First-time fountain pen?

I'm a high-school student, with a $75/wk. salary, so I'm not looking to
get an expensive pen, but I'm getting or getting myself a journal this
Christmas holiday, something I've procrastinated a long time, and I want
it to look worthy of showing to my posterity, so I've decided to get a
fountain pen. Now, there are several issues:

1. I've never used a fountain pen before.
2. I'm left-handed, and don't want to smear as I write.
3. I know that many of them are expensive, though I am willing to
splurge a bit.

Naturally, I have some questions:
Are there any special guidelines to follow when writing with a fountain
pen rather than a ballpoint or gel pen? Should I get a pen with an
inkwell instead of a fountain pen? How do I deal with my
left-handedness? Do I need to buy some kind of left-handed pen? And
last, what are some good budget fountain pens I can look into?

--
Iain Dalton

I'm left-handed, and I use either of a Parker Jotter or a Waterman
Hemisphere. Neither of them are problematic for writing in the correct
hand, but of course, one has to choose paper sensibly. Paper that
doesn't absorb and leaves ink wet is as usual unsuitable for writing on.

On Tue, 06 Dec 2005 00:03:31 -0800, Iain Dalton "iain [dot] dalton [at]
gmail [dot] com" wrote:

I'm a high-school student, with a $75/wk. salary, so I'm not looking to
get an expensive pen,

eBay. Parker 51 with the aerometric (press bar) filler or else a
'50s/'60s Sheaffer - a tip-dip, not a Snorkel (unless you find a cheap
Snorkel). Either of these is generally reliable, so buying random ones
from eBay is a fairly safe bet (of course you're still buying something
decades-old and unseen....). Older Parker Duofolds are nice too,
especially the very decorative pre-war models, but IMHO the 51 is still
the one.

The Waterman Phileas / Kultur isn't bad either, if you want to buy new.

You'll be wanting more pens soon anyway 8-)

1. I've never used a fountain pen before.

They don't bite. Feed them Parker Quink for starters - blue,
blue-black or black, according to taste. You can inter-mix these if you
don't like their shade.

You can also fool around with the boutique inks like Diamine (UK) or
Noodlers (US). These give a vast range of colours. Noodlers also make
some more specialised archival inks - not sure if they do a fast-drying
left-hander? Might be a nice idea if they did though.

As to nib choice, then any standard good-quality smooth writing nib
that's in good condition will work fine for you. A worn nib tends to
wear into the owner's own hand and that would be a problem swapping
right to left-handed. Some models are a bit fussy about writing angle
anyway (not the ones mentioned). A broad nib will tend to be wetter and
that can be a nuisance for left-handers.

If you're really stuck with a nib you don't like, then most popular
pens, even the older ones, can be re-nibbed affordably. Internationally,
Parkers are probably the best for this.

2. I'm left-handed, and don't want to smear as I write.

This is more about the paper than the pen or the ink.

IMHE, don't buy US paper (or Chinese paper aimed at the US market). Or
at least if you do, you'll have a harder time finding good fountain-pen
friendly paper than you do in Europe. In recent years our cheap
imported journals and notebooks have switched over to what I regard as
"US style" (because it's the paper I see if I'm in the US). Heavily
glazed, heavily bleached white, ultra-smooth surface, and any rulings
are done with printed black dots that don't span the full width.
European paper is heavier, softer, more absorbent and ruled with
full-width grey lines. When European paper cuts corners it goes
whiskery, when US paper is too cheaply made, it never dries.

Tomorrow I'm off on an expedition right across town to stock up on
Moleskines, just because they're the best fountain-pen friendly
notebooks I know.

On Tue, 06 Dec 2005 00:03:31 -0800, Iain Dalton "iain [dot] dalton
[at] gmail [dot] com" wrote:

I'm a high-school student, with a $75/wk. salary, so I'm not looking to
get an expensive pen, but I'm getting or getting myself a journal this
Christmas holiday, something I've procrastinated a long time, and I want
it to look worthy of showing to my posterity, so I've decided to get a
fountain pen. Now, there are several issues:

1. I've never used a fountain pen before.
2. I'm left-handed, and don't want to smear as I write.
3. I know that many of them are expensive, though I am willing to
splurge a bit.

Naturally, I have some questions:
Are there any special guidelines to follow when writing with a fountain
pen rather than a ballpoint or gel pen?

Fountain pens need to be flushed out every so often with warm water
and a touch of soap just to keep dried ink from building up inside.

Should I get a pen with an
inkwell instead of a fountain pen? How do I deal with my
left-handedness?

With a fountain pen, you might have to adjust how your hand moves
across the paper as the ink fries. However, gel rollerballs can create
the same problem.

Do I need to buy some kind of left-handed pen? And
last, what are some good budget fountain pens I can look into?

No, ya don't need a left-handed pen. As for pens types. there are
bunches and bunches, myself, I'll confess to being a Parker bigot. You
can pick up a Parker 45 Flighter on Ebay for around $25 - 30 USD, plus
shipping costs. Excellent writer, uses either a cartridge, or has a
slide converter that allows you to use bottled ink and it is a snap to
use, even one handed.

--
Iain Dalton


Check out this place, there are a BUNCH of friendly, helpful folks
there. there are also lots of pen reviews and scanned, or photographed
samples of how many pens write. Just watch out for James Pickering,
his writing will drive you mad! *wink*

http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/

Regards,

Bruce
Hitting reply is futile, use the following:
).

"Iain Dalton" wrote:

I'm a high-school student, with a $75/wk. salary,
so I'm not looking to get an expensive pen ...
there are several issues:

1. I've never used a fountain pen before.
2. I'm left-handed, and don't want to smear as I
write.
3. I know that many of them are expensive, though
I am
willing to splurge a bit.

Naturally, I have some questions:
Are there any special guidelines to follow when
writing with a fountain pen rather than a
ballpoint or gel pen?

Ballpoints and gel pens will write if held in just about any position as
long as the tip is making contact with the paper. Fountain pens are much
less forgiving. You have to get the hang of writing with a fountain pen.

Should I get a pen with an inkwell instead of a
fountain pen?

The fountain pen was invented to allow people to write without having to
dip, dip, dip... Fountain pens carry their little inkwells inside. A
fountain pen seems more convenient for journal writing.

How do I deal with my left-handedness?

Just buy a pen with a very stiff nib (most modern pens fill the bill).
Ian suggested a Jotter or Waterman Hemisphere. These are good choices,
but many others would fill the bill (Waterman Philieas).

My top choice for a starter fountain pen would be a modern Pelikan 200
or 215. They're of very high quality but inexpensive. They fill from the
bottle and hold a goodly amount of ink. Plus, you can buy extra nibs in
different sizes for very little money so you can try different widths
and types (oblique).

I would not suggest buying a vintage pen as your first pen, and I would
never suggest buying a vintage pen off eBay as a first experience with
fountain pens. You really need to have a little knowledge and experience
with fountain pens under your belt before buying vintage and you
certainly need that before you buy vintage off eBay (unless you're into
gambling big time). In addition, vintage pen can require repair or
restoration before you use them.

Do I need to buy some kind of left-handed pen?

Not really. Read this on John Mottishaw's website:

http://www.nibs.com/Left-hand%20writers.htm

And last, what are some good budget fountain pens
I can look into?

None better than a Pelikan 200 series. The 150 is a bit smaller. The 200
is a good choice because it's the same size as their higher end 400 pen.

Have fun...

B

Iain,

Congratulations on your decision to start a journal and use a fountain
pen! I hope you find that using a fountain pen brings you a new
perspective in your writing. You should enjoy your words flowing
through your fountain pen into your writing!

Your questions:

Just follow the instructions that accompany your pen! Make certain that
you only use fountain pen ink in it and flush it out as described in
the instruction booklet that comes with it.

If you like your fountain pen, you'll probably want to carry it with
you. That's reason enough to buy a fountain pen, rather than a dip pen
and inkwell. Most of the time, you'll only need to carry your fountain
pen with you. Most modern fountain pens are piston fillers or filled by
a cartridge or converter. If your pen is the latter, it usually comes
with a converter and cartridges are usually easy enough to find.

I'm not a "lefty", but there are plenty on this board. I'm sure you'll
get some help from some of them. I can add that quick drying inks, such
as Swisher's Ink (available from Swisher Pens online), are usually
helpful.

When it comes to the pen itself, let your desires (and budget) take
flight! Good entry level pens include the Waterman Phileas (about $35
at Office Depot) and Aurora Ipsilon (about $80 and require some looking
around). They're both cartridge/converter filled and have stainless
steel nibs. A Pelikan M200 is also a good solid starter. They can be
found for around $70 and also require a little looking around. They're
piston filled and hold a bit more ink than the other two, so you can
write more between fillings. I'd suggest looking around online to get a
better idea of what is out there and what their prices are like. I'd
also recommend locating a good pen store to look at pens and try out
before you buy, if there's one nearby.

Good luck with whatever you choose and remember the most important part
- have fun with your fountain pen!

Ultra Collections has set out to "start people off" in using/collecting
fountain pens.
However, we always welcome the pros...

25% off everything just for you Iain at www.ultra-collections.com



Darrell Seymour-Howell
eBay.com ultra-collections (Positive feddback at 99.8%)
eBay.ca ultracollect ( Positive feddback at 99.2%)

On Tue, 6 Dec 2005 15:58:24 GMT, "L, not -L" wrote:

IIRC, left-handed
under-writes are quite rare.

Getting more common AFAIK, as teachers become more accepting of
left-handers and more are taught to turn the page sideways and write
"downwards" rather than insisting on the page staying in the "right"
position and forcing them into an awkward wrist position.

(I'm right-handed, my 10 year old son is left-handed)

Andy Dingley wrote:

On Tue, 6 Dec 2005 15:58:24 GMT, "L, not -L" wrote:

IIRC, left-handed
under-writes are quite rare.

Getting more common AFAIK, as teachers become more accepting of
left-handers and more are taught to turn the page sideways and write
"downwards" rather than insisting on the page staying in the "right"
position and forcing them into an awkward wrist position.

(I'm right-handed, my 10 year old son is left-handed)

I was taught to be a left-handed overwriter in second grade and at about
fourteen retrained myself to be an underwriter, although I lapsed back
during periods when I wasn't doing much writing for a long time after
that. When I was an overwriter I frequently smeared writing from
pencils and ballpoint pens and didn't use fountain pens at all.


--
David W. Drake

L, not -L wrote:
On 6-Dec-2005, Iain Dalton "iain [dot] dalton [at] gmail [dot] com"
wrote:


2. I'm left-handed, and don't want to smear as I write.


Is it an accurate assumption that you are a left-handed over-writer, where
your hand is above the line being written on? IIRC, left-handed
under-writes are quite rare.


Rare? I always think of myself as well done.

But even us underwriters can get ink on our hands....even with ball points!

Best Regards,

DAve