Fountain Pen Question

R

razcob

Joined
Feb 4, 2002
Messages
417
I would like to get a fountain pen to use at work, but I have heard that the nib's are not rigid enough to use on carbon copies. Is there a fountain pen suitable for carbon copies?
 
I use a fountain pen (my EDC is a Cross Century II) all the time, and I find it does work on carbon copies, but I have a heavy hand - that is, I probably press harder than I should. That being said, I don't seem to damage nibs doing it, and if I did, they're cheap enough to replace.
 
If you decide to buy a vintage fountain pen, look for one described as having a "manifold nib."

If you decide to buy modern . . . most modern pens do not have flex nibs, but there is still a substantial range in rigidity. In my experience, the nibs on Waterman pens are quite rigid. The Waterman Charleston or the Laureate would do the job.

In a higher price bracket, the Parker Duofold would be a good choice.
 
BTW the Lamy Safari is an inexpensive fountain pen that is very good, writes well, have never written on carbon paper with it so can't comment, you'll be best served by a fountian pen with a stainless nib as they are stronger and stiffer than gold, although they usually are on cheaper pens and usually don't write as smoothly as gold ones do. Also, check out Pilot's Varsity disposable fountain pen, SS nib and very inexpensive and they write surprisingly very well.
 
I have had I think three of the Lamy safaris and I truthfully can't recomend them, each one has leaked on me and I will never buy another. Best bet is to get a reasonable fountain pen and stick with ballpoint for carbons. That said some of the the older pens , particulary Easterbrooks, can be had with the above mentioned manifold nibs for a decent price. Do be aware though that a fountain ben is does require more care than a ballpoint and you will lose at least one shirt if you chose to go that road ( ask my wife) you also run the risk of starting a whole new collection!

http://www.vintagepens.com/
http://www.penbid.com/Auction/XcAuctionPro.asp
http://www.pendemonium.com/
 
Some loose comments:

I've had bad experiences with Lamy too.

I have a $3 US Sheaffer that writes fine and has a stiff nib.

I think a Parker Frontier makes a good beginner fountain pen.

I have a couple of old Esterbrooks and they are nice (I also have about a dozen nibs for them).

My favorite is a Pelikan 250, the nib is gold and not stiff though.

Now, the good thing about fountain pens is how smooth they write and flow without pressure, I like and use fountain pens but if I have to press hard I'll take out a ballpoint.

Here's a chart of Esterbrook nibs, the carbon copier nibs are numbers 9461 and 1461:

http://www.vintagepens.com/images/perm/Estnibchart.jpg

Luis
 
Did either of you guys try LamyUSA's customer service to reconcile the problems with your pens? Remember they have a lifetime warranty. I have several and have never had any trouble at all, in fact were it not for Waterman Lamy would be my favorite pen company.

Also, Good fountain pens rarely, if ever leak, I have a collection of cartridge/converter models (mostly Parker, Sheaffer, and Lamy) and have never had one leak. Stick to a good cartridge or converter filler and there should be no trouble. Most pens that leak are those that fill from the bottle via a complicated mechanism (ex. certain Mont blancs), the rubber/plastic seals wear with time and then you have a leak. The recommendation of using a ballpoint for carbon paper is very true, I personally wouldn't use a fountain for that.
 
Yes I did go through Lamy's custom service, sent two pens that leaked in, got on back that leaked and one that didn't. The pens arn't that great so I just said #$@^ it and don't really use them anymore.
 
Hate to hear that I've honestly never had any trouble with mine (knock on wood) must have been a bad run of pens. Check out the Parker Sonnet or Waterman Expert (both close to 100 dollars) if you want a really good one that won't leak. The only FP I have that leaks was like a 10 dollar Montblanc knock-off that takes Cross cartridges, It looks great and actually writes well, but is a piece of crap, ink all over the fingers and inside of cap.
 
I've had mixed results with my Lamy Safari FP's, including one that constantly leaked. Then again, wasn't expecting much for $40.

My Lamy Ti Personal FP does not leak. But I prefer my Sailor or Namili over most of my FPs'.
 
Well right now I use a 1950 Scheafer snorkel. Writes great and doesn't leak after approx. 50 years (fingers crossed!!!!) so I am happy with this one.
 
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