What I'd wished I'd known was that some pens are just hard starts and to avoid rubber grip pens - the latter especially can get icky after a few years!
I wish I'd been brave enough to try a broad nib when I started out. The gel pens and ballpoint pens that I use are both fine tipped (0.38mm usually), so I thought that EF would be best. Turns out, I really, really enjoy broad and stub nibs on my fountain pens. Biggest thing I wish I'd known when I started out was how much ink 80mL actually is!
I find the argument that it's cheaper to use bottled ink a bit disingenuous. Once you start buying ink bottles, it's scientifically impossible to stop at just one. Eventually you amass a massive collection of barely used inks, each bottle costing 15-20 uniball jetstreams!
For people who may have been gifted a vintage fountain pen from a family member or friend, I'd like to add the most MODERN fountain pens use cartridges and/or converters. Vintage fountain pens tend to have a lever-filling system where you lower the lever, dip the pen nib in the ink bottle, and then flip the lever up and wait a second or two. If your vintage fountain pen has been well-taken care of, then the interior "ink bladder" should still be intact. If you flip the lever down and hear a crunch, then your pen has NOT been taken care of, and the bladder has deteriorated to the point of needing replacement. If you're not confident about your ability to take care of that, then I recommend looking online for people who are. Extra Fun Fact about vintage fountain pen nibs: Vintage flex nibs tend to be more flexible than modern flex nibs. In fact, most- if not all -modern flex nibs are less flexible than vintage ones.
As a vintage pen collector, YES. But there's also other filling mechanisms like the Chilton, Touchdown, Vacumatic, aerometric, vintage Sheaffer's vac fillers, twist fillers, button fillers... On and on. 😉 (The wildly complex Sheaffer's Snorkel is a glorified touchdown at heart. Their earlier vac fillers are harder to restore.) And flex... Brian Goulet recently admitted that there's no true modern flex pens, compared to vintage. I have a 1912 Mabie Todd with crazy flex. I've accidentally flexed the nib to 45° and it sprang back. Try that with even a modern dip pen designed to be more flexible than any fountain pen today manages. You'll ruin it. Restoring a family member's vintage lever filler isn't that hard, just sometimes fiddley and takes patience to disassemble (sometimes the section is basically glued in. Time and gentle heat.😁) Then about 5 minutes to fit a new sac, wait for the shellac to dry from gluing the sac in place, bit of pure talc to let the sac slide in place, basically done, most instances. I personally did all of mine except for a Parker 51 Vacumatic (the tools needed ain't cheap.) With a razor blade, pair of fine tweezers. If I can still do them after a stroke...😁
@Paul Herman Yes! Thank you for the extra info! Especially with regards to the ink bladder replacement! I currently- and sadly -don't have any vintage fountain pens (except for one that's a double-sided pen and pencil combo with a gorgeous green-coloured marble-looking design) but I've definitely been looking for one that truly speaks to me while simultaneously being in working condition. I haven’t come across one, but I'm definitely hoping for one with a flex nib!
@@pixelsbykris5494 Combo ones are as easy as a basic lever filler. Pencil tends to still work, sac is just shorter because of the pencil part. And usually a budget pen, so a crap shoot if the section is pressure fit or glued (usually with shellac of some sort.) Like the dinky Peter Pan ones, basically cut the replacement sac in half (measure it. They don't hold a lot of ink already.) A good, satisfying DIY is a Parker 51 Aerometric. Sac ("Pli-glas") is PVC and almost indestructible. Generally just a good cleaning (time consuming as the collector, the equivalent of the fins on a modern feed, holds a TON of dried, old ink, usually), maybe a good polish, back in business. Just got to like a hooded nib and a VERY stiff nib. You want flex, before 1930 usually, and still hit or miss sometimes then. The Manifold nibs for writing on carbon copies seem to stem from the Lifetime nibs. VERY stiff. Waterman's, a Sheaffer's Junior that is close to softer than modern flex, Mabie Todd, Aiken Lambert, etc. I like pre WWI, myself, though those can be splotchy writers. A standard for flex is most Waterman's with their number 2 nibs. (The 12 is earlier and an eyedropper filler. The iconic 52 is lever. The 42 I think was a safety pen with a different mechanism than the Noodler's Boston Safety, which is a Moore design. Etc. Plus one of the "color" nibs from Waterman's. Maybe the Pink. I forget. 😁) Wahl-Eversharp even had some flex in the WWII era Skyline occasionally. And can't forget the gold nibbed budget pens. Usually a Warranted nib, which, because they were thin enough, tend to have nice flex regularly. Just either get one from a reputable seller or play roulette with eBay. Lots of sellers really don't know what they are selling. My Mabie Todd, a $200+ retail today was $60 because the antique store selling it just listed it as an old fountain pen. Sometimes you get lucky.😁😁 I highly recommend an Esterbrook to start down the rabbit hole of restoring your own. Well made, about 33 easily interchangeable nib units (I think they originated the concept) to suit almost anyone, very easy to restore. Sac size is a number 16, available on eBay, from Anderson Pens, or David Nishimura of Vintage Pens in Rhode Island. Or Pendragons in the UK. Tools needed are basic. Xacto knife or razor blade for scraping away dried shellac and cutting the sac to fit. Maybe slim, longer tweezers. Maybe dental picks for scraping away stuck dry ink sacs and maybe pulling the pressure bar. (Those are generally still good, but can rust.) Pair of spark plug boot pliers (same as section pliers for pen restoring, but 3x cheaper. Sac needed is determined by measuring where they slide on the section measure in inches, divided by 64. Or, the Pendragons website lists many pens and the sacs used. Wahl-Eversharp Skyline uses a 16, too, but a tapered one. Parker button fillers use one that is slimmer at the opening end. The dinky ones tend to have a number 10. There's plenty of sizes made. To the original formula. On the same original White Rubber molds. The same thickness and standard as the higher end pens used. You hear ink sacs tend to give out after about a decade. I have more than one that is still on the original sac for the last 70+ years. Proper maintenance seems to be the key. And avoid alkaline inks (a lot from Asia are alkaline.) Can dissolve the sac. I currently own over 40 Esterbrook pens, and have yet to pay much over $25 each. Patience, the vintage market can produce some great pens at budget prices. My 1940s Conway Stewart (when they still made the whole thing themselves, unlike today) was $35 plus a new sac, for example. Just picked up a truly budget ladies pink Arnold for $7, today. (I have a soft spot for vintage budget pens.) Early on, avoid steel nibs before WWII. Usually not stainless steel, except Esterbrook, so they can be pretty corroded where they contact the feed. Hope you are encouraged to try tackling one!
One more thing.... NEVER EVER DROP YOUR FOUNDATIN PEN! My heart sank when my Parker fountain pen rolled off the table and hit my marble floor nib first 💔💔
@@cinnamontoast4192same dude one time in my school it was break between two exams on the same day and some dude mustve been jealous of my fountain pen so he took one and slammed it agaisnt some surface and bent the nib horribly thankfully o could get it fixed
My heart broke when I dropped my beautiful Waterman fountain pen nib down. It was a special gift from my husband. The pen had to be shipped to France for repair but it was worth it…a very sentimental gift,
For a truly full fill with a twist converter or piston filler 1) stop turning the nob at around half full 2) take pen out of ink bottle and hold nib up 3) finish turning the nob the rest of the way drawing the ink in from the feed along with air 4) keeping the nib up turn the nob the other way to push the air out until you see ink coming from the nib or filler hole, you may see the odd bubble keep going until the ink stays. 5) insert pen back into the ink bottle and finish filling. After that you should have a complete fill with virtually no air in the chamber.
If you think you have bad handwriting and there is no point in buying one I would still tell you to get one, have Dysgraphia which makes writing a pain severely impeding my progress in school, my mother (profile picture) bought me a fountain pen which really helped improve my handwriting. My current theory is that it forces you to write slower, improving your handwriting.
Re: comments about owning many bottles of fountain pen inks, if you don't like a color you've purchased or are worried it may have expired, please consider donating inks to your local art programs. Whether K-12, community college, or university, such supplies are highly valued. Or consider giving inks to local artists who will likely put them to good use -- expired inks can be used for far more than writing and drawing! 😊
Expired inks? Technically speaking nobody has proven a fountain pen ink expires, many people in forums like Reddit have reported very old inks still usable. I have several Sheaffer bottles from the 50s and 60s and they look good as new. The only one I could consider as an exception is a Washable Green that has a particularly strong smell but it's not mold, anyway, it has a dedicated pen just in case.
in germany you start to learn how to write with a fountain pen often in elementary school. most here have at least one fountain pen most with cartridges, so the thought that some are intimidated by using them seems strange to me
in other countries, fountain pen was considered a thing from the past, the majority of education use gel-ball point pens for fast note and writing and the price of a basic fountain pen is a bit more pricy than an average disposable gel pen were those things that gatekeep people from discovering these gems. But I glad that the fountain pen community is growing stronger.
I had initially used a fountain pen at school in the 70s. It wasn't required, but I preferred them. Then in the early 80s I discovered Parker Rollberball and never went back to fountain pens. Recently I had to find a cheap enough fountain pen option because my child's high school requires them to use fountain pens for some of their work. Very unusual these days. The majority use either ballpoint, because they're cheap, or otherwise some type of rollerball, probably a gel one. My wife has never used a fountain pen.
Psa: if you are thinking you have to learn how to write differently with a fountain pen like I thought, don't worry! The only hard part for me was making sure I put the nib down at the right angle, but it didn't take me long to figure out. And you can use your normal writing style the same way as with gel pens. I have noticed though that my handwriting has changed some compared to when I take notes with a gel pen. Also, there are cheap (like walmart cheap) papers that work with fountain pens. They just have to be smooth. Mead 5 star isn't bad for an EF nib.
Anything from India or Vietnam tends to work. Pen+Gear you gotta check the origin. Made in the United States, like writing on Charmin... Caliber from CVS is the same. Depends on the origin.
Here in Mexico we have the worst paper in the world, but fortunately Kawai stores bring very good Chinese paper that is very fountain pen friendly, also other asian stores like Miniso offer very good notebooks at reasonable prices 😌
I began using fountain pens about a year ago since ordinary ballpoint pens always hurt my wrist after half an A4 page. I got a couple of Lamy Safari first since I initially considered a fountain pen primarily to be a tool. But it didn't take long before the Pokémon phrase, "Gotta Catch' Em All!" struck me. Today I have twenty-nine different Lamy Safari and two Kaweco Perkeo, and I'm not done collecting. I may have a problem. 😆 When it comes to paper, I only use either Oxford or Cambridge notebooks. They are cheap, have good paper and come in large pads, which is the best choice for me as I can write between 5-6 A4 pages daily.
@@sparklefulpaladin I’ve always wanted to try an eye dropper fill but I’m so nervous about it though. Not sure why, I guess it seems like a very easy way to spill ink absolutely everywhere
@@reddiewip ooh! Parker quink in black in a preppy. Great, saturated black. And orange Lamy in a Lamy Joy. (and a 3rd with a green shade from Diamine in a pilot metro) Pens and ink are expensive in my country, but I think one place sells sample sizes, which is awesome. You?
In India most schools get kids to use ink pens when they start writing with pens. Whole generations grew up using fountain pens in school and sharing ink with each other.
is that so? that's interesting! as far as i have heard from friends, everyone is supposed to use exclusively ballpoint pens nowadays since their ink is the most resistant to water damage.
If you’re not a frequent writer-perhaps you suffer from a wrist injury like me-I suggest Platinum pens, which are known for staying wet longer due to the special caps they use. There are other brands that boast similar longevity, so do your research. Really, though, if you can make a point to write once a week your pens should be fine.
@@sparklefulpaladin I've got the Hayabusa shimmering in the TWSBI and the Ham shimmering in a Noodler's Ink Konrad. I've also got the Hayabusa non shimmer in the Pilot Petit1. I bought two bottles of De Atramentis, but the glitter is too thick for any of my pens
When i was in high-school i built a fountain pen kit and its what i used my senior year, but that was a decade ago. Recently i rediscovered it, and was trying to figure out how to resurrect it. After watching this and your video on cleaning them, and also a bit of alcohol, its back from the dead
As someone who still writes 90% of things by hand and in that Always with fountain pen where able, I'm glad to see I got it all right 😂😂 At my school we started out with pencil to learn the letters and then got our first fountain pen from school, we weren't allowed to write with ballpoint. And to me, this was bliss lol. I got some ballpoints don't get me wrong, but if I can use my fountainpens then i sure will
The other way I've learnt to encourage a cartridge pen to start is running it under water for a few seconds - sometimes it feels like the capillary action is stuck and needs some "encouragement" to move.
Please don't do that, you're just wasting water. You can get a very good result with just some drops of water through the breather hole of your nib or a chunk of wet cotton or tissue paper to moist the feeder. For very dried up ink or pens that haven't been in use for a very long time it might be a better idea to do a full clean of the pen.
This video came out WAY too late for me. I started using a fountain pen in 1983. Old grey Esterbrook J barn find. When an Esterbrook was just thrown out because they didn't have a gold nib. So a lot of the information about modern ones didn't really apply. Not a cartridge converter or piston filler. Limited options for ink. No real fountain pen friendly paper. Fortunately the older inks tend to play nice with even cheaper paper, as my option was cheap student paper back then. And it's why I'm starting to gravitate towards getting vintage inks now. They're generally better behaved than a lot of modern inks, though definitely less light resistant. And regularly available for about the price of new, still unopened bottles. I'm older. My writing doesn't have to last for future generations, so... 😂
as someone who is using fountain pens for 10 years i would say dont be afraid of making initial mistakes and do your own research. if you are afraid just start with a cheaper but good pen but not like pilot varsity. an actual fountain pen,
When I refill my fountain pen (which uses a piston converter), I usually twist the piston as fast as I possibly can to get more ink into the converter. It works super well and lasts for a longer time.
@@JetPens Can't believe you replied and that also so soon. You guys need to open a store in India. there is so much potential. Do you deliver in India BTW?
I did some research, bought a fine point Pilot, it writes on almost all paper including cheap composition books. I could not be happier with my pen. I got into these because Cross which I had used for 40 years stopped making their refills in the US and started making them in China and the writing quality was noticeably worse. I don't like throwing things away and prefer to reuse for as long as possible.
I ordered the pilot disposable fountain pen to try it out to see if I actually like writing with them before taking the plunge into getting an actual fountain pen. I found that I really do enjoy writing with them, but I have these gel pens I purchased recently and I want to use them up before I buy a fountain pen because I am positive I won't write with anything else but a fountain pen when I journal.
It really just depends on your budget and your desires! The preppy's a pretty solid choice, but if you want a super cheap option then have a look at the Pilot Petit! It's very small and may cramp your hand but its super cheap price will help you see if you like FPs in the first place. The other pen I recommend is the Monami Ollika.
So I didn't know that india ink shouldn''t be used in fountain pens. I have a whole bottle that I bought for my fountain pen but never used. I guess an art person in my life is getting some india ink. Also why is india ink not fountain pen friendly?
It is a pigment ink, like sumi. They are small particles of solid matter in liquid, and these particles will clog your pen. Fountain pen inks are often dye ink, so drying up doesn't make the pen unusable or unsalvageable.
Get a dip pen for the India ink, they're quite cheap and you can use a variety of nibs with it, both for drawing and for calligraphy (it's a lot simpler to buy flex nibs for dip pens than finding a fountain pen with a flex nib). India ink uses shellac as a binding agent. It is the shellac that will gum up the feed in your fountain pen. Normal fountain pen inks just have the color and/or pigments, shimmer particles etc. dissolved in water without a binding agent.
I’ve been a fountain pen user for several years. Nonetheless, I found your clip informative and well done. I wasn’t too hot on the music, though. I kept expecting it to stop, then a voice would say…..’Your call is important to us. Please stay……..’. Kudos anyway!
I've recently been doing some hand lettering and decorative calligraphy. The kit i purchased at first came with disposable brush and "calligraphy" pens, as well as a dip pen(but this had a single fixed nib). Some seemed to work well for me, but now i see I'm a bit limited in styles of writing due to width of pens. Etc. Any advice as to what items I should consider adding in order to branch out a little?
Watching this video to set up my first Platinum Preppy with a dark purple ink (eyedropper conversion), and a TWSBI Eco with a pink and blue ink! Then I get to write my friend a letterrrr
Love the vid I got into the habit back in 2020 and I wish this video existed then lol. Had another idea for a video. I know one of the peeps at JetPens plays Pen and Paper Dungeons and Dragons/TTRPGs. Do a list of the perfect stationary for the one person who takes notes at the table. GO ALL OUT !!!!
Advice 1: cartridges sucks, buy converter as soon as you can. Advice 2: keep feeder wet. It sooo satisfying. Advice 3: don't buy too cheap pen, it's actually a paper scratcher.
As a student i recommend keeping a normal pen and correction tape because, if you have an error while writing, the normal pen is for writing on the correction tape because if you use a fountain pen on correction tape it could cause the fountain pen to rip the correction tape
Do you have any tips on how to clean my Pelikan M120? You turn the piston knob and you can't take the nib off unless you're a professional. I've tried all the other tips you gave.
Thank you very much for this video! Ive recently got a couple fountain pens and ive been watching your fountain pen videos to learn how to properly take care of them and help them last long ^^ I really enjoyed the tips and advice, but the one i found most surprising was the kokuyo sarasara paper works well with fountain pens!! I had no idea! Thank you for your hard work making this video ^-^
I started with the Platinum Preppy and had a very bad time and almost completely gave up on fountain pens. It was months before I bought a TWISBI Eco and since then bought other pens to find my preference. I wish I had seen a chart on nib sizes and how they compare to gel pen sizes. I did discover that I although I like a 0.5 Energel pen, I like the medium to wet fine nibs best. For Kokuyo campus sarasara loose leaf paper, I might actually want to try a board nib.
It's not supposed to shoot ink like a 😂 fountain. Think of it as a controlled ink leak from a pen. Like when you use the thumb over a straw and the liquid doesn't leak out until you take your thumb off to the other end of the straw.
soak in warm water. If it doesn't help, try with neutral soap. You can try to use an old clean toothbrush to help the soap. If all fails, use a tiny bit of bleach in a cup, complete the cup about half way with water and soak the nib and only the nib there. The idea is to have less than 10% bleach in that water solution mix.
One thing to keep in mind is to not push the nib down onto the bottom of the ink bottle. Maybe I'm wrong, but to me at 5:37 it looks a bit like the nib is being pushed into the bottom of the ink bottle.
Now that I have good fountain pen notebooks, I would love to know more about what sticky notes of different sizes are fountain pen friendly and will show off the shading inks.
I first used one about 5 years ago, right after I started making pens from kits. I bought one just because it looked fancy, and used ebony wood. While there was a learning curve with cleaning, I Loved it!! Someone seen me using it at a craft show and bought it for $50! I was really hooked after that. Hopefully soon I'll post another video of making a new one
eh.... have I been filling my pen wrong all this while? I dip the converter into the ink and then turn it over like a syringe and tap till the air bubbles rise and push out the air with the knob, then turn it over again to do a second fill in the ink bottle..... 😅
I don’t have problems, im a lefty though i have a pen which is well set up, doesn’t flood the paper and is thought of as a good pen for technical drawing
@@gonnfishy2987 i use them mostly for drawing because you don’t have to draw from left to right(specifically outlining watercolor pieces) . but writing is what i meant when i said i struggle with it most since generally youd write from left to write and its harder to do a pull motion from that direction if thats the hand you’re using haha. Becomes more of a pushing motion .
@@VonderfulVal 😃 yes. Sorry if I wasn’t specific, my Pilot Prera is my main writing pen. It’s very good for technical drawing, writing left->right and although i only write, technically you would enjoy it 😉
There are plenty of left handed fountain pens available for us lefties, we just have to search a little bit. Jet pens has plenty of fountain pens for beginners and advanced usage. Check them out. Truly a beautiful journey. Hope this helps. Good luck on your journey
Hi there! Higher gsm doesn't necessarily mean the paper will be fountain pen friendly. In fact, many popular fountain pen paper brands have very low gsm; gsm is unrelated to whether the paper can take fountain pen ink. We recommend checking out our blog on fountain pen paper: www.jetpens.com/blog/The-Best-Fountain-Pen-Paper/pt/730
Do you have any suggestion how to clean waterproof ink that stained the pen? I have tried water, soap, rubbing, still the stain won't come off my pen. (I am using platinum waterproof black ink)
I bit late, but I was having trouble with some Noodlers ink on my white Lamy Safari What worked for me was a Mr Clean Magic Eraser. I saw at least one warning that it might be a bit abrasive. I didn’t have issues with my Safari, but that was a low stakes gamble on my part. Things that I’ve seen suggested that didn’t work for me: Water Dish liquid Soaking in diluted dish liquid Amodex (ink and stain remover)
My fountain pen converter have some dry stubborn ink that wont get out. I found that using an ultrasonic cleaner can help forcing the ink to get out. But make sure you put it in another smaller container or the ink would go everywhere and ruin the cleaner's tank
I just bought a cheap india Ink and boy this is amazing. I got 500ml of ink which cost $10. The quality of the ink is just amazing. I think you should get better quality ink rather than choosing ink with fancy name. You should buy ink which has Water-resistant quality and Ink which will not fade away in future. Bought a japanese ink cost $50 and it become lighter the more time passes
I grew up using a fountain pen. I do still prefer them over ballpoints. Writing is much smoother and more comfortable. I also have 20 year old fountain pen that writes with very thin/scratcy lines (sometimes damages the paper) and its ink flow is very poor at times, but it has a nostalgic feeling. Ballpoints have the advantage of them being less leak sensitive when carrying one around and I worry less about losing a cheap ballpoint pen. :) Though I must say i've never bought a single ballpoint pen......I always get them for free as some sort of promotion gift. I still have many of them and I promised myself I would not buy any unless I finished them all. Now if only there was a pen that magically gave you beautifull handwriting.
I wish I knew from the start that you aren’t limited to the pen manufacturers’ specific ink for the same brand pen. They might be the best choice in terms of wet or dry ink that works well with the pen, but there are so many great independent ink makers out there that can work with many fp brands.
excelente video, pero llevo semanas buscando una pluma estilografica, que pueda usar con tinta indeleble, a prueba de agua, soy bastante cuidadoso y no me importaría tener que limpiar la pluma estilografica después de cada uso, al utilizar tinta negra a prueba de agua, la idea es que posteriormente al entintado de un dibujo pueda aplicar colores al agua
Here I am because a friend of mine spent an exceedingly large sum of money on a fountain pen for my birthday. I'm no stranger to them; I used them years ago, but I stopped from doing so for several reasons. Now, what to do with my too expensive and useless-for-me birthday present? Oh, my god, it feels so frustrating - I appreciate her gesture, but, at the same time, I can't help to think it was just wasteful.
I’ve stopped using my fountain pen because it leaks ink all over my fingers. Is the nib damaged perhaps or is it because it’s a Schaefer which I thought was a good brand since it’s been around since my childhood? If it’s the nib I assume I will have to throw the pen away.
I've never been able to get into fountain pens... I never had one that didn't leak on me. I do love nibs tho as well as customization, like having different handles and nibs and inks and such... so, I got into dip pens. I even like needing to dip the pen every so often to re-ink it, there's just something very soothing about that which is helpful when I'm journaling.
My huge mistake was using Noodler's Baystate blue with 2 platinum preppy and want to change the ink in one. I washed the pen but it continues to show residual ink in feed. 😢
I have never ever encountered a fountain pen that leaks ink when stored nib facing downwards. I always store my pens nib facing downwards for easier start. Have anyone actually experienced ink leakage by doing so??
I know I'd like a fountain pen because I like gel pens and they have a similar aesthetic(their writing) and they flow nicely. I also think fountain pens look cool as hell and would set me apart from others in school and work environments.
In german the inks have seperate names Tinte is the ink that goes with fountain pens Tusche is the ink for dipping stuff I think tinte is dyed liquid while tusche is particles suspended in the liquid.. id assume thats why tusche glogs things Im not sure if they still do or if it was just was a my school thing but in primary school we all had to write with fountain pens.. past 5th grade noone cared what we used as long as its not pencil
I use a Platinum Preppy as my daily pen and absolutely love it! It's a lovely writing experience in my Hobonichi Weeks. 🥰💕 Eventually I will buy a converter since I have a pretty large bottle of Noodler's ink that I don't want to go to waste.
eekay has the right idea! Especially since the Platinum converters literally cost more than the entire Preppy pen... The Preppy is also a routine candidate for eyedropper converting. Jetpens carries the supplies you need for that.
How to clean a dried extra fine preppy? I clean mine thoroughly but can never get it back to it's original great flowing form. When I just buy it it's amazingly smooth, but after it gets dried, I can't get it back... Anybody knows how to fix this?
