New Pelikan M405 Stresemann Owner

[WDanderson]

Hi everyone,

 

I haven't posted in awhile, and never before in a Pelikan forum. For 10 years I have bought and used mostly Cross. I have 3 dozen Townsends including the new Year ofs, two Peerless, many many Century 2s etc...

 

On a whim, and because it really caught my eye, I purchased a M200 brown marble Pelikan at the Baltimore Show a few months ago. It wrote extremely well. I have a fetish with needing barrels to match ink colors so I found some nifty J. Herbin "Lie De The" and became pretty enamored with Pelikan. I always vowed to "try one" and just never got around to it till now. I immediately went on to purchase a new M405 Stresemann and promptly dried out my flagship Cross Peerless Medalist and made the Pelikan my daily.

 

There's only one problem...I write small and was used to the Peerless Sailor nib and other fine nib variants from Cross.

 

Even though this M405 is an "EF"...it feels like a magic marker to me. I'd like to get that line a little more narrow. I am using Cross black bottled ink. On the second fill I tried some Diamine Shimmer "Night Sky" because the black with silver particles matches the barrel perfectly. I noticed right away that the pen wrote perfectly for me, no more magic marker. It occurred to me that the ink is "drier"?

 

However, I also noticed that my second ink run through the brown marbled showed slightly different ink qualities from the same bottle...I figured it was a sort of "breaking in" on first run. I ended up clogging the pen somewhat, so I completely flushed it out and vowed never to use shimmer anything in it. I went back to fill it with Cross black...and it's a magic marker again

 

My question to you experts, is there a drier black ink I can try? I do have Diamine Onyx Black, an old bottle. I suppose I can try that next.

 

This is an amazing pen, enough to make me put away my Cross Peerless forever maybe. And I love the way Pelikan is simple with a built-in piston. No loose cartridges, no multiple pieces, it's a larger capacity and easy fill and to me makes the best of the economical writing experience fountain pens should be. I'm sold on Pelikan.

 

Somebody recommend me a black or grey ink that will narrow the lines a little bit and I'll never buy a fountain pen again!

 

Thanks.

[PJohnP]

Doug :

 

 

Congratulations on acquiring such an elegant pen !

 

I too have an M405 Stresemann, as well having an EF nib, and I truly enjoy the pen.

 

You'll no doubt get a number of other posts on the topic, but the very short answer is that F and EF nibs from Pelikan are not quite as "fine" as one might think.

 

I use Sailor Kiwa-guro black in my M405. It's a little bit more dry than some other black inks, almost utterly waterproof, lays down a tidy and neat line, and extremely smooth from nib to paper. There are drier inks that you can try, of course, but, for me, this one has the best overall balance of attributes for that pen.

 

 

 

John P.

[Lam1]

Congrats on your new Pelikan(s)!

I'm sure they will not stop there: Pelikans reproduce super fast in captivity!

 

Any of the Pelikan 4001 inks is considered dry, although I never tried the black one.

If you are ok with a blue-black in the Stresemann, Pelikan 4001 Blue-Black is a favorite of many here

(including me) and it is known to tame even the wettest nibs.

 

Enjoy your birds!

[invisuu]

Pelikan makes wet pens, so they make dry inks. I really do think that with Pelikan, one should at least try their pens with their inks. Just don’t go for Edelstein Tanzanite, because that ink is uncharacteristically wet. Actually, I’d recommend 4001 line over Edelstein. Try those inks. Order from Europe, they’re much cheaper here than USA.

[carlos.q]

Pelikan 4001 black: nice, cheap and dry.

[BillH]

Congrats Doug. I second the 4001 Black recommendation. The 4001 Blue Black is also excellent.

 

If you're looking for a good change up in the Brown Marbled, try 4001 Brilliant Brown... pretty snappy (I have it in mine right now). And for something in between Lie de The and 4001BB, you might take a look at KWZ Honey... I use it in a P200 EF and it works very well.

[Bo Bo Olson]

200's nib are as narrow as vintage or semi-vintage nibs...........the modern 400/600/800 are 1/2 a width wider than the 200 and older nibs. I have a very nice 200's EF, that is still narrow, or vintage/semi-vintage narrow.

 

So you can put a steel 200's nib in your 405 for a narrow, and springier regular flex nib. The modern 400& 600 are semi-nail, the 800 a nail.

 

The 400/600/800 and for all I know the 1000 are double kugal nibs. (Ball on top and bottom, so Fat and Blobby). Made for those who don't have the time to learn how to hold a fountain pen, behind the big index knuckle. (There were of course, the vintage K nibs, Kugal/ball on top of the flat stubbed bottom vintage semi-flex nib; for those who liked holding a fountain pen like a pencil....pre-ball point; or as ball point first came in.)

 

Yes, dry ink will make pens write thinner......good to better paper will make the pen and ink write narrower.

 

But because of the wider than once Pelikan 400's nibs, do look for a nibmeister to make it as narrow as you wish.....the top can be made a different width, how narrow that can be made I don't know if you are going for a true EF or Japanese F on the bottom, prehaps the top can be made even narrower, just in case.

It is something to think about, in you have enough nib tipping to do both.

Edited May 29, 2018 by Bo Bo Olson

[Driften]

I think first try the Pelikan 4001 inks since that is a cheep test and might be a good result. For around $40 you can get the nib ground thinner. Or like Bo Bo said a M215 steel nib in XF might be the ticket and a easy swap and the you can swap back when you want something wider.

 

If it was me I would go ink first then regrind second. The US prices for the m215 nib is as much as the regrind... over in England at Cult Pens the 215 nib is like $15-$20 but the shipping would hurt since it's value is too low for free shipping.

 

The Baltimore show normally has a number of guys that could do the regrind and tune it the way you want so if you can get by on ink until then you are all set.

[inkstainedruth]

Pelikan makes wet pens, so they make dry inks. I really do think that with Pelikan, one should at least try their pens with their inks. Just don’t go for Edelstein Tanzanite, because that ink is uncharacteristically wet. Actually, I’d recommend 4001 line over Edelstein. Try those inks. Order from Europe, they’re much cheaper here than USA.

 

OTOH, I have Edelstein Tanzanite in an M405 with an EF nib and I think it's a PERFECT combination (but my druthers are for F nibs in general). The Edelstein inks aren't as dry as the regular 4001 line, and I like some of the colors better.

I'll admit that my M405 Stresemann has a B nib, and I'm considering having it reground at some point into something like a cursive italic -- I actually prefer the B nib on my TWSBI 580-AL a bit better (I got both pens at roughly the same time -- within a couple of months of each other).

As for the cost, the 4001 line inks must be danged cheap in Europe, because I don't think they're all that expensive here.... I've seen the smaller size bottles of Brilliant Black at a local-ish discount crafts store chain in the "Prizm" art supplies section. and I think they were charging around $10-11 US.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Bo Bo Olson]

4001(30ml) is up to E4.60 ($5.00 not counting import fees or transportation....but that Euro price is with a basic 19% sales tax.) So subtract that and import and transportation should be cheap....or cheap enough.

........Lamy Turquoise at E10.00.(50ml...but still a real stiff jump, in Lamy was priced at 4001 level not long ago (OK OK, ten years ago, Pelikan was 3.60 and Lamy E4.00)......, but that's still a real big jump.

 

Diamine is E7.95.............don't remember but think the Glitter went for @ E12.00, that I bought either late last year or early this one.

Aurora has jumped to E13.50......I have @ E8-9.00 in mind from when I bought the blue some 4 or so years ago.

 

They have a E60 MB ink and a slew of new small bottle ones for E35. . I am not spending twice what the old small bottle MB's cost.

..sigh the boot is now up three Euro to E19.00.

Gee Edelsteine is cheap at E16.50.

 

DA was never cheap....some are still E12.....others E18.

 

Going to have to go find some Herbin and I've got to look up what that Robert Oster or what ever that is that I took a look at here.

Even Herbin has a special expensive ink line also now. ....got to stay away from that.

I'll have to see what the cheap 4001 inks, I might need...but think I'm set...sadly.

 

No wonder there are some 3 or 4 new inks companies out, that are well liked, they must be cheaper.....I hope.

 

1$= now 0.87 euro. sigh, my American pension has dropped in worth....the 13%.

So you have to add 13% to the Euro price.

 

I have some 50 bottles of ink, and some cartridges. I think if I'm going to held up on ink prices, it will now be in the next decade.

That really gives me the spurs to chase the good paper before it too becomes too expensive to use.

 

Noodlers was some of that expensive imported inks...going for at least E20, a few years ago the last time I looked.

 

Due to Amazon, the price of Japanese ink here in German sank from E70 to E22 or so...which I thought was still expensive........my...it's 'almost' affordable.

Edited May 30, 2018 by Bo Bo Olson

[invisuu]

 

OTOH, I have Edelstein Tanzanite in an M405 with an EF nib and I think it's a PERFECT combination (but my druthers are for F nibs in general). The Edelstein inks aren't as dry as the regular 4001 line, and I like some of the colors better.

I'll admit that my M405 Stresemann has a B nib, and I'm considering having it reground at some point into something like a cursive italic -- I actually prefer the B nib on my TWSBI 580-AL a bit better (I got both pens at roughly the same time -- within a couple of months of each other).

As for the cost, the 4001 line inks must be danged cheap in Europe, because I don't think they're all that expensive here.... I've seen the smaller size bottles of Brilliant Black at a local-ish discount crafts store chain in the "Prizm" art supplies section. and I think they were charging around $10-11 US.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

Oh I think Tanzanite is the best ink Pelikan makes, its just that OP was asking for a drier ink. Ummm 4001 inks can be had for around 4EUR in local Müllers and whatnot.

 

Actually, last time I was there, they had a sale at 2.80EUR a bottle

Edited May 30, 2018 by invisuu

[Calabria]

Oh I think Tanzanite is the best ink Pelikan makes, its just that OP was asking for a drier ink. Ummm 4001 inks can be had for around 4EUR in local Müllers and whatnot.

 

Actually, last time I was there, they had a sale at 2.80EUR a bottle

Bottled ink in a drugstore? Signs of civilization!

[WDanderson]

Thanks all, Ill give the 4001 a try first and then the Sailor black. Meanwhile I did find something else that pretty much works just as well, Fabre-Castells Stone Grey. The bonus of course is it matches the barrel so perfectly. Ive gone through a couple pages now and so far so good.

[Calabria]

Your handwriting goes really well with the Pelikan nib. And I like the grey ink (Pelikan bb can be a bit grey).

[1nkulus]

An excellent acquisition.

 

Diamine Silver Fox, part of the 150th Anniversary selection, could also be an option.

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/306983-ink-review-diamine-silver-fox-150th-anniversary-ink/

[inkstainedruth]

Bottled ink in a drugstore? Signs of civilization!

 

Hah!

Yesterday I was in a yarn shop that open recently (bucking the trend -- a lot of yarn stores in the Pittsburgh area have closed). The owner told me she had some visitors from Iceland, who are used to finding yarn in grocery stores back home.... Apparently when they asked their hosts about where to buy yarn they were pointed to the local Jo-Ann Fabrics.... (Jo-Ann's carries cheap brands, and mostly 100% acrylic yarn, at that, which a lot of real fiber people are NOT going to want).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth