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Asian XFs are narrower than European/American XFs, so let that guide you. Check isellpens.com for a huge load of inexpensive asian pens and v fast shipping. e.g. http://www.isellpens.com/Guanleming_p/glm193.htm
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Jan 8, 2014 19:12
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Vitamins posted: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. What would you suggest? Those were the first two bottles I bought so I have no experience in terms to what to get next, but if this pen is finicky then I am definitely looking for good performing inks.
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Jan 8, 2014 19:17
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Got a Jinhao X450 today with the chinese calligraphy nib. I quite like it for writing text rather than cursive, really really smooth writer, loaded it up with Sheaffer Skrip (Purple) and it makes a pretty shopping list.
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Jan 8, 2014 19:28
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His Divine Shadow posted:Got a Jinhao X450 today with the chinese calligraphy nib. I quite like it for writing text rather than cursive, really really smooth writer, loaded it up with Sheaffer Skrip (Purple) and it makes a pretty shopping list. Could you explain a little bit more about what "Chinese Calligraphy Nib" means? I imagine you don't mean a brush and a quick google says that it's "bent" but i'm not getting a good picture in my head as to what it looks like.
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Jan 8, 2014 21:09
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Tulip posted:Could you explain a little bit more about what "Chinese Calligraphy Nib" means? I imagine you don't mean a brush and a quick google says that it's "bent" but i'm not getting a good picture in my head as to what it looks like. The nib is bent upwards like on this pen here, varying how much you angle the pen from paper produces line variation: http://www.leighreyes.com/?p=1545
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Jan 8, 2014 23:16
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rio posted:What would you suggest? Those were the first two bottles I bought so I have no experience in terms to what to get next, but if this pen is finicky then I am definitely looking for good performing inks. If you want true permanence, like completely resistant to water/UV/bleach/Hellfire then the Noodlers Bulletproof line of inks is the best around. Pretty much nothing will remove them from natural fibres like paper (and linen/cotton so don't spill them!). Their black is an extremely saturated neutral black, but if you want something more colourful then Baystate Blue is an option though it's not exactly well performing. Otherwise my favourite water-resistant ink I've used is Pilots Blue-black. Business appropriate but is still nicer than boring old ballpoint black/blue. Most ink manufacturers do a line of permanent inks, and indeed most inks have some aspect of water resistance (with the exception of some of J. Herbin inks which disappear at the slightest hint of moisture.) His Divine Shadow posted:The nib is bent upwards like on this pen here, varying how much you angle the pen from paper produces line variation: Oh that's pretty cool. Looks like a really exaggerated Triumph nib.
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Jan 8, 2014 23:25
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Vitamins posted:If you want true permanence, like completely resistant to water/UV/bleach/Hellfire then the Noodlers Bulletproof line of inks is the best around. Pretty much nothing will remove them from natural fibres like paper (and linen/cotton so don't spill them!). Their black is an extremely saturated neutral black, but if you want something more colourful then Baystate Blue is an option though it's not exactly well performing. See, the thing I'm looking to avoid is my notes transferring to someone's sweaty palms long after the ink has dried.
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Jan 8, 2014 23:38
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Solkanar512 posted:See, the thing I'm looking to avoid is my notes transferring to someone's sweaty palms long after the ink has dried. Then I'd recommend a standard permanent ink rather than something like a bulletproof one. The main issue there is getting a layer of ink that sits on top of the paper and doesn't soak into it meaning it's not secure. That is the ink that would get transferred to someones palm. To avoid this you'd want to use quite a drier nib rather than a wet one to minimise the amount of ink you put down when writing, and I think that's the limiting factor rather than the properties of the ink itself. Heck even Waterman Blue will smudge out of a wet pen if I'm not careful and thats regarded as one of the best behaved inks around (though not waterproof). On a side note, Pelikan is running a competition to design their new Edelstein Ink of the Year 2015. I'm not sure what the policy is towards linking competitions so I'll remove the link if required: Link. I've submitted a design, and thought maybe some goons want a go too!
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Jan 9, 2014 10:43
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Solkanar512 posted:See, the thing I'm looking to avoid is my notes transferring to someone's sweaty palms long after the ink has dried. Nathan's (Noodlers) idea of permanence is going to be overkill for your needs, then. Just take Vitamins' advice above. Honestly, you'll be fine with Iroshizuku unless someone is lovingly rubbing their wet hands all over your notes all the time for no good reason whatsoever. (I won't judge  )
Kessel fucked around with this message at 12:58 on Jan 9, 2014 |
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Jan 9, 2014 12:55
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I just got a boatload of samples in from Goulet that I'm excited to try out. Is there any particular procedure to use when you switch out inks? Normally I squirt out any leftovers and then suck some water up into the pen a few times to rinse it. Usually I get tired of doing this and just fill up the pen with new ink even if the water isn't totally clear when it comes out.
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Jan 9, 2014 22:12
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powderific posted:I just got a boatload of samples in from Goulet that I'm excited to try out. Is there any particular procedure to use when you switch out inks? Normally I squirt out any leftovers and then suck some water up into the pen a few times to rinse it. Usually I get tired of doing this and just fill up the pen with new ink even if the water isn't totally clear when it comes out. Yeah, you should rinse till the water's clear. It's more important when you're filling from a bottle and don't want to contaminate your huge pool of ink with another colour, but if you're just pulling them out of sampler vials and don't mind a tiny bit of mixing go hog wild. When changing colours, I also like to touch the nib to a piece of tissue after the wash, and leave it there. The capillary action sucks out a bunch of ink in the feed and nib. You can repeat this a few times to make sure you've gotten everything.
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Jan 9, 2014 23:47
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If you're going to be testing out a bunch of samples, it's probably more important than ever to flush the pen until the water is clear. Otherwise you could contaminate the next ink with the previous one and then what's even the point? Also some inks react poorly with others, but that's mostly the Baystate series of Noodler's inks as far as I know. Ink at your own risk!
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Jan 10, 2014 00:25
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powderific posted:I just got a boatload of samples in from Goulet that I'm excited to try out. Is there any particular procedure to use when you switch out inks? Normally I squirt out any leftovers and then suck some water up into the pen a few times to rinse it. Usually I get tired of doing this and just fill up the pen with new ink even if the water isn't totally clear when it comes out. Just get a bulb syringe like so: http://www.gouletpens.com/Goulet_Bulb_Syringe_2oz_p/gpc-bulbsyringe.htm If you aren't ordering from there in a while, just go to any drugstore or department store and look in the baby section for one. You can ask for "Nasal Aspirator" but every mother I know calls them "Snot Suckers" Anyway, they will quickly flush water through your pen to clean it and then you can push air through to help dry up the water. Since I learned to use this, my pen cleaning is hardly a chore.
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Jan 10, 2014 00:44
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The bulb is dead handy for C/C pens, if you can get it to fit right on the nipple; I've been too lazy to fiddle with mine so it'll work that way. If you're going from similar hues in the same brand, I wouldn't really worry too much about the water being perfectly clear. I'd only go that far if I were switching brands, or going from red to blue or something like that. Then again, whenever I clean pens, I usually wrap the nib in a paper towel and then stick it in a demitasse/shot glass/film can overnight to dry, like so: Kessel posted:Yeah, you should rinse till the water's clear. It's more important when you're filling from a bottle and don't want to contaminate your huge pool of ink with another colour, but if you're just pulling them out of sampler vials and don't mind a tiny bit of mixing go hog wild. If you let it go overnight you'll get all the water out, and even if you didn't get the water perfectly clear, you'll get most of the leftover ink out, too. Plus then your lovely new ink won't be ever so slightly diluted when you fill up.
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Jan 10, 2014 01:00
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I really enjoy the cleaning process, so I flush until clear then disassemble the nib/feed and soak them while I get the converter clean. Every so often I flush with Goulet pen flush. I do my ink sampling with a syringe, which is far easier to flush between colors.
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Jan 10, 2014 01:11
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RustedChrome posted:Just get a bulb syringe like so: http://www.gouletpens.com/Goulet_Bulb_Syringe_2oz_p/gpc-bulbsyringe.htm Neat, I'll give that a shot. I remember playing with those in the tub when I was a kid till I watched my mom use one on my sister's nose. Zenostein posted:The bulb is dead handy for C/C pens, if you can get it to fit right on the nipple; I've been too lazy to fiddle with mine so it'll work that way.
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Jan 10, 2014 02:55
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powderific posted:Neat, I'll give that a shot. I remember playing with those in the tub when I was a kid till I watched my mom use one on my sister's nose. Cartridge/Converter.
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Jan 10, 2014 03:04
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Meldonox posted: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. Here's a sample of some smaller nibs I have inked. This is a field notes page. 
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Jan 10, 2014 03:26
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lady flash posted:Here's a sample of some smaller nibs I have inked. This is a field notes page. You weren't kidding about the Penmanship, wow. I finished cleaning up the Esterbrook I have, so I might give that a shot first, but I might just have to pick up one of those.
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Jan 10, 2014 03:52
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I just got my Lamy Safari and I feel like I've already bent the tines. Someone on the FPN told me to press down to widen the nibs to allow for increased ink flow, so I did. However I feel like this put a small bend at the very end of both of the tines. At least that's what I feel like I see with the naked eye, I might order a loupe or see if I can dig up my magnifying glass somewhere. The pen certainly doesn't write as well as I feel like it should be. It's scratchy and not at all as pleasant to write with as I thought it would be. I am distressed. Any advice for fixing bent tines?
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Jan 10, 2014 16:17
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Motley posted:I just got my Lamy Safari and I feel like I've already bent the tines. Someone on the FPN told me to press down to widen the nibs to allow for increased ink flow, so I did. However I feel like this put a small bend at the very end of both of the tines. At least that's what I feel like I see with the naked eye, I might order a loupe or see if I can dig up my magnifying glass somewhere. The pen certainly doesn't write as well as I feel like it should be. It's scratchy and not at all as pleasant to write with as I thought it would be. I am distressed. Would you be able to post a picture of the nib so we're better able to judge if there's damage done to it? Often you can just bend the tines back down using your fingernail and a bit of patience, testing how the nib performs as you go.
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Jan 10, 2014 16:42
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Vitamins posted:Would you be able to post a picture of the nib so we're better able to judge if there's damage done to it? I don't have a very good camera but I can try. I'll have to wait till I can get in a place with good lighting because the nib is black. I'll try and post a picture soon.
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Jan 10, 2014 16:52
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Motley posted:I just got my Lamy Safari and I feel like I've already bent the tines. Someone on the FPN told me to press down to widen the nibs to allow for increased ink flow, so I did. However I feel like this put a small bend at the very end of both of the tines. At least that's what I feel like I see with the naked eye, I might order a loupe or see if I can dig up my magnifying glass somewhere. The pen certainly doesn't write as well as I feel like it should be. It's scratchy and not at all as pleasant to write with as I thought it would be. I am distressed. Unless it's a flex nib, bending the tines more than a bit can ruin the nib. Note: I've ruined a Lamy Safari nib by pressing down myself, and it's a nib that is very unforgiving to being bent beyond what it can take (though you need to press quite hard to do so). The tines will go up and stay up, unlike many other nibs that mostly go back into their original shape or something close, unless you really really overdo it. You can pull the nib off the feed (just pull it) and do reverse bending, perhaps on a finger nail so you feel how much power you are using  If you want to improve ink flow, you could also pull off the nib, and pull its sides outwards a bit to widen the slit carefully. If you're feeling brave (the Lamy steel nibs are cheap to replace) you can also insert a razor blade into the slit and wiggle it a bit to bend it wider.
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Jan 11, 2014 01:10
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I CANNOT EJACULATE WITHOUT SEEING NATIVE AMERICANS BRUTALISED!
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I had to repair a Lamy2K Nib myself after an impact with another vehicle on a bus sent it flying. The tines were bent about 45 degrees out of alignment I actually did pretty good. It's possible to get it right, you just have to consider that the shape is extremely important
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Jan 12, 2014 03:28
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Meldonox posted:You weren't kidding about the Penmanship, wow. I finished cleaning up the Esterbrook I have, so I might give that a shot first, but I might just have to pick up one of those. If you can find it (I know wonderpens.ca still carries them), the Pilot 78G comes in a fine-nibbed variety and looks a bit classier despite being made out of plastic. I write very small and cramped and it's served me well.
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Jan 13, 2014 11:29
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blowfish posted:Unless it's a flex nib, bending the tines more than a bit can ruin the nib. Note: I've ruined a Lamy Safari nib by pressing down myself, and it's a nib that is very unforgiving to being bent beyond what it can take (though you need to press quite hard to do so). The tines will go up and stay up, unlike many other nibs that mostly go back into their original shape or something close, unless you really really overdo it. I didn't bend them too hard and visibly, even through a magnifying glass, the tines seem to be aligned. I don't have a loupe though. It's very frustrating though because I can't figure out why it won't write smoothly. I tried taking a picture of the nib but the picture is too blurry to make anything about of. I'm quite upset about this, to be honest.
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Jan 13, 2014 19:41
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How did it write before you bent the tines? Did it make it significantly worse or is it just more of the same? I've had a few Safaris and love the way they look but never really liked how they wrote. My favorite pen in that price range is the Pelikan Future, which seemed to write better all around (it's not as pretty though.) powderific fucked around with this message at 20:00 on Jan 13, 2014 |
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Jan 13, 2014 19:48
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Motley posted:I didn't bend them too hard and visibly, even through a magnifying glass, the tines seem to be aligned. I don't have a loupe though. It's very frustrating though because I can't figure out why it won't write smoothly. I tried taking a picture of the nib but the picture is too blurry to make anything about of. Pull off the nib anyway and do a good cleaning, especially between the tines. If you pressed down you could have caught some paper fibers in there which will interfere with how the nib writes. I found the Lamy safari way too scratchy to use everyday. TWSBI and Pilot have spoiled me.
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Jan 13, 2014 19:54
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Motley posted:I didn't bend them too hard and visibly, even through a magnifying glass, the tines seem to be aligned. I don't have a loupe though. It's very frustrating though because I can't figure out why it won't write smoothly. I tried taking a picture of the nib but the picture is too blurry to make anything about of. Lamy Safari nibs are dirt cheap and dead easy to change. Just buy a new one (Lamy Z50 nib) and throw the current one away rather than trying to fix it.
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Jan 13, 2014 20:21
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powderific posted:How did it write before you bent the tines? Did it make it significantly worse or is it just more of the same? It wrote better than it does now. Still not as smoothly as I imagined a fountain pen would write. Currently it makes me cringe to write with because of how scratchy it is. I'm considering buying a new nib and getting a second, different pen.
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Jan 13, 2014 20:27
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Just do that and don't worry about it too much. Safari's are some of the scratchiest fountain pens I've used—I keep buying them because they look cool and I'm a glutton for punishment I guess. Good fountain pens can write incredibly smooth so don't give up on them as a whole. Once you have something you like you'll be glad to have the Safari as a beater / let other people try it pen anyway.
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Jan 13, 2014 21:09
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powderific posted:Just do that and don't worry about it too much. Safari's are some of the scratchiest fountain pens I've used—I keep buying them because they look cool and I'm a glutton for punishment I guess. Good fountain pens can write incredibly smooth so don't give up on them as a whole. Once you have something you like you'll be glad to have the Safari as a beater / let other people try it pen anyway. How scratchy is your Safari? Is a ball point more pleasant to write with or is it just relatively scratchy in comparison to other pens.
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Jan 14, 2014 14:56
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Well, the feeling of writing with a fountain pen is pretty different from a ballpen. With a good ballpen it's not going to be scratchy (unless it's crazy fine) because it's rolling a tiny ball bearing across the paper. A fountain pen is sliding instead of rolling. Where fountain pens win for me on feel is that you don't have to press very hard at all because you don't need to get a ball to roll, and the movement across the paper feels more natural. Gold nibs and whatnot tend to be extremely smooth—I think my Lamy 2000 is smoother than most any ballpen. The Safari is scratchy compared to pretty much anything short of calligraphy pens or a feather or something. Do you live anywhere that you can try out some nicer stuff in a store?
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Jan 14, 2014 16:14
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There is one piece of advice that trumps all others for the new fountain pen user(especially if they have a safari): Pilot Metropolitan. Cheap, crazy smooth, comes in obnoxious animal prints.
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Jan 14, 2014 16:19
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powderific posted:Well, the feeling of writing with a fountain pen is pretty different from a ballpen. With a good ballpen it's not going to be scratchy (unless it's crazy fine) because it's rolling a tiny ball bearing across the paper. A fountain pen is sliding instead of rolling. Where fountain pens win for me on feel is that you don't have to press very hard at all because you don't need to get a ball to roll, and the movement across the paper feels more natural. Gold nibs and whatnot tend to be extremely smooth—I think my Lamy 2000 is smoother than most any ballpen. The Safari is scratchy compared to pretty much anything short of calligraphy pens or a feather or something. Do you live anywhere that you can try out some nicer stuff in a store? Unfortunately I don't. I saw a thread about Knoxville (where I live) on the Fountain Pen Network and unfortunately no one knew of any sort of store that sold pens. I'm very hesitant to drop money on another pen without trying it first but I want to so bad. What would you recommend for another beginner pen besides the Safari. I was thinking about the TWSBI Diamond 580. It's about $50 from what I can tell.
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Jan 14, 2014 16:54
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Pilot Metropolitan. Seriously. Stop fighting it and get the drat thing.
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Jan 14, 2014 16:56
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dino. posted:Pilot Metropolitan. Seriously. Stop fighting it and get the drat thing. Edit: It looks like Staples carries them. I should have looked around before asking. Edit: Oops. I was thinking of the wrong pen. Disregard this whole thing. Motley fucked around with this message at 17:05 on Jan 14, 2014 |
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Jan 14, 2014 16:58
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I used to recommend the Safari as the best all-round "do I actually want to use fountain pens?" starter pen, but I can't in good faith recommend it now that the Kakuno and the Metro exist. Get either of those instead.
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Jan 14, 2014 16:58
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Seriously, the Metropolitan is the biggest value in pens on the market right now, even better than something like a TWSBI 580. Also, it was a brilliant choice to put a medium nib on those things. That really ensures a smooth writing experience.
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Jan 14, 2014 17:47
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Motley posted:Unfortunately I don't. I saw a thread about Knoxville (where I live) on the Fountain Pen Network and unfortunately no one knew of any sort of store that sold pens. I'm very hesitant to drop money on another pen without trying it first but I want to so bad. What would you recommend for another beginner pen besides the Safari. I was thinking about the TWSBI Diamond 580. It's about $50 from what I can tell. Just to beat a dead horse. Buy a Pilot Metro. Seriously, it's the greatest pen for the price. I swear it writes as well or better than some of my gold nib $200+ pens. It's only weakness is that it doesn't hold as much ink as some pens. However, it still holds plenty of ink. I honestly don't understand how they can make such a great FP and only sell it for $15-20. When you save some more money up, also get you a TWSBI. I always keep a Pilot Metro and a TWSBI at work as my workhorse pens. The 580 is pretty great, but I tend to favor the Vac700 or the Mini (I have all three and love them all). The Vac700 just holds so much ink, it is insane. I don't think I have ever had one run out on me, as I tend to get bored of an ink and swap it out long before the Vac700 gets even close to empty. The mini is basically like a small version of the 580. If you need something small to fit in your pocket to take notes or whatever, the portability and convenience factor are pretty high.
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Jan 14, 2014 17:48
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