Writing with a fountain pen?

The secret is to learn to apply a constant pressure of the tip to the paper as you write, to maintain a steady ink flow. You can still be expressive, but it will show in the writing. Have fun. Writing with a fountain pen can be frustrating at first, but it's one of the smoothest way to write with a pen.
 
tonyccw said:
The secret is to learn to apply a constant pressure of the tip to the paper as you write, to maintain a steady ink flow. You can still be expressive, but it will show in the writing. Have fun. Writing with a fountain pen can be frustrating at first, but it's one of the smoothest way to write with a pen.
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Really? I don't remember having any problems when I started writing with a fountain pen. Then again I started when I was in elementary school, so I guess that might explain it.
 
It's natural for me and I've had good luck with a cheapie from Parker (cost me $6.00 at a drug store) Just wanted some tips!
 
ErikD said:
Really? I don't remember having any problems when I started writing with a fountain pen.
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I said it can be, not it definitely will be. So are you saying you've never suffered the skipping or the blobbing from day one?

I can say the same for other skills, like using chopsticks, or flipping a balisong.
 
A couple of tips.... Dont let other people use your fountain pen. The nib will become shaped by your writing style and other people using it can interfere with that. This may not be true of the inexpensive pens. The cheap Parkers are handy little pens and it was the first type of fountain pen I owned as well about 15 years ago. Next tip is not to be in rush to start writing. If you place the pen on the paper and pause momentarily it will avoid some of the skipping that you may experience if you get in a rush.
 
If you are going to use your FP a lot--and I recommend that you do--try to purchase higher quality paper that won't clog the tines of your pen. I recommend Clairefontaine.

Here are some more sites to help your new addiction:


Forum for FP users (everyone is very helpful--they will answer any questions
you have):
www.pentrace.com/mboard.htm

Sites for FP history, design, care & maintenance:
www.angelfire.com/fl/prestonthepenman/penguide.html
www.rickconner.net/penoply/
www.vintagepens.com/

These are worth reading, esp. on cleaning and what kind of ink to use (or
not to use!) in your FP.
 
Thanks for the site. I need ruled paper for school work, though. =/ Guess I'll stick with my rbs for that
 
Don't use Parkers... They aren't That cheap and they always end up leaking. The cheapest of the cheap supermarket brand pens actually work suprisingly well unless you crack them with excessive pressure. Easily replaceable until you want to move upmarket.
 
madhaha said:
Don't use Parkers... They aren't That cheap and they always end up leaking. The cheapest of the cheap supermarket brand pens actually work suprisingly well unless you crack them with excessive pressure. Easily replaceable until you want to move upmarket.
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I don't agree... I got about a dozen from Mont Blancs, Rotrings and Lamys, and, a few Parkers. and one of the best writers are the cheap 6 dollar Parkers... inexpensive Schaeffers however, are atrocious to use.

As for leakage, store them tip up and don't horse around with them. You should not have a problem.
 
Also, if you are left-handed, and write with your hand curled upside-down like I do, forget about a fountain pen, as you'll get ALOT of ink on the edge of your hand from it dragging along the paper.
 
If you're left handed you're probably better off doing a leonardo and writing back to front...
 
Alright, you guys and your talk of fountain pens has made me realize that I've never used one and I'd like to try. Sometimes I hate this forum. :(

So whats a cheap, yet quality fountain pen that I can check out to see what the fuss is about? Looking for the spyderco of fountain pens. Not concerned about prettiness, just function.

Sorry for the slight off topic but I figured that this is in the same spirit.

Mark
 
I'll stick my $AUS0.02 worth in here too. I love FPs. Some of the cheaper ones do work suprisingly well. A couple of points that I've noticed:

You'll end up trying out quite a few until you find out what suits you, they can be a very personal thing, especially trying to work out exactly what nib style works for you and what the nib is made of as well. Think of it like a knife, what handle do you like, what style of blade and what do you want the blade made of?

Those who say don't let others write with your favourite FP are right. If you use it a lot the nib will conform to your writing style and if somebody else gets hold of it it won't feel the same. Bit like lending your Sebbie to someone and find out they are trying to loosen screws with it, tends to get you slightly annoyed! :)

Go to a GOOD pen shop and they'll let you try out a few.
 
Minjin said:
Alright, you guys and your talk of fountain pens has made me realize that I've never used one and I'd like to try. Sometimes I hate this forum. :(
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I started using the Fountain Pen in high school in a class that required constant note-taking. After about 10 minutes of furious writing, my hands began to cramp. However, I still had about half an hour of writing at the same tempo left during each class. I found that a fountain pen glides over the paper effortlessly and without any downward pressure. I could write for an hour or two at that tempo before any fatigue. Also, filling a pen out of an inkwell was pretty cool and had the girls peeking over in awe. Pretty soon, the entire class was outfitted with Parker Vector pens. An added bonus was that you would not have the writing impression on the bottom page and If we were careful, the ink would not spill, nor would the writing smudge. Overall, it's an old style instrument that requires care to use and produces a product of joy just the same as driving an antique car or drinking a vintage wine.
 
GarageBoy,

I believe that If you are doing fine with the inexpensive Parker you shouldn´t have trouble with others, my main advise is to use it and enjoy it, other advice might be just common sense, like clean them before putting away for a while, be careful not to drop it, etc.

I like Pelikans, My old Pelikan 250 is one of my favorites, I think Parkers are good, I´m not too fond of Montblancs though I have an old Monterosa from the 40´s or 50´s (the cheap line of Montblanc) that works fine after all these years.

Some recent pens I´ve got and like are an Aurora Style and a couple of Deltas, they are fine though one of the Deltas stops flowing after a couple of days without use, I put it in the ink well for a minute and it´s fine again.
 
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