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@colournoise - that’s the big advantage of the GO model I’ve just bought, it’s a spring plunger, so all one piece, just stick the nib in the bottle and press down on the other end, a simple process for a simple soul... 😉
@CF - this is Cara the singer, she’s Irish, if that’s significant;
Yeah I've got a couple of the GOs kicking around too. Decent cheap and cheerful pens.
I'm just preparing a pencils picture. Here or a new thread (if anyone as remotely geeky as me about these things is bothered)?
As far as ink goes, I’ve got a full bottle of Parker quink. Needs to be black and quick drying so my stupid left hand doesn’t smudge it. Any rec’s?
I looked at Akkermans Ijzer Galnoten ( which I use ), very good and being iron gall it dries to be waterproof, the bottles are good value at €15 ( excellent 60ml bottle ), but it would be the same again for postage 🙁
https://www.vulpennen.nl/en/akkerman/p-1a/AkkInkt010.html
Diamine stuff tends to be cheap, easy to source, and well regarded, no experience of any of their stuff though. For full geekiness, and in deptth ink information, see here:
http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/forum/35-ink-reviews/
Diamine ink is pretty good IMO. I also like Lamy's T52 ink but it's not available in as wide a range of colours.
Black is fine for me, we have to write our notes in black ink. Kinda sad how excited I am for a pen to arrive.
And ordered a green Lamy Safari and some black diamine. Must stop spending now. All this stuff is gonna arrive at the same time and the missus is wfh. What a mistaka to maka.
No, it's easier to have shi7 delivered to work ;/
BUMP! Found a few more...
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And then thought I might as well do the mechanical pencils / lead holders...
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The Copics are just lovely things to work with...
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But these are the workhorse ones I go to...
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Is the white one (bottom row 6th in from right) a Faber Castell Grip?
ElShalimo
Is the white one (bottom row 6th in from right) a Faber Castell Grip?
Yup. Nice enough but not quite the right shape for me to want to use regularly.
I've got one too. It's okay but not that comfy for prolonged use
Regarding ink leaking through the pages I have realised today it depends on the ink.
My daily pen is the Conklin Duragraph at the bottom which has a mid green ink and that is fine
I have been using the Montblanc today which has a mid blue ink in and that bleeds through the paper.
Diamine Mediterranean Blue is a lighter blue and does not leak much so I will swap to that.
Bleedthrough depends on the ink and the paper used. Moleskine does not have a great rep for use with fountain pens. Leuchtturm or Rhodia are better.
From about 7:00 for example:
My Pilot Elite turned up yesterday- only £43 for a fine Japanese pocket pen with an 18K gold nib because there was a little damage on the cap - writes incredibly smooth for a pen that is several decades old.
I have one of these, but in burgundy. 70s Sheaffer White Dot, or 330. Love how it writes - nice and broad, lays down lots of ink, but it's cracked and been glued together so many times I could do with another. But I'm not sure if they write like this out of the box or they need decades of breaking in! They come up on the bay for a few quid so I'll just take a punt and see, unless anyone can recommend? FWIW I'm lefthanded and this pen has always felt 'right' - whether the tip is rounder or something, I don't know.
Can I ask about all of your experience of ink drying up in the nib after only a few days of non-use?
I got an inexpensive, but seemingly nice, metal-barrelled Platignum, and I don’t think it lasted beyond the first try after I inserted the cartridge. Indeed, I went to take notes at a meeting only about two or three days after I got it, and there was no way I could get it to flow again.
I would love to get one that didn’t decide to clog just because it had sat for more than 24 hours.
Seems a bit odd, I have had pens that have been left months that haven't clogged, all of them cartridges.
The latest ones (mainly due to this thread) are ink refills but have only had maybe 4 days between usage and they have been fine. A mix of sailor, ddiamine and other inks so 24 hours seems off.
It is often the type of ink that affects the clogging. Mont Blanc Emerald Green always blocked my pens so I mixed it with another ink.
If the pen is new then it can help to push ink through the pen a few times but you will need a converter for that. Also pushing fresh water through the pen a few times seems to get things flowing better.
Well I can't say my handwriting has got any neater, but it's more joyful to write with a fountain pen that's for sure. Really liking the TWSBI Eco but I'm scared to drop it as it feels fragile, like the plastic is brittle.
I'm going to order a Lamy I think, with a refillable cart. I like the look of the premium TWSBI's but I can't push that much on a pen....(Although I probably will succumb).
Top tip but cross have a lifetime warranty the black lacquer on my Townsend sort of bubbled up, sent it back they replaced it, plus a new refill it was a rollerball. Also sent back the fountain pen as it was clogging, they cleaned it and charged me 6 gbp I think.
A few Townsend owners on here, lovely pens.
@SaxonRider - try one of the pens like I’ve got, the TWSBI GO, I carry it in my pocket, and it works every time I go to use it. It doesn’t need cartridges, just a bottle of ink, you dip the nib into the bottle and press the plunger, kind of like using a syringe, except it’s spring-loaded. I love it, it writes really smoothly, using Waterman intense black ink, and being transparent you can always see how much ink is left.
Use a rather nice, but industrial looking, Rotring fountain pen that my dad gave me. Also have a ball point and propelling pencil of theirs too. Just feels right in the hand. Went a long time not using it and now I've been working at home since March dug it out the drawer again and it's like an old friend.
Good thread resurrection: I've been thinking about getting a Namisu Naos, they look really nice
@ElShalimo
Get one, I got them on the kickstarter and they are great.
I will say get the ti or al ones as I found that using the brass one I actually got a metallic taste in my mouth.
also the medium bock nib seems to work much better than the fine. But maybe that is just me.
they feel lovely to use.
Thanks
I've got the Ixion pen. The Bock nib is great. I like larger pens so it sounds great to me
Damn this thread for making me shift yet another load of cash at Cult Pens....
That's me off the internet until Christmas.
Cult Pens is great
Does anyone know anything re: Adler and their carbon fiber model?
I’d like a Mont Blanc one mind!
Despite all the training in standards and ethics at Salford General apparently fountain pens had a high status among the junior doctors but they were considered fair game and had an Olympic capacity to walk. Aphex corroborates this, it's clearly a medical problem. I always imagined they were feeling for your heartbeat not whether you'd got a Lamy.
Update. The sought after pens are black (prerequisite for notes) so to cure this you put blue tops on your black pens. Who could say all those years at the tomes were wasted?
My Mont Blanc Fountain pen is horrible to write with, leaks ink and is generally a POS. Been back to Mont Blanc for service a couple of times. Fantastic for signing large cheques, or acts of parliaments, fairly useless as a writing instrument.
@Joe - it sound ideal for a fectard like Trump. All bling, no substance and blumming useless
@CountZero - what's the TWSBI Go like for holding up to daily use/abuse?
I've heard they write lovely but the thin plastic barrels are prone to breaking
My Mont Blanc Fountain pen is horrible to write with, leaks ink and is generally a POS. Been back to Mont Blanc for service a couple of times. Fantastic for signing large cheques, or acts of parliaments, fairly useless as a writing instrument.
This is interesting, I have a Mont Blanc fountain pen that I bought myself in the early 80’s, but it leaks too and I have used it very little. The white symbol has also yellowed. I’d sell it if it was easy enough to do and would sell - any idea if it would be worthwhile looking into and how to go about it? (no box or anything).
@ElShalamo - honestly, it’s difficult to say. I don’t carry it during the week at work, because I only need a pen to scribble down a car registration on a scrap of paper, or it’s location on my hand, and a cheap ballpoint is far more suitable, otherwise I carry a Sharpie and a white permanent paint pen for writing on car windscreens. I do use it at weekends for writing notes and shopping lists, birthday cards, that sort of stuff, and it’s always in my pocket attached to a lanyard, so far it’s standing up pretty well; the only issue I’ve come across is the barrel has a habit of unscrewing itself, which is a pain if you carry it on a lanyard round your neck. I lost mine walking home from town by an extended route one Saturday afternoon, and had to retrace my steps, found it lying in the grass about a mile back!
I’ve kept it in my pocket after that...
I guess the plastic might become fragile after a while, clear plastic does seem to crack more easily than coloured, but so far mine is holding up just fine.
It’s certainly my favourite pen for just writing with, it’s very smooth, starts almost straight away, and somehow it actually manages to make my handwriting look good!
It almost makes me wish I was one of those people who fill notebooks with insightful notes and beautiful sketches of interesting things, just to take advantage of how nice it is to write with! 😁
@op
Maybe you need a wider pen?
Crap name, but improved ergonomics
Bic Bu3 Grip 1.0 Black Retractable Ball Pen 4 Pack Stationery https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B016RY85N6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_2wtGFb2DF0N58
Not a fountain pen, and a bit spendy for a biro, but I've just got one of these and it's a wonderful thing to hold and use.
Bought a medium ti bock nib for my naos a couple of weeks ago. It's lovely to use, much nicer than the steel one
Nice topic!
I haven’t picked up a fountain pen in nearly thirty years, but im intrigued by the platinum preppy. Inexpensive and will accept international standard cartridges with a converter.
Another inexpensive option are the ‘jinhao’ brand. Any musings on them, and do they accept the IS cartridge or a smaller version?
Btw, Tesco’s sell these for £1.50
They’re great for storing colouring pencils, so they should be large enough for fountain pens too.
The Lamy Safari with a fine nib, using lamy's own ink is the way forward. Period.
Day-to-day: Kaweco Sport, it works, cheap, writes easy.
Nice things: Pilot Myu, because of the design.
Ink:Diamine
Paper:Leuchtturm. No bleed
Yes, a little tiny bit. But I have smallish hands. Cap on end definitely. But I like the weight, balance and that I have them chucked in a bag all day, can pull them out and write perfectly. No leakage from nib, easy to clean, not quite cheap enough to be disposable but I'm not too attached to them I worry when using them (unlike the Myu). Also the plastic is quite grippy. And they are not too fat either.
And if I could work out how to link an image from google photos I'd show you the relative size to my hands!!
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50496439712_b52e7e650f_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50496439712_b52e7e650f_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2jWcsfU ]20201017_025130 (1)[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/190658321@N07/ ]Luke Dow[/url], on Flickr
Finally.
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50495577783_6e7f1ba027_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50495577783_6e7f1ba027_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2jW8334 ]20201017_030749[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/190658321@N07/ ]Luke Dow[/url], on Flickr
So my pen choice is small pens - Kaweco Sport, Parker T1, Pilot Myu, unknown Parker (was Dads)
Nice pens, especially the Myu
Are your hands really that small, or are they just far away?
😜
I bought a couple of lamy safari knock-offs. Impressive at first, but the genuine lamy ink cartridge spewed out in one of them. These pens do come with an ink reservoir for bottled ink, though.
I’m impressed with the jinhao. No problems with standard (short) international cartridges.
Im really enjoying the inexpensive platinum preppy. The extra/ fine nib is a bit scratchy for handwriting, but excellent for colouring books.
They make some crazy expensive pens too...
I had a Jinhao 599? (the Safari copy) and it was great for about 6months then it decided to leak every time I touched it, or looked at it. Shame as it was nice when it worked.
I recently bought a Lamy AL Star to replace it.
I always wanted a bright yellow Safari but this was half price
😉
I’ve got a few unused lamy cartridges, so I’m looking at one of their ‘joy 1.1’ calligraphy pens😏
Cult pens are doing 10% off some fountain pens for Fountain Pen Day..who knew?
https://www.cultpens.com/c/q/special-offers/10-off-selected-fountain-pens?sort=price-asc
So question for all you fountain pen nuts out there:
I've got a cheap (£10) Parker fountain pen I've used for years. It would be nice to have something a bit nicer. But where do I start? Do I need to try before I buy? Go to a pen shop? Take a punt on eBay? How much variation is there in how they write?
I recently bought a Lamy AL Star to replace it.
From Cult Pens? I got one of those from them recently too. Had gone on to get a safari and that very pen was a tenner.
I like the Kaweco Sport too. Lovely wee thing. I'm lusting after the brass version.
yes but it was £13.50
https://www.cultpens.com/i/q/LM64171/lamy-al-star-fountain-pen-bronze-special-edition
I have the brass Kaweco roller ball, tempted to get the fountain pen to go with it, been using a Zebra disposable fountain pen pretty much not stop since the misses got it me.
@stonster - as shops will be closing today for at least a month, it's probably best to read a few blogs on this. Look at beginner pens and also the next step up pens. There's loads of info out there but it's all subjective
I’ve been really impressed with this. Fantastic ergonomics and soooo smooth...
BUT, the body of the pen is manufactured from the same kind of cheap plastic that’s found on waiting-room chairs.
I’m pretty sure that the nibs body must unscrew and possibly fit into some kind of generic bamboo pen body.
Re: platinum preppy, kind of a psa...
visit cultpens.com
Dear
You requested a stock alert from Cult Pens on
We're sorry to say that Platinum International Adapter has now been discontinued, so we won't be able to get any more.
We don't usually discontinue items ourselves, so it's likely the manufacturer has stopped making them. Check our site to see what's currently available, or reply to this email if you'd like us to help you find an alternative. If you let us know what you liked about this product, we may know of something similar.
So, you will still be able use bottled ink as well as platinums cartridges in their pens.
But these adaptors gave you access to a broader range of international standard ink cartridges without the potential mess of bottled ink.
Purepens.co.uk might have some adapters left.
Nows your chance to corner that market📐
Thanks for that. I've been waiting for them to come back into stock
This thread continues to cost me £, in a good way of course. A Kaweco Sport Al is with Santa 😃. Anyway, I bought one of the bronze Lamy Al a little while ago, however the ink rarely flows freely and takes lots of faffing to get it to. Any idea from the fountain pen users collective?
I envy people with good handwriting. One of my nieces and also a young lady at work have amazing handwriting that I've admitted to being jealous of.
My handwriting at best is a scrawl. I've written things and thought WTF does that say, so any decent pen is completely wasted on me even though I do like the looks of a nice pen.
I've been getting back into writing and illustration and I bought a Monami Olika - it seemed quite impressive at first for the price but seems to have dried up after not much use (there's still plenty of ink in the cartridge). Is there anything I can do to get it going again?
You have to use fountain pens regularly to stop the ink drying inside them. There's a few yt Vids on cleaning, you just flush them through with warm water.
My cross townsend, which I love, but rarely use, dried up I tried everything and it was still scratchy. Cross offer a lifetime guarantee so I sent it back, they cleaned it for me, charged 6 quid.
I use the rollerball daily, not the fp. Problem is I bought the set, brio, fp, rollerball, so I use the most user friendly one, the rollerball.
Try squeezing the cartridge to get the ink following through the capillaries and the nib - do it somewhere that ink won't damage or leave enormous stains.
For the money, this is pretty impressive...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/283104169692
Maybe it’s the iridium tip?
They also make one called the ‘tanker’ with an even broader nib. However, it seems that you can only swap cartridges by screwing on a new body to the nib.
Just got into pens myself. Currently got a pilot capless and a Lamy Dialog 3. And a few bottles of Diamine ink. I can see how this hobby can spiral...., currently got my eye on yet more ink 😬
It doesn't have to cost a huge amount to get a decent pen
I've recently been using a Platinum Preppy £4 fountain pen. It's very good for £4. If you buy the international cartridge converter for £1.50 you can use much cheaper ink in it.
Use a fountain pen quite frequently, decided that since I was writing by hand less and less, when I did I'd use a nice pen rather than some shite disposable biro. Plus they look nice with a nice notebook in meetings haha.
I used to swear by Parker, until I bough a Lamy and now I won't go back, much more reliable, don't go dry and clog all the time and the nibs are better. I've got a Safari AL-star in a pleasing anodised purple colour, my taste in fountain pens is the same as bike components!
That said, I still want a Mont Blanc! Someday, the long wait in Geneva Airport will get expensive!
Well I succumbed to the new ink, one bottle of Robert Oster Fire and Ice on its way.
Day to day - Pilot Decimo Vanishing Point
Travel - Cult Pens mini, by Kaweco
Different Colour - Parker 75 - but this needs a nib repair..
Ink- J.Herbin - Brown
Lamy - Blue
What the flippety flip did I come in here for...? At least the Lamy Al-Star pen and converter to propa ink is only £20.
In other news, my Mont Blanc Le Grand fountain and ballpoint pens appear to be appreciating at an alarming rate...
I like the ballpoint, platinum accents are a bit less 'common' and it has a nice thick point for smoothness. The fountain jobbie dunt get much use. I find it a bit scratchy even though it's been off to the nib whisperer...
I've gone full niche and started using dip pens, although mostly for illustration. It's really satisfying and easy/cheap to use different nibs etc
The power and influence of the Singletrack Forum! Been lusting after a Pelikan M800 for over a year and after reading through this thread, thought, sod it! and ordered my grail pen! Many thanks for the push I needed! 🤗
Oh, and the Kaweco Al Sport is my current writing implement and posted it's a superb writer. And I'm a leftie with large hands. I also use Diamine ink which has also been great, with a wonderful colour choice.
Excellent work @badgerbater. I quite fancy a Visconti Home Sapiens Bronze Age, and could almost convince myself to do it if the quality control on them wasn’t so variable. All these nice pens are fully wasted on me anyway, my handwriting is small and ugly, but there’s just something much more enjoyable about writing with a nice fountain pen.
@kneebiscuit I'm not a particularly neat writer. I always seem to want to think faster than I can write and especially when I'm using a ballpoint, I sometimes can't read back my own writing! However, having rediscovered the fountain pen during lockdown, I find that the very act of using a fountain pen, even for desk work, is a more enjoyable experience and almost makes me want to write more legibly. Hard to explain, but I just enjoy the experience more. I've also taken up penning my thoughts in a journal. It's amazing what lockdown is doing to us all, in hopefully a positive way.
I find that the very act of using a fountain pen, even for desk work, is a more enjoyable experience and almost makes me want to write more legibly. Hard to explain, but I just enjoy the experience more. I’ve also taken up penning my thoughts in a journal. It’s amazing what lockdown is doing to us all, in hopefully a positive way.
I find this sums up certain experiences for me.
A casual decision to learn to eat comfortably with chopsticks has lead to me changing how and what I cook, making large swathes of a previously ingrained process more considered. Just by adopting something considered normal by one third of the world’s population.
Chopsticks for writing?
😉
Its all a process.
Changing tools changes the method and ultimately affects the result.
When you look past the chopstick being at the end of the process and realise its effects during the process you find a new level of connection.
Find the quiet moments in Korean street food preparation for example. Look beyond the performance of the cooking and notice the almost hidden perfection of technique that is not there for the show, just for the artist's benefit.
And of course there's less washing up if you use your chopsticks instead of a whisk.
I love nice pens. I used to have about 5 on the go at the same time, all with different colour ink. But I found I wasn't using them as often so I slowly reduced the number in rotation. Mix of pilot, rotring and twsbi.
I now use a Pilot Fermo with black pilot cartridges as my main pen with a rotring mechanical pencil. Use Rhodia webnotebooks as my work notebook
Simple pleasures 🙂