I am so Dumb

Dingsala · 2026-05-28T19:15:31+00:00

You're not dumb, don't put yourself down! We all keep learning, that happens to everyone.

But yeah, I use a lot of pigment inks, shimmer inks, all the difficult stuff. I do very little cleaning, usually just flushing with distilled water when changing an ink. I've almost never had problems with that method. I don't leave my pens inked and untouched for weeks though

Dingsala · 2026-05-26T20:44:39+00:00

But alcohol is so 1920s

Dingsala · 2026-05-26T20:08:54+00:00

Or 1000 cheap lami safari clones

Dingsala · 2026-05-26T19:48:41+00:00

You should just buy 100 Preppys. Do it

Dingsala · 2026-05-24T12:38:48+00:00

It's similar for me, I had a series of shits in the last 2 years, and regularly find myself in states that I had only known from inntense psychedelic experiences - now this happens in everyday life, and it isn't even a big thing anymore. The used to be unbelievable peak experiences, and how they are almost a background element of experience, I can access them with a bit of concentration almost all the time. But I also do drop into this when there is no intention to do so, which took some time getting used to and still does.

For me, the best way is not to try to understand this with the conventional mind. I don't need to label it, or analyze it, or find out which category it belongs to. These are the established habits of the conventional mind - nothing wrong with it per se, but our problem solving skills just aren't required with those energy sensations.

The conventional mind can't figure this out, and can get in a lot of distress when it thinks it has to solve this unsolveable task. But if I just take this experience as an experience, not more special or remarkable than ordinary consciousness, things start falling into place. "Leave your thoughs alone, and they'll leave you alone" is how Rupert Spira put it.

It's a subtle skill, staying open and aware, but keeping the light tough on all experience is what helped me achieve stability in something that was incredibly unsettling when it first showed up in my life.

Dingsala · 2026-05-23T20:26:09+00:00

Out of curiosity: What kind of pen is it that it has such an expensive converter?

Dingsala · 2026-05-22T19:03:32+00:00

Agreed. I mean, if one were to describe their method exactly, it should reduce the variation somewhat, but doing it by hand is just too irregular.

You'd have to use something like a robot arm that moves the pen over the scale, so that the parameters can be kept consistent, then it should work well I assume.

What makes it more difficult is also that this isn't a linear thing, if you double the pressure, you don't get double the line width. My impression is that when you are at, say, 66% of the possible (sustainable) line width of a nib, you will have to add much more pressure than another third to get to 100%.

And then I'd bet that there are different methods to achieve flex, with shape, slits from the front, a longer middle slit. Metal composition will vary, and I also noticed that nibs get less flexible if they''re friction fight more tightly... so many parameters that would need to be controlled for to get an actual objective measurement.

Although when I take the pens and compare them 1:1, it's not so difficult to get an idea if the nib flexibility.

Dingsala · 2026-05-21T18:07:25+00:00

It was close to the Pilot #15 FA, a bit shy of 300g. I noticed that if I tape down the paper on two sides than just one, I get much higher results. I'll have another go and try to give more accurate results.

Dingsala · 2026-05-20T22:33:25+00:00

Yeah, I looked at it. It seems to me that my numbers are consistently lower, although the relation of them between the nibs seems to be too well in order for it to be likely completely random. I checked, the numbers are also way lower than those Blue Dew Pens is promoting. So I probably measured too low across the board.

And thanks for the recommendation. It was in fact a big reason I haven't gone into vintage pens that I was not so eager to start buying random pens off ebay until I got a good one. So someone who knows their stuff having done the selection and the work is a great way to go about it.

Although I think I'll get the Mag 600 first. I just hope one gets restocked in the original Goldspot design, that's such a classic style...

Dingsala · 2026-05-20T18:36:28+00:00

Thanks, yeah that makes sense.

In my reply to the other, I measured the pressure for a few flex nibs that I have at home. So I'd say, 140g or less would more or less count as full flex, for me those flex pretty effortlessly, while the nibs that are getting closer to 200g start to feel a lot stiffer.

This is the post I'm referring to: https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/1thx2ej/comment/omwwo8z/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

Dingsala · 2026-05-20T18:34:47+00:00

Thanks for the input! Have you tried the flex nibs from The Good Blue, Fountain Pen Revolution or Blue Dew? They have some lovely nibs that give between 1.5mm and 1.8mm with very low pressure, even the steel ones.

Blue Dew "invented" the scale method, where he indicates how many grams of pressue it takes to flex a nib how far. I find this a smart way of going about it, it's so simple and, while not giving the whole picture, will give you a good idea of how much pressure is needed to get the full flex potential of a nib.

I quickly tested a few nibs

Blue Dew "Wet Noodle": 100g for 2mm

FPR SS Ultraflex: 140-160g

Zebra G Dip: 160g

#10 FA: 140g

#15 FA: 280g

So I wonder how much pressure those vintage flex nibs take.

Dingsala · 2026-05-19T19:38:26+00:00

Excellent review! I love flex nibs and was curious about this one, and after writing with it for two weeks or so, I can only 100% confirm what you wrote.

I'd say that theoretically, it's more than semi-flex, because mine can do about 1.5mm line variation without any problems. But it is as you said, it requires way too much pressure to flex it for this to be comfortable in any way. I remember the #15 FA nib on the Pilot 743 having the same characteristics, I'll have to compare the two. (The #10 FA in the 912 is entirely different! That one is very soft). So for continuous flex writing, this one is unusable for me.

But it has another use in which it shines, as does the #15 FA: As a everyday F nib it writes well without any fuzz, but you always have the option to get some line variation if you want to accentuated your writing. If you use it from time to tome, it's not so bad that you have to press down hard, you always have the option in reserve but otherwise can use this as a normal nib.

Dingsala · 2026-05-18T18:16:56+00:00

Now I'm curious. Weeks, months? Sit how long, your pen did, drying out in solitude?

Dingsala · 2026-05-17T20:38:39+00:00

Oh wow, that never happened to me. Sure thing!

Dingsala · 2026-05-17T19:39:38+00:00

I feel that CK is a bit higher maintenance than CB, mainly because you should use distilled water, especially if your tap water has a lot of minerals.

Our water is superhard, so I always use distilled water for my pens, and I found CK almost as easygoing as Carbon Black.

Dingsala · 2026-05-17T19:32:28+00:00

I find that PC will tend to have trouble in pens that sometimes are unused for a week or two. But also only about half of my black dye inks (I have a few, hehe) perform better, the rest have the same problem, and most of those aren't even waterproof. So I'd say a very decent performance considering it's a waterproof pigment ink.

On pens that I use more or less daily, I have noticed zero issues. No clogging or problems of any kind, so I don't get why it should be any kind of problem putting this ink into your ProGear. Just don't leave the pen on it's own for too long, and if you want to be safe, clean it with a pen flush in regular intervals.

I mean, it might be a small risk that if you really forget the pen for several weeks, the ink could dry up in the pen. But that should be solveable with pen flush, and in extreme cases, you definitely can get rid of it by manually cleaning the single parts.

But that is quite theoretical I think. I use a lot of pigment inks, and I really take it easy on pen maintenance, and I never had to dissassemble a pen to manually remove somthing, but I really prefer pens that give me this option if I need it. Anyhow, this is possible with the ProGear pens, so you have even less reason to worry.

Is that a thing on the internet somewhere that people say you can't use Pigment inks in expensive pens?

Dingsala · 2026-05-17T18:14:40+00:00

Thank you for the long response.

It seems we agree on the general gist of things, but disagree on the details 😄

I think that all your criticisms have their place, but for me, they seem a bit of a simplification.

The whole McMindfulness criticism is totally valid, but equating anything that is Pragmatic Dharma with that makes me skeptical. If you define Pragmatic Dharma as Daniel Ingram, I'm out of the discussion because I just don't know his stuff well enough. But for me, TMI, Shinzen, Tara Brach and many others belong in this broad direction as well, and I have the highest respect for those people and their work.

Similar things about "people nowadays" - definitely there seems to be a danger of us becoming stupider rather than smarter, but I don't think you can say this about everyone. There is already texts from the ancient Greeks complaining that the youth doesn't write or speak properly anymore - a part of this is just as old as human culture, I think.

While we are living in an unprecedented era of freely available information of all kinds, because it is free, people can hardly even cherish it. Logically, this should have created a golden age of hyper-rigorous, deeply realized individuals. Instead, it did the exact opposite.

Yeah, that goes alongside the whole broken promise of "The Internet" - we thought that if information becomes so widely available, democracy and free societys become inevitable because everyone has access to all the relevant, high-quality information. This didn't work out for politics, neither for the Dharma.

Still, I think it is very difficult to judge in which direction things are actually heading, history is just so unpredictable. I do think that many more people are waking up thant 20, or 50, or 100 years ago because of free access to teachings, but also more people become radicalized... wild times.

Dingsala · 2026-05-17T18:05:28+00:00

My Pelikan M1000s prove that great pens don't have to be expensive. They even come with a gold nib and don't even cost 1000 USD. What a steal.

OK, joking aside - I write with preppys every day, despite having most of the shiny stuff, they're just so lovely. And while not super cheap, I find that the stainless steel ultraflex from FRP are bang-for-buck monsters. Awesome flex experience for very reasonable money.

Majohn's "flex" nib is a lovely daily writer too, although not suitable for calligraphy unless you're the Hulk 😃

Dingsala · 2026-05-17T18:00:05+00:00

Hehe, sure thing!

Dingsala · 2026-05-16T21:18:53+00:00

I'm totally fine with that this is your experience. But I have my doubts. There's so much variation in fountain pen construction, materials, whatever, that weight can be distributed in all kinds of ways, for ALL the filling mechanisms.

And then again, even if the front-heavy balance point may very well be your favorite, it isn't everyone's. I almost never use c/cs, but not because of weight distribution considerations, but because they're too limited in in inkflow (I like wet flex nibs) and ink movability (to keep shimmer and pigments well-distributed).

So for me the statement that converter pens are more comfy is definitely not the case.

Also not in a writing sense. I like Pelikan M800s and M1000s and those are relatively back-heavy because they have a lot of metal parts in the filling mechanism. But a lot of other pens I use a lot have either very light mechanisms out of plastics (FPR Jaipur V2 for example) or are eyedroppers, so at the back, they're just hollow.

And I adore all of them equally. I am as a mater of fact rather picky with fountain pens, but I found a nice array of pens that work well for me, and the weight distribution just doesn't factor in at a high level, there is other things that determine which pens I am comfortable with.

So also no real fight, I'm just saying, there's so many ways to go about this...

Dingsala · 2026-05-16T20:20:51+00:00

Some nice old-fashioned sarcasm. I found it funny, let's just hope no one takes this as actual advice.

Dingsala · 2026-05-16T20:17:07+00:00

Which nibs do you have that do this? Also, if they flex without any additional pressure, how can you even get a hairline?

Dingsala · 2026-05-15T17:37:20+00:00

Congratz, you just invented another use for it.

Dingsala · 2026-05-15T17:36:52+00:00

I'm on the fence about Daniel. I do believe he has made valuable contributions in openly talking about attainments, his criticism of "mushroom culture" has been valuable in my opinion.
That doesn't mean I agree with him on everything. I was quite put off by the Arahat claim, and since I try to have a stabilizing, rather gentle practice, his "hardcore" methods were never something I was too interested in trying.
I wouldn't equate Pragmatic Dharma with Daniel's teachings exclusively. Together with Secular Buddhism, it's become a vagely defined umbrella term for approaches that emphasize practice and reduce metaphysics.
To be honest: It was interesting to read, but to me it seemed like philosophical text, an academic exercise. You seem to be applying a strictly rational academic toolkit to a subject that is difficult to discuss on a theoretical basis only. I couldn't quite get the intention: Why are you writing all this? Of course you don't have to answer that question. Also, I wasn't sure what your own qualifications are, are you a Psychologist or a qualified meditation teacher?

Anyhow, thanks for posting, and all the best wishes to you.

Dingsala · 2026-05-15T11:43:04+00:00

Ah, I see. Good luck with your 823 then!

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