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Luisfe posted:I refilled a pilot varsity with lamy blue with the help of a chopped syringe. Did you wash out the feed/grip section? A lot of ink can get trapped in there, even if it won't come out through writing.
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May 2, 2013 12:06
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Zenostein posted:Logistically, it's probably just a matter of PM/emails to get addresses. Forget the whole thing and dive into the world of eyedropper fillers.   
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May 13, 2013 01:33
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Ed Mungo posted:What do y'all keep your pens and pen accessories in? All my pens sit in a small tin that Adagio used to send tea samples out in. It holds two Ahabs, a Preppy, and a 540 comfortably enough, but anything more and I'd need another solution. My Hero 200a is on a display stand until I can bother with repairing the cap (small air leak causing the nib to dry out), my Vista used to stay at work except for overnight visits when I needed to refill it, and the 540 stays clipped to my traveler notebook. My inks I just keep in their boxes in a row on my drafting table, and all the little bits and bobs like converters, cartridges, syringes, they stay in a cheap plastic drawer unit I use to hold art supplies. I could easily dedicate an entire drawer to all my pen stuff, but I like them as objet d'art too much to just lock them away. I would like to get a case or something to display my pens, but I don't have all that many at the moment and none of them look all that fancy aside from the Hero. I also fight the urge to just have the ink bottles on display because I know the light will damage the ink. In other news, I flat-out lost my Vista! Kinda miffed, but oh well! That's why I kept a cheap pen at work. This is also the perfect opportunity to finally try out a Metro!
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May 14, 2013 22:43
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Soricidus posted:Does the bit in the OP about Asian nibs being finer than Western nibs apply to TWSBI? Even though TWSBI is a Taiwanese company, the nibs they use are German, so they are roughly equivalent to other European nibs. If you're already familiar with the way a pen writes, the Nib Nook from the Goulet company might be of help in getting an idea.
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May 15, 2013 23:28
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Speaking of which, I just got a Metropolitan from the Goulets! This thing is amazingly smooth. It blows my old Vista completely away and it even gives the 540 some competition. This should definitely be the starter pen, especially since you get a cartridge and a converter with it all for under  ! I'll give a more thorough review once I've had a week to try it out at work.
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May 19, 2013 23:38
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Synastren posted:So my TWSBI Vac700 should be showing up in a day or two. Is there any particular way I should flush it before using it? Generally it's a good idea just to clean out any dust or machine oil that might be in the parts. It certainly wouldn't hurt and just delays inking it up by a minute or so.
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May 21, 2013 03:02
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Meldonox posted:2. I saw Noodler mentioned a bunch and noticed that he has some weird poo poo on some of his bottles, eg Rome Burning. He's, uh, kind of a character, huh? Nathan Tardif is an absolute lunatic who will voice his strong political opinions by making an ink about it. His bottles are some of the most schizophrenic things I've seen. Black Swan in Australian Roses even depicts mythological swan rape along side his trademark catfish. Some of his inks are really nice, and there are a ton of different lines with unique properties such as freeze proof or blacklight reactive. The line of "bulletproof" inks are indelible when used on anything with cellulose fiber, but they can be kind of dull in colour and a little feathery on some paper. Totally get Noodler's inks if you find a colour or property that tickles your fancy, they're pretty cheap per mL as well! The Forgers are going to steal your checks. Invest in gold. 
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May 26, 2013 00:01
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Definitely burgundy. It's nowhere close to either a blood red or a dark pink.
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May 29, 2013 21:36
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blowfish posted:Rakuten Welp, looks like I finally can't justify not having Iroshizuku inks! Adding this to the OP.
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May 31, 2013 19:13
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Hell yeah, I'd love to buy a bottle of Take-Sumi and Shin-Kai off you if you happen to pick them up! Now let's hope flight delays don't interfere with your plans of being an ink mule.
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Jun 7, 2013 20:41
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Whoa, awesome review! I don't know how I'd feel about that taper, but those pens certainly look impressive for being made of plastic. Especially with the gold nib, the price seems reasonable enough, too!
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Jun 10, 2013 05:21
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Reivax posted:They're not bad inks, and you shouldn't have any problems with them. I personally don't like Quick Black and Blue (the only two I've tried) but that's personal taste. The black is a kinda dark grey and the blue is really boring. India ink is a pigmented ink, and those pigments falling out of solution is what the "sediment" is, so yeah avoid any inks that say "pigmented" or anything but "dye-based" because they will clog up your pen. India ink in particular you should  never use because instead of water, it uses shellac as a solvent. It will dry up in your pen and you will never be able to get it out. Only use fountain pen inks in fountain pens, folks!
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Jun 12, 2013 22:45
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It would also help to keep your pens stored in an empty (and hopefully clean) soda bottle. They were designed to prevent contents from equalizing in pressure, and to keep liquids from spilling out. It also makes it easy to store them upright, so if it does happen the air bubble is already against the feed and has as little ink as possible to push out.
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Jun 13, 2013 20:37
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Mathematics posted:I have to admit, I haven't been following this thread lately.  That's quite a handsome pen! Comes with a converter and is packaged in a leather slip instead of a box, so the container is also a carrying case. Really neat ideas there! The only thing I notice that I don't like is that the cap threads are right there on the grip section, right where I'd put my fingers. That would drive me nuts and I feel like it's the only thing keeping me from loving this pen entirely.
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Jun 13, 2013 22:39
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kim jong-illin posted:Arse, I got my Lamy 2000 today and I'm not happy with the nib I hate to be "that person," but did you clean the pen before you tried it out? I also generally try to give a new pen a whole week to see if it has any little quirks about it or how to hold it properly. I hold my Vista a different way from my Metro a different way from my TWSBI. If you cleaned it and gave it a decent trial, then I hope the new nib works out for you!
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Jun 28, 2013 13:59
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Even when not using bulletproof inks, it's good to give your pen a thorough cleaning every so often. Dust and paper fibers scrapped off by the process of writing can get clogged in even the best nibs.
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Jul 6, 2013 20:20
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Stalizard posted:Well, I never thought it would happen to me, but thanks to you jerks I just went to a pen store and spent twenty American Dollars on one measly pen. That same money could buy two hundred pens. I just gone one. An "entry level" or "beginners" model, at that - not even a good one. You're welcome, buddy.  The India ink labelled "for fountain pens" is a water-based pigmented ink that uses the same pigments in legit India ink. It's suitable, but there are so many inks out there that unless you absolutely have to buy ink from that shop and they don't sell better ones, I'd recommend looking around the internet. There are some amazing inks with varying properties, some you might like better than others! Frankly it's the best part about fountain pen use. e: If you're going to still use the India Ink for fountain pens, you'll need to flush out your pen more often to prevent pigment sediment from building up in the feed and causing problems. I'd recommend every other time you have to refill, do a deep flush with clean water and maybe a little ammonia or dish soap added in.
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Jul 13, 2013 03:52
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teethgrinder posted:An AFFORDABLE pen shop opened in Toronto! http://www.wonderpens.ca/ Thanks! Added to the OP.
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Jul 17, 2013 04:29
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HoD is my daily ink at work. My office is stocked with whatever the cheapest paper is at the time, so quality is all over the place. Feathering and drying time are not problems at all unless you need to write suuuuper tiny, in which case you could use an F or EF nib. I've used a Pilot Metro medium, Lamy Vista fine, and Platinum Preppy fine with great results, especially the preppy. Definitely the ink to use if you want a super-dark indelible black.Not an Anthem posted:http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/730727524/visionnaire-fine-writing-instruments-0?ref=home_popular Unremarkable pen with an up-its-own-rear end design philosophy. If it were $20 cheaper I'd consider getting one but there's no way it could outclass the Metropolitan.
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Jul 18, 2013 20:10
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I can't speak for the Midori paper, but having a traveler notebook is really great. I had never heard of them until the Goulets started carrying them and made blog posts about it. Looking at the price of everything made me cringe, so I just made my own knockoff and stuffed some Clairefontaine notebooks into it.  I use it as a portable notebook/journal/wallet sort of thing. I have a 3x5" notebook for general use, a couple of file folders I made myself out of old files using this guide, and even have a card sleeve and a tiny jotter notebook I use as a ledger. It's been really useful for keeping things organized and having a way to jot down ideas and everything while on the go.
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Jul 29, 2013 12:24
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If you grip the nib in a pinch on the top and bottom sides, then pull straight out, you'll pull the nib and feed assembly out all at once and can just rinse it off with water and ammonia. You can then also just run water straight through the grip section, or let it soak in a cleaning solution for a little while and run clean water through it after that. Those Preppies are really great pens for being so cheap (or free)!
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Jul 31, 2013 13:23
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Who let all these pen hipsters into my thread? Yeah, modern steel nibs aren't going to be as flexy as vintage gold nibs, but people aren't really doing copperplate as their everyday handwriting anymore either. If you like your vintage nibs that can flex out to a mile, great, but don't anybody sit on a throne and scowl down at the unwashed peons because their writing tool isn't as bendy in places as yours. In unrelated news, flying with a bulb converter sucks. Get a piston converter for your Metro if you want to fly with it and keep that poo poo topped up (or completely empty).
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Aug 8, 2013 10:33
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milpreve posted:I hate you all. By which I mean I read this entire thread in the last 24 hours and ordered a converted Preppy with a sample of HoD. Welcome to the fold. Don't forget to put a couple dozen ink samples in with your next purchase. milpreve posted:The OP was really informative, but a glossary would be useful. Not all of the lingo is obvious, like "demonstrator" seems to mean just a transparent/translucent pen? Great idea! There's one for the parts of a pen, but I guess there are a few more esoteric words that would be helpful to have there. Feel free to toss in ideas of what I should add, folks!
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Sep 9, 2013 02:45
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milpreve posted:Here's a question for ye, TWSBI: "tee double-u ess bee eye," "twis-bee," or "toos-by" ?? I say the latter in my head, as "w" is a Welsh vowel pronounced "uu," but I don't want to go into a pen store and sound like a twerp. Also, LAMY: "lame-y" or "lamb-y" ? "Twisby" and "Lah-mee." That's how they'll most be pronounced in youtube videos and suchlike.
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Sep 9, 2013 03:19
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ChickenOfTomorrow posted:
 I love seeing people's collections! There's no reason this thread can't have a little pen porn every once in a while. Show off what you have, talk about 'em if you want even!
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Sep 18, 2013 01:26
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Edmond Dantes posted:Ah, ok. I have the 1.1 on the CP1 so it would be about the same, as a few folks in the thread mentioned the 1.5 is a bit wide for everyday writing.  I just wish some of these came in different combos. I'd love the python pattern with the body colour of the lizard pen.
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Sep 28, 2013 01:19
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JP Money posted:I guess I never noticed that it's a "long" pen but that article actually shows me that it is. I still stand by other pens being bulkier width-wise but you're totally right in that it's longer than most pens. I don't post my cap so maybe that's why I never really noticed. The red portion is what holds the rest of the piston when you screw it in. It pretty much fills the space exactly when the converter is full. They could improve the design a little, but for however much you increase the ink reservoir, you also have to lengthen the piston by just as much. 
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Oct 3, 2013 00:46
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Well, already owning a bottle of 54th makes me feel better that I have to sit this sale out due to moving. Good luck with your ink, friends! It's a pretty great blue-black, if a little feathery.
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Oct 9, 2013 23:48
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Before I even read the body of your post I got excited about that face!  I wish it came with a clip, but I'll have to get one of these anyway! Now I just gotta decide on a colour (grey can go gently caress itself).
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Oct 23, 2013 13:32
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With a backstory like that, it's a little disheartening that it isn't bulletproof.  If you're going to go with a Noodler's ink and you want it to be durable, I'd go for Black or Heart of Darkness.
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Oct 24, 2013 17:16
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Nathan Tardif is a treasure to this world and I hope he doesn't die, but instead ascends to Objectivist Heaven where he'll rain his inks down on us forever. 
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Oct 26, 2013 12:35
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Here's the link to I Sell Pens, which is a pretty good retailer with fantastic customer service.
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Nov 9, 2013 23:26
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I've had 54th, Purple Heart, and Heart of Darkness in Pilot, Noodler's, Hero, and TWSBI pens and none of them have been bad, though they are all really creepy and hard starters. As for Nathan Tardiff himself, I don't agree with his politics but I do think it's hilarious to see someone get so completely riled up about ink and rant on youtube about how you can't buy a 15 nib set for a dollar anymore. His inability to take criticism is incredibly off-putting, and I know if I had a genuine complaint about one of his products it would either fall on deaf ears or become my fault somehow. Still, HoD is a very, very black ink  EagerSleeper posted:Hi there, I was thinking about buying one of my first fountain pens since not only am I interested in trying to be a little more ecofriendly, I'm also interested in having a tool that's long-lasting. The only thing that's holding me back from completing my order online when I already have a whole shopping cart's worth of stuff is that it's the holiday season and I'm afraid that good discounts are going to be available right after I purchased something. I was wondering do any online suppliers have a history of special prices during the holiday seasons? Everyone's said some good stuff, but yeah, just buy the Metro. It's $15, comes with both a converter and a cartridge, and gives you a good starting point. If you don't like something about the nib or the way it writes or the size of the pen, you now know where to go when you buy your next one. It's exciting to dive right in, I know, but let's be sensible here! As for the ink, get a bottle and some samples. Find a colour you love and get it, then get some samples of others. Goulet and I Sell Pens both offer pretty hearty sample vials for very cheap. Samples will give you the ability to test out the individual inks, see what properties or colours or brands you like and dislike, and again give you a place to go when you place your second order. The bottle is for something you know you're going to want, or know you're going to need. I imagine a lot of us bought black or blue as our first ink, simply for the utility of it, but there are definitely people who pored over swatch pages and picked their favourite colour based on nothing else. You just want to get something that you'll want to keep writing with even when all your samples have run dry and you're waiting for more ink to come in! Whatever you do, keep us updated! 
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Nov 14, 2013 13:39
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You can find both newsprint and unlined paper bound up in notebooks in any arts & crafts store or the art supplies section of any Target or the like. Most fountain pen paper companies also sell unlined notebooks of almost every size/binding. While you probably could wash paper to make it blank, it would be way easier and more economical to just recycle old newspapers (and books I guess if you really want  ) and buy what you wanted to use. It would damage the integrity of the paper, anyway.
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Nov 23, 2013 01:39
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twinight posted:Dumb maintenance question time! So I've been using the TWSBI 580 as my daily pen for a fair bit now, refilled it once (first fill was about a half fill, didn't quite understand what I was doing), and have been generally having a really good time. I don't really plan on using anything other than Noodler's Black in it for any foreseeable future. How often should I go about cleaning the pen? Every few refills? I have no concept of how much crud will build up and how much cleaning should be done as preventative maintenance. It's good practice to clean your pen after every other fill. Just mix up some rinse and run it through the pen using the pen's built-in filling mechanism, just like you would do if you were filling it with ink. Flush it like that a few times until the rinse runs clear, then flush it out several times with clean water to get the chemicals out of the feed. You won't be harming anything by doing it after every 3 fills, or once a month, or whatever's most convenient for you. To make some good, general-purpose pen rinse, just use a 10:1 ratio of water to pure ammonia, then add a drop or two of ordinary dish soap and mix well before use. That's what's in the store-bought pen flushes, so don't bother paying $12 or whatever for 8 ounces. You don't really need to take it apart or scrub anything. TWSBI Diamonds are great for taking apart and fiddling with because they were meant to be user-serviceable, but there's no real /need/ to do so. The silicone grease is to lubricate the piston if it starts to stick or have too much resistance when you're filling the pen. You will rarely need to do that. There was an instruction pamphlet that came with the pen on how to disassemble and lubricate it, and there are some videos on youtube, if you ever want to get into that. The only "go-to" cleaning method is to run pen rinse through the feed until it runs clear, then flushing it out with plenty of water. There are other things people do like floss the tines with a brass sheet, but that's not so important for just daily maintenance on a single-ink pen.
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Nov 24, 2013 22:17
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Serious Sam posted:I remember we had fountain pens at primary school, when we learned proper handwriting. All the time, unless I have to write on carbon paper or plastic bags for work.
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Nov 28, 2013 14:41
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dino. posted:On 1 January, I'm going to be flying from LGA to FLL. The last time I flew I had three pens in my bag and nobody said anything about them. Incidentally, I also managed to forget to remove my all-metal watch and it didn't set off the metal detector. 
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Dec 3, 2013 21:07
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murrika
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The major drawback to eyedropper conversion is having to keep your pens topped up. The heat in your hand causes the air inside to expand, and there's no way to get around that except by keeping the air bubble as small as possible. It's almost self-defeating, but even half of an eyedropper pen's reservoir is more than the typical cartridge or converter.
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Dec 4, 2013 11:17
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A couple of Noodler's inks come with Nib Creeper pens. They're kind of lovely, like most Noodler's pens, but they're really made to be cheap and easy to repair/modify, not to be good writers.
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Dec 4, 2013 18:33
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I'm all aboard the knife writing thread if we can buy Nathan Tardif an account and bring him in.
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Dec 18, 2013 02:34
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