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An Intro to Fountain Pens

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Bagels

You got Moxie, kid!
Here's part two of three in my ridiculous series about writing implements.
Part 1 - Wooden Pencils
Part 2 - Fountain Pens
Part 3 - Mechanical Pencils

wRaC14Z.jpg

Who even uses fountain pens any more, aside from effete, snobbish bores?

This guy.


I hope I can convince you that fountain pens aren't the leaky, expensive, difficult to use messes that you may expect. They actually have some distinct advantages over ballpoints and rollerballs. In particular, fountain pens are smoother, require less pressure, and are potentially more expressive than other types of pens. If you want to improve your handwriting, spending just a few bucks on a fountain pen is really the best way to go.

Fountain pens do still have a certain cachet - I started using them in graduate school and I got a lot of "Whoa, you write with a fountain pen?!" comments and approving little speeches from professors (which was weird, and embarrassing) with even the cheap pens I use. Fountain pens just seem to carry a certain dignity and gravitas, so people assume you're writing more serious stuff...


Than with your bic ballpoint...


I remember reading an enthusiastic account, I forget where, of all the ways you can use a fountain pen in your daily life. One suggestion was that you can get a certain amount of pleasure from shaking your head when offered a bill to sign, reaching in to your pocket, and producing a nice fountain pen. All I could think was, "yeah, my pizza boy is going to be fucking impressed as balls by that move."


You don't need to spend the $100+ that a "serious" fountain pen costs in order to experience the writing benefits. You're paying mainly for the nice body - with gold trim, etc. - at that price. Past about $50, you're not really paying for a better mechanism - the nib, especially. And nowadays, for just a few bucks, you can get something that will write better than it has any right to.

So we'll talk about a few cheap, cheap, cheap pens to try out.

Top to bottom:

Pilot Plumix / $7
Sailor ink-Bar (disposable) / $3
Pilot Varsity (disposable) / $3
Platinum Preppy / $3
Kaweco Sport /~$15
Levenger unknown, but really cool art deco pen / ~$60
Sailor pen in need of a cleaning ~ / $20

(not shown: pocket-sized Pilot Petit1) / $4

These pens all write very differently, and feel very different on the paper. One of the neat things about fountain pens is that using a nib gives you a separation between vertical and horizontal lines:


Ballpoints and rollerballs write the same in all directions, by design. Here's a better look at some fountain pens:

It's subtle, but there's even a difference with the Varsity, which tends to lay down a good amount of ink. The difference is most apparent with the Plumix - you can see that forward- and back- slashes are very different. This pen actually has an italic nib, which exaggerates the difference. It gives your writing a distinct look which I quite like. You can modify your lines further by holding the nib at different angles to the paper. I really want a music nib - which has two parallel grooves in the nib, for really think verticals and skinny horizontals - but I haven't found a cheap one yet:

But look at that! (for actual music notation, you want the reverse - thin verticals, thick horizontals. So you hold the pen with the nib sideways!)


You can find all sorts of different nibs for different writing styles. There's the fine-bold continuum (the ink-Bar gives a very fine line, my Levenger pen needs a new nib - it's too bold for the size of writing I do), some pens lay down more ink, independent of line width (the black ink-Bar won't bleed through anything, the fine-nibbed Preppy lays down a much inkier line, the Levenger soaks through everything), nib flexibility, qualities like italic (which has a sharp edge) vs music (which has a rounded edge), etc.

Levenger pen:
Handwriting ruined.


A word about ink

Fountain pen inks are all water-based. You can find basically any color you want, and the brand you buy will have some influence on how you write. Pilot Varsity pens come in all sorts of colors, and they all write about the same. On the other hand, blue Sailor ink-Bars wrote way better than the black ones (but are sadly impossible to find in the US now).

I use cartridges more or less exclusively. Some pens/brands have their own special cartridges, but most pens take either a "short" or "long" Standard/European/Universal cartridge.


Cartridges are nice because they eliminate any mess and are easy to carry around and swap in and out. Expensive pens usually have some kind of piston mechanism to fill from an ink bottle. In between, you can buy converters for cartridge-fed pens that let you fill them from ink bottles.


Bottled ink is cheaper and you can get a wider range of properties and colors than with cartridges. Buying bottled ink and a converter is probably the next step after finding a cheap pen you like.

Fountain pen ink generally dries very quickly. I'm not sure if it's quick enough for lefties, but who cares about them?



Your Fountain Pen Questions Answered


1.) So, Bagels, you handsome devil, what should I buy to get started?


For $3, it's hard to go wrong with a Pilot Varsity. I give these things away all the time and I'd say about 3/4 of the people I've pushed them on go on to buy more. They come in a nice selection of colors, too.

The Pilot Plumix, with its italic nib, at $7, is absolutely amazing. I like how it makes my handwriting look. Whereas the Varsity is ridiculously smooth, the Plumix's italic nib has sharp edges, making it a bit scratchier. It feels a lot like writing with a pencil, actually, which I like.

2.) What if I want to use a thin nib?

Try a Platinum Preppy.

3.) Can you loan a fountain pen to other people? I hear that ruins it.

This is more true of pens with flexible nibs, more expensive pens, and vintage fountain pens. Over time, the nib will wear in a way that is unique to your writing. If you pick up someone else's worn-in pen, it may feel really weird. This isn't really as much of an issue with modern pens.

4.) Do fountain pens explode on airplanes?

I've never had it happen. The advice is to keep a converter or fillable pen full. Lower outside air pressure means air pockets in the ink reservoir can potentially push out the ink.

As someone who has written a zillion words about wooden pencils and fountain pens, you may be surprised to learn that I don't go anywhere without a ridiculous number of pens and pencils. I've never had any problems.

5.) What if I want a "real" pen? Where should I start?


The Lamy Safari is a great place to start. Pen + converter is $32.50, it comes in a bunch of colors (it's cheap because the body is ABS plastic. They're very comfortable to hold, though), very fine, fine, and medium nibs, and the actual mechanism bits are really good. This pen gets listed as "a ridiculously good value" and things like that.


6.) So if you're not insisting on signing your Toys 'R' Us receipts with a fountain pen, what exactly do you use a fountain pen for, anyway?


The fact that people type more or less everything nowadays (a lot of schools are dropping instruction in handwriting altogether) has given handwritten stuff a certain added value. If you can write legibly, it's like having some kind of superpower, and people seem to assume that doing anything by hand means you put more time and effort into it. It just seems to mean more to people.

I get a lot of mileage out of having my sketchbook around, and using my iphone camera to tweet little notes ("artisanal, handmade Bagelgrams") to my friends. Tweeting, "Hey, have a great day!" to someone feels exactly as disposable as it is. Tweet them the same message as a picture of a handwritten note, and it somehow means way more. It's weird, but people seem to really enjoy getting silly notes from me this way.


I write out all of my letters, too. I'm a pretty faithful correspondent by mail, especially because I enjoy writing things out, including little sketches, etc. Again, it means a lot to people to receive letters nowadays, and it means way more if they are written by hand. Don't underestimate how much this means to people.

I jot down all sorts of song lyrics, quotes, things I overhear, whatever, in my sketchbook. I have a silly tumblr for this junk here.

There is a mysterious hand-brain link for a lot of people, especially if you grew up before computers were quite so ubiquitous. There are studies that demonstrate better recall if you write out notes by hand in class, etc. When I write essays and stories - I write a lot - I've always started with a notepad and a pencil/pen. I'll write a bit, type it up and edit, print that out, and continue by hand. This hybrid style is absolutely the most effective for me. Writing by hand is especially nice because you can can go back and harvest stuff you crossed out - it wasn't deleted forever ago and gone for good.

7.) Where do you buy fountain pens?

I like
www.jetpens.com (everything from cheap to expensive pens)
www.levenger.com
www.amazon.com

there are others, like pens.com, that I haven't tried.

8.) Are there retractable fountain pens?

Yes. And I want one so bad, it hurts.

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Pilot Namiki Vanishing Point

9.) What if I have unlimited money to burn?


You can get some kind of Ferrari-branded carbon fiber bullshit, you big douche.



I really need to fix my Levenger pen. It's got a sweet art deco thing going on. Too bad it writes like shit right now. It's also heavy enough to bludgeon a man to death with, which is either great or terrible, depending.



Fountain Pens: the last word in classy, sophisticated writing:





Next up: mechanical pencils! Happy writing!
 

WorldStar

Banned
another awesome thread

your previous pencil thread actually got me using pencils again

looking forward to the mechanical pencil one too
 

FillerB

Member
I remember these from elementary school (no ballpoints allowed!). Needless to say ink cartridges and young hyperactive kids don't really mix.
 
We were forced to use them on primary school(age 4 ~ 12) those ink patron had small plastic balls in them we all used to collect so we wasted writing stuff just so to deplete inkt patron faster.
 

Stinkles

Clothed, sober, cooperative
Excellent thread, but honestly, fountain pens are probably the worst writing technology available.
 

Bagels

You got Moxie, kid!
I remember these from elementary school (no ballpoints allowed!). Needless to say ink cartridges and young hyperactive kids don't really mix.

I have a friend who spent part of his childhood in Germany, and they had to use fountain pens in elementary school. I gather it's still more of a thing in Japan and Europe.
 

Hazmat

Member
I love the Pilot Varsity pen. I bought a dozen off Amazon for almost nothing, and they're awesome. Great to write with.

Really cool OP, thanks!
 

Bagels

You got Moxie, kid!
Excellent thread, but honestly, fountain pens are probably the worst writing technology available.

I'd go with the quill pen, or the sharp stick pressed into clay.

If you enjoy writing stuff by hand, and I really do, fountain pens are hard to beat.
 

FillerB

Member
I have a friend who spent part of his childhood in Germany, and they had to use fountain pens in elementary school. I gather it's still more of a thing in Japan and Europe.

Yup. It's easier to learn how to write properly with. Unlike with ballpoints you _will_ know when you fucked up when there is a giant blob of ink over your hands, your notebook and somehow "accidentally" your neighbours ugly shirt.

Don't think they use much fountain pens in school anymore.

I wonder why.
 

beat

Member
I got one of the first gen (I think) Noodler's super flex pens for drawing. I'd read that some comic book inkers like dip pens because there's a lot of flex in those nibs for line weight variation. Sounded good to me, but I didn't want to deal with having to dip all the time, so when I read about the super flex fountain pens, that sounded like a good choice for me.

I'd already gotten a few brush pens, but in this case I wanted something with line weight variation but not as much as a full brush tip.

They're pretty great. Not my post, but here's some work done with the newer Nooldler's Ahab pen: http://artistsjournalworkshop.blogspot.ca/2011/12/noodlers-new-ahab-pen.html
 

Bagels

You got Moxie, kid!
You know what? I'm not sure I've even seen a fountain pen in the last 12 years, let alone used one.

You can get a Varsity from Amazon for $3. Chuck one in an order and give it a go.

A word on ink leaking:

The pens I use are very forgiving. I'm the kind of person who ends up with ink all over his hands with most pens and markers, but it really hasn't been an issue with the fountain pens I talked about here. The slightly inky Sailor in my image is the worst pen I own for that. there's a reason there isn't even a cartridge in it right now.
 

CheesecakeRecipe

Stormy Grey
Might pick up one of the cheaper ones to experiment with. I tried learning some calligraphy basics a few years ago and invested in a dip pen - it didn't work out quite as well as I'd hoped. Very messy and scratchy. A Varsity for a few bucks sounds like it'd be a great alternative to let me practice with.
 

Bagels

You got Moxie, kid!
Yeah, I haven't used one in that time for good reason. I respect your preference (and your commitment to it), but fountain pens are bullshit, yo'!

I think the key is that technology has marched on. You can now get a $3 fountain pen where the two tines of the nib are more or less perfectly aligned.

I realize that writing anything by hand seems faintly ridiculous in this day and age, but I get a kick out of it. My friends all know me for my girly writing.
 

gokieks

Member
Fountain pens are awesome and I do quite enjoy writing with them. But at this point I actually use a pen maybe twice a week, if even that, so I really don't have the chance to use one (actually, I'm not even completely sure where mine is after my most recent move a couple months ago).
 
Are any of these good for drawing? I like to use pen/pencil and paper when doing design documents instead of Visio.

Also, could you do a series on paper?
 

honorless

We don't have "get out of jail free" cards, but if we did, she'd have one.
I jumped headfirst into collecting
...embarrasingly expensive
fountain pens a few years ago. This isn't quite all of them, but it's close.

tumblr_ldcraeabs31qz86k5o1_500.jpg


...Don't do this, by the way. Bad idea. Buy one or two excellent pens. They'll last you longer than a lifetime.

I like ink too.

tumblr_lcvvyjnDM71qz86k5o1_500.jpg


Collecting ink is a much better idea.

Can't stand cartridge/converters, though. Every C/C pen I've ever owned has been a dry writer...yuck. Typically stick with piston-fillers, though I'm also perfectly happy with eyedroppers.

...You and I seem to have a roughly-equivalent interest in writing implements, Bagels. I'll admit I don't venture away from gaming-side often, but I sure never expected to find someone posting a series of topics like this on GAF, heh.
 

CheesecakeRecipe

Stormy Grey
I jumped headfirst into collecting
...embarrasingly expensive
fountain pens a few years ago. This isn't quite all of them, but it's close.

tumblr_ldcraeabs31qz86k5o1_500.jpg


...Don't do this, by the way. Bad idea. Buy one or two excellent pens. They'll last you longer than a lifetime.

I like ink too.

tumblr_lcvvyjnDM71qz86k5o1_500.jpg


Collecting ink is a much better idea.

Can't stand cartridge/converters, though. Every C/C pen I've ever owned has been a dry writer...yuck. Typically stick with piston-fillers, though I'm also perfectly happy with eyedroppers.

...You and I seem to have a roughly-equivalent interest in writing implements, Bagels. I'll admit I don't venture away from gaming-side often, but I sure never expected to find someone posting a series of topics like this on GAF, heh.

Gorgeous collection, love the bottle on the far right of the first row!
 

Bagels

You got Moxie, kid!
Are any of these good for drawing? I like to use pen/pencil and paper when doing design documents instead of Visio.

Also, could you do a series on paper?

Jetpens has recommendations for drawing.

I use the Plumix for some of my doodling. I tend to write and draw in pencil most of the time, so I really don't know.

I'd love to do a post on paper, as it makes such a difference. I don't know if I know quite enough to make a full ridiculous post, however. I might post some thoughts in here later.
 

Stinkles

Clothed, sober, cooperative
I'd go with the quill pen, or the sharp stick pressed into clay.

If you enjoy writing stuff by hand, and I really do, fountain pens are hard to beat.

I LOVE using a fountain pen, I am also able to acknowledge how flawed the experience is.
 
They sell them in art supply stores, pretty sure.

Haven't seen any in a Target/WalMart chain though.

Cool thread, subscribing to it for future reference.

I'm pretty sure walmart and target sells them... At least caligraphy pens, because I know they sell bottles of black ink there. Staples and such sells disposable ones by Bic and the ilk usually.

I have a lamy safari and I absolutely love it, and it's the only pen I'll use. I'm hoping to eventually upgrade to something a little nicer like a lamy 2000 but the safari is amazing and has been an excellent workhorse for me for almost 2 years now.
 
Holy shitballs! can only be used if you see a shark or other extremes.

I should probably use a fountain pain as I hate writing with ballpoints, too many times during exams they have failed me.
 

Soodanim

Gold Member
I may have to buy myself a pen, even though I don't often have occasion to use one. Perhaps I'll use it for birthday cards and the like.

My mum taught herself calligraphy years ago and uses her own modified style for special cards. I bought her a new Lamy for her birthday, but she hasn't got around to using it yet. I hope she does, I spent £40-something on it.
 

Bagels

You got Moxie, kid!
I jumped headfirst into collecting
...embarrasingly expensive
fountain pens a few years ago. This isn't quite all of them, but it's close.

tumblr_ldcraeabs31qz86k5o1_500.jpg


...Don't do this, by the way. Bad idea. Buy one or two excellent pens. They'll last you longer than a lifetime.

I like ink too.

tumblr_lcvvyjnDM71qz86k5o1_500.jpg


Collecting ink is a much better idea.

Can't stand cartridge/converters, though. Every C/C pen I've ever owned has been a dry writer...yuck. Typically stick with piston-fillers, though I'm also perfectly happy with eyedroppers.

...You and I seem to have a roughly-equivalent interest in writing implements, Bagels. I'll admit I don't venture away from gaming-side often, but I sure never expected to find someone posting a series of topics like this on GAF, heh.


Oh man, honorless, the pens and ink are gorgeous!

I own tons of pens, pencils, and notebooks. I don't have the money to buy really premium stuff, which is probably for the best. I spend more than enough on this stuff already! I just really enjoy writing stuff on paper, so my approach is pretty utilitarian (the nicest things I own are all mechanical pencils. Those will be in the next post). That's sort of why I made the threads - you can find all sorts of cool stuff for a few bucks and get a lot of enjoyment out of it.
 
I realize that writing anything by hand seems faintly ridiculous in this day and age, but I get a kick out of it.

This is sadly true. I'm fortunate enough to work in a field in which scribbling notes on anything I have to hand is fairly commonplace, but outside of that, I barely have use for a pen.
 

CheesecakeRecipe

Stormy Grey
Hell with it, went with the Varsity. Should be here by next week. Though Honorless has me wishing I had the disposable income to afford some of these gorgeous J. Herbin inks.
 

Bagels

You got Moxie, kid!
I LOVE using a fountain pen, I am also able to acknowledge how flawed the experience is.

What are the specific flaws that bother you? I'm right there with you - I carry a zillion pens and pencils around because they all have their pros and cons, and I'll favor specific ones for specific uses, or kind of as the mood strikes me.

My personal fountain pen cons would be

-cartridges (especially short) and converters don't hold quite enough ink.
-some pens run very dry. You can see some skipping on the first stroke in some of my writing samples. My Levenger pen goes between pouring ink everywhere, and then drying up in the middle of a letter. It drives me nuts.
-nicer pens can require some maintenance. You have to clean them, store them correctly, use them regularly or they dry up, etc. The cheap pens have a real edge here, actually.
-if you leave the cap off a fountain pen, it can bleed ink all over the place. A fountain pen accident is always more catastrophic than a ballpoint or rollerball accident.
-fountain pens are more paper dependent. Bleed-through can be a real issue. Or some papers with a lot of grain will carry the ink laterally and make everything look like garbage.
-writing with a fountain pen can make you look like a bit of a douche. I make up for it with my immense charm and boyish good looks [citation needed], but it's an issue.
-the water-based ink is susceptible to rain, a misplaced drink, or my bitter tears.

Rollerballs and gel ink have gotten so good and so cheap, the smooth feel of a fountain pen is no longer quite the advantage it once was. Even a good ballpoint can write amazingly well.

Still, I like the expressive potential of the fountain pen. My writing looks best with pencil or fountain pen, and I've found ones I really like, so I stick with them.

Edit:

Some examples of skipping.

 

honorless

We don't have "get out of jail free" cards, but if we did, she'd have one.
Hell with it, went with the Varsity. Should be here by next week. Though Honorless has me wishing I had the disposable income to afford some of these gorgeous J. Herbin inks.
Ha ha. They are high quality inks, but from a utilitarian perspective they're not worth the premium.

A fair number of Diamine inks have similar characteristics with a far better price/mL ratio. I would recommend them instead if you're not feeling spendy.
 

MikeDip

God bless all my old friends/And god bless me too, why pretend?
I love mechanical pencils so much that I am literally shaking in anticipation for part 3.
 

Acrylic7

Member
Another thread, awesome. I collect all kinds of pencils, pens and Markers. This shit gets expensive so damn fast, but I cant help it ;_;
You should also make a paper thread. I run into tons of people whom think all paper is the same, drives me nuts. A freakin sketchpad is different from computer paper you dingaling!
 

Arcteryx

Member
Everything the body(hand) needs!
58555d1186797043-rotrb1siw.jpg


I've had my Rotring 600 pen + pencil for ~ 8 years now and they are still going strong. Hefty, well-designed, great balance, amazing to look at, etc. Can't go wrong.

I use those G2 gel pen cartridges and the writing quality is excellent. I've always wanted to try out the actual fountain pen variety of the Rotring 600, but I've been happy with the normal ballpoint so far.
 
Great thread Bagels, I always preferred fountain myself, it's the tactility of writing.
English schooling system I suppose, had my first fountain gifted by school at the age of 10?

I actually get annoyed if I can't find my fountain pen and sometimes refuse to write :) E.g. take notes at work.

Also massive overcompensation for the fugliest handwriting ever

Current pen is the Kaweco Sport, German brand - sadly plastic barrel (but light) - unusual octagon pen lid, but very nice nib - very little "skipping - writes super smooth.
I don't know much of the technical stuff, but a great pen.



My only sad point is that I write hard, and that kills your pens after a while :/
 

Bagels

You got Moxie, kid!
Gemüsestäbchen;87485764 said:
Great thread Bagels, I always preferred fountain myself, it's the tactility of writing.
I actually get annoyed if I can't find my fountain pen and sometimes refuse to write :) E.g. take notes at work.

Also massive overcompensation for the fugliest handwriting ever

Current pen is the Kaweco Sport, Germany brand plastic barrel - unusual octagon pen lid, but very nice nib - very little "skipping - writes super smooth.
I don't know much of the technical stuff, but a great pen.
My only sad point is that I write hard, and that kills your pens after a while :/


Thanks!

I have the same pen - just needs to be cleaned and put back into the rotation. I like how compact it is when closed.

My "decent" pens all need a little attention. I just got back into fountain pens, so they've been sitting around a bit too long.
 

SJRB

Gold Member
Writing with fountain pens was mandatory at elementary school when I was a kid. But I am a lefty, so blue hands were part of my life and I never touched a fountain pen again after I moved on to middle school.
 
Here's another one, Pilot Birdie, a pen that is sadly discountinued, I wish I bought more back when I could...

So stylish, check out the back, when the lid is on it is completely flush, looks amazing :)
Small thin sexy little pen, nib felt a bit flimsy - but still nice to write with.


Japanese style "handbag" fountain pens, apparently?
 
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