Fountain Pens.
- Thread starter Sam Gamgee
- Start date
That's too bad about those books. I'd like to see your writing because I just enjoy seeing handwriting in general. I think it's very interesting and even fascinating to see how people approach it. I can write in cursive and often do, but my main handwriting is a basic block printing. Here is my 2022 book-log so you can see an example:There is no false modesty is my saying that my penmanship is abysmal and that I have never cultivated the sort of skill that you display!
Last year, my wife got me a couple of nifty books on comparative historical uncial scripts and such, and I was all kinds of excited to begin to learn these things just recently, when a backed-up sewage pipe led to our basement flooding and these books being destroyed. (A few tobacco jars were also awash! Thankfully they were sealed and decontaminated. The books were not so redeemable.)
Sure, I'd be willing to embarrass myself, but my pens and such are all at home, and for the next few weeks we are living a couple of hours away at my parents' place near the NICU.
Maybe when I get back to all that, I'll post some pics for your critique, Sam the Pen Man!
I've been messing around with these dip pens all day and am making progress. I'm getting cleaner lines and figuring this out. This is a lot of fun.
I ran across this in my papers today: it's back when I was learning how to write in the Tolkien style circa 2006/2007. Back then I was still using G2 gel pens and was frustrated with the blunt lines. Soon after this I found the Sharpie pens. When they first started making them the tips would blunt easily, but they have improved them since and they last much longer. It also takes some technique to get the most out of the Sharpies.
Looks like my wife has had a nice stash of this stuff for years. I just found this in the house. None of it has ever been opened. But it's about to be...
I have a Mont Blanc Meisterstuck 4810 585 fountain pen (a Christmas gift many years ago from my wife) that I enjoy using. On the simpler side, I also enjoy using an antique a dip-pen staff with an Esterbrook Probate 313 nib. This nib was the favorite of the late author Shelby Foote, and is simply a joy to write with.
India ink doesn’t get along with fountain pens too well. It tends to clog them.
Noodlers Black and Heart of Darkness are nice black blacks.
I like Noodlers Dark Matters for its cool back story but it has a grey cast to it you may not like.
Look for calligraphy specific fountain pen set. Kaweco makes a set in their Sport model. As to nib, if you want to actually have a nib that meet your satisfaction, learn to tweek it. Basic adjustments are pretty simple and unless the nib is majorly screwed, you can make nibs smooth to write with. Or if the pen is expensive enough, send it off for an adjustment.
I swung back by home today and grabbed my pens.
Motivated by this thread and by your request, Mr. Gamgee, I just now I sat down to scratch out something (for the first time in months).
It's a favorite line from the Book of Common Prayer:
I smudged that "ay" -- sorry.
This is the only script that I know when writing with a stub or italic (this was a Medium Italic, by the way) -- and I do it poorly.
I am fascinated by pens and nibs and I derive immense pleasure from viewing great calligraphy -- like I derive from viewing great painting or listening to great choral music -- but I am no painter and no musician, and regrettably I am no calligrapher either.
Motivated by this thread and by your request, Mr. Gamgee, I just now I sat down to scratch out something (for the first time in months).
It's a favorite line from the Book of Common Prayer:
I smudged that "ay" -- sorry.
This is the only script that I know when writing with a stub or italic (this was a Medium Italic, by the way) -- and I do it poorly.
I am fascinated by pens and nibs and I derive immense pleasure from viewing great calligraphy -- like I derive from viewing great painting or listening to great choral music -- but I am no painter and no musician, and regrettably I am no calligrapher either.
I think it looks great—very rustic, like something one might see in Rohan, home of the horse lords. I say keep at it.
I got into Spencerian writing a few years ago, its something that needs to be done all the time to maintain it, at least that's what I found.
Anyway, I bought a few Pilot pens, from Japan. The Falcon is a very soft nib, and can be had in EF (extra Fine) up to Medium. Being Japanese, the EF is extremely fine, compared to western standards.
Sailor is another very good brand, also Japanese.
I've just bought myself a Waterman's 56, with fine flexible nib. And have realized how my hand has slipped, from what I was able to produce.
With that, I also bought a Mabie Todd Swan, the nib is a wet noodle, so soft and flexible, it's unbelievable. No pressure will five me a 0.4 mm line, full flex, 3.0mm., it's insane.
Using good paper is also important, it prevents blotting and seep-through.
I used Rhodia paper to practice with. Just bought some Clairefontaine notebooks, which I think may be even nicer to use than Rhodia.
SBC, is that Rhodia paper?
It was included in a small sampler of papers which came with an order from Goulet, about a year ago, but the booklet that this particular paper comes from was not branded ... so, I don't know!
There was another little pad of Rhodia, though, which I have beside me right now -- marked "90g/m2 - 41 lb." I haven't read up on what that means -- but I like the paper!
To reiterate what has been mentioned above, do not use India ink in your fountain pens. It will destroy them. Sheaffer’s used to sell inexpensive fountain pen calligraphy sets with several width nibs. They are frequently available on the usual auction sites. I used to use Bernanke Blue from Noodler’s at the office. It was fast drying and worked well with our inexpensive paper.
You guys know there is a podcast that devoted to pipes, pens and various other things...The Greywoodie Show
(link posted as relevant to conversation)
(link posted as relevant to conversation)
Wish we had a permanent fountain pen sub forum here on PM!
But for now, this will suffice --
I'm wanting to try the Kaweco 2.3mm Italic nib:
www.jetpens.com
Does anybody know what pens I could put it on?
I don't own a Kaweco, and honestly the only one that appeals to my tastes is the Brass Sport, but it's a short pen, and pricier than I can justify right now. If it were full sized, I'd put it on a wish list for someday.
I believe that this is a #2 nib, and I'm sure that I could just pull it out of its Kaweco housing to fit into another pen's feed, so long as it took a #2 nib.
Does anybody know what other pen options use #2 nibs?
But for now, this will suffice --
I'm wanting to try the Kaweco 2.3mm Italic nib:
JetPens.com - Kaweco Calligraphy Fountain Pen Replacement Nib - 2.3 mm - Black Body
This stainless steel calligraphy nib unit is compatible with the fountain pens listed under Compatible Products. Notes: Do not grip the nib and feed by their sides, as this can damage them. To install this nib in a plastic-bodied Kaweco Sport fountain pen, simply unscrew the pen's original grip...
www.jetpens.com
Does anybody know what pens I could put it on?
I don't own a Kaweco, and honestly the only one that appeals to my tastes is the Brass Sport, but it's a short pen, and pricier than I can justify right now. If it were full sized, I'd put it on a wish list for someday.
I believe that this is a #2 nib, and I'm sure that I could just pull it out of its Kaweco housing to fit into another pen's feed, so long as it took a #2 nib.
Does anybody know what other pen options use #2 nibs?
#2 nibs have been sort of the standard size nib for a long time. Most of the smaller Waterman pens had them. The Pelikan 200 series also take them. Do you have a pen in mind that you want to install one in or are you looking for recommendations for an inexpensive host? If you are looking for the latter, Noodler's Nib Creaper fountain pens are inexpensive and they take number 2 nibs. Creaper nibs and feeds are friction fit, so you have to take care to set your pen up properly with the donor nib. I hope this helps.
This is perfect!
I have some pens that take #6 nibs, and some that take proprietary nibs (Sailor, Sheaffer, FPR ... actually not sure if the FPR nibs are a proprietary size), but didn't know how common #2 nibs were.
The Noodler's Nib Creaper is exactly the recommendation I was looking for -- an inexpensive but classic looking host for this Kaweco Italic nib. Thank you!