Oh, and if you are new to fountain pens, don't neglect to use proper paper!
My go-to for bullet journaling is leuchtturm A5 dotted notebook. Rhodia is good as well, but i have not been able to find a notebook with numbered, dotted pages.
I have a Leuchtterm dotted notebook; Anya got a hold of it and scribbled in it and tore out a corner of a page (argh! I don’t handle mess well) so I had tossed it to one side. Just dug it out and yeah, it is pretty nice. Smooth and not too much bleed through with my fountain pen.
I’m thinking of getting a Maruman Mnemosyne notebook...
Oh, and if you are new to fountain pens, don't neglect to use proper paper!
My go-to for bullet journaling is leuchtturm A5 dotted notebook. Rhodia is good as well, but i have not been able to find a notebook with numbered, dotted pages.
Speaking of nice paper, i just recieved my start-new-job present to myself, Leuchtturm A5 Bauhaus Edition.
Yeah, the paper we use at work is just super cheap printer paper so my Lamy Safari feathers a lot, even though it has a fine nib. Oh well, it's just work stuff and nobody actually reads any of it so
Barnes and noble sells a leuchtturm bullet journal, which is just a dot grid notebook with instructions.
Marty: The future, it's where you're going? Doc: That's right, twenty five years into the future. I've always dreamed on seeing the future, looking beyond my years, seeing the progress of mankind. I'll also be able to see who wins the next twenty-five world series.
I think if you have large hands, the best beginner fountain pen is the Jinhao x450 (or x750, doesn't matter):
It's a pen that looks real expensive and writes as well as any other fountain pen, but is pretty much the cheapest non-disposable fountain pen other than the platinum preppy and will teach you a few things about the reality of fountain pens:
A more expensive pen is not guaranteed to write better
Just because a pen looks nice doesn't mean it's worth the price
Can you tolerate a non-postable pen (a pen where you can't put the cap on the back)
Can you tolerate a wide barrel pen
Can you write with your arm and not with your wrist? The Jinhao is the heaviest pen, so trying to put pressure or write with your wrist will tire you out faster than even ballpoints
Do you have a tendency to drop your pens? The Jinhao is so heavy and fragile that any drop from any height onto a hard surface is guaranteed to break the cap or the nib
Can you actually tolerate filling your pen with a converter and maintaining it? The Jinhao uses the standard international converter or cartridge and comes with a cheap but functional version of the converter
Do you like fine / broad / flex nibs? Jinhao has a replaceable standard #6 nib that you can swap out for other sizes and brands and since it's so cheap, you can abuse its nib by trying to flex it for line variation, which I wouldn't do with any other fountain pen
A nib that looks nice writes just as well as an ugly nib as a stainless steel nib as a gold nib as an expensive nib as a cheap nib
Don't believe the above? Try out Goulet's $15 #6 nibs and see if you can spot the difference. Be a smart consumer.
It's a cheap pen that looks really expensive. It's cheap not because it writes badly (it writes great), has bad form factor (it's a pleasure to hold), has poor nibs (the nib quality is decent), or because it looks ugly (it's prettier than pens 10x its cost), but because it's fragile, heavy, has poor cap design, and as a result should never be the pen you carry around with you. You won't cry if you do break it or it gets stolen, so it's an excellent tool to practice and experiment with fountain pen habits and care and woo and wow your friends who don't know better.
Marty: The future, it's where you're going? Doc: That's right, twenty five years into the future. I've always dreamed on seeing the future, looking beyond my years, seeing the progress of mankind. I'll also be able to see who wins the next twenty-five world series.
I love handwriting, and I love the art of penmanship and so that’s where I am coming from with my love for stationery. I have dabbled just enough with calligraphy to be in complete awe of anyone with calligraphy skills. The consistency in some people’s letters is quite intense.
I have a very comprehensive guide to copperplate as well as a more general guide to calligraphy that has a few pages of completely ridiculous (and very beautiful) flourishes and example scripts. I might post some pictures later!
I intend to keep practicing calligraphy; although I’ll doubt I’ll become very good I have noticed an increase in the overall consistency of my handwriting in general!
Also I hold writing implemnts weird. My index and middle finger are on the same side of the pen and my thumb opposes both. It's never felt natural the "normal" way to me.
Also I hold writing implemnts weird. My index and middle finger are on the same side of the pen and my thumb opposes both. It's never felt natural the "normal" way to me.
The "normal" way to hold a pen is with the pad of the index finger on the pen and the pen resting on the side of the distal side of the middle finger. Like this
This has always been grossly uncomfortable for me so I hold the pen like how Uriel describes.
The "normal" way to hold a pen is with the pad of the index finger on the pen and the pen resting on the side of the distal side of the middle finger. Like this
This has always been grossly uncomfortable for me so I hold the pen like how Uriel describes.
That's kinda how I hold pens, only with my thumb farther forward, touching the tip of my index finger. I also press the side of my pinkie down into the paper to sort of stabilize my hand while I write. It's not comfortable, but it feels natural and it's how I've always written.
I say: how can holding a pen be right or wrong? Do what you fuckin' want and stop teaching kids there's a wrong way!
I think it's a problem with the dominating perspective in our collective society that anything that isn't the most {adjective} is also not right. The way taught to kids is thought to offer the most stability and control over the instrument for the greatest number of people, but it doesn't mean that the method is useful for everyone. (my Dad was the one that would drill how to hold a pencil or pend into me because he was a mechanical engineer, and drafting/drawing with pencils and pens back in his day was really important prior to the proliferation of autocad solutions)
+1
webguy20I spend too much time on the InternetRegistered Userregular
I say: how can holding a pen be right or wrong? Do what you fuckin' want and stop teaching kids there's a wrong way!
There could be ergonomic issues with grip where there could end up being a "wrong" way to hold it. Not saying this is one of them, but I could totally see it.
I hold my pen like that photo except that I use my first two fingers to grip and it rests on my ring finger. It’s worked for me but at the same time I wonder if my hand would cramp less if I held it the regular way.
I used to have a massive lump on my right ring finger when I handwrote everything in school. I write less in general these days so the lump has mostly gone away.
So I cleaned two new nibs using toothpaste, which one blog said worked better than dish detergent or acetone, and tested them out.
The top lines use Higgins eternal black ink with a Nikko nib and the bottom two lines use a Herbin purple (not that you can tell!) ink with a Joseph Gillott nib, and that was far scratchier, although I wouldn’t have said either nib was super smooth. I had to go over several of the strokes with the Gillott nib and as you can see the ink pooled on the f and the j (and I could use an ink well, as the neck of the ink bottle was too narrow to properly dip the nib in which I don’t think helped).
Anyway perhaps I either need to clean them better or - is breaking them in a thing? My fountain pen is writing really smoothly now!
Also here are some images from the interior of one of the books I have, plus the front cover of the Copperplate guide I have (whose interior is a lot more utilitarian!)
Edit: Chico, that is a super cool video!
Janson on
+6
Librarian's ghostLibrarian, Ghostbuster, and TimSporkRegistered Userregular
So I am bad at scheduling at work. I need to schedule my computer lab and library checkouts as well as other library uses on a given day. Currently I use a little moleskine planner. I have to use an 18 month one though since my work year starts in August and goes through May. This leaves a lot of unused pages. Also I've never been happy with it totally. My handwriting sucks but my four years of drafting classes in high school showed me I could write fairly legibly, for my own use, if I wrote very small so I use a Uni Kuru Toga pencil that does the lead rotation to keep it sharp.
Based on this thread I bought a small Leuchtturm1917 dot notebook and have been recreating my planner using the general formal of a bullet journal. It ends up looking similar to my old system but it gives me more space. Also I bought some Staedtler fine marker pens because I wanted color coding as well.
Here it my old moleskin just in pencil.
Here is the same week on the new Leuctturm.
They are bad examples because it is the first week back from break. We have four blocks each day. Top four lines of each day are for desktop reservations blocks A1,3,5,7 and B2,4,6,8, and the bottom four are for checkouts per block but we do three sections of checkouts per block, beginning of class (blue),middle of class (green), and end of class (pink).
The bullet journal part comes in between months and with the index/ future logs.
I'll keep the same pencil and initially do signups with that then ink it in when I got to enter it in the computer. This seems like a lot, but it keeps me from double booking. Also I forgot to add the open house on the new book.
I bought a seal stamp and some sealing wax and now I can be extra fancy.
Except apparently the wax gets used up faaaaast; I was trying to be conservative with the amount used, but as you can see that then doesn’t make for a complete seal. I guess I’ll just have to stock up on wax!
So I cleaned two new nibs using toothpaste, which one blog said worked better than dish detergent or acetone, and tested them out.
The top lines use Higgins eternal black ink with a Nikko nib and the bottom two lines use a Herbin purple (not that you can tell!) ink with a Joseph Gillott nib, and that was far scratchier, although I wouldn’t have said either nib was super smooth. I had to go over several of the strokes with the Gillott nib and as you can see the ink pooled on the f and the j (and I could use an ink well, as the neck of the ink bottle was too narrow to properly dip the nib in which I don’t think helped).
Anyway perhaps I either need to clean them better or - is breaking them in a thing? My fountain pen is writing really smoothly now!
Also here are some images from the interior of one of the books I have, plus the front cover of the Copperplate guide I have (whose interior is a lot more utilitarian!)
Edit: Chico, that is a super cool video!
I've heard some people use a potato. Also, if your tines are misaligned through wear and tear, it'll also get scratchy.
However, I doubt that a calligraphy nib can ever be as smooth as a fountain pen specifically tipped and ground. Maybe I'm wrong.
Marty: The future, it's where you're going? Doc: That's right, twenty five years into the future. I've always dreamed on seeing the future, looking beyond my years, seeing the progress of mankind. I'll also be able to see who wins the next twenty-five world series.
0
Donovan PuppyfuckerA dagger in the dark isworth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered Userregular
Aren't calligraphy nibs also specifically tipped and ground?
+1
lonelyahavaCall me Ahava ~~She/Her~~Move to New ZealandRegistered Userregular
I have some wax leftover from the wedding (six years ago!) and a stamp that was engraved with our emblem that @#pipe designed for us.
I have a distant obsession with stationary. if I thought I could, I'd buy it all and then not do anything with it because handwriting anything is painful and difficult for me.
resolutely avoiding this thread because I already have a crippling art supply addiction, don't need to add desk stationery to that habit
... but I did run out my latest work notebook with six weeks to go on my contract, so I indulged myself with a strathmore soft-cover journal with 130gsm paper weight which cost about twice what I would normally pay for a casual notebook. Next job I'm probably gonna have to be a little more organised, am hoping that using proper organisers instead of the back of used printer paper will help with that.
Aren't calligraphy nibs also specifically tipped and ground?
Fountain pen nibs are tipped with an osmium or whatever alloy that is ground and polished for lasting smoothness. Dip pen nibs are, I think, not tipped with extra material. I could be wrong; I'll check my nibs.
Marty: The future, it's where you're going? Doc: That's right, twenty five years into the future. I've always dreamed on seeing the future, looking beyond my years, seeing the progress of mankind. I'll also be able to see who wins the next twenty-five world series.
So I got two notebooks to test - a Rhodia and a Mnemosyne - as well as a LAMY Safari fountain pen (seems comparable to the Eco in terms of pricing and reviews - now both Mori and I can write!) and some fuchsia waterproof ink.
All are pretty fabulous! The Rhodia paper is still thin but not as waferish as Tomoe River - Tomoe River is great paper but it’s just sooo thin that it can get a little wrinkly with some inks. The Mnemosyne feels so smooth that it feels very much like the stone paper I use at work.
The ink is exactly what it says it is - a nice, fuchsia, waterproof ink!
Posts
Cheapest possible fountain pen:
Pilot preppy
Cheapest quality fountain pen:
TWSBI GO or TWSBI ECO
Portable rollerball:
Fischer space pen or lamy pico
Portable fountain pen:
Kaweco Liliput
As for bullet journaling, have you seen the "official" into?
My go-to for bullet journaling is leuchtturm A5 dotted notebook. Rhodia is good as well, but i have not been able to find a notebook with numbered, dotted pages.
Don't use moleskin if you intend to use fountain pens:
https://www.penaddict.com/blog/2017/11/13/moleskine-classic-notebook-review
Speaking of nice paper, i just recieved my start-new-job present to myself, Leuchtturm A5 Bauhaus Edition.
I’m thinking of getting a Maruman Mnemosyne notebook...
I put a blue dot on a date when I've exercised and some other colours when I do other things.
I used to do this with MSPaint on jpgs of calendars, but this is 2020 and it is time to go analog.
The scented markers do not smell good. Also, they bleed through the calendar, so I have to put a sheet of paper under it.
Stationery.
Yeah, the paper we use at work is just super cheap printer paper so my Lamy Safari feathers a lot, even though it has a fine nib. Oh well, it's just work stuff and nobody actually reads any of it so
I think I have a brush pen lying somewhere, my writing sucks though i can probably learn something basic on youtube or something
This will be here until I receive an apology or Weedlordvegeta get any consequences for being a bully
Doc: That's right, twenty five years into the future. I've always dreamed on seeing the future, looking beyond my years, seeing the progress of mankind. I'll also be able to see who wins the next twenty-five world series.
I'll leave now
It's a pen that looks real expensive and writes as well as any other fountain pen, but is pretty much the cheapest non-disposable fountain pen other than the platinum preppy and will teach you a few things about the reality of fountain pens:
It's a cheap pen that looks really expensive. It's cheap not because it writes badly (it writes great), has bad form factor (it's a pleasure to hold), has poor nibs (the nib quality is decent), or because it looks ugly (it's prettier than pens 10x its cost), but because it's fragile, heavy, has poor cap design, and as a result should never be the pen you carry around with you. You won't cry if you do break it or it gets stolen, so it's an excellent tool to practice and experiment with fountain pen habits and care and woo and wow your friends who don't know better.
Doc: That's right, twenty five years into the future. I've always dreamed on seeing the future, looking beyond my years, seeing the progress of mankind. I'll also be able to see who wins the next twenty-five world series.
I have a very comprehensive guide to copperplate as well as a more general guide to calligraphy that has a few pages of completely ridiculous (and very beautiful) flourishes and example scripts. I might post some pictures later!
I intend to keep practicing calligraphy; although I’ll doubt I’ll become very good I have noticed an increase in the overall consistency of my handwriting in general!
Also I hold writing implemnts weird. My index and middle finger are on the same side of the pen and my thumb opposes both. It's never felt natural the "normal" way to me.
is that not the normal way?
This has always been grossly uncomfortable for me so I hold the pen like how Uriel describes.
but i still use a pilot g2 because it's the best pen.
That's kinda how I hold pens, only with my thumb farther forward, touching the tip of my index finger. I also press the side of my pinkie down into the paper to sort of stabilize my hand while I write. It's not comfortable, but it feels natural and it's how I've always written.
I think it's a problem with the dominating perspective in our collective society that anything that isn't the most {adjective} is also not right. The way taught to kids is thought to offer the most stability and control over the instrument for the greatest number of people, but it doesn't mean that the method is useful for everyone. (my Dad was the one that would drill how to hold a pencil or pend into me because he was a mechanical engineer, and drafting/drawing with pencils and pens back in his day was really important prior to the proliferation of autocad solutions)
There could be ergonomic issues with grip where there could end up being a "wrong" way to hold it. Not saying this is one of them, but I could totally see it.
Origin ID: Discgolfer27
Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
I used to have a massive lump on my right ring finger when I handwrote everything in school. I write less in general these days so the lump has mostly gone away.
Most of my drawing is done with a Wacom stylus, which is too big for proper resting of it on any finger, though.
There's an interview with Ryoichi Ikegami, a mangaka of many years, who has a huge lump that is pretty amazing.
Spoilered for callous finger.
The interview is here if you want to watch him draw and ink beautiful men.
The top lines use Higgins eternal black ink with a Nikko nib and the bottom two lines use a Herbin purple (not that you can tell!) ink with a Joseph Gillott nib, and that was far scratchier, although I wouldn’t have said either nib was super smooth. I had to go over several of the strokes with the Gillott nib and as you can see the ink pooled on the f and the j (and I could use an ink well, as the neck of the ink bottle was too narrow to properly dip the nib in which I don’t think helped).
Anyway perhaps I either need to clean them better or - is breaking them in a thing? My fountain pen is writing really smoothly now!
Also here are some images from the interior of one of the books I have, plus the front cover of the Copperplate guide I have (whose interior is a lot more utilitarian!)
Edit: Chico, that is a super cool video!
Based on this thread I bought a small Leuchtturm1917 dot notebook and have been recreating my planner using the general formal of a bullet journal. It ends up looking similar to my old system but it gives me more space. Also I bought some Staedtler fine marker pens because I wanted color coding as well.
Here it my old moleskin just in pencil.
Here is the same week on the new Leuctturm.
They are bad examples because it is the first week back from break. We have four blocks each day. Top four lines of each day are for desktop reservations blocks A1,3,5,7 and B2,4,6,8, and the bottom four are for checkouts per block but we do three sections of checkouts per block, beginning of class (blue),middle of class (green), and end of class (pink).
The bullet journal part comes in between months and with the index/ future logs.
I'll keep the same pencil and initially do signups with that then ink it in when I got to enter it in the computer. This seems like a lot, but it keeps me from double booking. Also I forgot to add the open house on the new book.
I’m a huge fan of colour coding. It saves me at work frequently.
The colors roughly match the colors in the outlook calendar I have to use.
Except apparently the wax gets used up faaaaast; I was trying to be conservative with the amount used, but as you can see that then doesn’t make for a complete seal. I guess I’ll just have to stock up on wax!
I've heard some people use a potato. Also, if your tines are misaligned through wear and tear, it'll also get scratchy.
However, I doubt that a calligraphy nib can ever be as smooth as a fountain pen specifically tipped and ground. Maybe I'm wrong.
Doc: That's right, twenty five years into the future. I've always dreamed on seeing the future, looking beyond my years, seeing the progress of mankind. I'll also be able to see who wins the next twenty-five world series.
I have a distant obsession with stationary. if I thought I could, I'd buy it all and then not do anything with it because handwriting anything is painful and difficult for me.
but I love the pretty things.
Democrats Abroad! || Vote From Abroad
... but I did run out my latest work notebook with six weeks to go on my contract, so I indulged myself with a strathmore soft-cover journal with 130gsm paper weight which cost about twice what I would normally pay for a casual notebook. Next job I'm probably gonna have to be a little more organised, am hoping that using proper organisers instead of the back of used printer paper will help with that.
Fountain pen nibs are tipped with an osmium or whatever alloy that is ground and polished for lasting smoothness. Dip pen nibs are, I think, not tipped with extra material. I could be wrong; I'll check my nibs.
Doc: That's right, twenty five years into the future. I've always dreamed on seeing the future, looking beyond my years, seeing the progress of mankind. I'll also be able to see who wins the next twenty-five world series.
Is it tynic? I bet it's tynic.
All are pretty fabulous! The Rhodia paper is still thin but not as waferish as Tomoe River - Tomoe River is great paper but it’s just sooo thin that it can get a little wrinkly with some inks. The Mnemosyne feels so smooth that it feels very much like the stone paper I use at work.
The ink is exactly what it says it is - a nice, fuchsia, waterproof ink!
This will be here until I receive an apology or Weedlordvegeta get any consequences for being a bully
I am not a shill for Jetpens btw lol
This will be here until I receive an apology or Weedlordvegeta get any consequences for being a bully
This will be here until I receive an apology or Weedlordvegeta get any consequences for being a bully
Democrats Abroad! || Vote From Abroad
Hey, that first pencil is the one I use for my schedule book!