Hello all!

I recently received a Christmas card from an aunt who I've not kept in touch with. She has really graceful handwriting, and it really impressed me. I am in the process of responding, but I have nothing to do so with. After searching the house, I can only come up with a few pieces of wrinkled notebook paper and several Bic pens emblazoned with the Holiday Inn logo.

After running down to the local Wal-Mart, I was unable to locate anything but more notebook paper, and several pens that were similar to my Holiday Inn ones, but only without the logo.

I have done a small amount of research online, and have really been impressed by the appearance of fountain pen writing. Not only is the script very appealing, the pens themselves are extremely beautiful. I would definitely like to begin an attempt to improve my writing skills, and maybe acquire a fountain pen or two. Or three.

Could anyone help me with the basics? I am a complete novice who hasn't even purchased a fountain pen. I realize there is a very diverse and detailed amount of equipment involved. Is the same skill level required to write with all nibs, or are different appearances achieved by different nibs that require more experience? What would be a good first fountain pen to purchase? What about inks, papers, and other equipment? Can anyone recommend a good website that would have relevant information?

I'd appreciate any information. Thanks!

You're on the correct board. There's an entire section on penmanship. For a beginning fountain pen, I started with a Waterman Phileas. They come in Fine, Medium and Broad nibs. I found some really decent paper at Office Max today with a pretty border already emblazoned on it. If you look in the paper section, you'll find that a nice grade of copy paper is fine to start with.

The fastest way to determine nib sizes you might like without prior ownership of a fountain pen:
If you're always using the finest ballpoint or smallest pointed pencils, you probably like a fine nib
If you like broader rollerballs or M ballpoint refills, an M will probably suit.
If you prefer an extrafine Sharpie or something similar, you're probably a B lover.
If unsure, start with a Medium as the "default" and don't spend a lot of money until you've played with the pens a little.

A Phileas will take both cartridges AND have a converter for bottled ink. Until you've played with the pen a little, use the cartridges so you don't have too many things to keep track of at once.

Take your time, don't rush and enjoy.

Interim, go ahead and write your response with the ballpoint and notebook paper. It's the thought she'll enjoy, the penmanship will come. And ask her about her beautiful penmanship. It will probably forge a closer bond between you.

Welcome to the board and feel free to ask more questions.

Pen
Don't go overboard at the beginning. You want a good, inexpensive pen to start with.
Models that come to mind are the Pilot 78G and the Parker Frontier. Others will recommend other names as well.

Do your homework (look at the reviews section here) and choose a make and model, and then go and get that one.
If you have a decent pen shop nearby, go there and see how various pens feel.

Don't buy the first attractive pen that is on special. You will almost certainly be disappointed.
Don't think you have to spend several hundred dollars to get a good pen. The Hero 329 is available for $5 to $15 and is highly regarded by many people.

Don't buy from eBay until you know a lot about the pens you want to buy.
Spend a few dollars more and go with a dealer. A couple of names that come to mind are His Nibs and iSellPens. Again, others will come up with other suggestions.

Ink
Many people here use one of the Parker Quink inks in Blue or Black as their basic ink. Others use Sheaffer Skrip. Both brands are commonly available, inexpensive, and will work in virtually any pen on any paper. Again you can go overboard with inks, but either or both of these are good starter inks.
Don't use drawing pen (India) ink or other non-fountain pen inks. They will clog up your pen and make it useless.

Paper
For getting used to a pen, and handwriting practice, start with HP Everyday paper. It is designed for printers, but works with pretty well any fountain pen and ink. You can also print lines on it to help your writing. Go to Incompetech to create your own lined paper pattern. You can then print this onto your paper.
Once you are happy with your pen, ink and handwriting, you can then start to buy nicer papers to write letters on. Again, buy with restraint. Look around your stationary shops and see what they have. Alternatively, you may have to use the Internet. See what others have recommended in the appropriate section here.

In summary, buy good, inexpensive, recommended brands. Decide what you want, check with people here, and go for that.

Happy penning, and welcome to the board!
David

I'd second what has been said but stress that you should buy for performance of the pen rather than looks initially (you can catch up with the "pretty factor" once you know what sort of nib you like).

Welcome to the fun!

I agree with the good advice already posted here. Your first pen will be a "learner" and will probably take some abuse, so there's no point in breaking the bank. Once you get a feel for fountain pens, you can spend money on something more expensive and luxurious. I'll throw in my recommendations for rugged, reliable pens that are good for beginners:

Lamy Safari/Al-Star, about $25
Pelikan Pelikano, about $15
Both Lamy and Pelikan make good inks, so pick up a box of ink cartridges in your favorite color. Or for a few extra bucks, get converters and bottled ink. By the way, you might be able to get the Lamy with an MK nib, which is designed for people who are used to ballpoints.

By the way, here are some good starting points for learning about the things you mentioned.

Here's an article all about nibs, the different types, and how they work:
http://richardspens.com/?page=ref_info/nib_primer.htm

And here's some info that I think is a perfect intro to using a fountain pen:
http://www.rickconner.net/penspotters/troubleshooting.html

Let us know what you decide to get!

Welcome to FPN.

I will recommend the Pilot Varsity disposable fountain pens. A pack of 3 is/was ~$8US and will get one started.

Ron

Ok. After doing a little research, I think I'm going with the Visconti Divina Proprzione.

Heck, I might even get one to keep in the car as well.

Now that I'm finished horsing around, I believe I might go with the Pilot 78G with some basic Parker Quick Ink in black. Everyone who has reviewed it seems to rave about the ease with which it writes, and it is inexpensive. Seems like something that I can tackle for a start. Maybe I might eventually work my way to that Visconti.

Welcome to FPN!

You spoke about the appearance of fountain pen writing.

Note that there are a whole range of nibs available for fountain pens which may affect the appearance of the writing, either choosing the nib at time of purchase or in some pens they can be changed later (Pelikan and Lamy, except for the 2000, are good for user nib changing), as well as getting your nib ground by a nibmeister.

Some pens have nibs like nails, and give very little variation in line. In some ways it's a little like writing with a ballpoint (although that's a gross over-simplification as well as heresy), except smoother, needing less pressure and a looser grip.
Many standard fountain pens with round nibs have only a slight variation in line width.

Some pens (particularly some of the vintage nibs) have lots of flexibility in the nib allowing you to vary line width with a little pressure as you write - common in copperplate and Spencerian (roundhand) writing. I've heard they tend to catch on upstrokes, so upstrokes require only the lightest pressure thus producing hair-thin lines.

Some pens have italic nibs (stub italic or stub, cursive italic, and crisp italic) that give variation in width due to the shape of the tip of the nib (roughly rectangular instead of spherical), usually giving wider lines in more vertical strokes and narrower horizontal strokes - similar to calligraphic nibs. Rounded/smoothed Stub italics and cursive italics are better for normal writing than the knife-sharp calligraphic crisp italics which I've heard in inexperienced hands can cut pretty lace patterns in paper instead of writing.

The Pilot 78G (sounds like a good choice) has normal round nibs (not a lot of line variation) for fine and medium nib sizes, but the broad nib version is actually what many other manufacturers would call a stub (or italic or stub italic) nib, like writing with a little flat piece of metal rather than a round tip.
This might possibly be more what you are after if you want that line variation, although you might prefer e.g. a fine nib for smaller writing.

The Lamy Safari, a great inexpensive beginner's pen as well as being popular as a workhorse pen rather then "pen jewelry", also has the option of readily available italic nibs which are quite usable (I recommend the smallest, 1.1mm, for normal writing). The advantage of the Lamy Safari is that it is relatively easy to buy and exchange nibs yourself if you want to try something different, while I suspect the Pilot 78G will be more of a case of buying the pen with the nib you will then continue using.

Useful reading: http://www.richardspens.com/?page=ref_info/nib_beyond.htm

Of course, with fountain pens, you aren't limited to boring blues and blacks - you can write in a whole range of greens, browns, etc.
Going back to the appearance of fountain pen writing, many of the non-black ink colours often show a unique characteristic of fountain pen writing - "shading" - due to more ink pooling near where you lift the nib, you get lights and darks throughout your letters. You might also get the same with some pens and some blacks - shading from deep black to more of a dark grey.
From my limited experience I've seen more shading with lighter less-saturated inks, and more shading with non-cursive (non-joined) writing styles with more pen lifts to get those shading effects at the ends of lines.

Lastly, of course, a fountain pen itself can't automatically improve your writing, although it can help you think about it more as you write so it can have a beneficial effect.

Regards, Myles.

The folks above have given you great advice. I would, however, second the notion that you pick up a pack of Pilot Varsitys at Office Max and play around a bit first. Spend $8 and decide if you like the experience before you throw down $25 or more plus ink for one of the starter pens mentioned above. Of course you'll love the fountain pen experience, but starting slow is a sure fire way to make sure before you get invested. Once you're invested, you'll just want to pour all your cash into pens and ink. Don't say you weren't warned.

Another vote for Pilot Varsity.