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I think you likely already have them. That or speak to a University conservation specialist.

Hi As the title says, does anyone know where or how I can obtain/purchase a pair of the handling gloves used by Montblanc to handle the writing instruments in store? I would love to own a pair. I recently went to the Montblanc Haus factory tour, which I would highly recommend by the way. I asked the lady who guided us on the tour, the gentleman in charge of the boutique inside the building, but was told it wasn’t something that was available for purchase Have any of you received such a pair from Montblanc when purchasing a writing instrument? In the meantime, I've just purchased a regular pair of white cotton handling gloves, but would ideally like a pair used by the Montblanc sales people.

Mix it up....!

I just started the development of 13 types of grip sections, for PEEK/ULTEM fountain pens. i started off with "One-Piece Thick Arc" this will take quite a while, because these designs are all thicker than Urushi grip (13 types). so i am starting everything over again. in the end, it will be worthwhile though...

Wow! What a beautiful pen. Looks like it might have been 3D printed. How’s it write?

Today’s pen will be a Kaweco Sport AL Aurora green with BB nib. I’ll be filling it with Diamine Ultra Green ink. The nib has been drying overnight.

🤣 So true! So do I swap by line or by page?

So, I have 3 Wing Sung 699s. I really like them, except for the stock steel nibs. One of the 3 has a 14k nib. That one is amazing. I'd like to upgrade the other two to have gold nibs also. It seems these nibs are a "standard-for-China-but-not-for-the-west" 32mm in length, and are the same as the nibs used in, e.g., the Wing Sung 629. In other respects they're about the same as a regular #6 western nib. People who are a little more hands on than I am have been able to put, e.g., Bock nibs in these pens by machining off a few mm from the back of the nib to shorten it. From searching around I see that there are steel replacement nibs available (from Wing Sung and also from Fuliwen), but I can't for the life of me find anywhere that sells just the replacement 14k nibs. Does anyone know where you can get these nibs without having to buy whole pens?

Bravo. I know how much time goes into this, but the result is clear. And the good news is that, if you continue to practice in a focused manner (and if you continue to carefully study the exemplars) it will only get better. Enjoy and once again bravo.

It’s the absolute best one for someone wanting to write “American” cursive.

Thank you, it is a vintage Hamilton. It’s a family piece, I don’t know many details, as I am not really a watch person.

The incorrect answer is 'only one of them'.

Actually, no. I bought another clear one. 😁

Thanks for the kind words!

The Cross Townsend might be a good choice - 18k gold nib, nice heft and not too pricey as they are often heavily discounted. Get a convertor and a bottle of ink and you're away. The Cross Century II is also nice, but most of them come with a steel nib. The Parker Sonnet isn't terrible either and often discounted too. I have a Sonnet "traveller edition which writes well and doesn't dry out. It was made in 2018 (?) and it came with a gold nib. The Waterman Carene could be a good choice, but in my experience it isn't a great travel pen. It burps ink every so often and I find myself with my hands covered in ink. If you want to go vintage, you can get a a Parker 45 as cheap as chips - 14k nib - nice balance and usually writes well. If you want to spend a lot of money - S T Dupont is the metal pen I'd go for. Classic, superb balance, lovely nib. If you don't want to spend that much - a Pelikan M600 perhaps?

🤣 Quick test: if you can palm a basketball, this is the right pen for you.

Buying your first fountain pen for many a year is not straightforward; many of the folks here are still searching for 'the' pen after many, many purchases. You've had some great advice and if I might add to the confusion, I would offer the following: Buy a couple of cheap Chinese pens - I have bought Jinhao and Kaigelu (the 316) pens and they write pretty well, especially for the price. It gives you the chance to try out fountain pens, to try different shapes and sizes, and keeps costs down whilst you experiment. There is a great deal of information on here about Jinhao in particular. Once you have a rough idea of the size and shape that you find comfortable, that may then help in choosing something which otherwise might prove an expensive mistake, or at least not exactly right for you. Whatever you choose, I hope it works out well.

to keep awake

Not sure yet. Lamy 2000 Medium vs Pilot Custom Enjyu Medium. Both filled with Noodler’s North African Violet. I can’t determine the wrong answer is here.

@Dan Carmell The A1-3 crowd is happy to be reminded they can do nib variety with hopes those mythical M,B, and BB nib units one day make it out of QC.

I can pre-order here locally for $856 if that helps. Gorgeous pen. I’m going to test drive a M1000 tomorrow. I love my M800 but M1000 may be a little big for my tastes. Same way I feel about 146/149. Even with the aforementioned Size 12 hands LOL.

, face to face,

Intended to say welcome from one newbie to another, but obviously not the case! So, welcome back.

Thanks for the welcome. Pucipatas, saw your post a couple days ago. Appear to be several peeps here from TX. Getting to penable is one the best parts. My wife’s bday present has been sitting wrapped in the house for a month with a couple more weeks to go. She’s on pins and needles as intended ha ha ha. Recently gave my mother my wonderful Waverly nib Pilot 912. Long story involving her school days, nuns, and the banishing of peacock blue ink but it ended with a smile on her face a few weeks back. Gifting really is the best part. I can’t wait for Christmas!