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Great Horny Toads! posted:Okay, I need a reliable pen with a big ol' ink tank. My Safari does the job, but I have to refill a lot more often than I'd like. Suggestions? TWSBI Vac 700 can hold something like 2.2ml of ink, about four times what a Lamy converter holds.
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Apr 9, 2013 21:08
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HolySwissCheese posted:TWSBI Vac 700 can hold something like 2.2ml of ink, about four times what a Lamy converter holds. If not that, a TWSBI 580. Those hold 1.95mL. Join the cult. 
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Apr 9, 2013 21:49
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How long can a fountain pen go in disuse before the ink starts to go bad or stain or whatever?
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Apr 9, 2013 21:55
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You shouldn't really leave ink in a pen for more than a few weeks at a time if it's not being used. If left for too long it can corrode parts and gum up the feed and filling mechanism.
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Apr 9, 2013 22:04
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Yoshi Jjang posted:How long can a fountain pen go in disuse before the ink starts to go bad or stain or whatever? Depends on the pen and the ink. But yeah, "a few weeks" seems to be a good estimate.
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Apr 9, 2013 23:16
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Oh great, just as I asked this question, I just looked at my TWSBI 580 after only one week of not using it, and it's already got ink in places it shouldn't, like between the plastic casings in the cap and whatnot. Ugh, how do I clean this thing? For the record, I'm testing out Noodler's Apache Sunset. Maybe I shouldn't be traveling around with this thing so much? 
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Apr 9, 2013 23:42
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You can definitely knock some ink out of the nib if you drop it or something. I've never had problems with my Safari being in my backpack or my pocket but I haven't had it very long to be fair. It's surprising yours is pouring out that much though. Are you saying your pen is leaking just by sitting around?
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Apr 9, 2013 23:48
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JP Money posted:You can definitely knock some ink out of the nib if you drop it or something. I've never had problems with my Safari being in my backpack or my pocket but I haven't had it very long to be fair. It's surprising yours is pouring out that much though. Well, no, I've been traveling around with it. Mostly from work to home, and it's kept in a soft pouch in a tote bag. I'm sure it gets bumped around as much as any other thing in bags, but somehow ink got inside the casings where running water can't reach it. It's pretty distressing when I only had this pen for around two weeks. My Pilot Metropolitan, Parallel, and my Lamy Joy all seem to be fine, however, and they're all in the same tote bag.
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Apr 9, 2013 23:52
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The cap should be about the only place where ink could accumulate, unless you've disassembled and reassembled the pen improperly somehow. I don't have a 580 myself, but if the design of the cap is still more or less the same as before, then you can remove the inner cap for cleaning by shoving the eraser end of a regular pencil into it until the cap is firmly stuck to the eraser, then simply yanking it back out.
404notfound fucked around with this message at 23:55 on Apr 9, 2013 |
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Apr 9, 2013 23:53
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404notfound posted:The cap should be about the only place where ink could accumulate, unless you've disassembled and reassembled the pen improperly somehow. I don't have a 580 myself, but if the design of the cap is still more or less the same as before, then you can remove the inner cap for cleaning by shoving the eraser end of a regular pencil into it until the cap is firmly stuck to the eraser, then simply yanking it back out. I've never taken apart the 580 at all. I've only added ink by sucking it up through the nib, as it said in its minimalist instruction booklet. I had no idea this thing had an "inner cap", so I'll have to give that a try when I get home. Thanks. Update: Oh good, everything worked! I can now clean everything. I thought it was going to turn out more difficult than I thought. My 580 won't have to remain messy anymore! Update 2: Oh great, now I find that ink somehow leaked into the crevices in the cap that's between the metal band and the plastic. At least you can't see it from the outside, but inside the cap where the plastic twists, there's ink somehow lodged behind it. Now I'm really not sure how to handle this one, and I don't think TWSBI sells caps alone. Yoshi Jjang fucked around with this message at 01:13 on Apr 10, 2013 |
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Apr 9, 2013 23:59
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Well, poo poo. I've been eyeballing those TWSBI Vacs since they came out. Now, I have an excuse.
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Apr 10, 2013 04:12
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Yoshi Jjang posted:Update 2: Oh great, now I find that ink somehow leaked into the crevices in the cap that's between the metal band and the plastic. At least you can't see it from the outside, but inside the cap where the plastic twists, there's ink somehow lodged behind it. Now I'm really not sure how to handle this one, and I don't think TWSBI sells caps alone. Once the inner cap is removed, you should be able to use a hex driver (not included) to remove the nut that secures the metal end to the plastic and completely take apart the cap, unless the design has changed for the 580. More info here: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=314302175278570 But if you're not in a hurry to get it fixed, I'd suggest firing an email off to twsbiinc@gmail.com telling them about the problem. Despite the occasional QC issues with their pens (which they're always refining, as the 580's design fixes a few problems the 540 had), they've got stellar customer service, and it wouldn't surprise me if they just sent you a whole new cap outright.
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Apr 10, 2013 05:04
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Yoshi Jjang posted:Oh great, just as I asked this question, I just looked at my TWSBI 580 after only one week of not using it, and it's already got ink in places it shouldn't, like between the plastic casings in the cap and whatnot. Ugh, how do I clean this thing? For the record, I'm testing out Noodler's Apache Sunset. Would just leaving it in a glass of water overnight harm it? That's what I do when my caps are inky, although that is usually wet ink, not dried.
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Apr 10, 2013 05:09
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Zenostein posted:Would just leaving it in a glass of water overnight harm it? That's what I do when my caps are inky, although that is usually wet ink, not dried.
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Apr 10, 2013 05:15
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Zenostein posted:Would just leaving it in a glass of water overnight harm it? That's what I do when my caps are inky, although that is usually wet ink, not dried. Yeah, I'm doing this right now. If that isn't enough, I guess I'll have to take it apart. Ulp... However, I did send an email to TWSBI, so I'll first wait to hear what they say. Thanks for the help!
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Apr 10, 2013 05:49
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Leaving inky caps in water overnight won't do any harm at all and should help get rid of most of the ink in there. Even better is if you have an ultrasonic cleaner as that'll get all the ink out of the smallest gaps in the caps. In fact the only pens that won't mind being soaked are ones made out of casein, and no modern pen makers seem to use it anymore.
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Apr 10, 2013 11:46
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I took two flights yesterday with my TWSBI Mini. As an experiment, I filled it completely, using the TWSBI bottle, then turned the piston enough to get the last air out, then I put the cap on tightly. I don't think the cap is air tight but, just in case. The pen rode in my carry on bag the whole way. After arriving at my destination, I checked it carefully and... Not a single drop escaped. The pen wrote perfectly as well. So, it seems that if you can get the air out, fountain pens travel pretty well. I usually empty pens before flights but I did have one leak badly when I went to the top of Mauna Kea in Hawaii last year.
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Apr 10, 2013 17:51
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RustedChrome posted:I took two flights yesterday with my TWSBI Mini. As an experiment, I filled it completely, using the TWSBI bottle, then turned the piston enough to get the last air out, then I put the cap on tightly. I don't think the cap is air tight but, just in case. The pen rode in my carry on bag the whole way. After arriving at my destination, I checked it carefully and... Not a single drop escaped. The pen wrote perfectly as well. So, it seems that if you can get the air out, fountain pens travel pretty well. I usually empty pens before flights but I did have one leak badly when I went to the top of Mauna Kea in Hawaii last year. Don't the leaks ordinarily happen only when there's air in the piston/cartridge/converter? Anecdotally, I flew with a Parker 45, and I had a layover, so I wrote with it while killing time. Even after the 2d flight, it didn't leak. However, I believe the general wisdom is don't fly with a pen that has air in the filler. Also yeah, I figured I'd ask about leaving the cap in water just in case. Honestly, the only cap I wouldn't leave in water is the one pen I have with a wood body. Then again, I also don't use that pen very much. For whatever reason the feed mechanism doesn't work right. It did spend nearly 20 years with some ink in it, but the pen's been through numerous flushings, JB's Pen Flush, and an ultrasonic, and it still won't work right. Also it may not actually be a Diplomat as it claims, based on some stray thread I found on FPN. While that would explain the weirdly fine line from a medium nib (it's like half the width of the F in my Safari), that doesn't quite help figure out what the hell is wrong with it. What's doubly weird about that is that a few years ago I contacted Diplomat USA, and they managed to track down some old style Diplomat converters which fit perfectly (for some reason I guess Cold War Diplomats don't use Int'l Std. converters, unlike the newer ones).
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Apr 11, 2013 04:38
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Zenostein posted:Don't the leaks ordinarily happen only when there's air in the piston/cartridge/converter? Anecdotally, I flew with a Parker 45, and I had a layover, so I wrote with it while killing time. Even after the 2d flight, it didn't leak. However, I believe the general wisdom is don't fly with a pen that has air in the filler. It's the latter. If you take a cold piston filler that's a third full of ink and start writing with it, the expanding air from your hand will force ink out of the pen. Keep the air out, and you're cool.
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Apr 11, 2013 06:04
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I am planning on picking up a Lamy Safari and I was wondering what your recommendation for a left handed ink would be? From my small amount of research I've heard Heart of darkness is pretty fast drying? Thanks for the help!
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Apr 11, 2013 06:30
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You can get a left-handed nib for Safari, too. 
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Apr 11, 2013 06:40
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After many, many solid years of service, my Lamy 2000 - alternately dropped into lakes and lost on park benches the world over; dipped accidentally into the waters of the Iguazu Falls; having written countless letters and notes and tales of heartbreak, because I used to be an investigative journalist; written everything that I cared to write and more - my beloved pen has finally sprung a massive leak and gone where pens go when they die. I shouldn't be feeling sadness over a physical object, but I really am genuinely sad that it's met its demise.
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Apr 15, 2013 14:19
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No chance of repair? I sent my Lamy 2000 to Germany after it fell on its nib, came back writing better than when I bought it. They've got some superb staff there.
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Apr 15, 2013 15:49
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Yeah, you don't throw a Lamy 2000 away when it breaks, especially one with sentimental value. Hell, they still manufacture 'em, so they have bins full of all-new parts for it. Even if every single part needs replacement, the worst you'll have to worry about is the ship of Theseus problem.
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Apr 16, 2013 06:26
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404notfound posted:But if you're not in a hurry to get it fixed, I'd suggest firing an email off to twsbiinc@gmail.com telling them about the problem. Despite the occasional QC issues with their pens (which they're always refining, as the 580's design fixes a few problems the 540 had), they've got stellar customer service, and it wouldn't surprise me if they just sent you a whole new cap outright. Well, you're right! I asked if they were selling spare caps, and they insisted they send me a new cap. Hot drat, TWSBI is awesome! I feel like I'm going to eventually buy the Vac 700 just because now! As for my old cap, looks like the ink is stuck there quite permanently, unless I can find a way to remove the bottom metal band from the plastic. No amount of soaking in ammonia is going to get to it.
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Apr 16, 2013 08:03
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TWSBI really have the best customer service of any company I've ever dealt with, you can tell they're trying to get a really good reputation around their brand! Does anyone have any experience with stylographs? I bought a 92 year old Onoto Ink Pencil the other day and got it this morning. It's in excellent condition, but is missing its clip and it looks like the seals inside will need replacing, but that should be an interesting project for this week. It's a gorgeous pen, the ink window in the barrel has a lattice pattern on the inside which I've never seen on a pen before.
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Apr 16, 2013 09:14
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http://www.lamyusa.com/warrantyinfo.php I'm going to send my 2000 in too, I dropped it nib down and though it's kind of pushed back into the place it's writing badly.
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Apr 16, 2013 18:38
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Just a little comparison shot of my new pens and some various inks. (Click to embiggen, or go here for megahuge) The TWSBI is undoubtedly the best writer of the group, especially in cursive. I don't really like writing in print with it, though. Something about the angle of the nib, maybe? It's also the best constructed pen, and undeniably beautiful. The Hero 360 lays down a very wet line, but sometimes takes a millimeter or two before it starts writing, oddly. The "write from any angle" and "press down if you like" features make it quite useful for writing on a clipboard, or in a notebook while standing. It feels a lot less cheap than I would expect of a $10 pen. The Noodler Nib Creaper is a nice-writing rollerball, with an immense ink reservoir. It's perfect for any situation where you'd normally be stuck using a ballpen. I do a lot of notetaking while standing, so I've used this pen a ton. The pen itself feels quite cheap, though, and I've already had the cap dismantle itself in my bag three times in two weeks. I'm probably going to add a dab of glue to keep it together. The Lamy Safari is a workhorse. The thing feels indestructible, though not nearly as high-end as the TWSBI. Though the TWSBI undeniably writes better, I prefer how the Safari makes my handwriting look -- an odd statement, I know, but it's my opinon. My only real qualm with the Safari is that the ink reservoir could be larger. As for the inks, I like them all quite a bit. I was hoping the 54th Massachusetts would be a touch darker when I bought it, so I might experiment with adding a little Heart of Darkness to it.
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Apr 17, 2013 22:35
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jomiel posted:http://www.lamyusa.com/warrantyinfo.php Unfortunately, I'm in Japan now and not the US any longer. Today I went down to Nagoya to find out how much it would cost to repair the pen and discovered that for the cost the Japanese distributor charges for repair, I could buy a brand-new 2000 from the States and have it shipped here. Now I'm wondering if I can write to Lamy Germany and try to send it in to them, or if they'll just tell me to deal with the local distributor/repair company.
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Apr 18, 2013 12:31
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Kessel posted:Now I'm wondering if I can write to Lamy Germany and try to send it in to them, or if they'll just tell me to deal with the local distributor/repair company. Wouldn't hurt to try. It's hosed-up how expensive to repair it is over there though.
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Apr 18, 2013 12:51
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Kessel posted:Now I'm wondering if I can write to Lamy Germany and try to send it in to them, or if they'll just tell me to deal with the local distributor/repair company. I just sent mine straight to Germany because the Australian distributors were a pain to deal with. I included a nicely worded letter explaining how it broke and how much I'd enjoyed using it, and included contact details for billing and such. They were nice enough to repair it for free! Total cost of repair: $25 AUD for international postage. Mine was less than 2 years old and didn't need replacement parts though, but from what I hear the repair rates from Lamy itself are better than the distributors in some cases. Welsper fucked around with this message at 14:54 on Apr 18, 2013 |
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Apr 18, 2013 14:50
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Any advice on fountain pen friendly legal pads? My work changed supplies, and now they are basically sponges. I can see a puddle of ink pooling out of my pen.
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Apr 18, 2013 23:56
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So I bought some Heart of Darkness because I'm curious what the whole raving over it was all about. Is it me, or does the Platinum Preppy that came with it write so much better than all my other fountain pens? 
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Apr 19, 2013 00:12
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Yoshi Jjang posted:So I bought some Heart of Darkness because I'm curious what the whole raving over it was all about. No, it's not you. The Platinum Preppy that comes free with HoD is a ridiculously good writer, super smooth. I think it's about as good as, if not better than, my Pilot Vanishing Point, and that cost a hundred bucks. Actually the Metro might be in line with the Preppy as well, but I haven't compared those two yet.
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Apr 19, 2013 14:53
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Brightman posted:No, it's not you. The Platinum Preppy that comes free with HoD is a ridiculously good writer, super smooth. I think it's about as good as, if not better than, my Pilot Vanishing Point, and that cost a hundred bucks. Actually the Metro might be in line with the Preppy as well, but I haven't compared those two yet. I don't know if it's my pen specifically, but the Metropolitan sucks compared to the Preppy. It's a shame, because that was my very first fountain pen after having been sucked in by this thread. But yes, I'll go so far as to say that the Preppy writes better than my 580 Diamond. Jesus... just when I was absolutely smitten by TWSBI, too.
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Apr 19, 2013 14:58
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On the other hand the TWSBI should have a much better build quality overall than the Preppy. My Preppy's cap cracked because I had been posting it randomly while writing checks when sitting on the couch. Also the Preppy seems more prone to leaking in the cap. Might also be worth noting that fountain pens sorta have a breaking in phase and the 580 will get more used to the way you write. Sometimes I notice a decent difference in this area, but I haven't with the Preppy as much. Apparently this can be so pronounced with certain pens and people that only the owner can effectively write with them.
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Apr 19, 2013 16:05
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Yeah, definitely. When I first opened the Heart of Darkness box, I was like, "Heh, look at this pent. It looks like absolute crap. No wonder it's free."  I thought it was missing parts and I had no idea how one would fill it with ink. I didn't know it was converted to an eyedropper pen, and I didn't know that was even a thing.Still, I was pleasantly surprised by how well it does right out of the box. More than pleasantly, really. And they're so bloody cheap! I'll have to buy more Preppy pens just because now! (Hey, where have I said that before?)
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Apr 19, 2013 16:28
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I got my new Parker pen a while ago and kinda regret it. It was brand new and yet has been skipping for me from day one, through two different converters and multiple inks. It usually consistently skips with the first or second downstroke, but after that seems OK except for occasional skipping at the top left of loops. It's also scratchy when writing and considering that my 4 times cheaper pen writes better I'm pretty disappointed. From looking up on the internet the nib may be improperly polished or the tines misaligned. Is there any way to tell a difference between the two without having to buy a jewellers wee magnifying thing? If it needs to be polished with micromesh, what kind of store would sell something like that?
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Apr 20, 2013 00:23
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Xachariah posted:I got my new Parker pen a while ago and kinda regret it. It was brand new and yet has been skipping for me from day one, through two different converters and multiple inks. What make of Parker? I have a Parker Urban and it's the best pen for me. I'm using Parker ink though. Have you tried rinsing yours out with ammonia solution? Perhaps the reason it's skipping is grease on the nib somewhere. I also have a Lamy Safari (using the ink that came with it) and I've found it's not as quick as the Parker. I mean it doesn't write as fast, I have to keep stopping otherwise the nib runs out of ink.
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Apr 22, 2013 16:37
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So I went to the Northern Pen Show yesterday. It was the first pen show I've been too and it was a great experience. It's the largest UK pen show but is small compared to some of the ones in the US like Atlanta and Chicago shows. The number of pens there though was staggering, some of the dealers had literally hundreds of new and vintage pens for sale. Every type and manufacturer was represented, from the lowliest off-brand pen from the 40s, up to a load of limited editions. Favourites include a vintage Barclays sterling silver pen, a load of MB 146 Solitaires including a solid gold one, a MB Pope Julius II, and a couple of Visconti Salvador Dalis. I was never a fan of the Italian pen manufacturers until yesterday, when I got to try out pens from Visconti, Omas, and Aurora, including some top-of-the-line pens from each manufacturer. I'm glad I didn't have much money with me or I'd be broke right now. I had my eye on a limited edition blue demonstrator Omas 360 which is one of the most comfortable pens I've ever written with, and a Visconti Master Opera Crystal with blue flecks which was dirt cheap and I'm kinda regretting not buying. However I did walk away with a pen I never knew existed, let alone I wanted. An Aurora Hastil. It was the first writing instrument to be exhibited in the MOMA New York, and is really elegantly simple. I got the one with 14k nib and ecosteel diamond thingy body. I think it may have replaced my M90 as my favourite pen. As a side note, I'd be up for writing some reviews of some pens, and if anyone else might want to do it we could have links to them in the OP for quick reference? Not sure if anyone is up for that, but it might be a good idea.
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Apr 22, 2013 21:28
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