Any Fountain Pen Writers?

[+Slowswift he/him]

5 hours ago, Coolmint said:

As for The Mystery of the Stuck Studio... @Slowswift, what happened there?

(O dang how do you tag someone?)

I just cleaned an AL-star and had the smoothest experience ever, which makes this even more frustrating--but what happened is that, the process of re-inserting the feed after a cleaning, I got it misaligned, didn't notice, and shoved.

So, yeah. Stuck feed. I've been meaning to try hot water to loosen the section, or dish soap, or all of the above plus pliers and some rubber, but I haven't gotten around to it yet.

(You should just have to do the "@", @Coolmint. It'll pop up with a list of users then. Sometimes it's a bit buggy, though.)

5 hours ago, Coolmint said:

My 'problem' is I am looking for something that takes standard international carts/converters but isn't metal, or skinny, or too $. 

Kaweco, Diplomat, and Monteverde come to mind.

Edited July 19, 2023 by Slowswift
Mentioned the wrong pen model.

[Kasimir he/him]

5 hours ago, Coolmint said:

Okay, that's quite different (pretty pens, BTW, even if it's someone else's).  I'd leave it to soak, or try some Rapido-Eze... or don't they carry it where you are?  Can you get a new housing if you get that one out?

Thanks. I'll try the pen flush I have first. Rapido-Eze isn't carried where I am but I can get it via Amazon. I'd rather not, but if I gotta, I gotta. I'll try first line first. I have a new housing (a lot of PenBBS spare parts actually) so that's not the worry. I'm actually a bit concerned there's some machining tolerance issues with this particular nib and feed as this is the second time a housing unit cracked, so I'm probably just swapping in a spare nib unit (i.e. different nib and feed in housing) and calling it a day just to be safe.

40 minutes ago, Slowswift said:

I just cleaned an AL-star and had the smoothest experience ever, which makes this even more frustrating--but what happened is that, the process of re-inserting the feed after a cleaning, I got it misaligned, didn't notice, and shoved.

So, yeah. Stuck feed. I've been meaning to try hot water to loosen the section, or dish soap, or all of the above plus pliers and some rubber, but I haven't gotten around to it yet.

RIP...

Hot water and dish soap sound like the bet here. I'm actually curious whether cooling it might do a better job, as you don't want the feed to expand but to contract a little, but it's in metal and plastic so that's a bit more worrying. (Keeping in mind here that Joe Grasty's advice on fitting a FNF feed and housing does involve cooling one and heating the other.)

41 minutes ago, Slowswift said:

Kaweco, Diplomat, and Monteverde come to mind.

@Coolmint (also what Slowswift said about the doing the @. Sometimes the pop-up is buggy and you have to delete, go back a line, recreate a new line, then it'll show. The comma right after Slowswift might've caused issues for you, not sure.) 

I could suggest a PenBBS 308 - that's their standard 'will take a cart' model, and PenBBS is probably low to mid-range in terms of cost. They also have some nice acrylics. But the downside is that it's a Chinese pen, and while Reddit users have claimed luck at using standard Chinese carts and converters (just 3.4mm bore ones), I haven't been as lucky and have had to just use their converter, but might try again with a fresh Jinhao batch. Someone did a slightly dated compatibility guide, which I'm linking here. Apparently Hongdian carts and converters work? (There's Hongdian as well I guess.)

If you want to go cheaper still, there's the PenBBS MianMian, or 322, which I think only comes in EF. And the TSWBI Swipe is fairly reasonably-priced and takes both their spring converter and a standard international, apparently.

[Coolmint]

Thanks, everyone.  Hope it works out!

1. Do NOT ever use Rapido-Eze in a piston-filler (ask me how I know!).  For anything else, it's great.

2. Noted pen repairman of my acquaintance says 'Don't take pens apart just to clean them.'  I agree.

 

@Slowswift and @Kasimir … thanks again.  It worked this time.

[Kasimir he/him]

4 hours ago, Coolmint said:

1. Do NOT ever use Rapido-Eze in a piston-filler (ask me how I know!).  For anything else, it's great.

What happened? :joy: Understood though, I won't.

4 hours ago, Coolmint said:

2. Noted pen repairman of my acquaintance says 'Don't take pens apart just to clean them.'  I agree.

Very much agreed on this. I don't dismantle them unless necessary. Feel there's too much room for things to go wrong each time. Even with the Pelikan, I prefer to unscrew the nib unit and lube inside the barrel rather than to take apart the piston. (Though I largely use the M200s so the piston just can't be disassembled anyway.)

[Aeoryi she/her]

I don't know if I'm the only person who finds that writing with pens is easier but messier.

[Coolmint]

56 minutes ago, Aeoliae said:

I don't know if I'm the only person who finds that writing with pens is easier but messier.

Could be far messier!  This morning I was writing with a Parker 21.  The ink level was so low it was concentrated, got sticky on the page, and all over my hand

[Aeoryi she/her]

I have 15 pens that have no ink or are dried up and about 2 pens that actually work. I write way faster with ink pens, but they die so quickly.

[Coolmint]

47 minutes ago, Aeoliae said:

I have 15 pens that have no ink or are dried up and about 2 pens that actually work. I write way faster with ink pens, but they die so quickly.

Soak 'em and re-ink 'em.  Just DON'T take them apart to clean!

[Aeoryi she/her]

6 minutes ago, Coolmint said:

Soak 'em and re-ink 'em.  Just DON'T take them apart to clean!

Now I feel kind of guilty for throwing away so many pens. My favorite color to use is green since I traded for that pen and because all my black pens are dead.

[Coolmint]

1 hour ago, Aeoliae said:

Now I feel kind of guilty for throwing away so many pens. My favorite color to use is green since I traded for that pen and because all my black pens are dead.

What brand/kind of pens do you now have?  What filling systems, and have you got any available fountain pen ink for them (NOT India or drawing ink, you'll wreck the poor creatures).

[Aeoryi she/her]

1 minute ago, Coolmint said:

What brand/kind of pens do you now have?  What filling systems, and have you got any available fountain pen ink for them (NOT India or drawing ink, you'll wreck the poor creatures).

The ones I bought at the dollar store. 

They are for the most part, single use. And they break often. It's a two-for-one deal!

[Coolmint]

37 minutes ago, Aeoliae said:

The ones I bought at the dollar store. 

They are for the most part, single use. And they break often. It's a two-for-one deal!

Oh, disposables!  I've had a few. Some are better than others, like Zebra and Pilot.

 I've also bought refillable cheapies at 5 Below, two or three pens and ink cartridges for five bucks, that write very well.  

[Kasimir he/him]

2 minutes ago, Coolmint said:

Oh, disposables!  I've had a few. Some are better than others, like Zebra and Pilot.

Pilot disposables can be refilled anyway. But I fear I've gone too far down the rabbit hole to go back to them  

2 minutes ago, Coolmint said:

 I've also bought refillable cheapies at 5 Below, two or three pens and ink cartridges for five bucks, that write very well.  

All hail Taobao!  

[Aeoryi she/her]

15 minutes ago, Kasimir said:

Pilot disposables can be refilled anyway. But I fear I've gone too far down the rabbit hole to go back to them  

All hail Taobao!  

I have converted you all to Disposable pens. 

Although it sucks having to throw away a pen I really like.

[Kasimir he/him]

2 minutes ago, Aeoliae said:

I have converted you all to Disposable pens. 

Although it sucks having to throw away a pen I really like.

Nah, I don't really use them anymore. I used them to experiment but they weren't particularly what got me interested in fountain pens - for that, I have to thank a Lamy Safari and a triple small bottle of Pilot Iroshizuku.

Edited July 20, 2023 by Kasimir

[Aeoryi she/her]

2 minutes ago, Kasimir said:

Nah, I don't really use them anymore. I used them to experiment but they weren't particularly what got me interested in fountain pens - for that, I have to thank a Lamy Safari and a triple small bottle of Pilot Iroshizuku.

What qualifies for a fountain pen?

[Coolmint]

44 minutes ago, Kasimir said:

Pilot disposables can be refilled anyway. But I fear I've gone too far down the rabbit hole to go back to them  

All hail Taobao!  

I've just recently refilled a Pilot vPen... the ink gets quickly concentrated and sticky.  Not for me either.

[Aeoryi she/her]

Just now, Coolmint said:

I've just recently refilled a Pilot vPen... the ink gets quickly concentrated and sticky.  Not for me either.

Pilot pens are great for drawing. I do wish I had more pilot pens. They die even faster if you use them for coloring drawings, so you have to be careful about that.

[Coolmint]

25 minutes ago, Aeoliae said:

What qualifies for a fountain pen?

It's refillable in some way (without having to go through the contortions of refilling a disposable) with either ink from a bottle, or ink cartridges.

[Aeoryi she/her]

14 minutes ago, Coolmint said:

It's refillable in some way (without having to go through the contortions of refilling a disposable) with either ink from a bottle, or ink cartridges.

How much do they normally cost?

How much does ink refill cost? 

[Kasimir he/him]

51 minutes ago, Coolmint said:

It's refillable in some way (without having to go through the contortions of refilling a disposable) with either ink from a bottle, or ink cartridges.

Also the characteristic nib, whether hooded or not:

Spoiler

 

36 minutes ago, Aeoliae said:

How much do they normally cost?

How much does ink refill cost? 

Depends on budget and range. Kakunos are typically around $16 or so, and they're fairly value-for-money. Pilot V-pens can be about $2, but need to be jury-rigged to be refilled. Here, it's typically $14 for a 80ml bottle of Diamine ink, and a CON-40 converter holds about 0.6ml of ink. Even if you eyedropper, it's rare to go above say, 1.5ml of ink, and that takes getting a full fill. So that's anywhere between 53 - 133 uses.

@Coolmint probably knows more about the US market than I do; this is just SGD. Since I'm in Southeast Asia, I do get pretty easy access to the China market (i.e. going straight Taobao), so there are $2-$5 refillable pens. Don't recall about the ink on the China market as shipping liquids from China is risky, and there are cheaper deals on Diamine. Some of the Americans swear by Noodler's, which is about 90ml on paper and always filled to the brim, but there's a mark-up for Noodler's here and offers on Diamine are easier to access, so that's my go-to example of a budget ink.

If one eschews converters and goes pure cartridge, again depends. Five Pilot cartridges go for $3.20 here, but I've seen $5 deals on 100 packs of Jinhao cartridges on the China market. Compatibility then becomes the big question, but cartridges can also be refilled from bottles via syringes.

(Will note there's also the India market, but things get a bit more complicated.)

tldr; US market is weird and shipping from the US is a nightmare but thank you China and India.

Edited to add:

Maybe better tldr; - it is absolutely not cheaper than going dollar stone pens unless you are talking about years of writing, and stick to the low budget end of fountain pens and go mass volume for inks. (Coke bottle, anyone?) But one can absolutely use fountain pens without breaking the bank and I think people would be quite surprised by how wallet-friendly the lower end of the hobby threshold can be.

Edited July 20, 2023 by Kasimir

[Coolmint]

10 hours ago, Aeoliae said:

How much do they normally cost?

How much does ink refill cost? 

Sorry, I was punchy last night; Pilot disposables are definitely fountain pens, but disposable.  It would help, knowing where you live, which will tell us where you can buy and how much.  For now let's assume you're in the USA.

For around four or five bucks you can get a Pilot Petit, or a Platinum Preppy.  Their cartridges are sturdy enough to be  refillable with bottled ink (using a pipette or eyedropper).   You can buy a bottle of Monteverde ink for eight bucks or so.    This is one of my favorite ink brands.  

A few steps up in pens would be any of the Chinese piston-fillers.  You can get these on Amazon, but they make you buy them in sets of four.  About $15 is the usual price.  Piston pens have an internal filling system and don't need cartridges or converters.

Disposable Pilots are pretty good pens if you wanted to stick with those.  But refillable fountain pens are fun.
 

By the way, a friend of mine uses her fountain pens for coloring too.

Edited July 20, 2023 by Coolmint

[+Slowswift he/him]

I wouldn't dare even attempt to take apart my 823, but any other pen, especially if it uses a basic JoWo or Bock fitting? That sucker's coming apart every time I change inks. My problem was with the process of "flushing 'til it runs clear"--I'd do that, and then I'd wait five seconds, run it under the water again, and there'd be more ink. Repeat ad nauseam, and we are where we are.

[Coolmint]

28 minutes ago, Slowswift said:

I wouldn't dare even attempt to take apart my 823, but any other pen, especially if it uses a basic JoWo or Bock fitting? That sucker's coming apart every time I change inks. My problem was with the process of "flushing 'til it runs clear"--I'd do that, and then I'd wait five seconds, run it under the water again, and there'd be more ink. Repeat ad nauseam, and we are where we are.

The secret is out: I hate cleaning pens.  Of course it takes forever just running a section under water.  If you have any sort of bulb-flusher it speeds up the tedious process somewhat.

Or my Lazybones method is to leave the section/nib in a glass of water overnight.  You will see a lot of ink in the morning.  Repeat as often as needed.  With orange or red inks this can take days.

[Kasimir he/him]

2 hours ago, Slowswift said:

I wouldn't dare even attempt to take apart my 823, but any other pen, especially if it uses a basic JoWo or Bock fitting? That sucker's coming apart every time I change inks. My problem was with the process of "flushing 'til it runs clear"--I'd do that, and then I'd wait five seconds, run it under the water again, and there'd be more ink. Repeat ad nauseam, and we are where we are.

1 hour ago, Coolmint said:

The secret is out: I hate cleaning pens.  Of course it takes forever just running a section under water.  If you have any sort of bulb-flusher it speeds up the tedious process somewhat.

1 hour ago, Coolmint said:

Or my Lazybones method is to leave the section/nib in a glass of water overnight.  You will see a lot of ink in the morning.  Repeat as often as needed.  With orange or red inks this can take days.

You guys are making me realise I have the patience of a saint and I feel like every SE player on the Shard is now screaming in protest at this statement I have just uttered  

I do flush it slowly, yes  It's actually kind of meditative, watching the water run clear eventually.

Might be going for a second Nakaya after all, but it's unlikely to be as pricey (relatively) as it's going to be bog-standard apart from the fact that I'm asking for a line from the 道德经 on the barrel of the pen. I wanted something that was personally meaningful to me, and despite not being a specialist in Chinese philosophy, neither Hume nor Kant nor most analytic philosophers have the courtesy to say something short enough that it can show up on the barrel of a Piccolo or Piccolo Long without being unduly demanding on Nakaya