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cool dance moves posted:Hello fountain pen goons! After reading the first page, I have a question that I'm not entirely sure is relevant. If it's not, please point me in the right direction and I'll go over there Pilot Metropolitan. Stub nib variety if you want the writing to look more fancy. You could also get a Platinum Preppy and convert it to an eyedropper. They're the finest writers ever and only cost a couple bucks. To convert it to an eyedropper you basically just unscrew the pen, slide an O ring over the threads and then put a little silicone grease over the threaded portion, fill the entire barrel with ink and screw it back on, and you've got a cheap quality writer for months.
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Feb 16, 2020 17:55
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I don't care for my metro, I'd get a platinum preppy medium or fine nib. It is much less expensive (not that either are very expensive) You can fill the whole pen up like Heath says, but it's cleaner to just refill the cartridge over and over. Noodler's ink is going to be the best deal per ounce of ink, probably. Something really generic and common like Quink black might be a little more economical.
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Feb 16, 2020 20:00
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If you dont want it to look fancy, a preppy is a hell of a deal. Your $30 will buy you a couple of them so you can have a couple colors available at once and some cartridges or ink samples to refill them with. Btw, I stared with a metro and some black ink thinking "I dont need any other colors" and within 6 months had like 30 samples and 5 bottles of ink in every color but black.
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Feb 16, 2020 21:05
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stealie72 posted:Btw, I stared with a metro and some black ink thinking "I dont need any other colors" and within 6 months had like 30 samples and 5 bottles of ink in every color but black. Just c/p this into every post in this thread
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Feb 16, 2020 22:09
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Throwing my hat in with another recommendation for a Preppy. Loved sketching with the extra fine as it laid the thinnest line from any fountain pen I've used. If you want something a little nicer, you can spend about $10 more and get a Platinum Plaisir. It's the same pen as the Preppy but with an aluminum body and cap instead of plastic.
Chip McFuck fucked around with this message at 01:37 on Feb 17, 2020 |
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Feb 17, 2020 01:32
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Heath posted:Just c/p this into every post in this thread For real. Just walking around with a Moonman C2 EF filled with Diamine Poppy Red like "it's just a pen, what are you staring at?" And I'm only at about a dozen pens and inks.
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Feb 17, 2020 12:29
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cowboy
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I'm been increasingly interested in flex stuff in the past year and it's consistently a bummer that vintage flex with good ink flow is apparently some loving lostech that no one can replicate. I keep thinking of using my tax return to buy another vintage pen but ebay is such a crapshoot and going to a pen show isn't really in the cards. Does anyone have a favorite site for this stuff? Sankis fucked around with this message at 12:47 on Feb 17, 2020 |
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Feb 17, 2020 12:43
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Sankis posted:I'm been increasingly interested in flex stuff in the past year and it's consistently a bummer that vintage flex with good ink flow is apparently some loving lostech that no one can replicate. There are quite a few online pen dealers who can give you a reasonable deal (depending on what your idea of reasonable is). Where are you located and what's your budget?
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Feb 17, 2020 12:46
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Ok, so the consensus seems to be that I should score either a Pilot Metro or a Platinum Preppy. The thread OP lists a few places to buy pens--im guessing they're still good?
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Feb 17, 2020 23:44
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Dad Hominem posted:There are quite a few online pen dealers who can give you a reasonable deal (depending on what your idea of reasonable is). Where are you located and what's your budget? If i end up doing this im probably looking at around $250, give or take. I live in the US, specifically southeastern PA.
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Feb 18, 2020 01:21
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Sankis posted:If i end up doing this im probably looking at around $250, give or take. I live in the US, specifically southeastern PA. I'm not affiliated with any of these sellers, but Peyton Street Pens and vintagepens.com both have sections specifically for flex nib pens, with some choices in your price range. There should also be flex on gopens.com, Five Star Pens or Main Street Pens, but you may have to dig around yourself or shoot them an email.
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Feb 18, 2020 01:56
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Peyton Street Pens is a dangerous, dangerous website.
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Feb 18, 2020 04:37
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My Moonman M600 has a really strong chemical smell coming from it. What's the best way to neutralize it?
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Feb 19, 2020 16:20
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Chip McFuck posted:My Moonman M600 has a really strong chemical smell coming from it. What's the best way to neutralize it? Time and air.
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Feb 19, 2020 16:52
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Dang, that's too bad. It's been sitting on my desk begging me to use it but the smell is really overpowering. I'll just have to be patient and let it air out.
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Feb 19, 2020 22:15
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Got a Lamy Safari after using a Pilot Metro for a little over a year now as my go-to pen. The EF nib seems to lay down a LOT of ink. More than the "fine" nib on the Metro. Is this an ink issue? Can folks recommend a brand of ink that works well in an EF nib?
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Feb 21, 2020 03:36
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Lamy's fine nibs are a little less fine than Pilot's - as a rule, "Western" nibs tend to write a little fatter than Japanese ones do.
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Feb 21, 2020 03:45
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Question, do I get a blue preppy, eyeydropper convert it, and run baystate blue in it?
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Feb 21, 2020 04:07
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I'm gonna be real, I would not put Baystate Blue in a plastic pen that could break open in a bag or something, especially in that quantity. It's the most prone-to-staining ink ever.
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Feb 21, 2020 04:50
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Fair point. It's such a blue though!
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Feb 21, 2020 05:21
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Instead of eyedropper filling, put the ink in cartridges with a syringe. Unless you really really need the ink capacity. When I started, I thought eyedropper would be awesome, but it isn't all roses. Something about the hacky nature of it is appealing though, like I'm getting the maximum pen experience 
I eyedropper filled a medium nib preppy with red ink, and I actually used it all up eventually. This was a success and it works well with the huge wet medium lines. taqueso fucked around with this message at 05:38 on Feb 21, 2020 |
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Feb 21, 2020 05:33
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Got a super good deal so guess who has another Sailor on the way!
Chip McFuck fucked around with this message at 18:26 on Feb 21, 2020 |
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Feb 21, 2020 17:47
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New Delta day today!   Delta Fusion 82, limited edition (2 of 8) Chatterley Luxuries Saffron Yellow with a stub Fusion nib So yes, it's giant, bright and gaudy as gently caress, but is it giant, bright and gaudy as gently caress enough?
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Feb 21, 2020 19:41
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grack posted:New Delta day today! Depends. What ink?
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Feb 21, 2020 19:44
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I should be fine to fly with a Wing Sung 601, right? I don't really want to bring a bottle of ink with me, so if I fill before I leave (and fly with it in a plastic bag) will it still be fine in the air? Also, any recommendations for big pens with either hooded or inlaid nibs? I have a Sheaffer Triumph Imperial that I like, but it feels like a toothpick in my enormous mitts, especially if it's unposted.
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Feb 21, 2020 20:39
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So long as there isn't any air in the pen's ink chamber you'll be fine. Air expands as pressure decreases, so if the pen isn't full of ink the air inside will expand and push the ink out of the feed and leak. The only larger inlaid nib pen I can think of is a Sheaffer Legacy, but they're out of production now and are quite pricey. If you like stout pens the Jinhao 159 is an absolute unit of a pen but has a regular exposed nib. Here's my 159 next to a 601: 
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Feb 21, 2020 21:15
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iospace posted:Depends. Diamine Orange, of course
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Feb 21, 2020 21:58
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Chip McFuck posted:So long as there isn't any air in the pen's ink chamber you'll be fine. Air expands as pressure decreases, so if the pen isn't full of ink the air inside will expand and push the ink out of the feed and leak. Thanks, and that 159 looks big (and cheap) enough that I may pick one up and then try to Frankenpen it into something I really like.
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Feb 22, 2020 01:59
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On ye olde repair bench this week: We have this lovely little Canadian made, Warranted 14k #2 nib:  The pen was dropped, impacting on the tip of the left tine, causing two noticeable creases where the tine has buckled. Despite how ugly it looks, it's actually a fairly straightforward repair. The tine needs to be straightened in two steps (starting with the crease closer to the tipping), and then adjusted to reset the taper on the nib slit. This is made easier by the fact that the right tine hasn't been damaged.
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Feb 22, 2020 05:24
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My hands are not as comfortable with big pens as they used to be, but I still like big swooshy lines. What can I find with a similar nib to the Eco stub, but with a smaller body?
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Feb 22, 2020 09:26
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Chip McFuck posted:
According to Appelboom's Instagram, the Legacy is coming back soon. Also if you go a bit older, the PFM is bigger than the Imperial but those aren't cheap either. It's not quite a hooded nib, but the Vanishing Point is reasonably girthy and its nib is part-covered. The Platinum Curidas is even chunkier.
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Feb 22, 2020 09:45
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Dad Hominem posted:According to Appelboom's Instagram, the Legacy is coming back soon. Also if you go a bit older, the PFM is bigger than the Imperial but those aren't cheap either. That's great to know! I've had my eye on the Curidas since it was announced. I'm just waiting to see more reviews. I check eBay for PFM every few weeks. No luck finding a bargain yet but I can afford to wait.
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Feb 22, 2020 12:49
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I got myself my first vintage fountain pen - Conway Stewart 36, bought on ebay for about 40 euros, including shipping. It was in 'untested' condition, and of course, as soon as I took a look at it the sac disintegrated. I ordered a new one, and in the process learned about sizings and how to measure it. Also ordered some shellac and talc powder. The tines vere very slightly misaligned, it took very little effort to fix it, installing a new sac was straightforward enough, and I managed not to glue myself with shellac. It took some polishing too, the metal parts were pretty tarnished. All in all a pleasant experience, though I fear i might be falling into the reabbit hole of vintage pens  
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Feb 22, 2020 13:42
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fanny packrat posted:That's great to know! I've had my eye on the Curidas since it was announced. I'm just waiting to see more reviews. My Curidas is already here, got any questions?
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Feb 22, 2020 14:15
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Dad Hominem posted:My Curidas is already here, got any questions? Honestly, I'm so new to this and my preferences or so ill-informed that I don't know where to start. I'm interested in your overall impressions, how you think it compares to other capless fountain pens, whether it's worth the price, and if there are obvious areas of improvement that will likely make the next iteration better. My goal with getting into fountain pens was to find the perfect set of instruments for me that would obviate the need to buy pens ever again in my life. This has resulted in me spending more money on pens than I likely would have for the rest of my natural life if I had stuck with my standby, the pilot G2. If you think you could use a Curidas for the rest of your life (with a couple of other pens that are situationally appropriate for different things) then I really want to know that. Thanks for your help!
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Feb 22, 2020 15:39
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fanny packrat posted:Honestly, I'm so new to this and my preferences or so ill-informed that I don't know where to start. I'm interested in your overall impressions, how you think it compares to other capless fountain pens, whether it's worth the price, and if there are obvious areas of improvement that will likely make the next iteration better. Ok some general points to start: The starting point is that it writes well, though I guess nothing unexpected for a modern Platinum steel nib. Mine is an F, and I found that my ink/paper combination (Kobe ink and cheap office paper) gave a smooth wet line, but with feathering reasonably controlled. It's therefore suitable for my intended purpose of note-taking, whether it's quickly copying down a phone number or taking minutes in a long meeting. The build quality is fine. There are lots of joints and interlocking parts in the barrel and filling system, and they fit together tightly and don't wobble. Some people will definitely dislike the outer material (should be the same as a Preppy), but I like it more than the metal of a VP. Actually the size and material kind of remind me of one of those oversized Pentel mechanical pencils. Designwise I think many complaints will be directed at the long button. I agree this is not very attractive, but in practice I have quickly gotten used to the long pressing motion compared to the VP (or your old G2). Also a design feature this has that the VP doesn't is a soft sealing material around the door area - I think that this will stay wet much longer than a VP would. So yeah, compared to the VP? It's a pretty different experience in the hand, so you'd be best off trying them both out. The difference in writing, though, is not huge. I haven't really tried out other capless pens (eg the Lamy Dialog) so I don't have much to add there. Is it worth it? Don't ask me, I spend grack levels on pens. You can think of it this way though - it's the cheapest way to get into clicky fountain pens, so if that feature is important to you, and you're cool with the size and material, go for it.
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Feb 22, 2020 16:27
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fanny packrat posted:My goal with getting into fountain pens was to find the perfect set of instruments for me that would obviate the need to buy pens ever again in my life. This has resulted in me spending more money on pens than I likely would have for the rest of my natural life if I had stuck with my standby, the pilot G2. The system works!
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Feb 22, 2020 19:19
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fanny packrat posted:My goal with getting into fountain pens was to find the perfect set of instruments for me that would obviate the need to buy pens ever again in my life. This has resulted in me spending more money on pens than I likely would have for the rest of my natural life if I had stuck with my standby, the pilot G2. If you think you could use a Curidas for the rest of your life (with a couple of other pens that are situationally appropriate for different things) then I really want to know that. Heath posted:Just c/p this into every post in this thread
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Feb 22, 2020 19:30
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fanny packrat posted:This has resulted in me spending more money on pens than I likely would have for the rest of my natural life if I had stuck with my standby, the pilot G2. But the G2 would let disposable pen snobs look down on you! You at least have to go for a Pentel EnerGel or something.
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Feb 22, 2020 21:24
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On ye olde workbench this week 2, Fuckup Boogaloo We have a lovely Waterman #2 Ideal nib, with some nice flex:  Unfortunately, this nib is badly, badly messed up. First, the nib was overflexed while writing and sprung, leaving two noticeable creases radiating from the breather hole (1). Secondly, someone who didn't have a goddamned idea what the gently caress they were doing tried to  repair this by bending the tines back in to place so that the tips would touch (2). Unfortunately, this has only served to make the issue far worse. Because an extra bend was added to the tines, the nib slit is now counter-tapered, bulging out in the middle (3). This issue completely impedes ink flow, and the nib will not write again without significant re-adjustment work.With both nib tines creased, it's going to be much more difficult to reform a proper nib slit. This will greatly increase the time (and thus, cost) required for the repair.  to whatever dipshit thought that this was a good idea.
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Feb 24, 2020 01:28
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