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Fountain Pens 2023 - Anyone?

MaytagMan said:
Very cool! What kinds of things have you made? A carbon fiber desktop tray for pens would be excellent!
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I have some supplies left over, maybe I'll make something like that when I get time.

I've been making CF components for my plane. The instrument panel is the biggest part I've fabricated, but since then I've also made a few other consoles. My prop is also CF (I didn't make it) so it's a bit of a theme I have going on.2022-03-07 11.01.39.jpg
 

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Nihon_Ni said:
I have some supplies left over, maybe I'll make something like that when I get time.

I've been making CF components for my plane. The instrument panel is the biggest part I've fabricated, but since then I've also made a few other consoles. My prop is also CF (I didn't make it) so it's a bit of a theme I have going on.View attachment 67850
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Nihon, just sent this to my best HS friend who flew ( not with the Wright Br others ). He had his single and dual and did them engine fail and belly loop stuff. Outstanding from where I'm at. You are gifted. Do you have to get FAA approval for this?
 
Pugman1943 said:
Do you have to get FAA approval for this?
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A rep from the local FAA office will inspect it when I'm done with construction. They are mostly looking for proof that it was built by amateurs, but there are also some regulatory items they will be inspecting. It will be certified in a category called "Experimental Amateur Built" so that's why I have to prove how it was built.
 
So, I've dipped my toe back into the world of fountain pens. I've spent a lot of time reading up on the subject and decided to buy some disposable pens to see if wet ink works with my current writing needs. I've rediscovered joy in writing that I lost so long ago! I've also lost my penmanship. If my college professors hated my handwriting back then, well...

2023-05-02 16.41.46.jpg

It's an inexpensive brand I found on Amazon: EEOYU. Only after I took this picture and read the kanji on the nib did I realize it's called Snow White. They write pretty well, and have F nibs. I've even spent some time with some old writing drills.

Now that I've been writing with these for a few days, I'm looking to wade in the pool a little further. I'm eyeing the TWSBI Eco and a bottle of Iroshizuku shin-kai ink. It's not as bold as @MaytagMan but it's a start.

Thoughts?
 
Awesome!!!

If you are finding that your ink bleeds on the paper and such, definitely look into some high quality paper - Rhodia, Leuchtturm, Tomoe River, etc... it makes all the difference in the world.

For retailers, I usually shop at Goulet Pens and Atlas Stationers - if you get on the Atlas email list, they run a couple of killer yearly sales on "Last Chance" Items. Figboot on Pens is probably my favorite pen reviewer on Youtube - super detailed and informative without extra BS. Goulet does a podcast with audio and video versions that I listen to about the first hour of. Goulet does a lot of good videos like the most popular and/or their favorite inks of each color family and stuff like that too.

TWSBI makes amazing pens, and the price makes them an incredible value - any fountain pen enthusiast will agree (and to be clear, I am only a couple of years into this slippery slope) The Eco is a great place to start, and you can get a Vac700R later if you want to try a Vac filler as opposed to a piston filler. Japanese nibs tend to be narrower than the equivalent European nib - so a TWSBI M may write like a Lamy Fine, etc. Once you find the nibs that work for you, branch out from there. I have a couple of TWSBI Ecos at work in F, and TWSBI Swibe with a Stub Nib - that really lays down the ink.

Oh, beofre I forget, check out the Kaweco Sport if you want a small pocket pen to carry around - they come in a ton of colors and are great. They are cartridge or converter fill.

I love the Iroshizuku inks - my fave is Kon Peki, followed by Yama Budo. I also have a bottle of Take Sumi I have yet to open. I also like Diamine Oxblood and Sherwood Green. Inks are another slippery slope - there are hundreds and hundreds. A lot of the retailers will have a swatch with their inks so that you can at least get an idea of what they look like on paper. I have not gone this far, but a buddy keeps a notebook of ink swatches... He is more insane than I am lolol!


Looking forward to seeing pics of your new pen!
 
MaytagMan said:
Awesome!!!

If you are finding that your ink bleeds on the paper and such, definitely look into some high quality paper - Rhodia, Leuchtturm, Tomoe River, etc... it makes all the difference in the world.

For retailers, I usually shop at Goulet Pens and Atlas Stationers - if you get on the Atlas email list, they run a couple of killer yearly sales on "Last Chance" Items. Figboot on Pens is probably my favorite pen reviewer on Youtube - super detailed and informative without extra BS. Goulet does a podcast with audio and video versions that I listen to about the first hour of. Goulet does a lot of good videos like the most popular and/or their favorite inks of each color family and stuff like that too.

TWSBI makes amazing pens, and the price makes them an incredible value - any fountain pen enthusiast will agree (and to be clear, I am only a couple of years into this slippery slope) The Eco is a great place to start, and you can get a Vac700R later if you want to try a Vac filler as opposed to a piston filler. Japanese nibs tend to be narrower than the equivalent European nib - so a TWSBI M may write like a Lamy Fine, etc. Once you find the nibs that work for you, branch out from there. I have a couple of TWSBI Ecos at work in F, and TWSBI Swibe with a Stub Nib - that really lays down the ink.

Oh, beofre I forget, check out the Kaweco Sport if you want a small pocket pen to carry around - they come in a ton of colors and are great. They are cartridge or converter fill.

I love the Iroshizuku inks - my fave is Kon Peki, followed by Yama Budo. I also have a bottle of Take Sumi I have yet to open. I also like Diamine Oxblood and Sherwood Green. Inks are another slippery slope - there are hundreds and hundreds. A lot of the retailers will have a swatch with their inks so that you can at least get an idea of what they look like on paper. I have not gone this far, but a buddy keeps a notebook of ink swatches... He is more insane than I am lolol!


Looking forward to seeing pics of your new pen!
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This is great insight, thanks! I looked up all the inks you have, and I'm rethinking the one I thought I wanted. I think a lighter blue would be better, something like Ajisai or Asa goa. I'll have to do a bit more thinking and research. It's tough, because when I look at different swatches the colors look very different.

We have company branded notebooks at work that have been working well with these experimental pens, but if I start to have trouble I'll check out those higher grade papers.

I've looked at a few sport pens, but I'm not sure I'd like the shorter versions. It's hard to make decisions on what to buy without being able to hold them and write with each one.

I'm curious how well fountain pens travel. Could I fly with them, or would the change in pressurization cause them to bleed?
 
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Ink is definitely something you will explore... you can never have enough! If you can see people who swatch them on paper online, this is about as close as you can get to seeing what they will really look like.


The Kaweco Sport is quite small when capped, but when posted, it is long enough that I can write with it. Still not as comfortable as a full size pen to me, but it is good for travel or to shove in your pocket.


As for flying, cartrides and piston fills can burp a bit. I flew with a Kaweco sport last summer and there were no issues with leaking or burping, but it was just that one time.


The best solution to flying imho is to get a vacuum filler. To fill you unscrew the top of the bank and of the pen, pull it out, dip the nib in ink and press the back in while dipped. It creates a vac and fills the pen with ink. After that, you need to leave the back about 1/4 turn unscrewed to keep the ink flowing through the feed. If you screw it back down all the way, it will cut off the ink flow and the only ink will be what is in the feed. The enemy seems to be air that is caught in the ink chamber vs. the pressure changes - I am sure that you would know 1000% more about that than I ever will!

The TWSBIs (Eco & Vac700) have twist-off caps so even if there is a leak, it will be contained.
 
I've pulled the trigger and placed an order with Goulet Pens. Standby for mail call next week...
 
Scap said:
I can barely sign my name anymore.
When I do write something it is printed in all caps the way I used to write my service invoices.
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I was a Troooer for many years. I always signed my reports and summonses in Block Letters. I didn't want people to have to guess.
 
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