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I'd designed a typeface when a colleague asked what it would look like written with a cursive nib pen. I had no answer, went out and bought one, then spent the

I'd designed a typeface when a colleague asked what it would look like written with a cursive nib pen. I had no answer, went out and bought one, then spent the next few months going down the "there are thousands of ink brands and colours" rabbit hole, ended up buying 500+ samples and trying them all (see https://imgur.com/gallery/3JWW4 https://imgur.com/gallery/3JWW4), and then made https://inkdb.org https://inkdb.org... Inks are fun, but the state of fountain pens themselves, for me at least, is way too "extremely expensive pens" instead of "investing in making excellent low cost flex nibs". Plenty of polymers and plastic that have infinitely better flex than the traditional gold or modern titanium (like Bock's) do, but no one's making any. And unless you want a pen that'll smell for a year, like Noodler's, or something that feels functional but that's about it, like a standard Lamy or TRB, there's just not a lot of low cost fun to be had. And to make it just a little more annoying, if you do decide to go for the higher end fun (e.g. Pelikan flex pens and their ilk) you're stuck with "pick a nib. That's your pen now" rather than the "Pick a pen. And then put on whatever nib you want, they're trivially interchangeable. Buy a set, any #6 will fit, go wild" that lower cost but much more sensible pens go with.

monetus 4y ago
Ever try making franken-pens? I made one with the cheapest... Jinhao I think and a friend's unmarked, broken pen; a brass nib iirc. Works better than the expensive pelikans I've tried, and was interchangeable, weirdly enough. No leaks. What you say about polymer pens could still be really expensive if they leaned into the prestige of carbon fiber or something. Weird.
- TheRealPomax 4y ago
  Of course. I've cut 1950's gold nibs down to #6 dimensions and used them with modern demonstrator pens with added o-rings so that no cartridges are necessary, but that's a terrible thing to tell folks they'll want to do if they're considering getting a fountain pen =)
cge 4y ago
The "extremely expensive pens" focus is particularly frustrating because I have gotten the impression that the modern fountain pen market is more about producing limited-edition goods for collection and conspicuous consumption rather than excellent pens: the actual nib, feed, and entire function as a pen seems to be less important than the appearance of the barrel. Most high-end fountain pens seem to have the same style of usually-too-bold, extremely stiff nib, and the same style of feed and reservoir. Any specialist nib makers with flex nibs seem to just be making the same traditional nibs that have always been available. I primarily use vintage fountain pens not because I would be averse to using modern ones, but because they have better options available. Pens from over a hundred years ago somehow have far better flex nibs than modern pens, despite, as you point out, the many technological advances in flexible materials. And I'm not aware of any modern manufacturers making filling mechanisms like, say, a snorkel filler. Even my 1970s Kaweco Sport has a hooded, semi-flex nib; modern Kawecos have the same generic stiff nib on a standard feed that every other modern pen has (they are apparently actually just a purchased brand name of a cosmetics company now). Surely we could do far better? Yet it seems like no manufacturer is really trying to innovate on the actual pen part of fountain pens at all.
- ubermonkey 4y ago
  That segment of the market -- the high end -- absolutely exists, but there's never been a better time (at least in my lifetime) for mid-level to entry-level pens. I first got into pens 30 years ago, and I definitely HAVE a couple expensive (> $250US) pens, but my daily drivers are an Aurora (about $100), a Pilot Decimo ($140), and a TWSBI ($60). I also keep some Lamy Safaris around, which are even cheaper and work GREAT in situations when you might not want to carry a more expensive pen.
- TheRealPomax 4y ago
  That's not "somehow": that's because the nibs are still actual 14k gold. No one (well, no one affordable) makes those these days. And thanks to that nonsense, there is a second hand nib-only market if you know what your pen will fit, or you're willing to get creative with fine control power tools and don't mind potentially destroying a $100 nib as part of the adventure.

monetus 4y ago

Ever try making franken-pens? I made one with the cheapest... Jinhao I think and a friend's unmarked, broken pen; a brass nib iirc. Works better than the expensive pelikans I've tried, and was interchangeable, weirdly enough. No leaks. What you say about polymer pens could still be really expensive if they leaned into the prestige of carbon fiber or something. Weird.

TheRealPomax 4y ago
Of course. I've cut 1950's gold nibs down to #6 dimensions and used them with modern demonstrator pens with added o-rings so that no cartridges are necessary, but that's a terrible thing to tell folks they'll want to do if they're considering getting a fountain pen =)

cge 4y ago

The "extremely expensive pens" focus is particularly frustrating because I have gotten the impression that the modern fountain pen market is more about producing limited-edition goods for collection and conspicuous consumption rather than excellent pens: the actual nib, feed, and entire function as a pen seems to be less important than the appearance of the barrel. Most high-end fountain pens seem to have the same style of usually-too-bold, extremely stiff nib, and the same style of feed and reservoir. Any specialist nib makers with flex nibs seem to just be making the same traditional nibs that have always been available. I primarily use vintage fountain pens not because I would be averse to using modern ones, but because they have better options available. Pens from over a hundred years ago somehow have far better flex nibs than modern pens, despite, as you point out, the many technological advances in flexible materials. And I'm not aware of any modern manufacturers making filling mechanisms like, say, a snorkel filler. Even my 1970s Kaweco Sport has a hooded, semi-flex nib; modern Kawecos have the same generic stiff nib on a standard feed that every other modern pen has (they are apparently actually just a purchased brand name of a cosmetics company now). Surely we could do far better? Yet it seems like no manufacturer is really trying to innovate on the actual pen part of fountain pens at all.

ubermonkey 4y ago
That segment of the market -- the high end -- absolutely exists, but there's never been a better time (at least in my lifetime) for mid-level to entry-level pens. I first got into pens 30 years ago, and I definitely HAVE a couple expensive (> $250US) pens, but my daily drivers are an Aurora (about $100), a Pilot Decimo ($140), and a TWSBI ($60). I also keep some Lamy Safaris around, which are even cheaper and work GREAT in situations when you might not want to carry a more expensive pen.
TheRealPomax 4y ago
That's not "somehow": that's because the nibs are still actual 14k gold. No one (well, no one affordable) makes those these days. And thanks to that nonsense, there is a second hand nib-only market if you know what your pen will fit, or you're willing to get creative with fine control power tools and don't mind potentially destroying a $100 nib as part of the adventure.