Well... here goes nothing! My very first thread in The Nib.
I had toyed with a fountain pen when I was pretty young, when my parents bought us a calligraphy set. I remember trying it out, and it was pretty neat. But it just didn't seem practical, nor did it hold our interest for too long. But it was fun because it was kind of artsy.
Later, here I am. I found B&B the same way most of us did, by looking for information on wet shaving. As I explored a bit, I poked into The Nib a bit and discovered a whole world of beautiful pens and inks that really got me intrigued. So, I tried out a Pilot Plumix just for grins. It was neat, but not really very fun to write with. It was scratchy on the paper, and had a wider nib for calligraphy that I didn't really want. I didn't use it a whole lot, and now it's in a drawer.
Then, within the last week, I acquired, via a trade, my very first true fountain pen: an Aurora Ipsilon Blue that had the nib replaced with a 14k nib, along with a bit of Aurora Black ink. It's a darker blue that seems more of a dark blue-grey color. In any case, it's not a bright, vibrant, saturated blue. It also has gold trim. I just tried it out this afternoon, and I'm enjoying writing with it. I find that the black ink skips a bit here and there. Perhaps it's drying in the nib, or maybe it's gulping a little bit of air at that point. I'll try modifying my writing pace. Perhaps writing more slowly will help this issue. In any case, I can feel a bit of FPAD coming on... (Why do you guys always do this to people?! WHY?!?! It's like AD's are contagious!) My first goal is to try a few other inks. Since the pen is blue, I was thinking of trying Baystate Blue. But the ink may be more vibrant than the pen. So I'm thinking that maybe I should try Noodler's Midnight Blue or Blue-Black, as those colors tend to match the pen body a bit more closely. I can always acquire a more vibrant pen to match the BSB down the line, right..? (Or is that the FPAD kicking in?)
In any case, I think I'm going to like writing with FP's, even if I don't really do anything formal. Just jotting notes down, it's still an excellent way to write over those cheapie ballpoint pens I've always used.
Anyway... so, on to my final sentences. I'm wondering about inks. Does anyone have any favorites? Any particular brands that they like? Or are most of the main ink brands going to be pretty good? I keep seeing Pelikan, Noodler's, and I've seen Private Reserve tossed around here and there. I guess Aurora inks are good, too. But, I'm not super-impressed with their black, yet. What inks would you recommend I look into?
And any particular pens for someone like me, who's looking for an oblique or even a flexible oblique style nib? I assume most nibs are stubs or italics. Do these other styles require customization?
I had toyed with a fountain pen when I was pretty young, when my parents bought us a calligraphy set. I remember trying it out, and it was pretty neat. But it just didn't seem practical, nor did it hold our interest for too long. But it was fun because it was kind of artsy.
Later, here I am. I found B&B the same way most of us did, by looking for information on wet shaving. As I explored a bit, I poked into The Nib a bit and discovered a whole world of beautiful pens and inks that really got me intrigued. So, I tried out a Pilot Plumix just for grins. It was neat, but not really very fun to write with. It was scratchy on the paper, and had a wider nib for calligraphy that I didn't really want. I didn't use it a whole lot, and now it's in a drawer.
Then, within the last week, I acquired, via a trade, my very first true fountain pen: an Aurora Ipsilon Blue that had the nib replaced with a 14k nib, along with a bit of Aurora Black ink. It's a darker blue that seems more of a dark blue-grey color. In any case, it's not a bright, vibrant, saturated blue. It also has gold trim. I just tried it out this afternoon, and I'm enjoying writing with it. I find that the black ink skips a bit here and there. Perhaps it's drying in the nib, or maybe it's gulping a little bit of air at that point. I'll try modifying my writing pace. Perhaps writing more slowly will help this issue. In any case, I can feel a bit of FPAD coming on... (Why do you guys always do this to people?! WHY?!?! It's like AD's are contagious!) My first goal is to try a few other inks. Since the pen is blue, I was thinking of trying Baystate Blue. But the ink may be more vibrant than the pen. So I'm thinking that maybe I should try Noodler's Midnight Blue or Blue-Black, as those colors tend to match the pen body a bit more closely. I can always acquire a more vibrant pen to match the BSB down the line, right..? (Or is that the FPAD kicking in?)
In any case, I think I'm going to like writing with FP's, even if I don't really do anything formal. Just jotting notes down, it's still an excellent way to write over those cheapie ballpoint pens I've always used.
Anyway... so, on to my final sentences. I'm wondering about inks. Does anyone have any favorites? Any particular brands that they like? Or are most of the main ink brands going to be pretty good? I keep seeing Pelikan, Noodler's, and I've seen Private Reserve tossed around here and there. I guess Aurora inks are good, too. But, I'm not super-impressed with their black, yet. What inks would you recommend I look into?
And any particular pens for someone like me, who's looking for an oblique or even a flexible oblique style nib? I assume most nibs are stubs or italics. Do these other styles require customization?
