Fountain Pens

[McKenna]

I have come to a time in my life when I am ready to invest in a fountain pen. And I say "invest" only after researching the cost of these suckers. I had no idea. I found one pen that was selling for $4500. Ouch. Anyway...

I've always been fascinated by fountain pens, but the last one I played with was my grandfather's and I was quite young. I still remember that spanking.

Seriously though, I like writing. Postcards are one of my favorites, to give and to receive. Writing in general --as in pen and paper-- is becoming a lost art. I'd like to revive my end of it.

This weekend marks the annual Art in the Park festival in Boise. It's a great venue for regional artisans from all genres to hawk their wares. I love to go wander the stalls looking for something original. There is about anything there from hand-dyed fabric, to metal arts to painting and photography. It was while perusing a stall of hand-made books that I fell in love with a leather, hand-bound book I am determined to fill with something interesting. My poems? My thoughts? Something. It is exquisite. It's burgundy leather with long stitching, and a few stones and semi-precious gems sewn into the binding and as a bookmark. It was precisely the kind of gift I needed to buy myself....

...and thus the reason I need a fountain pen. Such a beautiful book deserves to be written in with a pen that has as much character as the book.

So I need some help. I'm not entirely sure what I should be looking for in a fountain pen. Like what size nib do I want and what makes a good pen vs. a not-so-good pen? I don't want to spend a lot, and I've seen quite a few pens out there in the $30-50 range (that would be my range.) I usually write with fine-tip pens, like no more than .7mm, preferably .5mm. Do nibs come in those approximate sizes, or do I want something thicker due to the difference in pen style, nib vs. gel ink or roller ball, for instance.

Can anyone advise me on my pen purchase?

 

[elsol]

I have come to a time in my life when I am ready to invest in a fountain pen. And I say "invest" only after researching the cost of these suckers. I had no idea. I found one pen that was selling for $4500. Ouch. Anyway...

I've always been fascinated by fountain pens, but the last one I played with was my grandfather's and I was quite young. I still remember that spanking.

Seriously though, I like writing. Postcards are one of my favorites, to give and to receive. Writing in general --as in pen and paper-- is becoming a lost art. I'd like to revive my end of it.

This weekend marks the annual Art in the Park festival in Boise. It's a great venue for regional artisans from all genres to hawk their wares. I love to go wander the stalls looking for something original. There is about anything there from hand-dyed fabric, to metal arts to painting and photography. It was while perusing a stall of hand-made books that I fell in love with a leather, hand-bound book I am determined to fill with something interesting. My poems? My thoughts? Something. It is exquisite. It's burgundy leather with long stitching, and a few stones and semi-precious gems sewn into the binding and as a bookmark. It was precisely the kind of gift I needed to buy myself....

...and thus the reason I need a fountain pen. Such a beautiful book deserves to be written in with a pen that has as much character as the book.

So I need some help. I'm not entirely sure what I should be looking for in a fountain pen. Like what size nib do I want and what makes a good pen vs. a not-so-good pen? I don't want to spend a lot, and I've seen quite a few pens out there in the $30-50 range (that would be my range.) I usually write with fine-tip pens, like no more than .7mm, preferably .5mm. Do nibs come in those approximate sizes, or do I want something thicker due to the difference in pen style, nib vs. gel ink or roller ball, for instance.

Can anyone advise me on my pen purchase?

I cannot advice... but I bought my girl's pens from Levenger.com

I like their selection and catalog.

Sincerely,
ElSol

 

[minsue]

I cannot advice... but I bought my girl's pens from Levenger.com

I like their selection and catalog.

Sincerely,
ElSol

Ooooh....I love Levenger.

 

[BlackShanglan]

I can't recommend a specific pen, as very few can be successfully field-tested by hooved persons. However, there is a catalog called "Levengers" that sells a wide variety of fountain pens and other "reading aids." They have a web site where you can peruse the offerings. I believe that they sell a variety of bound journals as well, although it sounds like you've made your choice there.

Shanglan

(Sorry, was writing as El Sol was busy beating me. Awfully kind of him.)

 

[McKenna]

Thanks all, I already checked out Levengers. I'm just still confused on the whole nib thing and what size I should go for. I hate writing with "medium" weight pens. My chicken scratch comes out looking like blobs of ink, thus the reason I need fine-tip pens.



But isn't Levengers dreamy? I love that catalog (and website!)

 

[dizzylia]

I'm just still confused on the whole nib thing and what size I should go for. I hate writing with "medium" weight pens. My chicken scratch comes out looking like blobs of ink, thus the reason I need fine-tip pens.

I have the same problem. I would definitely suggest sticking to the smaller nibs, as I learned much to my wallet's dismay. Some come with interchangeable nibs, which is nice, in case you're experimenting or like to use different weights depending on what you're writing. (I kept my .7mm around for signing papers and for writing on gift cards, and so on; no chicken scratchings necessary, and it just plain stands out better ) I also second/third/fourth Levenger. Very nice pens. I have their basic one, which was about $50, and it's the one I use most often.


-dizzy

 

[Colleen Thomas]

Thanks all, I already checked out Levengers. I'm just still confused on the whole nib thing and what size I should go for. I hate writing with "medium" weight pens. My chicken scratch comes out looking like blobs of ink, thus the reason I need fine-tip pens.



But isn't Levengers dreamy? I love that catalog (and website!)

Were it me, I'd send a PM to Oggs. He is a veritible fount of knowledge. He may not be able to help, but I place great faith in him when I am at wits end on something

 

[LadyJeanne]

Oh, PENS!

Yep, I read the title as Fountain Penis.

 

[BlackShanglan]

Yep, I read the title as Fountain Penis.

*laugh*

One of the only funny things I ever saw on Friends - Rachael attempting to write (typo-ridden) erotic fiction.

" ... his throbbing engorged pens ..."

"Whoa! I don't wanna see when he starts writing with those!"

 

[LadyJeanne]

*laugh*

One of the only funny things I ever saw on Friends - Rachael attempting to write (typo-ridden) erotic fiction.

" ... his throbbing engorged pens ..."

"Whoa! I don't wanna see when he starts writing with those!"

Penis! She meant penis! Like this:

http://www.she-international.com/_assets/img_cities/Amsterdam-03.jpg

 

[cheerful_deviant]

I have several fountain pens and dearly love them for their style but that can be a bit of a pain. The have to be cleaned occasianally and when they are not going to be used regularly should be emptied and cleaned to prevent the ink from drying in the nib.

Unfortunatly, Nib sizes are not standarized across manufacturers. So one brand's Meduim tip will be closer to another brand's fine.

But generally someone with broad, slowing strokes should buy a broader tip while someone with a smaller, tighter writing style should go with the fine. Keep in mind that because the ink is what lubricates the tip, a fine point will tend to feel a little scratchier as it moves over the paper as opposed to a broad tip that will seem to glide smoother. Also someone new to fountain pens may want to get a pen with a stiffer nib which generally is easier to use and maintain.

To my knowledge, there are 4 basic kinds of nibs, standard, italic, oblique and reverse oblique. Standard is pretty much what it says, a small, semi rounded point. Italic is a flatter, broader point that leaves a wider trail. Oblique is similar to the italic but is slightly slanted up to the right if you are holding the pen up and looking at the nib. Reverse oblique is the opposite in that it's down to the right and is for lefties.

Sheaffer and Waterman both make several models in the $50 price range and are good choices for a beginner. THey have fairly stiff nibs and are available in different line weights. Waterman tends to run thicker than Sheaffer for any given weight, ie, a Waterman medium will be heavier then a Sheaffer medium.

Also look at how the pen uses ink. Most pens in that price range use either disposable cartriges or bottled ink thru a converter, which is a refillable cartridge. Many of the more expensive pens use a piston and draw the ink in from a bottle. A piston pen generally has better writing quality but is more maintnance and if you are traveling, need to bring the bottle. Cartiridges are generally more convienent.

Hope that helps.

 

[Liar]

What? People are still using pens? I thought that was so last century. Like monocles and bakelite.

 

[McKenna]

I have several fountain pens and dearly love them for their style... <snip>

CD, thank you! This was exactly the kind of "insider" information I was looking for. I'll have a look for either Waterman or Shaeffer, and I think I'll opt for those that use cartridges. I imagine those being easier to take with with me while camping than ink pots.

There used to be a store in my mall that sold fountain pens. I went there this weekend to see if I could try a few out and possibly purchase one, but wouldn't you know the store had gone out of business and there was already a new store set up in the same space as the pen store?! Shows how often I get to the mall....


Thanks again, all of you, for your help!

 

[dr_mabeuse]

I buy my pens at an art supply store, and any decent store should be willing to work with you and advise you and let you try them out to your heart's content, because what you're really looking for is the way it feels in your hand: balance, thickness, weight; the amount of "bite" in the nib, all sorts of things you can only judge by doing.

Buying a pen without trying it out first is a huge mistake, regardless of cost. It's like buying a guitar without playing it.

 

[SeaCat]

I have and use a waterman that was my Grandfathers. It is of the refillable reservoir type, which as has been said can be a bit of a pain. Also finding a good tight weave paper can be a bit of a pain. (Do not try writing on a legal pad with a fountain pen. The results will leave you looking like a fool and your S/O looking for a towel to clean up the beer they just shot out their nose while laughing.)

In my not so humble opinion there is nothing quite so persoanl as a hand written letter. For those important letters I still write by hand.

Cat

 

[McKenna]

Doc - I hadn't thought about an art supply store. I will have to look there, too.

Cat - I agree with you about hand-written letters being more personal. I still have letters my grandmother wrote to me when I was a little girl. The funny thing is, a few years after she died I recieved a box of her stuff as my "inheritance". In the box were letters she had saved from me that I had written to her as a young girl and then later, as a young woman. They are all priceless to me. She was buried with a packet of love-letters Grandpa had written to her while he was working away from home during the Great Depression. Fabulous legacy she left me for letter writing.

 

[The_Darkness]

Mckenna, if you're anywhere near a Staples office supply store, they all used to carry fountain pens, most of them ranging from 20 to 150 dollars. I can't honestly tell you if they carry the fine stationery pens anymore (there were quite a few fountain pens in the display cases when I worked at one), but I know they can still order them, the ink cartridges, or just plain old ink if you get a higher end pen.

That's all I've got. Happy Hunting!