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India's artisanal fountain pens are making their mark
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- Ancapistani 6y agoI have a handful of Indian pens, and the article is pretty spot on. If you’re interested in something unique, custom, and/or hand made, Indian pens are by far the best value out there right now. Ranga is increasingly popular in that community. A big part of it is that a custom pen from a small US manufacturer might run ~$800-$1k; a comparable pen from a small Indian manufacturer will likely be <$200.
- JumpCrisscross 6y agoHow do you buy them?
- tyingq 6y agoThe man in the article has his own site: http://www.fosforpens.com/ http://www.fosforpens.com/ I bet the hard part is finding out who actually makes and sells high quality pens. Betting that slick marketers have already copied the artisanal pictures and stories but have very poor quality "clones" shipping
- ALittleLight 6y agoWhat if I want to wait as little as possible?
- belril 6y agoPeyton Street Pens is a CA-based retailer who sells Ranga pens in the US: https://www.peytonstreetpens.com/pens/ranga/ https://www.peytonstreetpens.com/pens/ranga/ If you’re looking for instant gratification from one of the vendors from the article, there you go. Fair warning: Ranga pens generally range from large to obscenely huge, so do some research to figure out what model(s) you might want.
- WaitWaitWha 6y agoInteresting reference to adulthood. > ... The moment you graduated from a pencil or ballpoint, to a pen you knew you were no longer a child ... When I was growing up, we started with pencil, moved to fountain pens (the one with the cartridges & tiny glass balls), then graduated to ballpoint. A cultural difference.
- bad_extension 6y agoIn my country it generally works the same (as writing with fountain pen is enfoced in primary schools), but after "ballpoint" phase during college some people go back to fountain pens, as they are seen as more classy and elegent writing tool.
- throwawayboise 6y agoWhich country is that? My experience, and that of my kids (in USA) is that pencil is used through high school for daily work. When I was in school, final drafts of essays or other papers could be in ink or typed. Math and science was always done in pencil. Today, pretty much everything written is submitted by computer. Kids can barely print legibly, forget about cursive writing or any care for penmanship.
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- zwirbl 6y agoPencils are not valid for most (all?) exams in the kindof high school I went to and definitely not valid in university exams (in Austria). It's just too easy to fake afterwards
- luplex 6y agoThis is what I see in Germany. A few people stuck with fountain pens thorough high school, but I think moist people switched to ballpoint or fineliners. I don't have a particularly nice handwriting, and a fountain pen would not help with that. So it's not worth the fuss.
- wyxuan 6y agoI've made a pen myself at a local makerspace. If you have the chance, you should definitely try to do it yourself- it's pretty safe and if once you get the hang of it it's very relaxing.
- dahx4Eev 6y agoCan you recommend any tutorials?
- Jtsummers 6y agoI have not done it myself, but there are a number of kits out there. Look up "pen blanks". You'll usually need a lathe (often a small desktop one is sufficient for this purpose) and a kit to get started. Once you have a better idea of what you're doing, you will still need the hardware kits (for the nib and ink bladder, or pencil mechanism, etc.) but can branch out into using your own blanks and coming up with your own designs.
- khazhoux 6y agoAs a long-time Lamy Safari fan, I have a hard time believing people really put these fat, front-heavy pens to use. Anyone here actually use these as more than just decoration or gifts that get tucked into a drawer and forgotten?
- bad_extension 6y agoI think they are often reserved for signing documents and not for general use.
- CarelessExpert 6y agoWhat do you mean by "fat, front-heavy pens"? I'm genuinely curious. The article doesn't have a ton of close-up photos and none of them would seem to match that description. The pens they do show have a profile that reminds me a bit of the Montegrappa Elmo, which I have and love: https://www.montegrappa.com/en/cluster/fattoperte/myfirstmontegrappa/elmo/ https://www.montegrappa.com/en/cluster/fattoperte/myfirstmon...
- doopy1 6y agoI like fountain pens for drawing with. They all have their character. If it fits well in the hand, the ink flows well, and the nib has some variance, then I would put any chubby pen in the rotation.
- jdmichal 6y agoTheir general shape doesn't look that far off from, say, a Pilot Metropolitan? Most of the pictures look fairly typical sizing except for maybe the very first picture.
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- jseliger 6y agoI used to use fountain pens but then discovered the Pigma Micron PN pens: https://www.jetpens.com/Sakura-Pigma-Micron-PN-Pens/ct/4069 https://www.jetpens.com/Sakura-Pigma-Micron-PN-Pens/ct/4069, which are not too expensive, write very nicely, and can be easily lost, given out, and so forth.
- sharadov 6y agoLoved fountain pens as a school kid in India. You had to write in cursive and "proper" handwriting was a big deal. They would not allow ball point pens in the younger grades. But they were messy. Then someone came up with the bright idea of cartridges with pre-filled ink. They were some great brands - Hero, Parker and Sheaffer.
- gramakri 6y agoA parallel universe is the ink brand. Growing up Bril was the "cheap" and popular brand. But the best one was Chelpark.
- lonesword 6y agoChelpark brings fond memories. They had a peculiar color, and it looked beautiful on paper. Of course, Bril was the workhorse.
- seshagiric 6y agoI have fond memories of using ink pens. When any kid in our broader family reached tenth grade, my grandfather would gift them a Parker ink pen. And the last day of exams was the customary throwing ink on each other.
- sharadov 6y agoChelpark had a purple-blue, which looked great!
- kalari 6y agoWas it called royal blue?
- vishnugupta 6y agoTurquoise Blue :-) Glad to have found a fellow fan!
- rob74 6y agoFirst vinyl records, then fountain pens... out with the new, in with the old! But why stop at fountain pens, why not use dip pens, those are even more stylish and minimalistic, kinda like a fixie bicycle? Or why not go all in and use a quill? Fortunately I'm not in danger to succumb to this particular trend, I'm left-handed, so I hate fountain pens...
- andjd 6y ago> Or why not go all in and use a quill? I do. Like taking photos with film, the relative inconvenience of using a quill pen gives you time to focus on penmanship and what you're writing and engage more deeply with the act.
- everyone 6y agoIts all basically this imo. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handicap_principle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handicap_principle Any other explanation is a bit of a stretch.
- jdmichal 6y agoThere's zero inconvenience barrier between my fountain pen with ink cartridges and my rollerball pen with ink refills. Writing and replacing the ink cartridges are functionally equivalent between the two. But my fountain pen has a 1mm stub nib that gives the lines some distinct width, so I use it when I want that characteristic.
- epx 6y agoI like FPs because they are the easiest on my wrist, they don’t go to the landfill as often, and I like to use different colors (have a bunch of inks and have even mixed them myself to achieve the “perfect” aquamarine). Also, the physical principles on which they operate are curious.
- techer 6y agoA combination of a good fountain pen that matches your own writing (price doesn't matter) and good quality paper is an asset to me, not a handicap. The ink flows, the hand to pen to paper feeling/feedback/sound brings out words and sentences that typing doesn't.
- djrogers 6y ago> Today, the waiting list for Mr Deshmukh's pens stretches up to nearly two years. The 10 models come in a range of colours and cost between $70-$160 and > "The last time I looked at his online list, it said my order would be ready in 95 weeks," the Indian-born author, most recently, of Gun Island, told me. Seems like a pretty big failure on pricing here... Raising prices to reduce wait times will generally make for happier customers and more money. Low prices and scarcity lead to secondary markets and unhappy customers.
- brainless 6y agoThis. This is why I feel modern economic machine has failed us. An artisan is making something and selling at a price they are happy to get as wage. And external people have to now think* how the artisan should be raising prices to make more money. There is no pricing failure. Someone is happy creating their version of art and selling it to run their life and family. They have enough customers to keep working for the next many years. Full stop.
- hikingsimulator 6y agoMaximizing profit is not always the best way to go. Especially in the realm of luxury items. Their elasticity is counter-intuitive with regards to the general idea of supply and demand. That's why you have waiting lists in many luxury industries (think about Tesla too). It's part of the trade.
- djrogers 6y ago> Maximizing profit is not always the best way to go. My comment was not advocating for 'maximizing profit' - secondary markets do not make for happy customers, nor do excessively long wait times. Yes - a waiting list can be part of a luxury good, but there's probably an optimization of customer happiness somewhere shorter than a 2 year wait list. A wait list that excessive can spur a secondary market, which makes the wit list even longer, which makes customers and potential customers that much less happy. And the secondary market only enriches the middle-man, while doing nothing for your loyal fans and customers.
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- poglet 6y agoI enjoy writing with the Pilot Kakuno fountain pen. It's a budget pen made in japan, you can install a CON-70 converter and use any ink you want. It's light and comfortable to write with, unlike some of the heavier pens out there. I think it would be a good choice for someone who wants to get into fountain pens but has a tight budget (especially when you get addicted and want to buy a bunch more).
- jdmichal 6y agoThe Pilot Metropolitan is also in the same price range and comes with a converter already.
- CharlesW 6y agoA JetPens guide to the Pilot Metropolitan: https://www.jetpens.com/blog/pilot-metropolitan-a-comprehensive-guide/pt/424 https://www.jetpens.com/blog/pilot-metropolitan-a-comprehens...
- gotorazor 6y agoThe Metropolitan and the Kakuno actually shares the same stainless steel nib. The difference between the two is that the Kakuno has a plastic body while the Metropolitan has a brass body.
- kyleblarson 6y ago"He reached for a pen in a cup on his desk; amazingly, it was full of Montblanc fountain pens, Meisterstücks, at least a dozen of them. Quickly he wrote out a note and handed it to me. 'Don't lose it,' he said, 'because the Registrar never assigns counselees unless I request them.' The note was written in a masculine, rather nineteenth-century hand, with Greek e's. The ink was still wet." Donna Tartt, The Secret History, 1992
- sep_field 6y agoFor anyone interested in fountain pens but unwilling to plop down a huge amount of money, these Japanese "Preppy" pens by Platinum are pretty fun to play with. It's my first fountain pen so I can't say whether its as smooth writing as more expensive ones but for $6 I think its a great way to get started. They come in lots of colors, this is the one I got: https://www.amazon.com/Platinum-Fountain-Cartridges-SPN-100A-Komainu-Dou/dp/B07B8TW5G5 https://www.amazon.com/Platinum-Fountain-Cartridges-SPN-100A...
- thomas 6y agoAgreed, the Preppy is excellent! Some good reference information is here (for people who prefer it to a store link): https://unsharpen.com/pen/platinum-preppy-fountain-pen/ https://unsharpen.com/pen/platinum-preppy-fountain-pen/
- kumarvvr 6y agoYup. They are awesome. Bought a bunch of them when I visited Japan. If you are buying from a store, do check out the nib size on the nib itself rather than the cap, as the caps are interchangeable and the body does not have nib size markings. They are a pleasure to write with and if you write with the 01 nib size with the nib facing the opposite way than normal, you get an extra extra fine line (at the cost of huge friction) that leads to amazing fine drawings.
- sep_field 6y agoLooks like they've fixed that -- my pen has a "03" marked on the top of the cap and the nib itself also has 03 engraved on it.
- epx 6y agoPilot Varsity disposable FP are great too. Have converted many friends to FP by gifting them Varsities.
- jleahy 6y agoFor a tad more money you can get a TWSBI Eco, that would be my recommendation. A very nice pen, not fancy at all but very practical.
- Klwohu 6y agoIt seems like a paid placement advertorial.
- geophile 6y agoI used to love fountain pens, but I don't use them any longer. It's not that I've converted to another kind of pen, it's that I do more and more on my computer. I used to go to meetings, take notes with my fountain pen, and then type in my notes back at my keyboard. But now I have a laptop ...
- kumarvvr 6y agoI shifted to writing with fountain pens a few years back. After I joined my job. I like writing for the pleasure of writing and have written copious amounts of notes. Most of it is circuits, notes, tech stuff, software architecture diagrams, etc. Fountain pens are the best. For fine diagrams I use Platinum Preppy 01. I just love that pen. For daily use, I use a normal Reynolds one that costs Rs. 20 (about 30 cents, US). My preferred choice of ink is Parker Quink. I fill up using a syringe. Can never ever write with a normal pen. However, I am forced to use ball pens on older paper as fountain pens blot a lot on yellowed out paper.
- mindentropy 6y agoIf you interested use the Pentel Energel pens rather than Reynolds. I hated Reynolds as a child because of how thin the barrel which used to hurt. Some of the quick drying waterproof gel pens give similar feel of a fountain pen.
- gautamdivgi 6y agoYou need a gel pen like a uniball. Its pretty close to a fountain pen (or better depending on nib quality I guess) with the convenience of a ball point. Different tip sizes are available as well - 0.7mm is probably the most popular, 0.5mm is available too. Both write real nice.
- algorerhythms 6y agoA little bit of self promotion, but I built a site for learning about fountain pen history and managing your pen collection. It's kind of like a wiki and github mashed together. You can file reviews to have new content get added. https://pencyclopedia.ink https://pencyclopedia.ink
- villgax 6y agoThere's a guy in Bangalore who sells mechanical grandfather clocks too built from metal.
- villgax 6y agohttps://www.forbesindia.com/article/recliner/chimes-they-are-a-changin-meet-dilip-sivaraman-the-purist-horologist/50295/1 https://www.forbesindia.com/article/recliner/chimes-they-are...
- chupchap 6y agoI started using fountain pens again last year when I started journalling. As a side effect my hand writing is so much better. Later I shifted to a dip pen since I wanted to write slower and think more before I wrote. I had shifted to a ballpoint in school for exactly the opposite reason.
- higgins 6y agowhat a headline :golfemoji:
- rramadass 6y agoWith increasing automation/machine made everything i think "artisanal" ways of production is how we can carve out our niche and make a good and stress free at-our-own-pace living like the old Artists/Sculptors/Artisans of yore. This is a good way to live. How can one do this in the Computer HW/SW business ?
- amenghra 6y agoPage 19 of https://pagedout.institute/download/PagedOut_002_beta2.pdf https://pagedout.institute/download/PagedOut_002_beta2.pdf has an artisanal QR code, enjoy!
- rramadass 6y agoThat's Neat!
- irjustin 6y agoOverall I think we're too commoditized to do this "generally". There needs to be a scarcity. To be a scarcity is to chase things with high specialization and a relatively small niche. It's actually not hard to do in SW/HW per se, find a really old language/hardware and become useful in it. Mainframes come to mind.
- rramadass 6y agoRight; i am looking for those sort of niche specializations where people are willing to pay good money eg; Mainframes/COBOL/Specialized MCUs/Unique Product/Maintenance etc. However finding them is not easy, would love to have some leads i.e. websites/list of companies etc.
- sn41 6y agoYou can try buiding and selling wood craft computer accessories - there might be a niche market for such things.
- hackshack 6y agoI think by writing, both on a keyboard and paper. Tendonitis was prevented by using the Dvorak layout (keyboard model more or less irrelevant) and a fountain pen. Fountain pens reduce or eliminate cramping by not requiring pressure. You just drag the nib across the page to make a mark. The ink stands out as blacker for a given pressure compared to anything else I've used except maybe a thick technical pen with India ink (which clogs easily). I prefer older pens with flexible nibs. Modern fountain pens are designed for people used to ballpoints, so the nibs are very stiff and it feels like writing with a nail. These newer fountain pens may actually require pressure to make a decent mark, which goes against the ergonomics for me. Price is irrelevant; my Parker 21 or Noodler's Ahab, both with flexible nibs, write nicer than my Mont Blanc which admittedly looks prettier. The Noodler's takes some noodling to get the way you want (pulling nib tines apart, messing with the feed) which can be a pain in the butt similar to setting up X configs... sometimes you just want the tool to work. The Parker just runs beautifully as long as it's clean and used with Quink. Anyways if you write a lot, consider these, along with the Blackwing pencils if you prefer graphite. Also props to the reMarkable 2 (with the fancier "erasable" stylus).
- beanders 6y ago> Nibs and ink filling systems are usually imported How would one go about finding these components (in hobbyist volumes)? The fountain pen components I have seen for sale (in the US) are quite expensive and limited in options/quality.
- hilbert42 6y agoIf you're interested in making yourself a lovely looking fountain pen then here's how: For those who are into woodworking you can make yourself some very spiffy looking fountain pens (in fact they can be as beautiful as anything you can buy). First, get some very pretty wood in the form of pen blanks (that's their correct name) and there's plenty to choose from. Many woodworking suppliers sell wooden pen blanks like these: https://www.etsy.com/market/wood_pen_blanks https://www.etsy.com/market/wood_pen_blanks Then you use your woodworking skills as follows https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcRsuJeWQlI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcRsuJeWQlI This video is a bit over the top though, most woodworkers won't want to forge the metal bits as well. Usually all the 'metalwork'—the nib/ink/cartridge assemblies can be bought from the same place as the blanks. Incidentally, here's an unrelated but useful tip: if you've some broken furniture a table or wardrobe, etc. and there are small bits or chips broken off it and you want to find some matching wood to patch it up then a cheap source of wood can often be found by selecting a pen blank that matches the missing piece. There is such an enormous range of pen blanks available that you're almost certain to find one that's a pretty close match.