Newbie at Fountain Pens.

[InfernoOrangeSS]

I was very intrigued at reading some of the posts here on The Nib. It kind of whetted my appetite to try fountain pens. I am going to start off by getting two cheapie pens to see how I like them, (Zebra V-301 & Pilot 78G should be delivered this week.) Is there anything I need to look out for when using these pens? I know by going cheap, I am not getting a true feel for how good a fountain pen can be, but I didn't want to go expensive and find out it is definitely not for me. I am not a writer, but I do write a lot/sign things at work. Are there any basics I should be wary of in using a fountain pen? Any basic mistakes people make that I can avoid with your help? I have been reading on here for a little while, and respect those who use them everyday and have experience with them.
I guess, just like getting into DE shaving, using a fountain pen for me is trying to get the feel of how people did things back way back when. I hope I haven't said anything completely dumb, or insulting to the fountain pen crowd.
Thank you for listening.

(Edit: In choosing the cheap pens I did, I restricted myself to those that use a cartridge. I am not at all clear on refilling a fountain pen right now. I thought I should get used to writing with one first, and then progress.)

 

[Slivovitz]

A few thoughts. Your Pilot FP78G should be a much better pen than the Zebra. Generally, though, they are shipped with a squeeze converter rather than a cartridge. Possibly the seller you are getting it from includes a Pilot cartridge. Some pens, and Pilots are among them, use proprietary cartridge styles. If it comes with the converter, it's easy to fill. Just dip the nib in an ink bottle until the nib part is submerged. Squeeze the converter several times. After the last squeeze, hold the pen in the ink for maybe 10 seconds, then pull it out and wipe off the nib with a paper towel. You probably will get ink on your fingers at some point. Make sure you get an ink designed for fountain pens, not something like India ink. Sometimes you can find bottles of something like Parker Quink in office supply stores, and you can buy all sorts of ink online.

If you use a cartridge, it will take a little while for the ink to saturate the feed and let you start writing. It may go quicker if you let the pen lay flat for a while, or even leave it with the nib down for a few minutes. In general, though, you'll want to store pens with the nib facing up, or at least lying on their sides.

Don't press down as you would with a ballpoint. If a fountain pen is working properly, it should just glide over the paper. Maybe a little pressure, but not much.

Don't overthink it. Someone else will think of other things to say, but you learn by trying things out and making your own mistakes. If you have specific problems with your pens, people here are always glad to help.

 

[InfernoOrangeSS]

Thank you so much for the information! Exactly the type of newbie advice I was looking for.

 

[Vlad]

For the most part, the only differnce in your experience will be the experience of not having spent a stupid amount of money on a FP! Expensive pens can be lousy, and cheap pens can be great, there are no sure things. The other thing I would say is not to get discouraged if some particular factor isn't working. Don't give up if your pen dries out too fast, or ink dries too slow, or smudges, or other similar problems. You may have to experiment to find the right pen-ink-paper combination for you.

 

[InfernoOrangeSS]

Thank you. I was sort of going the same route I went when I started DE shaving. I wasn't sure it was for me, and didn't want to have to junk something I spent a lot of money on.
I will heed your advice and stick with it and see what combinations work for me. Hopefully, it will be something that I enjoy using like I do my DE razors.

 

[N2theBreech]

If you haven't looked at it yet, Goulet Pens has a section on their site called Fountain of Knowledge. It is aimed at people who are just starting w/ FPs. I think you'll find answers to questions you haven't thought of yet!

Like you I was uncertain about things that experienced users took for granted. So trust me, none of your questions are stupid, or insulting.

I think you'll enjoy FPs.

 

[InfernoOrangeSS]

Many thanks for that suggestion! The world of fountain pens is very foreign to me. I need all the help and info I can get.

 

[nemo]

Many people starting out need to readjust how they hold the pen, ball points have created some "death grips" and too steep angles to the paper. This may not be true in your case of course, but you will find you don't need to apply as much pressure to lay down a nice wet line as mentioned above.

Welcome to the Nib and the wonderful world of fountain pens!

 

[InfernoOrangeSS]

Thank you. I had read that somewhere and will keep it in mind. Great advice all. Really glad I risked looking ultra stupid and asked here!

 

[oc_in_fw]

Thank you. I had read that somewhere and will keep it in mind. Great advice all. Really glad I risked looking ultra stupid and asked here!

the only stupid question is the one unasked.

 

[Champion of Capua]

You've got some good advice here already, so I will just add 2 things, keep the pen flat and the cap on when you're not using it. The 78G is a good pen, enjoy.

 

[InfernoOrangeSS]

You've got some good advice here already, so I will just add 2 things, keep the pen flat and the cap on when you're not using it. The 78G is a good pen, enjoy.

Just wondering if they leak while capped? I remember about 20 years ago I bought an inexpensive fountain pen, and it would be leaked all over the part you put your hands to write while capped. It got to the point that anytime I went to use the pen, I would get my fingers covered in ink. I assumed then that it was either a bad pen, or symptomatic of fountain pens. I decided back then that it was not for me. I hope this time around, I will have a much better experience.

 

[andrew98]

You should have a wonderful experience, especially with the 78G. I've owned dozens of fountain pens in the past 7 or so years, and I've never had one leak. I've even flown a lot with one (just have to keep the nib pointing up). As said before, try to find a bottle of Parker Quink, Sheaffer, or Pelikan ink. Those are pretty common in office supply stores and even craft shops. Enjoy!

-Andy

 

[InfernoOrangeSS]

You must be a bit psychic. I was just about to ask for suggestions on ink to use. I am partial to black inks in my pens. I have heard Quink is a popular brand. Is there an ink that works well in the Pilot 78G, or are they all roughly the same? The Pilot 78G that I bought, ships with both the converter and 3 cartridges. I like the idea of the converter, since it gives more freedom as far as what ink to use.

 

[Doc4]

(Edit: In choosing the cheap pens I did, I restricted myself to those that use a cartridge. I am not at all clear on refilling a fountain pen right now. I thought I should get used to writing with one first, and then progress.)

I am a big fan of the 78g ... you should enjoy it a lot.

You will find yourself soon using the converter, as it's really quite easy. You submerge the whole nib into the bottle of ink (the ink goes in at that little square hole at the base of the nib, so make sure it's submerged) and then squeeze the two metal bars of the converter together a few times ... that fills the bladder sack up with ink.

Also, the 78g is very easy to use as an "eyedropper" ... you remove the converter, coat the threads where the two halves of the pen come together with silicone grease, fill up the "back" half of the pen with ink using an eyedropper (hence the name) or syringe, and then screw the two halves together ... holds a lot more ink than cartridge or converter.

Just wondering if they leak while capped? I remember about 20 years ago I bought an inexpensive fountain pen, and it would be leaked all over the part you put your hands to write while capped. It got to the point that anytime I went to use the pen, I would get my fingers covered in ink. I assumed then that it was either a bad pen, or symptomatic of fountain pens. I decided back then that it was not for me. I hope this time around, I will have a much better experience.

Do not store the pen "nib down". Do not toss or drop your pen. You will be fine.

You must be a bit psychic. I was just about to ask for suggestions on ink to use. I am partial to black inks in my pens. I have heard Quink is a popular brand. Is there an ink that works well in the Pilot 78G, or are they all roughly the same? The Pilot 78G that I bought, ships with both the converter and 3 cartridges. I like the idea of the converter, since it gives more freedom as far as what ink to use.

Inks are not "roughly the same" ... they are all different. It's not just a question of "good" and "bad" but often a case of different characteristics coming to the fore ... some inks dry faster, some are better on cheap paper, some are better at not feathering, &c &c &c ...

... but IMHO a good place to start for ink (esp if you like black) is Noodler's black. I have it in one of my 78g's and it's great.

 

[InfernoOrangeSS]

Thank you for the information! I greatly appreciate it!

 

[Dave258]

Looks like you already have all of the information you need above. Enjoy your pens, and welcome to The Nib!

 

[InfernoOrangeSS]

Looks like you already have all of the information you need above. Enjoy your pens, and welcome to The Nib!

I'm such a newbie to FP's, I will take any and all info/advice.

 

[celestino]

Welcome to the Nib, William, and enjoy your pen. Great advice here, for me as well as i am a newbie to FPs, also.

 

[Go West Young Man]

When I started out I bought a bottle of Quink. It's cheap, it's widely available, it's serviceable, you should be happy with it.
The colors are NOT strong or vivid, there's no complexity or depth to it, someone described it as 'unsaturated', a little washed out. Boutique/speciality inks offer more variation in color, tone, saturation, etc., but Quink is still a good starting point.