Question about fountain pens

[HudsonHawk]

Hey, that's a good idea.



That may hold me back as well. I'm not very hygenic when it comes to fresh ink. I've noticed in my journaling (using a ballpoint pen) that I smudge the ink a bit holding the journal open. I could imagine the messes I'd create with a fountain pen (assuming I didn't end up leaving it somewhere).

I'm probably going to stay with a rollerball pen at best. Not very vintage but safer for me.

I've been writing with fountain pens for decades. I've never had a drop of ink leak, spill or splash onto my shirt. How rough are you with pens?

 

[DeaconKC]

The Varsity disposable pens allow the ink to "ball up" because the nibs still have either a mold release agent or an anti-rust coating on them. When you get a regular FP, you will clean it regularly and not have that problem. Also, different inks have different drying speeds and lubricity, you will find out which ones you prefer. Quink actually gets it's name fro being a "quick ink".

 

[EliasRDA]

Hmm, maybe Hatguy is a lefty? I have a few lefty friends that because of their writing style they have smearing issues, or it could be the ink also. [huh]

I hope he does give it a try, the disposible pens arent all that bad, you just need to make sure the paper isnt too thin. I was writing on regular notepad paper & didnt have issues, just when I was writing on the xerox papers I was given with the slides on them. :eusa_doh: When I went to the assigned book or my notepad the pen worked fine.

And I'm glad you havent had an issue with your pens, I still cant figure out why mine ball up at the tip, in my guesses its due to them being "cheapies". I havent inked my new waterman yet as I'm being frugal & trying to use up the ink in the disposibles first.
And I'm using cartridges, not jar inks.

 

[EliasRDA]

And Deacon,
Thank you. You posted as I was working on mine. I thought about it today & just put it as the nature of the beast when using disposibles, I do not have a choice in what ink is put inside of them. And since I havent broken out my new one yet I cant compare them, yet.

And thank you about the suggestion on quink, I'll have to look into them then. Otherwise I'll stick with the waterman cartridges I picked up for the pen.

 

[Shangas]

Quink ("Quick Ink") came out in the 1920s, if memory serves. That being the case, it's nearly 100 years old.

Deco-styled Quink-Bottle, popular in the 30s and 40s.

Anything that's been in production THAT long, has GOT to be good. It's the only ink that I use with any regularity.

And I'm glad you havent had an issue with your pens, I still cant figure out why mine ball up at the tip, in my guesses its due to them being "cheapies". I havent inked my new waterman yet as I'm being frugal & trying to use up the ink in the disposibles first.

Fountain pens which are brand-new are sometimes coated in grease or oil around the nib, to prevent rusting, and to make manufacturing easier. This oil makes it hard for them to hold ink properly.

You can fix this by soaking the nib in warm water and soap, and then washing it off with cold water. That should dissolve the grease, and improve the writing.

 

[Historyteach24]

Anybody ever used one of these? http://www.amazon.com/X750-QUINATE-Legislatur-Wohlstand-Collection/dp/B002F5C2FO

 

[EliasRDA]

Hmm, I'll have to do that. I may be able to remove the cartridge out one of them, the other I dont think so. And I'll definitely so that to the new waterman one before I add the cartridge so I dont have any issues.

Thanks very much & that could explain why the dang thing decided to spit ink at me, when I uncapped it the ball was there & the motion just happened to fling it.

 

[blazerbud]

Glad to see someone picking up the fountain pens.
I've got a Pen "fetish". I think anyone who learns, studies, teaches, writes, thinks for a living would gravitate to good writing tools and paper too. If you are teaching as a grad student, get a special pen for grading papers and put red ink in it.
I don't care what anyone says. You WILL learn about fountain pen accidents.
It's just part of the territory.
As mentioned before about the airplane issues. When the barometer changes with the weather, they sometimes leak then too. It's life.
I do a lot of scientific note taking. I'm a chemist. Real ink is required for permanent note taking, the fad with gel ink doesn't work for science, it bleeds when wet. Most Fountain pen ink does too.

 

[Historyteach24]

Blazer, thanks for your comments. What type of ink do you use for your note taking? I would like more permanent ink for my historical work and journal writing.

 

[Shangas]

Noodler's Permanent Legal Black (or something to that effect) is supposed to be the most bomb-proof ink in the world.

Fade-resistant, age-resistant, and sure as hell, stain-removal resistant. So long as you don't get it on any of your clothes that you prize very highly, you'll do fine. But once you do, kiss your favourite pair of trousers goodbye. It's guaranteed 99.99% non-removable.

 

[HudsonHawk]

Blazer, thanks for your comments. What type of ink do you use for your note taking? I would like more permanent ink for my historical work and journal writing.

I use Waterman Florida Blue, which I think they call something else now. But it dries quickly and is pretty permanent, at least in my notebooks. Plus I just like writing in blue. I always have. I guess it comes from the days before color copiers when blue was considered to be indicative of an original, so you did important work in blue.

 

[hatguy1]

For you FP officianados... I saw this one on the Art of Manliness website. Doesn't look like anyone has mentioned this one yet.

http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/f4a3/?cpg=cj&ref=&CJURL=&CJID=2617611

 

[scrawlysteve]

Yes, there is a reason it's never talked about....like the crazy aunt locked away in the attic....

 

[hatguy1]

Yes, there is a reason it's never talked about....like the crazy aunt locked away in the attic....

OK.... Do tell.

 

[Picard1138]

Gentlemen,

As a hobby I started restoring antique fountain pens about two years ago; for myself at first and now I sell a few now and again. I am particularly fond of Sheaffer, Parker, and Esterbrook. I used a 1950s Sheaffer Touchdown everyday for about a year, then switched to a trusty Esterbrook J series, double jewel (I have always liked lever fillers for some reason). I also always use Noodler's ink, specifically "Bad Blue Heron," which is a water and tamper-proof ink.

Also, for a decent old-fashioned modern inexpensive fountain pen, try Bulow brand. They're usually about $10 and have a great feel in the hand. The converter that they come with is terrible though, so buy a Safari converter and use that. I am not a fan of cartridges because of the lack of ink choices, so I would not recommend using a cartridge in them.

In any case, if anyone wants me to restore their antique fountain pens please send me a message on here. My pricing is reasonable, and I occasionally have extra pens for sale, or can find something you're looking for as well.

-Max

 

[Historyteach24]

I just bought five bulows

 

[Picard1138]

I just bought five bulows

Awesome! They really are smooth writing pens, a good medium point but I know some people who have changed the nibs on them. If it's a little scratchy to begin with, just keep writing with it and it will smooth out. I have two Bulows, and have given several as gifts as they are quite a handsome pen. As for the converter, try the Lamy Z24 converter in place of the original. I found it fit pretty snugly, and works infinitely better than the Bulow version. (http://www.amazon.com/Lamy-Safari-C...qid=1386949858&sr=8-2&keywords=lamy+converter)

-Max

 

[hatguy1]

Awesome! They really are smooth writing pens, a good medium point but I know some people who have changed the nibs on them. If it's a little scratchy to begin with, just keep writing with it and it will smooth out. I have two Bulows, and have given several as gifts as they are quite a handsome pen. As for the converter, try the Lamy Z24 converter in place of the original. I found it fit pretty snugly, and works infinitely better than the Bulow version. (http://www.amazon.com/Lamy-Safari-C...qid=1386949858&sr=8-2&keywords=lamy+converter)

-Max

That's a pretty reasonable price for a beginning foray into the world of fountain pens. Must...resist...tempation....

 

[Preacher Man]

Aw, come on in hatguy! Give in and jump in!!!

 

[Picard1138]

That's a pretty reasonable price for a beginning foray into the world of fountain pens. Must...resist...tempation....

Go ahead, treat yourself. It's $15 well spent. I recommend the Bulow x450. I had my eye on the x530, which is pretty fat cigar shaped pen for big hands. They are all turned from brass so they have a nice heft to them that makes them good and solid. The one thing that I dislike is that most of their models have snap-on caps rather than screw-on. I believe the x530 is screw on, some other models may have them as well.

Good luck!

-Max