postjack Posted March 11, 2015 Report Posted March 11, 2015 The nice thing about buying from Goulet pens is that the piece will be inspected before shipment. I didn't pay much more than the Massdrop price for the pen from Amazon, and it didn't turn out all that great for me... yeah goulet runs a tight ship. i like all the videos he has too. you're probably familiar with nibs.com. I think its the last online store run by a nibmeister, since Richard Binder retired.
aardvark baguette Posted March 11, 2015 Report Posted March 11, 2015 how often are you supposed to dip in water to clean? it's not every day, is it?
acidbasement Posted March 11, 2015 Report Posted March 11, 2015 how often are you supposed to dip in water to clean? it's not every day, is it? No, it's just one of the tricks I read about that can resurrect a nib that probably had some long-dried-out ink residue blocking the fresh stuff from flowing in.
Augsburger Posted March 11, 2015 Report Posted March 11, 2015 how often are you supposed to dip in water to clean? it's not every day, is it? When you are not boiling a steak, Sous Vide makes a great nib cleaning option...at least that is what I read on the innernetz
postjack Posted March 11, 2015 Report Posted March 11, 2015 how often are you supposed to dip in water to clean? it's not every day, is it? Whenever I am taking a pen out of the rotation, I empty it and rinse it thoroughly in cold water (filling it and emptying it with cold water) until the water starts to run clear out of the pen. Unfortunately I am not the best at doing this (I'll often grab a new pen in the morning and just put the pen I was using back in the pen case without emptying it) which is one of the reasons I use really mild inks like Sheaffer Skrip Blue. Mild inks are less likely to clog a pen after sitting unused for a while. The richer inks like Noodlers etc may look nicer on the page, but I get tired of the head aches of trying to clean the damn things. Sheaffer Skrip Blue also washes off hands really easily. But if you are using the same pen daily, you definitely don't need to rinse it daily. A pen is more likely to get clogged if it is sitting unused with ink in it for a long period. If you do have a pen thats clogged, I've found letting it soak overnight in a 1:10 solution of ammonia can fix it. In fact doing this has solved all kinds of problems I've had with nibs. 1
Augsburger Posted March 11, 2015 Report Posted March 11, 2015 Definitely rinsing a pen when taking out of rotation will help avoid a lot of problems down the road. As long as I am using a pen almost daily I have never had the need to rinse or soak it to keep it running smoothly. Do make sure you use good quality ink as I have had problems using some Italian import inks and Levenger brand ink which seemed to clog my nib on a regular basis. 1
acidbasement Posted March 11, 2015 Report Posted March 11, 2015 (edited) If you do have a pen thats clogged, I've found letting it soak overnight in a 1:10 solution of ammonia can fix it. In fact doing this has solved all kinds of problems I've had with nibs. Maybe I'll try that. The ink still isn't flowing as freely as I'd like. I've got to start each stroke slowly and press firmly to get it moving, or else it leaves the first half-inch or so blank. Of course, it could also be that it's a cheap knockoff pen. My dad loves his impulse bargains when he travels, so he's the ideal mark for junk peddlars. Edited March 11, 2015 by acidbasement
aardvark baguette Posted March 11, 2015 Report Posted March 11, 2015 when i made the impulse purchase, i just bought the lamy w/ lamy ink. no idea if that is good ink or not. i did make sure to get the same color for home and office. seemed easier that way.
VPI Posted March 11, 2015 Report Posted March 11, 2015 Chris, I have a large collection of Noodlers, ST DuPont, J Herbin, Swisher and Visconti ink I do not use if you want to try out some others. With all the new FP people here I should throw up my collection for sale. That is if I can find them. 2
Salt Peanuts Posted March 11, 2015 Report Posted March 11, 2015 (edited) While I like my VP with extra fine nib, I wish it was bit more comfortable. I don't so long enough writings to be a bother, though. I miss my Rotring 600 fountain pen. Edited March 11, 2015 by Salt Peanuts
aardvark baguette Posted March 12, 2015 Report Posted March 12, 2015 VPI's picture has given me closet envy. 1
VPI Posted March 12, 2015 Report Posted March 12, 2015 I got into pens when my office was right next to Art Brown's in NYC, which now seems to be closed. I have a lot of Montegrappa, Visconti, ST Dupont but my favorite is a restored vintage Parker 51 from Art Brown's which is awesome. I just do not bother with any pens anymore.
aardvark baguette Posted March 12, 2015 Report Posted March 12, 2015 Good god I had no idea there were so many different kinds of inks out there. I like the idea of grey ink to look like pencil. Never thought of that. It would have come in handy on a few art pieces in the day.
postjack Posted March 12, 2015 Report Posted March 12, 2015 when i made the impulse purchase, i just bought the lamy w/ lamy ink. no idea if that is good ink or not. i did make sure to get the same color for home and office. seemed easier that way. Yes, Lamy ink is perfectly fine ink. As a general rule, expect any ink made by a pen manufacturer to be really easy on a pen. Besides Sheaffer Skrip Blue I also have a bottle of Aurora Blue I keep at the office and have had no issues with it. Please note that I'm not knocking inks made my non-pen manufacturers, just in my personal experience I'm willing to trade vibrancy of color on the page for ease in pen cleaning. Purely my preference, I don't believe that inks made by Noodlers or Private Reserve will actually damage pens. Maybe I'll try that. The ink still isn't flowing as freely as I'd like. I've got to start each stroke slowly and press firmly to get it moving, or else it leaves the first half-inch or so blank. Of course, it could also be that it's a cheap knockoff pen. My dad loves his impulse bargains when he travels, so he's the ideal mark for junk peddlars. Its worth a shot, but poor ink flow could be because of all sorts of issues. Misaligned tines etc. If the pen is worth it there are a number of nibmeisters you could pay to fix your pen for you. Writing with a pen tuned by a nibmeister, like John Mottishaw at nibs.com or the now retired Richard Binder, is a fantastic experience. Picked up an early 90s vintage Montblanc Meisterstuck 146 in excellent condition at a price I was more than willing to pay. Fine tip. I love Montblancs. The tri-tone nibs on the 149 are visually the most stunning nibs made, IMO. I really like both Vanishing Points, so I'll be keeping both of them. They write quite differently, but they are both great. Definitely the best feeling Japanese Fine nib I've used, so far. The medium has a little bit of flex that I really like, and shows nice shading. I don't mind the clips. I really like the Parker medium nib Sonnet, as well, which I received today. Great shading and smooth writing. Very comfortable. I should have my new Lamy 2000 tomorrow. Waterman Expert 2 should arrive next week, looking forward to it, as I like the inexpensive Waterman that I own. Not sure when the Aurora Hastil will make it, still in transit from Italy. Picked up a Tombow Zoom 101, as well, should arrive next week. The Tombow is quite light, might become my new carry around pen. This is starting to get expensive, so I'm done with buying pens for a while, though it's a thing I'll be adding to my list when I go to flea markers, etc. My handing writing is getting much better, thanks to practice and writing exercises, and I've been enjoying writing, buying paper, etc. If you really want to go down the Japanese pen rabbit hole start looking into Nakaya pens. 1
acidbasement Posted March 13, 2015 Report Posted March 13, 2015 Its worth a shot, but poor ink flow could be because of all sorts of issues. Misaligned tines etc. If the pen is worth it there are a number of nibmeisters you could pay to fix your pen for you. Writing with a pen tuned by a nibmeister, like John Mottishaw at nibs.com or the now retired Richard Binder, is a fantastic experience. Meh, the pen probably cost all of two dollars - I'm guessing it's not worth tuning up. I'll buy a decent new one at some point if I can't get satisfaction out of this one by soaking it. There's a multi-estate auction sale in ten days that I'm thinking of attending. Maybe I'll come home with these:
aardvark baguette Posted March 13, 2015 Report Posted March 13, 2015 Well, so much for only sticking with one pen. Bought various inks today on Amazon, and put an order in for 2 pens from nibs.com. I want to try fine and extra fine. Ordered an Omas Paragon, fine, and a Pilot Falcon Metal, customized to extra fine. I started writing out an inventory of music last night with the Lamy, then tried a ballpoint pen at the end. Wow, I'm never going back to ball point. I had a similar experience going from Chris Reeves to Rockstead knives.
grawk Posted March 13, 2015 Report Posted March 13, 2015 Do any fountain pens work at all left handed?
aardvark baguette Posted March 13, 2015 Report Posted March 13, 2015 the order form for nibs had a section where you indicate right or left handed, among other things. i dont think anything accounts for that in factory form via amazon.
Dusty Chalk Posted March 13, 2015 Report Posted March 13, 2015 I want to try fine and extra fine. Next you'll be wanting to try the kanji nibs that write thin one way and fat the other (they're basically flat-surfaced nibs).
Salt Peanuts Posted March 13, 2015 Report Posted March 13, 2015 I wish Tombow made a fountain pen in Ultra rollerball body. I love Ultra rollerball.
aardvark baguette Posted March 13, 2015 Report Posted March 13, 2015 Next you'll be wanting to try the kanji nibs that write thin one way and fat the other (they're basically flat-surfaced nibs). This is going to end in tears. Greenback tears. 1
postjack Posted March 13, 2015 Report Posted March 13, 2015 Well, so much for only sticking with one pen. Bought various inks today on Amazon, and put an order in for 2 pens from nibs.com. I want to try fine and extra fine. Ordered an Omas Paragon, fine, and a Pilot Falcon Metal, customized to extra fine. I started writing out an inventory of music last night with the Lamy, then tried a ballpoint pen at the end. Wow, I'm never going back to ball point. I had a similar experience going from Chris Reeves to Rockstead knives. if we have nothing else in common around here its we're all obsessive. I love Omas pens. You are going to love the way it writes. "Binderized" nibs were always my favorite, but I'll take a Mottishaw'd nib any day. The only issue you might run into with the Paragon (if you bought a new style) is that metal section makes the pen really heavy. I didn't mind writing with it, in fact I loved the metal section, but found the pen to be a bit too heavy in my front pocket, so I ended up selling it. I like the new style Milords a lot, perfect size and weight. I have one of those Omas Arco Bronze celluloids in the Milord style. Really beautiful pen.
Salt Peanuts Posted March 13, 2015 Report Posted March 13, 2015 All this pen talk has reminded me about the Namiki Urushi collection. I wish I had money/reason for one. 1
aardvark baguette Posted March 13, 2015 Report Posted March 13, 2015 was told in an email the Omas was out of stock, so I'll be waiting a bit for that one to ship. No idea on the timeline yet. I really need to work on my writing. Looking forward to it. For a while all Ive been writing by hand is mortgage checks and crypto hashes.
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