Help a newbie out

[Dean]

Hello, my name is Dean Bailey and I am from Toledo, Ohio. I am relatively new to fountain pens. I normally use a waterman phileas day to day, but have also owned a namiki vanishing point (squeaked and wouldn't produce on the upstroke so I sold it), parker frontier, parker 51 (needs some work as it does not take up ink) and a hero 100. I am in my last year of residency as a family physician and really just discovered fountain pens last year. I write a lot during the day and find that they negate the hand cramps usually incurred by writing so much, plus they look very nice on paper. I would like some advice on my next purchase. I am looking for a pen with more flex in the nib to add some style to my writing at work, but I also need to be able to produce a fine line when needed so I don't write 2 pages of progress notes on each of my patients. I need a pen that is very reliable as well. My budget is $150 or less and I would prefer to purchase a pen from someone trustworthy as I just got burned on that parker 51 I purchased from e-bay. A vintage pen would be great (especially with the fact that I would like some flex) but I'm assuming hard to find.

 

I'd appreciate anyones advice on what pen may work best and where I could possibly purchase one. Oh, and I forgot to mention that I would prefer not to buy a heavy pen as it fatigues my hand with long bouts of writing. The weight of my phileas is just right.

 

Thank so much.

 

P.S. This fountain pen thing is a slippery slope. Is there some type of fountain penaholics group out there as my wife thinks I have a problem .

[gregamckinney]

Hi Dean, and welcome!

 

First, if your wife thinks you have a problem now, just wait! For many

of us, five pens became five hundred...

 

With your budget, you should be able to find a nice vintage pen

with a fine, flex nib. Many vintage pens have nibs that write a

very fine line when minimal pressure is applied, so you can achieve

both of your writing needs with the same pen/nib.

 

It will be easier to find a flex nib on a given pen as you progress

backward through the 1950's to the 1920's (give or take.) If you

are flexible regarding the overall condition of the pen, more of

your budget can go to the nib, so to speak.

 

One pen maker I would suggest, particularly due to your location is

Conklin. They were located in Toledo for most of the time the company

was in business. Early Conklins, in particular, are known for their flexible

nibs.

 

To name just a couple pen sellers, I can recommend the following as

trustworthy, helpful, and having a web catalog to browse. I'm definitely

forgetting some good folks, but hopefully others will add to this.

 

Ink-Pen (Joel Hamilton and Sherrell Tyree)

http://ink-pen.com/

 

David Nishimura

http://vintagepens.com/

 

Pendemonium

http://www.pendemonium.com/

 

Best regards, greg

[Michael Wright]

Could I suggest that for note taking, you probably will be happiest with semi-flex, rather than a full flexing nib, because they take a bit more conscious control.

 

A Parker Vacumatic would be a good choice, and you could get a nice one for $150. The later striped Duofolds are also good pens.

 

Sheaffers of the '30s and '40s were excellent pens, but you're unlikely to find one with a nib with any kind of flex. OTOH, if you can settle for rigid, a Sheaffer fine or extra fine Triumph nib is as good as they come.

 

gregamckinney recommended some good dealers, and I'd just add

 

http://www.wetinc.com/pens/

 

who specialises in really nice "51"s and Vacumatics.

 

Best

 

Michael

[girlieg33k]

Hi Dean,

 

I'd recommend contacting Richard Binder about a Pelikan M2xx with a nib reground to your specifications. The body of the M200 is $45. The M215 which I think looks quite classy is $90. This way, you'll have the rest of your budget to specify how much flex you want in the nib and/or if you want a cursive italic, stub italic, and so forth. You can also complete a questionnaire on the site which helps him customize the nib to your writing style or just send him an email inquiring about the purchase of a new pen.

 

His site is: www.richardspens.com

 

I have no affiliation with Richard, but if you ask anyone on FPN, I believe they will only have good things to say about him and his work.

 

Good luck with your purchase, and enjoy your new pen!

Edited January 22, 2007 by girlieg33k

[Gerry]

I can't believe that after all these posts I get to deliver the classic...

 

Can I help a newbie out? ...... Why certainly... How did you get in?

 

Bada Boom...

 

 

OK, now that's outta my system... Welcome to the FPN Nuthouse Dean! You'll find there's a lot of help available, most of it tending to enable your dependency rather than correct it, but we're an understanding lot and accept various degrees of addiction with no problem whatsoever.

 

You'll discover a number of colleagues as well - one in particular who will be anxious to introduce you to some upscale Japanese Maki-e. But some of those pens may have to wait until your practice develops a little... Look for Winedoc's posts for some really great pictures of Japanese art in pens... Sigh...

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...ndpost&p=178622

 

 

Regards,

 

Gerry

 

PS: In addition to the Parker forum, the Repair forum would also be a good resource for you to consider regarding your 51. You may get guidance on how to fix it yourself, or be led to any number of qualified repairers's who could get your 51 running again. You could even consider a nib exchange to try to satisfy your desire for a semiflex nib...

Edited November 27, 2006 by Gerry

[amh210]

Dean,

 

It's hard to write well with a flex nib. You need to vary the pressure you place on the nib in exactly the proper place on each letter otherwise you wind up with a mess that won't add anything charming to your handwriting. I think it would be most unsuitible for a physician who has to presume someone else needs to read what he writes.

 

If you want to add a little distinctiveness to your handwriting, such as some line variation, I'd reccomend a stub nib to start. If you enjoy the writiing experience and want even more variation, a cursive italic would be the next setp. Both of these nibs should enable you to proceed with your normal handwriting speed and still add some variation in line width.

 

There are several sources for stub nibs on modern pens and vintage pens, but the suggestion made earlier on this thread for a Pelikan with a Binder stub nib is a very good suggestion. You can choose whichever Pelikan suits your hand size and price range, and you can have a customized nib made by a master of the craft.

 

If, despite my suggestion, you still want to experience a flex nib, I suggest you get a flex nib on a dip pen and try writing with it. Off duty, of course, just for practice. Unless you are natuarally gifted, you will have to practice long and hard to get attractive results at anything resembling normal writing speed.

 

Good luck! and welcome to FPN. One thing for sure, you can always count on our group for a variety of opinions!

 

Andy

[Ruaidhri]

Dean,

 

Welcome to FPN

 

Bang the details of your Parker "51" problem into the Parker Forum for a start. This will be the sweetest pen of all when it is sorted out.

 

Regards,

Ruaidhrí

[mike1]

Welcome to FPN. As you can see questions here get answers. Hopefully you will get the info you need.

[James P]

Hi Dean, and welcome aboard!

 

I second Andy's comments about the flex nib - they can be harder to write with and do take some practice. A stub or even a cursive italic would probably be more suitable for your intended application.

 

 

Best of luck to you, and don't hestitate to contact me if I can help you in any way - we're practically neighbors, after all!

 

 

James P.

[Gerry]

Regarding Flex, Antonios is one of our experts. Here's a list of posts that he's authored that you may find interesting regarding flex.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...indpost&p=88914

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...findpost&p=3791

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...ndpost&p=138370

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...findpost&p=1659

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...indpost&p=15430

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...indpost&p=49419

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...indpost&p=55412

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...indpost&p=59256

 

Regards,

 

Gerry

[jay23]

I've heard the Namiki Falcon is very flexible for a modern nib. its specifically made to be flexible so take a look at it

[wdyasq]

I think I might get that '51' repaired before I got another pen. Or maybe, while you are enjoying your new pen. If you are set on a flex, I would say get one you can write with the backside of the nib also - they can be made much finer on the backside and still write well.

 

Ron

[Dean]

Thanks for all of the replies. I had to take a break from reading the forum as I just had a baby!!

 

I think I'll probably go with the advice to purchase a pen from Richard Binder and get a stub nib. This sounds like the most practical approach for my line of work. Thanks again. On the same note, if anyone has a M800 for sale, I would be interested.

 

Dean

[girlieg33k]

Congratulations on the new baby!

[penmanila]

On the same note, if anyone has a M800 for sale, I would be interested.

 

Dean

ach, you just missed out on the great pelikan half-price sale at levenger's outlets! m800s were going for $105 on the other hand, you have a new, real baby

Edited December 4, 2006 by penmanila

[Judybug]

Dean,

 

Would it be undignified for a doctor to use a fountain pen that is orange with black swirls? If not, try the Haolilai 801F - about $50, I think. I got mine from isellpens.com and I LOVE it. It has a little bit of flex to the 14K nib. Light weight. Well balanced. Very reliable - never skips even after being laid up a while. Check it out in the fountain pen reviews. Somebody wrote a nice review of this pen. BTW - welcome to FPN!

 

Judybug