I have recently bought a very cheap fountain pen called Reynolds mipen.
How should I keep it away? Should it's nib point to the ground or away?
And also, it skips midway while I write. Is it because of applying too much pressure on the nib or is it because of the ink? Or is it defected?
And also, how does the orientation of the pen control the flow of ink?
Thanks.
It's a very cheap pen you said, you really don't have to worry about any of that.
I have a pretty inexpensive (like 30 canadian loonies) but good one (Kaweco Sport) and I just leave it flat on my desk for days on end and it doesn't dry or anything.
It's also a pen that become full lenght only when screwing the cap on the bottom, so I carry it in my pockets most of the time and it doesn't affect ink flow or anythin either.
>And also, it skips midway while I write. Is it because of applying too much pressure on the nib or is it because of the ink? Or is it defected?
>And also, how does the orientation of the pen control the flow of ink?
Again, if you en up liking fountain pens, get a decent one, your cheap as fuck pen writes like shit for a reason.
Thanks for your help. But I want to know about the relation of ink flow with the orientation of the pen, regardless of the pen.
Inkflow is controlled by how the nib touches the paper.
There really is an optimal angle to your pen, should be pretty obvious when you use it.
If you hold it super straight, you'll only touch the paper with the tip of the nib and it won't flow. Same if you hold it too low. Really just hold it like you would a normal pen. You can rotate it a bit though depending on your hand's position as you write.
Pressure applied is also important, but with a good pen you can literally just drag it on the paper holding it by the bottom and the pen's weight alone will put enough pressure to write.
If it skips midway, it's probably a problem with your pen.
Good fountain pens are really fun.
Shopping for ink too.
You probably have some pretty shitty ink in there anyway.
Thank you very much. Could you also suggest me some good fountain pens for a reasonable price?
Some good entry level fountain pens you'll see often recommended are Kaweco and Lamy pens. You can get them for like 30-35$ in canadian gold, so I guess like 10 USD or so.
Both are very good and inexpensive.
I personnaly like my Kaweco better, maybe because it's the first one I ever got. I even have more fancy pens now but it's the one I usually carry on me.
You can choose your nib size. You can even get spare ones if you want to change. I always use very fine ones, but it's because my writing is small as shit.
You can get a converter for your pen too, which is basically just a refillable ink cartridge. You can then choose your ink, which is another world of possibilities and preferences.
It's a pleasure my man.
I've read a few articles about these pens, which is why, I already know about half of what you've said. But i'll bear your suggestions in my mind.
You say that your pens are are inexpensive but it does not appear so to me. I am still a UG student and completely dependant on my parents. That is why I highly doubt about my ability buy one of the decent or even good ones.
Which also raises a question. When did you buy your first pen?
Thanks again.
the skipping might be because your pen isn't the best quality. but it could also be because you twist the pen when you write.
check out Goulet Pens or SBREBrown on youtube for some info. honestly r/fountainpens as well as instagram are GREAT communities (somehow untouched by normie shit). seriously look into those.
Goulet Pens has a lot of resources for this kinda stuff. It's hard to give advice on actual shitball brand fountain pens compared to trusted / larger brands.
nib meister here btw..ama if you want I guess?
nib meister again: I bought my first pen as a senior in high school...which is to say a long time ago when a beginner pen was ~20-30.
I'd say, if you can afford it, look for pens withing that $20-30 range by the brands Pilot or Kaweco (don't go for the metal bodied kawecos though). Avoid the Noodler's brand AT ALL COSTS.
In the grand scheme of things $20 is INSANELY inexpensive for a fountain pen, but there are still quality pens you can buy for that price.
Never use acrylic ink or black india ink. Shit says its for fountain pens on the bottle but it is not. It will clog your shit up.
Thanks to all of you, I've noted suggestions and tips down.
>Avoid the Noodler's brand AT ALL COSTS.
Do you mean the Chinese brands? They are selling fountain pens at a tantalising price.
>UG student
what's a ug student?
Any fedora recommendations from any of you fine gentlemen in this thread?
i'm not a fucking faggot, i wear a top hat not a fedora.
Ha, a fellow fountain pen lover. If you are looking for good, affordable fountain pens try the Lamy pens, the Safaris and the AL-Stars (which are basically Safaris but with an aluminium barrel) are what could be considered the VW Beetles in the fountain pen world - ubiquitous, ultra reliable, indestructible. They have a cult following among fountain pen enthusiasts, pretty everybody has at least one in their collection. KAWECOs are also good but they have reputation for being finicky with their ink. A secret tip among aficionados are the German Diplomat brand pens, and I can fully endorse that. From the small Traveller pen over the full size, mid range (pricewise) Esteem series to the Excellence high end series you get outstandign quaity for your money. The Faber-Castell LOOMs or the Pelikan Stola III are also excellent pens. My recommendations would be the Esteem or the Stola III. I own both and really like them. If you want to go further down the rabbit hole go visit us at fountainpennnetwork.com. There you may also find out how to fix the skipping problem your pen has (search for baby bottom nib)
>your cheap as fuck pen writes like shit for a reason
Many high-end pens way up in the three figures have the same problem. The problem is an incorrectly ground nib (baby bottom tip) but it can be easily fixed in a minute or two.
it's an american brand. they have some AMAZING inks, but the problem they're not safe in every pen. so it's best to just avoid them all together and not risk it.
But one of their safe inks happens to be their best: Apache Sunset, it is one of the best orange inks you and buy (save for Sailor Jentle Apricot or Caran Dache Saffron, but that ink is discontinued so getting a bottle is almost impossible and veryyy pricey.)
this post makes it seem like "bad" pens can occur at all price ranges. while that's true in some cases it is not the norm. For every 100 pens over $200 there's maybe 3 that aren't perfect out of the box.
Most of the time the "issues" people have with higher end pens are just that the pen doesn't work for how they write.
>For every 100 pens over $200 there's maybe 3 that aren't perfect out of the box.
Got a source for that claim? Otherwise I call bullshit. If anything it's the other way round, if you want an absolutely reliable issue free pen buy a Lamy Safari or a Pilot V-Pen which are produced in the hundreds of thousands. I own several pens which are in the price range you have mentioned (one Pelikan M605 24k nib , three Diplomat Excellences (two with 24k nibs) and one Diplomat Aero, and at least the Pelikan and the Excellence with the steel nib required some tune-up grinding due to skipping issues. The Aero could use one too, but it still writes OK. Most people who don't know how a perfectly tuned nib writes wouldn't even notice any issues, but I do. I'm still a bit leery of fucking around with $80 nibs though.
Btw the Aero has a 24k nib too.
If you're looking for a good fountain pen for a bargain that is durable and good for travel, check out the Lamy Safari model. They go for $25 smackers on Amazon but have kind of workmanlike feel to them where you can drop or toss them around without worrying about them bending shape, leaking or scuffing.
I customize / repair over 200 pens a year and have for many years.
>Lamy Safari
This. Cheap plastic pen but good flow and a pleasure to write with. It's a fine starter pen if you're looking to dip your toe in the water.
Shitty pic but my thread has finally come. I literally spend thousands a year on this shit
are you on fountainpennetwork too? I used to be there a lot. Thankfully my collecting fads usually blow over before they get too expensive, like my watch or kitchen knife collection.
Write with a pencil you fucking faggot
What are your favourite ones to use?
yeah FPN is a great resource. Now I get a lot of my info and reviews from The Pen Habit and other people on youtube.
Out of all the pens I've ever used, the Delta Dolcevita Oversize (the orange one in the photo) is hands down the most beautiful so for me, it's my favorite one. It's really fragile though. You gotta be careful with micro scratches on the cap because Delta is (probably) going out of business and YAFA, their U.S. distributor, doesn't have many parts left.
Other than that, I've been really enjoying the Montblanc Heritage 1912 (three from the left in the photo).
what about you?
UG= undergraduate.
I stick mine inside my pretentious tight asshole to conserve ink and prevent damage.
Just kidding, pic related is God tier.
I thank all of you for contributing posts to this thread. Now another question I have is that can skip to using end game pens? How will that affect my writing?
And also my pen's nib has a vertical bulge along the slit like in the given photograph, do all fountain pens have such a feature? And what are the various sorts called?
> what are the various sorts called?
Regarding the alignment of the bulge.
That's pretty much on every worthwhile pen; the bead is made of iridium, and it helps the nib glide on paper. If it weren't there, the nib would cut into your paper.
If end game is the bendy ones and calligraphy, get a cheap dip pen instead
PLATINUM PREPPY
But I think it also helps in the thickening and thinning effect of lines, doesn't it?
a vermilion trimmed oversize...somebody has really good taste
I have a red coloured, "Cross" branded which I have been using for maybe 5 years now.
It's only a few that have this problem. You should be able to find reviews for specific Noodler's inks if they've given anyone a problem. For example, Baystate Blue is a very bright blue, but the materials that make it so bright make it bad to use in a pen you really care about. If you want good looking inks that you know are always going to be perfect, you can just pay a little more for pilot iroshizuku ink desu
I'd recommend a twsbi my dude. European nibs tend to be broader and put down more ink. Means it can seep through the paper easier if its poor quality.
Twsbis are also displayer pens and are piston fillers. For a bit more than a lamy you get a much better pen.
No, only if it is designed that way. You need special calligraphy nibs if you want variable line thickness, and those often have such broad tips they don't even require a special iridium tip.
> ... you get a much better pen
which starts crumbling apart after a few weeks or months, something for which TWSBIs have gained notoriety.
The real question is who makes cheap paper that doesn't bleed through. Is printer paper the only real way?