Starting from the worst habits and penmanship to this?

[Mar_]

I've still got a long way to go, especially in consistency but let's all keep practicing? - Working on my everyday penmanship, not special scripts 😛

 

 

[A Smug Dill]

My suggestion would be to use an italic nib instead of a bent/Fude nib for penmanship practice, if you're pursuing some line variation in your writing, unless you're specifically trying to learn how to get the most (i.e. different effects and writing outcomes) from a Fude nib.

[Mar_]

2 minutes ago, A Smug Dill said:

My suggestion would be to use an italic nib instead of a bent/Fude nib for penmanship practice, if you're pursuing some line variation in your writing, unless you're specifically trying to learn how to get the most (i.e. different effects and writing outcomes) from a Fude nib.

This pen was my first pen ever and only pen I've got. - I got it as a christmas gift. - Unfortunately I am unable to afford another pen or shipping (many reasons). Anyways, I appreciate the recommendation !

[inkstainedruth]

You'd be surprised at how inexpensive some pens can be.  

If you have an art supply store or a Barnes & Noble near you, see if they have calligraphy sets.  Or (particularly at an art supply) see if they carry Pilot Parallels, which run about $10 apiece, and get one of the smaller width ones.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

[Mar_]

1 minute ago, inkstainedruth said:

You'd be surprised at how inexpensive some pens can be.  

If you have an art supply store or a Barnes & Noble near you, see if they have calligraphy sets.  Or (particularly at an art supply) see if they carry Pilot Parallels, which run about $10 apiece, and get one of the smaller width ones.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

Thank you for the suggestion, I windowshop (online) every day, sadly no barns or art stores near me (small towns hell)

[inkstainedruth]

How far are you from a more urban area?  I ask because I've been to the Indianopolis and Danville area a couple of times. Barnes and Noble and places like Dick Blick and even Jo-Ann Fabrics and Michaels should be able to show you local-ish stores a reasonable drive from where you live.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Switala]

Very cool, keep practicing until you are satisfied with the appearance of your handwriting. Types of nib and inks make a big difference, but no miracle.

[Mar_]

2 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

How far are you from a more urban area?  I ask because I've been to the Indianopolis and Danville area a couple of times. Barnes and Noble and places like Dick Blick and even Jo-Ann Fabrics and Michaels should be able to show you local-ish stores a reasonable drive from where you live.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

Randolph County area - Winchester and Greenville are close but to get a lift from my parents would be required. And if you were to open my wallet a cartoon fly would arise from the billfold 😛

2 minutes ago, Switala said:

Very cool, keep practicing until you are satisfied with the appearance of your handwriting. Types of nib and inks make a big difference, but no miracle.

Absolutely! I appreciate the support

[A Smug Dill]

You can get a Jinhao X750 (which is a decent pen) from AliExpress for US$3.81 all up including delivery to the USA, so getting another fountain pen — inclusive of a converter, so that you can use bottled ink — does not have to be an expensive proposition. It doesn't sport an italic / stub / broad-edged nib, though.

 

The Fude nib makes the user contend with different incident angles between the axis of the pen and the page surface, and that's probably a distraction when one is first trying to retrain his penmanship. I love trying to squeeze interesting ‘drawing’ or writing outcomes out of it — and I just received a bag of 11 replacement nibs of different types for the Hong Dian 1850 (of which Black Forest is one variant) this week — but in all honesty I don't find the Fude nibs the best ‘fun’ to write with at length.

[Mar_]

12 minutes ago, A Smug Dill said:

You can get a Jinhao X750 (which is a decent pen) from AliExpress for US$3.81 all up including delivery to the USA, so getting another fountain pen — inclusive of a converter, so that you can use bottled ink — does not have to be an expensive proposition. It doesn't sport an italic / stub / broad-edged nib, though.

 

The Fude nib makes the user contend with different incident angles between the axis of the pen and the page surface, and that's probably a distraction when one is first trying to retrain his penmanship. I love trying to squeeze interesting ‘drawing’ or writing outcomes out of it — and I just received a bag of 11 replacement nibs of different types for the Hong Dian 1850 (of which Black Forest is one variant) this week — but in all honesty I don't find the Fude nibs the best ‘fun’ to write with at length.

 

I completely agree, the fude nib isn't a fun learning tool. - made a entry to a pif post for a parker sonnet and I mentioned how using the fude hinders my improvement.

 

edit - thanks for the pen suggestion too

Edited January 14, 2021 by Mar_

[inkstainedruth]

Yeah, fude nibs are kinda different.  I have one cheap Chinese pen with a fude nib, which I use with problematic inks like J Herbin 1670 Rouge Hematite (the original formula with the gold flakes, rather than glitter dust), but I have taken calligraphy classes in the past so know how to use dip pens.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Mar_]

10 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

Yeah, fude nibs are kinda different.  I have one cheap Chinese pen with a fude nib, which I use with problematic inks like J Herbin 1670 Rouge Hematite (the original formula with the gold flakes, rather than glitter dust), but I have taken calligraphy classes in the past so know how to use dip pens.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

Fude nibs are fun though, I've got used to it slightly, the penmanship isn't there but it's still fun to use. Just hinders me from getting better consistently.

 

[BaronWulfraed]

18 hours ago, Mar_ said:

Thank you for the suggestion, I windowshop (online) every day, sadly no barns or art stores near me (small towns hell)

Staples, OfficeMax/OfficeDepot* may have calligraphy sets available. May 2018, Office Max, Staedtler 33 piece calligraphy set, $20 -- has four barrels/caps, five nibs, a converter, 20 cartridges, metal storage box.

 

Lamy Joy -- basically a Safari with a long "quill" tail, and italic nib (available in three sizes)

 

 

* (I still have no idea of how they decided which stores of the two chains to keep when they merged -- I had, in sequence, Staples, OfficeMax, OfficeDepot at about half to one mile intervals on the same street. When OM/OD merged, they kept the OM closest to Staples, and closed the OD furthest from it).

 

[inkstainedruth]

2 minutes ago, BaronWulfraed said:

(I still have no idea of how they decided which stores of the two chains to keep when they merged -- I had, in sequence, Staples, OfficeMax, OfficeDepot at about half to one mile intervals on the same street. When OM/OD merged, they kept the OM closest to Staples, and closed the OD furthest from it).

As far as I've been able to determine, Office Depot is now the online presence, whereas Office Max is the B&M stores.  Because they did the same thing in the Pittsburgh area as well.  Of course, the ONLY time I ever saw FP-related stuff in OD was at a "graduation sale" display, where they had some cheap Yafa pen but didn't then carry replacement cartridges.  And in order to get more (it wasn't clear whether the pens were International Standard or not from the packaging, and then it might have only been the short cartridges) you had to order them from GREECE and the shipping charges were higher than the cost of a package of cartridges....   So, I passed on the pen entirely....

Ironically, back in the days of me only using Quink Permanent Blue cartridges (not knowing different) it was cheaper to get a 5-pack of cartridges at Office Max than Staples (one of the few instances where OM WAS less expensive).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[A Smug Dill]

On 1/14/2021 at 12:10 PM, Mar_ said:

Just hinders me from getting better consistently.

 

I must say I'm thoroughly impressed with your approach, your posts in the forum notwithstanding being a new member, and the levels of maturity (as you've posted your DOB on your member profile) and self-awareness expressed. Bravo!

 

I'm waiting for an authoritative answer from Australia Post, after confused and conflicting advice in reply to my enquiries on the phone (last month) and over the counter at the post office (yesterday). If Australia Post has resumed Economy Air letter service to the US for articles containing ‘merchandise’ (i.e. anything not a ‘document’), I'll gladly send you one of my FPR Himalaya v1 pens, with three interchangeable nibs (EF, Stub and Flex) and matching feeds. The acrylic is pretty, the nibs write OK for what they are, but I personally can't stand the ineffectiveness of the cap in preventing ink evaporation when the pen is unused, so other than as a practice pen or ink review instrument, it (or any of the other three) aren't of much use to me in the foreseeable future.

[Mar_]

7 minutes ago, A Smug Dill said:

 

I must say I'm thoroughly impressed with your approach, your posts in the forum notwithstanding being a new member, and the levels of maturity (as you've posted your DOB on your member profile) and self-awareness expressed. Bravo!

 

I'm waiting for an authoritative answer from Australia Post, after confused and conflicting advice in reply to my enquiries on the phone (last month) and over the counter at the post office (yesterday). If Australia Post has resumed Economy Air letter service to the US for articles containing ‘merchandise’ (i.e. anything not a ‘document’), I'll gladly send you one of my FPR Himalaya v1 pens, with three interchangeable nibs (EF, Stub and Flex) and matching feeds. The acrylic is pretty, the nibs write OK for what they are, but I personally can't stand the ineffectiveness of the cap in preventing ink evaporation when the pen is unused, so other than as a practice pen or ink review instrument, it (or any of the other three) aren't of much use to me in the foreseeable future.

Sir, I humbly appreciate your response first and foremost. I find that being young gets automatically categorized as immature so I try to be far from it. Indeed I'm new, and I'm quite excited to be apart of this community, and hobby. I am fortunate to get into the hobby but I should have not asked for a fude nib to start w/, Different isn't always better.

I couldn't "kick a gift horse in the mouth"* - That's one weird saying that i've heard.*

I'd be glad to accept the gift and use the pen in practice. I just wish I could return the favor with something from the states but I can't afford shipping nor do I have anything to ship. I didn't know Aussie post was restricted (covid 19?)
Some say that asking peoples reasonings to gifts aren't polite though I must ask, what insisted your offering? In addition, what got you into the hobby and a final question, what do you do that fortunes your pen hobby? 

[A Smug Dill]

1 hour ago, Mar_ said:

I couldn't "kick a gift horse in the mouth"* - That's one weird saying that i've heard.*

 

Haha, that's a funny one, on par with my personal favourite mixing of metaphors: “We'll burn that bridge when we get to it.”

 

1 hour ago, Mar_ said:

I didn't know Aussie post was restricted (covid 19?)

 

The particular postal service I used in the past for sending ink samples and surplus pens to overseas recipients was promptly and ‘loudly’ suspended by Australia Post last April, on account of “reduced capacity due to COVID-19” for shipping cargo by air, “until further notice”.

 

The notice of suspension disappeared from AP's web site in December but with no explicit notice of resumption. I rang to check, and was told it was available again, at least to destinations such as the USA. However, I thought it'd be prudent to double-check with my local post office, who are the gatekeepers, yesterday before I ask you to send me your delivery address; and the staff told me they heard nothing about service resumption and they aren't accepting such postal articles. Allegedly, they've asked the head office mid-week but have yet to receive authoritative advice; so I also sent a formal enquiry last night as a customer to seek clarification.

 

1 hour ago, Mar_ said:

Some say that asking peoples reasonings to gifts aren't polite though I must ask, what insisted your offering?

 

You're a doer. You started doing/practising, and apparently intends to keep doing, with what tools you have, while having gained the understanding (of the characteristics and limitations of those particular tools on hand, and) that you need more suitable tools, but persist in the meantime in spite of it.

 

You didn't ask, and I'm assuming didn't expect, anyone to make your task easier. You didn't put on the airs of entitlement à la, “I have enough self-respect to think my time is important, so help me spend less time on my task at the expense of yours in helping me,” or, ”it really ought not be so difficult (for someone in my position)  to get my outcome, and all the obstacles are unreasonable and undue.” Things are just what and how they are; the Fude nib is that way as designed (and not well-suited for your immediate purposes), you can't afford another pen for whatever reason (which we don't need to know, and I'm impressed that you just stated it matter-of-factly, without making a show of either substantiating or justifying the statement, or getting either embarrassed or indignant). It's just a hobby, and you're just sharing with fellow hobbyists what you're doing in the name of shared interests. You're not just sitting back waiting for the right level of convenience or ease to be there to set you up for immediate success or gratification.

 

I have some ‘spare’ or surplus tools that I don't envisage needing, so if I can help you with the challenge you set yourself, and probably spur you to redouble (as oppose to cut back) your effort to reach your goal, I'd be very happy to do so. Actually, I have crates of stuff that I acquired because in each instance it sounded like a good idea at the time, but realistically I just don't have any proper use for it myself, yet now find it difficult to give away in a manner that I think will give me more personal satisfaction from it.

 

So, thank you for the opportunity to ‘re-home’ the pen in a meaningful manner. That said, I still need Australia Post to tell me whether/when the international postal service in question is available; I can't bring myself to spend 650% more in postage to send a pen as a tracked parcel, when the pen itself isn't worth that much, and it'd be almost cheaper just to order a good-enough new pen online and have it sent to you directly from the retailer.

 

Oh, … I just (finally!) received my order of eleven standalone/replacement nib units for the Hong Dian 1850, so I'm sure I can spare an F nib that will fit your Black Forest, although the colour doesn't match (silver rather than black). I don't know what else I can fit in a <50g-all-up ‘large letter’ besides the FPR pen and its spare nibs and feed, but a Hong Dian nib is definitely doable.

[Mar_]

8 minutes ago, A Smug Dill said:

 

Haha, that's a funny one, on par with my personal favourite mixing of metaphors: “We'll burn that bridge when we get to it.”

 

 

The particular postal service I used in the past for sending ink samples and surplus pens to overseas recipients was promptly and ‘loudly’ suspended by Australia Post last April, on account of “reduced capacity due to COVID-19” for shipping cargo by air, “until further notice”.

 

The notice of suspension disappeared from AP's web site in December but with no explicit notice of resumption. I rang to check, and was told it was available again, at least to destinations such as the USA. However, I thought it'd be prudent to double-check with my local post office, who are the gatekeepers, yesterday before I ask you to send me your delivery address; and the staff told me they heard nothing about service resumption and they aren't accepting such postal articles. Allegedly, they've asked the head office mid-week but have yet to receive authoritative advice; so I also sent a formal enquiry last night as a customer to seek clarification.

 

 

You're a doer. You started doing/practising, and apparently intends to keep doing, with what tools you have, while having gained the understanding (of the characteristics and limitations of those particular tools on hand, and) that you need more suitable tools, but persist in the meantime in spite of it.

 

You didn't ask, and I'm assuming didn't expect, anyone to make your task easier. You didn't put on the airs of entitlement à la, “I have enough self-respect to think my time is important, so help me spend less time on my task at the expense of yours in helping me,” or, ”it really ought not be so difficult (for someone in my position)  to get my outcome, and all the obstacles are unreasonable and undue.” Things are just what and how they are; the Fude nib is that way as designed (and not well-suited for your immediate purposes), you can't afford another pen for whatever reason (which we don't need to know, and I'm impressed that you just stated it matter-of-factly, without making a show of either substantiating or justifying the statement, or getting either embarrassed or indignant). It's just a hobby, and you're just sharing with fellow hobbyists what you're doing in the name of shared interests. You're not just sitting back waiting for the right level of convenience or ease to be there to set you up for immediate success or gratification.

 

I have some ‘spare’ or surplus tools that I don't envisage needing, so if I can help you with the challenge you set yourself, and probably spur you to redouble (as oppose to cut back) your effort to reach your goal, I'd be very happy to do so. Actually, I have crates of stuff that I acquired because in each instance it sounded like a good idea at the time, but realistically I just don't have any proper use for it myself, yet now find it difficult to give away in a manner that I think will give me more personal satisfaction from it.

 

So, thank you for the opportunity to ‘re-home’ the pen in a meaningful manner. That said, I still need Australia Post to tell me whether/when the international postal service in question is available; I can't bring myself to spend 650% more in postage to send a pen as a tracked parcel, when the pen itself isn't worth that much, and it'd be almost cheaper just to order a good-enough new pen online and have it sent to you directly from the retailer.

To find people with a genuine interest and care and understanding is quite rare. I never expect anyone to ease my experience, aside easing my curiosity with education. I'd not mind explaining my reasons, but in the gist of things, jobs are scarce. And I love reading the experience of bobbyists, and I only want to share mine as I try to push at myself.

I understand that perspective, sharing things you've bought... If I were to share anything I'd buy I'd love to be able to know that it's being put to use by a person whom is genuine and passionate about that subject, I completely see that perspective.

I'm honored, and I respect that, 650% really? ouch! I hope they've fixed the situation

[A Smug Dill]

2 minutes ago, Mar_ said:

I'm honored, and I respect that, 650% really? ouch!

 

I lied; or, rather, I made a mistake. 😳 A multiplier of 6.5x for parcel post charges is only 550% more, not 650% more.

[Mar_]

1 minute ago, A Smug Dill said:

 

I lied; or, rather, I made a mistake. 😳 A multiplier of 6.5x for parcel post charges is only 550% more, not 650% more.

Still, the point stands