So I got hooked.Whats next?

[bbauer09]

Hey guys.

So I was PIFed a FP recently by a member on here. Basically I love it. Unfortunately last week the FP ran out of ink (it all happened so fast!!!!). Since then I havent known what to do with myself. Do I buy new ink? and if so, what type of ink should I buy?
And, while I am buying new ink, is it worth it to buy a whole new pen? I mean it doesnt hurt.....right?!?
I think I may have an addiction....
And one more question.....is buying a used pen a good option? What are some of the red flags to look for if I am going to go that route?

Thank you all....you are such enablers....

 

[Doc4]

Yes.

 

[syngent]

Lol welcome to the Nib, now that we have you here how are you fixed fpr watches, cigars, pipes and tobacco, coffee tea and brewers ? Just curious

Btw if your going after ink you may want to get yourself some nice paper rhodia and clairfontane are good choices or if you want to send letter G. Lalo is a great selection

Vintage pens are great but in a lot of cases need some cleaning and depending on filling system will need replacement parts some are easy some are not, its up to to you whether you like to tinker or not but we are here to help, and there are people who repair pens as well

 

[Hunter]

Of course once you write said letters you will need a wax seal to make sure it is classy, and a good suit, shoes, hat, and coat to take to the post office. Depending on how far you are from the post office a walking stick might be in order. Depending on the pipe you will get you will need to think about pipe racks, and mason jars for cellaring the tobacco, and a humidor or two for all the cigars. Then you will need a Dresser valet for all your watches and cuff links, luckily it is pretty easy to make one from all the cigar boxes you will have sitting around. If you have any time after that maybe look into some razors and vintage shaving mugs

 

[chris.hale]

Assuming that the pen is the Pilot Metropolitan, did it come with a converter? If not you'll want to pick one up so that you can branch out into bottled ink.

I'd second the recommendation for Rhodia paper, I'm a fan of the dot pads.

Vintage pens are great, but they can be problematic if they've not been properly looked after. That said, if you buy one from a reputable seller you'll be fine, and I believe that there are people on here who do pen repair.

 

[quantumcloud509]

Buy Brown #41 from Noodlers and some resume paper from Fred Meyers or Kroger, and write some letters while drinking tea and smoking a tobacco pipe. Nobody will write back but it will point you in the right direction of what to do next.

 

[Rockminer]

Lol welcome to the Nib, now that we have you here how are you fixed fpr watches, cigars, pipes and tobacco, coffee tea and brewers ? Just curious

Of course once you write said letters you will need a wax seal to make sure it is classy, and a good suit, shoes, hat, and coat to take to the post office. Depending on how far you are from the post office a walking stick might be in order. Depending on the pipe you will get you will need to think about pipe racks, and mason jars for cellaring the tobacco, and a humidor or two for all the cigars. Then you will need a Dresser valet for all your watches and cuff links, luckily it is pretty easy to make one from all the cigar boxes you will have sitting around. If you have any time after that maybe look into some razors and vintage shaving mugs

Fish in a barrel, give an enabler an inch and they take a foot

You guys are slipping, bbauer09 can't do anything without food. How is he set on a meat smoker, dehydrator, wok, cutting board etc.?

bbauer; If you order from Goulet pens, you can get everything you need. I would recommend getting some ink samples, you get a chance to try out different inks and then make a decision on a bigger bottle. Having a couple backup cartridges is a good idea just in case you get frustrated with the converter.

Buying a new pen is always fun. There are many reasonably priced pens to choose from.

 

[Doc4]

what type of ink should I buy?

What ink were you using?

You could do a lot worse than picking up a bottle of 5 O'clock Shadow or Benevolent Badger Blue ... or both ... at Westcoastshaving.

Beyond that, consider trying ink samples ... goulet pens can get you started with all sorts of samples, with packs of recommended/popular samples by colour or property, or you can try the ink drop, where they send you a few mystery samples every month.

Beyond that, IMHO a bottle of Noodler's black is a great basic ink.

And one more question.....is buying a used pen a good option? What are some of the red flags to look for if I am going to go that route?

Ooh, big question there. Messed up nibs, clogged feeds, filling mechanisms in need of repair ... lots of things that can go wrong with vintage pens ... many of which are "easy fixes" for experienced guys, but which perplex mere mortals like you and me. You can buy from a reputable pen restorer & retailer of vintage pens, but you usually pay for the certainty that the pen is working well, and those guys usually deal with the more collectable (ie, expensive) pens to begin with.

 

[cstephens]

Gentlemen,
The pen that I pif'd bbauer09 has a short barrel. It requires either an international cartridge or a converter (he doesn't have one) that will fit the short barrel. The ink was Pelikan 4001. Mr. Bauer, I would recommend one or all of the following:
1. cartridges: make sure you get international cartridges and not magnum cartridges (they are longer)
2. refill your cartridge with bottled ink and a syringe
3. a short converter to use bottled ink: you'll need either something like the Monteverde short plunger converter or something else that will fit a short barreled pen. I have successfully made converters using a #18 sac, shellac and an empty short cartridge.
I'm glad you're enjoying the FP and I hope your classes are going well.
Best,
Chris

 

[Ray Guy]

A simple cheap fix for the short carts is to print a 40% off coupon from the Hobby Lobby web site and pick up the 30 variety pack (5 colors, 6 each) for a little over $2.00.

 

[Mr5x5]

Welcome! Lots of good advice above.

Here is the link to the "Nemo Hack" http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/241399-Squeeze-sac-filler-mod-for-cartridges

 

[bbauer09]

Well its official....I have taken the dive....
I decided on a cartridge converter for the Pilot metropolitan that I bought and I got a bottle of Noodlers Ink as well. (that is not to mention the razor I bought on the BST today....and the pipe i bought last week.....)

 

[Hunter]

Well its official....I have taken the dive....
I decided on a cartridge converter for the Pilot metropolitan that I bought and I got a bottle of Noodlers Ink as well. (that is not to mention the razor I bought on the BST today....and the pipe i bought last week.....)

"One of us, One of us"

 

[sgtd]

Well its official....I have taken the dive....
I decided on a cartridge converter for the Pilot metropolitan that I bought and I got a bottle of Noodlers Ink as well. (that is not to mention the razor I bought on the BST today....and the pipe i bought last week.....)

Welcome to the insane asylum.

 

[jzuzphreek]

Well its official....I have taken the dive....
I decided on a cartridge converter for the Pilot metropolitan that I bought and I got a bottle of Noodlers Ink as well. (that is not to mention the razor I bought on the BST today....and the pipe i bought last week.....)

It the immortal words of the voice over guy from Mortal Combat, "FINISH HIM!"