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It sounds kinda backwards, but ink will generally take longer to dry on quality paper, since the paper's not as absorbent. Being less absorbent, though, does mean that shading will come out better than on cheap printer paper, which just immediately sucks up the ink and looks rather flat. Speaking of shading, Goulet Pens posted a question to their Facebook page asking for shading favorites. Picking up some of the suggestions is a good way to add some extra character and depth to your writing: https://www.facebook.com/TheGouletPenCompany/posts/10151488760228498 Also, your friend has a really annoying name to write--I never would've remembered that while I was taking Chinese school as a kid. At least the radical is the same, I guess 
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Mar 17, 2013 21:55
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Thanks for the suggestions, guys. I just ordered some fancy shmancy Clairefontaine paper, a sampler of inks, and a Pilot Metropolitan, because I'm a fountain pen beginner.  Until those get here, I might as well do a little bit of more practice.
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Mar 18, 2013 01:39
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I just ordered a Parker I.M. Premium Shiny Chrome. It looks like this: I'm coming from a cheap-o Parker Jotter that I lost, but still have a spare converter cartridge for it. My question is, can I use the converter in the new pen? I think Parker converters are standard for all their pens but don't know with any certainty. The new pen has twin channelled ink feeds and I don't know if that makes a difference. EDIT: I would have preferred to have gotten one of them fancy TWSBI pens but I only had an Amazon UK gift certificate and this was the nicest I could find for less than £25 (55% off RRP). Amazon UK doesn't seem to sell TWSBI pens. Xachariah fucked around with this message at 17:20 on Mar 18, 2013 |
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Mar 18, 2013 15:52
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Yeah the standard Parker converter will fit in it.
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Mar 18, 2013 16:32
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In my quest for a dry-writing blue black that is cheap-paper friendly but has plenty of shading, I had finally settled on Pelikan Blue-Black. However, it turns out that it can no longer be imported to the US, and also it is partly an iron-gall ink, both of which were kind if a turnoff. In order to replicate Pelikan Blue-Black, I actually ordered a bottle of Pelikan Royal Blue, a bottle of Pelikan Brilliant Black, some syringes, and some inkwells. Hopefully, I can start mixing my own blue-black. Any advice goons?
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Mar 18, 2013 17:21
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Vitamins posted:Yeah the standard Parker converter will fit in it. Thanks for the quick reply, I have Quink cartridges but I would love to use my Mont Blanc Burgundy Red ink!
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Mar 18, 2013 17:25
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HolySwissCheese posted:In my quest for a dry-writing blue black that is cheap-paper friendly but has plenty of shading, I had finally settled on Pelikan Blue-Black. However, it turns out that it can no longer be imported to the US, and also it is partly an iron-gall ink, both of which were kind if a turnoff. Mix a small about of each into a clear container, shake it up and leave it alone for a few days. See if it separates or worse solidifies. Once it's passed that test you know it's safe for your pens.
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Mar 18, 2013 17:29
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HolySwissCheese posted:In my quest for a dry-writing blue black that is cheap-paper friendly but has plenty of shading, I had finally settled on Pelikan Blue-Black. However, it turns out that it can no longer be imported to the US, and also it is partly an iron-gall ink, both of which were kind if a turnoff. Good luck, it's strange that you can't seem to get it in the US, I wonder why? Anyways, the most basic advice is usually to only do small batches at a time when mixing inks, as you don't know how the inks will react with one another. You might get weird goop forming which will completely wreck a pen if you try and use it. Please post you're results, I'm curious how the colour turns out! I like Pilot Blue-Black as a nice dark ink, very well behaved, but I've only seen it in cartridge form which is a bit frustrating.
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Mar 18, 2013 17:30
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What are your thoughts on posting caps? I thought it was weird to write with a pen without having the cap posted for a long time, not in the least because "how else am I supposed to keep track of that thing?" But recently I've been writing with my pens without posting and I...think I'm ok with it. Also if you don't post, what do you do with the cap? I've been standing it up on my desk, it seems more deliberate that way than just tossing it down anywhere and having it get shuffled underneath some papers or something.
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Mar 18, 2013 18:53
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Posting balances the pen so your upstrokes and downstrokes are equally functional. I used to hate it but now I can't live without it-- far more control than not posting. Some pens hate to be posted though. On the TWSBI, the cap is a bit too heavy but if you get a 5mm miniature socket you can take off the emblem and clip on the end and it makes the pen extremely balanced.
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Mar 18, 2013 18:58
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I used to post caps on all my pens, but over time it cracked the cap of my Pelikan M400, so I stopped doing it as I didn't want to risk breaking anything else or scratching up the ends of my pens. Now I don't post at all, I just hold the cap in my left hand so I can keep track of it. Most of my pens are pretty well balanced without posting, but that depends on the size of your hands to some extent, posting my TWSBI just makes it top heavy and too unwieldy for me. The only pen I do post is my M90, because as a pocket pen it's too short to use for any long period of time unposted, and is designed to securely post to the barrel anyways.
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Mar 18, 2013 19:13
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I usually post my pens unless they are specifically designed not to be posted, such as the TWSBI 540. Also, for a Blue-Black, I've settled on Sailor Jentle Blue-Black as my favorite. Nice flow and color.
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Mar 18, 2013 19:59
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I maintain that posting is the refuge of communists and heathens. Cap goes in the palm of your offhand when writing.
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Mar 18, 2013 20:22
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I have no cap and I must post. The real reason I post my caps (also, I just learned what "posting caps" meant as of today) as much as possible is because I wouldn't want to get the cap dirty from the oils of my palms.  I obviously have no choice with my Pilot Parallel, though, so I just stand it up on the desk when writing.This thread is so fascinating on a topic that I thought was completely mundane and unassuming. And now I'm going to get my first fountain pen in the mail soon. What's up with that?
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Mar 18, 2013 20:37
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Yoshi Jjang posted:I have no cap and I must post. I came into the last thread unassuming in a "Let's check this out..." kind of way. A few scant months later and my tax return came in and I found myself ordering a Pilot Metal Falcon for more than $200. You'll be one of us soon!
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Mar 18, 2013 20:53
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We lure you in unsuspecting, then leave you confused when you end up with $50 in ink for a pen you've not bought yet 
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Mar 18, 2013 20:55
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I think I came in to the old thread thinking it would be all about vintage pens and super crazy custom jobs because, "who the hell makes fountain pens anymore?" Also I thought you could potentially stab someone with one in a pinch, or at least squirt ink in their eyes, but I found out that movies had lied to me yet again. A few years later and I have several hundred dollars worth of pens and 5 bottles of ink and I have my eye on like half a dozen pens and three more inks. These threads are tricky like that, much like the Wet Shaving Thread, although that one is probably cheaper in the end.
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Mar 18, 2013 21:50
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This indirectly related to pens and ink, but I'm having fun with the tiny blacklight that came with Noodler's invisible ink.
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Mar 18, 2013 22:03
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Never trust anyone who posts. I like my pen to be nib-heavy, and most of the pens I have don't like to be posted anyway. I just keep the cap in my left hand or set it somewhere on my desk if I'm shuffling through a lot of papers at once. Yoshi Jjang posted:I have no cap and I must post. One day I just got the urge to check out fountain pens and there happened to be a thread on SA about it. Now I have 6 pens, 7 bottles of ink, and am always looking to expand my collection. 
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Mar 18, 2013 22:07
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cobalt impurity posted:One day I just got the urge to check out fountain pens and there happened to be a thread on SA about it. Now I have 6 pens, 7 bottles of ink, and am always looking to expand my collection. Well, as sexy as fountain pens are, what really drew me in and finally made a post/some purchases was the calligraphy talk. I guess fountain pens are to follow, but for now, I'm having a blast with my Pilot Parallel. Thanks again for that suggestion!
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Mar 18, 2013 22:12
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Brightman posted:These threads are tricky like that, much like the Wet Shaving Thread, although that one is probably cheaper in the end.  I'm such an attention seeking whore
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Mar 18, 2013 22:27
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Somewhat Heroic posted:That is the second best thread. I found it years ago and it changed me! Seriously, anyone not wet shaving needs to start. As for now, I find I can't use so many pens at a time so I find an interest in inks even more. My new pilot Kon-Peki has been so much fun to write with. We (wife and I) are building a home right now so I have plenty of opportunity to bust out my 540 and sign lots of stuff. Everyone has commented on it I do the same thing! Also, I gave all of my groomsmen 540s, so they could sign the witness paperwork as well. 
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Mar 18, 2013 22:55
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I came into this thread thinking the only fountain pen options were going to be $100+ beasts and that ink was going to be a few simple choices. Well. Next thing I'm trying out a $3 pen (not bad, still have it) and buying whole bottles of ink (soooo many choices) plus a $20 pen that has been great. And I'm sure I'll be caving in and buying more stuff in the future... In short, good thread. Five inky stars!
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Mar 18, 2013 23:07
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I first got really interested in fountain pens about 10 years ago, but didn't have the resources (access, funds, knowledge) to do more than pick up a couple of busted flea-market pens, a dip pen drawing set, and some sort of crappy thing that leaked and was semi-disposable. Running across the previous iteration of this thread rekindled that interest and all the links that have been posted have been really helpful. I'm still restricting myself to cheap pens at the moment but I've learned a little more about what I want and expect out of a pen with each one without making myself completely broke. I never imagined that I'd become a person who watched videos on youtube about pens though. 
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Mar 19, 2013 00:31
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Currently using a Lamy Safari with an F nib I picked up over the weekend with some dark green ink of some brand I don't remember in a converter, and then later tried out a Lamy Joy pen with a 1.5 italic/flat nib and fuuuuuuuck. I used to use one of those cheap cartridge based calligraphy sets a long time ago, and remember those as being scratchy and unreliable, and this thing is smooth and just glides across the page, it's ridiculous. They also had a Schaeffer calligraphy set with 3 nibs included, anybody know if those are any good? They seemed kinda eh, but they didn't have one out I could test with, so I'm thinking of getting the Joy in a 1.9 at some point unless I can find a cheap calligraphy pen otherwise. Oh yeah, speaking of expensive fountain pens, I saw a Montblanc commemorative Ghandi pen that was something along the lines of $30,000 USD. 30,000 bucks. For a Ghandi pen. Yup. nonedit: well looky here, they supposedly stopped selling it, but I can tell you for a fact I saw one in a Montblanc store in Taipei 101 about a month ago(and not the cheaper reissue one they made later and still sell now for 3K or so)
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Mar 19, 2013 09:41
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Does anyone know of any pens with similar aesthetic to the discontinued Rotring 600 fountain pen? I'm close to just grabbing one off ebay, but I figured I'd check and see if anyone knows of anything similar.
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Mar 20, 2013 00:28
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The.Big.Dirty.Emu posted:Does anyone know of any pens with similar aesthetic to the discontinued Rotring 600 fountain pen? I'm close to just grabbing one off ebay, but I figured I'd check and see if anyone knows of anything similar. Depending how close, the Rotring newton (also discontinued), the Parker Facet (more sides) which is also-also discontinued, and the Levenger L-Tech which is quite clone-ish. I'd be curious to hear about anything else else that looks similar. Fayk fucked around with this message at 01:16 on Mar 20, 2013 |
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Mar 20, 2013 01:10
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Just got back from a weekend in Iowa. Apparently, that is where the Shaeffer Pen factory was back in the day, because every second hand store and antique store is FULL of old fountain pens. I stopped into a place called Artifacts in Iowa City that had an impressive selection. If I would have had a larger budget, I would have bought an unused Waterman that was pretty fancy and a really neat old Mont Blanc desk set. They had a bunch of old cartridges and cases too. I had to stick with what I know and bought a Parker "21" pen and pencil set. $30, New old stock.  And here is a Lamy leather case that I picked up too.  So if any of you pen-heads find yourself in Iowa, check out the antique stores for Shaeffers galorem and dirt cheap prices on anything that isn't Shaeffer.
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Mar 20, 2013 01:31
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Are there any rules about selling pens in this thread? Or should I just post a thread in SA-mart?
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Mar 20, 2013 15:32
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I don't recall many pen sales going on in the thread besides the old thread's OP having a site for TWSBI pens and some other inks. Probably be best to post in SA-mart and put the link up in here. That way some other people might have a shot at it.
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Mar 20, 2013 16:07
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duckfarts posted:
The irony of using the name of a man who famously shunned material possessions to sell a vastly overpriced trinket. But isn't that the vast majority of Mont Blanc's catalogue these days?
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Mar 20, 2013 19:07
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Well I just ordered a glossy black Lamy Safari with fine nib from eBay. Look what you made me do, thread!
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Mar 20, 2013 20:55
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evobatman posted:Well I just ordered a glossy black Lamy Safari with fine nib from eBay. Look what you made me do, thread! Is it coming with a cartridge converter? Gonna need some pretty inks to write with...
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Mar 20, 2013 21:08
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Prathm posted:Are there any rules about selling pens in this thread? Or should I just post a thread in SA-mart? Yeah, make an SA mart thread but post the link in here too. We need our pen fix!
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Mar 20, 2013 21:34
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Anyone else have a Parker Urban? I've been thinking about that sexy thing far too much. What's it like to write with?
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Mar 21, 2013 00:12
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Site policy is all sales should be done in SA-Mart, but you can certainly link the thread in here.
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Mar 21, 2013 00:12
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Boo, the Hero pens I ordered from DealExtreme are still on backorder. Oh well. Will have to wait more until they arrive, and thus even longer before ordering the 10-pack from aliexpress. Is it wrong that I am getting addicted to these things? Also I need to find out more places where I can buy inks here, I know of two stores but they have only blues and blacks :/
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Mar 21, 2013 02:18
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My Diamond 580 with a 1.1 stub came today! It writes a ton wetter than my 540 with a 1.5, though that's probably the ink as much as the nib (Waterman Inspired Blue vs Noodler's El Lawrence). I also got the Vac 20 ink bottle, which I plan to use mostly for flushing my Vac 700 with.
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Mar 21, 2013 04:29
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Nice. I have almost every TWSBI model so I'm holding out on the 580 until they announce some colors. If they do it in green, I will have it!
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Mar 21, 2013 04:37
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| # ? May 10, 2024 00:40 |
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I really prefer waterproof inks; I have a proclivity for spilling stuff on my notebooks and whatnot (and paranoid about students trying to alter grades when they can), and I know how much not-waterproof inks can run. I spilled some stuff on a page that was in Lamy Blue, and it was all gone. I found this list from 2006 of waterproof (or resistant, at least) inks. Is this roughly complete? I'd like to know what colors I'd have available if I were to get only waterproof inks.
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Mar 21, 2013 06:37
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