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Dipping the whole pen in gets you a bit more ink but I find using the converter only to be a LOT cleaner as ink wipes right off of it. I can never seem to get every bit of ink off my Safari when trying to fill it by dipping the pen into the bottle and that annoys me.
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Jan 17, 2014 20:48
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Doing it with the pen attached means that you won't have to mess with trying to get the feed to saturate with ink. Worth getting some ink on your grip, in my opinion.
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Jan 17, 2014 21:26
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Giving the converter a twist or two should solve that. I've never had that be an issue for me. Doubly so if you're just refilling it with the same ink that's already in there - it's likely the feed is still saturated.
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Jan 17, 2014 21:47
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Trip Report: My Noodler's franken (HoD and Rachmaninoff) is still behaving. It's a little harder to start than just HoD, but I expected that because of how thick the pigment is in Rachmaninoff. It also solved the hideous nib creep of HoD and resulted in a lovely plummy color that is far more appropriate for schoolwork than the "gently caress you, dad!" pink of the Rachmaninoff. Overall, I like it a lot.
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Jan 17, 2014 22:23
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Does anyone have any advice for filling a Konrad out if the Goulet sample bottles? I can get like...1/2 page worth of ink into the thing 
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Jan 17, 2014 23:02
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Dr. Kloctopussy posted:Does anyone have any advice for filling a Konrad out if the Goulet sample bottles? I can get like...1/2 page worth of ink into the thing I don't have one but can you pull the nib and use a syringe? That's how I fill my esterbrooks and Ahab with samples.
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Jan 17, 2014 23:08
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rio posted:Is the proper way to fill up a pen with a converter to stick the nib in the bottle with converter attached, or to stick the converter in the bottle alone to fill and then attach it to the pen? Either works, but filling with the nib attatched saturates the feed so you can start writing immediately. Filling the bare converter means you have to wait for ink to flow into the feed on its own, which can take a minute or more depending, or twist it and not get a full fill. That drives me nuts, but do what works for you! Dr. Kloctopussy posted:Does anyone have any advice for filling a Konrad out if the Goulet sample bottles? I can get like...1/2 page worth of ink into the thing Get an ink syringe, eye dropper, pipette, drinking straw, or veeery tiny funnel, twist off the grip section, and drop the ink right in there with your delivery method of choice. You'll have to keep the pen nib-down for a minute so the feed can saturate.
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Jan 18, 2014 01:58
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cobalt impurity posted:Either works, but filling with the nib attatched saturates the feed so you can start writing immediately. Filling the bare converter means you have to wait for ink to flow into the feed on its own, which can take a minute or more depending, or twist it and not get a full fill. That drives me nuts, but do what works for you! Okay, so I tried this (kind of), BUT from my attempts, pictures, and videos, it looks like the grip section doesn't actually unscrew. Instead I removed the piston mechanism from the back end and eye-dropped the ink in that way. This was apparently a terrible idea, but i'm not sure why. All the ink immediately ran through the pen and out (onto a pile of waiting paper towels). How is filling it this direction any different from filling it through the nib though? I can take out the nib & feed and fill it through there, probably, but i don't want to try that if it's all just going to run out when I turn the pen over. I saw a comment on the Goulet site (by a buyer) that said you had to heat set the ebonite feed for the pen to work, but that isn't mentioned anywhere in the description or videos. Could that be part of the problem?
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Jan 18, 2014 04:04
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The feed and the nib are friction fit. Pull them both out, fill the pen with ink, then reinsert the nib and feed. My Ahab and Konrad worked fine out of the box, there's no need to tinker with the feed by heating it up with a stock nib. When you reinserted the piston assembly it pushed ink out of the pen.
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Jan 18, 2014 04:15
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Verdugo posted:The feed and the nib are friction fit. Pull them both out, fill the pen with ink, then reinsert the nib and feed. My Ahab and Konrad worked fine out of the box, there's no need to tinker with the feed by heating it up with a stock nib. The ink ran out before I reinserted the piston assembly. It was literally straight through, like the bottom was wide open. I will try filling from the feed side with some bottled ink so I don't waste another sample.
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Jan 18, 2014 05:02
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Dr. Kloctopussy posted:Okay, so I tried this (kind of), BUT from my attempts, pictures, and videos, it looks like the grip section doesn't actually unscrew. Instead I removed the piston mechanism from the back end and eye-dropped the ink in that way. This was apparently a terrible idea, but i'm not sure why. All the ink immediately ran through the pen and out (onto a pile of waiting paper towels). How is filling it this direction any different from filling it through the nib though? I can take out the nib & feed and fill it through there, probably, but i don't want to try that if it's all just going to run out when I turn the pen over. I saw a comment on the Goulet site (by a buyer) that said you had to heat set the ebonite feed for the pen to work, but that isn't mentioned anywhere in the description or videos. Could that be part of the problem? At it's most basic, a fountain pen is an elaborate straw, which is sealed at the top with some form of filling mechanism. If you remove the filling mechanism and pour ink into the pen, it'll just dribble out of the hole in the section, through the feed and onto the paper towels/desk/your most expensive shirt, like trying to fill up a straw. Filling through the nib while the filling mechanism is intact will draw ink into the pen through negative pressure, present because the pen is a sealed system at this point. Gravity still wants to draw ink out through the feed but you've got pressure holding the bulk of the ink back so it doesn't all pour out. There is a fine balance between too much and too little pressure in pens which can be due to poorly molded channels in the feed, blockages, or a loose filling mechanism. Heat setting the feed is something that needs to be done if there is too large of a gap between the nib and feed. This gap can be measured with a thin piece of metal, like a cut out section of aluminium drinking can (or brass sheets which you can buy for this purpose). IIRC the generally correct distance is something like 0.002". If it's bigger than this, you can heat up the section of a pen with hot water and gently press the feed up against the nib to close the gap a little. This only really works with ebonite feeds as it's melting point is well known, as opposed to the various plastics which a lot of manufacturers now use which can have higher melting points or be thermosetting plastics which won't soften at all. Try filling the pen via the bottom by removing the nib before trying to set the feed though. If ink still runs out then you'll have to set the feed.
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Jan 18, 2014 11:09
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Because my Waterman Carčne was annoying me by leaking a bit too much I wanted to buy something else. Got a Lamy Scala today. Of the ones I tried it felt the best in my hand, plus it seems to write both smoothly and dry, which is perfect for a left-hander. (Fine nib.) I wonder how well it'll work in class on monday but I suspect I'll be very happy with it.
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Jan 18, 2014 17:05
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Thinking of selling some of my less-loved pens from my 45+ pen collection. This is going to be hard, though. Like selling a pet mouse.
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Jan 19, 2014 05:55
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ChickenOfTomorrow posted:Thinking of selling some of my less-loved pens from my 45+ pen collection. This is going to be hard, though. Like selling a pet mouse. Please link to here if you make a SAmart thread!
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Jan 19, 2014 06:51
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Will do! I'm in a low-activity state now due to Real Life Crap so it may take a while for me to catalog/weed.
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Jan 19, 2014 08:01
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Are there any entry-level pens (in price) that don't generally everything inside the cap in a layer of ink after a day of being in a coat pocket? I really prefer using an italic but two out of three times whatever pen I try to use is basically soaked in ink, and I have a feeling carrying around a disposable glove to write would get me weird looks.
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Jan 21, 2014 17:01
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I think most of the crowd favorites don't have that problem, at least in my experience Lamys and the Pilot Metro don't leak, but I keep them in a shirt pocket, so if they're getting turned upside down in a coat pocket then maybe, but I sorta doubt it. A Lamy Safari would be pretty easy to find in an italic. What pens were you having that problem with?
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Jan 21, 2014 17:41
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A Safari, an Al-Star, a Sheaffer viewpoint (eh), a TWSBI Diamond 530(?), and a bargain-bin Ebay China special. The reason I tend not to go for the more expensive pens is that, like most things, I have a tendency to lose them, and "being active" occasionally means the pen basically goes through a centrifuge because I've fallen over or something. I was hoping a pen might have some sort of "cutoff" or something to prevent this from happening, but failing that I'm probably going to get another Safari.
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Jan 21, 2014 18:52
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I wouldn't call the TWSBI 700 an entry level pen but it does stop ink flow to the nib when closed so it might be something to look at.
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Jan 21, 2014 19:00
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I have a Safari (actually a Vista but same thing), a Viewpoint, and a Metropolitan and I haven't had much issue with leaking into the cap. the Vista and Viewpoint will do it with an impact but the Metro pretty much never does. Ink makes a difference too, Noodler's bulletproof black would just flick out of the Viewpoint constantly (recipe for disaster and an unsaveable shirt there). With Sheaffer Skrip I only get leakage with a strong impact (like dropping the pen) and with Private Reserve which is a little drier I get even less but it tends to be hard to start in dry weather.
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Jan 21, 2014 19:28
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E4C85D38 posted:A Safari, an Al-Star, a Sheaffer viewpoint (eh), a TWSBI Diamond 530(?), and a bargain-bin Ebay China special. The reason I tend not to go for the more expensive pens is that, like most things, I have a tendency to lose them, and "being active" occasionally means the pen basically goes through a centrifuge because I've fallen over or something. I was hoping a pen might have some sort of "cutoff" or something to prevent this from happening, but failing that I'm probably going to get another Safari. I'll echo the TWSBI 700 recommendation. Also what ink are you using? It might be to blame, but all the jostling around is probably the cause.
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Jan 21, 2014 19:31
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I was using Noodler's non-bulletproof Blue-Black. And yeah, it's most likely the motion abuse from having to scramble on short notice, unfortunately. I guess that means that trying a different ink is in order to at least minimize leakage, so I guess that means something from Noodler's Bernanke Series (god, what a name for a loving ink) or some other quick-dry is in order -- I wouldn't really mind the grip being coated in ink if it didn't rub off on my hands so much.
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Jan 21, 2014 20:38
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My Lamy Safari and my Pilot Metro have both been dropped hard enough to knock the cap off without losing any ink (Noodler's Air Corp Blue-Black in both cases) plus they take a lot of daily abuse as I put them in a backpack going to and from school. No issues with them, and I've used a few other inks in them as well with no problem (Diamine, Iroshizuku). My Noodler's Ahab leaks all the time unless treated with the tenderest care. And sometimes even then.
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Jan 21, 2014 21:13
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My Lamy Joy has taken heaps of abuse, and in spite of my complaints that it's ugly as gently caress (it is) it's an awesome pen and has stood up to the horrors of a heavy, overstuffed purse well.
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Jan 21, 2014 22:16
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Thinking about picking up a new pen and would like some suggestions. I have a Lamy 2000 EF, Pelikan Epoch M, TWSBI Vac 700 F, TWSBI Diamond 530 F, and used to have a Pelikan Souveran M300 (stolen ), various Safaris, and Pelikan future. The Lamy 2000 is definitely my favorite, and the Vac 700 is growing on me. I'd really like to find something that writes similar to the Pelikan Epoch as it would be my second favorite if it wasn't so delicate. The cap feels very plasticky and the back part of the body has a big crack in it after a few years of wear. An attribute of both the 2000 and Epoch that I love but have been trouble finding is the smooth transition between grip and main body. Most pens, screwcaps especially, have a little shelf between the grip and the body that I really don't care for.
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Jan 21, 2014 22:20
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Love to hate my Ahab. It's a finicky sone of a bitch to fill and clean and it's not a flex pen. But it's a lot easier to pick up and work with when I'm feeling heavy-handed because it's cheap and the nib is more resilient.  Probably not a good idea to indulge my bad habits.
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Jan 21, 2014 22:44
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 I like the kakuno overall. It's really cute, feather light, and easy to write with for ages. Unfortunately, the nib is freakishly fine omg. I wrote the top half of that using a Jinhao something or other from ebay. The kakuno is the bottom part of the page, and the Jinhao is the top. Both are using Pelikan Violet ink. Even on Rhodia paper, the Kakuno feels a little scratchy and dry. It wasn't until I used cheaper paper that the ink actually flowed reasonably well. Is there any way to sliiiiightly get the nib a titch broader without ruining the nib? I like the broadness of my Metro's nib.
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Jan 21, 2014 23:22
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Short of altering the nib, you can get a slightly wider line by using an ink that spreads more, or paper that's more absorbent. I don't know if that will be sufficient for your needs, though.
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Jan 21, 2014 23:29
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Yeah, it's why I'm guessing I'll need to reserve the Kakuno for cheap copy paper, because it seems to be the paper that it writes the best on. I just wish I'd thought to look at the posting more carefully, and order a medium instead of a fine.
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Jan 21, 2014 23:32
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You could try this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0pNht6vsfE Here's a guide to relative nib sizes which may help your next pen purchase.
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Jan 21, 2014 23:37
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Speaking of nib adjustments, I was really not pleased with how my Waterman Carene was writing so I got a nail filing thing from Rite Aid and reshaped the nib. Writes pretty awesome now. I am used to shaping guitar pick edges so I felt ok doing this - to do it you need a "file" with four grades (even, smooth, buff and shine) and you just shape it however you want.
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Jan 22, 2014 00:01
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Re: the question earlier about leaking, the only filling system that seals when not in use is vacuum filler, which tends not to show up on entry-level pens.
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Jan 22, 2014 00:49
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Welsper posted:You could try this: Dude. What in the blue hells is that weird tool he's using? That looks like nothing I've seen before! Thanks for the chart. See, I'm comfortable with the Pilot Medium nibs, because they lay down enough ink without making the whole thing so wet that I've made a mess with my lefty writing. Essentially, it looks like my Kakuno is what everyone else would call an Extra Fine, and something that I'd never have bought if I had read the description. I was pretty sure I was buying a medium, but now it's too late.
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Jan 22, 2014 01:20
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It's just some pliers that have been customized, likely to hold pen barrels without scratching them. You can wrap some masking tape around normal pliers and use that to (gently) open your tines as seen in the video.
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Jan 22, 2014 02:48
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My Pilot Metro came in today!  Thank you, USPS, for delivering before the snow storm really hit.It writes so smoothly!  I'm using Private Reserve Ultra Black, and I have samples of Noodler's Heart of Darkness and Borealis Black that I'm really looking forward to using.(I'm leaning towards Borealis Black as my daily ink, since I want something waterproof but also don't want to worry about trying to clean it up if it gets everywhere.)
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Jan 22, 2014 03:10
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I did this last night and I have to say it works quite well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9Qnd1Z6LHg I opened up the feed on my Ahab and I think I overdid it, it's a seriously crazy gusher now. Better go look at that video by nathan how you undid it...
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Jan 22, 2014 13:17
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Just did the ink flow adjustment from the TWSBI vid with my fingers instead of a pliers and it worked great. Got it juuuust enough wetter after a few careful squeezes.
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Jan 22, 2014 17:53
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E4C85D38 posted:Are there any entry-level pens (in price) that don't generally everything inside the cap in a layer of ink after a day of being in a coat pocket? I really prefer using an italic but two out of three times whatever pen I try to use is basically soaked in ink, and I have a feeling carrying around a disposable glove to write would get me weird looks. My Safari was leaking for the longest time and it turned out that my nib was a little loose. Check that out. After I tightened mine, the inside of my cap was always clear.
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Jan 22, 2014 18:18
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Well, took the plunge and ordered a 1.5mm Safari and a 50ml bottle of Private Reserve Midnight Blue Quick-Dry. I'll triple-check everything this time and see how it goes.
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Jan 22, 2014 20:45
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powderific posted:Just did the ink flow adjustment from the TWSBI vid with my fingers instead of a pliers and it worked great. Got it juuuust enough wetter after a few careful squeezes. Link? My TWSBI Fine is a little too dry. I should have asked for a Medium, but the TWSBI Fine looked the same as the Pilot Metro on Goulet's Nib Nook. I ordered a #6 Goulet nib to try in it, because I love stub nibs but the Vac 700 nib was too expensive to justify right now. I also thought about trying the Monteverde nib, because that stub comes in solid black and that would look pretty neat in my black pen, but again, cost.
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Jan 22, 2014 21:35
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