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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)

#201

Post by jl6 »

bayindirh wrote: post #139
olympus wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the US most notaries will not allow you to sign official documents with a fountain pen- it seems to be part of the training, and many realtors and attorneys are notaries for convenience. As great as they are to write with, many FP inks cannot withstand tampering, so they don't allow any FP inks because it's hard to track which of the thousands of brand/color combos are safe. A cheapo ballpoint is better for offici…

I have a bottle of cellulose reactive fountain pen ink for such purposes. Also, there are mass produced tamper-proof inks. So, in fact it's possible to sign documents with an FP. On the other side of the spectrum is "washable" blues which are waiting to disappear in a small drop of water.

I think the problem is that a notary might have trouble being convinced that your fountain pen ink is what you say it is.

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

#202

Post by Steve44 »

aries1980 wrote: post #188
Steve44 wrote: post #184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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.

True, I use my nice pens in the office or at home. I've a Baoer 388 I carry around, apart from the lacquer that seems almost indestructible and writes very well.

I think I read a while ago that fountain pens don't wear to your writing style, that's an old tale. Pressing too hard will usually damage one though.

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

#203

Post by frostburg »

nimbius wrote: post #93

I went through a fountain pen phase for about a year and finally gave up on it after a few notable incidents. - going through the airport was hit or miss. Bristol? Stuttgart? things are perfect. interstate travel in the US? id lost two pens to the TSA. My flight to calgary started perfectly, and ended after a half full fountain pen quietly burst in my jacket pocket. not fun. - No one seems to know what these things a…

Vacuum fill fountain pens can be safely carried in airplanes, like the Pilot Custom 823 (which is good but somewhat expensive for a travel pen) or the TWISBI Vac700R and Vac Mini.

My favourite ink is the Pilot Iroshizuku take-sumi, but it's not tamper proof if it matters.

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

#204

Post by TheRealPomax »

pjc50 wrote: post #175
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…

People who say "you should do it differently" but without specifying exactly how are just engaging in a mild form of victim-blaming. Or instructing left-handed people to write with their right hand. I acquired the "overhand" left-handed style at a very early age, which needs a piece of blotting paper under the hand to not smudge everything. This at least is somewhat natural to write with since it's mirrored in the pl…

To be fair, we're on hacker news. There are hundreds of videos on Youtube that explain it better than I ever could in text if you know to actually look for them (and if no one ever told you to, why would you?), and this is not the crowd that would not be able to find those.

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

#205

Post by TheRealPomax »

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.

No question, if you need efficient writing, keyboard every time. And I say that as someone who has plenty of fountain pens and 500+ inks.

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

#206

Post by bunderbunder »

mseebach wrote: post #177
JumpCrisscross wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It feels better in my hand than a biro Ballpoints require one to constantly press down to keep the ink flowing. This makes writing tiring. (Fountain pens draw ink with capillary action.)

At least for that purpose (can't argue with the aesthetics of a fountain pen), there is a large selection of "post-ballpoint" pens that keeps the ink flowing with no effort. The Pilot V5 and Uni-Ball Eye are both ubiquitous classics in the space. Much cheaper and much easier to deal with than fountain pens.

Uni-Ball Signos live in my pencil case and my pockets, and a Pilot Metropolitan lives at my desk.

I agree 100% that the rollerball is cheaper and easier to use. There's much to be said for not having to clean the pen, being able to take it on an airplane without fear, etc. It's also much more pleasant to use than a ballpoint. For whatever reason, though, I find I can still write for longer without discomfort, and maintain a higher quality of penmanship, with the fountain pen.

(That, or I'm just a hopeless nostalgic. I also exclusively own wristwatches that contain no electronics.)

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

#207

Post by amluto »

nasredin wrote: post #185
epx wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Like “Canadian Solar”?

I’d prefer my Chinese products to be honestly Chinese. Write clear marketing copy, give a specification written in decent English without random Chinese characters interspersed, and you’ll have some happy English-speaking customers.

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

#208

Post by balladeer »

ecspike wrote: post #100
balladeer wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hey, I would be interested in knowing about pens that do not need regular service and caring especially when not used for longer periods. Could you please suggest some good resources on it (preferably not very costly, if at all) or suggest such fountain pens?

JetPens has good guides: From this list, I can personally vouch for the Platinum Preppy and Pilot Metropolitan. Though the Preppy is a disposable, the catridges from the non-disposable Platinum pens fit it. You could could even get an eyedropper and refill the cartridge from a bottle of ink. https://www.jetpens.com/blog/great-beginner-fountain-pens-th... Most of my collection is in the under $20 range, most under $2.…

Hey, thanks.

I have a Pilot Metropolitan and it dries pretty fast.

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

#209

Post by scrumbledober »

Philomath wrote: post #168
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…

Agree with all, but I would add a really important one that in itself could already justify using a FP. - because (good) fountain pens are like good watches. You love your FP, you take care of it and you enjoy every moment you see it and use it. Mechanical watches also have downsides, but a mechanical watch owner just loves the watch for a lot of other reasons that compensate by far the downsides.

I happen to think my fountain pens are quite a bit more work than a ballpoint and at times downright annoying to use, but you're right I just love using them.

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

#210

Post by falcolas »

kerkeslager wrote: post #145
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).

For what it's worth, those Sharpie felt tip pens also draw ink with capillary action. This is what I use and it definitely reduces fatigue as compared with a ballpoint.

Having used both: Sharpie felt tip pens drag on paper a lot more than fountain pens do. It makes controlling the pen easier, but overall there's more effort that goes into writing with them.
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