Pens, Pencils, Paper

I'm a stationery nut. I have been for most of my life.

It started because I'm left-handed. For most of my schooling I would drag my hand across the page, covering the side of my hand with graphite or ink and smearing the remainder all over the page. While in the Philippines I would go to stationery stores and try every pen to test their dry time and smearing. Whatever was the best I would buy. When I got back from the Philippines I was a member of EDCF and I found the County Comm Embassy Pen with the Fisher Space Pen cartridge.



The ink didn't smear much and I found the pen comfortable, albeit heavy compared to what I was used to.

I used that pen for the next 5 years.

But my handwriting was terrible, nearly illegible even by me sometimes. Its common among lefties: most teachers don't know how to teach lefthanded students and we write differently enough as it is. We tend to push the pen instead of pull it across the page. In order to fix my bad handwriting I decided I needed to slow down. Christmas was coming up so I figured I'd drop a cheap fountain pen in my wish list and if I didn't like it no harm no foul.

I got a Lamy Safari, often considered one of the better "starter" pens.



I loved it. I was hooked immediately. It was smoother than anything else I've used and I found I could write with ease. I practiced writing any chance I could and managed to change my writing into something I was actually proud of.

I bought ink, more pens, more ink, and I don't plan on stopping.

If you want to get started in fountain pens, here's a short primer:

The first thing to consider is the nib. My phone wants to change that to "nun" so hopefully I'll catch those but just a heads up. Nibs come in various tippings from UEF (ultra extra fine) to BBB (triple broad). They also have ground nibs, these are often stubs ranging generally from .6 to 5 mm. The most common nibs are EF, F, M, B, 1.1 mm and 1.3 mm. A word of warning though: there's not really a standardization but most nibs made in Europe write similarly and most nibs made in Japan write similarly but the Japanese nibs will be thinner. Basically an EF European nib will write like a F Japanese nib. Nibs also come in commonly two materials: steel and gold. Gold is corrosion resistant and has a bit of flexibility but not much. Enough that you'd notice a spring to it. Steel is still corrosion resistant but some inks are acidic and that could cause problems. There are steel nibs from the mid century still in use and they're just fine. Steel also has the added benefit of being cheaper. A gold nib pen could cost twice the cost of the same pen with a steel nib.

Next is the body of the pen. Most modern pens are acrylic or metal or a combination. You can still find ebonite which is a personal favorite of mine. It's a hard rubber that feels warm to the touch and is hydrostatic so it'll absorb some of the water around it so my hand won't get sweaty if I'm writing a lot.

Next up is the filling system. There are tons of filling systems (check Richard Binder's website for more on that) but most modern pens are either cartridge/converter (meaning you use pre-filled ink cartridges or you replace the cartridge with a converter which allows you to fill the pen from a bottle) or piston fill which requires the use of a bottle. Neither is really better than the other and it comes down to preference.

Knowing the above information will help you move forward to your next pen. And my suggestions:

1. Lamy Safari, Vista, or Al-Star. These are essentially the same pen but made from different material. The Safari and Vista are identical except the Vista is a demonstrator meaning you see the full function of the pen. They're both made from a durable plastic. The Al-Sport is the same shape but in an anodized aluminum. All these pens are cartridge/converter and comes with a single blue cartridge.

2. TWSBI Eco. This is a relatively new pen to the market (came out a couple years ago) and it gets nothing but rave reviews. It's a plastic pen made in Taiwan (IIRC) and the brand has incredible customer service. It's a piston fill so you'll need bottled ink.

3. Pilot Metropolitan. This is a brass pen with a thin coating over it. It's also considered (with the Lamy Safari) to be THE beginner's pen. It's a cartridge/converter but the best part: it comes with both. It's got a single black cartridge and a cheap converter. If you like the Metro a lot after getting one I would spring for a nicer converter, but the included converter will get you started.

Pens to avoid:

Noodler's. I love Noodler's pens but they are fickle. You often have to pull out and re-set the nib and feed to get the flow how you like it. They are inexpensive but that doesn't mean you should dive into them just yet.

Ohto: another cheap brand and I'm using both definitions here. I would just avoid in generally.

Esterbrook. Modern Esterbrooks are garbage. They're Esterbrooks in name only. Vintage Esterbrooks are amazing though and if you find one in good shape snag it.

Inks:
Cartridges can only last so long. It's totally fine to keep using cartridges for your writing and you can get some great colors in cartridges. There is a downside though: sizing. Some pens (Lamy, Pilot, Platinum, Sailor, many more) require their cartridges. Nothing else will fit them. A lot of pens though use the Standard International. J Herbin makes Standard International Short cartridges for nearly all of their inks.

But when you find that one color that doesn't come in a cartridge you're SOL unless you have a converter, pistol fill, or syringe. Filling from a bottle is super easy to do and there are tons of videos on YouTube showing how each of the above is done. (The syringe method involves filling an empty cartridge using a small syringe.)

There are hundreds of inks on the market and I would recommend you browse around on Goulet or Anderson Pens' websites. They both sell samples of inks so you can try them out before you dedicate yourself to an entire bottle. Some brands to consider: Pilot Iroshizuku, Noodler's, Diamine, De Atramentis. When you find something you like the look of swing over to Fountain Pen Network and look up a review. Most reviews will give you an idea of how it looks on paper, how fast the dry time is, how water resistant it might be, and more.

Goulet Pens has a great blog and YouTube channel so check out their Fountain Pens 101 series if you haven't yet.

There are tons of great pens out there and you can always reach out to me if you have any questions. If I don't have an answer I'll try to find it for you.

More to come on pencils and paper. I'll try and snap some pictures of my favorite pens too. I don't have anything super expensive but I have some that I'm fond of.

 

They've got some underrated stuff. I have one of their Tech pens and its great. Their inks too are worth a look.

 

@charles bower This is a good thread to start. It probably won't get much traffic but those who look will be passionate about it. I would have suggested Expat's corner for locating it.

Penmanship is non-existent in the "techno-gizmo-device ad nauseam" world we live in. It is a practiced art that links you to another time in our history, especially if done well. Even the few people who take the time to write a Thank You note, invariably print it rather than write it. Cursive penmanship is so old school.

I write with a pen. But my passion for the mechanical writing implement is the pencil. I will reserve this thread for later and come back with some of my favorite pencils over the weekend. 90% of my work and note taking is done with a pencil.

@Expat ++1 on Levenger and their catalogs.

 

Its a real shame handwriting is being phased out of schools. I realize the need for typing skills but there is a loss when handwriting isn't taught. Handwriting connects us with the past. I fully expect my wife and I to be the ones to teach our kids to write in cursive, or at least to read it.

Without cursive I wouldn't be able to read the letters my grandfather sent to my grandmother when he was stationed in Asia. I wouldn't be able to read census records in my genealogy research. I wouldn't be able to look at the original Declaration of Independence or Constitution or any other number of vital documents. I wouldn't even be able to read my own diploma!

What pencils are you fond of? I'd say about 90% of my work is done in pencil but 90% of my writing is done in ink. I'm looking forward to my upcoming shipment of Blackwings.

ETA: I should have considered this to be better suited to Expat's Corner but I guess I thought more about the "gear" aspect of it. Still, if it was moved I wouldn't complain.

 

After a lot of debate with myself, I bought a Pelikan 205 and some Pelikan 4001 ink. I think it's safe to say my writing has been forever changed. A quality writing instrument -- not a friggin' pen -- will change your appreciation for writing. If you paid attention in school, you figure out pretty quickly why cursive was taught with the strokes it was. I tend to print in an architect-type all caps style, but man... cursive is so wicked with a fountain pen, the way the ink flows and such.

As for pencils, I vary widely. Mechanical pencils mostly. Ticonderoga pencils are what my girlfriend likes as a school teacher.

Whatever medium you choose, cheap ain't where it's at. Yeah, you can write with a BIC pen, but it ain't the same as writing with a fountain pen. Sort of how dragging a 4 or 5 blade razor across your face ain't the same as using a straight razor. Different animal altogether.

 

The top pencil is the pencil I use daily during work. It is all brass and has a distinctly heavy feel to it.



This picture shows how the paint has worn away and the barrel edge has softened with use. Those edges used to be sharp like the new one in the top picture. This is a Rotring in 0.7mm that is about 20 years old now.



This is a Levenger product in 0.9mm. The scales remind me of engineering school. The top is not an eraser but a stylus for a smart phone or tablet.



This is one of my Dad's old drafting pencils from the 1950's when he was in engineering school.



Here is the lead for it.



And a sharpener for it.



These drafting tools are German made by Dietzgen. My dad used them at school in the 50's and I used them in the 70's. Engineers still took drafting classes and drew up blueprints back then.



Careful or I'll start pulling out pictures of slide rules.

 

I probably also own every size Pentel pencil made today. While my son was playing college golf I used to collect the course pencils from every club he played a tournament at. It is a pretty cool pencil collection. I'm not saving it because I use them all the time. But it's a good memory when I pull one out and think where it came from.

 

@charles bower This is a fantastic source of information on pens! I've always found myself drawn to fountain pens. There is a sense of purpose and elegance attached to them. But I've only had the very bottom of the barrel. I feel encouraged to go looking for quality with what I have learned. Thanks!

 

Having recently come over to fountain pens, I think I'll get a lot of enjoyment out of following this thread.

Currently using a Kaweco Liliput in brass, and have a Lamy Safari on order.
Previously my favorite pens were a custom made pen I got from Semo here on the forum, a stainless Parker Jotter with Fisher refill, and a stainless Sharpie pen.
The custom pen was never my favorite to write with, because I don't really care for ballpoints, but it was great as a conversation starter, and very high quality.
The Parker Jotter writes on most anything thanks to the Fisher insert, and has a nice minimalist asthetic, it's also a good pen to loan out because it's forgiving of misuse and is nice enough people think to give it back but not so unique they will want to steal it, and cheap enough if they do.
The Sharpie was my absolute favorite, and is reminiscent of writing with a fountain pen, it remains my backup pen, or for writing on bad paper.


Also, here is a pocket notebook cover that I made to encourage myself to carry a pen and notebook so I'll write more.

 

My dad just found a set of those in the garage. He hasn't told me if they still work yet though. He was hoping he didn't put them away with ink still in them. Even if he did I'm sure they could be cleaned out.

 

If ink dried in 'em, you're gonna want a wet, ultrasound cleaner. Ask me how I know.

 

My kind of thread!

Always wanted a fountain pen since I was a kid, after picking up my first real one a few years ago it caused a chain reaction.
Then about a year ago I started learning Copperplate Calligraphy.

 

Super cool @Mudman

 

Thanks man

 

Well done! I'm working on Spencerian but since it was designed around righties its making my progress slow. But progress is progress.