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Xachariah posted:Most people with poor hand writing tend to use their fingers too much when writing. To get smooth loops you want to use the shoulder and forearm muscles. An exercise is to lift your hand in the air and imagine you are drawing large letters on an imaginary board without moving fingers, this will show you the feeling of the muscles needed for the majority of the work. I've unironically been devoted a good amount of time over the last few weeks to retraining my handwriting. It's not as hard as I thought it was, and my writing has improved greatly, though it is still almost completely illegible.  http://www.paperpenalia.com/handwriting.html That is my favorite guide on the subject, and not just because the guy is a sausage-fingered fountain pen user.
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Mar 22, 2013 18:02
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Kill Dozed posted:Does anyone have any recommendations for inks that write well on cheap paper? I do most of my writing in the margins of paperback books, so the paper quality is left to the whims of the publishing company. Right now I am using Diamine China Blue which works well on certain papers, but bleeds through on others. Should I try a lighter color? Would that make the bleed through less noticeable? Do you want an ink that is quick-drying as well? Well, regardless of that, you should try Noodler's Lexington Gray. It seems to dry very quickly and without excessive feathering on cheap trade paperback pages.
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May 22, 2013 15:55
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Everything Burrito posted:I have about 10 samples of various blue-blacks/dark blues (I do lean toward the more tealish/greenish ones) that I'm slowly working through. It'll probably be a while before I see all of them since I'm reusing a cartridge and getting a full fill each time so I can write with each one for a while and really get a feel for it. A little far back, but I look forward to hearing what goons have to say on Q'Ternity. An ultra quick drying blue-black is something that I ache for dearly. Also: Gentlemen, the time is nigh. Noodler's El Lawrence will soon be in stock once more. Soon all of my writing will be done in a dirty, used oil kinda color. Honestly, I have never been taken by an ink like I have been by El Lawrence, and it's not even that attractive. It also takes way too long to dry, but at least it doesn't feather on cheap paper too much.
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Sep 7, 2013 03:59
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cerious posted:Sorry to say but it bleeds and feathers pretty badly since it dries so quickly (quickly being under 2 seconds, from my experience - as soon as nib meets paper pretty much). It has zero shading too, it's more of a flat dark teal than a true blue-black. I mean if you're picking it up for the quick-dry property then it's excellent but for other reasons... stick with other inks. I guess that's not a total surprise, but it's still a little disappointing. Looks like the Goulets are going to have to take my money another way.
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Sep 7, 2013 11:48
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Xun posted:My lamy safari has a weird "blot" of ink on the top of the nib, right on the line. I can't seem to get rid of it, is that normal? Being far less helpful than the lord Brightman: Richard's Pens is a magnificent source for all things fountain pen, though I'd be very cautious about many of the fixes he prescribes until you know quite a lot about the pens and their workings. Also, I did a thing today. My safari simply stopped writing overnight so rather than trouble shoot it I went totally hog wild, purging the feed, replacing the nib, and inspecting the whole thing under a loupe. In the end, I ran a brass sheet through the old nib and found that it was disgustingly gunked up with my precious El Lawrence. I could have just cleaned it out, rinsed, and re-inked and been fine. This served another purpose, as it gave me a fresh start from the nib that I learned how to write with a fountain pen on.
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Sep 9, 2013 21:06
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milpreve posted:I just put $65 of ink samples in my cart on Goulet, AFTER weeding it down a bit. I have a problem. I have a worse problem. It looks like I slept through my chance to order five bottles of my favorite UK Series ink. God dammit.
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Sep 11, 2013 17:23
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Moleskine notebooks, despite their pricepoint, are made with fairly poor paper in my experience. It's overwaxed yet manages to allow bleedthrough, and has a tendency to clog my pens up with waxyfibery gunk. Rhodia paper is pretty much better in every way, it also comes in dot grid. Dot grid paper is awesome.
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Sep 23, 2013 19:25
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In truth, most things seem better than flexy Noodlers, at least from my experience. My last Konrad came with a magical trick nib with tines that overlapped somewhat, so one was constantly ontop of the other. Additionally, it just dosn't flex that well to begin with, unless you take a dremel to it. At least it smelled pretty out of the box. Now that I've shat on Noodlers, I guess I'll praise them. I inked up a metropolitan with Zhivago a few days ago and am very happy with it. It seems to be fairly quick to dry with minimum feathering and bleed through. Colorwise it appears black in most circumstances, but a little bit of green can be seen around the edges of the line. This would be a great ink to use with a working flex pen 
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Sep 26, 2013 06:04
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Kheldragar posted:I don't know if it's because I write too hard, but the Varsity pens, especially the black colour, tend to start becoming terrible and not writing as well after a little while. The packs I buy are in purple, blue, and black, and the black ones are the only one that start to deteriorate quickly. At least for me. Though this may or may not apply to you, varsitys tend to scrape up paper fiber between the tines like no other pen I have ever used. This was especially bad in moleskine notebooks, whereas copypaper was fine. If you write with the black pen more than the others this might explain your issue. Oh and don't get me wrong here, varsitys are great starter pens that write smoother and more comfortable than some more expensive pens.
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Oct 5, 2013 00:43
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jomiel posted:Oh man, I know what pen and ink to get--Pilot Justus and Noodler's Zhivago--but hmm~~~~ Zhivago is an absolutely fantastic ink. The pictures of it on goulet are a little misleading though, as it comes out almost entirely black in my metros and diamond 580, but with a dark green "shine" at some angles. And on a more awesome note, 2 bottles of EL Lawrence just came in the mail. 
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Oct 9, 2013 20:41
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I think I need to gush over TWSBI a little. My new Diamond 580 came with a misaligned feed so I contacted their US support about it. After a few emails and sending them a picture of the problem they sent me a brand new nib, without even receiving the original one. The individual I dealt actually inspected and tested the new unit before sending it to me. I don't think I've ever had a customer service interaction where they just sent me a new thing for free without any run-around. I'm also going pen-hunting next weekend at a massive regional flea market, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a Parker 75 that's not utterly destroyed. I suspect that most of the pens that make it to these things are the left overs that didn't get picked up at estate sales, as almost every one I inspected were beyond repair. I mean like, nib bent at a 70° angle kind of damage.  Fountain Pens.
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Oct 26, 2013 23:54
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dino. posted:So I got a little too excited when the Dragon's Napalm came in. While filling the pen, I got ink on my fingers. What do I do? Tell your friends that you are an underground street fighter and that you have the literal blood of your enemies on your hands. Or a little rubbing alcohol on a cotton swab, that does the trick sometimes.
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Nov 22, 2013 21:49
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Demon_Corsair posted:really dumb question, how do you properly fill a pen with a CON-50? In all likelyhood the intake is just above the ink line of the sample vial and has been sucking off foam from the very top. I fill all my pens with removable converters using ink syringes these days. It's less messy, you don't need to wipe down the pen after, and you can suck up every drop from a sample vial with them. They're only fivebux at goulet and are a very long term investment: http://www.gouletpens.com/Goulet_5ml_Ink_Syringe_Set_p/gpc-inksyringe.htm As far as BSB goes, you might want to read the following page on richardspens. In addition to the giant caution window, there appears to be a significant amount of FPN activity on the subject. http://www.richardspens.com/?page=pens/nam.htm
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Nov 29, 2013 18:47
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I just pop out the converter/empty cartridge, fill it up with ink, pop it back in then let the pen sit nib down for a few minutes while the ink moves down the feed. --------------------------- Edit: Oh, there are some okay black Friday deals on amazon. Rather than list things of note I will just hope this link works. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_n...55&rnid=1069820 Rudeboy Detective fucked around with this message at 20:45 on Nov 29, 2013 |
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Nov 29, 2013 20:40
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EagerSleeper posted:edit: So I got myself the Pilot Metropolitan pen as a Christmas present to myself. I've been working with it for a while now, but one thing I must say is although I appreciate how fun writing with it is, I don't appreciate the fact that I apparently have to buy special paper or notebooks in order to write with it. I'm lucky I happen to have some old no-name composition books that have been made in Vietnam because those don't bleed through at all, but if I want to work with cheaper paper, I'm out of luck. I've never had that problem on my metro. What ink(s) are you using with it? I keep mine inked up with Diamine Ancient Copper and never ever have any bleedthrough issues, while the preppy that I keep loaded with Pilot blue absolutely murders cheap paper. Fake edit: I just ordered a Jinhao x450 from xFountain pens with a shiny Knox medium nib. It was more money that it was worth, but I wanted a shiny green one that didn't have to travel from China. The FPN activity surrounding this pen seems generally positive, though I'd love to know about any experiences goons have had with it.
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Dec 8, 2013 00:59
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supercow posted:Err I meant the rotring 600 fountain pen. Unless I'm missing something, seems like jetpens only has the mechanical pencil. This probably isn't close to what you are looking for, though it shares a similar aesthetic. It's a thing from thinkgeek: http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/f4a3/?srp=1 It's a rugged looking steel thing, though I can't vouch for the quality of the nib/feed.
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Dec 8, 2013 21:00
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Drythe posted:I recently bought a Metro and a dropper bottle of ink and I found it to be much easier to just use the dropper to drop the ink directly into the converter, is there any major downside to doing this? As long as you're super careful and don't accidentally spray your brand new wool sweater with Heart of Darkness, then there is absolutely no downside.
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Dec 10, 2013 22:08
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dino. posted:I feel like the cartridge has more space in it or something. I am almost positive that a cartridge has more capacity than a CON-50 and maybe even a CON-20. Also, I just discovered that there are cheap pens from China that aren't Hero 616s or things that you overpay an American company for.  The soon-to-be-mine Hero 9315 I ordered for about $10 including shipping. That price puts it well into the premium range for Chinese pens straight from the homeland. If it writes almost as well as a preppy then I will call it a victory.
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Dec 11, 2013 03:40
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It looks really cool.  Edit: Who am I kidding? It probably writes like a rusty nail as well. But it looks nice.
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Dec 11, 2013 04:18
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Gumwater has increased their going out of business discounts. This is a chance to get that giant bottle of baystate blue you've always wanted. They still have an okayish selection of Diamine inks, some Rhodia pads, and a handful of Noodler's inks/pens. I did business with them earlier in their going out of business sale and was basically happy. They shipped things quickly, though without any notification that they had. Also the shipping was fairly steep, but I still came out a few bucks ahead. http://www.gumwater.com/default.asp
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Dec 13, 2013 21:31
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andelazo posted:I've heard the Lexington Gray is good for cheaper(?) papers - newspapers, margins of novels and so on -, but that's Noodlers too, so probably not much help for you. I use Lexington on this grade of paper all the time and it works like a charm. It also has the added bonus of being close enough to the color of a newspaper that it isn't an apocalyptic event when your pen suddenly vomits half a converter of ink everywhere. That being said, I have never tried it in a wet pen, so your mileage may vary. After scrawling on a newspaper with all of my currently inked pens, I can also recommend Private Reserve Ebony Blue and Noodler's El Lawrence, which both behaved perfectly. El Lawrence never behaves, so this feels pretty strange to write. Diamine Twilight hates newspaper, apparently. Fake Edit: I put one of the new Noodler's non-flex nibs in my Ahab today. Thirty seconds of abrasive later it has been transformed from the giant goofy pen in the back of a drawer to being the giant goofy pen that I use enough to make people complain about its smell.
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Dec 17, 2013 06:34
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My Hero 9315 arrived yesterday. After a little adjustment(like opening the tines so it actually writes) it has turned in to a really nice pen. It writes a little smoother than my Safari and almost on par with my Metro, though it's still baby-bottomed. I compared the nib to some other units I have laying around and it looks suspiciously like I can swap an old Sheaffer Craftsman nib into it. It's about the same size as a metro, though a little heavier due to its solid, all metal construction. Oh, it also looks really cool: 
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Dec 20, 2013 17:10
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You should see the Parker "inspired" clip. It's like a frankencopy.
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Dec 20, 2013 19:51
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And like a gateway drug, it will lead to more. I highly recommend a Pilot Metropolitan as your next pen, it's different enough from the Lamy that you can get a sense of what you like in a pen. Also, it's the smoothest pen I have ever written with. Some random family friend sent me a "De Cambridge" ballpoint/fountain pen set for Christmas. The FP seems might have a gold nib, though it's more likely just plated. I'm pretty sure it's a lady set as well, seeing as my huge, fat goony hands utterly eclipse it.
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Dec 26, 2013 02:53
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I believe that the highest achievable ink capacity for the Metro is a syringe-filled CON-20. I just use a con-50 so I can switch colors more often and be  special
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Dec 27, 2013 20:22
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http://fpgeeks.com/2013/12/its-not-just-you-fountain-pen-network-is-down-for-everyone/ Apparently they're moving to a new server.
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Dec 28, 2013 01:20
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powderific posted:Neat, I'll give that a shot. I remember playing with those in the tub when I was a kid till I watched my mom use one on my sister's nose. Cartridge/Converter.
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Jan 10, 2014 03:04
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There is one piece of advice that trumps all others for the new fountain pen user(especially if they have a safari): Pilot Metropolitan. Cheap, crazy smooth, comes in obnoxious animal prints.
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Jan 14, 2014 16:19
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Demon_Corsair posted:<3 air corp blue black and bay state blue so much. Does anyone else make anything similar to air corp? The closest to aircorp I've ever seen is Private Reserve ebony blue, which is far bluer. Somebody actually asked me about fountain pens yesterday after they saw my fabulous initials written in aircorp. As far as a travel pen, the Kaweco sport is commonly recommended. It's a stubby little pen with an interesting cap design that extends the pen to a usable size when posted.
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Jan 14, 2014 19:18
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Your first of multiple Metropolitans, hopefully. If it is your second fountain pen and you are coming from a Safari, it's a very different experience. Comparing the two pens will give you an idea what weight, shape and grip type you prefer. ---------- Edit: Oopsie, wrong guy. But the advice still stands. Metropolitan superiority.
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Jan 14, 2014 21:52
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milpreve posted:pen stuff is as addicting We need our own , but with inky fingers.Fake edit: My fairly pristine Parker "21" Super just arrived, it's a little inky but not terrible. Smoothest nib I have ever dry tested, so I can't wait to ink it up/drop it on the floor and break it. Real edit:
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Jan 27, 2014 22:09
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E4C85D38 posted:If you're looking for something with an eraser, the Uniball KuruToga has a neat little "rotate the lead" mechanism that works pretty well, and it's fairly inexpensive. Downside is that it's plastic if you prefer a metal construction. I'll vouch for the entry-level KuruToga as well. Despite being plastic, it seems to be fairly well built and is fatter than most plastic pencils. The rotating lead thing is pretty nifty, it seems to provide a finer line than a normal pencil.
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Feb 4, 2014 01:05
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I believe that the Metro will also take the nibs from most other cheaper Pilot pens. So you can slap the gold-plated 78g nib and that super-extra-fine-needle from the Penmanship (if that's your thing). It makes a perfect second pen if you already have a Safari. Those two pens have different enough features that you can get a good idea of what you want in a pen from them.
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Feb 5, 2014 00:07
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rio posted:I hate wasting ink! [Ask] me about using a cartoonishly bright and malevolently behaved platinum green cartridge for a week just so I could fill it up with Zhivago. Turns out that I had a platinum converter the whole time, so joke's on me. Oh, I received a new toy from China this week, a Jinhao 650:  To its left is a TWSBI 580 and a Jinhao 159 for reference. That might be real wood, it's certainly textured like it. It's a hair shorter and fatter than the 159 and about 15 grams heavier. Despite being fatter than the 159, it has a much skinnier section, kinda nullifying the entire reason to buy a giant pen like this. The nib is very smooth and well-aligned out of the box, as was the 159 when I received it. The converter it came with is fairly well built; not quite as good as a Japanese/German/American one but far ahead the other Chinese converters I've used. This thing makes me sort of sad that I spent extra money to get a ~premium German nib~ with my x450, because this is presumably the stock one it would have come with.
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Feb 7, 2014 22:32
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rio posted:Yeah, same issue for me with the Metropolitan - I have had to adjust my grip to use it. I wish that I could combine the Safari and Metropolitan into an entry level super pen. It's funny that you say that. http://www.jetpens.com/Pilot-Kakuno-Fountain-Pens/ct/1984 The triangular grip of the Safari, the high-quality nibs of Pilot and a creepy smile staring up at you from the pen.
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Feb 10, 2014 15:36
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Just to pile on, what is the pen that is third from the left? Next to the Metro/MR.
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Feb 12, 2014 20:15
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I bought a Diamond 580 with a moderately messed up nib and received a shiny new nib in the mail a few emails and zero dollars later. Their support is utterly fantastic. As far as Noodler's pens go, I love my Ahab after I slapped one of their $2 non-flex nibs in it. It still vomits ink everywhere, though. That just seems to be part of the experience, also that rancid vegetal smell.
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Mar 3, 2014 21:22
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I have one of the plastic Jinhao 599s. I like the weight and built quality, but the nib was the most misaligned of any of my Chinese pens. It writes pretty okay after a hour of adjustment. Don't let this dissuade you from paying ~5 USD for one, it's very likely you will receive a nib more in line with Jinhao's relatively decent quality.
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Mar 20, 2014 01:50
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Not by much. I've never seen a 359 under 10 dollars.
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Mar 20, 2014 03:42
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I liked the blue cartridge that came with my... Plumix? It was the best looking standard blue cartridge I've had, though it did bleed a bit on super cheap paper. It went on to serve me well in its afterlife. As the ink unit in the Hero 616 I Frankensteined into taking pilot cartridges.
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Mar 21, 2014 15:42
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