Thread: Fountain pens- info needed

This is as bad as razors, round tip, right oblique, italic. custom grinds, adjusting.

I did a quick look a the phileas as a starter pen. Am I right in thinking fountain pens are essentially a 1 nib per pen kind of item OR are there fountain pen systems that let you more easily switch nibs? I could see myself going through a lot of nibs before I found something that worked well for me. And then starting again with fancy nibs.

Is there a short-cut or an easy way?

-Bob

I can't speak for them all, but the ones I have can change nibs fairly easily. In fact, when I bought my Mont Blanc they gave me up to six months to swap and change nibs, go back and forth etc until I found the one I liked best.

So, if you buy a Mont Blanc you'll have no problems on the nib front

James.

Originally Posted by RobertFontaine

This is as bad as razors, round tip, right oblique, italic. custom grinds, adjusting.

I did a quick look a the phileas as a starter pen. Am I right in thinking fountain pens are essentially a 1 nib per pen kind of item OR are there fountain pen systems that let you more easily switch nibs? I could see myself going through a lot of nibs before I found something that worked well for me. And then starting again with fancy nibs.

Is there a short-cut or an easy way?

-Bob

Start with a Medium nib, and a decent pen (such as the phileas) then move on to something else if you feel the need.

I'm a lefty. I have no problems writing with my FP.

Be sure you get one with a gold nib as opposed to steel. It will cost you more, but you get what you pay for. Parker, Waterman and Pelikan all have good pens in the $100+ range, which while not cheap, will be a good pen that will serve you for the rest of your life. If you spend less and go with a cheap pen, the experience will not be a good one. Check out Fountain Pen Hospital (www.fountainpenhospital.com) for a good selection ranging from budget models to pens that cost several thousand dollars. And I would stay away from Mont Blanc: they have a reputation, but they are very expensive and with them you're paying for the name and not the pen.

I must respectfully disagree in regards to nib material. I have some gold nibs that were horrible writers until tuned by a nibmeister. My Lamys have steel nibs that performed very well right out of the box. You will probably not go wrong if you go with a respected and well known brand of fountain pen.

Wayne

Finally people are getting there heads on straight lol. I would be more than happy to help people with whatever they need. Personally for obvious reasons I prefer Bexley pens. WE ARE THE ONLY US PEN COMPANY LEFT!!! Everyone else is made out of the US. For you lefty's contact Richard Binder and have him do the adjustment for you. He is one of the most knowledgeable people out there next to John Mottishaw. For any questions I am unable to answer via the forums ill give you my cell number. For all you new yorkers out there, there will be a spring show at Fountain Pen Hospital in New York City. Thank you very much lynn for your kind words, and I hope don, is enjoying his pen as well. Best luck and keep writing.


Mitchell Levy

VP of Bexley Pen

Mitch good to see you back on the forum. I kick myself for not looking a little closer at the pens at the Ohio roundup. I really want the posiden.

How is the shaving going. If I remember you were the test shaver on the John Barber that Lynn was tuning on for me. Don't be a stranger on the forum.

Don

I found my old Phileas. But it reminded me of the problem I had with it upon my disinterest the last time I used it: I let it dry -- or something. Suddenly the ink no longer flowed. That is, once after this began, my finger inadvertantly swiped across the face of the nib, and the slit left a swath of black ink on my finger. So I knew ink was being fed to the nib. But nothing was being transferred to the page. It was considerably frustrating.

Any hints? Is there a way to revive this pen, or should I invest in a new one?

I'm no expert, but I've revived a few of my older pens by washing/soaking the nib and plunger/bladder in warm water... This could be a big no-no, but it worked on mine.

James.