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New Fountain Pen, Need Advice


JohnZ

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Hello everyone, I just ordered a Townsend fountain pen. This is my very first fountain pen. If you have any tips or advice for me, please let me know.

EDC: Pelikan M200

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Hello everyone, I just ordered a Townsend fountain pen. This is my very first fountain pen. If you have any tips or advice for me, please let me know.

 

 

Welcome

 

You've done well, you won't regret it.

Enjoy your pens

Have a nice day

Junaid

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Just ink it up and write, those are bulletproof.

"how do I know what I think until I write it down?"

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Good pen. I recommend Noodler's Bulletproof Black as a good starter ink - mainly because I've always had problems with fading and water spots before I came across Noodler's.

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Have one Townsend from the second year they had been introduced, works like a champ. Have not found an ink than did not work well.

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Just received my fountain pen (townsend, fine) and I have never loved a pen so much. This is my first FP as I said before, but not my first cross pen. Now, I do have a few things I want to clear up before I do something stupid to harm this pen:

 

1. Storing. Is it bad to have it lay sideways for say 24 hours with ink in it? Everyone says don't do that for a long time, but they don't say what is a long time in fountain pen time.

 

2. Writing: the great thing about fountain pens is you don't need as much pressure. Since this is my first, I am afraid I might apply too much pressure. I noticed that at some pressures it doesn't write due to not getting enough friction and other times being starved of ink. So long as the ink is flowing smoothing, I'm in the right ballpark of pressure, right?

 

3. Smoothing the nib: if I can draw a straight line 12 inches long with the same ink consistency and no difficulty, my nib is fine, right?

 

4. Cleaning: how often? I have heard two common things: A. Every 2 refills. and B. only when you don't use it for a long time. Which is it? Also, I have heard hot is bad, cold is good in terms of water temperature. The manual suggests warm. Is it safe to assume then that room temperature is perfect for nib soaking?

 

5. Space: there is a lot of space inside my pen. Are converters that big? I only have cartridges at the moment as a "warm up" ink and my cartridge could be much longer.

EDC: Pelikan M200

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1...If you store with ink in it, it is always best to rest it nib up. It is not a good idea to leave ink in a pen as ink can dry out and clog the nib. Also, be sure to keep your ink in a dark place and well sealed because it can grow mold which could harm a pen and be a pain to clean.

2... Always write with a light touch as you don't need much pressure to write....

3...I would clean every time I didn't have ink in it (at the end of every use)... so basically fill a pen, use it for the day -- work day or whatever-- then put the unused ink back into the ink bottle and flush the pen with cool water by taking water in and out of the pen the same way you filled it with ink until the water comes out of your pen clear.

4. It is always best to use a converter because they hold more ink. those cartriges can leave you hanging if they run out. converters make the pen easier to clean too. My earlier instructions for cleaning assumed you already had a converter. Cross's green converter is the one that fits Townsend. It installs, I believe, just like the cartriges do.

 

one other thing. After you clean your pen, what I find helpful to me is to take a coffee cup and a paper towel. fold the paper towel and place it in the bottom of the coffee cup. rest the pen, nib down, where the nib is resting on the paper towel and let sit like that over night. The paper towel will draw the excess water out of the pen.

Edited by swright007
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Thanks for the reply. Are you positive ink will dry up that fast? I understand cleaning it if you won't use it for a week, but I would think most people don't take the time to clean their pen every single night if they are going to use it the next day. Since I do not have a converter, this is a lot harder for me. I am pretty sure cartridges are intended to be used until they are empty.

 

As for the writing, apparently it was the paper I was using that was causing my issues. The paper was pretty rough and I think that is why I was having a hard time. I just wrote an essay in my notebook with it and the pen just flew across the page. I never want to use ballpoints again.

 

Yes, I am on the fence of going with a converter which is why I do not already have one. I like being able to get ink cheaper, but cartridges are so convenient and I can easily just throw a spare into my bag.

EDC: Pelikan M200

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Again, my instructions are geared to someone that uses a converter. It is easy to flush a pen if you use a converter the way I described. I have never used cartridges, myself. I am sure the steps for cleaning with those would be a little different. I'm sorry I didn't address your specific situation. Let me see what I can find to help you.

 

With a converter they tipically hold about a week's worth of writing ink. So there would be no need for extras. You just either have to travel with your pen empty and have your bottle of ink with its lid on tight in a ziplock baggy or just make sure the pen travels nib up if you leave it full. Cleaning every 2 days should be ok. It is entirely up to you.

 

Here is a video I found that will help answer your question about how to clean your pen when you feel it needs to be. I don't know how long a cartridge lasts you... 2 or 3 days... whatever the case may be, when you are done with your cartridge and you need to clean your pen this video should help.

 

 

Basically you open your pen like you are going to put a cartridge in it and take the nib housing and after turning on your sink's tap to a light stream of water, run water through the large opening and let the water run through it and out the nib. The water needs to be either cold or room temperature. Never warm or hot as that can damage components or soften glue in older pens. if you, say for instance, buy a used pen and need to clean it and the ink is all dry in there it is ok to take a bowl full of cool water and let the nib housing sit in water overnight before you use the tap to run water through it.

 

Thank you for letting me check further into things that might help you. Whether you use a converter or not, I wish you many years of happiness with your new fountain pen! I look to get a Townsend as well. I have about 3 fountain pens but my current favorite is my Cross Penatia. It is about a $50 pen and is really pleasant to use. I've heard that Townsend, however, is much nicer.

Edited by swright007
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Thanks for the video. I can definitely do that. Cartridge users say after every 2 refills. That translates to every few days for me. If I notice poor ink flow, I can always adjust my cleaning routine to be every cartridge.

 

As far as pens go, I cannot give a meaningful recommendation because I cannot compare it, but I love it a lot.

Edited by JohnZ

EDC: Pelikan M200

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I always wanted a jade one of those.... nice choice!

My two best writers.

http://s2.postimg.org/v3a1772ft/M1000_Black_L_R.jpg..........http://img802.imageshack.us/img802/1217/85960889.png

.........I call this one Günter. ......... I call this one Michael Clarke Duncan.

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Thank you. I put a lot of thought into my first fountain pen and I was able to find this site and get a lot of opinions on all different pens I was looking at by searching these forums. The Townsend had a lot of good praise and I have enjoyed Cross' ballpoint pens, so my choice became very clear very quickly.

 

A quick update on my pen, I had it set with the nib up overnight and the very first stroke I made today came out perfectly. There weren't any start up problems and the flow is still great.

EDC: Pelikan M200

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Emptying of the pen each night and cleaning it is definitely not needed. It would be like changing the oil in your car every week. Sure it is great for the pen/car but is it needed? No way.

 

If you are planning on using the pen any time in the next two weeks I would leave it inked. If you are going through the amount of ink you think you will, there would be no reason to clean it several times a week unless you simply wanted to or were changing ink colors.

 

Sometimes pens have enough room for a spare cartridge to be stored inside the pen barrel. I have about 60 vintage pens for each modern one I have, so I guess take my advice on modern pens with a grain of salt. Although I do know cleaning it each night is not needed. Pens are tools, they would not be a very good product if they were that needy of attention.

 

Hope you have a great experience with the Cross and buy many more fountain pens in the future!!

 

Best Regards,

 

Preston

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Hi, I can add a little info. The converter for the Townsend is the green version, the same one as fits the Aventura, (in my photo).

You can see the converter is much longer than a refill, and but I don't think it holds much more ink, if any more at all.

The main advantage of converters, is that you can easily use other makes and colours of ink, plus it is a handy way of drawing water up and down through the nib and feeder, for cleaning.

I would say a pen would need a flush through of room temperature water, about each second or third refill.

It's really important to get all the water out of the nib section after flushing through, as the ink will be diluted and will write weakly on the paper for some time afterwards.

Standing the nib on paper towel is effective in draining the water out of the nib and feeder.

The main place the water will sit after flushing, is around where the cartridge plugs in.

I shake the section to get the water out, and then leaving it to dry overnight, with no cartridge or converter fitted, is normally enough.

I store my pens either nib up, or flat/horizontal.

A nib won't dry out over a few days, if the cap is on, some pens are better than others for this, but mine will write first time if left for say, two weeks without use.

A good standard type of paper to use is 'Black n' Red' in their notebooks, or for A4 sheets, the higher quality printer paper, say 100 gsm.

It is tempting to use the normal 80 gsm printer/copier paper, but I have found it to give variable results, the quality varies so much from brand to brand.

Edited by Mike 59
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Get an ear syringe and cut a bit off the nozzle so it fits perfectly into the section. Makes cleaning EASY! (fill the syringe with water and squeeze it through till it runs clear if you don't know what i mean :D).

 

To dry it I have typically first used the dry ear syringe to blow air through it to force most of the water into and out of the feed and then wrapped it in paper towel and used a wrist flicking motion to get rid of most of the water. Then, using the same paper towel, I wick the water away by wiping along the slit and over the breather hole until it runs dry.

 

That's a full flush and clean, and I normally only do that with pens I want to put into storage, otherwise i dont mind a bit of water left in the feed. I just kind of doodle until the saturation gets up to the point where I am happy to write with it. Usually that happens very quickly. If not, then just turn the nob on the converter to force more ink into the feed. Be sure to wick away the excess ink if you do this. There have been a couple of times where I have gone to write and a blob of ink has flown out of my excessively inked nib and splattered all over my notes :headsmack:

My two best writers.

http://s2.postimg.org/v3a1772ft/M1000_Black_L_R.jpg..........http://img802.imageshack.us/img802/1217/85960889.png

.........I call this one Günter. ......... I call this one Michael Clarke Duncan.

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Yes, I am on the fence of going with a converter which is why I do not already have one. I like being able to get ink cheaper, but cartridges are so convenient and I can easily just throw a spare into my bag.

 

Note that most Cross fountain pens will hold two cartridges in the barrel, one inserted into the section, and the other the opposite way round (that is, back-to back with the cartridge that's in use). This means that your spare cartridge is right inside the pen, no digging around in the bag is needed.

[size="4"]"[i][b][color="#000000"]Qui plume a, guerre a.[/color][/b][/i]" - Voltaire[/size]

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Thanks for the replies everybody. I never realized how big converters were. The suction mechanism and the part you twist take up a lot of space. It looks like the converter does hold more, but it is not a big difference. For now, I am definitely sticking with cartridges. I like the convenience of cartridges and I am not going to be getting creative with inks. I will be doing all of my writing in black ink and cross' black ink (I think it is actually made by pelikan) is perfect for me. Not the best ink in the world, but reliable enough for my needs.

 

A spare cartridge in the pen? Why doesn't the instruction manual mention that? That seems like something worth mentioning. I will have to give that a try.

EDC: Pelikan M200

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Hello again, I have another question, but not about the pen. I have been doing all of my notes in a cheap notebook with rings and green lines. I'm sure you guys know what I'm talking about. It works, but it isn't exactly the best writing experience. Although it is a much better experience with my townsend. I was wondering if any of you know of a good professional notebook with quality paper.

 

I did a quick check on staples and found this: http://www.staples.com/Black-N-Red-Executive-Casebound-Notebook-8-1-4-inch-x-11/product_652466

 

Does anyone know how good that paper would be for a fountain pen?

 

I could always just get another one of my notebooks, but I figured now would be a good time to upgrade on the quality.

EDC: Pelikan M200

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