My humble entry into fountain-pen life

[adamgottschalk]

I took note of a list that John in Covina posted a while back, a list that summarized nice vintage pens and had them assorted in to categories from "working class" to "high end." I've been working my way up the list, having selected target pens in each category. Mine are:

Working Class: Esterbrook J
Medium low end: Parker Parkette
Medium high: Eversharp Skyline
High: Parker Duofold Senior

So far I've gotten an Esterbrook--$25 from Pendemonium, and a Parker Parkette--$19.75 on eBay. Here's pics:

The Esterbrook is set up so you can screw whatever (compatible) nib you want onto it. Mine came with a medium nib. I bought a Venus (not Esterbrook strictly speaking) fine nib and put it in. I found ink started to gather a little around the base of the nib. I thought, oh, it's a cheap nib, it probably doesn't fit quite perfect. So I put the Esterbrook medium nib back in. Same thing. I talked to Sam at Pendemonium today and she said, a) that can happen, oddly enough, when the pen is running low on ink, b) with climate changes, c) if the nib isn't screwed in tightly. I filled it full again. and made sure the nib was nice and tight. So far so good. The Ester has Parker blue-black Quink in it.

The Parkette was more of a gamble, as the seller couldn't tell me much about it. I lucked out. John told me to first test it by trying, gently, to fill it with water. If the lever (this is a lever filler) was smooth, he said to fill it with cold water and let it sit for an hour to check for leaks. All good so far. Then soak the nib for 20 minutes--John recommended 1 part 409 to 3 parts water; as I'm a poor cheapskate who doesn't have any 409, I used Simple Green I happen to have. Then flush "a whole bunch" with cold water. I filled and emptied the pen probably 10-12 times; at first a little bit of blue ink was coming out of the pen, then that turned to black ink, then finally all clear. I let the pen sit for a minute or two, wiped it dry. Filled it with Pelikan Brilliant Brown ink...and she's a writin' machine.

I'm not sure, but the nib on the Parkette might be set up for a lefty of something. I can't tell if it's scratchy or not, but I do notice that it writes much more smoothly if I write with my right hand at and exagerrated angle, almost perpendicular to the writing line. Maybe the nib needs some work?

Thanks for the guidance into fountain pens, John in Covina! The Eversharp Skylines, next on my list, seem to be available in good condition for no more than $35, so I might get one of those after the next bank deposit.

 

[jake_fink]

My fountain pen collection is modest and my interest in and knowledge of fountain pens is limited, but the pen I use most is my Esterbrook. It has given me the fewest problems over the years and feels best in my hand. I just can't get used to using a heavy pen. I use mine for drawing more than writing, and I also like the control I can get with the Esterbrook, juicing up the line when I want to by pressing it into a more acute angle, but pulling back or turning the nib over to keep it fine when I prefer that.

Have fun with your pens, adamgottschalk, they look good. You're penmanship, however, is atrocious.

 

[Zach R.]

I only wish my penmanship was that legible(seriously)!

 

[adamgottschalk]

Shaky-hands problems

Have fun with your pens, adamgottschalk, they look good. You're penmanship, however, is atrocious.

You're telling me :eusa_doh: Partly it's the shaky hands. Partly it's that I once had to write in calligraphy all the time when I was a boy. Ever since, my penmanship has developed into some grotesque mutant hybrid a quarter of the way between anywhere and nowhere. Practice practice practice...

 

[adamgottschalk]

I'm not sure, but the nib on the Parkette might be set up for a lefty of something. I can't tell if it's scratchy or not, but I do notice that it writes much more smoothly if I write with my right hand at and exagerrated angle, almost perpendicular to the writing line. Maybe the nib needs some work?

It must have been just that the pen hadn't been used in a while. It's writing smooth as a dream now.

 

[jake_fink]

I only wish my penmanship was that legible(seriously)!

You are in med school?

My penmanship's not up to much either, and it gets worse all the time. Sometimes it looks like I've been writing with my feet... in the dark... while under the influence. So take heart.

 

[John in Covina]

Q: How do you get to Carnegie Hall?

It must have been just that the pen hadn't been used in a while. It's writing smooth as a dream now.

****
A: Practice, Practice, Practice!

Hey Adam!

Wow, good deal! I am glad the Parker is writing well. Good luck with the Collection.

I am hoping that a new position is forth coming soon, I have had two positive interviews in the last 8 days. Once I get back to work and knock down some bills, I'll be able to go pen hunting again. and hat hunting. maybe suit hunting.

Adam, you hand writing isn't bad, it has style and regularity, just some practice for readabilty and a little more regularity that way will produce a good personal style that's improved readable.

John in Covina

 

[Zach R.]

You are in med school?

Well, I AM going to Chapel Hill.

My one and only fountain pen - a green Waterman Phileas:



It has served me well as my everyday pen literally EVERY DAY since last August.

Oh, btw, I'm a southpaw.

 

[magneto]

These posts are very informative...for when I can afford the nice stuff...

 

[jake_fink]

Oh, btw, I'm a southpaw.

That can make fountain pens frustrating. Lots of inky cuffs.

 

[John in Covina]

Southpaw's rejoice new ink

That can make fountain pens frustrating. Lots of inky cuffs.

Southpaws can rejoice in a new Noodler's Ink:

Some interesting tidbits in the April / May 2006 Stylus magazine on
Noodler's Inks.

Smear free for lefties!
First there is a new line of fast drying inks for the benefit of
those lefty's who's writing has their hand or arm dragging over the
freshly written ink. Swisher Pens is the proprietary vendor under
the brand name Swishmix and it is nearly impossible to smear.

Lubrication for the piston!
Noodler's Inks include an EEL line of inks designed with piston
filler type fountain pens such as Pelikan and Mont Blanc. The eel
name comes from the eel's famous feature, which if you've ever
caught one is well noted, they are very slippery. So, their
namesake inks contain a special lubricant for the preservation of
piston fillers.

Eternal means permanent!
Polar Black is made with an antifreeze component that allows it not
to freeze until 20 below zero although the actual freezing point
maybe much lower. Noodler's Eternal line of permanent inks has 6
colors now but the majority are proprietary, here is the breakdown:
Black and Polar Black all vendors, Legal Lapis, Iraqi Indigo and
Eternal Brown are from Pendemonium only and the Luxury Blue is part
of the Swishmix line from Swisher Pen

There is a highlighter type ink coming called Firefly and an
invisible (black light) ink called blue ghost. So Nathan Tardif the
driving force behind Noodler's continues to cook up new ideas.

 

[scotrace]

(Con)Noodlers

I just got a bottle of Noodler's black for writing checks.

Nice collection start, Adam!

 

[binkmeisterRick]

I was told by the folks at Pen Haven NEVER to write checks with a fountain pen! Most fountain pen inks are water soluable, so it's possible to carefully clean the ink off a check and replace the dollar amount. That's the only reason I still keep a ball pen. Permanent ink only for check writing. But if there's a good permanent ink that won't kill your fountain pen, then that might change. Let me know how it works out for you, Scotrace.

Great start on your pens, Adam! Esterbrooks are great workhorse pens. The company started off making pen nibs long before the advent of the fountain pen, so they had been making quality nibs for a long time. The great thing about your Esterbrook is that you have as many pens as nibs they made for them. So if you hang on to that one Esterbrook and buy five different nibs for it, you have five different pens. Skylines are great pens, too. In fact, the Skyline I found is what got me back into fountain pens. It wrote so smoothly that I was instantly hooked! As for the Parkette, any pen that's been used a lot by a single writer will take on the writing characteristics of that writer. That's why you should never lend out your favorite fountain pens. You want the nib to shape itself to YOUR writing style, not anyone else's. The more you write with a given pen, the easier it will write for you over time.

Fountain pens were meant to be used and enjoyed. Enjoy your pen! You'll find it'll make you want to improve your handwriting. It has mine.

This weekend I scored some great pen finds in an antique shop! A dealer had a box of old pens I got to rifle through. I picked up two Esterbrooks (one which is at Pen Haven getting a new bladder), a blue striped 1947 Parker Vacumatic, and a 1949 Sheaffer Tuckaway pen and pencil set in the box! All the pens are in great writing shape, with the one Esterbrook being the only pen in need of repair. I paid $70 for the lot and took them in to Pen Haven where they told me I made a VERY good purchace. The Sheaffer set alone would've been worth getting at that price. The Parker Vacumatic and Esterbrooks were freebies.

 

[John in Covina]

Permanent inks

I was told by the folks at Pen Haven NEVER to write checks with a fountain pen! Most fountain pen inks are water soluable, so it's possible to carefully clean the ink off a check and replace the dollar amount. That's the only reason I still keep a ball pen. Permanent ink only for check writing. But if there's a good permanent ink that won't kill your fountain pen, then that might change.

Noodler's ETERNAL inks for fountain pens are permanent once dry.

 

[binkmeisterRick]

That's why I'm interested to know what folks think about it. Any pen problems crop up using it?

 

[John in Covina]

Noodler's Eternal Inks

That's why I'm interested to know what folks think about it. Any pen problems crop up using it?

===============
My first use was in an Esterbrook witha rubber sac and it seemed to dry up in the nib, so I tried it in a Pelikan which is piston filled and have had zero problems with either color I have.

There may have been fuzzies in the nib from paper that lead to the drying in the Esterbrook, but the Pelikan is writing fine, with out a hiccup!

 

[binkmeisterRick]

Since all the pens I have are vintage, I'd hate for an ink to do more harm than good in them. I've heard some pens fare differently with different inks, though some pens are unaffected. I think I'll stick with what I know works at this point.

 

[Griemersma]

These are my favorites from my modest collection. Just like yours, a black Esterbrook and Parker. The others are all Sheaffer's (Except for the green Estie) These are all great writers, but believe or not, the Esterbrooks are the one's I use the most. They are wonderful everyday pens and you can find them inexpensively in all kinds of colors.

Here's what I feed them:

Found this full in an antique store for $20 and couldn't pass it up. Even without the coolness factor of the bottle, that's a lot of ink for $20. I wasn't sure if old ink would be bad for my pens, but I have been using it almost exclusively for a while now and haven't had any major build-up problems.

--G.R.

 

[John in Covina]

Skrip

Here's what I feed them: Skrip from Sheaffer--G.R.

Hi GR!

It is a cool bottle of Skrip. You will hear that it is a big no-no to use such old ink and from others they'll say no problema! The thing is to watch for stuff precipitating out of the ink or if it gets thick from evaporation.

Some will say shake the bottle up reall good every now and then.
Also you can use a litlle distilled water to thin it if the need comes up.

Happy writing!

 

[adamgottschalk]

Better handwriting though

These are my favorites from my modest collection. Just like yours, a black Esterbrook and Parker. The others are all Sheaffer's (Except for the green Estie) These are all great writers, but believe or not, the Esterbrooks are the one's I use the most. They are wonderful everyday pens and you can find them inexpensively in all kinds of colors.
--G.R.

..but your handwriting is clearer. That's a nice set of pens. Does the second one from the bottom have a clear ink section near the nib section? How do those bottom two fill?

I realized that since I used to write in all italics, it would make sense if my handwriting looked better with an italic nib. Unfortunately, though they were made for Esterbrooks, the italic nibs are hard to find. There's an italic nib for what looks like an Esterbrook J on eBay right now, not an Esterbrook nib (Osmiroid) but the seller tells me it does screw on an off. Anyway, I might try some italic pen or other at some point.