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Mountain of Ink

mountainofink.com

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Re: Mountain of Ink

#31

Post by bayindirh »

TylerE wrote: post #29
agambrahma wrote: post #16

I think people over-complicate fountain pens a lot. I have a Lamy Safari that I got in 2012 and works just as well today. It's what I still recommend to anyone who asks what to get. Just get the pen, with its cartridge, add more cartridges -- you can stay here and already you're way better than with most standard ball pens that you'd be using otherwise. Then, get the small converter, plop it in, get your first bottle…

I think this kinda misses the point of what lost modern pen enthusiasts are looking for. For one thing, limiting yourself to pre-filled cartridges locks you out of 95%+ of the fancy ink out there, which is sold bottled for use with internal reservoirs.

Some fancier inks also comes in cartridges though. Most of Diamine's collection, Kaweco, Montblanc, Graf von Faber Castell and Waterman comes in international standard cartridges too.

Yeah, Waterman is not that "fancy", but being able to carry 8 long cartridges of Serenity/Florida blue with a dependable pen is hard to beat if you are on the go.

Re: Mountain of Ink

#32

Post by uncircle »

Al-Khwarizmi wrote: post #28
voidUpdate wrote: post #24

While the colours and such do look very nice, the "writing samples" images show exactly why I hate using fountain pens. I'm left-handed, so if I try to write prose then my hand will just smudge the writing. I've always found that cheap ballpoints are the least likely to smudge, even if they still leave residue on my hand, and as the pen gets more "premium", the worse the smudging problem gets. I like to use as fine a…

As a fountain pen enthusiast with some beautiful pens that will probably become rare in the future, it makes me somewhat sad that my only son is left-handed.

Hoping not to be culturally-deaf, you have an arabic sounding username, so maybe there is still hope for him if he decides to learn the language

Re: Mountain of Ink

#33

Post by bayindirh »

TylerE wrote: post #30
bayindirh wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The funny thing is, many entry level pens are much more reliable and dependable some of the higher end pens you pay thrice the price. The secret sauce of Lamy and Faber Castell is, their lower and higher end pens use the same feeds and nibs, so the lower end pens are very dependable, too. You can leave a simple Lamy Safari (one of my favorites) to your grandchildren, and they'll be happy with it, too. The only thing…

That isn’t true at all. The nib in my Lamy 2000 is nothing at all like the nib on one of the mass market pens.

Lamy 2000's grind geometry is different, and it's finished in hand though. 2000 is my one of the favorite pens, so I'm deeply familiar with it.

Also, Pilot's and Graf von Faber Castell's gold nibs are great and soft. On the other hand Sailor's 21K gold nibs are relatively nails and feels off it that's not your taste.

My point is, I'd rather carry a Kaweco or a Lamy with a replaceable steel nib as an EDC, because steel nibs' flow is a bit more conservative and they are cheaper if life happens. So they are more suited to EDC and daily use on the go.

However, a good gold nib is a very posh and enjoyable thing, but I prefer to use them at my desk due to their relative softness and high maintenance.

BTW, Lamy's steel nibs polish great in a month or two of daily usage. Pilot and Faber Castell are close followers, but Lamy becomes something sublime as you use it more.

Re: Mountain of Ink

#34

Post by voidUpdate »

Al-Khwarizmi wrote: post #28
voidUpdate wrote: post #24

While the colours and such do look very nice, the "writing samples" images show exactly why I hate using fountain pens. I'm left-handed, so if I try to write prose then my hand will just smudge the writing. I've always found that cheap ballpoints are the least likely to smudge, even if they still leave residue on my hand, and as the pen gets more "premium", the worse the smudging problem gets. I like to use as fine a…

As a fountain pen enthusiast with some beautiful pens that will probably become rare in the future, it makes me somewhat sad that my only son is left-handed.

Hopefully you can impress on him that they are important to you, and rare, and while he may not use them, he can still respect them for what they are, and look after them

Re: Mountain of Ink

#35

Post by ch_123 »

jillesvangurp wrote: post #21
systemswizard wrote: post #6

The ads are so obtrusive and overtly excessive in page coverage. Also one of your ad providers are redirecting to “Microsoft support”

Blissfully ad free with Firefox and uBlock Origin. If ads annoy you, I would suggest fixing your browser.

Even the neutered uBlock Origin Lite on Chrome is enough to make the ads go away.

Re: Mountain of Ink

#36

Post by guappa »

bayindirh wrote: post #26
Pinus wrote: post #22

Handwriting seems to be becoming more and more of a niche phenomenon, actually paying attention to what one writes with even more so, and actually using fountain pens yet more so. Still, there seems to be an absurd number of ink makers around, producing an absurd number of inks. I suppose dyes and water are relatively cheap, and can be mixed in buckets...

As a person who writes a lot, "seems" is the important word here. In IT circles, computers and tablets are the most coveted tools for note taking due to processing flexibility it provides, but while less visible, writing is there, evolving. From personal experience, writing with pen and paper unlocks a different mode in brain. Personally, I can concentrate better, think deeper and clearer, hence I work with pen and p…

I think hand-writing is gone already, save a few hipsters who like it more for the calm and repetitiveness than because they actually need to write what they are writing.

I can write 20x faster with a keyboard and I won't have cramps after a few minutes. And I don't think painful hands are a prerequisite for deep thought.

Re: Mountain of Ink

#37

Post by kromo888 »

agambrahma wrote: post #16

I think people over-complicate fountain pens a lot. I have a Lamy Safari that I got in 2012 and works just as well today. It's what I still recommend to anyone who asks what to get. Just get the pen, with its cartridge, add more cartridges -- you can stay here and already you're way better than with most standard ball pens that you'd be using otherwise. Then, get the small converter, plop it in, get your first bottle…

You are putting rationale and practical thinking up against a classic irrational hobby.

The best hobbies are usually both irrational and completely unnecessary.

Re: Mountain of Ink

#38

Post by throwanem »

guappa wrote: post #36
bayindirh wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a person who writes a lot, "seems" is the important word here. In IT circles, computers and tablets are the most coveted tools for note taking due to processing flexibility it provides, but while less visible, writing is there, evolving. From personal experience, writing with pen and paper unlocks a different mode in brain. Personally, I can concentrate better, think deeper and clearer, hence I work with pen and p…

I think hand-writing is gone already, save a few hipsters who like it more for the calm and repetitiveness than because they actually need to write what they are writing. I can write 20x faster with a keyboard and I won't have cramps after a few minutes. And I don't think painful hands are a prerequisite for deep thought.

How would you know?

Re: Mountain of Ink

#39

Post by bayindirh »

guappa wrote: post #36
bayindirh wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a person who writes a lot, "seems" is the important word here. In IT circles, computers and tablets are the most coveted tools for note taking due to processing flexibility it provides, but while less visible, writing is there, evolving. From personal experience, writing with pen and paper unlocks a different mode in brain. Personally, I can concentrate better, think deeper and clearer, hence I work with pen and p…

I think hand-writing is gone already, save a few hipsters who like it more for the calm and repetitiveness than because they actually need to write what they are writing. I can write 20x faster with a keyboard and I won't have cramps after a few minutes. And I don't think painful hands are a prerequisite for deep thought.

I'll kindly disagree here, because I both type and write a lot. Yes, typing is faster than writing, but that's not the point of writing.

Writing's speed and correction limits makes me think and filter before I actually write. This allows me to form clearer thoughts in less time. I arrive to a better place, faster.

Also, neither writing nor typing cramps my hands, and I do both of them for hours if I need to. That's interesting.

I'm slowly collecting research focusing on differences on typing and writing, but the landscape is barren. I'll publish a list when I have sufficient resources at hand.

Re: Mountain of Ink

#40

Post by throwanem »

calmbonsai wrote: post #3

In the states, Goulet Pens is a wonderful niche retailer of inks and fountain pens. https://www.gouletpens.com/

Strong recommend. Brian's a friendly and diligent guy, always ready to help research and solve customer problems. The only fountain pens I don't get from Goulet Pens are the ones they don't sell.
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