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I just got back from Goulet warehouse. Got my Goulet #6 Fine nib and a bunch of samples that I'm excited to try. The Goulet nibs are really great. The Fine actually has a slightly wider line than I was expecting (about the same as an unflexed Noodler's Flex line is), but I'll admit that I don't have a whole lot of experience with different nib sizes. If you're in or around the Richmond/Ashland area at all, I'd really recommend doing a pick-up at the Goulet warehouse next time you order from them. Everyone is super nice and more than ready to answer any questions you might have. And I got a tootsie pop from them 
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May 31, 2013 22:04
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I've also heard to be careful with the (relatively few) inks that still use iron gall. If you leave one in a pen for too long it can lead to problems like corrosion.
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Jun 12, 2013 21:10
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I've been using one of the Fine, two-tone Goulet nibs, too. I did notice that the line width was wider than I was expecting from a Fine nib at least compared to one of the unflexed Noodler's nibs, which is the bulk of my prior experience. I had Blue Nose Bear in it which has been writing pretty wet (for me anyway) and when I replaced it with Diamine Oxblood (which seems like kind a of a dry/drier ink?), the lines got a little finer. Overall they were still a bit on the wider side though. From what I've heard, the company that manufactures the Goulet Nibs is Jowo, a German company, so they might be using a slightly larger base for their Fine if you're more used to really fine nibs like most Japanese pens and maybe TWISBIs use. e: I've got a little creep around the base of the nib too, but it doesn't bother me much. I have mine in an Ahab, by the way.
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Jun 17, 2013 21:17
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Yeah, make sure that the nib is completely submerged. One thing that I'll do is fill it, flush it out and fill it again, all while keeping it submerged. Sometimes you'll draw up air from the feed and that helps to flush it out by saturating the feed before you do the final fill.
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Jun 19, 2013 20:04
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It looks pretty decent. I wouldn't be opposed to possibly getting one after the full production line comes out and people have had a chance to actually use them and evaluate them (and they turn out to be good). Dropping $40~ on a pen that I know nothing about and that has no user reviews doesn't sit well with my budget, personally, but I'm poor. I'm not a huge fan of how they're presenting the pen as being some huge bargain by comparing it only to Parkers and Mont Blancs. It seems a bit misdirecting that they aren't comparing their pen to others in the same range, and using price comparisons as their main marketing strategy instead. I mean, just a quick look at Goulet shows that they carry over 200 fountain pens (including different colors/nibs) that cost the same or less than the Visionnaire, so it's not like they don't already exist.
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Jun 28, 2013 22:20
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Brightman posted:I think they're comparing it to Parker and Mont Blanc because they're claiming to be using the same manufacturer that they use. I'll be sure to let you guys know how they are whenever I get those pens. Ah, I reread the kickstarter and they do mention that "We were able to partner and work with the best manufacturer in the industry. Our manufacturer have spent the past 25 years perfecting fine writing instruments for industry leaders like Parker and MontBlanc." Sort of strange to me that they don't say who exactly that manufacturer is, and from what little information I can scrape up off Google it sounds like MB and Parker might have different manufacturers? And their claim that a single bottle of ink can last a person for 10 years sounds weird to me. I'm probably just being overly skeptical though. I'll withhold further judgments until someone gets their hands on one of the pens.
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Jun 29, 2013 03:01
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Not an Anthem posted:http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/730727524/visionnaire-fine-writing-instruments-0?ref=home_popular It came up a few pages back. A few of us were a bit skeptical of their marketing and claims.
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Jul 18, 2013 17:20
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At least in my experience, Noodler's inks seem to take a little longer to dry than some of the other inks I've tried out (Diamine, Iroshizuku, Private Reserve). I have Clairfontaine, Rhodia, and some of the Maruman Mnemosyne paper (here: http://www.jetpens.com/Maruman-Mnemosyne-Inspiration-Notebook-A5-5.8-X-8.3-Unruled-70-Sheets-Bundle-of-3/pd/4120) and I think the Mnemosyne has been the best for me as far as dry times. Rhodia takes a little longer than that, and Clairfontaine the longest (it's certainly shinier/smoother than my Rhodia dotpad). I have some old Moleskine sketchbooks laying around and I know that at least one of them wouldn't take fountain pen ink at all. It just couldn't start on that paper to the point I thought there was something wrong with my pen until I tried it on other paper and it was fine. I've since switched to Handbook sketchbooks as my usual note and drawing books (http://www.dickblick.com/products/hand-book-artist-journals/). They're cheaper, have more versatile paper, and more sheets than a Moleskine sketchbook does. It's a bit thirsty with FPs because it can take light watercolor washes, but I'm never going to buy another Moleskine as long as I can get the Handbooks.
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Jul 30, 2013 17:38
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I don't mind the overpackaging that Goulet does, personally, because I can always give the extra stuff to other people (mostly my boyfriend) who ship stuff in the mail pretty often. Does anyone have an ink syringe and think it'd be a good investment? I have a bunch of sample vials that all have a good amount of ink left in them, but not quite enough to be able to draw into the pen normally. I'm afraid of just trying to pull out the nib/feed and pour it in because I know I'll make a mess. Not too interested in eyedropper conversions either (I like to change inks out a lot, so lower capacity is fine for me.)
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Aug 7, 2013 21:17
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68k posted:Question about the Noodler's Ahab: I have one that I've been using for almost a year as a daily pen, but I did manage to solve this problem (my Noodler's Konrad was doing it too, I think it's because they have such wet feeds). I just got a pen case (it's just a soft roll-up style one like this http://www.jetpens.com/Saki-P-661-Roll-Pen-Case-with-Traditional-Japanese-Fabric-Purple/pd/7473 ) and I make sure that when I put it in my purse, the pens are oriented nib-up. I'm a bit more careful with it (I don't toss it around willy nilly like I used to), but most of the ink splatter going in in the cap was from me having it loose in my purse and my purse bouncing when I walked around. As soon as I'm in a place where I can set my purse down, it's usually in a way so that the nibs are horizontal, so by the time I use them in class or at work or whatever, they aren't dried out and there's no ink in the cap 
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Sep 2, 2013 16:25
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milpreve posted:I know people talk about the pros and cons of iron gall ink, but is oak gall ink fountain pen friendly? I can find out exactly how it was made, if that makes a difference. Oak Gall and Iron Gall are the same thing, actually. From what I've gathered, it's OK to use in fountain pens, but you want to make sure that you perform good maintenance and cleaning and make sure not to let it sit in the pen for too long. Do know that it can be somewhat acidic, so if you're worried at all about archival quality stuff you might want to be careful.
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Sep 9, 2013 16:43
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Speaking of that squeeze bulb filler, is it normal for the filler to leak a little bit into the body of the pen? I've been carrying my Metro around as an everyday pen so it does get knocked around a little bit even though I'm careful (but no leaks on the nib end, so that's good at least!) I did take the bulb out at some point to clean it when I switched inks. Is it possible I just didn't push it back in firmly enough? It didn't leak with the previous ink I had in it and the wear-and-tear was the same as far as me carrying it around. I probably should have spent the extra couple bucks for a con-50 but I'm cheap even when it comes to "luxury" hobbies.
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Sep 26, 2013 22:11
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ChickenOfTomorrow posted:You mean when you unscrew the body from the section, you have ink "free," sloshing in the bottom? Or ink creeping out of the seam between section and body? No, that's not normal. Not quite that dramatic, it was mostly just sort of creeping up around the converter and there were some splashes of it on the metal and rubber. Not really any that was sloshing around in the body or actually leaking out of the pen (I only discovered it when I opened the body up). I did push it down harder afterwards and it doesn't seem to have leaked at all since; I keep checking it and it seems fine now.
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Sep 27, 2013 16:04
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milpreve posted:Can I get a confirmation that the feed and nib of the Metro are actually supposed to come out? Mine has never budged, and neither the Binders or Tim Girdler could get it out. I always take the nib/feed out of my Metro when I clean it. The way that works for me (please let me know if I'm doing something horrible accidently) is to wrap it in a paper towel for grip, put my thumb flat on the feed and index finger flat on top of the nib as far away from the nib tip as possible, and then just sort of pull and wiggle very gently until it starts to come out. It's really easy to put back in the same way--there are these sort of notches on the nib that fit it on the feed so you can't really mess it up.
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Nov 15, 2013 00:21
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I had a sample of Rome Burning a little while ago. It does feel like a novelty/special occasion ink for me, at least. It's pretty--very metallic and a shiny gold color that could be great if you want to embellish some of the stuff you're writing but I could see it being a little annoying if you're trying to take extensive notes with it. From what I remember it was a really wet writer, too. The lines were pretty wide for the medium nibs I was using it with.
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Dec 12, 2013 02:52
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I'm going to assume the Rome Burning one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KcW1IlaxFs but really, it could have been any number of his product videos.
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Dec 17, 2013 22:22
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I guess I must have gotten lucky with my Ahab because I haven't had any trouble with it in the two and a half years I've had it, other than it liking to drip into the cap a little but that was solved just by making sure I keep it nib-up in my purse. I did end up replacing the nib with one of the Goulet #6s and while I do like it a lot better, the original one wasn't all that bad for how cheap it was. The size of the Ahab is also more ergonomic for me because I have tendinitis or something so the larger size is better for that than my smaller/slimmer pens.
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Mar 3, 2014 22:56
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The smell is from the stuff used to make pen body. If you put it somewhere that it can sort of air out, the smell should go away faster. Using it daily also helped in my case. It still smells a little but only if you hold it directly under your nose.
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Mar 6, 2014 23:59
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I had my Konrad burp like that once. I think it might just have something to do with the air pressure in the barrel getting weird. I wouldn't worry about it unless it keeps happening.
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Mar 25, 2014 18:07
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So to celebrate finally being employed after 5 jobless months post-graduation, I'm thinking of getting another pen. I'm looking in the mid-range, around $40-80 or so (my current pens were all $20 or less). I've been looking most seriously at the Lamy Studio and was wondering if anyone had experience with it. I've used Safaris/Al-Stars before but really didn't like the way they felt in my hand with that triangular grip.
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Jun 1, 2014 16:48
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teraflame posted:Should I buy a Capless Raden Water Surface? I normally like decimos but this one I've been eyeing for years, its just so pretty. I got some surprise money recently and finally caved and got the Vanishing Point (seems like Capless is the UK name for it?) Raden Stripe, but I was really torn between it and the Water Surface. The abalone inlay is beautiful. I'm betting the guts of the pen are probably exactly the same as the Decimos, so it's probably the same experience in all aspects except aesthetics. But wow, the abalone is hypnotizingly pretty. E: Did a little more research and apparently the Decimos are a smidge smaller than the regular Vanishing Points, so that is a difference. (And Capless is also the Japanese name for some but not all of the pens? Still a little unsure on how that matches up to the US naming conventions exactly.) DurianGray fucked around with this message at 01:26 on Nov 6, 2022 |
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Nov 6, 2022 01:17
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SkeletonHero posted:Is this a good place to ask about glass dip pens? I've been watching videos of them and they look fun to use, so I might get one for myself for a Christmas present. What are some good beginner glass pens? Or which thread should I go to to ask about them? I have a J. Herbin that I got recently specifically for swatching, and I like it a lot! One thing to know, or that you'll learn quickly, is some inks just don't like working with glass nibs at all. For example, I've been swatching through the Diamine Inkvent calendar for this year, and most of the standard inks so far work pretty well with the glass pen, but some of the shimmer inks just refuse to flow on it at all (not all of them, but most). If you're mostly planning to just use it with standard inks you'll probably be fine, but know the sheening/shimmer/etc. ones could give you trouble. (Granted, it could be user error on my part but I'm pretty sure having that much glitter in an ink could change how it behaves in a niche circumstance like using a glass pen.)
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Dec 12, 2022 18:55
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Xun posted:oh odd, Ive been swatching through the calendar with my glass pen too and all of the inks have been fine Oh interesting! I wonder if I should try them on a different paper and see if that makes a difference. (What paper are you using?) I've been using an old leuchtturm to fill it up, but it's definitely not the best ink-friendly paper I have.
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Dec 12, 2022 20:22
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They do wear down a bit over time. Mine came with a little square of fine grit sandpaper to reshape it when needed.
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Dec 13, 2022 15:38
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roomtwofifteen posted:I just noticed Goulet raised their free shipping minimum to $99, which is a bummer. I get it, but it's getting harder to shop from there since I don't usually get a ton of stuff at once. We have a couple decent shops in the DC area but I like Goulet. I really wish they'd start allowing local purchases so at least I could go down to Richmond on a weekend or something. Yeah they had allowed warehouse pickup before they moved to their current location, and it's a bummer -- I'm local to them and would love for it to come back. They said they couldn't offer it anymore because of something to do with their lease/landlord's rules (at least that's what a friend of mine who used to do warehouse pickup was told when she asked them about it).
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Mar 6, 2023 22:09
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I always use either pippettes or an ink syringe on all my pilot converters. Also, having used both, I tend to prefer the syringe since some converters and cartriges can be a little tricker to fit the pippettes into (pippettes are a bit easier to keep clean or just dispose of if they get nasty though).
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Apr 4, 2023 17:16
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Pigsfeet on Rye posted:What is the issue with the Baystate Blue that would cause this? From some quick research, it looks like BSB is a more alkaline than most inks and that can interact badly with certain materials, especially some of the ones found in certain vintage pens.
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Jul 3, 2023 16:36
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mortons stork posted:Is it just me or some inks feel a lot more generous (for lack of a better word) when used on the finer nibs? The Sailor black cartridges that came with my new pen felt I think incredibly smooth, it laid a nice and shiny line and the black color felt p. strong and deep. I've been loading in tsuki-yo by converter since, and while it doesn't feel bad, I do think it feels different to write with. Not to mention it looks like I lose quite a bit of depth of color (kinda duh, I know) Yes, some inks play a lot better (or worse) in certain nib sizes and have different flow properties.
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Jul 25, 2023 17:32
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mortons stork posted:Good to know. Will have to keep in mind which pen I want to get my inks for, which I didn't expect but makes sense. Thanks! You also might be aware of this already, but the paper you use can make a pretty big difference too, especially with how some inks will actually look when they dry, whether they feather or not, etc. You can get different effects with slower-drying paper vs. more absorbent paper, for instance.
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Jul 25, 2023 22:24
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I've done watercolor over fountain pen ink before. I can definitely vouch for the De Atramentis Document inks for waterproof (and they come in colors other than black if you want some non-monochrome options). I haven't personally used a Lamy to sketch with (I have a weird grip and the triangle shaped barrel doesn't feel comfortable) but I have a friend who uses them all the time for sketching. I do find the Sailor Fude De Mannen really fun to sketch with though. It's pretty popular in urban sketching circles. It has a sort of angled nib with a big flat side, so you can get a lot of interesting line variation out of it. It's also pretty cheap, about $10 on Amazon right now looks like.
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Jul 28, 2023 01:07
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DicktheCat posted:Edit: the hobby has also been pretty good for my arthritic hands in regards to writing, since they're very smooth to write with and have big barrels. Yes! Part of what got me into them was that I had started getting tendonitis in college, and it was so much easier to take notes with something that I knew I didn't need to (and shouldn't!) put much pressure on. The bigger barrel size (especially compared to most ball points or pencils) was also a big help.
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Aug 9, 2023 03:14
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It looks like it's fine for the Kaweco Sport feed/nib to come out - I found a few "how to clean" videos where they pull it out. I'm guessing the fiddling from cleaning might have gotten it a little loose/unseated to where it slid out, so hopefully if it fit back in snug it's OK. DurianGray fucked around with this message at 13:31 on Aug 24, 2023 |
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Aug 24, 2023 13:28
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Keetron posted:They got what? Neil Gaiman uses fountain pens, I assume it's his brand of choice and at some point that caused a run on their pens?
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Nov 11, 2023 20:10
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I just have a cheap little sonic cleaner and a blunt tipped syringe that do a really good job for pen cleaning and ink swapping.
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Feb 29, 2024 03:23
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