Thread: Stylus-philes speak out!

Originally Posted by zenshaver

Would you guys say that a fountain pen cartridge lasts you as long as a regular ballpoint pen? I do a lot of writing at work and I would not want to get a fountain pen and always have to replace the cartidges.

no, not even close.

on the other hand, you can refill the catridges very easily. best bet is to get a converter, which is easier still to fill up.

What would you say is the average lifetime of a cartridge. A couple of days maybe?

Originally Posted by zenshaver

What would you say is the average lifetime of a cartridge. A couple of days maybe?

this depends on how much you write, of course,and other factors. see below, for some tips I give to new FP users.

nib - a fine nib uses ink more sparingly than a thicker one. italic (calligraphy nibs) burn thru ink like crazy, especially bolder ones.
section - this is the part of the pen that controls ink flow. a very "wet" pen will use ink faster than a "dry" or "toothy" pen. (so called because low ink flow makes the nib feel scratchier, also known as "tooth")
reservoir size - not all cartridges are the same size, and not all converters are the same. eyedropper-fill pens hold the most. the international long holds more than the american (shaeffer) refill, and the international short holds less than that.
paper - highly absorbent paper is nice because your ink dries faster, but be aware that it will also pull ink out of your pen a little faster. (not much, but noticeable)
your writing style - calligraphy, especially gothic-style, burns ink fast. printing uses more ink than cursive because picking the pen up and putting it down causes a tiny jump in ink flow, and you do this a lot more for printing.
ink - runnier ink means smoother writing, but it also means less saturated colors and faster ink consumption.

now, for some hard numbers on ink consumption. assume i am using noodler's bulletproof iraqui indigo, which is a heavily saturated, dense ink. (lasts longer than very runny, watery ink)

using a Lamy AlStar with EF nib (thin, dry line), and a con50 piston converter, i can write 30-40 solid pages of cursive, on standard lined notebook paper, before i get low enough that it starts messing with flow.

using a Pilot Vanishing Point with M nib, and a piston converter, i am lucky to get 10 pages because of the thick, wet line, if I am writing on something absortbent like a Moleskine 8x11 lined pad, in cursive.

using a Sheaffer No-Nonsense with a F italic nib and a Sheaffer converter, I may only get 12 pages on notebook paper or 5 pages on parchment or something absorbent.

using a Sheaffer scribe-series calligraphy pen with their boldest (2.3mm) nib, I can't even get a single page because it uses half the american catridge just to wet the !@#$% enormous section of this pen. honestly, I just use it as a dip pen.

using a Platinum Preppy converted to eyedropper fill, I can write for 3-4 MONTHS before I run out of ink. same for most of my eyedropper-filled pens.

Very interesting. So, say I use up a ballpoint about every 1 1/2 weeks. What would you suggest for a pen to get?

Originally Posted by zenshaver

Very interesting. So, say I use up a ballpoint about every 1 1/2 weeks. What would you suggest for a pen to get?

you need a pen that's either eyedropper-filled (called EDfill by most FP enthusiasts) or can be converted to EDfill.

As I've said, the Platinum Preppy is a great pen for this, so are Sheaffer school pens. (either pen is under 10 bucks, usually) any pen that has very fine threads between the barrel and section will work, you just put silicone grease (like plumbers and scuba divers use) on the threads to make them air and watertight, and you're good to go.

the advantage of this is that you use the entire barrel to hold ink, instead of just a small fraction. also, if your pen is clear (like the Preppy and School Pen) it looks very cool. filling the pen is also easy, you just open it up and dump ink it.

most large bottles of ink (like the Noodler's 4.5 oz bottles) come with an eyedropper. such a bottle of ink would last you years and years, and can generally be had for 10-20 dollars depending on color and brand.

also, traditionally filled pens (like the Pelikan M-series) hold a lot more than cartridge/converter pens, but they tend to be very expensive and also a hassle, maintenance-wise.

So, I can get into this relativley cheaply. Thats cool.I still am a bit confused on what you said about the grease though. I guess I would have to see the pen in person to better understand.I may just have to get one.

Originally Posted by zenshaver

So, I can get into this relativley cheaply. Thats cool.I still am a bit confused on what you said about the grease though. I guess I would have to see the pen in person to better understand.I may just have to get one.

take the cap off the pen. then unscrew the nib+section from the barrel. you will have 2 pieces in your hand, the section (which holds the nib) and the barrel. take the cartridge out of the barrel, or detach it from the section, depending on the pen. the threads that hold those two parts together have to have grease on them to keep ink from seeping out.

petroleum grease won't work because certain petroleum greases can act as solvents to certain petroleum-based plastics. silicone grease is entirely inert, so that is used instead.

So a lamy al star wouldn't work because of the view hole?

ok, here is an EDfill pen, with a clear barrel. sorry the picture sucks, it was taken with my phone. i couldn't take this one apart or it would have made a mess, but you get the idea. pens that have clear barrels like this are sometimes referred to as demonstrators.

Originally Posted by zenshaver

So a lamy al star wouldn't work because of the view hole?

correct. but the AlStar piston converter holds a lot of ink, almost as much as an international long, so it's not too bad. like i said, about 30-40 pages with an EF nib on notebook paper.