Fountain Pens:I strongly support any and all financially crippling fountain pen purch

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Fountain Pens:I strongly support any and all financially crippling fountain pen purch

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signalnoise: Mar 7, 2008; i was told my old av was distracting

My wife likes fountain pens and has a pilot metro, what can I get her that's good in the 30 dollar range on Amazon for xmas? I don't really care if it's the PERFECT PEN I figure it's more exposure to different kinds that matters.

# ¿ Dec 22, 2016 03:32

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# ¿ May 15, 2024 06:11

signalnoise: Mar 7, 2008; i was told my old av was distracting

Sagebrush posted:

What sort of designs is she a fan of? Sleek and modern? Cute and fun? Traditional and luxurious? There are a number of good options in that price range, with style being the main differentiating feature.

Off the top of my head, look at the Lamy Logo and Al-star, the various Kaweco Sport models, and the TWSBI ECO and Diamond.

The Kaweco Liliput ($50-80) makes a great gift, IMO, because it's unusual and cute as well as being a good pen, but if you go that route be aware that it is really tiny. With the cap on it's about the size of a cigarette. My sister loves hers though.

I really don't know what styles she likes, I was thinking this would be more to expose her to different shapes of handle

# ¿ Dec 22, 2016 04:53

signalnoise: Mar 7, 2008; i was told my old av was distracting

Sagebrush posted:

Yeah but I mean you know whether your wife would prefer something like this

or like this

right?

Also all the ones I posted have varying body shapes, from slim and geometric to fat and round, designed for writing with or without the cap posted on the end, etc.

Probably the 2nd one (minus the knurling) at work and the 1st one out and about

# ¿ Dec 22, 2016 05:10

signalnoise: Mar 7, 2008; i was told my old av was distracting

Thanks, this is good stuff. Alright I'm out now though sorry to disrupt

# ¿ Dec 22, 2016 05:47

signalnoise: Mar 7, 2008; i was told my old av was distracting

Ended up splitting the difference and got a Lamy Safari because it had a very utilitarian looking clip, and I was able to get it in hot pink. I was informed that until you get into the really high end poo poo Lamy uses the same nibs all around, so that sounded neat. Added the following to make a full gift set:

A book called Spencerian Penmanship
Clairefontaine cloth-bound notebook
Kokuyo Systemic Refillable Notebook
Rhodia Classic Orange Notepad

How'd I do

# ¿ Dec 23, 2016 14:26

signalnoise: Mar 7, 2008; i was told my old av was distracting

She liked em

# ¿ Dec 25, 2016 10:48

signalnoise: Mar 7, 2008; i was told my old av was distracting

So, after handling my wife's new Lamy Safari I decided to get one for myself in rollerball format. Would this thread be appropriate to talk about and get advice regarding rollerballs as well? I am used to Zebra Sarasa rollerballs because they're cheap, but if there's a rollerball out there that is heads and tails above the rest, I'd love to hear about it.

# ¿ Dec 26, 2016 22:44

signalnoise: Mar 7, 2008; i was told my old av was distracting

Bertrand Hustle posted:

My advice is to try writing with a fountain pen instead. A decent one will write smoother than a rollerball, (usually) hold more ink, and can be filled with whatever colors you want.

My problem with fountain pens has always been that they'd leak all over the place. That was years ago though, has pen technology advanced such that you can use them basically the same as any other? Also, I write super hard on the paper and I have difficulty easing back on my hand tension. I've found that I end up scraping the paper with fountain pens. Advice on that?

# ¿ Dec 26, 2016 23:07

signalnoise: Mar 7, 2008; i was told my old av was distracting

edit: nvm I'm just gonna post a tell me thread

signalnoise fucked around with this message at 08:25 on Jan 7, 2017

# ¿ Jan 7, 2017 08:22

signalnoise: Mar 7, 2008; i was told my old av was distracting

Is there a thread about journaling and poo poo? I decided to buy notebooks and stuff and write my thoughts out and it's helped me a lot to get my daily life organized. I want more.

# ¿ Jan 30, 2017 00:15

signalnoise: Mar 7, 2008; i was told my old av was distracting

long-rear end nips Diane posted:

I don't think there's a thread, we just talk about it in here sometimes.

Any preferred everyday carry setups? I should be getting a Hobonichi Techo and a A6 Kokuyo Systemic holder along with a thin A6 notebook in the mail tomorrow. Also I've heard good things about "bullet journaling" but it all looks like a marketing thing to me when I google it.

# ¿ Jan 30, 2017 00:37

signalnoise: Mar 7, 2008; i was told my old av was distracting

effika posted:

I prefer a B6 size for my everyday carry. This limits me to Japanese brands mostly, but I also find some good stuff randomly in the journal section at Barnes and Noble. (B6 fits perfectly in a pocket on my bag.)

Earlier in this thread there was a link to a good simple no-frills bullet journal setup post. I'm on mobile otherwise I'd link it. It's basically a glorified to-do list, but it's also a good way to capture info for later processing. I use it at work, and it has helped me keep up with tasks.

Keeping up with tasks is exactly what I'm after. I have a problem of spending too much time preparing to do poo poo and not enough time doing it. And really that's only useful when I'm automating things, which I also do, but you can't automate your drat laundry.

# ¿ Jan 30, 2017 06:30

signalnoise: Mar 7, 2008; i was told my old av was distracting

I bought a Zebra V-301 fountain pen for like 2 dollars. Don't. It was a miserable experience. Like after writing my signature 4 times I wanted to break it it half.

# ¿ Feb 4, 2017 20:56

signalnoise: Mar 7, 2008; i was told my old av was distracting

Heath posted:

Does Zebra make anything that isn't total garbage?

The Sarasa pen is very nice for buying in packs of 12 when you need something you can give away without it being a lovely Bic. Until I discovered a way to not lose a good pen, Sarasa was my go-to rollerball gel whatever pen.

For someone who wants like a .4mm-.5mm fountain pen, is there anything as smooth as a rollerball for under like 30-40 dollars? Or even a ballpoint? Rollerballs don't get that thin without being disposables, it seems, and I need something that looks relatively professional. I got a Lamy Safari rollerball and I like it, but using it in a Hobonichi Techo, the stroke is just too loving big.

NeurosisHead posted:

Don't those have a wick type feed, rather than a channel feed?

Dunno. They use cartridges but the ink was incredibly difficult to get to flow steadily. I've reached a point in my life where I don't struggle to make poo poo work, so I gave up pretty much immediately because gently caress 2 dollars. I want something that works well and doesn't frustrate me if I'm going to be using it on a daily basis.

# ¿ Feb 4, 2017 22:48

signalnoise: Mar 7, 2008; i was told my old av was distracting

Megabound posted:

A Faber Castell Loom in Fine or Extra-Fine. FC steel nibs are known for their quality and it fits the price range. It's the best steel nibbed pen I own when it comes to smoothness.

Is there anything a bit slimmer? For example the Lamy Logo? I tried out my wife's Lamy Safari medium nib, and it wrote really smoothly to me. Like, not as smooth as a rollerball, but it worked and I didn't have to do anything special for it. Would a fine nib Lamy work as smoothly as the medium, or do I really gotta get something special for fine print fountain pen smoothness?

Also is even opaqueness with black ink just not going to happen, or can I get some rad custom ink to avoid the inconsistent color depth seen here:

Editititit: For reference, if I could get what I really, really want, I would use this: Montana Black Dye Ink

In a marker, it does this in one stroke:

signalnoise fucked around with this message at 01:10 on Feb 5, 2017

# ¿ Feb 5, 2017 00:39

signalnoise: Mar 7, 2008; i was told my old av was distracting

404notfound posted:

That variation in color is called shading, and believe it or not, it's a quality that some people lust after in an ink. It's something you don't see with normal ballpoints, and adds an extra sense of depth to your writing.

Some inks shade more or less, so you can try to find one that has little/no shading. It also helps if you write on cheaper/more absorbent paper. Shading is a result of varying amounts of ink pooling and sitting on top of the paper when it dries up; cheaper paper will absorb the ink immediately and show less variation.

I see. Maybe I'll get accustomed to it? Probably will happen when my penmanship isn't garbage.

# ¿ Feb 5, 2017 01:24

signalnoise: Mar 7, 2008; i was told my old av was distracting

Pixelante posted:

Baystate Purple does it too, right? I have a bottle I really want to try, but figured I should be aware how fast it would wreck a roughhousing pen. I'm okay with dedicating my Charlie to Baystates.

Fountain pens are proving a bit risky to take to professional things. I'm finding that most of my pens blorch after transport, even if it's ground--maybe because of the temperature changes in the car? I should probably leave the broad nibs behind next time. I was trying to be careful, but I still ended up with some ink on my neck somehow. Fortunately it was Ina-Ho, but there's an element of risk with fountain pens that I never had with my felt tips.

Hrmmm how do I avoid this? I travel a lot

# ¿ Feb 5, 2017 18:22

signalnoise: Mar 7, 2008; i was told my old av was distracting

Xun posted:

At least on a plane I like to keep them in a dry plastic bottle with the lid closed, they never blorted for me. However I only have medium/fine nibbed pens

So basically you're trying to put it in a place where air pressure is normalized, I take it? I had a similar problem with miniature paint bottles blowing their caps. :argh:

# ¿ Feb 5, 2017 19:49

signalnoise: Mar 7, 2008; i was told my old av was distracting

Pixelante posted:

That's a thing that works?

Yeah I was just gonna get a cigar tube. Cigars require normalized relative humidity, and relative humidity is a function of air pressure. So it should normalize the air pressure inside if you just seal up a pen in a tube. I'll give it a shot next time I travel, which is the 13th. I have two flights that day actually so it should be a good test. What should I test with, as just a lovely broad-nib fountain pen to see if it leaks?

# ¿ Feb 5, 2017 20:10

signalnoise: Mar 7, 2008; i was told my old av was distracting

Kessel posted:

Yes. Nalgene bottles, Coke bottles, literally anything that you can seal your pen in so that the pressure doesn't equalise will prevent a leak.

I just bought this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LWBHA1P/

Should work

# ¿ Feb 6, 2017 03:29

signalnoise: Mar 7, 2008; i was told my old av was distracting

I'm just treating this like I treat any daily use item. I can spend oodles on my PC because I use it pretty constantly. At least 10-12 hours a day. Same with my computer chair and same with my mattress and underwears and stuff. I have put less into writing, but still a good amount, because I plan to use it daily, though not for hours at a time. Once I find the right setup, all that's left to buy is paper and ink, right?

By the way- this thing rules

# ¿ Feb 7, 2017 15:05

signalnoise: Mar 7, 2008; i was told my old av was distracting

404notfound posted:

I think I'm going to keep up with the Bullet Journal stuff, and I'd like to have a nice leather notebook like the Midori, but in an A5 form factor like the Leuchtturm that has become the de facto Bullet Journal notebook.

Any recommendations on A5-sized leather notebook covers?

Do you mean covers for leather notebooks or notebook covers made of leather?

# ¿ Feb 8, 2017 03:27

signalnoise: Mar 7, 2008; i was told my old av was distracting

I have arrived at my destination

Thanks for the suggestions

# ¿ Feb 9, 2017 05:38

signalnoise: Mar 7, 2008; i was told my old av was distracting

I can't afford a 60 dollar notebook, but I applaud you for working on behalf of the disabled. You are a good person.

# ¿ Feb 9, 2017 18:35

signalnoise: Mar 7, 2008; i was told my old av was distracting

Kessel posted:

Thank you. I know our diaries are pretty expensive and we're working hard to see if we can reduce costs further.

Mostly what I'm interested in is the cover. I can't justify a 60 dollar disposable item, but maybe you could make covers by themselves that slot different sized notebooks? Depending on how much demand you have for that item vs the time it takes to hand-sew the binding, you might have a better market there. But it all depends on what kind of time investments and demand you have.

edit: I am gonna see if a certain disability-centric organization in my city could patronize this

signalnoise fucked around with this message at 17:07 on Feb 10, 2017

# ¿ Feb 10, 2017 16:57

signalnoise: Mar 7, 2008; i was told my old av was distracting

Kessel posted:

We got some help and gave our website a significant (a really significant) upgrade.

http://musu.bi

I hope you like it!

Check your PMs. I want to help broaden your brand awareness to a bunch of weebs but I don't want to step on your toes when you are planning to raise the price.

# ¿ Feb 11, 2017 19:24

signalnoise: Mar 7, 2008; i was told my old av was distracting

Kessel posted:

I saw your PM but haven't had the chance to reply. We are absolutely willing to do something like that but based on initial order volume are currently having trouble making enough diaries to even keep up. When we're ready to go wider I will contact you again?

Definitely. Keep in touch, I don't want to swamp you before you're ready, but say the word and I'm certain there are tons of nerds willing to buy them even if they will never, ever use them.

# ¿ Feb 12, 2017 19:48

signalnoise: Mar 7, 2008; i was told my old av was distracting

Massdrop has the Lamy 2000 for about 100 bucks

# ¿ Feb 13, 2017 14:02

signalnoise: Mar 7, 2008; i was told my old av was distracting

Iznogood posted:

Well I think I finally found a use for one of my notebooks. Well, another use apart from testing pens and inks in them....

We have just bought a incredible whole half of a Wagyu beef 100% pure breed. I think it was 470 ish pounds on the carcass and 230 ish done butchering. Came out at 40CAD/kl which is a ridiculous price for what this is.

Anyways, since this ton of delicious is packaged in hundreds of steaks in different cuts, roasts and everything else I want to be able to keep track of what I like the most and what I would like cut thicker next time or whatever observation I have. Also note cooking methods, temps, taste notes. The owner of the farm gave me a binder with information and sheets for feedback. Given that it was a important purchase and since he knows we can be long time clients (my gf was born in money and I have a private catering business) so producers have a interest in having a good and lasting relation with us.

So yeah simple just use a notebook! Done! Wait.. Which notebook... Then it hit me! My Atelier Musubi notebook that is hopefully on the way would be perfect! A artisan made notebook from the same country as the origin of my beef. A iconic design for a iconic beef.

What I still haven't figured out is how to organise it. I might start in another notebook and when I am satisfied with my system I transcript it to the good notebook and go from there.

Does anyone have any system that would suit what I want to do? Or is the bullet journal versatile enough?

I would just mark the first few pages as table of contents/index and go ham on whatever page, just number the pages or whatever.

# ¿ Feb 20, 2017 15:28

signalnoise: Mar 7, 2008; i was told my old av was distracting

rio posted:

If no one else feels like doing it, I am willing to make the thread. Just tell me where to put it because I can't figure out what subforum it should be in.

Academics. Thread title is Pen15 Club

# ¿ Mar 2, 2017 21:26

signalnoise: Mar 7, 2008; i was told my old av was distracting

A friend of mine told me the nib on his pen was "platinum" and "high flow low pressure"

Can someone tell me if he was talking about a pen by the company Platinum, or if it's actually made of platinum? It had a bunch of Monteverde-style embellishment on the top of the nib, that's all I can tell, but it wrote incredibly smoothly, with incredibly high opacity out of Iroshizuku black ink, putting out a decent amount of ink but without a lot of bleeding, or any of the other problems I would have expected with high ink flow.

# ¿ Mar 12, 2017 13:47

signalnoise: Mar 7, 2008; i was told my old av was distracting

For nibs, if I want a calligraphy nib so my writing looks super cool, but I want the thin parts of my strokes to be super thin, should I avoid a broader calligraphy nib or do they all get that thin on the backstroke or whatever?

# ¿ Mar 14, 2017 13:25

signalnoise: Mar 7, 2008; i was told my old av was distracting

I don't know how I feel about this

I like the darker ink, but the iroshizuku ink writes better even with an EF nib. Argh

# ¿ Mar 17, 2017 13:34

signalnoise: Mar 7, 2008; i was told my old av was distracting

Speaking of inks, I have lately been wondering how colorful of an ink I could use and still have my pen be roughly professional... Maybe a very dark purple? I dunno.

# ¿ Mar 17, 2017 15:38

signalnoise: Mar 7, 2008; i was told my old av was distracting

Is there a good listing of pens based on nib? Like, if I care more about the writing than the body, I can buy a Safari and know what a Lamy Logo writes like (which I did). I want to try different pen nibs out without dropping 40+ bucks on an expensive pen. Where do I look that poo poo up? I'm still on the lookout for something smooth yet fine, and not scratchy.

# ¿ Mar 17, 2017 18:59

signalnoise: Mar 7, 2008; i was told my old av was distracting

What cheapass pilot pen bracket can I look at that shares the same nibs as a higher pen bracket and what are those brackets? I have been hearing good stuff about Pilot pens everywhere but I thought the nib in the Metropolitan I used was good but not great.

edit: Maybe I should just get something that uses a #6

signalnoise fucked around with this message at 20:38 on Mar 17, 2017

# ¿ Mar 17, 2017 20:26

signalnoise: Mar 7, 2008; i was told my old av was distracting

I just said gently caress it when I found out that an Edison #5 will fit in one of those cheap Muji aluminum barrel pens. I love a cylinder, I really do.

# ¿ Mar 17, 2017 21:21

signalnoise: Mar 7, 2008; i was told my old av was distracting

Lesson learned, looks like ink has to kinda marinate before you can really test it.

# ¿ Mar 18, 2017 16:33

signalnoise: Mar 7, 2008; i was told my old av was distracting

Kessel posted:

All goon backorders for our diaries, including replacement diaries for those who suffered shipping damage and lost packages, are now out for delivery. At least, unless you are a goon who placed an order and I have no idea you're a goon.

Thanks for the overwhelming support. It's just me and my artisans so we're all working overtime to get your diaries to you, and sometimes we're a little slow to reply to emails.

New prints are arriving soon. If you like rabbits this will be your lucky day!

Are these still available for 60 bucks? I could use one as a gift for someone. And would it be possible to get custom fabric?

Also I am still up for helping your cause if your capacity expands. Keep me in mind.

signalnoise fucked around with this message at 17:12 on Mar 18, 2017

# ¿ Mar 18, 2017 17:09

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# ¿ May 15, 2024 06:11

signalnoise: Mar 7, 2008; i was told my old av was distracting

Sounds good. I am interested in pitching this as something that we could offer our guests as a "hey you're cool have a sweet-rear end diary" so a themed run of books would be something, but knowing my CFO we'd need a discount that probably wouldn't make it worth it for you unless you want to run a sweatshop. And don't do that! I am primarily interested in just ways to increase traffic to help the disabled. For the custom fabric, maybe we make it and you use it? Or we could possibly source it anyway. I don't know how much of your pricing is based on materials and how much is based on labor though.

Do your books have any kind of special postcard or something in them that explains why it's a good cause, in case someone orders one as a gift? And if I did order it as a gift, I don't know if there's some kind of sweet special Japanese gift wrapping available, but that would increase the coolness of the gift, even if most of the people I'd give the books to would be ignorant of its significance. Like myself, for example, I don't know poo poo about giving gifts in Japan except never give in quantities of 4, and if you take PTO to go on vacation you are obligated to get everyone in your office something roughly equivalent to a fun-size snickers bar.

# ¿ Mar 18, 2017 21:29

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Fountain Pens:I strongly support any and all financially crippling fountain pen purch

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