Great. A new obsession.

[Dusted]

5 minutes ago, A Smug Dill said:

 

I have yet to come across pen care and/or filling instructions from a major fountain pen brand that directs, or recommends, the user remove the converter before filling it with ink.

Weird. I read that I was supposed to do that somewhere. Something about ink buildup between the nib and quill. Not sure my terminology is correct there

[A Smug Dill]

26 minutes ago, Dusted said:

Other forums I am on (different subject matter) have way more yapping going on.

 

Personally I'm glad there is more focussed discussion here and less of meandering social chatter, and more adherence to topics as separate threads than ‘chatroom’ style spaces to just kept the forum regulars talking even when there is no new information to add, new reviews to share and new questions to ask.

 

22 minutes ago, Dusted said:

Something about ink buildup between the nib and quill. Not sure my terminology is correct there

 

Some users (including myself) just don't like getting ink all over the feed and front of the gripping section, which then has to be wiped off and ‘wasted’, before the pen is used (unless you want globs of ink on the page or stains on your fingers). Filling the removed converter separately, before reconnecting it to the gripping section, as if it was an ink cartridge has its own disadvantages.

[Dusted]

Well, I have learned a bunch tonight. Thanks a lot. 

[A Smug Dill]

6 hours ago, Dusted said:

The Lamy and Pilot have shrouded nibs and the whole nib goes into the ink bottle to fill. The exposed nib pens have the converter removed to fill with ink.

 

For what it's worth, nothing really stops you from filling a Pilot converter separately with ink before connecting it to the gripping section (while both the mouth of the converter and the pen's nib are pointing up).

 

The mouths of Pilot converters — whether they're used in an Elite 95S, Custom 742 or Capless Décimo — are wide, but in my experience the surface tension tends to be sufficient to keep the mass of ink inside the tube of the converter even when the mouth is facing down, so it's possible to draw ink directly from the ink bottle into the converter without the feed as a conduit and without the ink dripping straight back down into the bottle. However, there is no advantage I can think of for plugging a removed converter back into the gripping section of a Pilot pen while the mouth of the converter is facing down.

 

[Nurmister]

5 hours ago, Dusted said:

Considering the number of registered users on this site the traffic seems low. Other forums I am on (different subject matter) have way more yapping going on. I have looked through the various forum headings but don’t find blogs or grow journals or any place that people chat. Oh well. I can always use this space to babble.

 

FWIF, there's a "Chatter" forum available here which is quite active. Otherwise, yes, I do think things are quite quiet here; however, when I do need to ask questions about a very specific topic, for example, I've received insightful responses quickly, such as those by users like a smug dill and other regulars who have a great depth and breadth of knowledge.

 

Comparing this forum to reddit's r/fountainpens (which I've never really found use for), we see the latter has a similar number of registered users, but it's a lot more active. However, the nature of the activity is almost always "here's my new pen/ink/drawing/quote". I think that is because reddit's UI encourages image-based posts with little emphasis on organization and archival.

 

Other than that, there are a number of fountain pen reviewers on youtube that continue to create videos on pens and ink on a regular basis, and have quite a steady following.

 

More broadly, however, there's more to this that I've been thinking about to myself for a while: I get the feeling that fountain pen discussion on the technical and experiential aspects of pens is quieter because most of it has already been archived (mostly here), especially during the early-mid 2010s. And unlike in technology-based hobbies, for example, new releases don't come out every day, especially ones with significant innovations or changes to previous iterations.

 

In any case, your journey is just starting -- as you figure out what you prefer, you'll likely find the information you need from whose footsteps you follow. In the case you don't, we're here!

[PAKMAN]

There is a Chatbox you can find on the right side bar.

[Dusted]

I have figured out why the UEF Platinum nib wasn’t writing as thin as the Pilot EF nib. My natural grip on the fatter Platinum President with exposed nib was slightly lower on the pen, giving a steeper angle compared, with the Pilot. If I grip slightly higher up the barrel of the President, the nib is quieter and finer. I grip the Pilot Elite higher up the barrel naturally. I wonder if it has to do with the barrel diameter or the semi-shrouded nib design. I have always preferred a thinner barrel on my pens, even going back 50 years. Might have to do with my smaller hand size. I guess I will have to look into some slim series pens. I have resisted purchasing any Sailor pens yet so maybe I can find a smaller diameter barrel one of those.

[A Smug Dill]

1 minute ago, Dusted said:

I have resisted purchasing any Sailor pens yet so maybe I can find a smaller diameter barrel one of those.

 

The Chalana? 😝

[Dusted]

14 minutes ago, A Smug Dill said:

 

The Chalana? 😝

That might be a bit extreme. 

[Nurmister]

4 hours ago, Dusted said:

That might be a bit extreme. 

 

I've never held it in hand, but the Sailor Barcarolle seems to be quite slender, and has Sailor's standard 14k gold nib. It has a brass body. (There are other colorways, too).

 

[Dusted]

6 hours ago, Nurmister said:

 

I've never held it in hand, but the Sailor Barcarolle seems to be quite slender, and has Sailor's standard 14k gold nib. It has a brass body. (There are other colorways, too).

 

That looks interesting. I’m not sure it is listed on the Japanese website I have been buying from. I will look around for the specs. Thanks.

[Dusted]

The Sailor Barcarolle actually has a larger barrel diameter than the Platinum President. The Sailor pro series slim models are thinner I see. I may have to get one of those.

[Nurmister]

Hmm... what's your source? From nibs.com, the section diameter of the Sailor is 0.3", and that of the Platinum is 0.4". The barrel diameters are 0.4" and 0.5" respectively.

 

 

[A Smug Dill]

1 minute ago, Dusted said:

The Sailor pro series slim models are thinner I see.

 

The Sailor Young Profit (aka 1911 Young) is slender. Albeit discontinued by the manufacturer, you can still find some of them new from retailers and on eBay, etc.; Cult Pens had a couple (with Fine and Medium nibs) on clearance at the start of its birthday sale earlier this week. They're a good option if you just want to try out Sailor's ‘signature’ nibs (bearing the 1911 imprint) without diving headlong into its gold-nibbed collections; but I'm not keen on the performance of its cap seal, even though its not bad for a snap-cap.

 

Personally, the Sailor Promenade has grown on me since my lukewarm reception of it two years ago, so much so that I bought three more of them recently, (regrettably, in the sense that I didn't take advantage of better opportunities last year) at significantly higher prices on eBay now that they've also been discontinued by the manufacturer.

[Dusted]

3 hours ago, Nurmister said:

Hmm... what's your source? From nibs.com, the section diameter of the Sailor is 0.3", and that of the Platinum is 0.4". The barrel diameters are 0.4" and 0.5" respectively.

 

 

You are correct of course. I rechecked after your post and found an EF one on nibs. Now I just have to resist pushing the order button. 

[Dusted]

Nibs.com is expensive, but it’s the only place I have been able to find the Barcarolle with EF nib. I don’t suppose there is a commonly known discount code to use, is there?

[Dusted]

I ordered the Sailor Barcarolle EF from Nibs.com. We shall see if I can tell the difference with a tuned nib. I specified right handed, med pressure, and low-med ink flow, since my existing EF and UEF Japanese pens prefer German ink, and I try not to apply too much pressure. Since all my existing fountain pens are black with either gold or silver trim, I thought I would get crazy and order the gloss red version. 
 

Is this the final pen? It should fit all my preferences. EF gold nib, slim barrel, good heft. I hope so. This one was way more expensive than I liked. I also order a coil ring 8.5x11 perforated edge, quality paper notebook as well. My Moleskien hardcover notebook is pretty good, but I guess I need to experiment there as well. As long as I continue using a pen daily the money is well spent. I do try and rotate the use of my existing quality pens. Each has its own characteristics. 
 

This obsession is similar to others I have had. I try to only spend money on things I will use regularly. Since retiring I have replaced my cook ware, kitchen knives, and razor. 
 

The pots and pans are the best you can buy, but I still choose my 45 yr old cast iron pans to fry with. It took me a while to find what kind of knives I liked. I have a large number of Japanese carbon steel knives in various shapes and sizes. I only use three daily, but there are lots of options available to me now.

 

Then came straight razors. I own eight now.

 

You must sharpen carbon steel knives and razors with wet stones, so I have five different grit stones. Then there is the hanging leather strop for the razors. Learning to shave with a cut throat razor is an other tale.

 

Each obsession has it’s costs.

 

 

[Dusted]

I was reading about Sailor pens today and discovered why it was so difficult to find the Barcarolle. It has been discontinued. 

[A Smug Dill]

58 minutes ago, Dusted said:

Barcarolle. It has been discontinued.

 

Yes. https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/354551-sailor-possibly-being-bought-out/?do=findComment&comment=4351812

 

 

I don't think it'd be any harder to buy a Barcarolle than it would a Promenade on eBay, Rakuten Ichiba, etc. from Japanese sellers, though.

[TheDutchGuy]

On 5/4/2021 at 6:40 AM, A Smug Dill said:

The line width coming out of a Pilot Elite 95S's EF nib can be vastly different dependent on the ink.

 

+1. Seen this on many pens with sometimes unexpected results. Yesterday I went from P4001 Brilliant Black to Waterman Mysterious Blue in a ‘30s Sheaffer Balanced and the pen went from very wet to dry and the line width was reduced by about half. So many times I’ve seen a supposedly dry pen turning wet, or v.v., merely from an ink change.