What pens are we carrying today?

[John in Covina]

Platinum Pen from Japan with Music Nib!

 

[DeaconKC]

Found a nice combination for Church use in highlighting ny Bible. Conway Stewart Green loaded in a Reform 1745 Piston filler. A nice fine line with a very well behaved ink.

 

[John in Covina]

Lamy Safari Vista (Clear Demo) with Diluted Levenger Cobalt Blue.

 

[French]

modern today, vintage & modern for my upcoming business trip

Hi.

Today a Pilot Knight with medium steel nib (buttery smooth, as the Japanese nibs are known to be, as well as it writing like a western fine). This pen is filled with Noodler's black.

For a business trip I'm taking for 2 weeks starting tomorrow, I'll be bringing either my Namiki Bamboo (smooth Japanese fine nib) filled with Noodler's Verdun Green (Swisher Pens exclusive color) or a Hero 100 flighter (fine nib) filled with Noodler's Baystate Blue. I say either of these because they are each presents from my children, and one is always in my 2 pen case.

The other pen I bring will be my 1930's Kumiai Japanese eyedropper pen (restored by Richard Binder). This pen has a shiro (stainless steel alloy) nib that is flexible (it can write from extra fine to bold, depending on the pressure you use when writing). I'll probably fill this pen with Noodler's Red-Black.

 

[John in Covina]

Cool Japanese pens you've listed. The Pilot Knight is a great pen, especially for the money. I have used it as gifts and suggested it as a first time buyer fountain pen. So many of the Japanese pens are smooth writers right out of the box.

 

[de Stokesay]

Today it is my 1937 (4th quarter) Parker Vacumatic Standard (first generation with lockdown filler) in Golden Pearl Laminate. It has a very wet medium, factory, full-flex nib and I just got it. It's loaded with late '30's Parker Washable Blue Quink that was in my desk when I inherited it from my Grandfather.

It makes lots of line-width variation but being a medium I am thinking of having it ground to a fine or extra-fine so that the variation will be even more obvious. Besides I tend to hand-write a lot (not just signatures) and the medium, on most of the crap paper that I have to write on now tends to feather and blot a bit more than I would like unless I write with larger letters than I prefer to.

Ideas? Suggestions?

 

[John in Covina]

Ideas? Suggestions?

***********
A good pen guy can adjust the flow to a bit drier, but you do need a certain amount of wetmess to get the thin wide variation to work well. Better paper maybe in order.

 

[vitanola]

A common early Parker Duofold Senior, in the green swirled MOP pattern.

nice, unremarkable pen.

 

[DerMann]

A common early Parker Duofold Senior, in the green swirled MOP pattern.

nice, unremarkable pen.

Oh yeah, complete common and workaday

Today I changed inks in my black Sheaffer Snorkel Admiral (gold open nib) from Noodler's Heart of Darkness to Noodler's Baystate Blue.

Funny thing is that I was experiencing some skipping before I changed inks. Turns out that it was empty :eusa_doh:

I love Baystate Blue, though.

 

[de Stokesay]

Yes John, but my issue isn't really so much with the ink flow as I understand that a dry-writing flex nib won't work so well; I was more thinking of getting the point ground down a bit so it doesn't write as wide. My thoughts were that if it doesn't write as wide when unflexed, such as during the narrow parts such as the round bits of d's, b's, g's, &c., it might be less likely to fill the hollow circular part with ink, when I write a bit smaller as I tend to do.

I am not sure that this will make sense to anyone else. If not please say so and I will try again.

As far as the paper quality thing goes, I agree whole-heartedly but often must write on poorer grades of paper. Maybe I will just have to save this pen for writing on good paper only and carry 2 pens with me.

 

[John in Covina]

You're in the territory of a good nibmeister.

Go to www.nibs.com or try I think Richard Binder, google richard binder nibs.

 

[John in Covina]

Eternal Inks from Noodlers

I had to write some checks and filled my Amber-clear demonstrator Pelikan 200 with Noodler's Legal Lapis. This was an early batch i think and the blue doesn't really do it for me, it's like it's dirty blue. But it's a permanant ink for checks.

 

[DeaconKC]

John I recently picked up some Private Reserve American Blue, while not a permanent ink like Legal Lapis it is an intense, vibrant blue that is a beautiful color. If you are looking for a well behaved, very pretty blue, it would be one to consider.

 

[John in Covina]

I do have the American Blue, it is one of a about 6 blues I have from Private Reserve. The blue section of my collection of ink is pretty big as it is my favorite color for ink. I like black too but it makes my handwriting look awful.

The unfortunate but major concern is that most fountain pen inks are washable and check alteration is too easy with those inks. Noodler's has these bulletproof or eternal inks that can't be washed so the check can't be altered.

 

[Hemingway Jones]

I have been won over by the vividness of Aurora Black, when I use black. I mostly use blue since I am a commercial lender. My blue of choice is Mont Blanc; currently brimming in my Cartier Diabolo.

 

[John in Covina]

A few years back one of the pen magazines did a series of torture tests on black fountain pen inks. Aurora Black came in a close 3rd place winner, the catch was 1st and 2nd were inks from Asian companies you couldn't find in the US!

 

[Hemingway Jones]

Good to know. Thanks, John.

 

[DeaconKC]

+1 on the Mont Blanc inks. I love their Racing Green.

 

[de Stokesay]

You're in the territory of a good nibmeister.

Go to www.nibs.com or try I think Richard Binder, google richard binder nibs.

Thanks John,

That is the greatest thing about this board, there are so many friendly, knowledgable experts who are so willing to help.

I originally had Namiki blue in this pen and it was not a success, but since I switched to the vintage Quink I have been having better luck. I likely will get the nib ground to a fine at some point but am enjoying the pen too much now to be without it for several months. Now to try some REAL paper...

Thanks again for your suggestions.

 

[DeaconKC]

I'm certainly no expert, just a fellow enthusiast. If you have a balky pen, Sheaffer's new Skrip Black from Slovenia has worked very well in every pen I;ve ever tried it in. Not as dark as Aurora's but just a good, solid reliable ink.