Do you use a fountain pen?

[C&C]

Clockwork Cupcake said:

Robbo 27 said:

The perils of a quiet afternoon and eBay

Bought a Parker 95 for £10 today. This was a favourite pen of mine in the late 1980s, slimish pen, usually very good nibs and good looking. This is the sellers pic, the pen looks like it needs a good clean but he says that it has no scratches or wear marks.

Nice looking pen. Sounds like you got a bargain there!

Yes - definite bargain there Rob!

[shirt]

i was about to post a new thread but then thought of this one and the knowledge herein:

as a gift, i would just like a [travel] journel making up. nothing too out there, just extremely high quality, hand bound, maybe my choice of endpaper and/or a small embossing to the front. i

can't find anything i like the look of from liberty, selfridges etc. tried etsy and some other custom / handicraft sites but the results are either school project quality or else designed to meet the aesthetic requirements of a hobbit about to embark on an adventure across middle earth. very new age crusty.

any ideas or recommendations?

[Robbo 27]

shirt said:

i was about to post a new thread but then thought of this one and the knowledge herein:

as a gift, i would just like a [travel] journel making up. nothing too out there, just extremely high quality, hand bound, maybe my choice of endpaper and/or a small embossing to the front. i

can't find anything i like the look of from liberty, selfridges etc. tried etsy and some other custom / handicraft sites but the results are either school project quality or else designed to meet the aesthetic requirements of a hobbit about to embark on an adventure across middle earth. very new age crusty.

any ideas or recommendations?

Have a look at a Midori Travel Journal

https://www.thejournalshop.com/notebooks/by-brand/...

High quality leather folder with your choice of inserts.

The Journal Shop also has a good range of other journals.

[Clockwork Cupcake]

I watched an interesting YouTube video recently on how to make a fountain pen write smoother.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WKo9nx8UdA

In it, he says that 3-in-1 / 4-in-1 nail polish boards happen to have appropriately fine grit to be ideal for gently grinding & polishing a nib.

Note: Not normal emery boards.

Just thought I would share.

[Robbo 27]

Clockwork Cupcake said:

I watched an interesting YouTube video recently on how to make a fountain pen write smoother.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WKo9nx8UdA

In it, he says that 3-in-1 / 4-in-1 nail polish boards happen to have appropriately fine grit to be ideal for gently grinding & polishing a nib.

Note: Not normal emery boards.

Just thought I would share.

Thats a helpful vid.

As the person says, the priority is to have a loupe so that the thines can be aligned.

I dont use the nail polish boards myself for nib work, they are useful for polishing plastics with light scratches, I have even seen one expert restorer sand away bite marks from the end of a pen, although not sure if I would try this on an expensive pen.

Something to look out for, you may even have one in the kichen or workshop drawer, an Arkansas stone

https://www.knivesandtools.co.uk/en/ct/skerper-ark...

John Sorowka uses one to great effect.

I have a collection of stones, flints and marble to smooth out nibs. Very smooth flint works well, in some parts of the country you will find them freely available as you walk around although B and Q sell something called polished Chinese river stones which are meant to be decorative stones that you might put in a glass flower vase or such like. 5kg costs £7, you will only need a couple which you may find have accidentally fallen on the floor near the display. These stones are ideal for final smoothing, but perhaps a little too smooth for shaping a nib, a task that may be best left to the experts.

[Clockwork Cupcake]

I realise that I am in the minority here as I have several of these nail polish boards lying around.

Note for guys: Ask your wife / girlfriend before nicking her nail polish board(s). I'd certainly be miffed if someone nicked mine and drew all over it - they're a lot more expensive than normal emery boards

[dapprman]

Robbo 27 said:

shirt said:

i was about to post a new thread but then thought of this one and the knowledge herein:

as a gift, i would just like a [travel] journel making up. nothing too out there, just extremely high quality, hand bound, maybe my choice of endpaper and/or a small embossing to the front. i

can't find anything i like the look of from liberty, selfridges etc. tried etsy and some other custom / handicraft sites but the results are either school project quality or else designed to meet the aesthetic requirements of a hobbit about to embark on an adventure across middle earth. very new age crusty.

any ideas or recommendations?

Have a look at a Midori Travel Journal

https://www.thejournalshop.com/notebooks/by-brand/...

High quality leather folder with your choice of inserts.

The Journal Shop also has a good range of other journals.

I'm a midori fan, having both the passport size (as my daily in=pocket carry) and a full size one (which still goes most places) and can also recommend one (or a fakedori). One thing to be aware of though is that the inserts are narrower than a normal A5 sized journal.

[Robbo 27]

The Repair Shop from BBC 1 was worth watching, Laurence Oldfield repairing a Wyvern.

Should be available on iPlayer

[shirt]

dapprman said:

Robbo 27 said:

shirt said:

i was about to post a new thread but then thought of this one and the knowledge herein:

as a gift, i would just like a [travel] journel making up. nothing too out there, just extremely high quality, hand bound, maybe my choice of endpaper and/or a small embossing to the front. i

can't find anything i like the look of from liberty, selfridges etc. tried etsy and some other custom / handicraft sites but the results are either school project quality or else designed to meet the aesthetic requirements of a hobbit about to embark on an adventure across middle earth. very new age crusty.

any ideas or recommendations?

Have a look at a Midori Travel Journal

https://www.thejournalshop.com/notebooks/by-brand/...

High quality leather folder with your choice of inserts.

The Journal Shop also has a good range of other journals.

I'm a midori fan, having both the passport size (as my daily in=pocket carry) and a full size one (which still goes most places) and can also recommend one (or a fakedori). One thing to be aware of though is that the inserts are narrower than a normal A5 sized journal.

Thanks. I ended up changing tack slightly on the gift front but still bought a personalized journal from papier in London. Just had the note to say it’s been shipped so should be with me in the next week or so.

[Robbo 27]

shirt said:

Thanks. I ended up changing tack slightly on the gift front but still bought a personalized journal from papier in London. Just had the note to say it’s been shipped so should be with me in the next week or so.

Thats a new name to me, perhaps you can let us know your thoughts and whether is can be recommended?

[williredale]

I'm sure there's been a recommendation earlier in the thread but with the search being what it is I can't find it...

I have a 1930s or so celluloid Majestic pen which I'd like to have restored. Who would you recommend for this?

[littlegreenfairy]

This has been running a while! Wondering if anyone might have the answer to this.

I’ve got a Mont Blanc starwalker and I’m under the impression it only takes cartridges and not refillable ones. Not a great lover of it as it’s a bit heavy for my so I’ve only used the cartridge that came with it in 2006. I’d like to be able to use any ink I want and very grateful for any advice.

As an aside to the midori journal above- I absolutely love mine. Have two in the standard and passport size. Loved them so much I made my own and love having a proper sketchbook sized one.

[Robbo 27]

williredale said:

I'm sure there's been a recommendation earlier in the thread but with the search being what it is I can't find it...

I have a 1930s or so celluloid Majestic pen which I'd like to have restored. Who would you recommend for this?

Celluloid can be a difficult material to work with, I would suggest Eric Wilson in Edinburgh to you, his email address is:

[e-mail]

There are many different reasons why people want pens to be restored, if its a family pen then some would say the price doesnt matter, if its a pen that you have found and want it to be restored to sell you need to bear in mind that the cost of restoration of some pens can be more than the pen is worth, especially if its a difficult repair with, for example, a missing nib or clip and cracked or broken plastics.

The worst part of the original Majestic Pen was the nib which wasnt great even when new, a steel or gold plated affair that was a bit of a nail. If you want the pen restored so that it can be used than it could really be improved by a gold nib, not neccessarily of the right era but it is likely that most restorers will have a gold nib in their parts box that will do the job and shouldnt be too expensive.

I suggest you send some good quality pics to Eric, especially of any faults that you can see.


If you dont have a response from Eric try Classic Pen Engineering

http://www.classicpenengineering.co.uk/fountain-pe...

Edited by Robbo 27 on Thursday 30th May 11:20

[Robbo 27]

littlegreenfairy said:

This has been running a while! Wondering if anyone might have the answer to this.

I’ve got a Mont Blanc starwalker and I’m under the impression it only takes cartridges and not refillable ones. Not a great lover of it as it’s a bit heavy for my so I’ve only used the cartridge that came with it in 2006. I’d like to be able to use any ink I want and very grateful for any advice.

As an aside to the midori journal above- I absolutely love mine. Have two in the standard and passport size. Loved them so much I made my own and love having a proper sketchbook sized one.

I would try using a Faber Castell converter, Cult Pens sell them for under £4

https://www.cultpens.com/i/q/FC00037/faber-castell...


I would also call The Writing Desk and see if they can offer anything else, they also have an excellent ink range so if you are buying a converter from them it might be worth buying a new bottle of ink at the same time.

https://www.thewritingdesk.co.uk/contact-us

[wong]

Alternatively, refill the old cartridges with the ink of your choice using a syringe.

[williredale]

Robbo 27 said:

williredale said:

I'm sure there's been a recommendation earlier in the thread but with the search being what it is I can't find it...

I have a 1930s or so celluloid Majestic pen which I'd like to have restored. Who would you recommend for this?

Celluloid can be a difficult material to work with, I would suggest Eric Wilson in Edinburgh to you, his email address is:

[e-mail]

There are many different reasons why people want pens to be restored, if its a family pen then some would say the price doesnt matter, if its a pen that you have found and want it to be restored to sell you need to bear in mind that the cost of restoration of some pens can be more than the pen is worth, especially if its a difficult repair with, for example, a missing nib or clip and cracked or broken plastics.

The worst part of the original Majestic Pen was the nib which wasnt great even when new, a steel or gold plated affair that was a bit of a nail. If you want the pen restored so that it can be used than it could really be improved by a gold nib, not neccessarily of the right era but it is likely that most restorers will have a gold nib in their parts box that will do the job and shouldnt be too expensive.

I suggest you send some good quality pics to Eric, especially of any faults that you can see.


If you dont have a response from Eric try Classic Pen Engineering

http://www.classicpenengineering.co.uk/fountain-pe...

Edited by Robbo 27 on Thursday 30th May 11:20

Thank you. The celluloid is in good condition but the section's a bit chewed up and it needs a new sac etc. It was either my great grandfather's or his brother so there is a history. The nib is probably not original but is a stub in good condition. Thanks for your help

[Robbo 27]

williredale said:

Thank you. The celluloid is in good condition but the section's a bit chewed up and it needs a new sac etc. It was either my great grandfather's or his brother so there is a history. The nib is probably not original but is a stub in good condition. Thanks for your help

Sounds like a job that is well worth doing, good to keep something like this in the family. Eric's prices are reasonable and he does a good job. Some people prefer to keep the original patina to the pen, others look for the pen to be polished, its personal choice but on this pen and in celluloid I think I would be asking Eric to polish it back to as new condition.

It would be great if you could do a before pic and another when it comes back.

Best of luck

eta. If Eric doesnt respond to email then let me know by PM and I will give you his mobile number.

Edited by Robbo 27 on Thursday 30th May 14:28

[littlegreenfairy]

Robbo 27 said:

littlegreenfairy said:

This has been running a while! Wondering if anyone might have the answer to this.

I’ve got a Mont Blanc starwalker and I’m under the impression it only takes cartridges and not refillable ones. Not a great lover of it as it’s a bit heavy for my so I’ve only used the cartridge that came with it in 2006. I’d like to be able to use any ink I want and very grateful for any advice.

As an aside to the midori journal above- I absolutely love mine. Have two in the standard and passport size. Loved them so much I made my own and love having a proper sketchbook sized one.

I would try using a Faber Castell converter, Cult Pens sell them for under £4

https://www.cultpens.com/i/q/FC00037/faber-castell...


I would also call The Writing Desk and see if they can offer anything else, they also have an excellent ink range so if you are buying a converter from them it might be worth buying a new bottle of ink at the same time.

https://www.thewritingdesk.co.uk/contact-us

Thanks! Will do.

[Du1point8]

Knew it wouldnt last...

Just picked up an MB Heritage Rouge et Noir Tropic Brown Foutain Pen in Abu Dhabi for a price I couldn't refuse.

Deciding now after the impulse purchase to keep or move it on as unused... Its nice and feels good, but I have so many of them now.

[RizzoTheRat]

After an initial foray in to surprisingly good cheap Chinese Jinhao pens, I've been mainly using a Lamy safari for a while now. However on Saturday I accidentally walked in to my local pen shop and was impressed that they let me try out half a dozen different pens in the €50ish range before I decided on an extra fine nibbed Lamy Studio. Probably cost a few euros more than buying online but I'll happily pay the difference for a chance to try out several first. Much as I like the Safari the extra weight of a metal body is nice.