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Semi-inspired by @inherentlee :

I use fountain pens and fountain pen ink, and also dip pens and ink for those. I am not an expert, but I have a fairly good understanding of both ink and pens, and also a ton of stuff I recommend to people who want to start using this kind of pen (and also maybe a few don'ts).

However, instead of me rambling:
AMA!

@lee

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in reply to StarSloth

mhoye
mhoye
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Ok, two questions:

First: what was your "gateway" to this hobby? What made you think, this is it, this is a thing I want to do?

Second: What would you recommend for somebody just starting out, to help them make that decision?

in reply to mhoye

StarSloth
StarSloth
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First, it doesn't have to be a whole hobby - it can just be a tool you use. That's what it was like for me for a long time. I pivoted into hobby/collecting between 2016-2020, so gradually I can't call it a decision. That said it took me until 2022 until I got a pen pricier than €50, and I don't see myself as a serious collector, more casual "oh I want that".

I started using dip pens for art in the mid nineties, and got my first fountain pens a few years later; (cont) 1/7

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in reply to StarSloth

StarSloth
StarSloth
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a manuscript calligraphy kit, which still is holding up well and I hear they're still good value for money if you want a stub nib (a wider nib so it goes thick thin, and can be used for certain styles of calligraphy). Then I got some pens for my daily writing, and then it kept slowly growing, slower at first, then quite fast once it was becoming its own dedicated hobby for me, then I figured out what I like and now I think I buy more thoughtfully. (Now to the actual answer) 2/7
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in reply to StarSloth

StarSloth
StarSloth
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The reason I like fountain pens is I like how the pen nib feels compared to a ball pen, takes less effort to write, and I like the vast variety of inks and how they look different in different pens/nib combos and on different papers. Some nibs have a feedback (like a pencil on textured paper) and some are so silky smooth I have to look to see I'm really writing. A fountain pen doesn't have to be pushed into the paper, so it's gentler on the hands too. 3/7
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StarSloth
StarSloth
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For someone considering whether fps could be a good tool for them, I'd recommend trying several different pens, different brands and nib widths. Not every pen recommended is good for every hand! If going to a specialized shop is possible for you, do that, but if not, there are cheaper pens (less than €5 in europe!) that are frankly great. 4/7
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in reply to StarSloth

StarSloth
StarSloth
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You can also ask people you know online (cough) for recommendations based on what you like and your needs, and maybe they'll also have something to sell/trade/gift. 5/7
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StarSloth
StarSloth
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The pen I am suggesting if you're just starting out is a platinum preppy, for the record. It comes with ink, and if you like it you can buy refills. Getting something like a pilot varsity or the zebra equivalent (disposable pen but with an fp nib) is also good to just try it out and get used to what it feels like and how to write with it. 6/7
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in reply to StarSloth

StarSloth
StarSloth
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It does not have to be an expensive hobby, or expensive to start, is what I am trying to say. People see nerds like me with pricey pens and lots of ink bottles and think I've not money nor space for that - but it can just be a pen and some spare cartridges, or a bottle of ink, too. Or anything in between! That's what I was like for 20 years.

(I also have opinions on ball pens, and gel pens, and will buy refillable good ones of those too) 7/7

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danwwilson :rstats:
danwwilson :rstats:
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@mhoye I’m curious about some of your pens. Would you be happy to share, your daily writer, your most expensive, your overpriced regret (if it ever happened) and your favourite affordable. And pics if you have the time and inclination.
@mhoye
in reply to danwwilson :rstats:

StarSloth
StarSloth
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@danwwilson
Yep! Or well, daily writer is easy/hard: whatever is at hand. I use several pens every day and rarely the same ones several days in a row. I do tend to have a lot of pens inked simultaneously (more than 50, I try to keep it below 80, currently failing), but many of them have such excellent seal they can be ignored for months or a year and no hard starts. I love having the choice — what nib, ink, grip am I in the mood for — variety is my habit. 1/
@danwwilson :rstats:
in reply to StarSloth

StarSloth
StarSloth
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@danwwilson My most expensive pen is a Good Blue R615, which I have a love hate relationship with. At that price you'd think the cap and body would line up... But it's a great pen, and not my greatest regret (I'd probably have regretted not buying it more). Also a couple of Sailor PGS, Pilots VPs, an Otto Hutt, not quite as expensive but in the same ballpark. 2/
@danwwilson :rstats:
in reply to StarSloth

StarSloth
StarSloth
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@danwwilson The regrets award goes to a modern parker 51, which I bought before I knew as much as I do now, before that I mostly had Lamys, platinum preppies. It was so expensive to my then mind, and it's such a terrible pen. I don't even feel I can gift it, because I'm so unhappy with it. Second place on the regrets podium goes to a first gen platinum curidas, which was fine but it's a strange pen. I wound up destashing it eventually, the aesthetics and grip doesn't suit me at all. 3/
@danwwilson :rstats:
in reply to StarSloth

StarSloth
StarSloth
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@danwwilson Favourite affordable... You know, high on that list is the little mentioned (that I see) Jinhao 86. It's another 51 clone, but the seal is excellent, the nibs smooth, and it's altogether delightful. I collect kaweco sports, so maybe I should mention those too (though many times the price of a jinhao). And an affordable option for a flex pen is getting a jinhao 82, and buying a FPR 5.5 flex nib and sticking in it. Needs a wet ink to keep up but then it's flying along. 4/
@danwwilson :rstats:

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in reply to StarSloth

StarSloth
StarSloth
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@danwwilson (it's the middle of the night here, so pics are a bit hard to fix rn, but if I remember, maybe tomorrow)
@danwwilson :rstats:
in reply to StarSloth

Elena ``of Valhalla''
Elena ``of Valhalla''
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@StarSloth @danwwilson :rstats: do you have recommendations on how to find fountain pens with that kind of good seals? (or brands to avoid if a good seal is a required feature)
@StarSloth @danwwilson :rstats:

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in reply to Elena ``of Valhalla''

StarSloth
StarSloth
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It takes very exact tooling to get it right every time. Many brands manage it seeming on random (a pen of the same make, colour even, might fail), some has made it A Thing to sell pens with a good seal. One of those brands you already know; Platinum - from the preppy to the pricey ones they all have a good seal. Pilot prera is a model also sold with that quality advertised.
1/
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StarSloth
StarSloth
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Looking at a cap might tell you Things: are there air holes in the cap (kakuno, looking at you)? Are there an inner soft liner cap?

It's not a guarantee but those things heighten/lower the chance. Fwiw I have a lot of kaweco sports with excellent seal, and some without. Lamy basically always fail the seal test (the best I've tried was the studio, still imperfect). Pelikans too aren't great. Sailor are pretty good but not as good as platinum.
2/

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:autism: Aurin (ki, ki, kis)
:autism: Aurin (ki, ki, kis)
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Oh wow, I completely fell down a rabbit hole from this post! 😂
I actually still have two Lamy safari fountain pens from school, we learned to write with Lamy abc pens, the wooden ones with red or blue caps and end bits. Then most kids, including me, used the safaris or similar for school after elementary school. I plan on buying converters and ink bottles to cut down on plastic waste and I saw that there are cheap ones for this pen, so that's good.

Do you have tips for pens that are cheap, work ok on printer paper (I never considered it a problem with the Lamy pens) and are eco-friendly?

And do you have any experience with glass dip pens?

in reply to :autism: Aurin (ki, ki, kis)

StarSloth
StarSloth
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@Aurin_the_classtraitor I am not sure what to use as a standard for eco friendly — basically any pen that is refillable is better than a throwaway

The printer paper isn't meant for liquid ink to begin with, so it will feather. What you need is to put down little enough ink that the feathering remains small enough. Narrow, fairly dry nibs that is (and probably avoiding a wet ink like Pilot's) 1/

@:autism: Aurin (ki, ki, kis)

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StarSloth
StarSloth
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@Aurin_the_classtraitor In my experience Platinum Preppy (fine or extra fine nib) does work decently on printer paper. It's cheap, and if treated well will last for a long time, but it /is/ transparent plastic and can crack. There are converters available, costs about three times the pen, heh. Since you already have a cartridge that came with the pen, you could also flush that and refill it (using a syringe), which is what I do. 2/
@:autism: Aurin (ki, ki, kis)

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StarSloth
StarSloth
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@Aurin_the_classtraitor The Platinum Plaisir is a metal version that has the same grip and nib, mostly available as a fine, but easy to switch in an ef nib from a preppy (just pull it straight out, it sits on a stem). Could be an alternative if you like how a preppy writes.

The ink in platinum cartridges is available as Platinum Mixfree. I haven't tried their other inks on cheap paper so can't answer to those. Mixfree will also feather a lot if too much ink is put down. 3/

@:autism: Aurin (ki, ki, kis)

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StarSloth
StarSloth
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@Aurin_the_classtraitor Glass dip pens — fiddly, easy to break, puts down a lot of ink, fun on paper meant to handle that, but cheap ones are frustrating and scratchy. Look better than they function imo. For a dip pen, consider others, I use a Hocoro, I've heard good things about kakimori dip pens. These are meant for writing not calligraphy so the nibs are less fiddly than traditional dip nibs. Writes wet and probably (ymmv) not a good fit for printer paper. 4/
@:autism: Aurin (ki, ki, kis)

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StarSloth
StarSloth
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@Aurin_the_classtraitor Back to the Preppy, with a plastic pen (not a metal, will react with the ink) it's possible to eyedropper it also (see tutorial on jetpens). It might become a wetter writer, and there's higher leakage risks.

I like pens that are piston fillers (pulls ink straight into the barrel of the pen with a plunge) or eyedroppers (filled into the barrel with an eyedropper), like twsbi eco or similar (pistonfiller), but they are wetter writers. 5/

@:autism: Aurin (ki, ki, kis)

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StarSloth
StarSloth
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@Aurin_the_classtraitor oh hey, I'd be remiss if I didn't recommend you to get a Majohn Wancai 2 with an ef nib. It's a tiny pen, gets a writable length by screwing the cap onto the back of the body. It's an eyedropper pen, though, no cartridges in sight. They hate shimmer ink, and a wet ink like pilot will still put down a fat line, but with a dryer ink they do work very well.

Also, about Lamy: they recently had a hp edition 🤮

6/ (fin?)

@:autism: Aurin (ki, ki, kis)

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StarSloth
StarSloth
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@Aurin_the_classtraitor some of the pens mentioned, with a safari for comparison since you know that one
Five pens on a wooden desk From top to bottom: A twsbi eco with a blue cap and finial, and transparent body, almost empty of ink A white lamy safari A transparent platinum preppy, with red koi fish on the body A green metal platinum plaisir A short stubby transparent majohn wancai
An uncapped lamy safari, and the wancai next to it, uncapped and the cap posted. With the cap posted it's just a smidge shorter than the safari.
@:autism: Aurin (ki, ki, kis)

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