Bitmap Frogs
Mr. Community
Be careful with the rhodia Webbie's... That faux leather they use is not very resistant to wear and tear.
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Fountain Pens 2k16
- Thread starter Bagels
- Start date
Rhodia is my go to. The black or orange Webbies come in dot rule! I love them so much! The paper! Oh the paper!
I love dot rule, but I've mainly switched over to blank paper with either a lined or dot cheat sheet placed behind. Go over the dots/lines with a sharpie and they will show through really well. I use a blank landscape Webbie with a dot guide sheet for calligraphy and Rhodia R with a lined guide sheet for letters.
The latest Baron Fig limited edition is gorgeous. It's a 3 notebook set: bigfoot, area 51, Bermuda Triangle. Each one is represented by some cool cartoony cover graphics. The paper is quite nice, but nothing touches Rhodia or Tomoe River for me. I'll have to look at my fountain pen tests - I use the back page of any new notebook to try out a few pens.
Leuchtturm makes so many gorgeous notebooks - they announced a metallic line for their 100th anniversary - but the paper is a notch or two below perfect. Wetter pens tend to feather a bit for me.
If you have not tried any Robert Oster Signature inks yet, I really recommend giving them a go! I have been totally blown away by both the quality of the inks (the shading!!!!) and the really nice pricing. The fountain pen community is experiencing a bit of Robert Oster mania at present. It's a good time to jump in and see what all the excitement is about.
Edit: I was going to add that my Webbies have held up well with all the banging around they do in my work bag. They'll scuff a bit if i'm really careless, but you can be pretty rough with a Webbie! Moleskine covers always held up well for me, but the spines tend to crap out.
Hey guys, quick question for you. I was using a Pilot Fountain Pen for some time last year into the summer, then I moved and it got lost in the suffle. Last night I was rummaging through some boxes and found it.
I put in a new capsule of ink and spent a solid 20 minutes trying to write with it but am getting the following results:
I've tried wetting the tip, reinserting the capsule, etc. and am not having any luck. This thing was out of commission for half a year so I don't know if there's something I'm missing that will help it start writing again? I was thinking maybe ink had dried in the actual filament and I needed to clean it all out? (It had an empty capsule in it when I found it) Any help is appreciated!
I put in a new capsule of ink and spent a solid 20 minutes trying to write with it but am getting the following results:
I've tried wetting the tip, reinserting the capsule, etc. and am not having any luck. This thing was out of commission for half a year so I don't know if there's something I'm missing that will help it start writing again? I was thinking maybe ink had dried in the actual filament and I needed to clean it all out? (It had an empty capsule in it when I found it) Any help is appreciated!
Yeah, I'd definitely clean the whole thing out. If it's a steel-nibbed pen you can pull the feed and nib out and soak them in water or pen flush for an hour or two. That get rid of the ink residue and get you up and running again.
Alright cool, thanks! Will do this tonight.
sixteen-bit
Member
Another evidence that we are a cool bunch of people.
Enemykite (also known as Dave Snider of Giant Bomb fame) posted this on the fountain pen subreddit:
"Had fun drawing this for a DnD game I manage. Eco medium with Noodler Black and some pencil shading." - Enemykite
cool
do y'all draw with fountain pens? i usually just write
Splash Wave
Member
I have a Pilot Metropolitan that's getting a bit leaky, and I'm not sure why. The nib is frequently spotted with ink, and occasionally I'll notice a bit having leaked inside the cap. I can't seem to tighten it any more (if I twist it just keeps rotating), and I'm using one of those pre-filled ink canisters. Any ideas?
Alex_Mexico
Member
Ok so my new Pilot Metropolitan ran out of ink for the first time. Bought it in December and before I change the cartridge for a new one I washed the nib with water (a LOT of ink came out), 10 minutes after I cleaned it I put a new cartridge and the ink is really diluted. Last ink was black and this is blue but I think it's too soft and diluted. Was it the water? Should I had left it to fry longer? Did I fuck it all up? Will it go away and start writing better later?
Is this normal?
EDIT: As I continue to write the tone of the blue went from a lapis blue to an indigo blue. WTF!?
Is this normal?
EDIT: As I continue to write the tone of the blue went from a lapis blue to an indigo blue. WTF!?
woo and indeed hoo
Banned
Ink spots on the nib is nothing to worry about; that is perfectly normal and called 'nib creep'. I sometimes get this and even less frequently get it inside the cap too. However I consider getting a bit of ink on my fingers to be all part of the fun of the hobby
. However I don't use permanent inks so that would cause me far more concern if I did especially with regard to staining clothing etc. LOL that's perfectly normal in those circumstances so it's nothing to be worried about
. I've learnt from doing exactly what you have done to let the pen dry thoroughly overnight before inking up again to avoid the remaining water in the pen diluting the ink. It will soon work it's way through though and it won't cause any harm; just give you some interesting ink for awhile . Of course you don't need to flush the pen every time. Sometimes it's fun to go from a black to a blue without flushing and get some blending of colours until the original ink has completely gone through the system. Of course it really all depends on what you are writing. If it was something important you would likely want a consistent ink colour but for writing only you might see you might not mind that period of inconsistent colour.Alex_Mexico
Member
Thanks for the reply.Ink spots on the nib is nothing to worry about; that is perfectly normal and called 'nib creep'. I sometimes get this and even less frequently get it inside the cap too. However I consider getting a bit of ink on my fingers to be all part of the fun of the hobby
LOL that's perfectly normal in those circumstances so it's nothing to be worried about
When washing the nib can it be done with tap water without any risk of faster deteriorating (I'm worried about tar)? Or do you recommend to use, say, purified bottled water or something?
Technically, you're supposed to use distilled water so there's no danger of anything in the water clogging the feed, but I don't think that you need to bother if you have decent tap water. I have very hard water where I live, but I just use tap water for just about everything. If you're not sure and you just want to be careful, you can buy distilled water by the jug at many grocery stores, but make sure it's distilled water and not something with minerals in it.
woo and indeed hoo
Banned
What 4Tran said vvvvv
I have very hard water where I live too but I still use plain tap water and don't worry about it. If I was flushing pens that were uber expensive I might be a bit more careful but for now I don't think it's worth the angst tbh. Besides one can always do a water/ammonia flush periodically if one is concerned about the water impurities. Also, home-made distilled water is entirely possible if one wants to avoid the expense and/or just wants the fun of doing it:
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Distilled-Water
IIRC this is your first fountain pen, yes? I hope you're enjoying the ride!
Gotta love how people talk about fountain pens like it's some kind of science. Here, fountain pens were mandatory in elementary school when I attended (which wasn't _that_ long ago). Afterwards, most slowly switched to ballpoint pens. As I dislike those, I still use my fountain pen from over ten years ago. Never had any problems with it either and I used it a lot back in school. That's why I'm surprised that people here have issues with leaking and whatnot. It's usually an item that holds forever, even if you don't really spend money on it (no idea how much mine cost, but it was definitely below 30).
woo and indeed hoo
Banned
They were for me too but then I'm 50 something and the world was very different then. I can certainly understand how someone younger would be uncertain about how to best use their fountain pen though. It's just a question of familiarity, I think. Using modern technology such as we are using now to respond to each other is second nature to the younger generation but when I was a child it was a science fiction pipe dream. When I bought my first internet capable pc almost two decades ago the learning curve was steep! I'm glad you still have your school pens. I wish I still had mine. I should probably visit my father and see if there are any kicking around the family home.
Splash Wave
Member
Ink spots on the nib is nothing to worry about; that is perfectly normal and called 'nib creep'. I sometimes get this and even less frequently get it inside the cap too. However I consider getting a bit of ink on my fingers to be all part of the fun of the hobby
Thanks! It doesn't actually bother me, but I wanted to make sure nothing was wrong with my pen.
woo and indeed hoo
Banned
I finally pulled the trigger and placed an order for a Pilot Custom 823! It's by far the most expensive pen I've ever bought, and it should be the last pen I buy for a long time. The only issue is waiting for it to come in.
It's neat to see all of these long-term users; I've never even held a fountain pen until last August! It's been a pretty neat experience so far.Gotta love how people talk about fountain pens like it's some kind of science. Here, fountain pens were mandatory in elementary school when I attended (which wasn't _that_ long ago). Afterwards, most slowly switched to ballpoint pens. As I dislike those, I still use my fountain pen from over ten years ago. Never had any problems with it either and I used it a lot back in school. That's why I'm surprised that people here have issues with leaking and whatnot. It's usually an item that holds forever, even if you don't really spend money on it (no idea how much mine cost, but it was definitely below 30€
If you're seeing a lot of leakage onto the cap or on the grip section, you may want to check how you're handling your pen. The ink is just water, so if you're jostling it a lot then it can leak from the feed.
For me it's exactly the other way around (since everyone here starts out with writing with one). I'm also surprised at how much money you guys spend on this. Any reason for that? If it's just to write properly and for the writing to look good, any ordinary fountain pen would suffice.
My handwriting used to be pretty good back in the days of elementary school but as we gradually had less and less time for our work, it became worse and worse. Nowadays it looks really crippled which is sad. Others, on the contrary, have improved their handwriting over time and I'm always somewhat envious when I see those.
You technically don't need more than one pen and one ink, but it's neat to try out different pen and ink combinations. Personally, I'm spending money that I would have wasted on games I wouldn't have played so these are wiser purchases!
I try to write OPs for writing stuff with a focus on great, affordable products. The Pilot Metropolitan and Lamy Safari are both amazing, cheap pens, and I use one or the other almost every day. But I don't think you'll find anyone on Earth who thinks a Lamy Safari is just as good as a Lamy 2000, or that a Pilot Metropolitan is the equal of a Vanishing Point.
I drive a Toyota Corolla because driving is a totally utilitarian thing for me. I want to get to work and back without my car breaking and I don't want to spend a ton on gas. But I totally get why people spend more money on fancier cars!
For many people, writing by hand is a forgettable, utilitarian activity - like driving is for me. But I absolutely love to write, and I get a great deal of enjoyment out of using different pens and inks. Every hobby gets ridiculous at some point, but surely we all get why someone would spend a little more on a bicycle/pen/car/watch/camping gear/computer/stereo/whatever thing it is they are into.
For what writings would you need anything different than blue ink though? For work and school it's not really accepted, so only letters etc would remain.
(And blue ink looks by far the best anyway - I tried black once and while it was ok'ish, my blue ink eraser obviously couldn't be used).
That's fair enough (I don't know any of the ones listed in the OP as they aren't a thing here and we have a lot of different manufacturers). But isn't the difference between a cheap-expensive car and a cheap-expensive fountain pen really different? For instance, I don't see how an expensive one could be in any real way better than a cheap one. Fountain pens are simple things as opposed to cars which could be faster, have more luxury items inside etc etc. So the result will differ with different cars, but not so with fountain pens.
"Only letters etc" represents a ton of writing for some of us! There are blue inks I love but there are beatiful reds, greens, grays, browns, oranges...
We are required to use only blue or black ballpoint pens on official documents at work, because of industry regulations. Given the chance to leave a note for a colleague, to write in my journal, or to draft something I'll need to type up later, you'd better believe I'll employ some cool ink colors!
As to the cars vs. pens thing, you'd be surprised how much the properties of pens and inks can vary! You're right that there aren't many parts to a fountain pen. But maybe the best analogy is to something like a knife. You've got a blade and a handle - can the properties really vary that much? Obviously they can! Weight, balance, material, shape of the blade - it's all pretty analogous to a pen and nib. Different nibs can be so different. My cursive italic steel nib Franklin-Cristoph pen writes differently than my gold nib Lamy 2000. I like the different ways my various pens write. I get a lot of enjoyment out of the different ways they feel on the page and the different effects they impart on my writing. There's way more to explore there than you'd think!
It's not really that different. Think of it like how some people will have more than one pair of sunglasses or more than one watch.
Depends on how often you write those letters, I guess. Once a week or 2-3 times wouldn't constitute "often" for me for instance since I used to write every single day for years and years. It depends all on where you are coming from, after all.
That's actually interesting as here important documents are always signed with fountain pens. Pallpoint pens is what most people use for everyday work and that's only the case because you get them for free like...everywhere (I have never bought one and have tons of them). Black ink isn't allowed (same with black ballpoint pen) for documents as it looks like it could be a copy.
He he, would probably be interesting to see (as mentioned, I'm only familar with blue and black - for other colors people usually use different pens ("finepens", no idea how to translate those) and other ones).
That's a "finepen", people use them if they want color.
To be fair, sunglasses are pretty much all the same and something which could make a watch more expensive is the material but that's pretty much all. That's why I also can't understand why people would pay 250€ for a watch.
As for more than one...no idea, I wouldn't have two or more and I'm not sure about others. Usually people have one pair (of sunglasses) in the car and one watch to look at the time. If it's more, it's usually about fashion and fashion is completely illogical anyway
I love Stabilo Fineliner pens! I have a nice 20 pen set that my friends love to borrow.
I write a lot of letters for someone under age 65 or so (the letter is a dying form of communication. It's sad), but my main fountain pen use each day is for writing in my journal. Writing each day is a nice little ritual and getting to play around with different pens and inks makes it even nicer. I have other notebooks for drafts of various writing projects, too, so I manage to find uses for the zillion pens I am always carrying around.
I work as a chemist in the pharmaceutical industry. Documentation done in the lab MUST be done in blue or black ballpoint ink ( as a side note, I am known at work for my growing collection of ballpoint pens! Even with ballpoint pens - utilitarian tools to end all utilitarian tools - there are some differences that make some much better than others!). Fountain pen inks are generally water-based, which means there is a huge risk that documentation (which we have to keep for regulatory bodies like the FDA) could be totally erased by a spill or burst pipe or whatever. It's all scanned, but you absolutely have to preserve the originals. Granted, we use plenty of solvents in lab that will carry away ballpoint ink, but the main concern is with documents that have been archived.
It's a bit of a bummer because ballpoint inks are almost all so incredibly boring. I know that the FDA isn't really into seeing some beautiful, subtle shading in the ink when they are reading my HPLC results, but man are they missing out!
Yep, if you got the big package (which includes 25 different ones), you got all the colors you really need. But that's not something for me, as I don't need more than like five different colors.
Ha, I actually intended to write letters with someone but that fell flat as I didn't reply to the first one for various reasons. So it never came to that (dammit, even bought special paper and such).
I guess I'm not that kind of person. If I had a journal, I would take special take that it's always the same pen and color I use as I like to have everything in order and using different colors seems disorderly to me. Well, I'm just not an artistic person...at all. And yeah, if you say it like that, there is a lot of use for all your pens. I work in an office, apart from giving my signature from time to time, I don't use (fountain) pens at all.
Ballpoint ink is horrible and looks ugly. I heavily dislike it and that's one of two reasons I am averse to using it (the other one being that it "smears" (not sure what the best word for that is), ugh, a fountain pen gives me way better control and is a lot more precise).
UK-based Pocket Notebooks has a new owner and he seems to be doing a phenomenal job. He's very active on twitter (@PockeNotebooks) as he refills their stock. As someone who routinely imports stationery products from Europe and Japan, it's kind of funny to see a UK shop importing some of the great offerings from the US.
Field Notes paper is not great for fountain pens, but their notebooks are so rad I ended up subscribing to their quarterly editions this year. PocketNotebooks looks like it might be the best source for UK Field Notes fans.
I'm hoping to visit their Chicago HQ later this year.
Baltimore-based Write Notepads & Co.make some of my absolute favorite pocket notebooks. The paper is very fountain pen friendly and their offerings feel sturdier than the staple-bound offerings from other companies.
The limited editions do tend to sell out, so get in there if you see something you like!
Back Pocket is a new UK notebook company. Look at this!
I'm a sucker for cool designs. If you're looking for something more strictly functional, Calepino's offerings are all about superb paper and minimalist design.
Finally, I'll note that, like seemingly every other fountain pen fan I know, I have fallen madly in love with Robert Oster Signature inks.
And the Pacific Blue Lamy Safari is really pretty and the ink is beautiful.
Field Notes paper is not great for fountain pens, but their notebooks are so rad I ended up subscribing to their quarterly editions this year. PocketNotebooks looks like it might be the best source for UK Field Notes fans.
I'm hoping to visit their Chicago HQ later this year.
Baltimore-based Write Notepads & Co.make some of my absolute favorite pocket notebooks. The paper is very fountain pen friendly and their offerings feel sturdier than the staple-bound offerings from other companies.
The limited editions do tend to sell out, so get in there if you see something you like!
Back Pocket is a new UK notebook company. Look at this!
I'm a sucker for cool designs. If you're looking for something more strictly functional, Calepino's offerings are all about superb paper and minimalist design.
Finally, I'll note that, like seemingly every other fountain pen fan I know, I have fallen madly in love with Robert Oster Signature inks.
And the Pacific Blue Lamy Safari is really pretty and the ink is beautiful.
Thanks to this thread I can't stop. I started with a Lamy Studio, loved the weight, got a Falcon with an FA nib, but it proved too finicky. A trip to the Philadelphia Pen Show had me walking out with a Franklin Cristoph with an 18k stub nib and a Conklin Glide. Since the vintage pen bug bit, I then splurged on two Mabie Todd pens, one lever and the other twist fill, another Conklin (cushion point on the way) and if my offer is accepted a Conway Stewart 388. I need intervention
My Pilot Custom 823 came in, and it's a real beauty! I originally thought that gold nibbed pens were going to write mostly the same, but this pen writes way better than my Custom 74, Pro Gear, 3776, and Vanishing Point. The feel and control while writing is just so pleasant. I can't say that this pen is worth the money, but I am glad I bought it.
Hey Bagels (and everyone else in the thread).
I bought a Pilot Metropolitan after getting advice from the Fountain Pen thread but I've now run out of ink and I can't remember which re-fills you said were the best way to go. From memory there were a couple of options?
Can you remind me please?
I bought a Pilot Metropolitan after getting advice from the Fountain Pen thread but I've now run out of ink and I can't remember which re-fills you said were the best way to go. From memory there were a couple of options?
Can you remind me please?
BriareosGAF
Member
What do you mean by refills? You mean replacing the default bladder cartridge, or the ink itself? I'm rotating through a few Iroshizuku samples right now with my Metropolitan, but still using the default bladder cartridge.
BriareosGAF
Member
Jetpens has a great summary here:
https://www.jetpens.com/blog/pilot-metropolitan-fountain-pen/pt/424
I think that you're talking about cartridges. The Pilot pens use a proprietary feed system so they only take Pilot cartridges. You can order them here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002G4DHGM/?tag=neogaf0e-20
Pilot makes these in 7 colors, and they also sell a mixable pack with 12 colors: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002UNMZRQ/?tag=neogaf0e-20
Note though that bottled ink is going to be cheaper in the long run, and you can use any fountain pen ink out there so the choice of color is nearly limitless. Your Metropolitan comes with an aeromatic converter so you don't need anything extra to use bottled inks.
Starting to think about a new all purpose pen/paper/pencil thread again! Is there interest? I know it has been quieter in.this thread lately...
I just got my hands on the latest Lamy limited edition ink - Dark Petrol. I'm loving it so far. The matching pen is tempting, but my Lamy Safari collection is already a bit ridiculous.
I want to say again that, if you are not on the Robert Oster ink bandwagon, do yourself a favor and try some samples. Full bottles are only $16 or so and they have sheen and shading that I look for in bottles costing twice that. His color range is stellar, too, and he keeps adding new ones all the time. By all acounts he's a lovely guy, too, so it feels good to buy his products.
I'll try to get back in the habit of reviewing new pens as I pick them up. I've been super busy and not making time to engage with you lovely people is something I very much miss!
I just got my hands on the latest Lamy limited edition ink - Dark Petrol. I'm loving it so far. The matching pen is tempting, but my Lamy Safari collection is already a bit ridiculous.
I want to say again that, if you are not on the Robert Oster ink bandwagon, do yourself a favor and try some samples. Full bottles are only $16 or so and they have sheen and shading that I look for in bottles costing twice that. His color range is stellar, too, and he keeps adding new ones all the time. By all acounts he's a lovely guy, too, so it feels good to buy his products.
I'll try to get back in the habit of reviewing new pens as I pick them up. I've been super busy and not making time to engage with you lovely people is something I very much miss!
Funyarinpa
Member
Yeah, I'd love to have a new thread too! Still kicking my Blue-Green Lamy AL-Star. Best pen ever. Should get around to buying a fine nib though.
seventynine
Member
There is interest.✒️
sixteen-bit
Member
Do it, Bagels!
plus it's not 2016 anymore, lol
plus it's not 2016 anymore, lol
A new thread would be great.
The funny thing is that the my only other pens that have had bad nibs were some throwaway Jinhaos.
I must have the worst luck with Lamy. I got a Safari and the nib was scratchy. It felt a bit better after adjusting the tines but it was still felt uncomfortable. Fine, I wanted to try out Lamy's other nib sizes anyways so I got a new nib. End result? The new nib is scratchy as well.
The funny thing is that the my only other pens that have had bad nibs were some throwaway Jinhaos.
boxoctosis
Member
Do it!
Here's my fountain pens. And let me tell you of my love for Pilot iroshizuku ink. Etc.
CheesecakeRecipe
Stormy Grey
I've been holding off on posting some of these ink reviews until the new thread we pitched back and forth earlier in the year. Then, life kinda got in the way for both of us and now we're almost to May X_x
Aliquidmeri
Member
Your first fountain pen thread was responsible for
perfect free
Member
Yeah, I'm with these folks. I want another great OP to browse through. (And I'll always take an excuse to go "oh, that looks neat, let me go read some reviews...")
Aquavelvaman
Banned
Make a new OP. I'll read it.
I got my Safari in the mail today. It's awesome. I had used some very cheap/poorly maintained fountain pens in the past but this is my first good one, and it writes great. I got the charcoal one with the black nib (EF). The pen shop included an extra ink cartridge and a Lamy converter in the box, too, which I didn't expect. Very nice.
I didn't realize it until I had it in my hand but I'm 90% sure my dad had a Lamy similar to this one when I was a kid. It looks exactly like something that I would have seen on his drafting table. I'm going to ask him next time I talk to him.
I'm going to spend my podcast listening time practicing handwriting from now on.
I got my Safari in the mail today. It's awesome. I had used some very cheap/poorly maintained fountain pens in the past but this is my first good one, and it writes great. I got the charcoal one with the black nib (EF). The pen shop included an extra ink cartridge and a Lamy converter in the box, too, which I didn't expect. Very nice.
I didn't realize it until I had it in my hand but I'm 90% sure my dad had a Lamy similar to this one when I was a kid. It looks exactly like something that I would have seen on his drafting table. I'm going to ask him next time I talk to him.
I'm going to spend my podcast listening time practicing handwriting from now on.
Flying Toaster
Member
I am down for a new Bagels OT.
Blargonaut
Banned
+1 for new Bagels OT, you make good reads and have good taste