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Even when not using bulletproof inks, it's good to give your pen a thorough cleaning every so often. Dust and paper fibers scrapped off by the process of writing can get clogged in even the best nibs.
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Jul 6, 2013 20:20
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| # ? May 10, 2024 00:12 |
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Xovaan posted:Meant to say ammonia. Oops. Sorry early morning delirium etc That's cool, I was afraid we were all going to end up yelling at you for fountain pen abuse. :p
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Jul 6, 2013 20:21
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Two pens to show, if you're interested. On the advice of the OP, I bought myself a Lamy Safari.  At the moment, I'm using some cartridges, brown ones, and have some blue-black on the shelf, too. I'm really liking it - it's light, and writes well. Medium nib, which would not have been my first choice, but it makes a nice change from my other broads. (Heh - broads.  )The others is a green plastic junk-show Parker that I've had around the house for years, but have only just got around to putting some Quink in to it. It's scratchy, and feels like I'm writing with a goose-quill, but it cost 50p, so I'm OK with that!  There's a lot of flex in the nib, and if I press hard, it gives a very broad line, something close to an italic!   So, thanks, thread - that's about four new pens in the past month. At least they're cheaper than watches!
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Jul 6, 2013 20:27
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Teach posted:
Hey cool that looks like a Parker Slimfold? I've got a red one and it's got one of the smoothest nibs of all my pens. Pretty fine, nice and springy and not too wet. It's a shame yours doesn't write too well as they're great little pens that can take a beating.
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Jul 6, 2013 21:03
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Teach posted:Two pens to show, if you're interested. On the advice of the OP, I bought myself a Lamy Safari. Oh what's up, I picked up a Safari just like that a few weeks ago. I picked up a bottle of Diamine Ancient Copper to go with it, so mine's doing kinda brownish too. Looks pretty cool.
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Jul 6, 2013 21:08
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Teach posted:The others is a green plastic junk-show Parker that I've had around the house for years, but have only just got around to putting some Quink in to it. It's scratchy, and feels like I'm writing with a goose-quill, but it cost 50p, so I'm OK with that! ! That's a UK Parker Slimfold (probably Newhaven?) and they're great pens, though not popular these days because everyone wants GIANT HUGE PENS FOR MANLY GRIPS. Find a good nib-tuner to get it sorted for your hand and you'll have a great pen that just won't quit. John Sorowka sorted out mine - a 7-year-old me mangled the nib - and it's a great oblique semi-flex. P.S. Take me to your junk shows.
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Jul 6, 2013 21:18
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My order from goulet arrived today and I haven't even tried the new ink or notepad yet, I've just been testing samples with the glass dip pen that came with the R&K writing set. It's got the coolest goddamn nib I've seen on a pen. The thing is a teardrop shape with spiral grooves that collect and hold ink. It holds enough per dip to write a paragraph, and coloured inks tint the glass so it picks up an amazing sheen. I almost want to let some ink dry on it. Crappy cellphone shot: 
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Jul 8, 2013 13:33
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ChickenOfTomorrow posted:! I got one for a couple quid off ebay, and despite the nib being bent down about 45 degrees, it's one of the smoothest pens I own. Definitely recommended.
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Jul 8, 2013 17:44
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Which TWSBI is considered to be the best: the Vac 700 or the Diamond 580? I'm looking for a stub italic nib with the largest possible ink reservoir.
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Jul 8, 2013 18:06
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kim jong-illin posted:Which TWSBI is considered to be the best: the Vac 700 or the Diamond 580? I'm looking for a stub italic nib with the largest possible ink reservoir. I believe that the ink reservoir is slightly larger in the Vac 700, but as to which pen is the best, that's a hard call. The 580 is an amazing value, but the 700 is a larger pen with a larger nib, more solidly built but $30ish more. Does this help at all?
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Jul 8, 2013 18:25
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It's helpful, thanks. I like my stub italic nibs to be 1.1mm and there's a few comments on the internet that the Diamond 580's 1.1mm is actually more like 1.4mm, which is discouraging. Is the smoothness of the nib and ergonomic comfort the same between the two?
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Jul 8, 2013 18:47
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kim jong-illin posted:It's helpful, thanks. Both nibs should be fine, but the ergonomic comfort is going to depend on the size of your hand. The 580 is a medium sized pen while the 700 is noticeably larger. What other pens do you own, and tend to use more frequently than others?
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Jul 8, 2013 19:22
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Lamy Safaris are my main pens and the size/ergonomics are absolutely spot-on for my hand size/writing style. I write something along the lines of 20-30 sides of A4 every day and they're perfect for that. The TWSBI needs to fit into that role so comfort and ink capacity are the main priorities. I have a Lamy 2000 which is too heavy for my liking (and is being returned for store credit, hence the TWSBI purchase), and a Caran d'Ache Ecridor Chevron, which is ergonomically fine but the palladium coating makes it uncomfortable for prolonged writing so it's my brief letter-writing pen only.
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Jul 8, 2013 19:42
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kim jong-illin posted:Lamy Safaris are my main pens and the size/ergonomics are absolutely spot-on for my hand size/writing style. I write something along the lines of 20-30 sides of A4 every day and they're perfect for that. The TWSBI needs to fit into that role so comfort and ink capacity are the main priorities. Get the Vac 700 then. The Lamy Safari irrationally annoys the heck out of me because it's such a large pen and yet they still make you use a converter. You can't even convert it to an eyedropper because of the window cut out! I just chalk it up the strong opinion to pen collectors being oddly particular about their pens. Anyway...  The colors on the Vac 700 are really brilliant (I have a blue one myself) but man does the clear one look great. They also take the Goulet Pens nibs if you want an inexpensive (but wet! take the western size they list and go finer by one size) two-tone nib.
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Jul 8, 2013 20:11
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Brilliant, thanks ever so much for the rapid and detailed advice! e: is this the Goulet nib you're recommending? Does it slot straight into the Vac 700 or do you need tools to insert it? kim jong-illin fucked around with this message at 20:24 on Jul 8, 2013 |
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Jul 8, 2013 20:21
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kim jong-illin posted:Brilliant, thanks ever so much for the rapid and detailed advice! NP, you just caught a TWSBI fan boy bored at work. Let us know what you think when you receive the pen!
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Jul 8, 2013 20:29
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I can't say enough good things about the Vac 700. I have the smoky grey one and am pleased as hell. Never had anything so easy and fun to fill either, shame I'd only need to do it like twice a year.
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Jul 8, 2013 20:41
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drat this thread for making me want a TWSBI Diamond 580. I don't really need another pen, but it's just so pretty... I live in Melbourne, though, and the cost of shipping to Australia is ridiculous from pretty much anywhere. Are there any Aussies here who know if there is a retailer in Australia that stocks these pens to cut down on the cost?
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Jul 9, 2013 03:49
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Freckles posted:drat this thread for making me want a TWSBI Diamond 580. I don't really need another pen, but it's just so pretty... Best prices for Australia are direct from TWSBI, or Malaysian / Japanese retailers for other brands.
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Jul 9, 2013 04:36
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Welsper posted:Best prices for Australia are direct from TWSBI, or Malaysian / Japanese retailers for other brands. Yeah, I thought that might be the case. Guess I'll have to wait a bit longer.
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Jul 9, 2013 05:20
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Carved out the nib on my Ahab with a Dremel as per that fpn thread. I love the extra flex, but I could use some tips on helping the ink flow - I've heard things like cutting fins, but I don't understand just what to do our how it makes a difference. Any insight someone could provide on that note would be awesome! e: FPN link SnakesRevenge fucked around with this message at 07:30 on Jul 9, 2013 |
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Jul 9, 2013 07:25
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Pull out the nib and feed. See the channel that runs lengthwise down the top of the feed? Run a Stanley knife or razor blade down it gently a few times to deepen the channel. Wash out thoroughly to get rid of any dust/bits you may have made, re-assemble and test. In very simplified terms, a deeper channel means more ink flow. Go too far, though, and you'll get a permanently dribbling pen. If that doesn't get you enough flow there are other feed mods you can do with the same equipment, but just deepening the channel was enough for my last Ahab.
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Jul 9, 2013 08:45
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That stone pen kickstarter guy put out two updates recently and apparently he's just cranking out pens now. This might be the first thing I backed that I actually got on time...well a lot of the video games still have a shot I guess. Also I'm now fairly tempted to get one of those Goulet italic nibs for my Vac 700, but I think I'll wait until we get some first hand impressions in here.
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Jul 9, 2013 14:50
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Brightman posted:That stone pen kickstarter guy put out two updates recently and apparently he's just cranking out pens now. This might be the first thing I backed that I actually got on time...well a lot of the video games still have a shot I guess. I have a Goulet two tone nib in Fine for my Sapphire Vac 700, and it's sexy as all hell. Just note that they are incredibly wet, say western size+1, but they fit perfectly. But man does the gold look great with the blue!
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Jul 9, 2013 17:09
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Solkanar512 posted:I have a Goulet two tone nib in Fine for my Sapphire Vac 700, and it's sexy as all hell. Just note that they are incredibly wet, say western size+1, but they fit perfectly. But man does the gold look great with the blue! Yeah, you said it was having nib creep happen from the base though. Did that stop or was it just that one ink or something? Also I'm really just interested in grabbing an italic, so I sorta want to see if those check out as well.
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Jul 9, 2013 17:35
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Solkanar512 posted:I have a Goulet two tone nib in Fine for my Sapphire Vac 700, and it's sexy as all hell. Just note that they are incredibly wet, say western size+1, but they fit perfectly. But man does the gold look great with the blue! Does it just slide in or is putting the new nib on more involved than that? Posting the Lamy 2000 off tomorrow for the store credit, should be getting my Vac 700 (in clear, natch) in a couple of week's time.
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Jul 9, 2013 17:38
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Brightman posted:Yeah, you said it was having nib creep happen from the base though. Did that stop or was it just that one ink or something? Also I'm really just interested in grabbing an italic, so I sorta want to see if those check out as well. I found that not having the stop open all the time got rid of the nib creep at the base. kim jong-illin posted:Does it just slide in or is putting the new nib on more involved than that? The nib and feed are friction fit, so just wrap a paper towel and pull firmly, and pull straight out. Then replace the nibs, loosely fit the feed and nib back in, spinning it around until it feels like it fits and push firmly. Done in under a minute.
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Jul 9, 2013 20:09
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Solkanar512 posted:I found that not having the stop open all the time got rid of the nib creep at the base. Oh, well yeah you're not supposed to leave the stop open unless you're writing a lot. I usually just write until it dries up, open the stop and give it a quick downward shake, and then close it back up when I'm done writing. So far this hasn't caused any problems. When switching out the nib like that can you just wait for it to dry out when the stopper is closed? I still haven't switched out the stock nib with the Jowo they had taped to the side.
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Jul 9, 2013 20:46
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Brightman posted:When switching out the nib like that can you just wait for it to dry out when the stopper is closed? I still haven't switched out the stock nib with the Jowo they had taped to the side. I don't see why not, but I imagine that the feed will still have a good bit of ink in it.
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Jul 9, 2013 22:12
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Just joined up, pretty much for this thread (and a friend nagging me to join for years now), which is a dangerous place. I have mostly been using crappy Manuscript calligraphy pens from Michael's (scratchy and skippy), but also have a LAMY Al-Star, in aluminum (fine nib, and I love this pen), and the HOD preppy. My real money dropper is inks. I kinda fell in love with noodler's from afar, and once I got pens, I got 8 noodler's inks to go with them, including 1 of each primary and secondary color, plus Bulletproof Black and HOD. I also ordered a bunch of samples from goulet (a few scented, and a handfull of random stuff, and I've got more on the way). Basically though, a lot of my time recently, has been mixing inks. at this point, I probably have 20-30 different shades of various colors in little 10 ml amounts (which I've mostly been using with a dip pen, because cleaning fountain/calligraphy pens takes too long.) Which brings me to my actual question. I've been thinking about getting a glass dip pen or better dip nibs (right now, I have some mitchell roundhands, but they rust so much that I spend a lot of time de-rusting them). For glass, I don't mind grinding it, I've got all the high (600) grit wet/dry I could want and a few grades of whetstones (for my sword hobby). Basically, I'm just wondering what all you other ink nerds use when you want to write with 10 different colors in one sitting. P.S. Ink suggestions welcome as well, I'd love to post pictures of the colors, but I can't get them to come out well on camera, so the best you'd get is a broad idea (I think the sample swatches on the noodler's site, and on goulet are a bit off from in person.)
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Jul 11, 2013 21:25
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Gillott dip nibs are apparently pretty fun and solid choices for all kinds of writing. Having not owned one, I cannot comment any further than this, unfortunately.
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Jul 11, 2013 22:06
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Xovaan, thanks, I'll look into those. Edit: Mostly I've been using italic nibs (from here http://www.quietfiredesign.com/byhandproductscalligraphynibs.html). They have one gillott nib, but it's a flex (I'm not good with flex yet). Do you know if there's gillott italics? xilixliadon fucked around with this message at 14:50 on Jul 12, 2013 |
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Jul 11, 2013 22:13
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I like the brause pfannenfeder dip nib. I bought mine at goulet but I don't see it on their website anymore. I did find one for sale here. http://www.shopwritersbloc.com/brause-calligraphy-nibs--pfannen.html but I've never heard of this place
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Jul 11, 2013 23:34
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Just realized I can convert my manuscript pens to eyedropper, the converters it came with didn't allow good airflow, and I had to mess with it to get it to put ink out after a paragraph or after a day of nonuse, with the conversion, the converter is not an issue, and they write much smoother. Now to round the edges of the nibs so I don't tear up my paper.
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Jul 12, 2013 21:01
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When I used to mix inks for fun I had a lot of success with Iroshizuku inks, mostly because they tend to be a pretty complex mix of dyes. If you have any Iroshizuku ink with you now, I recommend you try out some basic paper chromatography on it! You'll see a lot of weird stuff, like reds appearing in your blue-blacks and so on.
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Jul 12, 2013 22:01
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I wish I had them, but I don't, though some of the inks I've mixed with the noodler's do paper chromatography (only option I have without a lab) very nicely. Mixed baystate blue with bulletproof black for some very interesting results. The blue runs much, much further than the black.
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Jul 12, 2013 23:28
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xilixliadon posted:Mixed baystate blue with bulletproof black for some very interesting results. The blue runs much, much further than the black. Ah, the one family of Noodler's inks that Nathan specifically warns against mixing with others. You rebel. 
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Jul 13, 2013 00:19
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It did get a little weird (and I'm not using it in my fountain pens, just dip and brush). the baystate blue gets a little weird and goopy when mixed with others. I assume you mean the blue, and not the bulletproofs, cause it's the only color that i've found making something bad happen.
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Jul 13, 2013 02:48
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Well, I never thought it would happen to me, but thanks to you jerks I just went to a pen store and spent twenty American Dollars on one measly pen. That same money could buy two hundred pens. I just gone one. An "entry level" or "beginners" model, at that - not even a good one. Also now I have to concern myself with paper quality, lest my 20 dollar pen not perform as well as a pen that costs a dime. Also, once the supplied ink runs out, I have to determine whether or not my bottle of "India ink for fountain pens" is actually India ink or suitable for fountain pens. Also, care, maintenance, and million other details and concerns. So thanks, dicks. It's all your fault  (It's a Pilot Metropolitan, I know I overpaid a little but I liked it better than the Lamy Safari I tried, and I love it.)
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Jul 13, 2013 03:46
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| # ? May 10, 2024 00:12 |
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Stalizard posted:Well, I never thought it would happen to me, but thanks to you jerks I just went to a pen store and spent twenty American Dollars on one measly pen. That same money could buy two hundred pens. I just gone one. An "entry level" or "beginners" model, at that - not even a good one. You're welcome, buddy.  The India ink labelled "for fountain pens" is a water-based pigmented ink that uses the same pigments in legit India ink. It's suitable, but there are so many inks out there that unless you absolutely have to buy ink from that shop and they don't sell better ones, I'd recommend looking around the internet. There are some amazing inks with varying properties, some you might like better than others! Frankly it's the best part about fountain pen use. e: If you're going to still use the India Ink for fountain pens, you'll need to flush out your pen more often to prevent pigment sediment from building up in the feed and causing problems. I'd recommend every other time you have to refill, do a deep flush with clean water and maybe a little ammonia or dish soap added in.
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Jul 13, 2013 03:52
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