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Xun posted:I'm going to Japan!!! What should I check out stationary wise in the Tokyo area? IS IT TRUE IROSHIZUKU INKS ARE CHEAPER THERE??!?! Significantly. They're about 12.50 USD plus 8% sales tax. The king of FPs in the Tokyo area is Itoya: http://www.ito-ya.co.jp/store/itoya/k-itoya/ 〒104-0061 東京都中央区銀座2-7-15 Serious collection of fountain pens and other related bric-a-brac. It's the sister store to the normal Itoya, which is just down the road and quite nice if you like non-fountain-pen stationery. If you're into vintage there's Eurobox: http://euro-box.com/biz05.html #407 Okuno Building 1-9-8 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan 104-0061 If you want to visit a really fancy store there's Shosaikan: http://www.shosaikan.co.jp/access.html 港区南青山5-13-11 パンセビル1F Other than that, the Maruzen department store in Shinsaibashi stocks some interesting (and sometimes exclusive) pens and inks. There are a bunch of other super off the beaten track places but those will be to taste.
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Apr 9, 2015 06:04
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Exams are coming up for me and I need a good essay pen. I have a prera, but I find that it isn't 'juicy' enough to allow me to write quickly. I have loads and loads of pilot petit1s which I use everyday and would be perfect, but for the size. I find the weeny ones get a bit much after 3+hrs of essay. I don't like heavy or metal grip pens as I have sweaty lady hands  I also use iroshizuku yama-guri ink if it makes a difference.
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Apr 9, 2015 12:17
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Lamy 2k. The section is metal but you'll be gripping mostly fibreglass. High capacity so you don't run out during essays. Nibs run wide.
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Apr 9, 2015 12:44
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Rolled Cabbage posted:Exams are coming up for me and I need a good essay pen. TWSBI 580 or Vac 700. Huge capacity and plastic. Get the nib in medium.
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Apr 9, 2015 14:55
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I feel like when someone mentions they're a student, recommending a 100~200 dollar pen or even 50~80 dollar ones isn't exactly prudent. Granted if Rolled Cabbage isn't the typical poor student, then those are good recommendations, I'd probably recommend the Vac 700 due to capacity and features. Now, if you are the typical student, who's just looking for a good writer with a high capacity, then maybe a Platinum Preppy Eyedropper pen is in order. Really cheap, writes well (at least in my experience), and the capacity of an eyedropper pen is super hard to beat. I'm bored so here's the pen, instructions for modding it, and the materials needed for the mod for anyone interested in making an eyedropper pen (this item is optional but recommended). Or if you're lazy I think this still comes free with a bottle of Heart of Darkness (edit: nvm, HoD now comes with a free Noodler Charlie eyedropper pen). Brightman fucked around with this message at 15:21 on Apr 9, 2015 |
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Apr 9, 2015 15:19
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Tulip posted:There's this from reddit. Thanks!
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Apr 9, 2015 15:22
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The Pilot 78G and older versions of the Sheaffer No Nonsense are also easy eyedropper conversions and quality-wise are a step up from a Preppy. Both can be found on eBay for under $15.
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Apr 9, 2015 15:54
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The newer preppies (the ones with EF nibs) have really poo poo plastic in my experience. Tons of cracks on the lid, within a month or so the one that was actually getting used couldn't even keep the cap on. Good nibs and easy to eyedrop though, but I probably won't be getting one again.
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Apr 9, 2015 17:42
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Brightman posted:I feel like when someone mentions they're a student, recommending a 100~200 dollar pen or even 50~80 dollar ones isn't exactly prudent. Granted if Rolled Cabbage isn't the typical poor student, then those are good recommendations, I'd probably recommend the Vac 700 due to capacity and features. There's a bunch of Noodler's 4oz. bottles that come with eyedropper EF Preppies. I got one with a bottle of Lexington Grey.
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Apr 9, 2015 17:52
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Lamy Safari in M? Inexpensive and lightweight. Ink capacity isn't fantastic with a converter, but a refilled cartridge should last through three hours of essay writing. Or just use the Lamy blue or black cartridges. Maybe not exciting, but very well behaved and professional. That's also got the benefit of being able to refill by just swapping in a new cart.
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Apr 9, 2015 19:38
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Mr. Despair posted:The newer preppies (the ones with EF nibs) have really poo poo plastic in my experience. Tons of cracks on the lid, within a month or so the one that was actually getting used couldn't even keep the cap on. Good nibs and easy to eyedrop though, but I probably won't be getting one again. Yeah, this is true, but you're only out like 4 bucks and also you can just wrap the cap with scotch tape to fix that problem. It's what I did, haven't had a problem since. The pen is just what you want for a cheap, quick solution to: writes well and has a large capacity. Everything Burrito posted:The Pilot 78G and older versions of the Sheaffer No Nonsense are also easy eyedropper conversions and quality-wise are a step up from a Preppy. Both can be found on eBay for under $15. Stepping it up to these would probably be a better idea, but I have no experience with either of them myself. Magnus Praeda posted:Lamy Safari in M? Inexpensive and lightweight. Ink capacity isn't fantastic with a converter, but a refilled cartridge should last through three hours of essay writing. Or just use the Lamy blue or black cartridges. Maybe not exciting, but very well behaved and professional. That's also got the benefit of being able to refill by just swapping in a new cart. Well if you're going the route of just switching cartridges then the solution is in the thread title 
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Apr 9, 2015 19:55
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I used a 78G as an eyedropper for a while but went back to cartridges because in general I don't need multiple pens with huge amounts of ink sloshing around. It was an easy conversion with a little silicone grease and an o-ring from one of the Preppy conversion kits Goulet Pens sell, although you'd probably be OK with just the grease. I have 2 of them, M and B. The M is pretty standard, writes smooth and is your basic Pilot nib same as you'd have in a Metro or whatever but it's gold-colored. When I got it, the B (which is a stub italic, not a big fat round blob btw) was pretty dry but after a little adjustment it's nice and juicy. My No Nonsense is from the 80s with an italic nib that probably came out of one of those calligraphy sets. I use it as an eyedropper because I can't be bothered to buy separate cartridges or a converter for it and the thing holds a massive amount of ink. It's a pretty wet writer as well, but a caveat on that is that I had to straighten it out from being bent slightly so it's not exactly factory original. I will say that particular pen has been a bit drippy even with cartridges -- I thought it had a leak for the longest time until I figured out it was just leaking out the nib when it got jostled and settling into the cap and transferring to my hand from there. My pen came from a flea market and bounced around in a backpack when I was in school so that's not to say they'd all do that. Both pens have a screw-on cap as well which I'd be more comfortable with if I was going to carry one around. If I was going to pick one I'd probably go with the 78G just because I'd be more comfortable with what I was getting and I'm also partial to Pilot, but the No Nonsense has a nice classic style and would hold a slightly larger amount of ink since it's a little bit bigger. I'm also using the Ahab NeurosisHead sent me as an eyedropper with a Goulet italic nib and it's been pretty great, but if my choice was between buying one of these two pens vs a Noodler's pen I'd still probably stick with the 78G. Everything Burrito fucked around with this message at 21:05 on Apr 9, 2015 |
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Apr 9, 2015 20:44
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Brightman posted:Well if you're going the route of just switching cartridges then the solution is in the thread title I love my Metros but they're heavier than the Safari and they're largely metal, so depending on where/how she grips it, it may be more palm-sweat-inducing. They are "juicy" for sure, especially in M.
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Apr 9, 2015 21:19
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Magnus Praeda posted:I love my Metros but they're heavier than the Safari and they're largely metal, so depending on where/how she grips it, it may be more palm-sweat-inducing. They are "juicy" for sure, especially in M. Yeah, I was thinking of the Fine, it seems well behaved. Also the grips are plastic, but I did forget that stipulation.
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Apr 9, 2015 21:27
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Please vote for this drop kthx: https://dro.ps/v/2eF4Mtw Really, really want an Aurora Optima, and Massdrop might be a cool (and cheaper) way to make that happen  So far, I have my dad's old Meisterstück (unusable except for signatures because the nib is so broad), a Lamy 2000 (cool, but not fine enough for my handwriting even as an EF) and my new everyday writing pen - a Parker Premium Titanium, which I had fine-tuned for my mutant left-handed writing by nibs.com. Holy gently caress, this thing writes like a dream and is stylish to boot. I hear Parker quality is sometimes hit or miss, but since nibs.com check everything thoroughly before they mail it out and apply custom filing, it wasn't an issue. Wengy fucked around with this message at 09:29 on Apr 10, 2015 |
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Apr 10, 2015 09:12
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I've ordered from John and crew so many times now they don't even bother asking about my writing style because it's all on file, just if anything's changed. I don't think I've had a single pen come from them that didn't write spectacularly well.
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Apr 10, 2015 09:49
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Yeah, they totally own. Have to pace myself though, ordering from them is very expensive for me due to import fees (am in Europe).
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Apr 10, 2015 10:09
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Magnus Praeda posted:Lamy Safari in M? Inexpensive and lightweight. Ink capacity isn't fantastic with a converter, but a refilled cartridge should last through three hours of essay writing. Or just use the Lamy blue or black cartridges. Maybe not exciting, but very well behaved and professional. That's also got the benefit of being able to refill by just swapping in a new cart. It's decent but the Lamy M nibs write too broad for me. I prefer finer nibs as I have small handwriting. I still say the best value is in the $70-100 range even for student pens. Also, you're not supposed to be replacing them and try to think of it as a good investment.
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Apr 11, 2015 15:27
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Alder posted:It's decent but the Lamy M nibs write too broad for me. I prefer finer nibs as I have small handwriting. I still say the best value is in the $70-100 range even for student pens. Also, you're not supposed to be replacing them and try to think of it as a good investment. I, too, prefer a much finer line and have an EF nib in my Safari. But I disagree that one cannot have an "investment" pen in the $30-40 range. Both the Metro and the Safari are wonderfully built, durable pens that should last for decades despite their inexpensive nature. Meanwhile there are ample examples of $70-100 pens (TWSBI, especially) that are finicky, fragile, and require a much greater time investment in addition to the financial one.
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Apr 11, 2015 21:28
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My TWISBI is scratchy as gently caress and barely writes with iroshizuku ink. With noodlers/diamine it can't even put down a decent line. What do?
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Apr 12, 2015 01:45
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Xun posted:My TWISBI is scratchy as gently caress and barely writes with iroshizuku ink. With noodlers/diamine it can't even put down a decent line. What do? Get some micromesh and smooth that bad boy.
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Apr 12, 2015 01:48
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I've had Noodler's, Diamine, J. Herbin, and Iroshizuku in my Diamond 540 and it works great. It's one of the old Bock nibs, yeah, but those were supposed to be scratchier. For its price range TWSBI kinda sucks though.
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Apr 12, 2015 01:52
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Xun posted:My TWISBI is scratchy as gently caress and barely writes with iroshizuku ink. With noodlers/diamine it can't even put down a decent line. What do? Your nib tines are misaligned. Look at it through a jeweler's loup and see if you can re-align them. Do this BEFORE you go at it with micromesh
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Apr 12, 2015 03:35
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Ha ha, my Noodler's Blue Ghost with free Platinum Preppy and blacklight is here!  Time to draw dickbutt on my tax forms.
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Apr 13, 2015 13:06
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I put together my whole ink library. 166 samples available here in all the albums at the top. Ink index here.
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Apr 13, 2015 14:23
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cobalt impurity posted:I've had Noodler's, Diamine, J. Herbin, and Iroshizuku in my Diamond 540 and it works great. It's one of the old Bock nibs, yeah, but those were supposed to be scratchier. What other decent piston-fill pens can you get for under $50?
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Apr 13, 2015 15:04
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Remora posted:I put together my whole ink library. 166 samples available here in all the albums at the top. Ink index here. This is really, really awesome. How long did these take? They're a nice contrast to the Goulet swabs, especially with your opinions about the various inks. My only request: On the Custom samples, it would be really cool if you showed what the original colors were. Maybe write the names of the component inks with those inks themselves? You would have to ink up more pens just to write a word or two, which would be annoying.
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Apr 13, 2015 16:43
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Solumin posted:How long did these take? Individually? Not long, maybe five minutes or so a sample including time to hose out the pen. I've been accumulating samples over the course of about a year, because I am unbelievably picky about color. quote:My only request: On the Custom samples, it would be really cool if you showed what the original colors were. Maybe write the names of the component inks with those inks themselves? Right now I'm going to say no, since I have samples of all the component inks elsewhere in the library for comparison purposes, but if I ever redo the samples or get really bored one day I may do this. I can't do it with Binder Burgundy because I used the whole of both samples to mix the ink, this was before I decided to tip my toe into ink mixing.
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Apr 13, 2015 20:59
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I got home to my box of pens and ink samples waiting on my porch. I've rinsed the pens with a little dish soap and clear water. How long should I wait for them to dry before filling them? I can test out some samples with my dip pen while I wait.
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Apr 13, 2015 23:56
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Remora posted:I put together my whole ink library. 166 samples available here in all the albums at the top. Ink index here. What pen are you using with these?
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Apr 14, 2015 05:00
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Remora posted:Individually? Not long, maybe five minutes or so a sample including time to hose out the pen. I've been accumulating samples over the course of about a year, because I am unbelievably picky about color. Fair enough. I realized that I could just look at the samples of the colors I love the Apache Napalm one, it's such a beautiful orange.
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Apr 14, 2015 08:10
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Kessel posted:What pen are you using with these? A smoothed Pilot Plumix. It lays down a good ribbon of color that helps show off what I think the real color of the ink is, but it usually still pools pretty well on the downstrokes so you can kind of get an idea of what it looks like in a wetter nib.
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Apr 14, 2015 12:27
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GoodBee posted:I got home to my box of pens and ink samples waiting on my porch. I've rinsed the pens with a little dish soap and clear water. How long should I wait for them to dry before filling them? I can test out some samples with my dip pen while I wait. Half a day should be fine. You can accelerate the process by wrapping the nib in a paper towel (not tissue paper, it leaves lint on the nib) and letting capillarity do the work for you.
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Apr 14, 2015 12:55
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My father in law passed away this weekend, and yesterday I was given his pen collection as I was the only one who ever spoke about pens and stationery with him . I was unaware that he had a Parker Duofold, a Mont Blanc 144(I think) and a couple of Diplomats and a Sheaffer pen that I cannot identify. They all had dried ink in them (the old cartridges were still attached even), so I tried cleaning them out with cool water and nothing else and got all the nibs but one of the Diplomats cleaned up. I'm not sure what to do with the one that seems to be clogged however. I've left it soaking overnight in water and tried using a bulb syringe to gently push water through the nib, but it's so clogged that no liquid moves through the nib at all. I've read a 10:1 water to ammonia solution can help, but will this damage the nib at all? The pens (phone pics): Duofold   Mont Blanc   Others The Clogged Diplomat Another Diplomat Some Sheaffer   I feel like I shouldn't even write with the Duofold or the Mont Blanc because I'm so used to cheap pens that I'm afraid of damaging them, although I had to ink up the Duofold just to try it. It's the smoothest pen I've ever written with, hands down.
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Apr 15, 2015 18:26
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Sorry about your loss.ktonastya posted:I've read a 10:1 water to ammonia solution can help, but will this damage the nib at all? Depends on nib material. Gold, rhodium or platinum (or other things plated with those) won't be affected, and a cursory Google search shows steel shouldn't be an issue either, but be careful with aluminum.
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Apr 15, 2015 19:13
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Do I want to go down the Nakaya rabbit hole some time in the next two years?
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Apr 15, 2015 19:20
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aldantefax posted:Do I want to go down the Nakaya rabbit hole some time in the next two years? They'll probably raise their prices at some point in the next year or two, so
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Apr 15, 2015 19:52
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Kessel posted:They'll probably raise their prices at some point in the next year or two, so Well, gently caress that noise then!
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Apr 15, 2015 19:55
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ktonastya posted:I feel like I shouldn't even write with the Duofold or the Mont Blanc because I'm so used to cheap pens that I'm afraid of damaging them, although I had to ink up the Duofold just to try it. It's the smoothest pen I've ever written with, hands down. Hey man, sorry about your loss, that's no way to start a pen collection.  Don't be afraid of using the pens. Yeah, the more expensive ones could be used for special occasions or when you become CEO of a Fortune 500, but pens like these are meant to be used. Most of us here use fountain pens on a daily basis - it's just that we treat them like we'd treat our cell phones rather than a bic ballpoint. If you're interested in using fountain pens on a daily basis, but not these fountain pens, we can give you a ton of advice about models, price ranges, styles, features, inks and so on. And again, really sorry about the news.
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Apr 15, 2015 20:02
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Thanks for the condolences. Mikl posted:Sorry about your loss. Oh my goodness, thank you! I'll make sure to keep it away from anything with aluminum! Solkanar512 posted:Hey man, sorry about your loss, that's no way to start a pen collection. Thanks for the reassurances. I actually do use fountain pens for my daily drivers (a Lamy Al-Star - my first fp in 2011 I believe - and a Cross Century II since my TWSBI Vac700 broke and never heard back from TWSBI support about a replacement part despite multiple emails after being told originally that they'd have to wait on getting one from the factory). I guess It's just a matter of being afraid of ruining anything with sentimental value more than anything else as I adored my husband's father. However, you do have a point about treating them like a cell phone in comparison to a cheap ballpoint. I might for now use the nicer pens as ones which will live on my desk at home and keep my cheaper pens (after I get a pen wrap or case) in my purse for use elsewhere.
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Apr 15, 2015 20:37
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