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Fountain pen inks: the good, the bad, and the ugly (2011)

richardspens.com

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Re: Fountain pen inks: the good, the bad, and the ugly (2011)

#181

Post by andygates »

rwmj wrote: post #14
Feniks wrote: post #9

As someone who writes with his left hand I hate them with a vengeance. Haven't looked at them since primary school.

Get a Lamy Vista "left hander", it's a great, and cheap starter pen. If you get into it, upgrade to a TWSBI, which is a little more expensive but a really lovely fountain pen.

The Lamy lefty nib is the only fountain pen nib that really works for me (so of course I got three and a stack of ink, dammit). It even works for the German schoolkid skinny-line flip, which a simple grind shouldn't do. I've given up thinking about how and just enjoy them!

Re: Fountain pen inks: the good, the bad, and the ugly (2011)

#182

Post by andygates »

robin_reala wrote: post #154
TheRealPomax wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That... kind of sounds like you need to relearn how to write. Which sounds silly, but there are 100% good ways and bad ways to write (both right and left handed writers suffer from insane 'who taught you to write' hand positions). Learning how to properly hold your pen helps a lot with not smudging ink even when it's a long drying ink. And not unimportantly, a fountain pen requires writing _without_ any pressure on t…

The biggest problem with left-handed fountain pen writing is that unless you adopt some horribly bent-over position you’re pushing the nib into the paper instead of dragging it across. That damages pens and leads to horribly scratchy writing, even if you can get over the constant smudging. It’s OK though, there are plenty of other writing implements - personally I chose the keyboard.

Yay for natural horribly bent-over positions!

Re: Fountain pen inks: the good, the bad, and the ugly (2011)

#183

Post by yiyus »

_emacsomancer_ wrote: post #18

I like fountain pens a lot, but most of the times I actually need to write, I need to do so away from a desktop and fountain pens aren't ideal for these conditions (for those occasions I have the zebra 701+space pen hacked pen [e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7S4bjPG5Lr4] ).

I use the Zebra SL-F1, also with the Fisher refill. I did not know that changing the refill of a pen was considered a hack now.

Re: Fountain pen inks: the good, the bad, and the ugly (2011)

#184

Post by Steve44 »

saspiesas wrote: post #68

To all the people who keep asking why we would bother write with a fountain pen, a few reasons I do: People are less likely to walk away or accidentally steal your fountain pen I can write in the exact colour I want I know scribbles or notes are mine without even looking at the writing My colleagues know which pieces of notes are mine without asking My notebooks never wander far I don't feel like I'm constantly killi…

> People are less likely to walk away or accidentally steal your fountain pen

Especially if you keep hold of the cap, just pass them the pen ready to write.

Re: Fountain pen inks: the good, the bad, and the ugly (2011)

#185

Post by nasredin »

epx wrote: post #119
gpm wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is the main reason I use one, keeps my RSI from acting up when I have to write a lot. Best $25 I've ever spent ($5 on a pen, jinhao x750, the rest on ink).

Put a JoWo #6 nib on it ($15) and it will write like a $150 pen.

Why can't Chinese marketers come up with Western-sounding brand names?

This is so annoying.

They may be a better value, but European brands give you peace of mind.

Re: Fountain pen inks: the good, the bad, and the ugly (2011)

#186

Post by freerobby »

TheRealPomax wrote: post #53
mrob wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Richard Binder specializes in repair and maintenance of old and valuable pens. Recommendations for those pens don't necessarily apply to cheaper modern fountain pens. I've been using Noodler's inks for about 8 years in a Lamy Safari, and I've never had any trouble. The only Noodler's ink I've heard of causing problems with these pens is Bay State Blue, which is unlike any other Noodler's ink. I personally recommend N…

Same here, been using it for years in Lamy Safari, Shaeffer 100, and Noodler's own pens, as well as Preppy Platinums. Would I put it in a vintage pen? Absolutely not. Modern <$100 pen? Most definitely.

I'll go a little further. I've been using Noodler's inks, mostly Heart of Darkness (which is bulletproof), for several years. I started with a TWSBI but when I upgraded to a Pilot Vanishing Point I continued to use Noodler's without any hesitation. It's continued to serve me well, and it remains my favorite and most dependable brand of ink.

I did have one mold issue with Private Reserve in my TWSBI, and to be safe I have avoided using it in my Vanishing Point. I may be being overcautious though; I'm not sure how much to extrapolate from that one incident. My mother is an artist and has used several dozen Private Reserve inks spanning over a decade, all without any issues.

Re: Fountain pen inks: the good, the bad, and the ugly (2011)

#187

Post by zaarn »

TheRealPomax wrote: post #54
Feniks wrote: post #9

As someone who writes with his left hand I hate them with a vengeance. Haven't looked at them since primary school.

That... kind of sounds like you need to relearn how to write. Which sounds silly, but there are 100% good ways and bad ways to write (both right and left handed writers suffer from insane 'who taught you to write' hand positions). Learning how to properly hold your pen helps a lot with not smudging ink even when it's a long drying ink. And not unimportantly, a fountain pen requires writing _without_ any pressure on t…

I'm lefthanded and I really doubt this is easily fixable.

From grade 1 to 7 I was exclusively using fountain pens (germany, this is a requirement, so there wasn't a choice) and there was no end of teachers trying to "fix" the lefthanded children in the class.

Writing lefthanded with a ballpoint pen is simply easier than using a fountain pen where I have to either put my hand into a position that cramps after a minute of continuous writing or hover over the paper which also cramps or using a blotting paper, which reduces my ability to keep the last few sentences in mind while writing.

Left-handed writing will also push the pen, inevitably, you will put pressure on it, the light contact required for fountain pens is extremely tired.

After grade 7 I've switched to ballpoint pens, much easier to handle and write. About 4 years ago I managed to find a gas-pressure ballpoint pen which has been the most relaxing way to write.

Unlike normal ballpoint pens, they have gas cartridge behind the ink which expands. They push the ink out of the pen meaning you don't have to press at all to get writing while still getting the benefit of minimal ink usage and quick drying that left-handedness almost requires.

Re: Fountain pen inks: the good, the bad, and the ugly (2011)

#188

Post by aries1980 »

Steve44 wrote: post #184
saspiesas wrote: post #68

To all the people who keep asking why we would bother write with a fountain pen, a few reasons I do: People are less likely to walk away or accidentally steal your fountain pen I can write in the exact colour I want I know scribbles or notes are mine without even looking at the writing My colleagues know which pieces of notes are mine without asking My notebooks never wander far I don't feel like I'm constantly killi…

> People are less likely to walk away or accidentally steal your fountain pen Especially if you keep hold of the cap, just pass them the pen ready to write.

One of the rules is to never offer your gold nib fountain pen to anyone. Gold nibs are soft and adapts to your writing style over the time that people who are not familiar with fountain pens but biros usually press too hard to the paper that alters the soft nib.

Re: Fountain pen inks: the good, the bad, and the ugly (2011)

#189

Post by zaarn »

et2o wrote: post #27

Love writing with cheap bic disposable fountain pens... any suggestions for a low-maintenance first ballpoint? Preferably relatively inexpensive

I recommend trying out gas-pressure ballpoints. Some may know them as "space pen" but if you look for something with that name, you overpay most of the time. I got mine for about 5€ including cartridge.

The advantages, IMO, is that they require much less friction and pressure to write and last much longer: I've been using the same cartridge for about 5 years now, two of which I spent with writing a lot (higher school; FOS, german school type) and the rest with infrequent usage (sometimes dry ink collects at the tip but it'll break off once you start writing.

The only downside is that some models tend to leak more ink than necessary, I've observed this in two cheaper cartridges that I only used briefly. It leads to some smudging if you're lefthanded.

Re: Fountain pen inks: the good, the bad, and the ugly (2011)

#190

Post by aries1980 »

abritinthebay wrote: post #163
epx wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Put a JoWo #6 nib on it ($15) and it will write like a $150 pen.

I’m curious - what makes the nib “better”?

Ink flow. But that can be (and should be) fine tuned even for expensive pens.
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