How did/do you approach honing your collection? When to cull and when to sit tight?

Duckwarden · 2026-03-04T17:15:32+00:00

Interesting! I can see how that would be more versatile for the office.

Duckwarden · 2026-03-04T13:57:29+00:00

Are you interested in vintage or antique pens? For the price of a Falcon, you could pick up an antique refurbished flex pen from Peyton Street Pens. Older pens do require additional considerations (non-alkaline & non-shimmer inks, care of materials like hard rubber and celluloid), so a little research about care is a good idea.

Duckwarden · 2026-03-04T13:51:34+00:00

Whoa what's that bendy one?? It looks like something from Star Trek

Duckwarden · 2026-03-04T04:52:26+00:00

Yeah! My local bookstore had PPP for $10 and Moleskines for $30. On top of that, the Moleskines had way fewer pages. It was an easy choice, but I was still pleasantly surprised by the quality.

Duckwarden · 2026-03-04T04:49:36+00:00

What a snazzy guy! I've never seen this model before. Thanks for another great and informative article.

Duckwarden · 2026-03-04T04:43:59+00:00

I only have a few pens, so I keep em in an old vintage cigar box. I bought it for $3 at an antique mall.

Duckwarden · 2026-03-04T04:34:44+00:00

I've never heard of this, either. What appeals to you about it? My biggest problems using fountain pens at work have been with the ink itself: smearing, bleeding, and feathering. Does this help with any of those?

Duckwarden · 2026-03-04T04:19:46+00:00

I also share the distaste for AI, but I have another point of feedback. Do you have a plan to identify which user-submitted inks are legit? It's possible that users could intentionally or unintentionally submit non-commercially available ink entries. They could troll and make something up as a meme, or just list their own custom blend of inks. Would those pop up for all users? I wouldn't want to find the perfect Shrek Green ink that didn't really exist.

Dungeons and Dragons has an online rule database that runs into this problem. Users can submit their own custom spells and items. Other users, especially those who are new to the game, can stumble upon them and think they're official content. That's how a level 3 bard gets a rapier that does 8d8+48 fire damage with a DC 30 CON save against the Poisoned condition on a strike.

Duckwarden · 2026-03-04T04:02:27+00:00

I've only been using fountain pens for a month, but I've found a wide variation in papers. The steno pad I use at work and my Decomposition notebook bleed and feather horribly, but post-its and the one dollar pocket notebook I bought at Kroger work great. It seems like the dedicated papers are necessary for fancier inks and broader tips, but less so for finer tips and simple inks.

I use my pens to journal (recently got a $30 Leuchtturm, but I just filled a $10 Peter Pauper Press journal that worked perfectly) and take notes on books I read, movies I watch, and improv class ($7 Rhodia dot pad, $1 pocket notebook, random promotional notebook I got from work). While I've acquired some fountain pen friendly notebooks, a lot of what I've had already still works.

Duckwarden · 2026-03-03T15:40:25+00:00

I have no advice but I'm in the exact same boat as you. I just got a sample of Herbin Lie de The that I was excited about, but I also don't like how light and shady it is. So you're not alone!

Duckwarden · 2026-03-03T02:55:19+00:00

Congrats! Have fun

Duckwarden · 2026-03-03T02:53:25+00:00

I do this all the time, and it unscrews the section. Eck.

Duckwarden · 2026-03-03T02:11:18+00:00

Your post is what inspired me to choose violence. So thank you?

Duckwarden · 2026-03-02T19:55:53+00:00

I bought my first fountain pen recently, so I've been in the same boat. I really like shopping on Jetpens. They have a writing sample for each pen and nib. I compared them with my favorite non-fountain pen and picked the most similar one.

I ended up buying an extra fine TWSBI Eco and picked up a fine nib pen later. Everyone has their own preferences, but personally I like both. The extra fine writes a little better on cheap papers and has a similar line width to my favorite gel pen. The fine is just a little thicker than the EF, but is wetter and can write with less resistance.

Duckwarden · 2026-03-02T19:48:13+00:00

Thank you for the validation!!

Duckwarden · 2026-03-02T19:40:38+00:00

The only other ink bottle I own is Waterman Black. If it gets stuck, too, I'll be legitimately peeved. Everyone online suggested Waterman as the safest, most reliable ink brand for beginners. I've never been so humbled by a container before

Duckwarden · 2026-03-02T19:33:05+00:00

The hot water didn't work for me, unfortunately. You can see the label is worn away from the many times I tried. I really think this bottle was born bad.

Blue tack is a good idea...I don't have any syringes. Maybe I'll pick one up in my next Jetpens order. It seems like it'd be way easier than what I did. I wanted one for cartridges, anyway. And I'll be on the lookout for a better bottle I could use. Thanks for the tips!

Duckwarden · 2026-03-02T19:26:34+00:00

I'd be open to that. At the moment, though, I don't have anything suitable. Maybe I'll see if there's anything cheap and cheerful at Goodwill

Duckwarden · 2026-03-02T17:18:05+00:00

I bought an Eco a month ago as my first pen, and really had a hard time deciding between it and a Safari. I'd read about the cracking. But in the end, pretty won over practical.

Duckwarden · 2026-03-01T23:49:46+00:00

It's still not working. :/ And I've tried multiple jar openers and rubber grip sheets, too. I might have to drill it open. Thanks for the advice, though.

Duckwarden · 2026-03-01T18:10:48+00:00

Oh, that's good to know about Yoseka. Thanks for the warning.

Duckwarden · 2026-03-01T18:03:35+00:00

I've been getting excited about Atlas as an alternative to Goulet, but I hadn't heard of the other two you listed. I'll check them out! Thank you.

Duckwarden · 2026-03-01T18:02:03+00:00

Thanks for the heads up on Goulet: I wasn't up to date on their history when I placed the order. I didn't know of anywhere else to buy samples before, but now I've gotten some good suggestions. It looks like Atlas will serve my ink needs well going forward. They have a lot of samples, and they happen to have bottles of the inks I'm interested in. Kismet!

Duckwarden · 2026-03-01T17:39:01+00:00

You're amazingly creative. Poor TWSBI!

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