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SixteenShells posted:I've been running Noodler's Heart of Darkness in a Pilot Metropolitan, and I've noticed there's almost always a sticky, gummy feeling to the barrel. I can kinda wipe it off but it comes back really quickly. Am I right in assuming that's something about the Bulletproof-ness of the HoD creeping onto the grip? Try a different ink and see what happens
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Jun 30, 2022 01:05
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| # ? Apr 29, 2024 11:36 |
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SixteenShells posted:I've been running Noodler's Heart of Darkness in a Pilot Metropolitan, and I've noticed there's almost always a sticky, gummy feeling to the barrel. I can kinda wipe it off but it comes back really quickly. Am I right in assuming that's something about the Bulletproof-ness of the HoD creeping onto the grip? Have you checked the cap to see if it leaked into it? I don't see HoD being any more or less difficult to use as other inks, except that maybe it takes a bit longer to dry. But I find that Pilot Metropolitan pens tend to leak a bit, so I always wipe the barrel and the interior of the cap about once a week. But I also agree with grack posted:Try a different ink and see what happens
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Jun 30, 2022 05:59
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Don’t know why I bother, got a new pen this past week (a Nakaya) and it took a bit of futzing to get it to write consistently and not run dry, it’s still a drier writer than I prefer, so off it will go next week to a nibmeister.
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Jul 1, 2022 00:28
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sb hermit posted:Have you checked the cap to see if it leaked into it? Thanks y'all!
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Jul 1, 2022 00:57
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I recently got a Sailor Pro Gear in Medium. I really love it. The feedback is amazing. It's my go to work pen now. I hate converters so really pleased with this. Wish it had a little more capacity but it's working great. I like it more than my platinum.
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Jul 2, 2022 03:28
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Sailor makes some of the best and most unique nibs. Whenever i get fountain pen money again i really hope to be able to go down that particular path.
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Jul 2, 2022 10:23
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SixteenShells posted:I've been running Noodler's Heart of Darkness in a Pilot Metropolitan, and I've noticed there's almost always a sticky, gummy feeling to the barrel. I can kinda wipe it off but it comes back really quickly. Am I right in assuming that's something about the Bulletproof-ness of the HoD creeping onto the grip? Every bottle is chemically unique. So... maybe?
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Jul 2, 2022 14:50
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I use B5 for notekeeping and got some blank kokyo campus--no grids or anything--with the idea that I could print sheet music templates on it for some music theory workbook exercises. Well, it looks like I don't have any printers here that can actually print to B5! It's just not supported. I ended up finding a seller of blank 26-ring B5 sheet music on Etsy of all places, but that was it. It didn't even occur to me how much of a problem this would be.
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Jul 2, 2022 23:55
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Hm, it looks like after sitting in a VAC700R for a week, the periwinkle blue ink I bought from J. Herbin has turned noticeably darker. A little googling indicates that this is probably the water evaporating a bit and leaving the ink more concentrated. That's kind of disappointing if that can happen so quickly, although it may also be the source of the problems I was having with J. Herbin's Ambre de Birmanie, which was really inconsistent about what color it would be on any given day. Any tips on how to avoid this phenomenon? I would have thought drying out wouldn't be an issue in a vacuum pen with the cap screwed on. Would it make a difference if I left the vacuum chamber sealed at the bottom? In other news, having assembled my set of seven pens in each of the seven colors for taking notes and acquiring the proper inks, I also had to order a cheap set of stickers so that I could mark which one was which, because just being a clear demonstrator pen wasn't enough to know red from orange without touching pen to paper.
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Jul 6, 2022 15:38
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After trying to understand by going back and forth between all of EF, F, M, and B for a few days the thing that really stands out to me is the physical feedback differences. Gun to my head I still can’t reliably see a difference between the smaller three (broad is certainly broad). I can certainly feel EF drag, F slightly less, M seems neutral-ish, and B glides. Just-posting in case the tactile feedback would surprise any other beginners.
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Jul 7, 2022 00:59
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Same Great Paste posted:After trying to understand by going back and forth between all of EF, F, M, and B for a few days the thing that really stands out to me is the physical feedback differences. Gun to my head I still can’t reliably see a difference between the smaller three (broad is certainly broad). I can certainly feel EF drag, F slightly less, M seems neutral-ish, and B glides. You might be interested in checking this out too! The difference between 3 sizes might genuinely be small between brands, and even nib types. But, for example my pilot medium and extra fine are very distinct. https://www.gouletpens.com/pages/nib-nook
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Jul 7, 2022 02:01
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RE: My weirdly sticky Metropolitan. So I think I narrowed down at least part of the issue with the sticky feeling - I wasn't doing a good enough job cleaning the nib and grip off when refilling the pen, and I think I was also being sloppy putting it back in the cap. I've been trying to treat it more carefully, be more diligent with the cleaning, and insert it into the cap more carefully. And while it didn't completely solve the problem, it's much less of an issue than it was.
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Jul 7, 2022 03:34
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SixteenShells posted:RE: My weirdly sticky Metropolitan. So I think I narrowed down at least part of the issue with the sticky feeling - I wasn't doing a good enough job cleaning the nib and grip off when refilling the pen, and I think I was also being sloppy putting it back in the cap. I've been trying to treat it more carefully, be more diligent with the cleaning, and insert it into the cap more carefully. And while it didn't completely solve the problem, it's much less of an issue than it was. 
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Jul 7, 2022 03:40
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Rand Brittain posted:Any tips on how to avoid this phenomenon? I would have thought drying out wouldn't be an issue in a vacuum pen with the cap screwed on. Would it make a difference if I left the vacuum chamber sealed at the bottom? When you are not using the pen for a while, close the vacuum seal. This will keep your ink from evaporating.
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Jul 7, 2022 06:35
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atholbrose posted:When you are not using the pen for a while, close the vacuum seal. This will keep your ink from evaporating. I don't think that'd make a difference. The evaporating ink probably isn't the comparatively large amount in the barrel, it's probably the ink already soaked in the feed. IMO it's just that the cap doesn't seal too well, and there's not much you can do about it unless maybe the inner cap needs adjusting.
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Jul 7, 2022 07:54
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Same Great Paste posted:After trying to understand by going back and forth between all of EF, F, M, and B for a few days the thing that really stands out to me is the physical feedback differences. Gun to my head I still can’t reliably see a difference between the smaller three (broad is certainly broad). I can certainly feel EF drag, F slightly less, M seems neutral-ish, and B glides. Broader nibs put more ink on the paper, which acts as a lubricant. This doesn't mean EF nibs can't be smooth, it's that if all things are equal, broader nibs can be smoother Also here's a new Delta. It's Dolce Vita Papillon  It's pretty and I like it.
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Jul 7, 2022 18:23
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I'm pretty new to fountain pens and inks but I got some iroshizuku and wow does it ever write well. Before this I was using the lamy cartridge that came with my pen and I expected the custom ink filling process to be annoying and messy, but it took like 5 minutes (going slow for the first time) and barely made a mess at all. The old lamy cartridge used to have ink sort of pool on the nib if it sat for a few hours but this ink doesn't seem to do that at all which is nice.
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Jul 7, 2022 19:03
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grack posted:Broader nibs put more ink on the paper, which acts as a lubricant. This doesn't mean EF nibs can't be smooth, it's that if all things are equal, broader nibs can be smoother That is a beautiful thing. Can you please clarify about EF being smooth? Is it technique or gold/steel or a different maker or something else? I’d love to understand how to make a thin line with less of a feel to it.
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Jul 9, 2022 01:04
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You can polish nibs to make them smoother, but it requires a bit of practice and some (relatively) low-cost materials. Alternatively, you could send a pen to a nibmeister, but it's likely not worth it for a sub-$30 pen given the service would probably be 2-3x the cost once shipping is figured. If you want a chance at a reasonably smooth out-of-box experience, Pilot's 14k EFs aren't bad, but they're not cheap.
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Jul 9, 2022 01:45
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It basically comes down to how the nib is ground. Companies will have their own standard of how they want their nibs to feel (like Sailor being known for their feedback), but 'smoothness' really depends on whos grinding the nib and how much time they have dedicated to each nib. Edit: Also what Grack said Chip McFuck fucked around with this message at 01:49 on Jul 9, 2022 |
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Jul 9, 2022 01:46
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Does anyone have a good guide on how to swap inks if I have a standard piston converter? I'm not sure if there's a way to spill as little ink as possible, wipe down the nib, and things like that.
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Jul 10, 2022 19:12
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Booyah- posted:Does anyone have a good guide on how to swap inks if I have a standard piston converter? I'm not sure if there's a way to spill as little ink as possible, wipe down the nib, and things like that. You mean changing inks when the pen is still part-full, and saving the previous ink for later? That's generally not a thing - if you're putting used ink back into the bottle, that risks contaminating the bottle and getting stuff growing in it.
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Jul 11, 2022 07:15
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Dad Hominem posted:You mean changing inks when the pen is still part-full, and saving the previous ink for later? That's generally not a thing - if you're putting used ink back into the bottle, that risks contaminating the bottle and getting stuff growing in it. No I just mean how to change the ink without making a mess if there's some still left in the cartridge/converter.
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Jul 11, 2022 08:57
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Booyah- posted:No I just mean how to change the ink without making a mess if there's some still left in the cartridge/converter.
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Jul 11, 2022 14:30
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Chip McFuck posted:It basically comes down to how the nib is ground. Companies will have their own standard of how they want their nibs to feel (like Sailor being known for their feedback), but 'smoothness' really depends on whos grinding the nib and how much time they have dedicated to each nib. emphasis mine: that explains a bit and I might shell out for a gold pilot nib as I love smoothness (in a pen)
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Jul 11, 2022 14:48
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Heath posted:Empty it under water. If you have a blunt tip syringe you can stick it in and spray it from the inside. Got it, thanks!
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Jul 11, 2022 19:25
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on that note, are Script nibs supposed to be the smoothest nibs on god's green earth? i frankenstein'd a script section off a wrecked vintage Pilot Elite and onto a nicer body (screw on converter cap?) and it writes like the wind. i'm very surpised i don't see them being sold in the modern day related question, any tips for cleaning the barest hint of rust off the part where the metal clip meets the cap? btw Elite nibs with a white section stain absurdly easily (and permanently) every time you refill and they should be avoided. rear end nasty design Ramie fucked around with this message at 21:02 on Jul 11, 2022 |
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Jul 11, 2022 20:53
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Okay now I think I pinned down the sticky ink issue. I'm at a conference this week so I put the HoD in a TWSBI Eco, and suddenly I'm getting issues with that pen too. Never had issues with it before, including with a different Noodler's (Lexington Gray). But thinking about it, I realized the paper I'm writing on isn't the most absorbent (Midori MD) and I've heard that diluting Noodler's inks is something people do. So I thought, maybe the undiluted HoD is putting so much pigment and whatnot down that it's sitting on top of the paper instead of soaking in. I tried being WAY more careful about not touching places I'd written already, and I diluted out the ink (almost too much, I suspect Lexington Gray is just diluted HoD or something). And bam, instant problem solution. No more sticky. I need to figure out the right dilution for this ink on this paper going forward, but at least I know what the problem is now.
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Jul 11, 2022 23:10
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That seems to track with Noodler's super saturation.
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Jul 11, 2022 23:41
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You could also give your bottle of HoD a shake before you refill, some of the elements can separate and sink to the bottom. I found that out twice with Noodler's inks. Noodler's Blue-Black was very light, but a quick shake got all the elements back together. Noodler's House Divided has some yellow pigment that sinks to the bottom of the bottle if you let it sit too long. I had to really shake that up to mix it back up.
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Jul 12, 2022 03:16
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At this point I would start shopping for reliable inks, such as anything from the Iroshizuku line.
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Jul 12, 2022 08:19
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Yeah I really like the iroshizuku inks I've tried. They look beautiful and also write very smoothly. I got one of the selection packs which has been great in getting me to try more unusual colours. Buying full size bottles I'm sure I'd have stuck with blue/black or something but that's a bit of a waste. It's interesting as well how the colours change a bit over a week or so. I bought a "nice" pen, it's a montblanc 145 in F. I got 1/3 off buying it through something at my company. It's a very beautiful thing and writes very well, though weirdly I usually find myself reaching for the Safaris.
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Jul 12, 2022 09:16
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Keetron posted:At this point I would start shopping for reliable inks, such as anything from the Iroshizuku line. Yeah I'll starting looking for a replacement. At the very least I have a bit of PR black somewhere. It just hurts to have this enormous bottle that I just can't use without hating the writing experience.
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Jul 12, 2022 19:28
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SixteenShells posted:It just hurts to have this enormous bottle that I just can't use without hating the writing experience. So don't write with it.  I used HOD to stain a little keepsake box black. Buy a glass pen or a suitably sized real-art paintbrush and sketch or something with it. The art police won't show up if you use ink for non ink related purposes. I've been thinking about trying to make miniature washes or glazes or something out of fountain pen inks for a long time.
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Jul 12, 2022 20:20
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My girlfriend used some of my inks to write on skulls at her lab. Turns out pigment based inks just do not work with whatever equipment they're using 
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Jul 12, 2022 20:29
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SixteenShells posted:It just hurts to have this enormous bottle that I just can't use without hating the writing experience.
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Jul 12, 2022 21:39
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My HoD bottle remains the single bottle that's too big for the box that stores the rest of my ink.
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Jul 13, 2022 01:57
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Argas posted:My HoD bottle remains the single bottle that's too big for the box that stores the rest of my ink. 
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Jul 13, 2022 03:00
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catgirlgenius posted:on that note, are Script nibs supposed to be the smoothest nibs on god's green earth? i frankenstein'd a script section off a wrecked vintage Pilot Elite and onto a nicer body (screw on converter cap?) and it writes like the wind. i'm very surpised i don't see them being sold in the modern day It isn't really clear what Pilot meant with the Script name on those nibs. If you look at the 1962 ad with the Christmas card here https://www.pilot.co.jp/100th/en/gallery/ you can see a rundown of nibs that more or less reads: Extra fine - posting Fine (firm) - script Medium (firm) - manifold Broad - coarse Is it just that all fine nibs on Elites of that era are called Script? Or is there some special magic to Script nibs? I have no idea.
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Jul 13, 2022 05:39
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I realized recently that I chucked the clear black part of my Safari Orange Al when I was cleaning it last along with the nib (PSA: don’t dry things in wads of kleenex!). I am thinking about replacing it, but tbh the thing just sits in a drawer so that it doesn’t get scratched and remove that amazing color. Whelp, that’s it!
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Jul 15, 2022 06:59
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