Fountain Pens

[Maclachlan]

Thank you all for input.

Just as a point of clarification, in the first post I did mean Waterford not Waterman. I am familiar with Waterman, but had not previously seen the Waterford pens. Some appear quite nice.

Maclachlan, do you have a site I can look at pen choices at? I think I would like a ball point and fountain set from you. What "guts" (nibs cartridges, fill system ect)do you use in your fountain pens?

Joe

For the fountain pens we mostly use medium point quality German-made nib with iridium tips. The price points on those depends on what the pen is made from (i.e. 22k gold/Rhodium, Sterling silver or plated pens). Refills can also vary by pen maker from Hauser to standard el cheapo refills to refillable cartridges.

As for a web site, right now we're still very much a fledgling operation and we haven't yet had a chance to even get a good sample base made because people have been buying what we make too fast (a good thing, I suppose). For now, we get our supplies from Penn State, Woodcraft, Rockler (mostly for the blanks) so if they (or anyone else for that matter) have something you like just let us know.

[Maclachlan]

I received a PM from a member who wanted to know what the process is like to make a pen so I figured if anyone else had that same question...

This is the cartridge pen we made for a friend of ours (fellow hunter).

Measure and cut (hopefully once). This is Australian mallee burl


Bore a hole down the center and then glue in a brass tube


Ream the blank to the brass tube


Mount in lathe and turn to near finished dimension


Sand, sand, sand until it is smooth as a baby's butt and then finish with BLO/CA (boiled linseed oil and cyanoacrylate)


Collect all the pieces/parts


And assemble

[auld argonian]

I have a very nice Shaeffer Prelude...one of the last, it seems, done in gunmetal grey and gold. Nice heft, great nib and good balance. I used to work at an art supply shop and sold Mont Blancs and always thought that they were overpriced and more hype than reality.

(...don't start...my OPINION and you're entitled to yours)

The two things that I used to sell that have dropped off the face of the world and that I wish that I could get are the Pelikan Graphos system pen and the Pelikan India Ink fountain pen...that last being made primarily for illustrators...actually they were both made for illustrators. I do have several Rotring calligraphy and drawing pens that are nice but not very easily transportable due to their configuration.

http://www.rotring.com/en/produkte/t...ben/artpen.php

I'd also suggest that you look at Lamy...some very interesting pens and, in my opinion, just as durable as the MontBlancs.

Best

AA

[macwilkin]

I'm a loyal Mont Blanc customer...my opinion.

T.

[csbdr]

I use a Visconti Wall Street as my daily writer. i'm a HUGE fan of Visconiti. They write great, and seem to never clog even after sitting for a while. Smooth as a baby's butt as well....

[string]

I typically pick up one of parker's cheapest models every couple years, although this year I found disposable fountain pens on amazon, which worked well.

I'm hard on pens and I lose everything, so I've never tried any more fancy kinds

[tulloch]

Parker 51. I got my grandmother's green one - must be as old as I am - when cleaning out her house 20 years ago. I use it a lot. All I have done is to add more 51s to my drawer and some Esterbrook fountain pens. The Parker pens are great. I have a contemporary Waterman in rotation and I got through thousands of pages of notes in law school with a Mont Blanc. I prefer the P51.

[auld argonian]

I typically pick up one of parker's cheapest models every couple years, although this year I found disposable fountain pens on amazon, which worked well.

I'm hard on pens and I lose everything, so I've never tried any more fancy kinds

Consider a Lamy Safari...very reasonable at about $25 and they come in bright red and bright yellow...hard to misplace. I tend to buy things in bright colors now so that I can find them in the mess around here.

(My brother had a great digital golf score-keeping device a while back and he managed to drop it on the course...of course it was in a green leather case so think about how hard it was to find...I have to assume that the lawnmower guy probably ran it over and ground it into little tiny digital bits.)

Anyway, the Lamy Safaris sort of bridge that gap between the basic or disposable fountain pens (the Varsity's?) and the 'spensive ones.

Best

AA

[Orvis]

There are lots of good recommendations on this thread. As a collector, I prefer vintage pens (especially hard-rubber Watermans) with some flex to the nib. I have three Mont Blancs and with their stiff nibs they are great for modern writers who were trained to mash down on a ball-point while writing. As a recommendation for replacing the Mont Blanc, I'd go with a Pelikan or an Omas - they are pricey, but top-drawer, with some flex to the nib but enough stiffness to survive the occasional mashing! If you like vintage pens, there is a lot to choose from ($ to $$$$), but on the $ side I'd recommend pens like the Parker 21 (the inexpensive cousin of the gold-nibbed Parker 51) or an Esterbrook (they were cheap in their day and are sneered at by most collectors, but they have interchangeable steel nibs, are good writers and wear like iron!). I also like dipping pens and have a small collection of flexy gold-nib pens from the 19th c. which write thick/thin very nicely if I do my part. As part of my reenacting hobby, I use quill pens, too - always far less forgiving than even a metal-nib dip pen - but fun to use if you learn how to use them on the right kind of stationery.

One X-Marker recommended using alcohol to clean a fountain pen. As a long-time collector, I'd recommend against that! It can damage the internal parts of your pen. I'd recommend using only COLD water (with a drop or two of household ammonium for really tough jobs) to clean a pen out. Let it soak with the nib immersed in a glass of water for several hours - you'll see the old ink puddling on the bottom of the glass - and then fill/empty the pen with clean cold water until the water comes out clean - use a facial tissue to blot excess water from the nib. Then fill with ink and you should be ready to write. One exception to the above is Conway Stewart pens that have barrels made of casein (hardened milk curd) - if soaked in water (as above), the casein will dissolve in the water! If your pen will not clean up with the above treatment, then it may have been filled with drawing ink (contains shellac/laquer), which will irreparably clog up the ink feed channel when it dries. Fountain pen ink is water-based, so be sure any ink you use is for fountain pens.

If you're looking for pens, look on eBay (search for fountain pens), which auctions both modern and vintage pens. Google to see if there are going to be any pen shows near you - always a good source of pens if you know what you're looking for - but be advised that the dealers know exactly what they have and charge accordingly! You can also check with Fountain Pen Hospital, Farhneys, and other on-line pen dealers - they occasionally have sales.

I hope this helps in your search.

[Bob C]

I've always found fountain pens to be more trouble than they're worth. That aside, however, why not buy another of the kind that served you so well before?