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My Christmas present to myself arrived yesterday!  I own a resin Namiki Falcon with a SM nib, and after trying one out at a Pen Posse and taking a month to consider, decided to buy one of John Mottishaw's Spencerian modified Falcon nibs. Here's a writing comparison between the Soft Medium and the Spencerian Modified nibs, written with the same pen body, ink, paper and hand. The Spencerian Mod is done by grinding down an SF nib to XXF then adding more flex and tighter snap-back. You can see the variation between the thin and thick strokes is larger, plus the switch from thin to thick, or back from thick to thin, is much faster. 
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Jan 5, 2014 01:43
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kim jong-illin posted:What Pelikan model is this? It's an M600. Slightly shorter than a TWSBI 540.
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Jan 5, 2014 01:55
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ChickenOfTomorrow posted:Noodler's Purple Heart is a good dusty purple Yup, it's absolutely beautiful.
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Jan 5, 2014 02:21
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I keep a Metropolitan around for work purposes, and HoD is absolutely leaky as all hell on it. It's to the point where I've swapped back to Quink because I'm tired of getting permablack everything. Have people found this to be the case with HoD? I think I'm just going to keep my Safari inked with HoD because it doesn't leak any. Also I got my girlfriend the purple Metro with some Diamine Majestic Purple (and a journal) for Christmas, and she's absolutely loving it. 
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Jan 5, 2014 03:16
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My Lamy Al-Star (ocean blue) and some new ink bottles showed up last night. Quite liking the Lamy, though as far as less expensive pens go, I dig my Metro more. They feel like they serve two different kinds of writers though, and I can see why someone would prefer either. (And I feel like I wouldn't be able to break the Lamy if I tried.) What I'm loving on both is the smaller nibs—on my Pelikan, I've got a larger italic nib, and while I adore the whole shebang it's ultimately more comfortable to write with the finer nibs, since I print most of what I write. Diamine Twilight is my new favorite ink; highly recommend it. Also have a bottle of Matador, which is a nice, bright red. I also got one of those single-pen leather cases from Leatherology, and while I wouldn't really expect it to actually protect a pen, it's a nice way to carry one around. Also, Chicken, your handwriting is lovely.
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Jan 5, 2014 03:56
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Audax posted:I keep a Metropolitan around for work purposes, and HoD is absolutely leaky as all hell on it. It's to the point where I've swapped back to Quink because I'm tired of getting permablack everything. Have people found this to be the case with HoD? I think I'm just going to keep my Safari inked with HoD because it doesn't leak any. Metro is my workhorse pen, and I keep HoD in it. Never had this problem. Definitely writes on the wetter side, but not leaky.
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Jan 5, 2014 04:14
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asylum years posted:Also, Chicken, your handwriting is lovely. Thankyou! It's a somewhat-modified ladies roundhand/Spencerian. I haven't had chance to practice it in a while, so it's gone downhill. I guess one of my new year resolutions could be to practice more.
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Jan 5, 2014 05:17
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I'm going to ask a pretty dumb question but I like pens. My Dad used to buy expensive pens that I would then steal. I ran into some issues with the fountain pens leaking into my pockets. Now, I always carry a pen with me in my pants pocket and am interested in changing out for a fountain pen but I'm afraid of ruining my pants, popping the cap off, or just generally breaking the pen. Are there any shorter fountain pens? Currently I use the  because it is super small but expands into a larger size when writing. I assume there is nothing similar with a fountain pen, but something a bit smaller than a normal size that won't ruin my pants?Thanks for any input
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Jan 5, 2014 06:33
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Tooter posted:I'm going to ask a pretty dumb question but I like pens. My Dad used to buy expensive pens that I would then steal. I ran into some issues with the fountain pens leaking into my pockets. Now, I always carry a pen with me in my pants pocket and am interested in changing out for a fountain pen but I'm afraid of ruining my pants, popping the cap off, or just generally breaking the pen. Are there any shorter fountain pens? Currently I use the How about a TWSBI Mini? It's smaller, will fit in your pocket, and has a screw on top. I love mine and use it (and a pilot metro at work everyday).
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Jan 5, 2014 06:39
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powderific posted:Looking for some new ink to put in my Lamy 2000 with EF nib. The noodler and private reserve inks I've used write too wet from the Lamy so I'm trying to find a different manufacturer. I have some Waterman blue that writes well, but it's not a very pretty color. A dusty purple would be nice, or maybe some interesting shade of green. J. Herbin's inks generally run dry for me; and Poussiere de Lune is one of my favorites:  Thanks to the rubbish lighting, the further right on that image you get, the closer you are to what it usually looks like for me. Solkanar512 posted:Look what came in the mail yesterday! I usually post my pelikan, and the only wear on the body from the cap is over the section from screwing/unscrewing it. Posting hasn't done the pen any harm.
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Jan 5, 2014 06:49
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wodan22 posted:How about a TWSBI Mini? It's smaller, will fit in your pocket, and has a screw on top. I love mine and use it (and a pilot metro at work everyday). Ooh, those look nice. I will look into them. Thanks a ton! Now to work on my penmanship.
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Jan 5, 2014 06:53
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Audax posted:I keep a Metropolitan around for work purposes, and HoD is absolutely leaky as all hell on it. It's to the point where I've swapped back to Quink because I'm tired of getting permablack everything. Have people found this to be the case with HoD? I think I'm just going to keep my Safari inked with HoD because it doesn't leak any. At the most, the pens I use HoD in see a little nib creep. I haven't used it in my Metro, but mine's always filled with PR Black Magic Blue and it definitely has some minor leaking problems.
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Jan 5, 2014 06:56
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Okay, so I have had an eventful week. Moved last weekend, no computer yet, and did not get my pen until Monday. Now that I have settled in all I have to say is... drat; why did I not know sooner? This pen is amazing, a life changing experience, I would choose this pen over my firstborn if I had to. The elegant rich design and color are exquisite, the SEF nib is just my style and the CON-70 converter suits my work style well. 
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Jan 5, 2014 06:57
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Tooter posted:I'm going to ask a pretty dumb question but I like pens. My Dad used to buy expensive pens that I would then steal. I ran into some issues with the fountain pens leaking into my pockets. Now, I always carry a pen with me in my pants pocket and am interested in changing out for a fountain pen but I'm afraid of ruining my pants, popping the cap off, or just generally breaking the pen. Are there any shorter fountain pens? Currently I use the Another small pen that might suit your tastes is the Kaweco Sport. It's really small when closed, made of sturdy plastic, and the cap screws on so there's no chance of it popping off in your pocket. It can also be converted to an eyedropper filler if you write a lot or don't want to refill it often. Audax posted:I keep a Metropolitan around for work purposes, and HoD is absolutely leaky as all hell on it. It's to the point where I've swapped back to Quink because I'm tired of getting permablack everything. Have people found this to be the case with HoD? I think I'm just going to keep my Safari inked with HoD because it doesn't leak any. I use HoD in a metro and I've never had a problem. I will however, say that it is creepy as hell and your nib will always be half black. this is a problem with all the Noodler's inks I've used, so I think it's just his formula. 
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Jan 5, 2014 12:31
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Tooter posted:I'm going to ask a pretty dumb question but I like pens. My Dad used to buy expensive pens that I would then steal. I ran into some issues with the fountain pens leaking into my pockets. Now, I always carry a pen with me in my pants pocket and am interested in changing out for a fountain pen but I'm afraid of ruining my pants, popping the cap off, or just generally breaking the pen. Are there any shorter fountain pens? Currently I use the Ohto Tasche. It takes international cartridges. Mine was quite nice but apparently the nibs can be hit or miss. Just got myself a new pen: the waterman carene. Been eyeing it for a long time, but finally got up off my rear end to get it. A red carene with a fine nib. For the record, waterman makes the smoothest nibs: nothing else I've owned comes close. Right now I've got some sailor nano-black in it and it seems to work pretty well.  From top down that's the platinum preppy, the waterman carene, Namiki falcon (the resin one), montblanc 145 Chopin, pilot vanishing point decimo and a faber castell emotion. I've also a lamy safari in charcoal somewhere in the bottom of one of my bags, but not going to dig it up for this group shot. I badly need a case for these things: they're just sitting out collecting dust. Anyways, back to the waterman: it's the best pen out of the bunch bar none. Just glides along the page with zero effort, and it looks amazing to boot. This is to other pilot/Namiki falcon owners: do you all find that the nib is dry sometimes? I bought mine at fouler pens and it writes amazing when the converter is full, but even once it's gone down to half the pen starts skipping like crazy.
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Jan 5, 2014 12:40
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Thanks for all the ink suggestions folks. I'm going to put together a sample order on Goulet to see what works best for me.
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Jan 5, 2014 17:48
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 If you've ever asked me for recommendations on pen repairs or nibmeisters, I may have recommended Ron Zorn of Main Street Pens. I probably also warned you that their stated turnaround is about 16 weeks/4 months, and to be patient. I'm afraid I gotta change my tune. I just did some calculations, and Ron Zorn has had some of my pens for fourteen months now, and I've had to badger them to receive a mere 5 status updates in that time period. I just want my Mabie Todds fixed and returned 
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Jan 5, 2014 18:08
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That's far too long, not even Mottishaw with his insane workload takes longer than six months.
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Jan 5, 2014 18:17
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Yeah, I know. The longest repair before this was 9 months but it was a niche task and the repairer was very clear at the outset about his 9-month turnaround. Meanwhile, my Mabie Todds were "third in the queue" at Main Street Pens 7 months ago.
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Jan 5, 2014 18:26
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ChickenOfTomorrow posted:
Yeah, I'm slightly past the year mark with the Southern Scribe and would really just like my poo poo back.
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Jan 5, 2014 19:19
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iostream.h posted:Yeah, I'm slightly past the year mark with the Southern Scribe and would really just like my poo poo back. Heh, that's the repairer who did my 9-month repair.
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Jan 5, 2014 19:20
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Is there any way to deal with ink that dries on the nib far too quickly? I got a sample of Noodler's Liberty's Elysium from Goulet last week and I've been using it in my EF Lamy 2000 at work. At work, I keep the cap off all day long and it's started to cake on the nib causing skipping and false starts. I really like the color, but like all the Noodler's inks I've tried, it's incredibly finicky. Is there anything I can do? For the time being, I've switched back to my standby: Rohrer and Klingner Konigsblau. The R+K is always well behaved.
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Jan 7, 2014 05:35
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Welcome to the finicky land of Noodler's inks! 
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Jan 7, 2014 06:11
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I actually watered down my noodlers rachmanioff for similar reasons, did I do something horrible on accident?
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Jan 7, 2014 07:25
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Minenfeld! posted:Is there any way to deal with ink that dries on the nib far too quickly? I got a sample of Noodler's Liberty's Elysium from Goulet last week and I've been using it in my EF Lamy 2000 at work. At work, I keep the cap off all day long and it's started to cake on the nib causing skipping and false starts. I really like the color, but like all the Noodler's inks I've tried, it's incredibly finicky. Is there anything I can do? For the time being, I've switched back to my standby: Rohrer and Klingner Konigsblau. The R+K is always well behaved. Yeah, cap the pen when you're not using it. Only takes a couple of seconds to uncap it when you need to write.
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Jan 7, 2014 08:37
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Anybody know of any ink brands or types that are less likely to bleed through pages? I'm normally using a Lamy Safari with an F nib, if that matters.
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Jan 7, 2014 08:47
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duckfarts posted:Anybody know of any ink brands or types that are less likely to bleed through pages? I'm normally using a Lamy Safari with an F nib, if that matters. If you dilute Noodler's X-feather, it should do the trick. In other news, the shower head is hopelessly clogged. Website I read suggested an overnight soak in vinegar, then hitting the thing with silicon grease before screwing the whole works back together. I already had some, because I'd bought a little pot of the stuff from Goulet for something or other.
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Jan 7, 2014 12:06
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I've been using a fountain pen off and on for the past couple years, though I started using it seriously last semester for writing all my notes. I don't know what kind of pen I have, partly because it was a gift. It has a "Franklin Covey" mark on it, which as far as I can tell is a financial company that sometimes sells accessories, such as fountain pens. I've been using Monteverde black ink cartridges, but I do have a converter. Between the ink and the pen, I occasionally have ink flow problems, even when the cartridge is full. How much would switching to (non-cartridge) ink help? I like the sound of Heart of Darkness (bulletproof! very dark!) or possibly Noodler's Fast-drying Black, since I'm left handed. I guess I'm looking for advice on pens and ink. I like the look (and price) of the Pilot Metropolitan, but my current pen is working well enough...
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Jan 7, 2014 19:16
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I really like Noodler's X-feather, it and Baystate blue are my two favorites. Sadly I only dare use BSB in a select few pens. X-feather works in everything though.
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Jan 7, 2014 19:25
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duckfarts posted:Anybody know of any ink brands or types that are less likely to bleed through pages? I'm normally using a Lamy Safari with an F nib, if that matters. Hi there! I asked this question a while back, and I did some research, which led me to purchase Waterman Black ink cartridges from my local Staples store (in the U.S.) based on the reviews I saw online. Waterman black ink seems to work very well on most types of printer and loose leaf papers. It even does pretty well on the tissue paper that I usually make notebooks from. It has less showthrough on the other side of the paper than a Pilot G2 gel pen (which is pretty impressive to me since they're different types of pens). If the Waterman ink bleeds through a certain paper, then that paper isn't safe for anything but pencils and ballpoints (I have one of those spirals...). I've also had good success with Diamine Ancient Copper, but it miiiiiight bleed through some papers (there's only one spiral notebook I have where dots of ink on the ends of letters poke through so I feel it's good to mention). Does not bleed through my collection of cheap Wal-Mart loose leaf paper though. But I think Waterman black ink would be good. It's an ink that you can expect great preformance in a work space where you don't always get a choice of what papers you write on. Very bleed resistant which is amazing for a liquid ink. EagerSleeper fucked around with this message at 20:29 on Jan 7, 2014 |
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Jan 7, 2014 19:35
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Solumin posted:I've been using a fountain pen off and on for the past couple years, though I started using it seriously last semester for writing all my notes. If your Franklin Covey pen is black with silver accents and has a medium nib (a.k.a. the Freemont), it's the least expensive, non-disposable fountain pen Staples carries in store. I own one (it was my second pen). Staples overprices it by at least $20, but it's a nice pen for the price. The Metropolitan blows it away, however. It's much better weighted and the nib is smoother. It's also cheaper. I hardly ever use black inks, but I've been pleased with my bottle of basic Pelikan black ink when I do need it. I tend to prefer blues for everyday use. My primary metropolitan has 54th Mass. in it right now and I love it. If you're at all OCD about your nib being spotless at all times, though, it's not for you.
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Jan 8, 2014 01:54
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kim jong-illin posted:Yeah, cap the pen when you're not using it. Only takes a couple of seconds to uncap it when you need to write. That's what I ended up doing all day today. I really need to have the pen uncapped for the way I work and how often I move around. I gave the Lamy a rest and brought my Noodler's Konrad inked up with Noodler's Henry Hudson blue. I really like Henry Hudson Blue, but it exhibits the same drying on the nib that Liberty's Elysium does. Sadly, so does 54th Mass. I think I'm going to have to ditch the Noodler's ink, which is a shame because I really like the Henry Hudson Blue.
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Jan 8, 2014 02:35
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Magnus Praeda posted:If your Franklin Covey pen is black with silver accents and has a medium nib (a.k.a. the Freemont), it's the least expensive, non-disposable fountain pen Staples carries in store. I own one (it was my second pen). Staples overprices it by at least $20, but it's a nice pen for the price. Black body, silver grip and... silver whatever the cap on the other end of the body is. Your description in regards to price sounds about right. I prefer black over blue, at least for everyday use. The 54th Mass looks nice though! I'll probably start with a sampler from Goulet and pick up HoD, 54th Mass., and maybe a couple other colors. I'm getting over trying to always keep the nib spotless. I'll take ink there as a sign of work getting done!
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Jan 8, 2014 03:04
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Minenfeld! posted:That's what I ended up doing all day today. I really need to have the pen uncapped for the way I work and how often I move around. I gave the Lamy a rest and brought my Noodler's Konrad inked up with Noodler's Henry Hudson blue. I really like Henry Hudson Blue, but it exhibits the same drying on the nib that Liberty's Elysium does. Sadly, so does 54th Mass. I think I'm going to have to ditch the Noodler's ink, which is a shame because I really like the Henry Hudson Blue. You could indulge in a Pilot Vanishing point, everybody likes clickey pens, and a clickey fountain pen is even better.
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Jan 8, 2014 03:51
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Do different inks work better than others? My Waterman Carene that I have had problems with ink flow when using Private Reserve Ink is now writing crazy smooth and starting lines reliably now that I reloaded it with Iroshizuku. The only other possibility is that the pen had not been used for like 20 years and it took some time to get used to writing smoothly again. I also noticed a slight improvement with my Lami Safari but nothing quite as notable. Mainly lines starting 100% of the time vs. every so often one not starting immediately.
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Jan 8, 2014 17:07
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Iroshizuku inks have a reputation (well-deserved, in my opinion) for flowing well and being very easy to live with.
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Jan 8, 2014 17:26
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Kessel posted:Iroshizuku inks have a reputation (well-deserved, in my opinion) for flowing well and being very easy to live with. How are they regarding permanence? You can get them for $10-12/bottle plus shipping through Ratuken and I'm thinking about ordering a few.
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Jan 8, 2014 17:53
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Iroshizuku inks are seriously nice. Well behaved and come in some fantastic colours. I love Murasaki-Shikibu purely because it looks awesome in a demonstrator. They'd probably be my go-to ink if they weren't so expensive. Instead I'll stick with my J. Herbin.Solkanar512 posted:How are they regarding permanence? You can get them for $10-12/bottle plus shipping through Ratuken and I'm thinking about ordering a few. I can only speak for Murasaki and Ku-Jaku but they really aren't water resistant at all. Murasaki also fades really badly with sunlight. That's not really a problem for me as I don't use them in any situation where water-resistance would be a plus, but there are better inks out there if you want permanence.
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Jan 8, 2014 18:23
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It seems like the majority of my writing lately has been Chinese, and I could really use something with as fine a nib as possible so I don't have to choose between gigantic writing or feathering into illegibility. What're some good choices for that? I've got an old Esterbrook with a 9550 nib that I received for Christmas and am in the process of cleaning out, but I've also toyed with swapping out my 54th Mass in my Preppy for something that actually flows and behaves well or getting one of those Jinhao X750s with an EF Goulet nib. Is there another EF option that I should consider?
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Jan 8, 2014 18:48
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The pilot penmanship is an EF and it is tiny. I can do a sample tonight after the kid is in bed.
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Jan 8, 2014 18:51
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