Do you use a fountain pen?

[Sway]

Cheers, having watched and read a few reviews, they seem to be compared with the Pelikan m800 (which seems very high praise!), with quite a few US reviewers saying they feel it's even better...

Can get one for just over £200, tested and tuned, with the FA semiflex nib and a bottle of the nice Pilot ink...

I'll check out the seawhite notebooks, thanks.

Love the look of the midori style, but not sure they're so good for everyday office use, then I see things like this: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/505113111/all-size... and wonder if I care about the practicality!

[Robbo 27]

CharlesdeGaulle said:

Was it you that said you'd had good experiences with a Sainsbury's book? I'm always after recommendations, especially as Moleskine is very disappointing these days.

I have used the Sainsburys notebooks, they are ok, meaning better paper than Moleskine, and lowish price and easily available. But you can do better for not much more money, I would have a look and see what the Jornal Shop has to offer.

https://www.thejournalshop.com/notebooks-and-journ...

Foyles have a very nice edition too

http://www.foyles.co.uk/witem/gifts-stationery/the...

Edited by Robbo 27 on Wednesday 19th April 16:08

[Adenauer]

[Robbo 27]

Adenauer said:

These are good looking pens, around £6 delivered I think?

They have taken their style and inspiration from the Parker Sonnet, very similar design including the clip, you can easily spend £100+ on a Sonnet and it is one of the few modern pens that I would say do not buy as there is a design fault that is very difficult to fix. The problem is that the chrome ring next to the nib secures the cap onto the pen, you hear and feel a real click when fitting the cap. When you remove the cap you are putting pressure on that ring and trying to pull out the nib and feed, which allows ink into the cap and then onto your fingers.

Not all Sonnets suffer but enough of them to make it a cause for concern, and if you are spending £100 on a pen then you want it to be right.

There is the same style of chrome ring on the 601 but Jinhao have improved the Parker design and made the cap a screw fit.

[Adenauer]

Robbo 27 said:

These are good looking pens, around £6 delivered I think?

They have taken their style and inspiration from the Parker Sonnet, very similar design including the clip, you can easily spend £100+ on a Sonnet and it is one of the few modern pens that I would say do not buy as there is a design fault that is very difficult to fix. The problem is that the chrome ring next to the nib secures the cap onto the pen, you hear and feel a real click when fitting the cap. When you remove the cap you are putting pressure on that ring and trying to pull out the nib and feed, which allows ink into the cap and then onto your fingers.

Not all Sonnets suffer but enough of them to make it a cause for concern, and if you are spending £100 on a pen then you want it to be right.

There is the same style of chrome ring on the 601 but Jinhao have improved the Parker design and made the cap a screw fit.

[C&C]

ClockworkCupcake said:

That Parker 45 Flighter is an older one, because it has the chrome end cap on the barrel, which would make it an early 1970's pen.

Thanks for that - I hadn't looked into the 45 history - very interesting.

ClockworkCupcake said:

I have been tempted several times to buy one like that as I already have a 1980's and a 2000's Parker 45 Flighter, and it would be kind of nice to extend my set. But really I can't justify doing so.

There appears to be one available on Shpok in Newcastle for £12.
Not that I've ever actually bought anything via this website. Just have a look occasionally. There appear to be a lot of people vastly over valuing their offerings, and quite a few clearly fakes/stolen (Mont Blanc Meisterstuck for £10 anyone).
This one seems possibly to be ok?

[Justayellowbadge]

People of the Fountain tribe, I wish to ask a question.

Is there a division within pens similar to watches in that fountain pens are analogous to mechanical watches whilst rollerballs and ballpoints are Quartz?

I have many watches and wouldn't touch a Quartz. I wouldn't consider myself a pen collector but have a couple of Mont Blancs, a Cartier and my recent obsession, a bunch of Montegrappas. All, however, are rollerballs. Am I doing it wrong?

[AlexC1981]

My Osmiroid 65 arrived today and my God it's manky! And it smells of old cheese.

I've taken some pictures and I'll get some posts up when I have started working on it. Looking forward to the arrival of the ultrasonic cleaner!

[Robbo 27]

Justayellowbadge said:

People of the Fountain tribe, I wish to ask a question.

Is there a division within pens similar to watches in that fountain pens are analogous to mechanical watches whilst rollerballs and ballpoints are Quartz?

I have many watches and wouldn't touch a Quartz. I wouldn't consider myself a pen collector but have a couple of Mont Blancs, a Cartier and my recent obsession, a bunch of Montegrappas. All, however, are rollerballs. Am I doing it wrong?

If you prefer mechanical watches because they of the idea of a craftsman made product with tradition, style and the idea that they need nurturing and care then there is a parallel between pens with nibs mechanical watches.

It is difficult to have a form of expression through the ink to the page with a ball point or a rollerball, a pen with a nib and ink can make that connection, a fountain pen is more that a writing tool.

FPs are not for everyone, some may feel they are abit of a faff. You can try them out very cheaply, under £5, and give it away if they are not for you. there are may opportunities to move up the ladder of you enjoy the experience and many people think that there is a good partnership between a classic watch and gentleman's pen.

[Sway]

Justayellowbadge said:

People of the Fountain tribe, I wish to ask a question.

Is there a division within pens similar to watches in that fountain pens are analogous to mechanical watches whilst rollerballs and ballpoints are Quartz?

I have many watches and wouldn't touch a Quartz. I wouldn't consider myself a pen collector but have a couple of Mont Blancs, a Cartier and my recent obsession, a bunch of Montegrappas. All, however, are rollerballs. Am I doing it wrong?

Jesus Christ...

Yes.

[Sway]

Edit - damn and blast!

CC - how can I get these blooming pictures to show the right way up from my phone?

For those that don't wish a cricked neck:

A lovely lady on one of the Fountain pen Facebook pages sent me a Noodlers Konrad flex nib pen (inked with J Herbin Emerald de Chivor, plus a sample of Diamine Golden Sands shimmer ink)...

Any tips for learning how to make the most of a flex nib?

Edited by Sway on Wednesday 19th April 21:02

[AlexC1981]

Justayellowbadge said:

People of the Fountain tribe, I wish to ask a question.

Is there a division within pens similar to watches in that fountain pens are analogous to mechanical watches whilst rollerballs and ballpoints are Quartz?

I have many watches and wouldn't touch a Quartz. I wouldn't consider myself a pen collector but have a couple of Mont Blancs, a Cartier and my recent obsession, a bunch of Montegrappas. All, however, are rollerballs. Am I doing it wrong?

That sounds like a fair comparison.

With a quartz watch you change the battery every couple of years, like you would change the refill in a ballpoint and it keeps on working and is always ready when you need it.

With a fountain pen you need to fill it from the bottle and with much more regularity, like you would wind up a mechanical watch. The nib might have dried up, so you need to give it a few flicks to get started (like an automatic watch).

You need to clean it through every so often like you would send a watch to be serviced. Where watches have a range of movements, you have a range of nib types and sizes (left/right oblique, stub, italic, fine, medium, broad). You can have the nib specially shaped for you in accordance with how you write if you send a video off to a specialist. There are different filling mechanisms and lots of different inks to try.

On Tuesday the only fountain pen I brought to work had run out of ink, so I had to use a ballpoint. After using fountain pens (which is more like writing with a brush) for the last three or four months it seemed ridiculous to be writing with this little spinney ball on the end of the nib, zooming all over the page My writing has got a lot better since I switched to fountain pens, admittedly this is probably because I take some enjoyment in the writing now.

Edit - whoops, also flexible nibs available in a variety of strengths.....probably forgot a few others too.

Edited by AlexC1981 on Wednesday 19th April 21:23

[Robbo 27]

AlexC1981 said:

My Osmiroid 65 arrived today and my God it's manky! And it smells of old cheese.

I've taken some pictures and I'll get some posts up when I have started working on it. Looking forward to the arrival of the ultrasonic cleaner!

The nib will unscrew and should go in the USC on its own, you may have a problem in getting the inside of the barrel to be dry and hae a rusty lever and pressure bar. I think in this case I would try to use dry heat to take it apart and keep the USC for the cap and nib.

You may already know that Esterbrook nibs fit the section, giving you more choice.

I take it that the old cheese smell is mould?

Have you seen this youtube review?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRmupT9oYkc

[ClockworkCupcake]

Another of my eBay purchases arrived from China today, this time the Jinhao 126

This is a slim pen with hooded nib, not dissimilar to the Hero 448. However, it is longer and weightier than the Hero.





Mine unfortunately arrived with a gouge on the barrel.



The pen itself is ok, but I can't say I really like it. Never mind, it was only £1.91 inc P&P so it's not like it is the end of the world.

[Justayellowbadge]

OK then. Picking up my first fountain pen since school tomorrow.

[AlexC1981]

That's a shame about the damage. Jinhao's paintwork is the only thing that lets them down. I've already chipped the paint where the clip ball touches the cap on my X750. Most of their pens look fine, but they would look great with an extra coat on. I find I don't use my 126 much either. It's too thin and slippery.

The pen I am using the most at the moment is the 8812 with the wooden barrel. It looks like this one and I can't fault the finish on it.



I received the "Plum Tree" Jinhao ballpoint and gave it to my sister as an added birthday present. The construction is identical to the 8812, only with a ceramic barrel instead of wood. The cap was a bit loose on the ballpoint, but it's fine on the fountain pen.

[Sway]

Justayellowbadge said:

OK then. Picking up my first fountain pen since school tomorrow.

Good man, enjoy.

What colour ink do you usually use? If blue, may I recommend the Montblanc Midnight Blue - really very nice, a little different to the norm yet perfectly suitable for use in the office...

What are you thinking of getting?

[AlexC1981]

Justayellowbadge said:

OK then. Picking up my first fountain pen since school tomorrow.

You might want to change your username to Justabluefinger by the end of tomorrow!

It's not that bad really Originally I wanted fine nibs, but then I realised that mediums wrote much more nicely. Something to consider.

Parker Vector is a nice cheap pen you can buy off the high street if you just want one to try to see if you like them. A lot of people rate the Lamy's, but I don't feel comfortable with the triangular grip section.

I like Parker Quink Washable Blue ink because it washes off easily if you are a mucky pup. Are you right handed?

[AlexC1981]

Robbo 27 said:

The nib will unscrew and should go in the USC on its own, you may have a problem in getting the inside of the barrel to be dry and hae a rusty lever and pressure bar. I think in this case I would try to use dry heat to take it apart and keep the USC for the cap and nib.

You may already know that Esterbrook nibs fit the section, giving you more choice.

I take it that the old cheese smell is mould?

Have you seen this youtube review?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRmupT9oYkc

I had to wash it to get the stench out! I suppose it must be mould. It was quite a strong smell, noticeable from the moment I opened the parcel. I couldn't see any fluff though.

The section unscrewed after a brief soak and the dirt and ink stains have come off really easily, in stark contrast to all the work it took to get them off the gold Platignum.

I've taken the lever and bar out. I had always planned to do this because of the splaying out around the lever slot which must have been caused by the outward pressure of the retaining ring. I think the only way to fix this will be by taking a risk and giving it a long soak in the hope it softens and can be put back to shape in the same way as I did the black Platignum. I have a feeling the Osmiroid isn't casein. If it isn't I'll just have to leave the splaying as it is. It is not as bad as it appears in the photos. It's got some denting to the end caused by a pen nibbler. If it swells up that might help fix it, if not, I'll have a lot of sanding to do.

I used this guide to remove the lever:
http://www.richardspens.com/?page=ref/repair/lever...

The nib looks good. It's not a calligraphy nib, only an Osmiroid soft medium Rola tip, which is a sort of rolled over tip. Similar to the folded ones, but folded under rather than sideways. I'll get a photo up to explain what I mean and a few others when I have had a chance to do a bit more to it. Thanks for the info on the Esterbrook nibs. It's similar to the "quick change" nib cartridge system used on my Platignum Gold Tone.

I just watched the review thanks. On the back of it, I've just put a bid on an old Osmiroid calligraphy set on eBay.

[Robbo 27]

Sway said:

Edit - damn and blast!

CC - how can I get these blooming pictures to show the right way up from my phone?

For those that don't wish a cricked neck:

A lovely lady on one of the Fountain pen Facebook pages sent me a Noodlers Konrad flex nib pen (inked with J Herbin Emerald de Chivor, plus a sample of Diamine Golden Sands shimmer ink)...

Any tips for learning how to make the most of a flex nib?

Practice, try writing slowly and with larger letters, perhaps with varying amounts of pressure on the nib part way through the line. It is a difficult skill to learn, partly because there are few flex pens around and we have spent years writing with a ball point pen.

Basic writing is broad downstrokes, faint lines on upper strokes.

It is an amazing skill when mastered.