A Frustrated Newbie From Virginia, Well, Mostly

[shawnee]

Hello. My name is Shawnee and I'm an author aaaaand now I'm addicted to fountain pens.

 

Beyond the Shaeffer No Nonsense fountain pen that I got in the '80s as a teen and could never make work properly anyhow, my first true fountain pen was a Montblanc 145 with a nib exchange to a F nib using MB midnight blue and Private Reserve cartridges given to me for my birthday by my BFF in 2015ish. I have a love/hate relationship with that pen, but I think that has more to do with the fact that I have never cleaned it (don't yell) and I've hesitated to use the piston filler. I got lucky in 2016 and picked up a brand new vintage MB 146 with an unopened bottle of MB ink from a local consignment store and the fellas in the MB forum helped me peg it to the 1980s. I have hoarded that pen and occasionally take it out to pet it, but that's it.

 

Fast forward to January and for some reason, I can't stop thinking about FPs. I have bought a restored Brause with a steel nib on the cheap, another MB 146 (accidentally), a Pelikan P205 (horrible pen, it's going back) and a Pelikan M600 because the folks in the Pelikan forum made it sound like it was just the bee's knees (it is, but holy wet batman with an M nib). I also just bought an MB 149 that is going to need to be cleaned and it wasn't too expensive and I wanted to know if it lived up to the hype.

 

But this is the thing: I'm FP agnostic. MB was my first, but I'm still trying to find my groove when it comes to nibs and pens. I write every day with my FPs as an author so they get a work out and on some seriously beautiful Italian handmade unlined journals (the paper is beautiful and makes me want to weep, just enough tooth to pull the ink out longingly). I'm liking the Pelikan M600, but lordy, I think I'm going to have to go to an F nib because my hand writing is tiny and it's so wet that it's filling in. I also just pulled apart my husband's Lamy Safari which has sat dried up with an ink cartridge for 3-4 years trying my hand out at "cleaning" a pen. That wasn't as bad as I thought.

 

What I'm finding hardest right now is drilling down to basic stuff. I have tried every which way to find all the newbie posts on on FPN and want to punch the search function in the face. I went to Richard Binder's site and read up a bunch of things, but felt like maybe I was still not up to that level. I went to Youtube and starting watching videos - man that is a rabbit hole that you don't want to go down - but essentially, I'm doing the kermit flail trying to figure out if I'm going to screw up my pens and wondering if maybe I need to try to get some less expensive ones to test the waters.

 

I know there are Parker fans, and Shaeffer fans and Visconti fans and Pelikan fans and Monte Verde and the list goes on and on.

 

So I would love for someone to point me in the direction of the best newbie posts about pens and nibs and also any sage advice on how I might want to approach this MB149 when it wings its way into my mailbox this weekend. I'm almost tempted to send it off to MB for servicing, but not sure.

 

I just want to absorb all the knowledge like a sponge. My husband won't thank you for feeding my obsession, but that's okay, I'm happy to bribe you with books and the like.

 

 

xo

shawnee

[jar]

http://www.fototime.com/B1E3994B3BCD6A0/orig.gif

[PAKMAN]

Hello and Welcome back to FPN!! Glad to have you as a member!!

[shawnee]

Thank you for having me back. I tried to lurk for a long time so I wasn't *that* new person, but I'm okay with being ignorant and learning from the best. Everyone here has been nothing but kind and gracious so thank you! xo

[pen2paper]

Hi, welcome back.

Let's perhaps try a practical approach.

What fits comfortably in Your hand.

What fills, refills, flushes easily, so your experience is grab & go, minimum of fuss, but enjoyable.

Narrow some of these down a bit. Your choices could include variety, at moderate cost.

Reliable, good fit, comfortable, easy of use. Aim for one of two such workerbee writing tools.

Write with joy. Then add fussy pretty costly if that matters, once you've determined a baseline of what's your best fit.

Century 3776 Safari Logo Plaisir are a few fun reliables.

[TheGreatRoe]

I'm not the biggest advocate for Goulet Pen (though I'm also not Anti-) but their FP 101 series is a good list of starter topics. (https://blog.gouletpens.com/fountain-pen-education/fountain-pen-101).

 

Are there specific topics you want help/advice on, or are you just on a beginning-of-the-hobby-information quest?

[Pentode]

Welcome!

 

Youve got some nice pens. Youve got a good outlet through which to use them. My advice is simply to write with them and slowly figure out what you like and what you dont.

 

Before the internet thats what we all did when we were starting out. Its a lot slower, but its first-hand experience. No source on the net is going to know your hands, your writing style or your preferences like you do. Just take your time and try things. If theres a local pen club near you, so much the better!

 

Dont get me wrong; I like the internet. Im just not sure the information you seek is available there. What you want to find out is what you like and only you can answer that.

 

One thing I can help you with: its normal for Pelikans, especially with medium or broad nibs, to write very wet. Their ink tends toward dry so their pens write wet. Try using Pelikan 4001 series inks and I bet that M600 will behave itself much better.

Edited January 16, 2019 by Pentode

[Karmachanic]

Yup. Use those MBs. Daily. Do your best to try and wear them out. Listen to what they have to say and they will teach you, and answer many questions.

[Henricum_Tropen]

Hello Shawnee and welcome to FPN, from Cape Town, South Africa.

[ThomasB]

Hello and welcome from Baton Rouge, Louisiana...Enjoy your time here

[shawnee]

I'm not the biggest advocate for Goulet Pen (though I'm also not Anti-) but their FP 101 series is a good list of starter topics. (https://blog.gouletpens.com/fountain-pen-education/fountain-pen-101).

 

Are there specific topics you want help/advice on, or are you just on a beginning-of-the-hobby-information quest?

 

Thank you for this. I'm going to read up and see if it answers some of my questions before inundating the forum with already covered topics since I'm pretty sure that I'm not the first overwhelmed newbie on this block. LOL.

[shawnee]

Welcome!

 

Youve got some nice pens. Youve got a good outlet through which to use them. My advice is simply to write with them and slowly figure out what you like and what you dont.

 

Before the internet thats what we all did when we were starting out. Its a lot slower, but its first-hand experience. No source on the net is going to know your hands, your writing style or your preferences like you do. Just take your time and try things. If theres a local pen club near you, so much the better!

 

Dont get me wrong; I like the internet. Im just not sure the information you seek is available there. What you want to find out is what you like and only you can answer that.

 

One thing I can help you with: its normal for Pelikans, especially with medium or broad nibs, to write very wet. Their ink tends toward dry so their pens write wet. Try using Pelikan 4001 series inks and I bet that M600 will behave itself much better.

 

Right so you've got my attention about the Pelikan because it's driving me absolutely nuts. I got the M600 with the M nib the same time that I got the P205 with an F nib. My logic for getting the P205 (from Amazon) was that I wanted a back up cartridge pen to my MB145, but also, it was relatively inexpensive (in comparison) and it would give me a good idea of how an F nib plays in the Pelikan line. But my god. It's the scratchiest, thinnest line thing I've ever had the misfortune to use. It came with an Edelstein ink cartridge which in theory is a wetter ink than the 4001. So now I've got Pelikans at both ends of the spectrum. I'm tempted to return the P205, but wonder if I try a different an MB cartridge if it's just a matter of fitting the ink with the pen. Or maybe it's just a rubbish pen. I have no clue. I did take your advice and get 4001 ink for the M600. I'm a blue black girl, but after reading on the forums about the change in formulation and that all the blue black out there is old and coming from Japan, I bit the bullet and got the royal blue and brilliant black in the hopes I can mix and get my normal color.

 

So I'm all over the map right now. LOL.

 

What I would really love and it's probably in this forum somewhere is a comparison of brands, the pros and cons. I'm still trying to figure out who I am as an FP owner, but I do know that my longhand writing (ie. cursive) which is what I primarily use my pens for is tiny and so broads and big nib pens aren't going to work for me because they fill in on my loops.

 

Is there any topic links to brand comparisons? Am I the idiot who missed the obvious?

 

shawnee

[shawnee]

Hi, welcome back.

Let's perhaps try a practical approach.

What fits comfortably in Your hand.

What fills, refills, flushes easily, so your experience is grab & go, minimum of fuss, but enjoyable.

Narrow some of these down a bit. Your choices could include variety, at moderate cost.

Reliable, good fit, comfortable, easy of use. Aim for one of two such workerbee writing tools.

Write with joy. Then add fussy pretty costly if that matters, once you've determined a baseline of what's your best fit.

Century 3776 Safari Logo Plaisir are a few fun reliables.

 

I just want to make sure I understand. You're talking about:

 

Platinum 3776 century

Platinum plaisir

Lamy Logo

Lamy Safari

I haven't heard a lot about Platinum. Can you give me some insight into the characteristics of their pens?

[Wolverine1]

:)

 

Well since you are an author and are located at Charlottesville, are you involved with UVA's MFA program?

 

Anyyways, when buying pens, I would suggest not buying the pens from Amazon, because you dont know who is selling what. You could get defective pens or pens that are fakes. In the Metro DC area, you can check out a store called Bertram's Inkwell, or Fahrneys in DC itself. Buying from a reputable pen dealer means you will geta pen that fits your needs, and a pen that works. Both Bert Oser at Bertram's Inkwell and the folks at Fahrneys are wonderful to deal with.

 

And, like you, I do love the MB 149. I find myself with 10 of them right now!!!! It is a big pen, but even with my small hands it works really well for me. So, when your's arrives, flush it out with cold tap water and clean it up really well, then fill it and write.

 

Best of luck to you in your writing journey with fountain pens.

-Sid the Wolverine

[sombrueil]

There isn't a brand comparison list that I know of. The problem is that there are too many variables. Many brands have been in existence since the early 20th century, and have undergone extreme changes in that time. Many modern pens, including or even especially very expensive ones have poor consistency and identical new pens may write very differently. There are a few broad guidelines but they are usually too broad to be all that useful. Something you probably already know is that Japanese pens have different descriptors for nib width -- their "fine" is a western extra fine and their extra fine is finer than most western makes.

 

If you write small, stick to fine and extra fine nibs. Mediums will never suit you.

 

I am not the one to speak with any authority on modern pens as I am all about vintage, but very generally if you want a trouble-free pen that writes well right out of the box, stick to the big-name workhorse brands (Pilot, Pelikan, Lamy, other people will add to this list) and go a step or two up from their entry-level school pens. If it was me I would pick a price point somewhere between $35 and $120 (you won't get a better quality writing instrument much above that price, just fancier).

 

There is a learning curve, no doubt about it. If you write a lot every day it will be important to find a pen that fits your hand and writes smoothly and fast. Only you can decide what pens those are, and you can only find out through experimentation (the nicer name for dissatisfaction and failure).

 

Every newbie has different questions, and from what you say, you are already well on your way to the answers. The more specific your questions, the more useful the forum answers are going to be for you.

 

Don't be shy, we are all a bunch of opinionated know-it-alls who suffer from being surrounded by people who could not care less about our hard-won knowledge. Most of us are dying to opine.

 

 

 

 

[Shrimpkin1]

Shawnee, welcome back! You've come to the right place, as this is the most generous and informative online community I've found. I've been coming here about 3 years, and have been blown away by how openly people have shared info, advice, and encouragement. Charlottesville's a spectacular place, and I can only imagine how inspiring it can be as an author to sit under a tree on a hilltop with fountain pen in hand...

 

As far as the questions you raise in your posts, some thoughts:

• I second the suggestion of checking out Goulet's videos. Brian has perhaps done more than anyone to make high quality videos about popular topics available, with clarity and genuine enthusiasm. He only speaks to new stuff, but has a lot of great info on the basics, comparing/contrasting brands, etc.
• 2 other YouTube channels you may find useful are The Pen Habit (Matt Armstrong speaks from the pov of a user who jumped in deep and fast) and SBRE brown (Stephen covers a lot of ground, new and old)
• As someone who also has very small handwriting, I feel your pain with broad nibs! I have found that German pens from the likes of MB, Pelikan, and Lamy are fantastic, but you'll really need a fine nib. For example, I just got a Pelikan m805 with an EF nib and it's perfect; a M is practically useless for me. I also have a Lamy 2000 with an EF nib and love it, though even that can be pushing it for me depending on the paper.
• You should try out some Japanese pens, as their nibs tend to run more narrow than European counterparts, especially F and EF nibs. For example, a Pilot Custom 74 or Custom Heritage 92 with a F nib is wonderful. Several people have mentioned the Platinum 3776 series, and they are also quite nice with F or soft F nibs.

One thing that would be great is if you can get to a pen club or a pen show, where you'll be able to try a variety of pens at the same time and really get to see what you like/don't. It can be overwhelming, but a fantastic experience. You can also soak in a ton of wisdom from others...

 

Good luck!

[Restored]

Welcome from the New River Valley!
The Goulet suggestion was good. He's a Hokie.

[shawnee]

Welcome from the New River Valley!

The Goulet suggestion was good. He's a Hokie.

 

You had me until you speaketh the dreaded "H" word.

[shawnee]

:)

 

Well since you are an author and are located at Charlottesville, are you involved with UVA's MFA program?

 

Anyyways, when buying pens, I would suggest not buying the pens from Amazon, because you dont know who is selling what. You could get defective pens or pens that are fakes. In the Metro DC area, you can check out a store called Bertram's Inkwell, or Fahrneys in DC itself. Buying from a reputable pen dealer means you will geta pen that fits your needs, and a pen that works. Both Bert Oser at Bertram's Inkwell and the folks at Fahrneys are wonderful to deal with.

 

And, like you, I do love the MB 149. I find myself with 10 of them right now!!!! It is a big pen, but even with my small hands it works really well for me. So, when your's arrives, flush it out with cold tap water and clean it up really well, then fill it and write.

 

Best of luck to you in your writing journey with fountain pens.

-Sid the Wolverine

 

I'm not in the MFA program, just a plain ol' author. When buying from Amazon, I've only purchased direct from Amazon and not a third party seller and only the Pelikans because from what I read here on FPN, they were authentic pens at a very reasonable price (for some reason, FPs are less in the UK, who knew?) and I didn't have any Pelikans at all. The Pelikan M nib though is driving me a bit cray cray so I'm really hoping that the drier ink is going to fix the problem. But anyhow, I'm digressing. I might have to hit you up for MB149 advice. I just got one that is going to need some serious cleaning and I'd love to know what about the 149 moves you. I'm afraid to fall in love with it if I was honest. LOL.

[shawnee]

There isn't a brand comparison list that I know of. The problem is that there are too many variables. Many brands have been in existence since the early 20th century, and have undergone extreme changes in that time. Many modern pens, including or even especially very expensive ones have poor consistency and identical new pens may write very differently. There are a few broad guidelines but they are usually too broad to be all that useful. Something you probably already know is that Japanese pens have different descriptors for nib width -- their "fine" is a western extra fine and their extra fine is finer than most western makes.

 

If you write small, stick to fine and extra fine nibs. Mediums will never suit you.

 

I am not the one to speak with any authority on modern pens as I am all about vintage, but very generally if you want a trouble-free pen that writes well right out of the box, stick to the big-name workhorse brands (Pilot, Pelikan, Lamy, other people will add to this list) and go a step or two up from their entry-level school pens. If it was me I would pick a price point somewhere between $35 and $120 (you won't get a better quality writing instrument much above that price, just fancier).

 

There is a learning curve, no doubt about it. If you write a lot every day it will be important to find a pen that fits your hand and writes smoothly and fast. Only you can decide what pens those are, and you can only find out through experimentation (the nicer name for dissatisfaction and failure).

 

Every newbie has different questions, and from what you say, you are already well on your way to the answers. The more specific your questions, the more useful the forum answers are going to be for you.

 

Don't be shy, we are all a bunch of opinionated know-it-alls who suffer from being surrounded by people who could not care less about our hard-won knowledge. Most of us are dying to opine.

 

 

 

Yeah, I'd kinda assumed that an overall guide to the different brands was going to be a pipe dream. And your logic about nib size is sound and I had a similar thought (which is too bad since both my vintage MBs are M nibs and yes, I haven't used them yet). I'm a pen hoarder. I have to stop petting them and start using them, I guess. But back on the brand issue, I'd love to know why people love Parker for instance. Those guys seem super enthusiastic. Or even the Pilot or Lamy folks. I can't have all the brands, my bank account can't handle it, so I need a way to streamline. So hard. But I guess that's a good problem to have - taking the glass half full approach....