A Frustrated Newbie From Virginia, Well, Mostly

[sansenri]

 

I got the Platinum 3776 Century 'Chartres Blue' with an 'M' nib because it was less than $75 and I could get it on Prime. I don't normally buy from Amazon but they have had some great deals on pens lately.

 

Lovely pen, I have that one too, the blue is ever so blue! you also got a really good deal at that price, how is it going?

 

[shawnee]

 

Lovely pen, I have that one too, the blue is ever so blue! you also got a really good deal at that price, how is it going?

 

 

 

 

It has just arrived so I'll be inking it as soon as I clean up my Montblanc for storage. I'm excited. I have to admit it's very pretty . .

[PAKMAN]

I got the red one "Platinum Century #3776 Bourgogne soft fine 14k nib " and love it. May have to go back and get a blue, that sure is pretty!

[jburchett]

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

 

Greetings from another Virginian!

[bob_hayden]

I am going to make a radical suggestion: buy a dozen assorted Chinese pens off eBay for less than $2 each.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/330996-best-cheap-fountain-pens-under-2-us/

 

Probably two or three will be factory rejects but you can play around and learn more about what you like. Do you have clip preferences? Can you tolerate a stiff nib? Do you want the cap to slide on or screw on? You do not need >$100 pens to learn these things. Once you know what you like you can ask at FPN for recommendations on pens with those qualities. From what you have said so far the Wing Sung 3001 XF might be a good start. The nicest XF nib I ever used was on a $2 Pai Li (no longer available).

 

To search for something at FPN I go to Google and type in something like "Wing Sung 3001 pen fpn". I think the FPN earch facility gives you the least relevant hit first;-)

[shawnee]

I am going to make a radical suggestion: buy a dozen assorted Chinese pens off eBay for less than $2 each.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/330996-best-cheap-fountain-pens-under-2-us/

 

Probably two or three will be factory rejects but you can play around and learn more about what you like. Do you have clip preferences? Can you tolerate a stiff nib? Do you want the cap to slide on or screw on? You do not need >$100 pens to learn these things. Once you know what you like you can ask at FPN for recommendations on pens with those qualities. From what you have said so far the Wing Sung 3001 XF might be a good start. The nicest XF nib I ever used was on a $2 Pai Li (no longer available).

 

To search for something at FPN I go to Google and type in something like "Wing Sung 3001 pen fpn". I think the FPN earch facility gives you the least relevant hit first;-)

 

I agree with your suggestion. Starting out with cheaper pens would've been a better option if for no other than reason than I don't have to be anxious about screwing them up! I did order two Platinum Plaisirs for less than $15 each and I'm interested in trying out the Pilot Metropolitan while is only $15 on Amazon. For me, the most important thing about the pen is the line that is lays down since I write with my fountain pens on a daily basis. It needs to be reliable and smooth. I haven't tried enough pens from Japan and China to get a feel for their nibs, but I'm still on the fence about the Platinum because the medium nib may just be a bit on the thin side. Right now, I feel a bit like Goldilocks trying to get it just right. LOL.

[shawnee]

Lovely pen, I have that one too, the blue is ever so blue! you also got a really good deal at that price, how is it going?

 

Heres my writing sample. I dont know if I love it but I dont hate it. The line thinness is probably my biggest gripe and thats with a M nib and the cartridge it came with. Im wondering if I use a wetter ink if itll be perfect. Its hard to say and this is just my initial impression. What I will say in its favor is that the line is super reliable and flows. I dont like hearing the rattle of the ball bearing in the cartridge but thats a minor issue. Early days with this pen.

[pen2paper]

 

Glad you don't hate it & see useful attributes... including smooth.

Seeing your nice but small compact writing still wonder the F might have worked for you.

Another option, though I'd suggest test driving first, is a ground itali-fine to vary your strokes.

You might play with option using inexpensive Plumix. Nice italic nib,& flow, just odd body.

Plaisir is typically smooth but a tad drier, so while not 14k smooth, it might surprise with just right fit.

Have fun...

[TLMG]

Let me know how you managed to accidentally buy a Montblanc 146 -- I've been looking for new excuses ever since my girlfriend asked "don't you already have that exact same pen???"

[shawnee]

Let me know how you managed to accidentally buy a Montblanc 146 -- I've been looking for new excuses ever since my girlfriend asked "don't you already have that exact same pen???"

 

Because honestly, I thought I had a vintage 149 hoarded away in my drawer and therefore, did not have a 146. Yeah, no. Wrong way around. And the reason why its hoarded away is because its brand new vintage and so I cant bear to break it in. Most ridiculous logic ever. So there you go. Ive had some pen SNAFUs in my very short career as a pen enthusiast.

[shawnee]

Glad you don't hate it & see useful attributes... including smooth.

Seeing your nice but small compact writing still wonder the F might have worked for you.

Another option, though I'd suggest test driving first, is a ground itali-fine to vary your strokes.

You might play with option using inexpensive Plumix. Nice italic nib,& flow, just odd body.

Plaisir is typically smooth but a tad drier, so while not 14k smooth, it might surprise with just right fit.

Have fun...

I want to like it. I just have to get used to the line and also use a converter so the ball bearing doesnt drive me insane. The plaisirs are on their way and one is fine so Im guessing more flex but possibly more scratchy? I do want to play around with varying my line and stroke so thank you for the suggestion - I have no clue on where to start with that and obviously dont want to make a huge investment in nibs until I see if I like it. Just when I think i make progress, another avenue opens. I seriously dont know how anyone figures out what they like. So many variables!

[pen2paper]

No, not more flex in Plaisir. Forcing a nib to perform beyond its design may temporarily provide some shading, but even a 14k full flex forced will soon "railroad" (edge lines, no center) then fatigue the metal to ruin, crack or bend.

 

Spend some time working with various nibs inks papers to determine what smooth, good flow, light touch works best for you. It may require you to adjust your grip, relax & let the pen do its job as designed.

 

Include a low cost Plumix or Safari 1.1 to add shading effects with smooth no-effort. Also a old 14k true sem-flex that can be gently manipulated for line variation without railroading or damaging. Requires slowing down to learn "the feel" of that nib's ability to perform. Like a car designed to handle curvy roads using gearshift, road feel, & speed, vs a stiff high powered car built for straight away full throttle speed.

[shawnee]

Also, I lied. Im entranced by this Century 3776 now. There is something about the line that I cant let go of - it makes my penmanship tidy and pretty, whereas, the Pelikan makes it look like Ive murdered someone and am using their blood as ink. Is Platinum indicative of other Japanese pens or is the flowing line just a Platinum trait? Im probably not describing it very accurately. (On a sidenote: I dont know why all of my apostrophes disappear on my posts)

[Wolverine1]

Shawnee- I would say that you should go to a pen club in an around the Charlotsville or the Metro DC area. Or go and hang out with Bert at Bertram's Inkwell pen shop. What that will do is this - it will allow you to try out different pens, inks, papers, so that you can figure out what your likes and dislikes are. You will get to try out all sorts of nibs, etc, so you will sort of become knowledgeable about the lingo used by pen lovers. I think there was a guy who had organised a club in Charlottsville. Check the Clubs/Meetings forum. Best of luck.

[WirsPlm]

Also, I lied. Im entranced by this Century 3776 now. There is something about the line that I cant let go of - it makes my penmanship tidy and pretty, whereas, the Pelikan makes it look like Ive murdered someone and am using their blood as ink. Is Platinum indicative of other Japanese pens or is the flowing line just a Platinum trait? Im probably not describing it very accurately. (On a sidenote: I dont know why all of my apostrophes disappear on my posts)

 

Japanese pens have thinner nibs for the same letter size than US/EU pens and so write a much thinner line, and IMO they also tend to have a more controlled flow although that could just be because most of my US/EU pens are vintage not modern. I've found that they do make my writing look neater also, my German nibbed pens simply look messy (not quite sure what the difference is!). It could also be the ink though, different inks have different chemistry and that can have an impact on line neatness or cause feathering, bleeding, sheen and shading, so if you're using the Platinum ink with the Platinum pen perhaps that's part of the difference?

[pen2paper]

If 3776 fits your hand comfortably, (as it does your small sized handwriting), it's likely to be a pen you return to for its smooth reliability... even after trying other competent pens.

 

It's a surprising find. A lot of pen for its price - consistent quality 14k nib too.

[Shrimpkin1]

I strongly agree with the advice to try attending a pen club or show where you can geek out, try a ton of pens/nibs/inks at one time, and meet a bunch of really cool fellow pen nerds (who come from a ton of different backgrounds/professions).

 

 

To that end, if you ever find yourself in the NY area for work or play, the Big Apple Pen Club meets every second Thursday of the month in the evening and is a perfect venue/group of folks for you to meet. We usually get 15-25 people, including modern enthusiasts, vintage fanatics, dealers, YouTube vloggers, newbies, etc. We get authors, students, lawyers, retirees, you name it. Just a thought...

[Sailor Kenshin]

Also, I lied. Im entranced by this Century 3776 now. There is something about the line that I cant let go of - it makes my penmanship tidy and pretty, whereas, the Pelikan makes it look like Ive murdered someone and am using their blood as ink. Is Platinum indicative of other Japanese pens or is the flowing line just a Platinum trait? Im probably not describing it very accurately. (On a sidenote: I dont know why all of my apostrophes disappear on my posts)

I have the same blue 3776. Be grateful you did not order the B nib! It's a firehose. But I do have the M in red. It's never been de-inked since I bought it a few years ago.

[coinlvr]

Welcome to the forum

[ygv]

Welcome from another new member!