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Hello again to all my FPN friends, I know anytime you use the word "best" for something as subjective as a fountain pen you'll get varied responses, but that's what I'm hoping for. Here's my question for you all: In your opinion, what is the best gold-nibbed Chinese pen (a Chinese branded pen, not just a pen made in China) available on the market today? Along with your recommendation, please explain why the nib feels great to you and what you like about both the pen and nib. What does the nib feel like on the paper? How much feedback? Including that information will help others decide whether the pen is a good choice for them. Thanks in advance for your contributions!

Well, I did not know where to put it - nibs&tines, pen reviews or else So this seems a good forum. I pursue flex almost from the beginning of my fountain pen journey. I was fortunate enough not starting with modern flexes, but with a vintage one. I fancied a vintage pen, and bought one just because it was cheap, looked nice and I knew the brand. Parker Slimfold - in terms of size it was a disappointment (i didn check its size or asked the seller), - but the nib was fantastic. Right away i fell in love with "flex". Bought another vintage (Wyvern) - also great. Then started looking at moder ones - Conklin Omniflex, Ahab etc but nothing compared. Alter some time I learnt more, bought and used much more pens. Realised that flex is quite a wide idea. soft, semi, regular, wet noodle, modern, vintage. Waterman 52 flex vs vintage MB 146 flex vs flexible Pelikan nibs in 140, 400 etc. Soft nibs in M1000 vs japanise SF nibs. Pilot Custom 743 with FA nib is another part of this journey. I got to know and like Japanese nibs only recently. I knew about Pilot Falcon but did not like it, then "discovered" 912, 823, 742, 743 etc. And definitely wanted one with FA nib. So I ordered one. Pilot Custom 743 to be exact. In Europe they are not sold at all, so for the first time I took a risk and ordered from Japan. The price was incredible, good seller, but he sent it with the economy not expedited as I ordered, but any way 10 days later it was home I did not pay any duty or taxes (typically for import from Japan its est 28% total, but not this time - customs missed it?) . Pen is very nice, very well built but nothing especially interesting - just another cigar shaped, black rather large pen with gold trim. And 14k gold nib, in an unusual shape - with cutouts. It is not a vintage full flex but is much better in this area than any of modern so-called flex nibs I had a chance to try. I'm not a calligrapher, I'm still working on my handwriting. But I can appreciate a good nib. With a light touch, it puts a thin line, Japanese fine, and is smooth. but even slightly pressed it goes medium, broad and double broad quite easily, but at the same time, it becomes scratchy. I'm not sure it should work like that. The only problem I had was railroading then I flexed it too much or for too long, or was writing too fast. I investigated and wound aftermarket feed at flexiblenibs.com - 4 versions to be exact for my pen !!! Actually also for 823 and probably 845 pens too. Japanese ebonite, CNC cut, two colors (black and red) and two versions (2 slits, and 3 slits one for wet inks or not to aggressive flexing, the second one for dry inks and heavy pressing. I ordered both versions in black and several days later herre they are. Fixed the problem like a dream. The feeds are PERFECT. They are super high quality, shapes matches the original with 0,2mm precision. I really recomend one for any FA nib user on 743/823 (#15 nib) pen. Pictures and writing samples below. http://gakko.pl/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/MG_3583.jpghttp://gakko.pl/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/MG_3584.jpg http://gakko.pl/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/MG_3585.jpg http://gakko.pl/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/MG_3586.jpg http://gakko.pl/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/MG_3590.jpg

The pen that I'll be reviewing (or discussing) today is: "The Universal Pen Conway Stewart London No.489" I have had this pen for a bit over a month now, have used it everyday, and have found it to be a reliable writer. I managed to pick this pen up after doing some antique shop hunting, and managed to get it for only $23AUD. On that note, I think it is actually much better to go vintage pen hunting in person rather than online. It's more fun that way, not knowing what you'll find, and you probably end up with a nicer price, provided you're willing to do some relatively easy restoration work. This pen was made in England, in the late 1930s, so this is when fountain pens were generally moving away from the olympic-split style flex from the earlier period, and started featuring what I see as being *stiffer* nibs (though they still can produce very admirable amounts of line variation). It is made from a hard rubber, judging from the fact that what used to be black rubber has now faded to a dark brown, and also if you were to rub your finger on a patch of the pen and smell it, it should smell like old tires. It has a no.1, 14 carat gold nib, with what I see as a medium point (there's no markings in terms of size), and produces nice amounts of line variation. It also has an ebonite feed. Note how wide and deep the feed channel is. This means that this pen is an extremely wet writer (almost a firehose). This was very typical of vintage pens, requiring larger amounts of ink to accomodate for "flex writing". Also note the cutouts on the side. This allowed for any ink that had leaked out to be held, without dripping down the nib and forming blobs on the paper. I believe this was an attempt to mimic the spoon feed design from earlier Waterman pens, which were incredibly successful, and which was mimicked by many other pen companies. It also has a sac, very typical, and was filled via a lever on the side of the barrel. Also very typical. The pen itself is quite light, and is 131mm long capped, and 161mm posted. This pen can be posted very comfortably and securely, though whether you do so is all up to personal preference. a few notes: No, this pen is not for sale. This pen has been put through its paces, and has proved it's reliability by non-stop writing for 2 hours in English Exams, and a further 1.5 hours in that afternoon. It is VERY reliable. The iron gall ink used in the pen is wholly appropriate, due to many inks of the period being iron gall inks. Do not worry about the pen's current condition; it is part of a rigorous maintenance schedule, and is flushed out every single week. In addition, the ink used is formulated to be gentler on pens, and the pen itself, containing no metal parts excluding the gold nibs, easily stands up to it.

Hello all, i wanted to try a flex nib, so i orderd some Zebra-G nibs and modified them to fit on my Jinhao x450. The writing experience was horrible, but the shading was awesome. Until now i thought extreme shading is just possible with M or B nibs, even with JoWo Stubs i was not happy with the shading. But this Zebra-G Nib taught me a better understanding. Now i know that the writing pressure can make a huge difference, and i CAN get shading on my prefered nib size EF! So I tried to dremel a standard Jinhao nib, but the writing experienc was horrible again, though it flexes xD. (looks like a Stealth Bomber or something ) Finally I orderd a standard #6 Flex Steel nib from FPR and was able to fit it perfectly with some bending and grinding. I dremeled again (EMF-Mod) and grinded the M-Nib to something finer. The writing experience is good now, I`m just not totally happy with my EF-Grind- I have to do more research on this. Getting this much shading feels like a new universe to me. I can now test all my old inks with a new experience and the full color spectrum! (Noodlers Apache Sunset) If you have hints, suggestions or questions you are very welcome

So I got into an auction for a pen with a Pink nib, which I lost, but I noticed an auction for a late Waterman 5 with a Red nib that the seller considered exceptional - he posted a writing sample that looked promising. Just for funsies I bid on that pen and won it for about half what the Pink had sold for. Anyway, its a beautiful pen, proper red dot on the barrel end; nice plating. Clean and correct. But Im not loving the nib. I have too light a hand to really get the most expression out of what Id considered a semiflex nib, which means that I dont have to commit the horrible act of vandalism I had been contemplating. Itll make a faithful companion for someone, just not me.

IMHO, this is an (i)deal fountain pen: vintage Waterman Ideal 52 with Waterman's Awesome Brown Thus far the nib/feed combination has superseded all other writing experiences from the collection of Aurora, Bock, Jowo, Sailor, Parker, Pilot, Sheaffer, Wahl Eversharp... to name a few... Is there a non-vintage modern equivalent?What is your ideal fountain pen writing experience?

i have been looking at alot of vintage sheaffer pens, i want to get a 14k flex nib, is there anyone who knows the models that have the flexible nibs? or any specific questions to ask seller/ things to look for?

does anyone know the models of the w-E or eversharp fountain pens with 14k flex nibs?

Recently I found one of my fountain pen could be installed with a dip pen nib, so I quickly grabbed a compatible nib and try it. It really works like a charm But it's an eyedropper pen, I want a more easy fill mechanism, then I go to the internet and see if I can find a pen with the same nib & and feed but with piston fill mechanism. At last, I found it in an India internet pen shop. Due to some of my friends also want to buy this pen, I was going to buy about 20 pens from him and started a price negotiation. During price negotiation, I found an interesting flex nib in his pen shop. The left one is the kanwrite flex pen nib (pretty similar to noodler's or FPR nib), the right one is the interesting flex nib I found in his shop. It looks pretty like a vintage nib. Because I was buying 20 pens from him, after negotiation, the shop owner agreed to replace the original nib with this pretty flex nib without extra charge. After 2 weeks waiting, finally I got my pens, but how this beautiful nib performs ? Let the video tells It writes very smooth and the nib is even softer then some semi to medium flex vintage pen !!! And believe it or not, this pen only cost me lesser than 15 USD dollars include the shipping !!! I think this pen is a very very good deal for who was starting learning copperplate writing style, it's soft enough for practicing and cheap enough to avoid afraid of breaking it.

Anyone else having leakage problems with the Noodler's AHAB? Mine is new (present from my daughter in October), and has a nice, wet surprise for me at various times when I uncap it. This has happened about four times now, despite cleaning and refilling. I contacted Noodler's and they said, "We might need to send you a new feed. Is there too much space between the feed and section?" I sent them photos. That was a month ago. I've heard nothing since. I've heard this is a good company to deal with. Any opinions?

Hi all, I am looking for information and recommendations on flex nibs. I am new to FP and really liking the broad nib on my Safari. I alsa want to get into caligraphy and was looking into getting calligraphy pens when I found out about flex nibs. I love the idea, especailly what I saw on this video of the conklin empire, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0mB3GxPyhg although unfortunately the pen didn't appear to work. I would look to spend about £20 and interested out to £100. I am a bit lost at sea when searching for information so thought I would make a post. Hope this is OK. I have heard the noodlers ahab is OK, are there any other suggestions, especially if it can go very broad like the conklin empire.

I am looking for a decent FP with a flex M-B nib and price not more than 100$ Please advise me Thanks

I am considering getting a Pelikan M1000. I was looking for advice on the FB FPN and there were comments about how wet the pen and how it was not meant to do much line variation. So........ How wet is it? If too wet can that be fixed with different ink or other. How much line variation can you safely get?

I ordered this pen with much anticipation, but during the wait, noticed a few negative experiences with the omniflex nib expressed online. I must admit I was dreading what my experience would be when the pen turned up and hoped I hadn't wasted my money. Anyhow, the pen arrived and I fell in love with it the first moment I saw it. The Cracked Ice finish is so very attractive. The packaging was gorgeous too, I'm not a packaging kind of person, and would normally much rather a quality product as I throw the packaging away but in this case I will definitely keep the box. I feel like I've really treated myself to something special. My Falcon was more expensive granted but the looks, feel and presentation paled in comparison. Onto the writing experience. To avoid any hard starts etc and then some overflexing by myself as a result, my shiny nib was pulled straight out of it's housing and doused in boiling water to clean off any residue. I lined it up with the feed and put it back into the pen and loaded it up with Noodler's Apache Sunset. I thought if I'm going to test out a flex pen I may as well use a shading ink. I picked this pen up at 7am and have been writing non stop with it for 3 1/2 hours and am glad to say, I'm so impressed with it. The other flexi nibs I own are on the Ahab, Nib Creaper and Pilot Falcon and this has definitely gone to the top of the list. It has to be the easiest to flex by a fair bit and I find it returns to it's thinner state quicker than the Noodlers Pens, meaning the line width within one stroke is so much more variable. I was mindful to not overflex it, so didn't push it further than I thought it could go, and that made for some serious variation anyway so I'm really pleased with the nib as it is. No hard starts, no rail roading. The feed kept up with everything I threw at it. I can't compare it to any vintage nibs, as I haven't tried any as yet, but as a modern alternative and albeit relatively affordable, surely this has got to be a good way of doing it. I'm really impressed with Conklin, and the pen itself. My next purchase will be the same pen in another colour with a different nib. For balance in this review, the only negative I have is that where my fingers hold the grip, I unfortunately seem to untighten the section and barrel while writing. This may not be the case for everyone, and could very well be unique to my hand shape and pen hold. If I have any issues later on down the line I will update this thread.

Dear all, I've found some time to wonder about flair in writing, usually called flex, which I concur with others here that is to be distinguished from the gargantuan difference in stroke width some people are after, and which I follow Bo Bo Olson in calling superflex. I got a 1929-1930 Lady Duofold serviced in mid-June and at approximately the same time I found a cheap pre-2016 Parker IM which I got. Both pens have seen regular use since then and now I am confident that they have adjusted to me, or I to them more likely, or probably both with more of the latter. Both pens now are wetter than they were when I first got them, with the Duofold already having been on the wet side. The IM can still railroad a bit on fast written vertical downstrokes when the ink nears its end and it still gives me hard starts if left unused for two to two-and-a-half days. Maybe that's just the result of a longer section of the feed being exposed to the air compared to other Parkers with similar nib-feed assortments. In the process of getting wetter, I noticed that the Duofold does give some wider downstrokes than a manifold nib, without effort other than regular writing on my part. Since I already knew that the Duofold nib does spread its tines without effort, but the IM doesn't do so, I decided to see if there are any noticeable differences between the two. There are, but they are not so pronounced. Here are follow some pictures. Apologies for the lack of focus; it's due to the mobile camera and that's rather old. The protagonists The Duofold was sold as Fine/Medium, which is an accurate description of appearances. To check for sure one has to remove the nib from the section. I haven't done that. Now it writes regularly as a medium almost always. It can write extra fine inverted. The IM came as an M. Below are some samples. The paper is a regular ruled notebook of A4 size on which my Parkers behave from very well (IM) to excellent (IM and all others) without exception - I think they were designed to perform no-matter-what on cheap paper. The paper lines are about 1 cm apart from each other. The ink is Waterman Serenity Blue for both pens. The first and third lines are the Duofold. As you can see, it gives some flair noticeable in the downstroke of the gamma (γ) in "Υγρό μελάνι", which is Greek for "wet ink" and in the vertical downstroke of the D in the bottom "Duofold". The verticals in lines 3 & 4 are after -still for comfortable for the wrist- pressure was applied. The Duofold appears to reach a 2.5x to 3x stroke thickness. Below there is some flair in a calligraphic-style f -which I have learnt to use but don't. The Duofold is writing the top line. Pressure applied to both samples. The amount of pressure was enough to leave marks on the white page below the one I was writing on. Speed is a bit slower than I usually write. Below is a sample of writing without any pressure applied to either sample. The sentence does not tell any facts about the paper, I just had to write something. The Duofold is at the top once more, giving obviously thinner lines in the final words. The speed is my normal relaxed one as when I'm not in a hurry to catch up with what I'm thinking... Overall: -The Duofold with the springy gold nib is totally comparable to the manifold steel IM's nib in terms of actual output in my writing. -Does the Duofold have a noticeable flair in the lines it leaves behind? Yes, which is a pleasant thing to behold when there's a body of text in front of you rather than a sentence or two. -Does the IM lag behind in the aesthetics department in the stuff it produces? It's not possible to claim that -yes passionate flex affictionado, I'm looking at you!- even though the only "flair" it leaves behind is due to the ink spreading on the paper when you push or to the less ink being put down when you don't push. -Does the Duofold require effort to produce this flair? Not at all. It happens automatically in regular writing with the natural higher pressure downstrokes usually receive when putting them on paper. -Is this flair uniform or pronounced? As I handle the pen, it tends to be uniform. By what you see here -which isn't perfect by a long shot- how would you characterise the Duofold's behaviour? Regular flex? Semi-flex? Illusion-of-flex? I'd appreciate all of your thoughts on the topic. Antonis.

This is less of a review (and much less of a competition), and more of a comparison / demonstration of my two newest pens using two of my newest inks. The paper is Rhodia #16 pad. I've been more interested in line variation lately, as well as broader nibs. I started out my fountain pen journey, quite briefly, with Japanese fine nibs. I soon came to the conclusion there was little reason to use a fountain pen if you're using a nib that fine. Not trying to convince or argue with anyone, but that's what my eyes and hands told me. I quickly moved up to medium, and just recently began exploring some broad nibs, primarily for correspondence. I still use my Pilot 823 medium for work primarily, and my Franklin-Christoph #19 for journaling. Everything else varies, but I've also found I really only love using 3-5 pens of my ~ 3 dozen. (I don't use the word "collection" because I'm not a collector, i.e. if a pen isn't a good writer, it isn't a good pen and I have no use for it.) I researched both these pens before I bought them and had high hopes for both, but also some anxiety as I've read negative comments of both, especially the Ahab. Those high hopes were valid; they are both very good pens. My expectations were well exceeded for one of them, and met by the other. I've always had a strong suspicion I buy Noodler's products from some "other" Noodler's that is quite different from the one some quite vocal critics do. My evidence for this strange conclusion is I cannot for the life of me find a bottle of Bay State Blue that eats my pens or becomes a permanent stain on any object whatsoever it touches, nor Black or Heart of Darkness that smudges after 14 days in the Sahara dry heat, or a Noodler's pen that just won't write out of the box, or even ever, no matter what I do. It could, I suppose, have something to do with not giving one fig about the personal opinions of the owner and sole employee of Noodler's (or Pilot for that matter), but since that would be ridiculous to form a pen or ink opinion or review on, I can only come up with the idea that I'm actually doing business with a different company with the name "Noodler's". But, the pen and documentation say "Noodler's Ahab" so, I'll go with that. The Pilot Falcon was a different story for me. It is only the second pen I've ever gone into a bricks and mortar store and bought, and the very first pen EVER I've tried before I bought it. Probably not so strange in this internet commerce age, but it still sounds weird to say out loud. I visited my friend Alan at Crazy Alan's Emporium nearby in Chapel Hill. Many in the pen world know Alan from pen shows. I know him, and the folks at Franklin-Christoph, because they're my home folks. There's more than one advantage to living in the Triangle of North Carolina. I walked in to Alan's store with the goal of walking out with a few pads of paper for jotting quick notes, and left a little while later with a new Falcon. We've all been there. The Pilot is a smooth writer, as I'd be shocked to find any different performance from a Pilot. My 823 is an absolute phenom and if the skinny thing would put on some weight and especially girth, say grow to the size of a Bexley Prometheus, I'd probably be a one man, one pen guy. It's got everything but that. Pilot doesn't advertise the Falcon as a flex nib / pen, and I always thought that was a cop-out. Now I don't. They're right, it isn't. It's a "standard" pen with a quality nib that isn't a nail. It "flexes" some, vs. none at all, and it will give you some line variation, but not a lot. I noticed the most variation when I did the little squiggly lines many people seem to do to test a pen, much more than when actually writing real stuff with it. It's like the folks at PIlot know how you're going to test it! Or maybe not. I have heard the line variation is more pronounced in the fine or medium nibs from Pilot, so I'm not making a statement about all the nibs available for the Falcon. I've only tried the Soft Broad. (hope my wife doesn't read that sentence out of context). The Ahab is amazing. Maybe I'm amazed easily, but for all the pens I've seen that people claim to be "modern flex" or something equivalent, this one is head and shoulders above the rest. I have never once had problems with the feed keeping up or railroading. I've experienced both, especially railroading, with my Falcon. When I bought the Ahab, I thought it would be a gimmick, use once-in-a-blue-moon kind of thing. I had no expectations of it being a truly very good everyday writer, even when applying no "extra" pressure for flex writing. But it is. This is also the first time I've seen Bay State Grape used in post, to my memory, which I really like. But, this post is about the pens, not the inks. I like both pens and am happy with my purchase. The Ahab far exceeded my expectations, and the Falcon fully met them, though, if I hadn't used the Falcon in the store before I'd bought it, I probably would have expected more line variation from it based on most reviews I've read vs. what it actually does. Enjoy! - MG

Hello FPNers, I'm all about vintage flex and want to use a rough adaptation of Copperplate for journaling and letters. A while back I purchased a lovely little gold-filled ring top Wahl FP with a wet noodle #2 nib. The nib writes about a Western EF when not flexed, so I'd like to get a finer nib. My question is: should I have the nib reground to a finer point for calligraphy purposes or should I get another pen entirely? Will the small size of the pen make it harder to control for styles like Copperplate or Spencerian, or does the weight of the all-metal construction make up for it? Control is fine with the EF nib, but I'm wondering if it will be harder to control with a needlepoint nib. My big pen purchase goal for next year is to score a wet noodle Waterman 52. Would it be better to have the nib on a larger pen like that made into a needlepoint? Thanks for any advice!

I recently acquired a couple of Serwex pens from my good friends at Fountain Pen Revolution. What attracted me to these pens was the chance to get a flex nib in a piston filler for the absurdly low price of $6. How did this buy work out? Initial Impressions On receiving the pens (I ordered several along with the 1362 flex), one definitely gets a sense that these are pens meant to be used rather than stared at. The red plastic of the 1362 is not especially shiny nor is the nib polished. The clip is not quite parallel to the line of the pen and is a bit loose until I tighten the cap tassie. All of this is fine since I bought these pens with tossing them into a backpack in mind. By way of comparison, I also have an Ahab in a green swirl pattern. The finish on that pen is much nicer than the Serwex. The pen is shinier, the finish more interesting, and the furniture better done. Of course, at $20, the Ahab costs more than 3x as much. Comparing something in a similar price class, I'd say the finish is comparable to a Pilot Varsty (around $3 US) but with many extras for the Serwex. Filling One the most impressive things about the 3162 is that it is a true piston filler. Just like a Montblanc, you simply twist the blind cap to move an internal plunger in and out. The system works perfectly--the twist mechanism is smooth and the ink suction excellent. For $6, this is one of the most amazing features of the pen. Writing As I mentioned at the outset, what attracted me to the pen was flex. While by no means a wet noodle, the nib is semi-flex going from F to BB with moderate pressure. Railroading happens occasionally, but is not a serious problem. The feed seems to be about to keep up with he nib, at least at the speed with which I write using flex. Compared to the Ahab, the fineness of an unflexed line of the Serwex is narrower and the amount of pressure needed to flex is also lighted. I also did not have to flddle with the nib to get it to work. So I'd rate the Serwex as better. Smells Like the Ahab, the Serwex pen stinks, quite literally. The pen has a distinct chemical odor that somewhat reminds me of vomit. The Ahab has a similar odor. You do get used to it after a while, but it definitely takes away from the experience. Bottom Line At $6, it is hard to go wrong. I've only had the pen for a couple of weeks, and it has performed fine. If this keeps up, then I'd rate the pen a strong buy. The flex makes it extremely fun to work with. Usually, when dropping below $10, you are stuck with a basic medium tippped pen, certainly if you go Chinese. The idea that you can have a pen that is both cheap to buy, but has high end features like a piston and an interesting nib selection is a bonus. Compared to the Ahab, I think the Serwex is vastly superior. Less fiddly to operate and with easier to use flex, it achieves what the Ahab aspires to, and does it cheaper as well. The only drawback is a body that definitely looks cheap. The Ahab is much more attractive.

First off, pics and more detail in my post here: https://www.neverposted.com/home/2017/4/27/fountain-pen-review-desiderata-daedalus Introduction: Hello, friends. I've got an interesting of product that has only been discussed a few times on here: the Desiderata Daedalus. As I think most of us are aware, we want flex, but there's no replacement for vintage flex, Pilot FA nib railroads, Noodler's Pens are semi-flex, etc. So what do we do? Well Mr. Pierre Miller founded the Desiderata Pen Co. with the intention of producing pen bodies for the Zebra G, every fountain pen lover's favorite dip nib. For the most part he succeeds. Appearance: Simple, utilitarian, even minimalist. I like it. There's not a whole lot going on; that is, it's more tool than art piece. But I don't think anyone would call it ugly, and I've grown quite fond of the sight of my Daedalus on my desk. Functionality (how the pen works outside of writing): The converter I got with mine was pretty much pointless. This pen guzzles ink, so I quickly decided to eyedropper it. It's a foolproof eyedropper with about an inch of tight threading. The nib isn't stainless, so it does need to be replaced, but the pen comes apart easily and the nibs last plenty long enough. A ten pack can be had for 13.50 on Jetpens and will last a year, easily. Also, the feed is cavernous, so shaking the pen will cause large droplets to go flying every time. This is probably the biggest problem, as it somewhat negates the portability of dipless dip pen. Writing: Honestly, this pen could have the build quality of a matchstick and I would still be interested if it could replicate vintage flex. The answer is that it pretty much does. You get hairlines, you get BBBB lines, and all with relatively little effort. Railroading is minimized, and with a controlled hand is a negligible problem. Honestly, if anything the pen is too wet. The lines end up looking a little blobby and the dry times are unreasonable. Now, this isn't something I've mentioned in my blog post, but I will add that I find myself reaching for the Daedalus only when I want to practice my laughable attempts at calligraphy. For casual flex writing, I think the hairlines are too thin. Conclusion: Worth it if you want to do serious calligraphy. I mean, sure you could always use a dip pen, but this is a neat product.

Just wanted to post my music nibs. I have a #4 and a #5, the #4 is fitted in a Waterman's 94 in Persian celluloid, the #5 is in a Waterman's 55. Amazing nibs!!

Hi there! I just purchase a vintage Waterman Ideal that I can not identify. Here the pictures: https://i.imgur.com/qxBF2jg.jpg https://i.imgur.com/0DOa0Fo.jpg https://i.imgur.com/44XXxFQ.jpg https://i.imgur.com/xaPV0MN.jpg https://i.imgur.com/BuqWOfR.jpg https://i.imgur.com/YqUoIAB.jpg https://i.imgur.com/XyVPkrz.jpg From this source: https://vintagepens.com/FAQhistory/waterman_numbering.shtml I suspect that this is a 0552 V or 0552 1/2V LEC (I don't know how much is 'slender' diameter) but this pen has no imprint at the bottom of the barrel and the nib has a rounded breather hole (no heart shaped). Would you please help me with this identification? Thanks!

Can anyone help me identify this Conklin pen? It has a flex nib and syringe/pull/piston fill. Thanks!

Last October I was for a couple of days in Madrid, a city I hadn't visited for a long time. Even though it was a work trip, I had some free hours, which I spent mostly revisiting places with fond memories. One new thing I did was visit Julia Gusano's store. Late one morning, with a Spanish-speaking friend in tow, we entered the quiet streets of a rather pleasant residential neighbourhood. It wasn't difficult to find the address but once there, we encountered a closed door and our knocking it or ringing bells seemed to elicit no response from inside. Thankfully, a tradesperson came to the same door and somehow a doorman opened it for him. While my friend was explaining to the doorman the purpose of our visit, I walked on: I had caught a glimpse of Julia's store in the courtyard of the apartment block and it was exactly as in the photograph on her site. From the outside, the store looks like a cheerful shed; from the inside, it was a veritable treasure cave, filled with vintage fountain pens and related items that brought the broadest of grins to my face. Soon I was talking to Julia (in English) and browsing through her stock. She gave me a few tips and a piece of abrasive sheet for my nib smoothing but I hadn't come for a chat; it was an opportunity to find something special. But what does one with so many pens miss? Well, I asked her for something really tough: a larger pen with a smooth, flexible nib, preferably not too fine. The search for the pen took some time, with Julia producing one pen after another and me dipping it in ink and trying it. In the end, we narrowed it down to a shortlist of three great pens, out of which I chose a pretty, green Diamond Point with a 14K nib marked with an <8>. Since then, the pen has seen almost daily use. The combination of the right size for my hands, a really flexible nib and good ink flow is hard to resist. The moral of the story: Madrid is a great city, with lots to see and enjoy, but a visit to Julia's store is probably worth the time for a fountain pen enthousiast.

Hello, I just got my first flex pen: a Waterman 52 1/2V. I love writing with the flexible nib but I am having usage/maintenance issues (which is perhaps compounded by the 52 1/2V's small size!) I have some questions that I would appreciate any help or thoughts on. 1) I have to dip my pen past the nib for and onto the body of the pen itself to suck the ink up properly. I will not be able to suck up any ink if I only dip the tip of the nib in. Is this normal? Can it be fixed? 2) Is there any way to see or know how full the pen is? I'm thinking about weighing it on a foodscale and I'm wondering if there's a different way.

So a few weeks ago I got a beautiful Green Senior Maxima Parker Vacumatic. It writes beautifully. But I am really into flex pens for my spencerian and the nib on this pen did not flex much. So I have been on the hunt for a flex nib that would fit or another pen like this that would flex. Today I got one!! Its not as pretty and mostly looks black. It flexes from a fine to a BBBB Which is wonderful. BUT......around a medium to B line it starts shooting ink. No blobs but on Claire Fontaine Paper the BB to BBBB takes about 5 min to dry. I have an assortment of inks (none promoted to be "fast drying" inks) and they all behave about the same. When I write with my Watermans, Conklins, or eversharps they do not take this long to dry. At normal writing pressure the latest ink (Waterman intense black) dries in <5sec. The tines are set well. Its when I open the tines and pull back the nib from the feed that the flow happens. Today I swapped nibs between the two but it seemed to make no difference. I am looking at getting faster drying inks. I guess I could live with it and just carry a blotter? Is there anything I can do to the feed to slow down the flow? Other ideas?