
So I am finishing my first week of work with the Metro. I have to say, the transition into FP writing was much easier than I thought. I have had a couple of instances where the paper at work may not have been as good as it should have been, but nothing major. I switched the ink last weekend before I brought it to work, but the color is still darker than I wanted. I vowed to try it for a full week before switching, rather than swap ink in and out every other day! Still trying to get a brighter purple, without getting into anything crazy. I put the Noodlers nightshade in, and switched to the Caran d'Ache Storm. I think I am going to try the Noodler's purple heart next.
