Substitute For My 400 Souveran?

[Bo Bo Olson]

We want you to have the same fun as we have, save money by having good advice, so you can buy good to better pens, papers and inks.

 

There is two toned shading inks, and vivid (boring ) supersaturated inks. Some inks have sheen....you will need all three.

 

Added a touch on paper needed for fun.

Good to better paper costs only a can or two of Coke or cups of Starbucks coffee, more than cheap 80g copy paper. (70g Japanese paper and 80g Rhoda are good, in much of the goodness of the paper comes from it's coatings......which is costly to bottom line bonus, so good paper is not common.) 90g laser paper will give you some shading if you have a shading ink or six.

Best paper....can be $$$$. But one only needs a tiny bit, once a year.

 

My suggestion is to buy some good paper every time you buy two or three inks. Southworth makes some good paper.

Ink Jet paper, is made to absorb ink quickly, so the ink can not stand on top of the paper to start drying as it's absorbed. Don't buy any...expect for you ink jet printer.

Laser paper is better, and a paper that does both laser and ink jet must have a compromise. I am satisfied with my Southworth papers, but would try to find that in laser only.

Perhaps someone knowing more about paper can lead you to some good US papers, and there are many....smaller paper manufactures that could sell in the world if they did it in A-4 instead of 8 1/2 x 11.

 

100% cotton is nice to write on, but mutes shading. 25% is often real good for shading.

I don't have enough 50% to have a say on that.

Edited July 8, 2016 by Bo Bo Olson

[gordonhooker]

Thoughtful advice. I could give the pocket-plan a whirl, but know in my heart it will fail. (I had to retrieve my Platinum 3776 from my chairman's pen cup.) Perhaps I should just stay with my Lamy Safari at work, why give them the satisfaction...

Good idea - I keep cheap Jinhaos on my desk at work, so have not had one walk.

[Chuck400b]

1-have cheap decoy pens ready at all times. I have cheap Bics.

 

2-take a non fountain pen, but higher end capped pen (uniball, or a DR Grip, or PHd) and learn better pen habits with that.

 

In a few weeks hours will have better pen awareness to keep it in your possession.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Shirt pockets can be sewn to be pen holding pockets, one or two 'pouches' sewn in the shirt pocket will hold one or two fountain pens. Use, cap and return to "pen pocket", will become automatic, if you have a properly prepared shirt pocket.

I had a Land's End shirt with one of those in a wider pocket. Land's End will sew you a pen pocket in all the pocket shirts you buy from them. I found the one pen pocket side of the shirt pocket to be enough, but as a teacher you may need two colors.

[GeneralSynopsis]

Pelikan Tradition M150?

[mitto]

Residing in Pakistan, I would use the Pakistani piston fill Dollar pens and especially the clear demonstrators in such a situation.

Edited July 15, 2016 by mitto

[foreignexport]

Pilot Metropolitan for me - cheap ( relatively) and a good writer

also large variety of colours

[langere]

I don't know if laurahead is still reading this thread - but I am a university professor as well. I always bring in fountain pens to work. However, they never leave my person. Instead, I have a cup full of cheap ballpoints that anybody can use in my office. I think that's the way to go. If I think somebody will appreciate it, I will let them try the fountain pen I brought in that day.

 

Since I am male, if is easier because of shirt pockets (though I find more and more shirt companies are not sewing on pockets). For women, it is more difficult, since there is no logical place to put a pen on one's body like for men. So - go for a 200 or 215 - as many mentioned, they are great pens and are piston fillers too.

 

Erick

[laurahead108]

Hi Everybody,

 

Sorry, I've been away form this thread -- had no idea it was still active and with such good suggestions! Apologies to those I ignored for too long. I have all of your ideas archived, and will implement them sequentially. The true test will come when the semester starts. Thank you all!

[laurahead108]

I don't know if laurahead is still reading this thread - but I am a university professor as well. I always bring in fountain pens to work. However, they never leave my person. Instead, I have a cup full of cheap ballpoints that anybody can use in my office. I think that's the way to go. If I think somebody will appreciate it, I will let them try the fountain pen I brought in that day.

 

Since I am male, if is easier because of shirt pockets (though I find more and more shirt companies are not sewing on pockets). For women, it is more difficult, since there is no logical place to put a pen on one's body like for men. So - go for a 200 or 215 - as many mentioned, they are great pens and are piston fillers too.

 

Erick

Thanks, Erick - -200 or 215 sounds perfect.

[laurahead108]

1-have cheap decoy pens ready at all times. I have cheap Bics.

 

2-take a non fountain pen, but higher end capped pen (uniball, or a DR Grip, or PHd) and learn better pen habits with that.

 

In a few weeks hours will have better pen awareness to keep it in your possession.

Very crafty; thank you!

[pkoko]

I would suggest that you consider buying Lamy 2000. It is not flashy and no one will purposely try to take it.

[gordonhooker]

I love my makrolon Lamy 2000... I wouldn't leave it lying around

[Bo Bo Olson]

Cap; put in shirt pocket....do that 5 X after that, it's a habit. And luckily habits are hard to break.

[Hooker56]

Thoughtful advice. I could give the pocket-plan a whirl, but know in my heart it will fail. (I had to retrieve my Platinum 3776 from my chairman's pen cup.) Perhaps I should just stay with my Lamy Safari at work, why give them the satisfaction...

Laura,

You could always revive a fashion from early in the 20th century and tie a long fabric (fine quality) ribbon into a necklace and clip your pen to it... much like your i.d. lanyard

[Nyanzilla]

What about having your name engraved on the pen?

[Erik Dalton]

I bought a Stola and found it heavy, clumsy, and a poor writer. Used it once and put it up. Nothing like an m200. On the other hand the P200, a cartridge version of the m200 is a real treat to write with. It's tough choice between the two for a favorite.

Stick with the m200 or p200. Even if you get a used one cheap you can replace the nib cheaply. New m200 nibs can be had for around $25. Then you have a brand new pen. I've never seen p200 nibs sold seperately yet.

There are often deals on eBay. I bought an m200 plus matching ballpoint for $125. You just have to keep looking.

[Runnin_Ute]

My Pelikan flock includes the following:

 

• 120 Merz & Krell (1970's vintage) that I picked up for under $20 on ebay. Mine showed some brassing on the cap band but has a nice and juicy medium nib. Goes through ink pretty fast as it doesn't hold as much as the M150 or M200 lines. I got it for a sumgai price because it wasn't as "pretty and shiny" as some others that were same model sold about the same time. One I bid on just before this went for about $70 if I recall correctly. But it was really nice.
• M150 - like the M200/M205/M215 pens part of the Tradition series. Slightly smaller. Mine has a fine.
• M200 blue marbled, old style cap.OB nib
• M200 Cognac Fine

 

The Cognac is the only one purchased new. From Amazon through a Japanese seller. The others I paid about $50 or less. So getting a previously owned Pelikan is not a bad way to go. Now my 120 was an exceptional find (IMO)

 

Sargetalon has a real nice collection of M2xx pens. Do a search and check some of the photos...

[Wandering Man]

Any pen more than a couple of bucks is an expensive pen to a student. I think I would miss even my Jinhao if it were stolen.

 

On the other hand, not even my graduate students know how to operate a fountain pen unless I teach them.

[Denizzz]

if you like heavier pens, i would go with M215, it is the same size as the M400/405, but is not so light. and looks amazing. I wonder why they have not made any liek these in other sizes i would be all over ir if it would be in M800 size.