|
So I thought this is pretty neato: http://www.psfk.com/2013/03/vineyard-wine-pen.html A vineyard attracts potential business partners by sending them samples of wine inside fountain pens rather than bottles. They recipients can use the wine pen to fill out the mailing forms that came with it. I've always been put off by people licking their pens before writing with it. Until now, that is.
|
#
¿
Mar 8, 2013 10:28
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 21, 2024 18:32 |
|
|
I've been reading this thread for a while, but I've never actually had an interest in fountain pens until now. Don't know jack all about them. I haven't gotten one yet, but I do recall doing calligraphy back when I was in 3rd grade or so. Thanks to this thread, I just bought a Pilot Parallel to see if I can still do it, and well... The middle character was a mistake. It doesn't even exist. The bottom is my friend's name in Chinese, 鑼鋼. Never done blackletter in Chinese before.  Are there any recommendations for special kind of paper for fountain/calligraphy pens? I'm just stealing printer paper from work at the moment.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 17, 2013 18:29
|
|
|
Thanks for the suggestions, guys. I just ordered some fancy shmancy Clairefontaine paper, a sampler of inks, and a Pilot Metropolitan, because I'm a fountain pen beginner.  Until those get here, I might as well do a little bit of more practice.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 18, 2013 01:39
|
|
|
I have no cap and I must post. The real reason I post my caps (also, I just learned what "posting caps" meant as of today) as much as possible is because I wouldn't want to get the cap dirty from the oils of my palms.  I obviously have no choice with my Pilot Parallel, though, so I just stand it up on the desk when writing.This thread is so fascinating on a topic that I thought was completely mundane and unassuming. And now I'm going to get my first fountain pen in the mail soon. What's up with that?
|
|
#
¿
Mar 18, 2013 20:37
|
|
|
cobalt impurity posted:One day I just got the urge to check out fountain pens and there happened to be a thread on SA about it. Now I have 6 pens, 7 bottles of ink, and am always looking to expand my collection. Well, as sexy as fountain pens are, what really drew me in and finally made a post/some purchases was the calligraphy talk. I guess fountain pens are to follow, but for now, I'm having a blast with my Pilot Parallel. Thanks again for that suggestion!
|
|
#
¿
Mar 18, 2013 22:12
|
|
|
All right, just got my package in from Goulet Pens. Got the Ink Sample Package by Rachel G. (RIGHT before ink sample packages went on sale  ), a blue cloth-bound Clairfonte notebook in French Rule, and my first fountain pen ever, the Pilot Metropolitan.The pen is tinier than I expected it be. I'm having fun with all these, but man, I can't write cursive if it could cure cancer. I'm sure I'm using the pen correctly, but I feel like it has made my handwriting way worse, or at least extremely self conscious. I'm too afraid to even scan it. Hopefully I'll move onto more big-boy pens, but for now, I think I'll practice some more calligraphy with the Parallel. Also, how do I clean the nib if it has ink on it? I guess it doesn't really matter, but with something so new, I can get pretty anal about keeping something clean for as long as possible. If I even lightly touch the nib with any sort of cloth, the ink will totally bleed all over it. It kind of sucks being so new and clueless at everything!
|
|
#
¿
Mar 21, 2013 22:19
|
|
|
Jesus, I just ordered another Clairefontaine notebook with blank ruling, like three more ink sample packages (because NOW they're on sale, so that's like 24 samples of ink?), a Lamy Joy 1.9, and a TWSBI Diamond 580 1.1. My handwriting better drat well be fit for the royal family after all this impulse shopping! What the hell are you doing to me, thread?! 
|
|
#
¿
Mar 23, 2013 08:45
|
|
|
I just got my TWSBI Diamond 580 with 1.1 nib in the mail. I was excited to use it, but after the next day, it felt all scratchy against the paper and sometimes refuses to draw ink on some strokes. I don't see any obstruction in the nib. Everything should still be brand new. What could be happening? I hope I didn't do anything wrong.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 28, 2013 19:12
|
|
|
How long can a fountain pen go in disuse before the ink starts to go bad or stain or whatever?
|
|
#
¿
Apr 9, 2013 21:55
|
|
|
Oh great, just as I asked this question, I just looked at my TWSBI 580 after only one week of not using it, and it's already got ink in places it shouldn't, like between the plastic casings in the cap and whatnot. Ugh, how do I clean this thing? For the record, I'm testing out Noodler's Apache Sunset. Maybe I shouldn't be traveling around with this thing so much? 
|
|
#
¿
Apr 9, 2013 23:42
|
|
|
JP Money posted:You can definitely knock some ink out of the nib if you drop it or something. I've never had problems with my Safari being in my backpack or my pocket but I haven't had it very long to be fair. It's surprising yours is pouring out that much though. Well, no, I've been traveling around with it. Mostly from work to home, and it's kept in a soft pouch in a tote bag. I'm sure it gets bumped around as much as any other thing in bags, but somehow ink got inside the casings where running water can't reach it. It's pretty distressing when I only had this pen for around two weeks. My Pilot Metropolitan, Parallel, and my Lamy Joy all seem to be fine, however, and they're all in the same tote bag.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 9, 2013 23:52
|
|
|
404notfound posted:The cap should be about the only place where ink could accumulate, unless you've disassembled and reassembled the pen improperly somehow. I don't have a 580 myself, but if the design of the cap is still more or less the same as before, then you can remove the inner cap for cleaning by shoving the eraser end of a regular pencil into it until the cap is firmly stuck to the eraser, then simply yanking it back out. I've never taken apart the 580 at all. I've only added ink by sucking it up through the nib, as it said in its minimalist instruction booklet. I had no idea this thing had an "inner cap", so I'll have to give that a try when I get home. Thanks. Update: Oh good, everything worked! I can now clean everything. I thought it was going to turn out more difficult than I thought. My 580 won't have to remain messy anymore! Update 2: Oh great, now I find that ink somehow leaked into the crevices in the cap that's between the metal band and the plastic. At least you can't see it from the outside, but inside the cap where the plastic twists, there's ink somehow lodged behind it. Now I'm really not sure how to handle this one, and I don't think TWSBI sells caps alone. Yoshi Jjang fucked around with this message at 01:13 on Apr 10, 2013 |
|
#
¿
Apr 9, 2013 23:59
|
|
|
Zenostein posted:Would just leaving it in a glass of water overnight harm it? That's what I do when my caps are inky, although that is usually wet ink, not dried. Yeah, I'm doing this right now. If that isn't enough, I guess I'll have to take it apart. Ulp... However, I did send an email to TWSBI, so I'll first wait to hear what they say. Thanks for the help!
|
|
#
¿
Apr 10, 2013 05:49
|
|
|
404notfound posted:But if you're not in a hurry to get it fixed, I'd suggest firing an email off to twsbiinc@gmail.com telling them about the problem. Despite the occasional QC issues with their pens (which they're always refining, as the 580's design fixes a few problems the 540 had), they've got stellar customer service, and it wouldn't surprise me if they just sent you a whole new cap outright. Well, you're right! I asked if they were selling spare caps, and they insisted they send me a new cap. Hot drat, TWSBI is awesome! I feel like I'm going to eventually buy the Vac 700 just because now! As for my old cap, looks like the ink is stuck there quite permanently, unless I can find a way to remove the bottom metal band from the plastic. No amount of soaking in ammonia is going to get to it.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 16, 2013 08:03
|
|
|
So I bought some Heart of Darkness because I'm curious what the whole raving over it was all about. Is it me, or does the Platinum Preppy that came with it write so much better than all my other fountain pens? 
|
|
#
¿
Apr 19, 2013 00:12
|
|
|
Brightman posted:No, it's not you. The Platinum Preppy that comes free with HoD is a ridiculously good writer, super smooth. I think it's about as good as, if not better than, my Pilot Vanishing Point, and that cost a hundred bucks. Actually the Metro might be in line with the Preppy as well, but I haven't compared those two yet. I don't know if it's my pen specifically, but the Metropolitan sucks compared to the Preppy. It's a shame, because that was my very first fountain pen after having been sucked in by this thread. But yes, I'll go so far as to say that the Preppy writes better than my 580 Diamond. Jesus... just when I was absolutely smitten by TWSBI, too.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 19, 2013 14:58
|
|
|
Yeah, definitely. When I first opened the Heart of Darkness box, I was like, "Heh, look at this pent. It looks like absolute crap. No wonder it's free."  I thought it was missing parts and I had no idea how one would fill it with ink. I didn't know it was converted to an eyedropper pen, and I didn't know that was even a thing.Still, I was pleasantly surprised by how well it does right out of the box. More than pleasantly, really. And they're so bloody cheap! I'll have to buy more Preppy pens just because now! (Hey, where have I said that before?)
|
|
#
¿
Apr 19, 2013 16:28
|
|
|
Vitamins posted:So I went to the Northern Pen Show yesterday. It was the first pen show I've been too and it was a great experience. I just Googled all these pens you've brought up, never hearing any of them before, and holy Jesus, they're all like above $500.  And you thought you would've bought more than just the one on a whim?It was a difficult decision enough for me as it is to buy a pen that's $60 (and then finding out that a $4 pen I own writes better, God drat). I can't fathom what can make a pen cost that much other than it being made of precious metals. Mind you, I probably do not share your definition of "dirt cheap". With such a fascination for expensive pens, what exactly do you do with them, other than the blatantly obvious? Do pen lovers lead the way toward striving for beautiful penmanship? A desire to write and send letters in the post instead of email? Is it for the image you send to others when you sign checks or agreements? How this thread got me into fountain pens for the first time was a revival for an old hobby of mine in calligraphy when I was in elementary school and simply because I thought they looked beautiful and aesthetically pleasing. If I didn't know any better, I'd be glad just buying any of those cheap Chinese fountain pens off eBay if they looked gorgeous enough. But now I want to know what really drives people into collecting and using fountain pens. If you can think about spending that much on pens, your handwriting *EDIT: VVVV Yoshi Jjang fucked around with this message at 05:14 on Apr 23, 2013 |
|
#
¿
Apr 23, 2013 02:53
|
|
|
My collection so far is missing a flex pen. Does anybody know the differences between the Noodler's Nib Creaper, Ahab, and Konrad flex pens? The Fountain Pen Network seems to be offline, so there goes looking there for comparisons.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 24, 2013 20:14
|
|
|
Does anyone have any recommendations for massive-sized and/or weighty fountain pens? I'm talking about pens that are 7~8 inches or more in length or just straight up made out of metal or something. I want huge and heavy. While I was at the airport in London, I was looking at some Montblanc pens at their store, and I was checking out the Meisterstück 149, and I just have to have it, or at least something like it. Obviously, I didn't have $800 on me, and I don't feel justified to spend that much on a pen just yet since I'm still sort of kind of new to all this.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 10, 2013 16:49
|
|
|
Ephphatha posted:The Montblanc Invincia Stealth is about 5.25" long (measured totally scientifically by comparing it to a notebook) so it's not the longest pen but it's very heavy which is great if you like that. Actually, before I just posted my question, I did just order a Monteverde Invincia Deluxe. It didn't even occur to me that it would be heavy. Now I'm pretty excited to try it out. Strangelet Wave posted:Get a Jinhao 159 for like $7 shipped off of eBay (or $10 on isellpens). Huge and heavy, made of lacquered brass, and actually writes pretty decently. Definitely worth the price to see if you really like big pens, then you can get a >$100 one if you still feel like it. I got the Jinhao X450 a while ago, and I totally love the feel of it. It's heavy and it glides so well. Best four bucks I ever spent. I'll probably get the 159, too, because hey, these pens are cheap.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 10, 2013 20:52
|
|
|
Brightman posted:Also since I googled stuff about Mont Blanc earlier Google Now is now telling me that there's a Mont Blanc boutique 21 minutes from my current location. Maybe someday that information will be useful...someday. Yeah, tell me about it. When I was at the Mont Blanc store at the London airport, I felt horribly under-dressed for just being there. I also found a Mont Blanc shop in my town, but I doubt I'd have any reason to visit that place anytime soon.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 10, 2013 22:29
|
|
|
iostream.h posted:Don't stress over it! I make a point of visiting all of them I can and have never had anything but great service and treatment from them all with one exception: What I meant to say is that I'm not exactly a big spender. 
|
|
#
¿
Jun 10, 2013 23:38
|
|
|
Jeez, thanks to this thread, I've felt so now that I can walk into antique stores and actually feel knowledgeable about something (I still consider myself very much a beginner, though, since the creation of this thread ). Now I always ask for fountain pens first thing, and it's amusing how none of these dealers know nothing on fountain pens. The downside is that they don't tend to sell very good ones, ones in good shape, or any at all because of it. I did come across one that looks fascinating. It's a McKinney custom fountain pen, and they look like these: http://www.mckinneypens-store.com/index.php/unique-custom-handmade-pens/item/05-pen-types/fountain/ One gorgeous looking brown one was for sale for $138, but the guy offered to mark it down to just $100. Is this something I should bother with? Should I haggle some more? Would this be a stupid impulse buy? I wish I could know more about the pen before leaving the store. Also, another one for sale was something like this one, but I'm not considering it.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 22, 2013 01:26
|
|
|
Seconding the Clairefontaine paper. I got a couple of French ruled, cloth bound notebooks when I asked the same question in this thread. They're awesome, and they look pretty, too.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 28, 2013 22:36
|
|
|
DurianGray posted: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. I got an ink syringe and never stopped using it. Now I wonder why anybody these days still bother refilling their ink the traditional way. Sooo much cleaner to use.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 8, 2013 11:04
|
|
|
GrAviTy84 posted:I can try, but this is my first experience. It will likely be not much more than "Gee this one is pretty...oooo this one is pretty, too!" I feel you there. I must've ordered 30+ ink samples from Goulet, and honestly I think they're all great. I'd have no idea how to review any of them, otherwise I wouldn't be ordering so many samples in the first place. All this ink talk going on is making me feel intimidated, even after I've blown probably almost $300 just because of this thread.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 7, 2013 03:31
|
|
|
Solkanar512 posted:I really wish that Blue one had the normal zig-zag print on it instead of the animal stuff. They're discontinuing the dot and zig-zag patterns. Makes me glad my first fountain pen is the gold zig-zag Metropolitan.I may pick up that python pattern, though. If only it were available in gold like the lizard one.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 27, 2013 12:19
|
|
|
cobalt impurity posted:
Hey, that's what I just said. You and me both, python-pattern-but-in-gold buddy!  Does anybody have recommendations for calligraphy books? I'm into all kinds of western (and eastern) styles of calligraphy. For now, I've got myself a cheap oblique pointed pen and want to learn things like Spencerian Script and Round Hand. Yoshi Jjang fucked around with this message at 10:12 on Sep 28, 2013 |
|
#
¿
Sep 28, 2013 09:55
|
|
|
Can anybody identify what pen this is? I know it's a tiny picture, so it might be really difficult. And for some reason, here's a much larger picture of the same book, but with a different pen. Can anybody identify that one, too? EDIT: I just found out that the second pen looks like some Sheaffer Imperial something from the 60s-70s. Yoshi Jjang fucked around with this message at 03:03 on Aug 24, 2014 |
|
#
¿
Aug 24, 2014 03:00
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 21, 2024 18:32 |
|
|
So I've been out of the fountain pen game for over five years. Right now, I'm visiting in Taiwan, and I randomly encounter a fountain pen section in a book store, and all the urges are suddenly flooding back to me.   My favorite pens happen to be from TWSBI, incidentally Taiwanese, and I am suddenly thinking if I can risk starving for the remaining week here if I were to go buy a Diamond 580. Sadly, I don't remember the exact price, but I recall it turning out to be cheaper than what I can find online.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 17, 2019 09:49
|
|