How Hard Do You Bear Down?

[RyanWakefield]

I typically put a bit of pressure on my pens with my hand while writing. Lately, however, I have been experimenting using my fountain pens with very little pressure (sometimes just under the weight of the pen). Is there a proper method? If not, what do you use?

[Fernan]

Most often, it's the best way to go.

[jar]

You should not have to use any pressure at all.

[RyanWakefield]

I know I don't have to, but I do it anyway sometimes. It seems more natural for me.

[Mrsal]

I know I don't have to, but I do it anyway sometimes. It seems more natural for me.

 

did you use ballpoints for a long time? i put a bit of pressure down when i switched from ball points to fountain pens

[bernardo]

I know I don't have to, but I do it anyway sometimes. It seems more natural for me.

 

As long as I know, you shouldn't put any pressure on the nib, unless it's a flexible one.

[Woody]

I know I don't have to, but I do it anyway sometimes. It seems more natural for me.

 

Well, I hope you learn to make "bearing down" an unnatural thing. Otherwise, you could end up with a pen that starts becoming problematic. Repeatedly applying lots of pressure to a nib can lead to issues such as skipping. If you really feel the need to bear down, you should be using an old manifold nib like Esterbrook used to make.

[jar]

I know I don't have to, but I do it anyway sometimes. It seems more natural for me.

 

 

It might well seem more natural, don't doubt that at all.

 

But the way a fountain pen works is it transfers ink to paper through capillary action. The pen is designed for using little or no pressure at all. If you feel more comfortable using pressure then look for stiffer (often called manifold) nibs. They are less likely to be damaged by a person pressing down on the nib.

[HDoug]

I had to teach myself to lighten up when writing with a fountain pen. Someone here said to write as though the nib were the tip of a very fine brush. That has helped me quite a bit -- maybe it'll work for you. The advantage of not using pressure is that you can write longer and more freely with a fountain pen than with other implements, although some of these gel rollerballs come pretty darn close...

 

Doug

[RyanWakefield]

I can easily stop and write with lighter pressure, but let me make clear that I don't use a ton of pressure. I just use more than is required and was wondering if anyone else uses pressure.

[Silvermink]

Generally just the weight of the pen or very slightly more.

[Rabidferret]

The pen shouldn't need any pressure to write. And "bear down" can mean something entirely different in the medical world.

 

- Jon

[Flourish]

If you test a pen nib's limits, gently, you can get different amounts of slight variation in your line work. There are two basic metals used in fountain pen nibs steel, which normally has a very stiff feel to it, and gold which can be anywhere from very stiff to wet noodle flexible. It's normally best to use as light a pressure as possible but we all have different natural pressures that we use so most nibs can take a little bit of extra pressure. There are even some that have extra flexibility built into them (my favorite kind is a xxxf full flex) but these pens are for people willing to consciously alter their pen pressure as they write and do what their parents always told them, practice, practice, practice.

[CCMphysician]

While we are on this subject, I am worried about when I let my friends try my fountain pen. I have a Sheaffer Javelin and though it doesn't look like they bear down on the pen particularly hard, I can hear scratching when they use it. I look at the nib and there doesn't appear to be any apparent damage. How much force do you think it would take to do so?

 

Thank you,

CCMphysician

[dizzypen]

I can easily stop and write with lighter pressure, but let me make clear that I don't use a ton of pressure. I just use more than is required and was wondering if anyone else uses pressure.

 

Just so long as you are aware that you can damage your pens this way. Damage can mean anything from misaligned tines to bent nibs. So long as you are willing to accept these risks feel free to use pressure.

[alvarez57]

I had to teach myself to lighten up when writing with a fountain pen. Someone here said to write as though the nib were the tip of a very fine brush. That has helped me quite a bit -- maybe it'll work for you. The advantage of not using pressure is that you can write longer and more freely with a fountain pen than with other implements, although some of these gel rollerballs come pretty darn close...

 

Doug

 

Same here although another thing I've observed is that I tend to clutch the nib section when I'm writing fast. That should also be avoided.

[Ernst Bitterman]

While we are on this subject, I am worried about when I let my friends try my fountain pen. I have a Sheaffer Javelin and though it doesn't look like they bear down on the pen particularly hard, I can hear scratching when they use it. I look at the nib and there doesn't appear to be any apparent damage. How much force do you think it would take to do so?

 

The Javelin is pretty sturdy-- it's a pen I'll use on a three-part carbonless form, and it stands that sort of pressure; it's essentially the same point as in the old school-use Cartridge pen, and that stood up to children. Very much more than that, though, would likely be fatal.

 

On the original topic, I'd say that if the pen doesn't flex, a little more pressure than the weight of your fingers on it is likewise harmless, but it's also pointless as all it serves to do is tire out your hand. If the pen does flex, then it's up to you and your awareness of the pen's willingness to keep it within sensible limits.

[Glenn-SC]

How much pressure?

 

None

[FrankB]

At times, when a FP has sat for a while unused, I hold the nib to paper and push fairly hard to get the ink flowing. It is just a single push, not extended writing. But when writing, I use little or no pressure. That is one of the absolute joys of using FP's (contrasted with BP's).

[Sandy1]

Hello,

In general terms, I apply weight to the pen from my fingers, not my wrist. And I use only enough force necessary to guide the pen.

 

Also, I suggest you try drawing / doodling with a new pen, or a new ink, just to find out what the nib's up to, before you start writing with it.

 

Over time, you should be able to determine which of your nibs, if any, have the property of 'flex'. Those pen+nibs could have variable weight applied during writing to open the tines of the nib to vary line width and ink density.

 

IMHO, due to limitations of most over the counter nibs, a light & steady hand is best used, and variable / heavy weight is more appropriate for dip pens / calligraphic nibs. I do not draw my letters - I write them, and my handwriting is atrocious.

 

Best Regards,

Sandy1