Fountain pen newbie questions

Darkbulb

Darkbulb

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The more I obses... learn about design and design concepts, maybe especially Grange's work, the more interested I've become in pens. Uh-oh. I seriously hope this is not yet another rabbit hole as I've never been a "pen guy" but would, now, like to own one nice one and to make it even 'worse' I feel myself drawn to fountain pens.

Some real quick (read: potentially dumb) fountain pen questions;

a) Is it really realistic to intend to use one a a daily pen?
- How about ink cartridge capacity, clogging, etc?

b) Is it safe to keep in your bag?
- Any risk of it leaking ink into your bag?

c) Maintenance
- If used as a daily pen what kind of cleaning efforts would be involved

d) Ink issues?
- How long does the ink stay wet on the page, and
- Does the ink bleed through modern paper?

e) Converter?
I see a lot of pens having 'converters'. What is that?
Update: Ah, never mind - it seems like a 'converter' is for filling the pen out of a bottle instead of using a cartridge :)
Man, this is a whole new world....


So yeah, some rather basic questions to say the least.

This is the model that has my palms sweating a bit...which, may not be a good thing as far a pen grip goes...

The Parker 25
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Writing demo with the pen:
 
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Be forewarned that interest in fountain pens can be the start of another slippery slope ;)

To answer a few of your questions:

a) Many people use them is their daily pen. You could compare it to the difference between goo shaving vs proper wet shaving, a little more effort and time required whipping up lather, etc. but it's a much more enjoyable experience.

b) A decent pen should not leak in your pocket or bag. Some precautions have to be taken when flying due to cabin pressure. You can easily Google information on this.

c) If you use your fountain pen fairly regularly, very little maintenance is required. You may want to flush the pen with water every so often when you refill the pen, and I would recommend it every time you change ink colour.

d) Depending on the ink you choose it can take approx. 10 to 30secs to dry on paper. The only issue I can think of is if you're left handed and write with your hand dragging across the freshly written ink, which could make it smear.

Just like with razor blades, different inks have their own characteristics. Some dry faster than others, some or 'wetter' or 'dryer' (which describes flow characteristics), etc. Bleed through depends on paper used, with cheap office/copier type paper potentially being the worst, but this can be negated by your choice of ink and/or by using better quality paper. Using ink from a bottle opens up a whole new world of colours and choices, although cartridges are arguably more practical if you're on the move a lot.

Choice of your first pen is very much a personal choice. Many people might recommend a LAMY Safari, which is inexpensive yet well made and reliable. These will take both cartridges and ink from a bottle if you use the optional converter. Parker is also a well established brand that is well liked by many people.

Hope this helps :) You could also take a look at the Fountain Pen Network forum for a lot more information.
 
FrankieG said:
Be forewarned that interest in fountain pens can be the start of another slippery slope ;)

To answer a few of your questions:

a) Many people use them is their daily pen. You could compare it to the difference between goo shaving vs proper wet shaving, a little more effort and time required whipping up lather, etc. but it's a much more enjoyable experience.

b) A decent pen should not leak in your pocket or bag. Some precautions have to be taken when flying due to cabin pressure. You can easily Google information on this.

c) If you use your fountain pen fairly regularly, very little maintenance is required. You may want to flush the pen with water every so often when you refill the pen, and I would recommend it every time you change ink colour.

d) Depending on the ink you choose it can take appox. 10 to 30secs to dry on paper. The only issue I can think of is if you're left handed and write with your hand dragging across the freshly written ink, which could make it smear.

Just like with razor blades, different inks have their own characteristics. Some dry faster than others, some or 'wetter' or 'dryer' (which describes flow characteristics), etc. Bleed through depends on paper used, with cheap office/copier type paper potentially being the worst, but this can be negated by your choice of ink and/or by using better quality paper. Using ink from a bottle opens up a whole new world of colours and choices, although cartridges are arguably more practical if you're on the move a lot.

Choice of your first pen is very much a personal choice, although many people might recommend a LAMY Safari, which is inexpensive yet well made and reliable. These will take both cartridges and ink from a bottle if you use the optional converter. Parker is also a well established brand that is well liked by many people.

Hope this helps :) You could also take a look at the Fountain Pen Network forum for a lot more information.
Click to expand...

Thanks that is some excellent info.
Much appreciated
 
I used to use a fountain pen as a daily pen for my nursing documentation at work so in and out of pockets all day.

Mine were Faber Castell and never leaked or become blocked with cartridges. I will however say that if the pen was shelved for a while and then went to use again it did take a fair bit of mucking about to get the ink from a new cartridge flowing to the nib again?

http://www.fabercastell.com/products/fountain-pens/Fountainpenemotionwoodchromedarkbrownfine/148211

I would also say, writing it much more pleasurable than with a cheap Bic or other pen but it didn't make mine any more legible?!
 
Ah, such happy memories. Not.

I had to use a fountain pen every day at school, until I reached the 6th form when it was more important to learn stuff than write stuff down in an elegant style and then forget it forever. And they leaked. Frequently. Daily. And the nibs got trashed regularly from rolling off of the desk in sticking into the floor like darts. Blotting paper, smudges ... Arrrgggg!

My last pen was what would appear to be a Parker 25 pictured above. I think it was a birthday gift, or maybe liberated from my father. I still have it somewhere, still in it's nice little (plastic) box. Might have to try and find it if it's worth something :)
 
FrankieG's already pretty much covered this, but I use fountain pens daily. It can be a slippery slope which is how I've ended up with several pens, inks etc. Personally I much prefer using bottled ink, but for convenience cartridges are fine, and you can always carry a spare.
 
Darkbulb said:
a) Is it really realistic to intend to use one a a daily pen?
- How about ink cartridge capacity, clogging, etc?

b) Is it safe to keep in your bag?
- Any risk of it leaking ink into your bag?

c) Maintenance
- If used as a daily pen what kind of cleaning efforts would be involved

d) Ink issues?
- How long does the ink stay wet on the page, and
- Does the ink bleed through modern paper?

e) Converter?
I see a lot of pens having 'converters'. What is that?
Update: Ah, never mind - it seems like a 'converter' is for filling the pen out of a bottle instead of using a cartridge
Click to expand...

a) Definitely. I use a FP every day with no problems whatsoever. In fact, the more you use a FP, the better it is for it as it keeps ink moving through the mechanism and nib.

Subject to level of usage, ink cartridges can last days / weeks or months. With daily use, a cartridge will last a couple or three weeks. If you intend doing a lot of writing, it is better to go for a converter plus bottled ink.

b) You can keep a FP in your bag but, generally, FPs don't like jolting movements as this can cause spillage. Also, FPs (and pens in general) can become scuffed in a bag unless you keep them in a case or cover.

c) If used daily, then there isn't much cleaning required in terms of flushing the nib as the ink is flowing through it regularly. If a FP is not used for several weeks or months (depending on manufacturer, design or pen and type of ink etc), then the nib can become clogged up. Flushing through with warm water plus fairy liquid will clean the mechanism plus nib out though.

d) Modern inks dry fairly quickly and don't require blotting paper like in the old school days. That said, if you're a lefty, you can get problems smudging the new ink on the paper.

For FP, you definitely need to be careful with paper choice - at least 90gsm is indicated. 80gsm, or below, and it will bleed through thus rendering the other side of the paper useless for writing on.

e) You've got it - a converter (and there are several different types, largely depending on the filling mechanics) is used for filling the pen with bottled ink.
 
Field Notes are borderline for FP - they do give some show-through but a lot depends on the pen / ink etc; not a massive problem for me, though, as I write fairly quickly and, generally, with a fine nib.

Having said that, I much prefer good old-fashioned pencil for use with Field Notes! Don't start me on mechanical pencils and leadholders...:D
 
Nico1970 said:
Field Notes are borderline for FP - they do give some show-through but a lot depends on the pen / ink etc; not a massive problem for me, though, as I write fairly quickly and, generally, with a fine nib.

Having said that, I much prefer good old-fashioned pencil for use with Field Notes! Don't start me on mechanical pencils and leadholders...:D
Click to expand...

Thanks that was a great article you linked to.
Holy cow...the world of pens and paper is very alien to me (terms like feathering, etc).

Now I feel like I need to look up the Doane note books.

Ok this might be dangerous.

Maybe I should just stay with my Bic.
 
A very timely thread for me. I recently found a Cross pen that I received as an award at college about 15 years ago. The nib is too broad for me so I've ordered a Lamy Safari from Cult Pens to see how I get on with it.

I do lots of writing at work and get serious handache using el-cheapo ballpoints so I'll see if this helps. I've been playing around with a disposable FP this week and even that seems more comfortable.

I'm already 'watching' some others. Oh dear.
 
It appears that I will be a fountain pen (and matching ballpoint) owner as of next week sometime as I just picked up this set for about $40 (which seemed fair looking at what these Parker 25s go for...):

513ssm.jpg


Parker enlisted Kenneth Grange in the early 1970's to design a pen that would be a bit more appealing to the younger demographic.
The pen had a rather long production cycle from 1975 all the way up to the mid 90's.
It came in a number of different colors (mine is the more common blue one) and in four different versions;
- Mk1: Breather hole in the nib and a flat clip screw,
- Mk2: No more breather hole
- Mk3: Dimpled clip screw, and
- Mk4: "Made in England" got changed to "Made in UK"

As can be seen below the fountain pen has a breather hole which means it's an Mk1
And yes, it bothers me a bit that I know that... :)
2q2jwo8.jpg

fbmj2q.jpg


Looking forward to seeing what the world of fountain pens is a all about....


Video review, not me, of the Parker 25:
 
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To 'go with my pens' I also ordered four notebooks by BanditApple (that have, as far as I can tell received some excellent reviews by people using fountain pens).
It also didn't hurt that ordering four notebooks was $12 w/ free shipping from Korea.
They have various sizes but I went with their PeeWee size that is the 3.5 x 5.5 a la Field Note size.

The books are described as;

"Banditapple Carnet is a small startup (SOHO) located in Seoul.
We start by ordering special paper with specific properties.

This paper is:
  • Slightly off-white acid-free 80g fountain pen friendly paper
  • Does not bleed
  • Does not feather.
  • 64 pages
  • Hand stitched backs
Then we hand-make each notebook, one at a time.
We always use Fair Business practices, and always will."

If anyone is interested, here's their notebook order page for first time customers wanting samples:
https://sites.google.com/site/banditapplecarnet/get/promotions/samplerequest

Arnie over there is also very easy to talk to via emails.

flbmnq.jpg


And four different models:
image-5571702fd7221-default.jpeg


Update:
W/in two hours I receive a photo from BanditApple in Korea with a package w/ my address on it w/ the four notbooks in it to be sent out today.
So far $12 well spent.
20aqezb.jpg




 
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