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Teach me about fountain pens!
Agilus
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
About a week or so ago, I saw a really great thread here about "gifts to give a writer friend (around $50)." First, thanks to everyone who contributed; there were some really great ideas there. Thanks to you guys, I bought my husband the Instant Gratification from McSweeney's and am looking at giving him the annual subscription for his birthday in a few months. He is super happy.
Another idea that came out of that thread (Kate of Lokys) was a nice fountain pen. It's a very personal gift, so I talked it over with my aspiring-writer husband and he would, in fact, like to be able to have a nice fountain pen and to write in brown ink.
However, a few searches on the internet reveal that there's a lot we don't know about fountain pens at all.
Are they messy? Will they get his fingers or pockets inky?
How are they typically refilled if we want a pen that uses bottled ink? Is this process messy?
What about the nib grinding--how often does a fountain pen require this maintenance, and is it expensive?
Also, any suggestions for particular makes or models of pens in the $50-$75 range would be most welcome. (Do you get better quality or more if you pay more? What does a $75 pen have to offer over a $35 pen?) He seems to think he would prefer a fine-point and thinner style pen rather than a very fat pen with a broad stroke, but he is flexible on this because he doesn't know what he wants.
If you know anything else about fountain pens that would be helpful, I'd really appreciate your help. We plan to go to a B&M store this weekend or next so he can actually try some out, but in the meantime I was hoping to collect a little bit more information about the basics so that we know whether it is something we are seriously interested in.
Thanks!!
Another idea that came out of that thread (Kate of Lokys) was a nice fountain pen. It's a very personal gift, so I talked it over with my aspiring-writer husband and he would, in fact, like to be able to have a nice fountain pen and to write in brown ink.
However, a few searches on the internet reveal that there's a lot we don't know about fountain pens at all.
Are they messy? Will they get his fingers or pockets inky?
How are they typically refilled if we want a pen that uses bottled ink? Is this process messy?
What about the nib grinding--how often does a fountain pen require this maintenance, and is it expensive?
Also, any suggestions for particular makes or models of pens in the $50-$75 range would be most welcome. (Do you get better quality or more if you pay more? What does a $75 pen have to offer over a $35 pen?) He seems to think he would prefer a fine-point and thinner style pen rather than a very fat pen with a broad stroke, but he is flexible on this because he doesn't know what he wants.
If you know anything else about fountain pens that would be helpful, I'd really appreciate your help. We plan to go to a B&M store this weekend or next so he can actually try some out, but in the meantime I was hoping to collect a little bit more information about the basics so that we know whether it is something we are seriously interested in.
Thanks!!
Agilus on
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Most fountain pens available use ink cartridges. You can still get pens with reservoirs that you fill with an inkwell, but they're less common.
Some good brands are Waterman, Sheaffer and Montblanc (Montblanc makes excellent pens, but they're usually on the expensive side) You can certainly get a good pen in your price range.
The cartridges are pretty easy to replace, if you go that route. I don't have much experience refilling a reservoir pen, but I did manage to get a bit of ink on my hand when I tried it once
The best suggestion I have is to get one with a nice, screw-on cap. Many pens have this feature; it only takes a second to unscrew the cap, but it keeps it tightly sealed, so you don't have to worry about dripping.
My recommendation would be to get to a store or two (as you mentioned you would) and try 'em out. Most stores will have several demo pens and paper for you to test with.
Edit: something to ask about at the store... I think some pens you can get will allow you to refill with an ink bottle or cartridge.
I don't believe it - I'm on my THIRD PS3, and my FIRST XBOX360. What the heck?
First of all, most pens nowadays are capable of using cartridges as well as taking a convertor that will allow you to fill from a reservoir. The convertor is a simple twist mechanism most of the time that allows you to put the nib in ink and draw the ink into the reservoir by twisting the nob at the top and drawing the plunger upwards.
The only time I get ink on my fingers is when I happen to be filling and not paying attention to what I'm doing. If you do decide to shake your pen at someone you'll often send a jet of ink out. So jerking and flailing will, yes, send ink from the pen.
I use a sheaffer white dot from the 60's and a Parker Sonnet I purchased while in Dublin. The Sonnet is infintely nicer than the Sheaffer and has a non-screw on cap.
You really do get what you pay for. The reason I got the Sonnet with the gold nib in the body and style I wanted for the price that they asked was that was the pen that I wanted and that their quality is really top-notch; price considerations for something as personal as a fountain pen should come later, after you try them and see what you like and what fits your style.
As was said, Waterman, Parker (Waterman and Parker are now part of the same entity, I believe), Sheaffer, Cross is alright, Montblanc is really a style statement and a superb pen the few times I've used anything from their lines, but certainly cost-prohibitive.
If you have any questions go ahead and send me a PM.
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