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Is there any reasonable cheap alternative to silicone grease for sealing in eyedropper pens? I am trying to convert my Pilot Parallel into an eyedropper but can't find any silicone grease anywhere (in my home at least). Are there any household products I could use as an alternative? Vaseline?

I found Montblanc Meisterstuck fountain pen on local "Buy and Sell" web site. I'm planing to buy this pen for my collection. I new to fountain pen collecting and don't know much about Montblanc pens, but I know that there are lot of fake MB pens out there. Can someone tell which model this is and can you tell from photos is it genuine? I saw that it has engraved "Germany" and serial number on pin. Does this model have engraved "Pix" on back of the pin? These are the photos that seller sent to me. Thank you.

This is a place to gush about or express disappointment about a new pen or ink you tried, that might or might not have lived up to your expectations, or even surpassed it! I put 2017 because I wanted it to be only pens you tried this year, so that we will have fresh impressions Feel free to discuss (opinions) too! (Post pictures if you can too!) For example, yesterday I went to a Penfriends outlet (which is closing for good) near the Temple station, and tried GvFC wood pen, Viscounti Divina Springs, and Sailor Profit 1911. I loved the GvFC because of the hefty weight (unposted) and thick section. The gold B nib was stubbish and smooth. The Sailor, which had a really fine nib, was quite scratchy. Divina was pretty, but I wasn't blown away, since it felt light.

I was given a Goldring fountain pen along a couple of years ago with a bunch of other FPs and didn't think too much about it. It looked like a cheap tacky pen that I usually toss to the bottom of a drawer. Anyway, I decided to go through the drawer and clean the pen - it had ink in the cap and all over the section etc. There are no markings on the pen itself. The cap is marked "Goldring" and "W. Germany". The nib is marked "Iridium Point". The pen appears to be a cartridge/converter style pen. It is quite weighty, feeling metal not plastic barrel and cap, but the section is plastic. The finial is a pointed style like a Parker. I noticed a line around the end of the barrel like a piston filler and twisted it with no luck. However, something made me pull on it and voila the end of the pen shot out and inside is what can only be termed a "secret compartment". You will see from the photo there are two raised pieces and an embossed style logo that looks like a fishtail. I can't quite see if it is a fish, whale or a mermaid So my questions are: Why does the pen open? What is the compartment for? Anyone know anything about the Goldring brand? (besides being German) https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3779/33021607536_7e63581137_o.jpg

Graf Von Faber-Castell Pen of the Year 2017 Admired as daring masters of wind and wave, feared as ruthless invaders and valued as merchants, the Vikings set up a trading network that span across continents. The revolutionary construction of the Viking longboats, the mystic force of the runes and the curly birch as one of the characteristic trees of the Nordic world inspired us in designing the Pen of the Year 2017. Both editions come with an 18-carat gold nib that is run in by hand. An end-cap protects the rotary knob of the plunger mechanism of the plunger-type fountain pen. rchants, the Vikings set up a trading network that span across continents. The revolutionary construction of the Viking longboats, the mystic force of the runes and the curly birch as one of the characteristic trees of the Nordic world inspired us in designing the Pen of the Year 2017. Both editions come with an 18-carat gold nib that is run in by hand. An end-cap protects the rotary knob of the plunger mechanism of the plunger-type fountain pen. Platinum-plated barrel adorned by five slivers of ‘curly’ birch, inserted with great precisionThe name Graf von Faber-Castell is engraved in the end piece in runesIndividually numbered writing instruments18-carat bicolour gold nib, inscribed by handAvailable in the nib widths M, F, B, and BBThe carnelian let into the cap glows an intense redExclusive, brightly polished black wooden box with an attractive brochure and the certificate of authenticityAn additional insert offers space for six more writing instrumentsLimited to 500 pieces We currently have two available ready for immediate shipment. Both with Medium nib. Retail price does not include shipping cost, please message orders@airlineintl.com for shipping calculation. Retail: $3,600 Platinum-Plated Fountain Pen

Here are a few of recently finished pens in our pen studio.. I hope you like... Plunger mechanism up to 1.7ml of ink. AA Resin and German elforyn. 24k plated rings, clip and plunger rod. JoWo #6 Nib unit. http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/pp3/KilkPens/zb22_zpsk3qucnwf.jpg http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/pp3/KilkPens/zb25_zpsbkxvrjoo.jpg http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/pp3/KilkPens/zb23_zpsfufqnrym.jpg http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/pp3/KilkPens/zb24_zpsn3lhobmt.jpg French vintage celluloid and SEM Ebonite material.. 24k gold plated custom/handmade cap band and clip. JoWo #6 nib. Convertor and cartridge available. http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/pp3/KilkPens/zb12_zpsqsstmd45.jpg http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/pp3/KilkPens/zb13_zps7pk0qeli.jpg French vintage celluloid and SEM Ebonite material.. JoWo #6 nib. Convertor and cartridge available. http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/pp3/KilkPens/zb19_zpsboynzl5g.jpghttp://i392.photobucket.com/albums/pp3/KilkPens/zb21_zpsbrjgy6h1.jpg http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/pp3/KilkPens/zb20_zpshaenhu3z.jpg Exotic bubinga wood and indian molted ebonite. Brass metal ring and roll stopper. Jowo #6 Nib, eyedropper and cartridge available. Finish on wood is oil finish for aobut 20 coats in a week, then carnouba wax. http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/pp3/KilkPens/zb14_zpsnz6wm9hu.jpg http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/pp3/KilkPens/zb15_zpsv9ism4iv.jpg

Hello to all FPNers, As most of you know, the great reference nibs.com's website has been upgraded. The first thing I noticed is that there is no good old pen measurement table, or chart, whatever you call it. New website includes all pen's own dimensions at their own page, but you cannot see all pen's measurements on the same chart. I don't know why they did this, but it seems intentional. Maybe they thought that this new way is better: Checking the dimensions of a specific pen which you are interested in. However, there is no easy way to make a comparison between many brands' many models' dimensions. For example the section diameter should not be bigger than 0.41 inches for me to use a pen comfortably. Or I could say "it should be longer than bla bla and shorter than bla bla" and check the suitable pens for my hands between many choices. You were able to put the numbers in ascending or descending orders for all pens, or just check a brand's different models. Well, this is no longer available as far as I see. Besides, I realized that some numbers are partly changed compared to old pen chart. Let me give a few examples: In old chart, Pelikan M400, M600 and M800 were having the section diameters 0.38, 0.40 and 0.42 inches. Right now, when I separately go to their pages on nibs.com, I see 0.40 inches in all of them, WHICH IS ABSOLUTELY NOT CORRECT as many of you know. This is quite misleading for a newbie, but let me continue to my examples. In new webpage, Sailor Pro Gear Slim and Sailor Pro Gear Classic have the same section diameters: 0.40 inches. However, as I remember from the old chart, Classic had 0.42 inches of section diameter, same as Pelikan M800 family. And even logically, slim and classic models should not be of same diameter at holding place, right? That's why one is called "slim".Similarly, in new webpage, Sailor 1911 Full Size and Sailor 1911 Mid Size have same section diameters: 0.40 inches, which should AGAIN be different as far as I remember from old chart. I remember that 1911 Full Size had the same 0.42 inches of section with Pro Gear Classic.And Nakayas.. As I remember, the thinnest section between many Nakaya models was Naka-ai's section: It was 0.41 inches. Many other Nakaya models like Portable, Long, Neo Standard had 0.42 inches. That's why I had ordered an Unpolished Shu Naka-ai from them, oherwise I was considering Neo Standard model. Nevermind, I just wonder why in their newpage, when I go to these 4 Nakaya models' pages, I see 0.40 inches section. Well, instead of mailing them, I first wanted to see if other fountain pen enthusiasts noticed the same thing and thought something is wrong. I have many many pens, and my experiences were quite parallel with the numbers of good old pen measurement chart's numbers, now this new website's diameter information seems to be a bit wrong and a bit misleading. I have two questions to them: 1) Why did they change some numbers? Did they thought like "these are not correct"? Or what? Well, I can absolutely state that old chart's numbers were quite right. 2) What was the intention while removing the old chart from website? Did they thought "We no longer need this one because they all write at every pen's page"? I want to believe in this option, because the other option bothers me and I am quite irritated even writing, that, maybe they did no longer want to share this qualified summarized information very publically. I know it sounds quite silly and longshot, because I made business with them and loved both John Mottishaw and his crew. They are all nice people to communicate. They still have very nice data on their website about fountain pens. Well, I am quite uncomfortable that once a great chart was public, now it is not. I hope I am terribly stupid to not being able to find the chart's place. And I wonder the opinion of all of you about this. Thanks for reading.

Hello FPN family. I am a younger collector and calligraphy enthusiast and I happen to stumble upon a book of pen nibs from my home town and thought it would be amazing if I could complete the collection of these old nibs. Now it's not like they are super well know like Esterbrook or speed ball. However I was wondering if any persons here would be able to help in and way possible, even be able to tell me if my search will be fruitless or if sifting threw hordes of nibs at estate sales is the only way to go? I'm attaching a photo of the booklet and the 4 nibs I have so far. If any other info is needed, just let me know. I am really excited to see if I can complete this set.

Hello! My name is Shane, I'm new to this site and am very happy to converse with like minded individuals who are into the same pen obsession that I'm just getting into. South paw here, and proud of it! Say hey!

Hi everyone, I've been lurking on FPN for a bit, but never really contributed to anything... until now. While walking around Central I discovered that Joint Publishing's branch stocks a good variety of calligraphy products! I'm so excited that I decided to create an account just to share here. The items they stock include J. Herbin pens, nibs and inks, including the 1670 editions, pen holders, Brause nibs, variety of Rhodia and Clairefontaine paper pads, gift sets, quills, some fountain pens. I don't know when they started stocking these, but the saleslady says they are probably adding more in the future. Really worth checking out especially if you're in the area!

Hi Everyone! I am writing to introduce our product launching today on Kickstarter. It's called the "Lattice Cubed"; a 3D printed titanium pen. We are a husband and wife team passionate about 3D printing technology and design. Please take a look at the link below, give feedback, and ask any questions you would like. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1578987527/the-lattice-pen-3d-printed-titanium-art?ref=c8oyfl We hope you like it! Thanks for the FPN support! Ryan from SALVO

Hi, I'm a long time lurker but I only recently made an account here. I love Mont Blancs and have five of them, but sadly no fountain yet. I recently was using a Starwalker Rollerball I bought at a Mont Blanc Boutique in San Francisco two years ago when I noticed the cap has a wobble to it when it is capped or when it is screwed onto the back. I took it in once to the store in Beverly Hills, and they "tightened it" but I did not notice an improvement. I understand this pen isn't Mont Blanc's finest offering but the poor quality surprised me. I compared it another rollerball Star Walker I have that is much older and it has absolutely no wobble at all. What should I do to have this issue corrected? Should I go back to the boutique and ask them to reexamine it, or should I have it sent off to be repaired. I did repair an older Bordeoux Ball point that had a crack and a bent clip and for $100 they fixed it very well but I don't want to pay to have an issue I believe is a defect repaired. If any other pictures or information is helpful please let me know. Thank you, Raffi

Hello, the first good quality fountain pen I bought was ASA Galactic. But today I broke its feed and ruined the nib so ..... Let's see what will I do next 🙈

My Harlequin was accidentally dropped by a relative and the cap broke in two I was wondering if you know of a trustworthy repair person I can send it to find out if it can be repaired. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Wife gifted the Bexley Owner's Club 2017 pen (left) in Lapis to me, while my mother in law got me the the other 2, Bexley Poseidon Magnum in Cream and Purple (middle) and the Blue Bamboo Walking Stick (right). Both in medium nib sizes, my favorite. In the Lapis, I'm running Private Reserve DC Supershow Blue, thanks to an ink exchange with FPN member richofthetower. The Creme and Purple is running J. Herbin Violette Pensee ink cartridge and the Blue Bamboo is running J. Herbin Vert Pre ink cartridge. I also got gifted some Rhodia pads and J. Herbin ink cartridges - Vert Pre, Orange Indien, and Eclat de Saphir. My brother sent me a vert nice custom printed stationary set with matching envelopes. Already tested it out for fountain pen friendliness and happy to report that it is very friendly. From a company called American Stationary. My mom sent me some Dollar General pads that were made in indonesia. I was a little skeptical, but it turns out that the "cheap" $1 pads held up to all my currently inked pens! Going to go to the local Dollar General and see if they have any and if so, I'm buying up the whole lot. Anyway, it was a great Christmas pen haul! Hope others had good luck in their holiday on the pen front!

Do you ever find yourself in awe of a particular pen and ink combination? As if the ink was made for the pen and is the only thing that brings out its full potential. In my experience it's not a very common happen stance. Even rarer still is the perfect pen ink combo that seems to write well on just about any kind of paper. For me I found this combination in a full size black aerometric Parker 51 made in Canada. After doing a full restoration the pen came out looking like new. Moving on to the ink. The ink is Private Reserve DC Super Show Blue. I have tons of ink both new and vintage but I had never tried Private Reserve. Let me tell you the two are perfect for each other. The pen has never written better. The color, shading, and saturation were perfect not to mention the exceptional ink flow. I encourage you to describe your perfect pen ink combo that just seems to blow all your other pens out of the water.

I found a picture on my hard drive of a fountain pen user's desk, but for the life of me can't remember where I found it originally. The picture was from a blog someone had written about using fountain pens for handwritten correspondence. It's a desk shot, and it looks like the person uses sealing wax. Any help would be appreciated.

Hi, I recently purchased a Faber-Castell E-motion Pearwood after finding it at a clearance sale. This was the first time I had ever tried a fountain pen in this price range and I was stunned by the way it wrote. After a bit of research online I learned that the Basic, Loom, Ambition, E-motion and Onduro all seen to have the same nibs. So I was wondering how the E-motion compared to the significantly cheaper Basic and Loom. Do the Basic and Loom perform the same as the E-motion with the only difference being the fancy body? Thanks in advance for you reply (sorry if this was adressed in another thread that I didn't find).

Soon to arrive to our location is one of Namiki's latest Emperor writing instruments, the Maneki-neko, which was released in October of this year. Wishing Good Luck, Fortune and Business Prosperity! The body of the Emperor sized pen has been decorated by skilled artisan Masaru Hayashi employing refined Maki-e techniques. Which include Taka and Togidashi Maki-e techniques. This beautiful creation is an edition of only 99 pieces. The pen comes in a gift box that imitates the Senryo-bako. Inside the gift box are a serial number plate that imitates the small gold coin depicted on the fountain pen and Oh-iri-bukuro containing a five-yen coin. Pine tree, bamboo and plum tree are depicted on a cap of special ink bottle, providing the finishing touch to a wonderful presentation. We only have one available! Retails for $12,000 Please feel free to email orders@airlineintl.com or call directly: 855-565-1818 / 915-778-1234

Currently available and ready for a new home! The Spring & Autumn features Cherry Blossom petals and Maple leaves to depict their respective seasons. Abalone shells are used on one stripe on the barrel and some pieces can be seen on the cap. There are three designs on the cap made using tiny pieces of gold foil; a gold stripe, flowing water with a green background, and a hemp leaf in brown. The Pelikan logo on the crown, limited edition number and the artist’s signature are drawn in by hand using maki-e techniques. Comes packaged in a Paulownia wood gift box with documents. Equipped with Pelikan's 18k gold nib accented with rhodium, in a Medium size. Currently being listed on eBay but please feel free to contact us directly at 915-778-1234 - toll free 855-565-1818 or email orders@airlineintl.com.

I got this, along with a rollerball(which .i could get a refill for and use, if I wanted to....it's been used, the fountain pen had not)for very little....can't remember exactly, but certainly under £10 Well, the pen writes beautifully....smooth, glides over the paper, using a universal cartridge. Heavy, which I like. No idea what it's made of, but actually feels like stone, or cement: it has a logo, which is EL Business services So I suspect it was a corporate gift. Must be from a while back, as the nib says "Iridium point W. Germany" So, has anyone else ever got a nameless, brandless, slightly odd pen, for not a lot of cash, and found it to be a pretty good one? Alex

Hi! My dad bought these pens for like $3 dollars today,does anyone know which parker pens they are exactly? Thanks in advance!

So, here's my latest acquisition. The Namisu Nova pen, made from sandblasted titanium, with a Bock EF titanium nib : http://i1149.photobucket.com/albums/o594/keirwilliams98/DSC_0175_zpszcobk7aa.jpg http://i1149.photobucket.com/albums/o594/keirwilliams98/Nova-Bead-Side_f3f67538-9657-4d73-826d-743404a4a11d_1024x1024_zpsdeqxiwr7.jpg This is my first pen that is from Namisu, and my first pen that originated on Kickstarter. They had made the pen in Aluminium and brushed Ti before, but this finish was new, and I thought it was about time to check out their pens. I also like that they are from Fife in Scotland, where I have family. I preordered the pen in September, and it arrived the next day after shipping. It came in a simple slide out box, with nothing apart from the pen and converter. No ink cartridges were included, which I find a little odd, although that doesn't bother me as I use bottled ink. http://i1149.photobucket.com/albums/o594/keirwilliams98/namisuuncapped_zpss7hnpm2t.jpg The pen is beautifully made; there are no machining marks, and the finish is consistent across the body. The section is polished but not to the extent where it is remotely slippery(the Lamy studio comes to mind) and tapers slightly towards the nib. There is quite a step between the section and the body but it is not sharp. I prefer to hold the pen further back, nearer the threads as it is slightly back heavy, and it is still comfortable there. The pen is not light, at 40g capped and 30g uncapped, this is not for you if you're a fan of lightweight resin pens, although it is comfortable for long writing sessions. The pen does not post, but if it did, the pen would be extremely unbalanced. http://i1149.photobucket.com/albums/o594/keirwilliams98/namisusectionnib_zpsfmdklglr.jpg The nib is available in several options. For a lower price, a steel Bock #6 nib is used in sizes EF,M or B, and with a higher price, a titanium nib in EF or M. I opted for the ti EF nib. I think it is a little odd not to include a Fine grade, and I think the option of a gold nib would be nice, considering that Bock make gold nibs in the #6 size. The nib is the first ti nib I have used; it is wonderful. Out of the box it was wet and smooth, although 10 seconds on micro mesh brought it to the level of smoothness that I like. It is soft, and I think that it could easily be sprung with a heavy hand. With a light touch however, you can create juicy line variation from EF to BB without railroading. It never hard starts and doesn't skip, even with the fastest speed of writing. I would say that it is rather broad for an EF, and I would consider it closer to a Western Fine. I really enjoy the matte finish on the nib, although nib creep is inevitable from the first fill ! Here are some comparisons to there nibs: http://i1149.photobucket.com/albums/o594/keirwilliams98/namisuink_zpsmwv6wubm.jpg It is very close to a Lamy Safari F, although it is wetter. The feed is big and can keep a lot of ink within the fins: http://i1149.photobucket.com/albums/o594/keirwilliams98/namisufeed_zpso2ap57xb.jpg There is no logo on the outside of the pen. Instead, by the section threads, there is a minimal 'N'. I really like this: http://i1149.photobucket.com/albums/o594/keirwilliams98/namisusectionconverter_zps1mct3g0z.jpg For me the pen is a good size, but I have included some comparisons to other well known and popular pens : http://i1149.photobucket.com/albums/o594/keirwilliams98/comparisoncapped_zps4azu3jdv.jpg From L-R - TWSBI Eco, Jinhao X450, Lamy 2000, Lamy Safari, Namisu Nova, Pelikan M400 & Kaweco Sport. Uncapped/posted: http://i1149.photobucket.com/albums/o594/keirwilliams98/namisucomparison_zpsywi7ii8v.jpg The Pelican and Kaweco are posted as I consider them a little small to use un-posted. As you can see it is in a similar size to the Safari and 2000. Dimensions are : Length (Length uncapped) – 137mm (131mm)Maximum diameter: 15.2mmGrip diameter: 11mm ​In 2016, I paid £98 for the pen, which included a Schmidt converter. With a steel nib, the pen is £70. In the US, for Ti it is $120, and with a steel nib, $85. Shipping is free in the US and the UK. Is it worth it ? In my opinion, yes. Titanium is a difficult material to work with and is expensive. The only other pen similar to this is the Nakaya Ti Piccolo which is $1000. Make your own judgement ! The finish and attention to detail is impeccable, and the pen wrote well out of the box, with an amazing, soft nib. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it. The only faults I can think of are slightly sharp section to barrel threads which are a little squeaky, and the pen is slightly top heavy. Apart from that, I cant find anything else to criticise it on. Oh, the nib availability. I'd like to see it with a gold nib please. Get it here at : http://www.namisu.com 9/10 ​

I'm wondering where I can buy this pen. I would also like to know the model. I got this pen as a present and absolutely fell in love with it! PLEASE HELP http://imgur.com/xKN1657

hi everyone, if anyone know which pen is this? It has an engraved symbol on the clip but it is hard to say what the symbol is about. I am appreciated any information you may know or have.Thanks a lot,