Newbie Questions: Scratchiness and Dry Pen

Thanks all for your replies. After a full 24 hours I have made a few
observations:

1. I had no idea how much the paper made a difference. Its a
completely different pen on different paper. Copy paper, bond paper,
and my planner's paper all produce a different feel and even look to a
small degree.

2. After flushing the pen with ink a few times the flow is much
smoother.

3. After using a ball point of roller ball all my life I am pressing
too hard with the fountain pen. That makes the paper seem more
scratchy. I need a little more practice writing with it. I also
found I was gripping the pen too low and sometimes turning it at a
slight angle.

4. This could become an expensive hobby!

I will try some different ink as well and report the results.

Best regards,

Tony

"Bluesea" wrote in message
...

In general, a finer nib will not write as smoothly as a broader
nib simply because there is less lubricant (ink) between the nib and
paper.

Correction:

In general, a finer nib will not write as smoothly as a broader nib simply
because there's a smaller writing surface. Using different inks may slightly
decrease the difference in smoothness, but because there's less lubricant
(ink) between the nib and paper for a fine nib than for a medium nib and you
can't increase the amount of ink without affecting line width, you're pretty
much stuck with experimenting with other aspects: different inks, paper,
other pens, etc.


--
~~Bluesea~~
Spam is great in musubi but not in email.
Please take out the trash before sending a direct reply.

"Tony Fischer" wrote in message
om...

4. This could become an expensive hobby!



If you use a pen at the office and write a lot, as I do, you just might
discover that a reliable fountain pen can be more economical than an endless
supply of inexpensive ballpoints.

You can buy Pelikan ink by the LITER for about $43.00 a bottle--just like in
the old days, when schools and offices had their own ink available to
students and employees in their pens.

I had been using Rollerball pens prior to shifting toward fountain pens, and
I do remember having to spend $3.00 almost every week or ten days, to
replace an exhausted rollerball refill. In the case of my A.T. Cross
rollerball, I always had ink-stained hands after using that thing all day.
My fountain pens are actually cleaner. Go figure.

There is a degree of gratification from writing with a fountain pen over a
ballpoint or rollerball. One does not press down--one "paints" the ink onto
the surface of the paper. The letters formed by the fountain pen nib are
thicker than ballpoint, and have more character. And the choice of many
types of inks lends more individuality to one's writing, as opposed to that
sameness that is the hallmark of every ballpoint pen.

Ballpoints were a godsend to the blue collar trades, where there is no time
to baby a pen, but those of us in offices should revisit the fountain pen.
It's akin to a man that wears a crew cut and a bowtie to work--he may look a
bit weird, but he certainly is a classic.

"Jeremy" wrote in message
nk.net...

"Tony Fischer" wrote in message
om...

4. This could become an expensive hobby!

If you use a pen at the office and write a lot, as I do, you just might
discover that a reliable fountain pen can be more economical than an
endless
supply of inexpensive ballpoints.

....that only end up in landfills.

There is a degree of gratification from writing with a fountain pen over a
ballpoint or rollerball. One does not press down--one "paints" the ink
onto
the surface of the paper. The letters formed by the fountain pen nib are
thicker than ballpoint, and have more character. And the choice of many
types of inks lends more individuality to one's writing, as opposed to
that
sameness that is the hallmark of every ballpoint pen.

The different nibs, too, aid individuality and expressiveness. Whoever heard
of a bp with flex, italic, or stub, etc.?

Also, with the right pen, it takes a whole lot longer to develop writer's
cramp because one doesn't need to grip a fountain pen as much as another,
especially a bp, and there's no danger of developing carpal tunnel syndrome
as with computers.

My three cents.


--
~~Bluesea~~
Spam is great in musubi but not in email.
Please take out the trash before sending a direct reply.

"Jeremy" wrote in message
nk.net...

"Tony Fischer" wrote in message
om...

4. This could become an expensive hobby!

If you use a pen at the office and write a lot, as I do, you just might
discover that a reliable fountain pen can be more economical than an
endless
supply of inexpensive ballpoints.

....that only end up in landfills.

There is a degree of gratification from writing with a fountain pen over a
ballpoint or rollerball. One does not press down--one "paints" the ink
onto
the surface of the paper. The letters formed by the fountain pen nib are
thicker than ballpoint, and have more character. And the choice of many
types of inks lends more individuality to one's writing, as opposed to
that
sameness that is the hallmark of every ballpoint pen.

The different nibs, too, aid individuality and expressiveness. Whoever heard
of a bp that's flex, italic, or stub?

Also, with the right pen, it takes a whole lot longer to develop writer's
cramp because one doesn't need to grip a fountain pen as much as another,
especially a bp, and there's no danger of developing carpal tunnel syndrome
or spreading viruses, worms, etc., as with computers.

My nickel.

--
~~Bluesea~~
Spam is great in musubi but not in email.
Please take out the trash before sending a direct reply.

"Bluesea" wrote in message
...

Also, with the right pen, it takes a whole lot longer to develop writer's
cramp because one doesn't need to grip a fountain pen as much as another,
especially a bp, and there's no danger of developing carpal tunnel
syndrome
as with computers.


How could I have forgotten "writers cramp?"

Also, I still have a callous right at the intersection of the first and
second digit of the middle finger on my right hand, from where the ballpoint
pens pressed . . . That will never go away.

Hardly going to get a callous from holding my rather large Sheaffer Prelude
FP . . . You're right about not gripping the pen nearly as hard.

"Jerwemy" wanks:

"Bluesister" yanks:

it takes a whole lot longer to develop a cramp because one doesn't need to
grip as much as another, and there's no danger of developing carpal tunnel
syndrome.

I still have a callous right at the intersection of the first and
second digit of the middle finger on my right hand. That will never go away.
You're right about not gripping as hard.

Who're ya kiddin', yoose two ******s got all those calluses from whacking each
others greezy widdle peckers.


---= BOYCOTT FRANCE (belgium) GERMANY--SPAIN =---
---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =---
*********
"Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."
Sheldon
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