Fountain Pen Fun


Guest LiterateParakeet
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On 9/27/2017 at 5:39 PM, Grunt said:

I still hate you.

We all do.  That's why she has so many likes.

I still can't write with a fountain pen.  It must be a Korean disability.  Well, we all have to have some.

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1 minute ago, zil said:

We all have to have some Korean disabilities? :unsure:

Close, but no cigar (or candy cigar).

Koreans have so many advantages with our winning charm, stunning good looks, abundance of character strengths, and high intelligence, not to mention our sense of humor.  We have to have some disabilities somewhere to make it fair to the rest of the world.:D

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Guest MormonGator
4 minutes ago, Carborendum said:

Koreans have so many advantages with our winning charm, stunning good looks, abundance of character strengths, and high intelligence, not to mention our sense of humor. 

And sadly, you got none of that. :P

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1 hour ago, zil said:

PS: I want pictures of your haul!  (We must celebrate, and live vicariously so as not to go broke ourselves, you see.)

Visconti is an Italian pen and ink brand.

Haul got banned by my husband a few months after we got married.  I may be an irresponsible shopper but I've learned to fight the temptation.  I just have to remember... fountain pen is the apple in the Garden.   You can only have one.  Then you die.

Edited by anatess2
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6 minutes ago, anatess2 said:

Haul got banned by my husband a few months after we got married.  I may be an irresponsible shopper but I've learned to fight the temptation.  I just have to remember... fountain pen is the apple in the Garden.   You can only have one.  Then you die.

Your haul doesn't have to be big to be photographed. ;)

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5 hours ago, Just_A_Guy said:

Looks kinda like this:  

35D06D2800000578-0-image-m-29_1467285276 

Hmm.  Maybe a little farther to the right would look better.

(On the network I was using at the time I posted this reply, all I could see was a string of letters and numbers, no image.  Now I see the image, and, well, I want one.  Clearly this is a modified lever-filler.)

Edited by zil
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A topic about fountain pens?!?! I'm shocked that the rules of Mormon Hub allow for such an offensive and disgusting topic! Surely its time for a rule rewrite. And not only a topic, but some replies to it as well! Surely this must be the test that @The Folk Prophet was referring to. I note that when God wrote on the tablets of stone that he gave to Moses, He did not use a fountain pen and when Nephi engraved the plates of brass and when Moroni engraved the gold plates, they also did not use fountain pens. When Martin Harris and Oliver Cowdery scribed for Joseph Smith they did not use fountain pens. Clearly these men of God recognised them for the instruments of evil that they are. 

 

Here is how God wants us to write in the latter days.

image.jpeg.a2d976b9fb806528873a8f6caa68372f.jpeg

I note that the profession of our beloved prophet was a printer who used printers all his life to produce words, not fountain pens.

Edited by askandanswer
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Guest MormonGator
2 hours ago, askandanswer said:

A topic about fountain pens?!?! I'm shocked that the rules of Mormon Hub allow for such an offensive and disgusting topic!

That's the first sensible thing I've ever heard you say. 

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6 hours ago, Carborendum said:

Close, but no cigar (or candy cigar).

Koreans have so many advantages with our winning charm, stunning good looks, abundance of character strengths, and high intelligence, not to mention our sense of humor.  We have to have some disabilities somewhere to make it fair to the rest of the world.:D

And humility! ?

Edited by Sunday21
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7 hours ago, zil said:

Your haul doesn't have to be big to be photographed. ;)

I am sad to report that I had a HORRIBLE experience at the specialty store.  Those people are a bunch of SNOBS and a half.  I begin to suspect something was not quite right when I walked in the door, the shopkeeper looked up, then looked right back down to something she was reading.  No smile, no greeting.  I was the only one at the store (I came in 20 minutes before closing).  I browsed around - the fountain pen selection was quite impressive (for a newbie like me) - and my eyes even bulged at a Lamy fountain pen for $549.  That's FIVE HUNDRED FORTY-NINE DOLLARS.  Of course it was the one that I liked... medium point, big barrel, full metal jacket.

Anyway, I asked a few questions and she seemed completely uninterested in talking to me so I left the store empty handed.  I'm gonna go back there wearing my fancy (read: snobbery resistant) outfit and see if I get better treatment.  Maybe park my fancy car right by the front window.  I'm getting daydreams of Pretty Woman...

Oh, I found out something from that store.  There's such a thing as fountain pen friendly paper.  I think it was called Craft & Co or something.

Anyway, I went over to my handy dandy Staples and got a serviceable (read: I didn't see them at that snobby store) fountain pen.  And yes, I told @zil that I'm only going to buy one but I can't decide between the narrow-barreled metal pen and the wide barreled plastic pen, so I ended up walking out of the store with both.  Can't find no Craft & Co paper at Staples.  Seems like they only sell fancy printer paper.  So, I just went ahead and grabbed foil letterhead paper and hope it works.  I'm a bit intimidated by it so I haven't tried my pens yet.  My husband is looking at me funny...

So here they are:  The metal one is a Franklin Covey, the other one is a Pentel Tradio.  Both are medium point.  Doesn't really say how many mm's in the box and the paper that came with have super tiny letters that I can't read it even with my reading glasses on.

And you know what else?  I got me a penpal in Spain!  He's gonna be the recipient of my first fountain pen mileage.  Wish me luck!

P.S. The Spaniard is also a fountain pen enthusiast.  Well, actually, he says he only goes with serviceable fountain pens but he goes crazy with the inks.  He says he can't wait to try out his brand spanking new Pelikan Edelstein Mandarin and Smokey Quartz on his letter to me.  Whatever those are...

fountainpen.jpg.aa83efe32f74ef9b514c1a7fa0212b8e.jpg

Edited by anatess2
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3 minutes ago, anatess2 said:

I am sad to report that I had a HORRIBLE experience at the specialty store.  Those people are a bunch of SNOBS and a half.

Sorry to hear that.  I think this is often the case at brick and mortar stores - they cater to high-end clientele and apparently if you don't look the part, your money isn't good enough - nevermind how much of it you have.

5 minutes ago, anatess2 said:

I'm gonna go back there wearing my fancy (read: snobbery resistant) outfit and see if I get better treatment.  Maybe park my fancy car right by the front window.  I'm getting daydreams of Pretty Woman...

:D

5 minutes ago, anatess2 said:

There's such a thing as fountain pen friendly paper.  I think it was called Craft & Co or something.

Yes, there is.  And there are lots of brands.  I'm reasonably certain it was Crane & Co - very expensive, and definitely not needed by us average folk.  Good brands include: Black n' Red, Rhodia, Clairefontaine, Apica, Midori, Mnemosyne, Leuchtturm.

8 minutes ago, anatess2 said:

So here they are:  The metal one is a Franklin Covey, the other one is a Pentel Tradio.  Both are medium point.

I've seen reviews of the Pentel Tradio, but don't remember details - you can find YouTube reviews of this pen.  I didn't know Franklin Covey sold FPs.  I'm reasonably sure it's a rebranded pen made by someone else.  Did they come with ink (I hope!).  DO NOT use india ink or any ink from a craft store unless it explicitly says it's for fountain pens (not calligraphy pens). :)  FP nibs are not standardized, so the size can vary from brand to brand, and they're always labeled as extra-fine, fine, medium, broad, etc.

Looking forward to hearing how you like them.  Don't be afraid, just put the cartridge in (I'm assuming they came with cartridges) and give them a go.  When you write, do not apply pressure - the pen should write under its own weight without you needing to push down - especially the metal pen.  Only if that doesn't work should you apply pressure.  NOTE: It takes time after inserting a cartridge for the ink to work its way down to the nib, so be patient - it can take several minutes, depending on the pen.  This is the only time when it's OK to let the pen rest nib-down.  Otherwise, the pen should be horizontal or nib up.

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5 minutes ago, zil said:

Good brands include: Black n' Red, Rhodia, Clairefontaine, Tomoe River, Apica, Midori, Mnemosyne, Leuchtturm.

You're unlikely to find these in stores (except maybe the snooty one, but if all they have is Crane & Co., I wouldn't get it).  I would recommend one of the first two to start with.  Online is pretty much your only option.

Alternately, when WalMart has their "back to school" sales, or at any time in dollar stores, you can go in and look for composition notebooks made in Brazil (Staples sometimes has paper made in Brazil).  This is the best of the crappy paper out there.  You're looking for something that feels really slick, where the lines are crisp (not fuzzy).  Check multiple pages because it's not unusual for a cheap notebook to have multiple types of paper in it!  I have found that the ones made in Columbia are sometimes OK - do a feel test and examine the lines for crispness.  (You may need a magnifying glass to read the "Made in..." text.)

ETA: Notebooks in the same box / pile, looking identical, can be made in different places, so you have to look notebook by notebook, not just at one notebook in a given design.

Edited by zil
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I AM IN LOVE WITH THESE PENS!  

I can't decide which I like better.  I like the weight of the Franklin Covey but the Tradio has the better barrel width.  The Franklin writes much smoother I think and has a better balance but it gets too top heavy when you put the cap on top.  The Tradio is not as balanced, probably more because it is light on my hand, but it has better balance than the Franklin when both have the cap on.  I don't like to have the cap separated from the pen because I don't like holding it while writing and it tends to get lost.  So... I guess the final word is... they both win!

As you can see, I had to go through an adjustment phase because I had to figure out how to position the nib on the paper.  One thing I noticed, I had to wait a minute or two to get the Tradio to start for the first time.  The Franklin was almost instantaneous.  

I can see how this little hobby can get addictive.

fountainpen2.jpg.d18556bbc2a889889ea9e3194fcb4b31.jpg

Edited by anatess2
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Guest LiterateParakeet

@anatess2 when you change ink, you need to rinse out your pen. I'm getting ready for work so i have to run, but you can find great intro  ideos about this and other FP stuff on YouTube. Try Goulet Fountain Pens 101....

Congratulations on your new pens!!!

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Guest LiterateParakeet

Sounds like you found the videos, excellent.  I love your handwriting, by the way.  Also since I know you love a variety of colors...you can get samples (cheaper than buying a full bottle obviously) at gouletpens.com.  I get all my fountain pen stuff from them and they are amazing.  

Beautiful pens, congratulations!  

Edited by LiterateParakeet
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