Dont laugh

gazza

gazza

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As a kid i loved the look of real writing, but being cack-handed for me it always ended in tears. I usually ended up with more ink up the side of my hand than on the paper, so around the age of 11-12 I gave up the ghost.

Having just picked up a nice leather note book cover and note books from Sean I thought I would look into fountain pens again.

Ive just seen this beginners left handed pen on cult pens for very little money

clicky

and thought I might give it a go.

However, if someone could point me to a better (and lets be honest, prettier/more grown up) forgiving fountain pen, then I would be grateful.

Also, are there any down sides to converters? they look a no brainer but then I'm a bear of very little brain in this field.
 
Re: RE: Dont laugh

gazza said:
As a kid i loved the look of real writing, but being cack-handed for me it always ended in tears. I usually ended up with more ink up the side of my hand than on the paper, so around the age of 11-12 I gave up the ghost.

Having just picked up a nice leather note book cover and note books from Sean I thought I would look into fountain pens again.

Ive just seen this beginners left handed pen on cult pens for very little money

clicky

and thought I might give it a go.

However, if someone could point me to a better (and lets be honest, prettier/more grown up) forgiving fountain pen, then I would be grateful.

Also, are there any down sides to converters? they look a no brainer but then I'm a bear of very little brain in this field.
Click to expand...

Converters are fine, keep some cloth/tissues etc handy to clean uo the excess unless you have blotting paper
 
The Lamay Safari is available with LH nib and its a really good daily pen.
Well made, tough and comfortable to write with.
Lamay have there own cartridges but a converter is also available.
Most converters are fine and they allow access to a myriad of ink colours of course..
Good luck with your FP writing and don't worry too much about neatness etc. as most FP writers are quite untidy and it takes time to get used to a fountain pen.
Regards beejay
 
I'm a cack gander and have now been using a lamy safari for about 4 months. It's been a good learning curve and is slowly improving my writing. I only struggle with it on really cheap rough paper
 
Dumb question - what is the difference in the nib on a right and left handed fp?

Some FP's are advertised as suitable for both eg Parkers, won't they be better?
 
I think a lot depends on your style of writing and angle of slant. As a right hander, I slant to the right and also rotate the pen anti-clockwise - my writing style is to pull the pen along so, for me, an oblique nib (shaped like a left foot) works best. These are also available shaped like a right foot which suits left handers who tend to push the nib.

If you use a pen with the nib in an upright position - rather than rotated, then most nibs should suit both left and right handed writers.
 
I think it depends on your writing style. I'm a lefty and have a Safari with a LH nib, and also a Parker 25 with a normal, probably Medium nib. I much prefer the Parker, and have no trouble writing with either although the nib sometimes seems to skip a bit on the Safari.

I had trouble with it through school (not a FP just every pen!), and kind of adapted my technique to accommodate my cackhanded-ness. I bend my hand round so that my hand is above where I'm writing, and my thumb runs parallel to the lines on the paper. I'm a pusher of the nib.

It's easier with some inks than others however, as inevitably my hand will eventually go over some ink, and depending on the paper and ink it may or may not be wet still. The Rhodia pads which you've bought from Sean are fantastic pads, and the ink does dry fairly quickly in comparison to other pads I've used. I find the Safari is a 'wetter' pen than the Parker, which probably influences my decision to use the Parker more often.

The covers Sean makes are fantastic, I hope you like yours.

No downsides to converters I've noticed, but I have struggled filling the pen with them in the pen, it always seems to only half fill the converter, so instead I fill the converter from the bottle then pop it in the pen.
 
SmallBeard said:
No downsides to converters I've noticed, but I have struggled filling the pen with them in the pen, it always seems to only half fill the converter, so instead I fill the converter from the bottle then pop it in the pen.
Click to expand...

I wish I read this brilliant tip an hour or so earlier - I have a new Waterman and used the converter for just the second time by dipping the nib into the bottle. Like you said it doesn't fill properly and, in my case, caused some huge blots until i drained the excess with a tissue.
 
How do know if its a right or left handed nib as opposed to a universal one? Is there a noticeable slant?

I have a Parker FP and a Harley Davidson FP somewhere. Might dig them out.
They will be wasted though, the only writing I do is on post notes.

I don't bend my wrist over like SB, instead I keep my wrist straight and tilt the writing pad 45 degrees, that way I don't drag my hand through what I have written.
 
UKRob said:
SmallBeard said:
No downsides to converters I've noticed, but I have struggled filling the pen with them in the pen, it always seems to only half fill the converter, so instead I fill the converter from the bottle then pop it in the pen.
Click to expand...

I wish I read this brilliant tip an hour or so earlier - I have a new Waterman and used the converter for just the second time by dipping the nib into the bottle. Like you said it doesn't fill properly and, in my case, caused some huge blots until i drained the excess with a tissue.
Click to expand...

Sorry Rob, I'm slow this morning! Bugger, what a pain in the arse. At least you won't be doing that again in the future.


I haven't really compared the two nibs, so I don't know if there's a noticeable difference but it would only be fair to compare two Lamy nibs to see. Maybe someone here has both and can do that.

I did try writing like that, and a few lefties I know write like that but it's not as easy for me. Still it's another option which might work for the OP, just give both a go and see what feels best :).
 
Whether or not a left-handed nib will suit you is entirely down to your writing style, I'm a left-handed over-writer and I find that I get on best with a normal nib. Try a Lamy Safari, they're cheap and cheerful but they're good pens. Also, the nibs are available separately for about £5 from The Writing Desk, so if you order one and find that you do need a left-handed nib, you can order the nib and swap it. The medium Safari nibs have a good rounded tip, so they're not that angle-fussy.

As for converters, the trick to getting a full fill is to double pump it. Immerse the nib, draw up the ink, then whilst keeping the nib in the bottle go the other way to empty the converter and then fill it again. This should give you a full one. If you're filling from empty you need enough ink to saturate the feed in addition to filling the converter which is why you won't get it full straightaway. You will want to clean it off with some tissue before use, but it does mean that the feed is ready to go immediately.
 
Re: RE: Dont laugh

chris.hale said:
Whether or not a left-handed nib will suit you is entirely down to your writing style, I'm a left-handed over-writer and I find that I get on best with a normal nib. Try a Lamy Safari, they're cheap and cheerful but they're good pens. Also, the nibs are available separately for about £5 from The Writing Desk, so if you order one and find that you do need a left-handed nib, you can order the nib and swap it. The medium Safari nibs have a good rounded tip, so they're not that angle-fussy.

As for converters, the trick to getting a full fill is to double pump it. Immerse the nib, draw up the ink, then whilst keeping the nib in the bottle go the other way to empty the converter and then fill it again. This should give you a full one. If you're filling from empty you need enough ink to saturate the feed in addition to filling the converter which is why you won't get it full straightaway. You will want to clean it off with some tissue before use, but it does mean that the feed is ready to go immediately.
Click to expand...

Go for the medium nib. The fine is too scratchy for my liking

(Less so than a dip pen)

Lami safari is a perfect first fountain pen.

Im still on my first bottle of ink a couple years later (got me through 2 years at college 5 written exams and at least a ream of paper)
 
Can confirm the Lamy Safari is a great, cheap pen. I have two which I use for work. The little groves on the body of the pen help with holding it correctly too which is handy...well, for me anyway.
 
Cult pens own ink is good stuff, I only have the one, the deep dark red and it's very nice. My favourite ink however is the Diamine Oxblood which is just that little bit bloodier the the deep dark red. I'd recommend getting a few of the little 30ml bottles, there's so many to choose from you'll never narrow it down to just one! Like Brian said it's all made by the same people anyway.

For a better look at the inks have a look for reviews on the fountain pen network, they're really helpful.

Chris, thanks for the information on that, I will give it a go in the future. The way I've been doing it has given no real problems and the ink has fed through really quickly, although with some inks it's been a bit 'weak' first off but improves after a few lines. I guess filling with the converter in place will avoid this in the future.
 
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