My First Gold Nib Pen (A Pilot Falcon Soft Fine) Just Arrived From Goulet Pens, Yay! Advice Welcome. :-)

[inkyelbows]

 

 

Just adding my two cents to this thought. . . I don't think it should be necessary to be "super-careful" as your normal handwriting is unlikely to harm it. These nibs get damaged when people try to do copperplate style loop-de-loop effects, which fountain pens in general aren't really made for.

 

On the other hand, cultivating a lighter grip with fountain pens is worthwhile, if you've done a lot of writing with ballpoints in the past. (Yes, this was a problem for me!)

 

Thanks for the lighter grip tip! Yes, I mainly wrote with ballpoints in the past.

 

Debbie

[inkyelbows]

It is my impression the two pens shown have been made more flexible than the normal Flacon.

It does go to 4 X over it's very narrow Japanese "EF".

 

Normal from what I've read the Falcon nib is a 'Springy' nib, one that has good tine bend but only 2 X like a modern MB or the Lamy Imporium.

I was very impressed with that new Lamy's nib....even if it was only 2X tine spread.

 

Semi-flex and maxi-semi-flex are 3 X tine spread with good tine bend.

Those improved Falcon nibs do some very good work. I'd need to use a Maxi-semi-flex and learn how to write to match the the Mottshaw improvements.

 

In fact I'd have to go to Easy Full Flex.....the first stage of Superflex....before wet noodle to match that improved nib.

 

Debbie is yours a regular Falcon nib or a master piece from Mottshaw?

 

 

Thank you so much for all this great info! (even if I don't understand all of it yet -- I feel like such a newbie)

 

As far as I know, I have a regular Falcon nib. But I love it!!!

 

I've now updated my Profile's "favorite pen" from Lamy Safari to Pilot Falcon. :-)

 

Debbie

[Cryptos]

Congrats, Debbie. I've been looking that the Elabo for a while. I actually acquired a Pilot CH 912 FA instead but it does not write a fine enough line for me to use on a regular basis, and so I am back to looking at the type you have. My FA nib is very soft and I could have it ground finer, however that would compromise the integrity of the nib.

 

Subtle shading is what I am after, not huge swells, and that is easier to achieve when the no-pressure line is hair thin (IMHO).

[max dog]

That's a nice color on the falcon. Tips? The nib is pretty robust so you should be ok flexing it lightly. Just dont go crazy. I find on my pen I get the best ink flow and minimal railroading if I hold the pen at a higher angle.

[inkyelbows]

Congrats, Debbie. I've been looking that the Elabo for a while. I actually acquired a Pilot CH 912 FA instead but it does not write a fine enough line for me to use on a regular basis, and so I am back to looking at the type you have. My FA nib is very soft and I could have it ground finer, however that would compromise the integrity of the nib.

 

Subtle shading is what I am after, not huge swells, and that is easier to achieve when the no-pressure line is hair thin (IMHO).

 

Thanks, Empty. I still feel like such a newbie. So you had at least one of your nibs custom-ground? Wow. That is a whole other world to which I aspire someday (to know enough about fountain pens that I would have a clue about WHAT to ask for). :-) Right now, I'm just learning the basics.

 

I tried my friend's Pilot Custom 912 yesterday and holy cow, I loved the flex nib.

 

Debbie

[ppdiaporama]

 

This was my first order from Goulet Pens. I live in Canada, and the shipping and custom fees were pretty hefty...so I think I will only order from them in the future when I know I'm going to be visiting my friends in the U.S.

 

It's a beautiful pen ... I've been putting one in and out of my shopping cart on Amazon for a few months now.

 

Here is what i have come to learn about buying pens outside Canada ... By law you pay duty (which is just a few cents or dollars) and sales tax on any purchase over $20! Canada Post however only applies the law starting at $100 --and sometimes they don't at all. Courriers apply it at $20 and charge you an extra $30 for the paperwork --that's how I endeup paying $90 for a $60 pen once.

 

Knowing that, when you shop onlne ... just add 15% to whatever price you are seeing online (plus convert to CAD) ... in many ways, it's not different to paying taxes when you get to the cash register.

 

There is also one hidden advantage to buying online in Canada ... most pen stores are too small to charge provincial sales tax outside their province ... so for example, when I shop on Wonder Pens in Toronto, I only pay 5% GST, I don't pay the provincial portion --which ends beeing like a 10% discount for me. The same may be true for you if buying from stylo.ca which operates out of Quebec. Sometimes that sales tax can actually make the Canadian price a lot more interesting than the US or Euro price.

[Cryptos]

 

Thanks, Empty. I still feel like such a newbie. So you had at least one of your nibs custom-ground? Wow. That is a whole other world to which I aspire someday (to know enough about fountain pens that I would have a clue about WHAT to ask for). :-) Right now, I'm just learning the basics.

 

I tried my friend's Pilot Custom 912 yesterday and holy cow, I loved the flex nib.

 

Debbie

 

Hi Debbie. No, I didn't get the FA nib ground (too risky), though I have ordered special grinds on other nibs. I don't know what shipping costs are between the US and Canada but at least you are a lot closer to the nibmeisters than I am!

[inkyelbows]

It's a beautiful pen ... I've been putting one in and out of my shopping cart on Amazon for a few months now.

 

Here is what i have come to learn about buying pens outside Canada ... By law you pay duty (which is just a few cents or dollars) and sales tax on any purchase over $20! Canada Post however only applies the law starting at $100 --and sometimes they don't at all. Courriers apply it at $20 and charge you an extra $30 for the paperwork --that's how I endeup paying $90 for a $60 pen once.

 

Knowing that, when you shop onlne ... just add 15% to whatever price you are seeing online (plus convert to CAD) ... in many ways, it's not different to paying taxes when you get to the cash register.

 

There is also one hidden advantage to buying online in Canada ... most pen stores are too small to charge provincial sales tax outside their province ... so for example, when I shop on Wonder Pens in Toronto, I only pay 5% GST, I don't pay the provincial portion --which ends beeing like a 10% discount for me. The same may be true for you if buying from stylo.ca which operates out of Quebec. Sometimes that sales tax can actually make the Canadian price a lot more interesting than the US or Euro price.

 

Ooooh, thanks so much for these tips!!

 

Debbie

[inkyelbows]

 

Hi Debbie. No, I didn't get the FA nib ground (too risky), though I have ordered special grinds on other nibs. I don't know what shipping costs are between the US and Canada but at least you are a lot closer to the nibmeisters than I am!

 

Ha....I love the term "nibmeisters." :-)

 

Debbie

[Bo Bo Olson]

Debbie, go to Richard Binder's site/com....it is the Bible of fountain pens; nibs, filling systems, good advice on inks and lots of pretty pens.

Once 96% of all I knew came from there.... now it's only 92 1/2%. After all, one should learn something in 7 years.

 

I never chased Japanese pens, not even the 'Springy' Falcon, in I living in Germany, had a forest of vintage '50-65 semi-flex pens. (Some maxi-semi-flex also.)

 

There is a slight difference of flex between the W. Germany '82-89-90 Pelikan nibs and the '90-97 Germany nibs. A passed fine poster told me, not to chase that W.Germany nib in I had already been spoiled by the vintage semi-flex nibs I had.

 

Much later I got a W.Germany 200 pen, and the flex of the nib was not enough to have chased it. One had to study them under a microscope....something we do often here, to feel much of a difference. I had the pleasure of trans-mailing a W.Germany 800 to Spain, for someone I knew, because the German Idiot refused to mail outside of Germany.

There was a difference I felt....between the W.Germany 800's nib and the '90-97 400 I had. It was small but there. I would buy a W.Germany 800, none other.

 

Remember Ottawa was not built in a day....and have fun learning. In there are no tests....learning is fun.

 

Debby, the first few months here....I copied some 3.0 meg's of info....and still didn't know much.

 

Your Safari is a nail.

What other pens do you have?

 

I would not expect you to have semi-vintage......perhaps you know someone with fountain pens from before the mid '90's....back when most companies made 'true' regular flex nibs.

 

The reason they don't make them any more was too many cross over ball point barbarians bent too many of the then issued 'true' regular flex nibs, and the companies went over to hard to bend nail and semi-nail issue nibs.

I keep calling it 'true' regular flex....in nail and semi-nails even if on your new pen are not 'regular flex'....they are too stiff. They may be regular issue, but that don't make them regular flex to me....but I've been around a while....one of the reasons I almost always say 'true' regular flex....in noobies don't know that it was once regular issue and not nail and semi-nail of today.

 

A Pelikan 200 is 'true' regular flex....some one who knows American pens can tell you which of the Sheaffer's are or were regular flex.

Most Parker's as far as I know were nails or semi-nails. Mostly nail, P-51, semi-nail P75...P-45???

Some folks coming from nails run into 'true' regular flex and think it is semi-flex, in it's tines spread so easy compared to a nail.

Nail= 1X tine spread, semi-nail =2 X tine spread....but not much tine bend.

 

A 'true' regular flex can be mashed out to 3 X a light down stroke.

Semi-flex needs only half that pressure to reach 3 X tine spread.

Maxi-semi-flex half of that, or 1/4th the amount of pressure needed to mash a 'true' regular flex. These three are part of a 3X max safe tine spread.................(yes it is possible to spread the tines wider...but for how many times before the nib is sprung?) Richard has a great article of how to spring your nib....very well worth reading.

 

A "Springy' nib...has only a 2 X tine spread*** easier than semi-nail, with good tine bend. Falcon, modern MB and the new Lamy Imporium are springy nibs. I find the new Lamy nib so fine.... what a nice semi-flex that would make. So close and missed semi-flex by a kilometer.

'Springy' nibs are softer than the normal nail/semi-nail.....with good tine bend is can be 'softer' than a true regular flex.....but not as 'soft' as a semi-flex, much less a maxi-semi-flex.

Soft is a term often used to describe certain Japanese nibs....and I know not enough to think them semi-nail or 'true' regular flex....or could there be that many 'Springy' nibs like the Falcon?

From my reading, the Falcon has more spring to it's nib than the regular 'soft' Japanese nibs.

 

As you can see Debbie everyone is 'noobie' at something.

I may have 40+ papers, but really feel noobie with papers.

 

 

*** I'm sure someone has spread the tines of his Falcon more than 2X.....there are folks that can repair it, the once he does it too much. Read Richard's nib springing article.

 

Richard is Richard Binder, Rick is Rick Propas and Ron is Ron Zorn...and there are one or two others that are one name Guru's like Sandy1 ...our ink guru.

When you go to Ink Reviews always read Sandy1's review. She takes 4-5 regular pens of different width, 4-5 good to better papers you can get if you put your mind to it....and it is astounding the same ink is so different.

Writing is 1/3 nib width/flex, 1/3 paper and 1/3 ink and in that order.

[fly_us]

No, never go to Ink Section. I repeat, never go there. It is the most dangerous place here.

 

Otherwise your ink collection will reach 50 bottles before you know. Ink is much cheaper than pens, and because it cheaper, you tend to buy more. Trust me, although after my 3rd attempts to shrink down buy selling and give away some, i still have around 40 bottles at home and more than 10 bottles at office.

 

Again, i warned you, never go to Ink Section

[pajaro]

No, never go to Ink Section. I repeat, never go there. It is the most dangerous place here.

 

Otherwise your ink collection will reach 50 bottles before you know. Ink is much cheaper than pens, and because it cheaper, you tend to buy more. Trust me, although after my 3rd attempts to shrink down buy selling and give away some, i still have around 40 bottles at home and more than 10 bottles at office.

 

Again, i warned you, never go to Ink Section

 

+1. Ink has a way of growing on you so that you will invent the need for this color and that. I think I have gravitated to dark violet, but MB burgundy red is so attractive and midnight blue is so easy to read. I have only been able to draw the line at light colors of ink, because I cannot read them easily. Beware.

[Runnin_Ute]

Aw, we need more people to enable over in the inky thoughts and other ink forums.

Amberleadavis is chief bottle washer and lead enabler. I am just one of the minions.

[Bo Bo Olson]

I do not need cartridge ink....therefore I do not need Kaweco inks...all 10 or so inks. I do not need them.

Sigh, my B&M has them in little six packs.

 

I have some fifty inks...two are Noodlers, Apache Sunset and Goldn Brown ...both shading inks, Golden Brown very, very slow drying. Noodlers is expensive imported ink over here in Germany.

 

I don't even have half the basic 100 Euro inks....not counting UK Diamine's 200 or Diamine made Akkerman inks....slight difference between them. Akkermann the better. I do have a respectable selection of samples of Akkermann.

The good news is I found a paper that Diamine don't feather on.....costs only E50 for a box of 50.

That only took three years of dithering to pick the 120g same paper over the 170g. A surprise.

 

 

I'm more than a bit OCD on feathering....have a chart for it. Use a Honking Big Magnifying Glass.

BEF...Bear Eyed feathering, seen s you sit there. Bathroom sink for ink, BBQ starter for paper.

NEF....held near your eye feathering. Check many papers in hopes of finding a good paper that might just make the ink work...............stick ink in cobweb corner.

 

Mag Feathering....seen with a Honking Big Magnifying Glass.....good ink and paper...buy more.

No Mag Feathering. No feathering, stockpile this ink and paper....buy it on the black market.....invest in the company......

 

 

Then there is taking Japanese at night school....for one's inks.

 

We are living in the Golden Age of Inks.....there are some 3 'new' with in the last 5 year ink companies that make a hell of a lot of inks. ............... And I have None!!!! Not one of them.

 

 

My advice is to buy a ream of good to better paper, or a box of better paper every two inks you buy....that way you don't fall behind the paper power curve.

Good paper costs two mechanically delivered cans of Coke or two cups of Starbucks coffee more than normal copy paper.

Better paper costs a bit more.

 

Much of paper is the coating. I have some 8 sheets left 11 sheets stuck by accident in the ancient old good Bond paper of a dirt cheap....ball point paper ..... in I was not into fountain pens back in the '70's.

No paper mark..... ............no way to find out who made it.

Perfect in all ways. .................and that had been a cheap pad of paper.

 

We no longer live in the Golden Age of Paper.

Stay away from Moleskine....which has nothing but the name to do with the paper Hemingway 'wrote' on....Moleskine is good ball point paper.....or Japanese EF with super fast drying ink only.

[inkyelbows]

Debbie, go to Richard Binder's site/com....it is the Bible of fountain pens; nibs, filling systems, good advice on inks and lots of pretty pens.

Once 96% of all I knew came from there.... now it's only 92 1/2%. After all, one should learn something in 7 years.

 

I never chased Japanese pens, not even the 'Springy' Falcon, in I living in Germany, had a forest of vintage '50-65 semi-flex pens. (Some maxi-semi-flex also.)

 

There is a slight difference of flex between the W. Germany '82-89-90 Pelikan nibs and the '90-97 Germany nibs. A passed fine poster told me, not to chase that W.Germany nib in I had already been spoiled by the vintage semi-flex nibs I had.

 

Much later I got a W.Germany 200 pen, and the flex of the nib was not enough to have chased it. One had to study them under a microscope....something we do often here, to feel much of a difference. I had the pleasure of trans-mailing a W.Germany 800 to Spain, for someone I knew, because the German Idiot refused to mail outside of Germany.

There was a difference I felt....between the W.Germany 800's nib and the '90-97 400 I had. It was small but there. I would buy a W.Germany 800, none other.

 

Remember Ottawa was not built in a day....and have fun learning. In there are no tests....learning is fun.

 

Debby, the first few months here....I copied some 3.0 meg's of info....and still didn't know much.

 

Your Safari is a nail.

What other pens do you have?

 

I would not expect you to have semi-vintage......perhaps you know someone with fountain pens from before the mid '90's....back when most companies made 'true' regular flex nibs.

 

The reason they don't make them any more was too many cross over ball point barbarians bent too many of the then issued 'true' regular flex nibs, and the companies went over to hard to bend nail and semi-nail issue nibs.

I keep calling it 'true' regular flex....in nail and semi-nails even if on your new pen are not 'regular flex'....they are too stiff. They may be regular issue, but that don't make them regular flex to me....but I've been around a while....one of the reasons I almost always say 'true' regular flex....in noobies don't know that it was once regular issue and not nail and semi-nail of today.

 

A Pelikan 200 is 'true' regular flex....some one who knows American pens can tell you which of the Sheaffer's are or were regular flex.

Most Parker's as far as I know were nails or semi-nails. Mostly nail, P-51, semi-nail P75...P-45???

Some folks coming from nails run into 'true' regular flex and think it is semi-flex, in it's tines spread so easy compared to a nail.

Nail= 1X tine spread, semi-nail =2 X tine spread....but not much tine bend.

 

A 'true' regular flex can be mashed out to 3 X a light down stroke.

Semi-flex needs only half that pressure to reach 3 X tine spread.

Maxi-semi-flex half of that, or 1/4th the amount of pressure needed to mash a 'true' regular flex. These three are part of a 3X max safe tine spread.................(yes it is possible to spread the tines wider...but for how many times before the nib is sprung?) Richard has a great article of how to spring your nib....very well worth reading.

 

A "Springy' nib...has only a 2 X tine spread*** easier than semi-nail, with good tine bend. Falcon, modern MB and the new Lamy Imporium are springy nibs. I find the new Lamy nib so fine.... what a nice semi-flex that would make. So close and missed semi-flex by a kilometer.

'Springy' nibs are softer than the normal nail/semi-nail.....with good tine bend is can be 'softer' than a true regular flex.....but not as 'soft' as a semi-flex, much less a maxi-semi-flex.

Soft is a term often used to describe certain Japanese nibs....and I know not enough to think them semi-nail or 'true' regular flex....or could there be that many 'Springy' nibs like the Falcon?

From my reading, the Falcon has more spring to it's nib than the regular 'soft' Japanese nibs.

 

As you can see Debbie everyone is 'noobie' at something.

I may have 40+ papers, but really feel noobie with papers.

 

 

*** I'm sure someone has spread the tines of his Falcon more than 2X.....there are folks that can repair it, the once he does it too much. Read Richard's nib springing article.

 

Richard is Richard Binder, Rick is Rick Propas and Ron is Ron Zorn...and there are one or two others that are one name Guru's like Sandy1 ...our ink guru.

When you go to Ink Reviews always read Sandy1's review. She takes 4-5 regular pens of different width, 4-5 good to better papers you can get if you put your mind to it....and it is astounding the same ink is so different.

Writing is 1/3 nib width/flex, 1/3 paper and 1/3 ink and in that order.

 

Wow, thanks so much for these useful tips! And I definitely will check out Richard Binder's site.

 

By saying my Safari is a "nail," I assume you mean non-flex? Yes, I've noticed that. BUT I do have a sentimental attachment because it's the fountain pen that got me hooked on fountain pens, plus they're great for sketching with and not being as worried re: abuse and loss (I travel a lot and also give a lot of impromptu drawing demos, let kids and grown-ups try out my drawing stuff). And it's so much better for jotting down a quick note than the ballpoints I used to use.

 

Other pens I have:

 

Kaweco Sports

 

Noodler's Ahab (I must try to master that again, but I found it was doing a number on my tendinitis so have had to put it aside for now)

 

Platinum Preppy

 

Pilot Petit1

 

and of course my beloved Pilot Falcon

 

I have only been embracing fountain pens since late October (3 months ago), when my husband bought me my first fountain pen (a red Lamy Safari).

 

Thanks again,

 

Debbie

[inkyelbows]

No, never go to Ink Section. I repeat, never go there. It is the most dangerous place here.

 

Otherwise your ink collection will reach 50 bottles before you know. Ink is much cheaper than pens, and because it cheaper, you tend to buy more. Trust me, although after my 3rd attempts to shrink down buy selling and give away some, i still have around 40 bottles at home and more than 10 bottles at office.

 

Again, i warned you, never go to Ink Section

 

 

Too late!!!

 

Every time I visit the ink forums, I add another ink to my wishlist.

 

I have accumulated 6 bottles of ink in the three months I've started falling down the fountain pen rabbit hole. I also partly blame my friend mishie, who is my biggest fountain pen enabler, who gave me a bunch of ink samples that I'm gradually trying out.

 

I WANT ALL THE INKS.

 

Debbie

[inkyelbows]

 

+1. Ink has a way of growing on you so that you will invent the need for this color and that. I think I have gravitated to dark violet, but MB burgundy red is so attractive and midnight blue is so easy to read. I have only been able to draw the line at light colors of ink, because I cannot read them easily. Beware.

 

Ooo. What is your favorite dark violet ink?

 

What does MB stand for? (you said "MB burgundy red")

 

Debbie

[inkyelbows]

I do not need cartridge ink....therefore I do not need Kaweco inks...all 10 or so inks. I do not need them.

Sigh, my B&M has them in little six packs.

 

I have some fifty inks...two are Noodlers, Apache Sunset and Goldn Brown ...both shading inks, Golden Brown very, very slow drying. Noodlers is expensive imported ink over here in Germany.

 

I don't even have half the basic 100 Euro inks....not counting UK Diamine's 200 or Diamine made Akkerman inks....slight difference between them. Akkermann the better. I do have a respectable selection of samples of Akkermann.

The good news is I found a paper that Diamine don't feather on.....costs only E50 for a box of 50.

That only took three years of dithering to pick the 120g same paper over the 170g. A surprise.

 

 

I'm more than a bit OCD on feathering....have a chart for it. Use a Honking Big Magnifying Glass.

BEF...Bear Eyed feathering, seen s you sit there. Bathroom sink for ink, BBQ starter for paper.

NEF....held near your eye feathering. Check many papers in hopes of finding a good paper that might just make the ink work...............stick ink in cobweb corner.

 

Mag Feathering....seen with a Honking Big Magnifying Glass.....good ink and paper...buy more.

No Mag Feathering. No feathering, stockpile this ink and paper....buy it on the black market.....invest in the company......

 

 

Then there is taking Japanese at night school....for one's inks.

 

We are living in the Golden Age of Inks.....there are some 3 'new' with in the last 5 year ink companies that make a hell of a lot of inks. ............... And I have None!!!! Not one of them.

 

 

My advice is to buy a ream of good to better paper, or a box of better paper every two inks you buy....that way you don't fall behind the paper power curve.

Good paper costs two mechanically delivered cans of Coke or two cups of Starbucks coffee more than normal copy paper.

Better paper costs a bit more.

 

Much of paper is the coating. I have some 8 sheets left 11 sheets stuck by accident in the ancient old good Bond paper of a dirt cheap....ball point paper ..... in I was not into fountain pens back in the '70's.

No paper mark..... ............no way to find out who made it.

Perfect in all ways. .................and that had been a cheap pad of paper.

 

We no longer live in the Golden Age of Paper.

Stay away from Moleskine....which has nothing but the name to do with the paper Hemingway 'wrote' on....Moleskine is good ball point paper.....or Japanese EF with super fast drying ink only.

 

Ooooh! What are your favorite Kaweco cartridge inks? I bought several packs of Kaweco black but not I regret not buying more interesting colours.

 

I lean toward bottled ink but would rather take cartridges when I fly to avoid accidents (I try to fly with just carry on for work trips, so ruining one set of clothes can be pretty disastrous).

 

I forgot to say earlier that I really appreciate your reassurance that everyone is a newbie at something. :-) One reason I love the FountainPenNetwork.com forums so much is that the more experienced types are so patient with newbs like me who are still raving about how wonderful their Lamy Safaris are. :-) :-)

 

Wow, I'm envious of your ink collection!!! Do you have a special storage shelf for your inks?

 

And thanks for your other tips as well, including paper.

 

Debbie

[inkyelbows]

Aw, we need more people to enable over in the inky thoughts and other ink forums.

Amberleadavis is chief bottle washer and lead enabler. I am just one of the minions.

 

Yay for ink enablers. :-D

 

Debbie

[fly_us]

 

Ooo. What is your favorite dark violet ink?

 

What does MB stand for? (you said "MB burgundy red")

 

Debbie

Montblanc.

 

Ok, i see that i warn you about the inks fever too late. Just before you drown in ink, i have few last words of advise. Don't walk on the 2 last final roads: Vintage and Custom-made. Never ever. Nobody could save you if you step on them.

 

Enjoy your pen for now. And don't ever think about google Waterman 52 or Eversharp Doric adjustable nib flex. Especially those evil videos review.

 

You have been warned.