Thread: Fountain pens- info needed

I've had a couple of the very cheap (under $10) fountain pens that can occasionally be found at office supply stores, and an introductory set of fountain pens for doing calligraphy. I think the Pelikan m205 is calling me.

I have FPAD as well. +1 on Pilot/Namiki, Waterman Carene, Cross Townsend. If you want a classic fountain pen, look for a Parker Duofold....you see them a lot in old films.


I also have Graf Faber-Castell, Shaeffer, S.T. Dupont, and some antique ones no longer made.

Try before you buy...most quality stationery shops/pen shops will let you try out a pen. It must have a good balance, feel comfortable, sit at the correct angle so the nib has good contact with the paper. If the pen feels rough on the paper or drags, don't get it...when writing, it should feel like it is gliding. The line should not skip or change thickness (unless you turn the pen).

Quality ink is important - Pelikan, Mont Blanc, Cross...or cartridges if you tend to be messy. DO NOT use architectural pen ink - it is more like diluted paint and will ruin a fountain pen.

Paper is also important....but even on crappy paper and FP is wonderful.

Be careful - they are addictive....

I now have 3 fountain pens

A waterman phileas, a cross townsend (circa 2000) and a "hero" made in china

Out of the three, ironically, the best to write with and my "go to" pen is the phileas as it is so smooth.

As a lefty I have generally avoided these.

Is there any hope or should I just stick with my rollerballs?

-Bob

I know syslight is a lefty and loves his fountain pens... he mentioned a certain ink that he uses that dries fast enough for him not to smudge.

I can't remember it now, but hopefully he'll pop in and mention it soon.

For a lefty I think you'd just have to have the nib adjusted. It's not so much the speed at which the ink dries, but the amount of ink that goes on the page, so if the nib is tight and doesn't let a lot of ink through (though it may be a little scratchier) it will dry quicker. That said, you can get nice flowing inks (Waterman's Florida blue comes to mind) that would work well in tighter nib setups.

Any good bricks and mortar pen store should adjust the nib on a fountain pen for you for little or no charge - I know over here they do it free of charge. My suggestion for a lefty would be to buy a cheap fountain from ebay (such as the Waterman phileas which incidentally gets rave reviews, for bugger all cost) then go to a pen store to have it adjusted properly after breaking it in.

The breaking in period is usually about 2 weeks. I think that period is the most annoying part of fountain pen ownership.

Nb. A quick search of ebay shows me the phileas is under $20 USD at "buy it now" retailers. Can't say enough good stuff about that pen, for a pen that cheap it is really something.

http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/fo...howtopic=13119 <-- there's a review if you're interested