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Overwhelmed - Completely New To Fountain Pens And Penmanship


Zenobia

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Hello all,

 

I'm really in need of help. I'm completely new to fountain pens and penmanship, and I don't even know where to begin.

 

My quick story is that in the last month, I bought a new stationary journal, and while looking up ways to use it, it found that the midori traveler notebooks were pretty big with fountain pen users. I pretty much decided to buy one as a customization to my leather journal, but I love them so much now! I only have 1, a pilot metropolitan, but I already want more.

 

So now i'm trying to actually understand what i'm doing with this pen. I've been searching for resources for newbies, but unfortunately, nearly every post here seems to assume a pre-existing foundational knowledge about fountain pens.

 

I need a resource (book or website) that has comprehensive advice for a complete and total newbie. It should have no assumed knowledge whatsoever. Like I need the basics of what flex nibs are and what Italics and their sizes mean.

 

My second goal is to get amazing penmanship similar to the awesome people in Don't Just Tell Us About The Pen You're Using, *show* Us! From the research I've been doing I know its not quick and easy, and it takes times, practice, and diligence, but I'm totally willing. I have 2 books saved in my amazon cart right now.

 

The Calligrapher's Bible: 100 Complete Alphabets and How to Draw Them

 

Learn Calligraphy: The Complete Book of Lettering and Design

 

So in closing My goals are 1) to get a comprehensive and even foundational knowledge in fountain pens and 2) learn how to write like an angel :)

 

Any tips, resources, or even stories about how you got into and navigated the fountain pen world would be much appreciated

Edited by Zenobia
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Richard Binder's site has a wealth of nib information. Among other things.

 

Don't be afraid to ask questions here.

 

You may want to take a calligraphy class, if you can find one. The instructor could tell you if you're holding the pen in a Death Grip, or whatever.

 

The Met is a very nice starter pen. And then, of course, you get to fall down the ink rabbit-hole.

 

Welcome aboard!

My latest ebook.   And not just for Halloween!
 

My other pen is a Montblanc.

 

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Welcome to the nuthouse! A terrific site to get you started is Richard Binders page (I see that Sailor just beat me to it!):

http://www.richardspens.com/

 

His business is evolving, I believe that he is shedding his retail store and I know that he no longer accepts pens for repair (except at shows), but his website is an encyclopedia of pen knowledge. There are other good sites out there as well, but I do not want to overwhelm you even more right now.

 

And of course, spend lots of time here at FPN.

 

Good Luck,

Andy

Edited by Shaporama
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The Calligrapher's Bible is a great reference. Picked it up myself last month.

 

Personally, Binder's site, hanging around here, & just looking up bits & pieces as they come along have been great sources of information.

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Richard Binder's site has a wealth of nib information. Among other things.

 

Don't be afraid to ask questions here.

 

You may want to take a calligraphy class, if you can find one. The instructor could tell you if you're holding the pen in a Death Grip, or whatever.

 

The Met is a very nice starter pen. And then, of course, you get to fall down the ink rabbit-hole.

 

Welcome aboard!

 

 

Welcome to the nuthouse! A terrific site to get you started is Richard Binders page (I see that Sailor just beat me to it!):

 

http://www.richardspens.com/

 

His business is evolving, I believe that he is shedding his retail store and I know that he no longer accepts pens for repair (except at shows), but his website is an encyclopedia of pen knowledge. There are other good sites out there as well, but I do not want to overwhelm you even more right now.

 

And of course, spend lots of time here at FPN.

 

Good Luck,

Andy

 

@shaporama and Sailor Kenshin - Thanks for the link. I enjoyed looking at binder's site. I like the nib to nib comparisons. It helped a lot with visualization. I will admit it went over my head a bit, but there probably isn't much that wouldn't at this point!

 

I have only one tip, but it is perhaps the greatest tip of all, and it's this:

 

HAVE FUN!

 

@cryptos - I will definitely have fun!! :) there is not much thats more fulfilling them finding a new hobby!

 

Goulet Pens has a nice video series on Fountain Pen 101, too.

 

@therealscubasteve - Thanks for this! I actually ordered my pen and ink from there! They have great service, so im sure they have great knowledge also.

 

There is a web site called Ravens March which is exactly for this purpose: http://dirck.delint.ca/beta/ - it has a lot of resources to help you get started and if you're interested, get to know more about fountain pens.

 

@Venemo - Thanks so much! this is a great comprehensive resource, that is presented in a clear concise way. I really appreciate this link!

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Welcome to FPN :W2FPN:

Have you looked at the 'Write Now' book by Barbara Getty? It's dedicated to Italic writing, but imho, this is the best style to learn if you want to improve your normal handwriting.

 

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The Calligrapher's Bible is a great reference. Picked it up myself last month.

 

Personally, Binder's site, hanging around here, & just looking up bits & pieces as they come along have been great sources of information.

I choose the calligraphy bible because I'm obsessed with finding my perfect personal script though I'm not sure when i'll start writing in it! but I'm being prepared! :)

 

I got the feeling that the information was a bit spread out, I do wish though that there was like one amazing comprehensive guide.

 

Welcome to FPN :W2FPN:

Have you looked at the 'Write Now' book by Barbara Getty? It's dedicated to Italic writing, but imho, this is the best style to learn if you want to improve your normal handwriting.

 

 

Thanks for the reference. Is Italics what most people go into first when first improving their penmanship and learning calligraphy, then they move on to copperplate (is that a general name for the nice cursive script?)

Edited by Zenobia
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:W2FPN:

Two things.

First hold your fountain pen behind the big index knuckle....Let the weight/length of the pen rest naturally at 45 degrees right after the knuckle, 40 degrees at the start of the web of your thumb, or 35 degrees in the pit of the web of your thumb. As the pen wishes.

 

A lighter pen will rest higher, a heavier lower. If you post a light pen it will rest in the middle a bit.

Let the pen settle naturally....if you use force to make it 'stay' at 45 degrees, you will be using pressure which is a no no.

 

Second, hold the pen like it is a featherless baby bird...

Don't make baby bird paste. :angry:

 

A fountain pen skates on a tiny puddle of ink, so you don't need any pressure but the weight of the pen to write.....unlike with a ball point, where you are plowing the south forty with out the mule.

 

We are here to have fun, playing with various width and flex of nibs with colored inks like in kindergarten.

The better paper you have, the more fun you will have.

Stay away from ink jet paper...it soaks up the ink too fast.

 

Richard's com is great.

Do not join The Pen of the Week in the Mail Club.

Same for the Pen of the Month.

 

What ever pens you decide to buy will be there again next week or latest the week after. Take your time. The more you know the better pen you will buy....if you can master greed....want....which are not to be confused with 'need'. :unsure: :rolleyes:

 

The weekly meeting of 'Fountain Pens Anonymous' take place every day, including Sunday.

Edited by Bo Bo Olson

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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First hold your fountain pen behind the big index knuckle....Let the weight/length of the pen rest naturally at 45 degrees right after the knuckle, 40 degrees at the start of the web of your thumb, or 35 degrees in the pit of the web of your thumb. As the pen wishes.

 

You don't seem to be describing the classic tripod grip, which is what I have always used. TBH, I don't truly understand your description of the pen hold, and I've been using fountain pens since I was about 15 years old, so I'm sure the OP will have difficulty. Is there any chance that you could link a pic of the type of grip you mean?

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Even if you don't go down the vintage road, read some/all of the stuff about vintage pens at Richard Binder's site. Vintage is a whole other world as many filling systems used in the past are no longer used - or only in a few modern pens. Most modern are either c/c or piston fillers. Good to know what others have been used in the past. (vac, lever, eyedropper, aerometric ro name a few)

Brad

"Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind" - Rudyard Kipling
"None of us can have as many virtues as the fountain-pen, or half its cussedness; but we can try." - Mark Twain

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Is Italics what most people go into first when first improving their penmanship and learning calligraphy, then they move on to copperplate (is that a general name for the nice cursive script?)

 

Sorry, I forgot to answer this. I'm sure not everyone regards Italic as the best way to improve penmanship, it's more a personal opinion. Often, those who wish to improve their handwriting don't want to practise formal calligraphy. As an American, you might find Palmer Business handwriting easier to learn because this is the cursive which I believe is taught in many US schools. It's a simpler version of Spencerian, without all the loops and ornateness.

Copperplate is a script which I think originated in England.

Don't take my word for this, I'm not a calligraphy expert.

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In my case I was trying to improve my basic everyday cursive/script handwriting. This is what I was taught in grade school. I think it is based on Palmer or similar business writing, not calligraphy.

Next on my list is italic.

Copperplate style of calligraphy is so far down the list that I will probably never get there.

 

You should separate daily writing from calligraphy writing, so you don't get confused.

But sometimes they overlap as when a persons daily writing is using a variant of italic.

 

It is a LONG road, and patience is important.

When I was improving my handwriting, I would write for 1-2 hours (or more), every day, to retrain my hand and arm muscle to move like I want them to move. In the beginning it will be clumsy, as your muscles try to stuff they have never done before. But hang in there, and after a while the muscles will "get in the groove."

 

gud luk

San Francisco Pen Show - August 28-30, 2020 - Redwood City, California

www.SFPenShow.com

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When I first discovered that fountain pens still existed, I didn't have a shop where I could try out fountain pens before I bought them. I had to buy some online, so not all of my pens are my favorites.

 

I haven't researched calligraphy or practiced a different writing style, I just started writing everything with a fountain pen: grocery lists, letters, notes at work, checks, "morning pages" (3 pages of writing your thoughts in longhand to help one become more creative), to-do lists, etc.

 

Prior to the 1960's and ballpoints, everyone used a fountain pen, dip-pen, or a pencil. Fountain pens were just a tool for writing. Competing companies tried to outdo each other with slight variations of delivering the ink to the paper to entice customers to buy more pens so you'll find many styles of fountain pens: levers, pistons, cartridges, converters, vacumatics, etc. etc. They all deliver ink to the paper.

 

The nib and the way it feels when you write will make the difference in the pen you choose first from your cup full of writing instruments. Make sure you have a smooth nib that has a consistent flow of ink. Try different colors of ink.

 

It will be tempting to buy many/several pens, but take your time.

 

If you live near a large city, see if they have an annual pen show. You'll be able to hold and try the pens and talk with many vendors and pen lovers which will help you decide what your next pen will be.

 

As Bo Bo Olson posted, "We are here to have fun, playing with various width and flex of nibs with colored inks like in kindergarten."

 

Have no fear that you'll not do it perfectly, just do it and have fun.

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I bought several cheap pens so I could try out each style in the comfort of my own home instead of rushing around during pen shows, which I didn't find very helpful (pen shows are exciting, everyone's pushing you to buy, etc). There's so many different styles of pens available for little money, here's what I tried out:

 

Pilot Metropolitan, 78G and Penmanship to try different nib sizes and see what top quality cheap pens were like, these are still some of my favorite pens

An Esterbrook from eBay to check out lever fillers, I restored the sac myself

A couple Jinhao Chinese pens to try out larger, heavier brands, turns out I don't like heavy pens very much

Some Hero 616s to try out hooded nib pens, which I like quite a bit

A few assorted pens of various shapes, like the cigarette pens from Luoshi and a very cool Jinhao Dragon pen, and 2 Wearevers and a few Sheaffer pens that I picked up very cheaply due to blurry pictures on the eBay listing

 

Total cost: A couple hundred dollars over a year, it cost less than a couple movies a month, and if I hadn't bought multiple copies of my favorites it could have been less. I kept an eye on deals on eBay, used the gifting threads here on FPN and thought about what I'd liked in pens before I found fountain pens - thinks like preferred line width, preferred pen weight and size, etc - to narrow down pens I considered. Now I have several drawers full of pens that I know I like and can pull out and use, along with some pens that I can have fun tinkering with.

 

It's hard to say what you'll like without trying lots of different pen styles, which is hard to do without a dedicated pen store nearby. Cheap pens are one way to do it, plus then you have a set of backups and pens that you won't mind losing to ink experiments or accidentally dropping them down the stairs (hypothetically speaking, of course ;) ). FInding a pen meetup or talking to people who will let you try them is another way, but I'd definitely not rely on trying pens at a pen show where you only have a few minutes and it's crowded, exciting and people are trying to sell you things. It's just not a good situation for making good judgements about your tastes. The gifting threads here on FPN are really, really a great way to get different pens and ink.

Edited by WirsPlm
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Hello all,

 

I'm really in need of help. I'm completely new to fountain pens and penmanship, and I don't even know where to begin.

 

My quick story is that in the last month, I bought a new stationary journal, and while looking up ways to use it, it found that the midori traveler notebooks were pretty big with fountain pen users. I pretty much decided to buy one as a customization to my leather journal, but I love them so much now! I only have 1, a pilot metropolitan, but I already want more.

 

So now i'm trying to actually understand what i'm doing with this pen. I've been searching for resources for newbies, but unfortunately, nearly every post here seems to assume a pre-existing foundational knowledge about fountain pens.

 

I need a resource (book or website) that has comprehensive advice for a complete and total newbie. It should have no assumed knowledge whatsoever. Like I need the basics of what flex nibs are and what Italics and their sizes mean.

 

My second goal is to get amazing penmanship similar to the awesome people in Don't Just Tell Us About The Pen You're Using, *show* Us! From the research I've been doing I know its not quick and easy, and it takes times, practice, and diligence, but I'm totally willing. I have 2 books saved in my amazon cart right now.

 

The Calligrapher's Bible: 100 Complete Alphabets and How to Draw Them

 

Learn Calligraphy: The Complete Book of Lettering and Design

 

So in closing My goals are 1) to get a comprehensive and even foundational knowledge in fountain pens and 2) learn how to write like an angel :)

 

Any tips, resources, or even stories about how you got into and navigated the fountain pen world would be much appreciated

If you're interested in getting a flex pen some day, reading this might save you a little time.

 

www.desideratapens.com/faq/

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