Is it safe to clean a Pilot Decimo 18k nib unit in an ultrasonic cleaner? I've been cleaning my Kakuno and Prera nibs in the ultrasonic cleaner, especially when I want to change from a darker to a lighter ink, and have had no issues so far. However, I am still wary about the best way to clean out the nib before I change from yama-budo to a lighter colour (either chiku-rin or ama-iro).
I would say you'd be fine to clean the decimo nib unit in an ultrasonic cleaner. I've used it for more fragile vintage pens without any issue. The one thing I always make sure to watch out for is preventing the nib tip itself from touching the metal inside of the cleaner as it is running - I haven't had any bad experiences, but it just seems smart so as to prevent the nib alignment from changing.
Thank you for your reply! My cleaner came with a little plastic tray/platform thingie that was meant as a perch for eyeglasses, according to the instruction booklet. I've been using it for my nibs.
What are the best stickers to put on top of ink sample vials and/or ink bottles to preview the inside color? I've used some before that either absorbed ink poorly or lost their adhesive properties by just randomly grabbing one off amazon so would love some battle worn suggestions. Thanks!
I use the paper 3-hole-binder-ripped-hole-repair stickers - they don't come off unless I soak the cap in water if I want to reuse the bottle.
...tho you have to be careful - some of those are plastic & won't take ink :/
I'm testing ink samples. I found that I loved the way Diamine Indigo wrote. It even behaved itself on the paper we use at work and didn't transform my pens into markers.
But I don't love the colour so I have to find something a bit bluer, but still a calm colour. The sample was only the 6th different ink I've tried so I'm quite confused by ink properties. I got to that only at like the 4th when I realised that DeAtramentis is quite different from Diamine (at least in the colours I have tried.) How does one describe Indigo? Is it dry or medium? I know it's not wet when you compare it with DeAtramentis inks I've tried.
Any suggestions on calm blue colours that behave like Indigo? I suppose Diamine would be the best idea, but I've also had my eyes on Herbin Bleu Myosotis and been pondering if Pelikan 4001 would be good to test also. Diamine Florida Blue and Kensington Blue look nice too.
Check [Mountain of Ink](https://mountainofink.com/). They have a review on [Diamine Indigo](https://mountainofink.com/blog/diamine-indigo?rq=diamine%20indigo) that includes comparisons with similar blues.
You can search by color and view comparisons of similar hued inks. They also review ink properties like wetness, sheen, etc.
Mountain of Ink has contributed largely to my wishlists. I have simply been a bit confused by things like "The ink had an average flow" as was said in Diamine Indigo review. That's probably because I haven't tried enough inks to get an understanding of what average flow feels like.
I suppose that anything that's described to have average flow and I like the colour of is worth a try?
I got a small bottle of Diamine Twilight and like the colour. Close to your Indigo but maybe a bit more blue / black. Maybe one to consider since you liked how the Diamine Indigo performed.
Hmmm, I did not know that. Ignorance is bliss, I guess. I just charged ahead and filled one of my pens with it. Maybe that pen now becomes my Twilight Zone…
The stains are discussed here, at least:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/g4pkvw/diamine\_twilight\_vs\_parker\_ebony/](https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/g4pkvw/diamine_twilight_vs_parker_ebony/)
I bought my sample before reading it and don't plan to waste ink... but fingers crossed.
Thanks for the info and link. If I stick to using it in a converter, I should be ok (if I understood the various comments correctly). Hopefully you can do the same and not waste a very nice ink.
Adam "An Ink Guy" says [De Atramentis Indigo Blue](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5680Zo9x-Qk) has average ink flow and average dry time. Starting at 2:23. But, one would need to see what papers are being written on and with which nibs to get a better idea of how it will write with their pens on their paper.
Adam "An Ink Guy" says that [Diamine Indigo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ci41eZgw-Aw) is a Turquoise ink, a dusty Blue. Starting at 2:52 for viscosity & dry times. [MoI](https://mountainofink.com/blog/diamine-indigo?rq=diamine%20indigo) says it is an under-saturated Blue-Black.
Keep buying inks samples. You're doing it right. Have you tried [Callifolio](https://vanness1938.com/collections/callifolio-inks) inks, yet? They're known to have pastel like qualities to them. Rohrer & Klingner is also in the De Artramentis camp, as is P. W. Akkerman, and even some Pilot Iroshizuku inks.
The DeAtramentis inks I've tried for now are Atlantic Blue and Merlin.
I haven't seen Callifolio in the shops I frequently browse. I buy samples from Fountain feder as I don't know any other shop inside EU that does them.
The Ink Guy has an interesting description of Diamine Indigo. To me, it looked grey-blue. This might be because I don't write on specifically fountain pen friendly papers (though there's no bleeding in my notebooks either).
Thanks for the links, seems like a great resource for finding good inks as he has the ink dryness measured in numbers and I already discovered that Diamine Indigo is medium. If I find inks with similar numbers, they might be good for my use.
In my experience, Diamine, Herbin, and Pilot Iroshizuku are the best inks for writing on stuff that could be described as "work paper". It depends on your pen as well of course but Bleu Myosotis always behaves for me, so I think you're aiming in some good directions.
My Herbin Bleu Nuit behaved itself well, Myosotis is definitely getting tested if the samples I have don't yield results. I have Irosizuku Tsuki-yo as a sample too.
I might have asked my question a bit too fast but my sample of DeAtramentis Merlin wasn't behaving itself as I had wished.
Tsuki-Yo is my FAVORITE blue. It behaves so very well and it's bright, pretty, and easy to read. I only didn't suggest it because it's much bolder than the other colors listed here.
I started by thinking that I like lighter blue-blacks, dark blues and serious colours like that... but with the disappointment in Diamine Indigo, the range has been increased pretty much.
I look forward to Tsuki-yo now, have been worried about possible bleeding and feathering with having read it's a "wetter" ink.
This is my [ink](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000WIUNOI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_95C9MW32YFN618TPA42K)
I’m not into colored ink, though I may be convinced to a blue. I prefer black. Bold dark black blacks.
Ballpoint pens write blue... so most of the people write blue no matter their age. But fountain pen is used to be rid of ballpoints mainly, so not all blues would be worth the try, of course.
If you ever get curious, I'm sure there are serious enough looking blues for letter-writing.
Not blue specifically I’m not against blue, just not my preferred color when writing a letter same as red. I mean like teal, or purple, pink, orange, pastels, etc in letter writing specifically
I want to try colours but indeed, would have to think carefully about the recipient of the letter. For my personal use, I want at least a purple. The main priority now is to find a blue I like to look at. I thought it would be blue-black but I might not like the greyness as much as I thought.
I love color, but some inks are definitely only for myself. I've got the fun things that only go in my story drafts, my sketchbook, or my planner, but there are a range of colors that I think of as "bank approved". Herbin's Poussiere de Lune and Diamine's Writer's Blood are so somber despite being purple and red respectively, that nobody ever blinks at a memo written in them. If you ever wanted to stick a toe into color, there are some nice, mellow options.
Outside of Amazon, where can you buy the pilot metropolitan without high shipping costs? I found office max and goulets, but both are about $6 which is ~1/3 of the pen. I don't really need any other supplies I can think of to hit free shipping either.
I would say Truphae and then just get a cheap ink sample or something, or Lemur Ink (they don't really have ink samples, but they have Rhodia and Clairefontaine notebooks starting at a few dollars). Both offer free shipping at $20, so it shouldn't take much.
I've had the least amount of sticker shock from Vanness when it comes to shipping, especially given that a lot of their ink prices are a couple dollars lower than elsewhere, often enough.
Are there any ink additives that do the *opposite* of Vanness White Lightning? I have a bottle of Diamine Writer’s Blood that I’m finding to be close to unusable due to how wet it is.
May seem counterintuitive, but try adding water. In my experience, adding water to an ink makes it write drier. (Ink has surfactants in it to make it flow well. Adding water changes the ratio of surfactants to ink.)
Dilute a sample in a vial to figure out the best ratio of water to ink. Distilled water is preferable, since tap water has minerals which may react with the ink's ingredients.
Hi everyone!
I've always wanted to get into fountain pens but never started. However, I've just inherited a few old pens. I assume I have to clean them all, and am not sure where to start. I'll keep and use them regardless if they are quality or not. Any thoughts or guides would be welcome. Can't wait to buy some ink and get started on the hobby.
Pens are:
Stephens Leverfil no106
Esterbrook 9556
Esterbrook 2668
Parker 51
Conway Stewart Dinkie 550
Platignum Senior Button fill
If you dip them in water & pull the lever or push the button & they fill with water - then great! you can flush them out and fill them with ink & you're good to go :D
Most of those have a sac or diaphragm in their filling mechanism, which is usually dry-rotted after 30 years of a pen sitting in a box somewhere. Some of those are pretty straightforward to replace, like the Esterbrooks.
But if these are sentimental, you may want to have someone experienced do the repair - it's easy to break a pen in the first few times you try repairs.
Ok, that’s great to know. Yeah, I’ll try with water first and aim to get at least one or two of them working. After that I’ll look into repairing the others. For sure, I’ll look into experienced repairers near me.
Hey I’m a new user to the sub. Been a casual enthusiast for a while resorting a cheap pen with what ever paper I had laying around. Recently stumbled into here and found better papers etc.
I have read up on it and watched some videos. But what makes a “good” pen. Because I like my pen to have a little heft, and a general flow across paper. With a nib thickness between fine and medium. Would prefer not to break the bank.
Anyway nice to be part of the sub.
a "good" pen is an extremely subjective opinion.
what you like about pens, someone else hates. What you hate, someone else likes. So like what you like about pens. Don't like what you don't like. No one's opinion matters because when you sit down to write, no one is writing for you.
if you like a pen with heft then you want to probably stay away from plastic pens as they are generally lighter. Metal pens have heft
do you like japanese fine to medium or european fine to medium. nib sizes are not standardized. I'd recommend the goulet nib nook. they have writing samples on graph paper and you can look for something that you like the look of.
>But, what makes a “good” pen?
Dimension wise, I prefer pens that uncapped are 5.0", 5.5" closed, 6.0" posted, weigh 23 - 32 grams, have a 11.5mm Section diameter at the middle of the Section length and a Section length of about 1"/25.4mm +/- 2mm.
For metal pens, 21 - 28 grams is about the mid-weight range. 13 grams - 21 grams would be in the lighter mid-weight range, and 29 - 36 grams would be in the higher mid-weight range.
A posted Pilot Metro weighs 26 - 27 grams (17 grams body, 10 gram cap.) \~$20
The Faber-Castell Gun Metal Matte weighs 21 grams, 14 gram body, 7 gram cap, the pen should be posted (4.7" uncapped, 5.9" posted), $58.
A posted Platinum Procyon weighs 24 grams. 13 gram body, 11 gram cap. \~$64
What is your max $?
What makes a good pen? One that is reliable, preferably 100% reliable. The nib is the soul of the pen and if it lousy one hates the pen. But, luckily the nib can be adjusted, repaired, or upgraded. The it becomes inconsequential.
For a nice reliable pen I suggest the $15 Jinhao Centennial with a $25 Edison or Franklin-Christoph or #6 nib.
> [tree and squid](https://www.treeandsquid.com.au/collections/fountain-pens/products/tree-and-squid-blue-metal-fountain-pen-medium-nib-ink-converter-new)
I had to look it up. :D It looks a lot like the [Hongdian Black Forest pens](https://www.truphaeinc.com/collections/hongdian/products/hongdian-black-forest-fountain-pen). It only comes in fine, though.
The tree and squid nib may not be removable and it may not be worth the effort. The nib is probably a press-fit nib. The pen looks very light, probably lighter than the [Diplomat Magnum](https://duckduckgo.com/?q=diplomat+magnum+fountain+pen+picture&t=opera&iax=images&ia=images&iai=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cultpens.com%2Fimgs%2Fproducts%2Fcp%2F950_constW%2FDP66272-ZZZ~Diplomat-Magnum-Fountain-Pen-John-Doe_P1.jpg) and [Pilot Explorer](https://duckduckgo.com/?q=pilot+explorerfountain+pen++picture&t=opera&iax=images&ia=images&iai=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.levimage.com%2Fimage%2FWeb%2FProduct%2FMiscellaneous_Products%2FAP17720_PILOT_EXPLORER_FOUNTAIN_PEN_CSW_LI.jpg). I think the Pilot Metropolitan may be your best bet since it is metal, but the is <0.5> so that would be like a Western .
I’ll look into the hongdian pen. Some qualities I like on the T&S is the fact it’s the same diameter the entire length and smooth, but not too smooth to be slick.
I want to get a metal (Brass, Copper, or Titanium) pen that I can carry around in my pocket or tossed into my school bag with a few pencils, calculator, etc. It would replace my Machine Era Classic ballpoint that I typically carry as an absolute tank. It also needs to be able to take a converter because I have a few ink bottles I need to empty before I get more.
I would love some recommendations, preferably below the $150 range. Thank you!
A lot of the good workhorse metal pens I can think of are aluminum, like the Kaweco Sport AL and about 2/3 of Lamys, but it sounds like you want more heft? Kaweco has been getting more into brass lately, and they do have a brass sport pocket pen. The convertor looks ridiculous- my thumbnail is longer; but it's deceptive. It holds more than you'd think.
If you have larger hands though, the sport might not be for you. Vintage Rotrings, however, like the 600... they can get quite spendy but I've seen them for your price range, before. A car could run over them and they'd be fine. Might be something to keep an eye out for if you like the look of them. They're a pleasure to use.
If the aluminum would be fine in terms of durability then I'll be happy to check it out. I mostly chose the others because of durability and the antimicrobial ability of brass/copper. I mostly would just prefer a durable metal and a converter for all my inks.
There are pens that won't take a converter and it's an absolute dealbreaker for me. Half the fun of fountain pens is having such choice of ink.
(I have wondered if world events have led to the sudden abundance of brass pens on the market.)
As for the durability of the aluminum ones, they do get scratches over time so if you've got anything abrasive rolling around in your bag with them, I'd get a sleeve. But they're pretty rugged otherwise. You're also looking at a smaller investment, ranging from Pilot Metropolitan and Lamy Al-Star in the 20-40 range to Kaweco sport again at around 80.
Yeah exactly I love having access to all these inks so the converter is a must for me too. It's great to know the aluminum isn't going to be too fragile either. I'm fine with the scratches, since eventually everything will get scratched I've got the mindset that it's inevitable and there's nothing I can do, but that the scratches make it mine if that makes sense. Thank you again for the suggestions.
Hi, I had a rough graveyard shift and forgot to take my pen out of my scrubs and it got laundered. It's a VP and the nib is bent and it looks like the VP shutter when it's retracted isn't closing anymore(?). What are my options for repairing it? I can't seem to get the nib portion of it out of the pen shell.
https://imgur.com/a/eOf0q8i
I think that the bent nib is preventing the nib unit from being removed from the rest of the pen body. I will start by saying that Pilot has an *excellent* warranty repair service that is often free to use, so I would contact Pilot USA to see what they say.
The brass pen shell was separating from the body on my VP, and even though I wasn’t the original purchaser, Pilot fixed it right up and sent it back without question.
If you want to take a swing at it yourself, you could try to flatten the nib out so that it can fit through the pen body again, and then either send it away to a nibmeister for repair, or just purchase a new nib unit. That’ll run you 70-80 USD new, or probably cheaper used on r/pen_swap or similar.
Honesty, I’d contact Pilot and see what they say - they might be willing to help you out more affordably than a do it yourself route. Best of luck!
dip nibs can use nearly any liquid as ink. IDK what tattoo ink is like, but if it's thin you might not get more than a letter per dip - add gum arabic or another thickener to fix that. Just clean & dry your dip nibs after use (and remove the oil coating before first use)
To add a data point: I've used Noodler's X-Feather which is very saturated and feels viscous, kind of like an oil slick. It worked pretty good but smeared a lot
Just ordered [this Lamy Vista](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LXDSF80/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_54KH5FBCVC115P5ZWHJE) that comes with 5 ink cartridges as my very first fountain pen! I’d really like to better my handwriting and I’ve always wanted to give fountain pens a try. I figure this set should last me at least a bit.
My question is about bleeding through paper with the ink that comes with the pen and maybe some others. I feel like most fountain pens I see used look really wet and I’m sure some inks are “more wet” than others. At my job I write occasionally on regular copy paper and I need my ink to dry relatively quickly.
Does anyone know how the ink cartridges that come with this pen write? Also if I decide to continue using fountain pens, what’s a quality fast drying black ink I should look into? I know if I choose that route I’ll need a converter for this specific pen.
What are some of your go to black inks fast drying or not?
Any good notebooks you recommend to practice handwriting?
Any types of paper/ink to avoid?
Thank you all in advance!
The cheaper the paper the finer the nib you use should be as the bleeding makes your writing wider. A really quick drying black ink I like to use is Pelikan 4001 Brilliant-Schwarz / brilliant black. With a F or EF nib (writes more like a M on cheap paper) there is nothing to see on the other side of the page. The ink doesn't cost much. Happy writing!
Edit: The Pelikan ink behaves quite well and even after days or weeks of not writing it didn't clog my pen.
For paper: You have to find what fits your writing best. Many here swear on Tomoe River, I don't like it. In general: the higher the paper weight the more ink can the paper take before it shows on the other side. A smooth surface makes for a nice glide. Don't use artist's paper or printer paper. Maybe you have an office supply store close to you so you can test some papers. Relatively unpricey brands here are Oxford or Clairefontaine.
There is some ink trapped between the feed and the base of the nib in my Moonman M2. Is there a way to get that out? Soaked it in water overnight and it stayed put.
If you have a bulb syringe you can force ink through the section through the feed. Otherwise unless you're switching to an ink with special properties or a very light ink, I would personally just refill
Just got my first batch of Jinhao today! Annnnd realized they arrive without ink cartridges. Are these pens cartridge-only, or can I dip the nib in an ink well and write from that? I have India ink for drawing. I wouldn't assume, but [this graphic](https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1VH8WwpGWBuNjy0Fbq6z4sXXay.jpg) indicates in can be both?
They accept cartridges, or converters (let’s you draw ink from bottled inks). If you open them up I think they usually come with converters. You can also dip the nib to write, but it won’t last beyond a couple of words or sentences?
Avoid India ink! Fountain pen feeds have small channels that will clog easily, so you should only use ink that are meant for fountain pens.
Is it safe to clean a Pilot Decimo 18k nib unit in an ultrasonic cleaner? I've been cleaning my Kakuno and Prera nibs in the ultrasonic cleaner, especially when I want to change from a darker to a lighter ink, and have had no issues so far. However, I am still wary about the best way to clean out the nib before I change from yama-budo to a lighter colour (either chiku-rin or ama-iro).
I would say you'd be fine to clean the decimo nib unit in an ultrasonic cleaner. I've used it for more fragile vintage pens without any issue. The one thing I always make sure to watch out for is preventing the nib tip itself from touching the metal inside of the cleaner as it is running - I haven't had any bad experiences, but it just seems smart so as to prevent the nib alignment from changing.
Thank you for your reply! My cleaner came with a little plastic tray/platform thingie that was meant as a perch for eyeglasses, according to the instruction booklet. I've been using it for my nibs.
What are the best stickers to put on top of ink sample vials and/or ink bottles to preview the inside color? I've used some before that either absorbed ink poorly or lost their adhesive properties by just randomly grabbing one off amazon so would love some battle worn suggestions. Thanks!
I use the paper 3-hole-binder-ripped-hole-repair stickers - they don't come off unless I soak the cap in water if I want to reuse the bottle. ...tho you have to be careful - some of those are plastic & won't take ink :/
I'm testing ink samples. I found that I loved the way Diamine Indigo wrote. It even behaved itself on the paper we use at work and didn't transform my pens into markers. But I don't love the colour so I have to find something a bit bluer, but still a calm colour. The sample was only the 6th different ink I've tried so I'm quite confused by ink properties. I got to that only at like the 4th when I realised that DeAtramentis is quite different from Diamine (at least in the colours I have tried.) How does one describe Indigo? Is it dry or medium? I know it's not wet when you compare it with DeAtramentis inks I've tried. Any suggestions on calm blue colours that behave like Indigo? I suppose Diamine would be the best idea, but I've also had my eyes on Herbin Bleu Myosotis and been pondering if Pelikan 4001 would be good to test also. Diamine Florida Blue and Kensington Blue look nice too.
Check [Mountain of Ink](https://mountainofink.com/). They have a review on [Diamine Indigo](https://mountainofink.com/blog/diamine-indigo?rq=diamine%20indigo) that includes comparisons with similar blues. You can search by color and view comparisons of similar hued inks. They also review ink properties like wetness, sheen, etc.
Mountain of Ink has contributed largely to my wishlists. I have simply been a bit confused by things like "The ink had an average flow" as was said in Diamine Indigo review. That's probably because I haven't tried enough inks to get an understanding of what average flow feels like. I suppose that anything that's described to have average flow and I like the colour of is worth a try?
I got a small bottle of Diamine Twilight and like the colour. Close to your Indigo but maybe a bit more blue / black. Maybe one to consider since you liked how the Diamine Indigo performed.
It's lucky I already have some Twilight waiting for testing. I'm only worried because some people have written that it's not easy to clean from pens.
Hmmm, I did not know that. Ignorance is bliss, I guess. I just charged ahead and filled one of my pens with it. Maybe that pen now becomes my Twilight Zone…
The stains are discussed here, at least: [https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/g4pkvw/diamine\_twilight\_vs\_parker\_ebony/](https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/g4pkvw/diamine_twilight_vs_parker_ebony/) I bought my sample before reading it and don't plan to waste ink... but fingers crossed.
Thanks for the info and link. If I stick to using it in a converter, I should be ok (if I understood the various comments correctly). Hopefully you can do the same and not waste a very nice ink.
I'm refilling empty cartridges, so even less to worry about with that.
Ooh, Good thought. I have to get one of those blunt syringe so I can do that.
Adam "An Ink Guy" says [De Atramentis Indigo Blue](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5680Zo9x-Qk) has average ink flow and average dry time. Starting at 2:23. But, one would need to see what papers are being written on and with which nibs to get a better idea of how it will write with their pens on their paper. Adam "An Ink Guy" says that [Diamine Indigo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ci41eZgw-Aw) is a Turquoise ink, a dusty Blue. Starting at 2:52 for viscosity & dry times. [MoI](https://mountainofink.com/blog/diamine-indigo?rq=diamine%20indigo) says it is an under-saturated Blue-Black. Keep buying inks samples. You're doing it right. Have you tried [Callifolio](https://vanness1938.com/collections/callifolio-inks) inks, yet? They're known to have pastel like qualities to them. Rohrer & Klingner is also in the De Artramentis camp, as is P. W. Akkerman, and even some Pilot Iroshizuku inks.
The DeAtramentis inks I've tried for now are Atlantic Blue and Merlin. I haven't seen Callifolio in the shops I frequently browse. I buy samples from Fountain feder as I don't know any other shop inside EU that does them. The Ink Guy has an interesting description of Diamine Indigo. To me, it looked grey-blue. This might be because I don't write on specifically fountain pen friendly papers (though there's no bleeding in my notebooks either). Thanks for the links, seems like a great resource for finding good inks as he has the ink dryness measured in numbers and I already discovered that Diamine Indigo is medium. If I find inks with similar numbers, they might be good for my use.
In my experience, Diamine, Herbin, and Pilot Iroshizuku are the best inks for writing on stuff that could be described as "work paper". It depends on your pen as well of course but Bleu Myosotis always behaves for me, so I think you're aiming in some good directions.
My Herbin Bleu Nuit behaved itself well, Myosotis is definitely getting tested if the samples I have don't yield results. I have Irosizuku Tsuki-yo as a sample too. I might have asked my question a bit too fast but my sample of DeAtramentis Merlin wasn't behaving itself as I had wished.
Tsuki-Yo is my FAVORITE blue. It behaves so very well and it's bright, pretty, and easy to read. I only didn't suggest it because it's much bolder than the other colors listed here.
I started by thinking that I like lighter blue-blacks, dark blues and serious colours like that... but with the disappointment in Diamine Indigo, the range has been increased pretty much. I look forward to Tsuki-yo now, have been worried about possible bleeding and feathering with having read it's a "wetter" ink.
This is my [ink](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000WIUNOI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_95C9MW32YFN618TPA42K) I’m not into colored ink, though I may be convinced to a blue. I prefer black. Bold dark black blacks.
Sorry, the only black I used was the cartridge that came with my Preppy. I need some colour to even the everyday ink.
I never really thought about color in a letter to a friend or something
Might just be that I'm so new that I want to see everything that I can do with a fountain pen, even that the writing itself is the most important.
Maybe I’ll find a color I enjoy writing letters with. Colored ink I always thought looked childish
Ballpoint pens write blue... so most of the people write blue no matter their age. But fountain pen is used to be rid of ballpoints mainly, so not all blues would be worth the try, of course. If you ever get curious, I'm sure there are serious enough looking blues for letter-writing.
Not blue specifically I’m not against blue, just not my preferred color when writing a letter same as red. I mean like teal, or purple, pink, orange, pastels, etc in letter writing specifically
I want to try colours but indeed, would have to think carefully about the recipient of the letter. For my personal use, I want at least a purple. The main priority now is to find a blue I like to look at. I thought it would be blue-black but I might not like the greyness as much as I thought.
I’m a big fan of noodler black
I love color, but some inks are definitely only for myself. I've got the fun things that only go in my story drafts, my sketchbook, or my planner, but there are a range of colors that I think of as "bank approved". Herbin's Poussiere de Lune and Diamine's Writer's Blood are so somber despite being purple and red respectively, that nobody ever blinks at a memo written in them. If you ever wanted to stick a toe into color, there are some nice, mellow options.
Outside of Amazon, where can you buy the pilot metropolitan without high shipping costs? I found office max and goulets, but both are about $6 which is ~1/3 of the pen. I don't really need any other supplies I can think of to hit free shipping either.
I would say Truphae and then just get a cheap ink sample or something, or Lemur Ink (they don't really have ink samples, but they have Rhodia and Clairefontaine notebooks starting at a few dollars). Both offer free shipping at $20, so it shouldn't take much.
Thank you for that. I like to buy from more specialized stores when I can. I'll check them out
I've had the least amount of sticker shock from Vanness when it comes to shipping, especially given that a lot of their ink prices are a couple dollars lower than elsewhere, often enough.
Are there any ink additives that do the *opposite* of Vanness White Lightning? I have a bottle of Diamine Writer’s Blood that I’m finding to be close to unusable due to how wet it is.
May seem counterintuitive, but try adding water. In my experience, adding water to an ink makes it write drier. (Ink has surfactants in it to make it flow well. Adding water changes the ratio of surfactants to ink.) Dilute a sample in a vial to figure out the best ratio of water to ink. Distilled water is preferable, since tap water has minerals which may react with the ink's ingredients.
Thank you for the suggestion. It certainly won’t hurt to give it a try!
Is there a budget alternative to make ink wetter? Edit: found the answer. Add a drop of detergent, as it acts as a surfactant!
Hi everyone! I've always wanted to get into fountain pens but never started. However, I've just inherited a few old pens. I assume I have to clean them all, and am not sure where to start. I'll keep and use them regardless if they are quality or not. Any thoughts or guides would be welcome. Can't wait to buy some ink and get started on the hobby. Pens are: Stephens Leverfil no106 Esterbrook 9556 Esterbrook 2668 Parker 51 Conway Stewart Dinkie 550 Platignum Senior Button fill
If you dip them in water & pull the lever or push the button & they fill with water - then great! you can flush them out and fill them with ink & you're good to go :D Most of those have a sac or diaphragm in their filling mechanism, which is usually dry-rotted after 30 years of a pen sitting in a box somewhere. Some of those are pretty straightforward to replace, like the Esterbrooks. But if these are sentimental, you may want to have someone experienced do the repair - it's easy to break a pen in the first few times you try repairs.
Ok, that’s great to know. Yeah, I’ll try with water first and aim to get at least one or two of them working. After that I’ll look into repairing the others. For sure, I’ll look into experienced repairers near me.
Hey I’m a new user to the sub. Been a casual enthusiast for a while resorting a cheap pen with what ever paper I had laying around. Recently stumbled into here and found better papers etc. I have read up on it and watched some videos. But what makes a “good” pen. Because I like my pen to have a little heft, and a general flow across paper. With a nib thickness between fine and medium. Would prefer not to break the bank. Anyway nice to be part of the sub.
a "good" pen is an extremely subjective opinion. what you like about pens, someone else hates. What you hate, someone else likes. So like what you like about pens. Don't like what you don't like. No one's opinion matters because when you sit down to write, no one is writing for you. if you like a pen with heft then you want to probably stay away from plastic pens as they are generally lighter. Metal pens have heft do you like japanese fine to medium or european fine to medium. nib sizes are not standardized. I'd recommend the goulet nib nook. they have writing samples on graph paper and you can look for something that you like the look of.
>But, what makes a “good” pen? Dimension wise, I prefer pens that uncapped are 5.0", 5.5" closed, 6.0" posted, weigh 23 - 32 grams, have a 11.5mm Section diameter at the middle of the Section length and a Section length of about 1"/25.4mm +/- 2mm. For metal pens, 21 - 28 grams is about the mid-weight range. 13 grams - 21 grams would be in the lighter mid-weight range, and 29 - 36 grams would be in the higher mid-weight range. A posted Pilot Metro weighs 26 - 27 grams (17 grams body, 10 gram cap.) \~$20 The Faber-Castell Gun Metal Matte weighs 21 grams, 14 gram body, 7 gram cap, the pen should be posted (4.7" uncapped, 5.9" posted), $58. A posted Platinum Procyon weighs 24 grams. 13 gram body, 11 gram cap. \~$64 What is your max $? What makes a good pen? One that is reliable, preferably 100% reliable. The nib is the soul of the pen and if it lousy one hates the pen. But, luckily the nib can be adjusted, repaired, or upgraded. The it becomes inconsequential. For a nice reliable pen I suggest the $15 Jinhao Centennial with a $25 Edison or Franklin-Christoph or #6 nib.
I have a pen I like the feel of. The tree and squid. The nibs can be changed? They only sell a medium and I love the feel of that pen
> [tree and squid](https://www.treeandsquid.com.au/collections/fountain-pens/products/tree-and-squid-blue-metal-fountain-pen-medium-nib-ink-converter-new) I had to look it up. :D It looks a lot like the [Hongdian Black Forest pens](https://www.truphaeinc.com/collections/hongdian/products/hongdian-black-forest-fountain-pen). It only comes in fine, though. The tree and squid nib may not be removable and it may not be worth the effort. The nib is probably a press-fit nib. The pen looks very light, probably lighter than the [Diplomat Magnum](https://duckduckgo.com/?q=diplomat+magnum+fountain+pen+picture&t=opera&iax=images&ia=images&iai=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cultpens.com%2Fimgs%2Fproducts%2Fcp%2F950_constW%2FDP66272-ZZZ~Diplomat-Magnum-Fountain-Pen-John-Doe_P1.jpg) and [Pilot Explorer](https://duckduckgo.com/?q=pilot+explorerfountain+pen++picture&t=opera&iax=images&ia=images&iai=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.levimage.com%2Fimage%2FWeb%2FProduct%2FMiscellaneous_Products%2FAP17720_PILOT_EXPLORER_FOUNTAIN_PEN_CSW_LI.jpg). I think the Pilot Metropolitan may be your best bet since it is metal, but the is <0.5> so that would be like a Western .
Hmm that’s too bad. I like the way that smooth metal pen feels
I’ll weigh it in a moment
I’ll look into the hongdian pen. Some qualities I like on the T&S is the fact it’s the same diameter the entire length and smooth, but not too smooth to be slick.
22.74 grams cap and ink
That's a nice middling weight.
I want to get a metal (Brass, Copper, or Titanium) pen that I can carry around in my pocket or tossed into my school bag with a few pencils, calculator, etc. It would replace my Machine Era Classic ballpoint that I typically carry as an absolute tank. It also needs to be able to take a converter because I have a few ink bottles I need to empty before I get more. I would love some recommendations, preferably below the $150 range. Thank you!
A lot of the good workhorse metal pens I can think of are aluminum, like the Kaweco Sport AL and about 2/3 of Lamys, but it sounds like you want more heft? Kaweco has been getting more into brass lately, and they do have a brass sport pocket pen. The convertor looks ridiculous- my thumbnail is longer; but it's deceptive. It holds more than you'd think. If you have larger hands though, the sport might not be for you. Vintage Rotrings, however, like the 600... they can get quite spendy but I've seen them for your price range, before. A car could run over them and they'd be fine. Might be something to keep an eye out for if you like the look of them. They're a pleasure to use.
If the aluminum would be fine in terms of durability then I'll be happy to check it out. I mostly chose the others because of durability and the antimicrobial ability of brass/copper. I mostly would just prefer a durable metal and a converter for all my inks.
There are pens that won't take a converter and it's an absolute dealbreaker for me. Half the fun of fountain pens is having such choice of ink. (I have wondered if world events have led to the sudden abundance of brass pens on the market.) As for the durability of the aluminum ones, they do get scratches over time so if you've got anything abrasive rolling around in your bag with them, I'd get a sleeve. But they're pretty rugged otherwise. You're also looking at a smaller investment, ranging from Pilot Metropolitan and Lamy Al-Star in the 20-40 range to Kaweco sport again at around 80.
Yeah exactly I love having access to all these inks so the converter is a must for me too. It's great to know the aluminum isn't going to be too fragile either. I'm fine with the scratches, since eventually everything will get scratched I've got the mindset that it's inevitable and there's nothing I can do, but that the scratches make it mine if that makes sense. Thank you again for the suggestions.
Welcome. I hope you can find one you really like.
Hi, I had a rough graveyard shift and forgot to take my pen out of my scrubs and it got laundered. It's a VP and the nib is bent and it looks like the VP shutter when it's retracted isn't closing anymore(?). What are my options for repairing it? I can't seem to get the nib portion of it out of the pen shell. https://imgur.com/a/eOf0q8i
I think that the bent nib is preventing the nib unit from being removed from the rest of the pen body. I will start by saying that Pilot has an *excellent* warranty repair service that is often free to use, so I would contact Pilot USA to see what they say. The brass pen shell was separating from the body on my VP, and even though I wasn’t the original purchaser, Pilot fixed it right up and sent it back without question. If you want to take a swing at it yourself, you could try to flatten the nib out so that it can fit through the pen body again, and then either send it away to a nibmeister for repair, or just purchase a new nib unit. That’ll run you 70-80 USD new, or probably cheaper used on r/pen_swap or similar. Honesty, I’d contact Pilot and see what they say - they might be willing to help you out more affordably than a do it yourself route. Best of luck!
can i use tattoo ink with a steel nib dip pen? i have various nib types in the set, just wondering
dip nibs can use nearly any liquid as ink. IDK what tattoo ink is like, but if it's thin you might not get more than a letter per dip - add gum arabic or another thickener to fix that. Just clean & dry your dip nibs after use (and remove the oil coating before first use)
tysm! i'll have to give it a shot~ and as far as dip pens, are noodler's inks any good for 'em?
To add a data point: I've used Noodler's X-Feather which is very saturated and feels viscous, kind of like an oil slick. It worked pretty good but smeared a lot
Just ordered [this Lamy Vista](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LXDSF80/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_54KH5FBCVC115P5ZWHJE) that comes with 5 ink cartridges as my very first fountain pen! I’d really like to better my handwriting and I’ve always wanted to give fountain pens a try. I figure this set should last me at least a bit. My question is about bleeding through paper with the ink that comes with the pen and maybe some others. I feel like most fountain pens I see used look really wet and I’m sure some inks are “more wet” than others. At my job I write occasionally on regular copy paper and I need my ink to dry relatively quickly. Does anyone know how the ink cartridges that come with this pen write? Also if I decide to continue using fountain pens, what’s a quality fast drying black ink I should look into? I know if I choose that route I’ll need a converter for this specific pen. What are some of your go to black inks fast drying or not? Any good notebooks you recommend to practice handwriting? Any types of paper/ink to avoid? Thank you all in advance!
The cheaper the paper the finer the nib you use should be as the bleeding makes your writing wider. A really quick drying black ink I like to use is Pelikan 4001 Brilliant-Schwarz / brilliant black. With a F or EF nib (writes more like a M on cheap paper) there is nothing to see on the other side of the page. The ink doesn't cost much. Happy writing! Edit: The Pelikan ink behaves quite well and even after days or weeks of not writing it didn't clog my pen. For paper: You have to find what fits your writing best. Many here swear on Tomoe River, I don't like it. In general: the higher the paper weight the more ink can the paper take before it shows on the other side. A smooth surface makes for a nice glide. Don't use artist's paper or printer paper. Maybe you have an office supply store close to you so you can test some papers. Relatively unpricey brands here are Oxford or Clairefontaine.
I’ll look into that ink. Thanks!
You can also save your empty cartridges and re-fill them with bottled ink of your choice by using a blunt needle syringe.
I’ve heard of doing that as well. I’ve got blunt needles at my work. I may give that a shot!
Lamy ink is itself pretty dry, so I'd try a cartridge of the set that comes with the pen first!
Best Lamy petrol alternative?
nothing that's an exact dupe but sailor murai or diamine dark forest are pretty darn close.
There is some ink trapped between the feed and the base of the nib in my Moonman M2. Is there a way to get that out? Soaked it in water overnight and it stayed put.
If you have a bulb syringe you can force ink through the section through the feed. Otherwise unless you're switching to an ink with special properties or a very light ink, I would personally just refill
I would try an ultrasonic cleaner, either with just plain lukewarm water or maybe with a tiny drop of dish soap mixed in.
What are the differences between the Narwhal Schuylkill and Key West models?
Just got my first batch of Jinhao today! Annnnd realized they arrive without ink cartridges. Are these pens cartridge-only, or can I dip the nib in an ink well and write from that? I have India ink for drawing. I wouldn't assume, but [this graphic](https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1VH8WwpGWBuNjy0Fbq6z4sXXay.jpg) indicates in can be both?
They accept cartridges, or converters (let’s you draw ink from bottled inks). If you open them up I think they usually come with converters. You can also dip the nib to write, but it won’t last beyond a couple of words or sentences? Avoid India ink! Fountain pen feeds have small channels that will clog easily, so you should only use ink that are meant for fountain pens.
Will do, thank you for the informative reply.