4 ms·

That's surprising for me - my memory of it was that ball points were just plain safer as a 3rd / 4th grade kid using them. Fountain pens on the other hand were

by safog 6y ago

That's surprising for me - my memory of it was that ball points were just plain safer as a 3rd / 4th grade kid using them. Fountain pens on the other hand were expensive, messy (they can leak in your pocket, you have to refill them with ink, the nibs might need replacing) and just plain hard to use in general. I think I got my first fountain pen in high school - one of those landmark dad / son moment along with things like learning how to shave etc.

lotsofpulp 6y ago
I grew up in the US in the 90s and 00s, and I only used pencils and ballpoint pens. I've never used a fountain pen, I don't even think I've seen one outside of a display case of a fancy pen shop. I'm also pretty sure I can now only write a paragraph or two before my hand starts cramping up.
- Jtsummers 6y ago
  > I'm also pretty sure I can now only write a paragraph or two before my hand starts cramping up. This was actually a nice thing about picking up a fountain pen to write with. The ink flows without you applying pressure (or significant pressure) to the page, and you learn to let the pen mostly rest in place in your hand. If you're gripping it tightly, you're probably holding it wrong. I've written dozens of pages at a time with a fountain pen and never felt much hand strain, in contrast to how I often felt with other pens and pencils. Though since learning to hold a pen properly with the fountain pen, I've become better with those as well Except for cheap ballpoints, they suck.
- OldHand2018 6y ago
  I’m about 3 years into an experiment in which I try to determine if fountain pens can reduce waste and be less expensive overall. This is the first time I’ve ever used fountain pens and am finding that success is likely, with the side effect of increased writing enjoyment. I bought a Lamy Safari and a Pilot Metropolitan with refillable tanks. These are “cheap” pens. Funny thing - I once was cleaning one of the pens in the sink at work and a colleague noticed, and happily told me of his happy memories with fountains pens growing up in India. There were a few others in the room who heard and started a conversation about childhood, school, and especially the anxiety of school exams with their fountain pens. It was a real treat.
  - throwanem 6y ago
    To your point of reducing waste, Pilot cartridges are refillable - you just need to tweeze out the little plastic biscuit, and later push it back into the refilled cartridge with the back of a chopstick or something. I refill from Iroshizuku bottles, having found inks designed for Western pens to tend to flow poorly in Pilot F and EF nibs - a shame; I really like Herbin inks. For the actual filling, I use an adjustable automatic pipetter that I got for $30 off Amazon, before I quit doing business with them, and which can anyway be found more cheaply on eBay; the cartridges take about a milliliter, so get one whose range includes that volume. (I fill mine to 950ul, but it's not super critical.) If you haven't used a pipetter before, read the instructions carefully and practice with water first, since misuse can potentially damage the tool. But you'll get the hang of it pretty quick, and it's a lot faster and neater than syringes and dispensing needles. The tips are meant to be disposable, and it's good to have a few spares on hand in case of inadvertent bumps damaging the very fine dispensing orifice, but you can also just flush well with water after use and keep using the same tip for a long time. Another problem is holding cartridges for refilling. I made a six-gang rack a couple years ago, but before that had reasonable results with a clothespin at the bottom of the cartridge and a bit of masking tape to keep the clothespin in place on my desk - slow, but workable. I don't even know the last time I had to throw out a cartridge. They can crack if you have the bad habit of squeezing to push ink from a newly installed cartridge into a dry feed, so don't do that; otherwise, I've found them to hold up really well.
    - OldHand2018 6y ago
      I appreciate your response! I am also using the same Iroshizuku bottle in both the Pilot and Lamy pens. I'm curious about the Pilot cartridges - why do you need to replace the "little plastic biscuit"? Does it serve a purpose other than preventing spills or evaporation in unused cartridges?
      - throwanem 6y ago
        No, I mean, it's just a mechanical seal, not required for the pen to function; the cartridge friction-fits the same way on the stem of the feed whether the seal is there or not. That said, I'd still say it's worth keeping track of the seals, just so that you're not out of luck if you do find a use case that requires a sealed cartridge - carrying a couple of spares in a work bag, for example, as I do. The best way I know to keep track of them is by reinstalling them in freshly filled cartridges, but I guess I'd do that anyway since I refill in batches rather than by the each. It is a fiddly task, so I could see skipping it if it wouldn't be needed. Side note: If you're always going to be filling and using cartridges by the each, a Pilot CON-40 or Lamy Z28 converter will likely be more convenient; these offer an inexpensive alternative to cartridges, and use a screw-piston mechanism to let you fill the pen directly from a bottle of ink - see [1] for examples and details of use. I've found converters inconvenient and messy to use, hence the preference for cartridge refilling, but they might well serve you better than refilling with even less potential waste. (Reviewing your prior comment, I note you have a Metropolitan, which should have shipped with a press plate converter. That's definitely one to try! The page linked at [1] has info on how to use it, including how to get past the pitfalls I ran into when I tried the one that came with my first pen. Goulet says it has a higher capacity than the CON-40, too, at 0.9ml vs. 0.6ml for the CON-40. [2] [3]) [1] https://www.jetpens.com/blog/how-to-use-a-fountain-pen-converter-2/pt/479#Piston%20Converters https://www.jetpens.com/blog/how-to-use-a-fountain-pen-conve... [2] https://blog.gouletpens.com/2013/08/pilot-converter-ink-capacities/ https://blog.gouletpens.com/2013/08/pilot-converter-ink-capa... [3] https://www.gouletpens.com/products/pilot-con-40-piston-converter https://www.gouletpens.com/products/pilot-con-40-piston-conv...
- throwanem 6y ago
  I had that problem before I started using fountain pens. Now I can write pages at a time in my diary like it's nothing. The Pilot Metropolitan is a really good pen and you can get one for $20, maybe it's worth a try!

by safog 6y ago

lotsofpulp 6y ago

I grew up in the US in the 90s and 00s, and I only used pencils and ballpoint pens. I've never used a fountain pen, I don't even think I've seen one outside of a display case of a fancy pen shop. I'm also pretty sure I can now only write a paragraph or two before my hand starts cramping up.

Jtsummers 6y ago
> I'm also pretty sure I can now only write a paragraph or two before my hand starts cramping up. This was actually a nice thing about picking up a fountain pen to write with. The ink flows without you applying pressure (or significant pressure) to the page, and you learn to let the pen mostly rest in place in your hand. If you're gripping it tightly, you're probably holding it wrong. I've written dozens of pages at a time with a fountain pen and never felt much hand strain, in contrast to how I often felt with other pens and pencils. Though since learning to hold a pen properly with the fountain pen, I've become better with those as well Except for cheap ballpoints, they suck.
OldHand2018 6y ago
I’m about 3 years into an experiment in which I try to determine if fountain pens can reduce waste and be less expensive overall. This is the first time I’ve ever used fountain pens and am finding that success is likely, with the side effect of increased writing enjoyment. I bought a Lamy Safari and a Pilot Metropolitan with refillable tanks. These are “cheap” pens. Funny thing - I once was cleaning one of the pens in the sink at work and a colleague noticed, and happily told me of his happy memories with fountains pens growing up in India. There were a few others in the room who heard and started a conversation about childhood, school, and especially the anxiety of school exams with their fountain pens. It was a real treat.
- throwanem 6y ago
  To your point of reducing waste, Pilot cartridges are refillable - you just need to tweeze out the little plastic biscuit, and later push it back into the refilled cartridge with the back of a chopstick or something. I refill from Iroshizuku bottles, having found inks designed for Western pens to tend to flow poorly in Pilot F and EF nibs - a shame; I really like Herbin inks. For the actual filling, I use an adjustable automatic pipetter that I got for $30 off Amazon, before I quit doing business with them, and which can anyway be found more cheaply on eBay; the cartridges take about a milliliter, so get one whose range includes that volume. (I fill mine to 950ul, but it's not super critical.) If you haven't used a pipetter before, read the instructions carefully and practice with water first, since misuse can potentially damage the tool. But you'll get the hang of it pretty quick, and it's a lot faster and neater than syringes and dispensing needles. The tips are meant to be disposable, and it's good to have a few spares on hand in case of inadvertent bumps damaging the very fine dispensing orifice, but you can also just flush well with water after use and keep using the same tip for a long time. Another problem is holding cartridges for refilling. I made a six-gang rack a couple years ago, but before that had reasonable results with a clothespin at the bottom of the cartridge and a bit of masking tape to keep the clothespin in place on my desk - slow, but workable. I don't even know the last time I had to throw out a cartridge. They can crack if you have the bad habit of squeezing to push ink from a newly installed cartridge into a dry feed, so don't do that; otherwise, I've found them to hold up really well.
  - OldHand2018 6y ago
    I appreciate your response! I am also using the same Iroshizuku bottle in both the Pilot and Lamy pens. I'm curious about the Pilot cartridges - why do you need to replace the "little plastic biscuit"? Does it serve a purpose other than preventing spills or evaporation in unused cartridges?
    - throwanem 6y ago
      No, I mean, it's just a mechanical seal, not required for the pen to function; the cartridge friction-fits the same way on the stem of the feed whether the seal is there or not. That said, I'd still say it's worth keeping track of the seals, just so that you're not out of luck if you do find a use case that requires a sealed cartridge - carrying a couple of spares in a work bag, for example, as I do. The best way I know to keep track of them is by reinstalling them in freshly filled cartridges, but I guess I'd do that anyway since I refill in batches rather than by the each. It is a fiddly task, so I could see skipping it if it wouldn't be needed. Side note: If you're always going to be filling and using cartridges by the each, a Pilot CON-40 or Lamy Z28 converter will likely be more convenient; these offer an inexpensive alternative to cartridges, and use a screw-piston mechanism to let you fill the pen directly from a bottle of ink - see [1] for examples and details of use. I've found converters inconvenient and messy to use, hence the preference for cartridge refilling, but they might well serve you better than refilling with even less potential waste. (Reviewing your prior comment, I note you have a Metropolitan, which should have shipped with a press plate converter. That's definitely one to try! The page linked at [1] has info on how to use it, including how to get past the pitfalls I ran into when I tried the one that came with my first pen. Goulet says it has a higher capacity than the CON-40, too, at 0.9ml vs. 0.6ml for the CON-40. [2] [3]) [1] https://www.jetpens.com/blog/how-to-use-a-fountain-pen-converter-2/pt/479#Piston%20Converters https://www.jetpens.com/blog/how-to-use-a-fountain-pen-conve... [2] https://blog.gouletpens.com/2013/08/pilot-converter-ink-capacities/ https://blog.gouletpens.com/2013/08/pilot-converter-ink-capa... [3] https://www.gouletpens.com/products/pilot-con-40-piston-converter https://www.gouletpens.com/products/pilot-con-40-piston-conv...
throwanem 6y ago
I had that problem before I started using fountain pens. Now I can write pages at a time in my diary like it's nothing. The Pilot Metropolitan is a really good pen and you can get one for $20, maybe it's worth a try!