Essentials For Fountain Pen Enthusiants?

[StrawberryJam]

Is there a list of essential items (aside from the pen and ink, of course) that every fountain pen enthusiast should own? I'm new to the world of fountain pens, and wanted to get a primer on what other supplies I might need to be on the hunt for if I want to properly maintain my pens over time.

[pompa]

There are many things you can get, like a loupe for inspecting tine alignment and a thin brass plate for flossing the nibs. If you are using C/C pens then a rubber bulb for flushing could be nice. You might also want a proper pen case so that you can bring your pens with you in a backpack without scratching/damaging the pens.

 

But the most important thing after pen and ink is good paper! I suggest Rhodia.

Edited July 12, 2013 by pompa

[Francis_Rex]

I would volunteer the following:

1. some blotting paper

2. a toilet roll or kitchen roll to wipe your pen clean when you have filled it

3. Good quality paper. The bane of an FP user is paper that bleeds, feathers and penetrates so that your carefully honed writing looks a mess because of the medium you are using. The joy of FP addiction is the quest to find the right pen/ink/paper combinations.

[Vendome]

As above and a blotting pad, blotting paper and an eradicator pen, (for blue ink).

[studiohead]

Is there a list of essential items (aside from the pen and ink, of course) that every fountain pen enthusiast should own? I'm new to the world of fountain pens, and wanted to get a primer on what other supplies I might need to be on the hunt for if I want to properly maintain my pens over time.

 

The question is what type of pens are you intending to use/collect as tools to maintain vintage vs modern can be quite different. A Loupe is a must for inspection. But then the list goes slightly differently. Certain things will depend on what ink you use, what pens you use/collect and so on. For example, highly saturated inks require more work maintaining them then other more common inks. Then comes the what to do.

[Penne Stilografiche]

• heavy duty cleaner (ex: Ajax bleach powder) to get ink off your hands
• blotter and blotting paper
• high quality paper like Rhodia or Clairefontaine
• a nice selection of inks (I mostly use Diamine but I do have MB Midnight Blue and Pelikan Black ink)
• 10-20X loupe for adjusting nibs (many pens bought new have misaligned nibs, a loupe will magnify the problem nib and realign it easily, always use your fingers to do this, never tools like pliers)
• 8000-12000 grit micro-mesh (used for many purposes including nib smoothing and polishing gold and silver pen parts to give them a mirror like shine)

I would like to add in that you can purchase all of these items at the Goulet pen company, they ship fast, have great prices, and are very kind to their customers. I am not affiliated with them, just a happy customer for life.

[StrawberryJam]

 

The question is what type of pens are you intending to use/collect as tools to maintain vintage vs modern can be quite different. A Loupe is a must for inspection. But then the list goes slightly differently. Certain things will depend on what ink you use, what pens you use/collect and so on. For example, highly saturated inks require more work maintaining them then other more common inks. Then comes the what to do.

 

Studiohead, you raise a good point. As I'm new to this field, I'm not sure where my interests lay yet. At the moment, however, it seems like my pens are all of the modern sort. For example, during my recent belated spring cleanout of my office, I found a set of Waterman pens that a client had given to me as a gift a few years ago. Based on my research, these pens are "modern" Waterman, as opposed to "vintage." In addition, I have a few Chinese and Japanese pens on order that I'm waiting to receive as well.

 

I have my eye on a few older (used) Watermans and Esterbrooks, as it seems like you can pick up some good deals on them online, but I don't know the first thing about how to restore them or get them working again.

[StrawberryJam]

 

• heavy duty cleaner (ex: Ajax bleach powder) to get ink off your hands
• blotter and blotting paper
• high quality paper like Rhodia or Clairefontaine
• a nice selection of inks (I mostly use Diamine but I do have MB Midnight Blue and Pelikan Black ink)
• 10-20X loupe for adjusting nibs (many pens bought new have misaligned nibs, a loupe will magnify the problem nib and realign it easily, always use your fingers to do this, never tools like pliers)
• 8000-12000 grit micro-mesh (used for many purposes including nib smoothing and polishing gold and silver pen parts to give them a mirror like shine)

I would like to add in that you can purchase all of these items at the Goulet pen company, they ship fast, have great prices, and are very kind to their customers. I am not affiliated with them, just a happy customer for life.

 

Yep, I discovered Goulet online and joined their ink club. I figured it was a good way to sample different types of inks as I have no clue what kinds I like. All I know right now is that the ink I use needs to be "bulletproof" (is that the right term?) -- basically, will not fade, will not wash away.

 

Edited July 12, 2013 by StrawberryJam

[Lisya72]

You might want to invest in some sort of storage or carrying system. It can be as simple as a felt pen wrap or as fancy as you want to get. I've got a $10 wrap, but I've seen leather pen portfolios that run into the hundreds of dollars (and carry hundreds of pens).

 

"Bulletproof," is correct. I believe that bulletproof inks tend to be resistant to certain chemicals as well.

 

Some other things I keep at the pen station:

Inkwells - vintage or modern (i.e. TWSBI)

Stationery

pen flush (I use JB's, but the Goulet's new product seems good)

sealing wax/wax seal

10X loupe

Boxes that the pens came in (if I'm taking a pen out of rotation for an extended time, good for in-drawer storage)

[mbankirer]

A Mr. Clean Magic sponge...works wonders on inky fingers!

 

plus all of the other things already mentioned.

[ac12]

GOOD paper.

Note that good paper does not have to be expensive.

I'm "cheap" by nature. I've found a bunch of cheaper alternatives to Clairfontain that is "adequate" for me.

I use both notebook and individual sheet paper.

 

I second the bulb syringe. I wish I had known about using that YEARS ago. It makes flushing out a pen soooooo much easier and faster.

 

If you don't want ink staining your hands, when you work on your pens, go to Costco and get a box of disposable gloves.

Some inks can be difficult to get off your hands. It almost has to wear off. Or use mechanics hand cleaner.

 

Plan to get a pen case/box at some point. If you don't your pens will get mixed up with other stuff in your home/office and get lost. I'm still hunting for one of my FPs. I just made 2 boxes; #1 from a note card box, #2 from a cigar box. Now my FPs will either be in the pen holder on my desk or in one of the boxes. The other thing is a good pen holder/box will keep the pens separated, so they don't get scratched by the other pens as they would when shoved into a pen cup with a bunch of other pens.

 

I have ink converters for all my cartridge FPs. This allows me to use bottle ink with those pens. This gives me the ability to use colors and inks that do not come in the cartridges. Example, I am using Cross bottle blue ink in my Parker. With the Cross ink, the pen does not drip like it used to and the Cross blue is darker than the Parker blue.

 

After that are smaller things that just make life easier:

- A large tray to work on, so your table/desktop does not get stained if you spill ink, which you eventually will do.

- Glass mugs for water as you clean parts. Less likely to tip over and spill than the disposable plastic cups that Brian Goulet uses in his videos.

- Ultrasonic cleaner to really clean out dried ink. This is more a luxury than a necessity. I have one because I use it to clean model rail road parts. It works great to clean out old pens where the ink has dried up.

 

Finally the will power to stay within your budget.

[ac12]

@SJ

Do you REALLY NEED a waterproof ink?

Most FP inks are not waterproof. Get the paper wet, and the ink will run.

There are a few that are, but they come with conditions. So you need to read up on them.

 

For general use, I suggest dropping the waterproof requirement.

[StrawberryJam]

@SJ

Do you REALLY NEED a waterproof ink?

Most FP inks are not waterproof. Get the paper wet, and the ink will run.

There are a few that are, but they come with conditions. So you need to read up on them.

 

For general use, I suggest dropping the waterproof requirement.

 

Hm. I don't know if "waterproof" is the right way to put it, but I need it so that the ink cannot be removed/lifted/washed away/altered. I understand that if the paper gets wet, the ink will probably bleed, but I'm hoping to find stuff that is generally "tamper-resistent."

[StrawberryJam]

 

Finally the will power to stay within your budget.

 

Hehe, I can see this hobby adding up quickly. Hubby will be sad because I've finally moved on from my shoes and purses obsession.

[Dillo]

Hi,

 

Really, you don't need much. I think the average user really only needs a pen and ink as well as a soft rag to wipe the grip section.

 

For flossing the nibs, I recommend plastic sheet. I can drop a few pieces of emulsion less, developed, unexposed film in the mail if you want some. It will not scratch the edges of the nib slit. Aside from that, the average pen user should not need anything more. If you want to adjust your nibs yourself, more things are needed.

 

Dillon

[welch]

Think of it this way: what did people keep on hand fifty or sixty years ago, when a fountain pen was the standard word-processor?

 

- Pen. Often, only one...perhaps a second pen, a better pen they had been given as a present. [i have more fountain pens than I can use. Don't do what I've done! Save your money]

 

- Ink. People tended to write with blue or black or blue-black, and they tended to stick with one ink-maker. If the local drug store (as we call them in the US) carried Parker, you wrote with Quink. If it carried Sheaffer, you wrote with Skrip. If the store carried both...you had a store with a wide variety of inks.

 

- Using one ink in one pen every day, people didn't think of flushing their pen or flossing a nib. If an ink sac broke, they might take the pen to the repair counter at a local department store or stationery store, or they might grumble over their ink-drenched clothng and toss the "broken" pen in a drawer or in the trash.

 

- Paper. Throughout the '60s, I used 20-pound three-hole college ruled paper from National. By about 1980, much of the paper that was easy to find also was nearly as bad as newsprint. Paper has gotten worse since 1980.

 

- Lava soap to clean your hands after filling a pen.

 

Most of the accessories mentioned are useful if you want to repair fountain pens, but for normal use you hardly need much more than water to flush a pen if you won't be using it for a few weeks, or if, somehow, the pen is sneaky enough to dry out when you aren't looking. You can make a powerful pen-flush by mixing ammonia with water, about 1:10. Pump the mixture through your pen a few times, then change to water.

 

Whenever possible, use bottled ink rather than a cartridge. By filling and refilling a pen, you draw liquid in and out of the nib, section, and tank...the places where ink can dry out. (Check the pen reviews here to see if a pen dries out quickly.

 

Write with your pens and enjoy them. "What if we have a telegraph line to Boston that flings our words to them in ten seconds, but it turns out we have nothing to say?" (paraphrase from Thoreau in "Walden").

 

[Think carefully about whether you realy need waterproof, bullet-proof, bomb-proof, frost-proof, 100-proof ink. Whatever ink binds itself to the fibers of paper will also bind just as tenaciously to your clothes, carpet, drapes, exposed wooden objects...like furniture. If a company advertises a product as protecting against fraud / forgery / the decay of time, remember that advertising is intended to persuade you to buy that product. I saw a lot of cigarette commercials when I was a kid, but never saw a cigarette that turned anyone into the Marlboro Man.]

Edited July 12, 2013 by welch

[Bo Bo Olson]

Think nib. What do you want to do with it.

 

Ink Jet paper absorbs ink very quickly as designed. It is not good for shading ink, on the whole I believe. I chase two toned shading ink, so want a 90g or better laser paper.

 

Inks come in two toned shading inks, and vivid, highly saturated monotone inks. You need both.

I have copy paper and good to better scribbling paper.

 

You need a mix of B, M, F and EF in nail and regular flex...to start with.

I find with some inks a M or a F shades quite well. Others might like a B nib.

 

It is easy to expand your script to write with a B nib...If you wish...takes some three minutes and 2 sheets of paper... Fold the two sheets of paper in half, write as large as you can on 1/4th, a bit smaller on each 4th. until it is tiny.

There are free templates so you can print a wide lines for B nibs, a medium line for M-F nibs and narrow lines for F-EF.

I don't think you need an XXF nib right off the bat...but it's your decision. Many start out EF and smaller and after a few years get to B....

Others are not flexible enough to wish to learn to write larger to enjoy the sassy bold line a broad nib can give you.

 

 

What ever you do take your time and do not, repeat Do Not, join the Pen of the Week in the Mail Club.

 

The more you learn, the slower you buy pens, the better pen you get for your money.

Used pens are Good!...Some vintage pens are good to have,with different filling systems, and are affordable.

 

After you have 4 pens you can think semi-flex.

I have various rants on that.

 

 

Go to Richard Binders com, and spend 2-3 days reading. It is the basics of fountain pens; nibs, filling systems, and good advice on pens...plus pretty pens, vintage and modern.

Once 95% of all I know was from there and the links found there.

Now it's only 92 1/2%...one does learn something after four years.

 

 

I'd not worry about 'smoothing' a nib right off the bat. Many want 'butter smooth' as noobies, and change their mind after 5-6 months to good and smooth.

Some stay butter smooth..and stay nail.

 

95% of all scratchy...is misaligned tines...need that loupe...then there is holding a pen like a ball point before the big index finger knuckle and not like a fountain pen after it...that cause lots of problems including scratchy.

Edited July 12, 2013 by Bo Bo Olson

[DRWWE]

You don't NEED accessories. You need a pen and some ink that works well with it. You need a color of ink that is suitable for what you are doing (ie, don't use hot pink ink in a law practice). I personally need waterproof ink because notes in my patients' charts have to be permanent, but do you really need bulletproof ink? Trying lots of ink samples is a great idea and really helps you discover what works best for you.

 

Things that I enjoy having for my pens: a nice case to keep everything safe and organized and a cup or stand to display my pens on my desk. I have recently done a little nib work on some pens, so there is micro mesh, Mylar, brass sheets, and a loupe. Silicone is good to have to lubricate pistons and to seal joints (for eyedropper pens). A bulb syringe is useful to clean your pens. A smooth writing surface and good paper are obviously important.

 

You can also get into different nib shapes/styles if you like variety. Extra-fine to the really bold. Stub, italic, flexible. But do you NEED multiple pens with multiple nibs? Personally, I like a medium nib for normal writing and a stub for signatures as well as doodling.

[dsolmei]

Hello,

 

Just start with the pen(s), ink(s), and paper that you have available. As you learn more about fountain pens, you will know what extra tools you need to pick-up. A good video resource for learning the basics of fountain pen usage and maintenance is the "Fountain Pen 101" video collection from Goulet Pens' Ink Noveau YouTube page:

 

Good luck on this new journey.

 

Cheers.

[ever onward]

This is a great question.

 

Since you're buying mostly modern pens, I'd suggest building a small stockpile of converters--a few different brands. Sooner or later you'll get a pen with no converter, and when that happens your stash will save you from the pain of [a] having to use a cartridge (ha! I'm joking....mostly ) or not being able to ink your pen at all.

 

IMHO.

 

best wishes,

eo