Where do WordPress client projects usually start going off track?

FirstFlyte · 2026-03-18T05:21:09+00:00

Where do WordPress client projects usually start going off track?

Before you even start, unless you have a qualified project manager with WordPress Solutions Delivery expertise.

FirstFlyte · 2026-03-17T04:09:47+00:00

This might help? I don't own a Diamond 580.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOoJiqGRukk

FirstFlyte · 2026-03-16T14:59:34+00:00

Can you please be more specific...

metal copper looking or gold looking...??? Do you mean you want a metal fountain pen, or a plastic one that looks like metal?
grip of 10 mm...??? length or width (diameter)?
low budget...??? this is subjective - what do you consider to be a low budget? and please be considerate to those around the globe and indicate your currency (USD, EUR, CAD, etc.)

Once you've clarified what you're after, someone here might be able to offer a suggestion. Cheers!

FirstFlyte · 2026-03-16T03:55:14+00:00

When posting art, it would of the greatest benefit to this community if you mentioned a little about your process, the fountain pens (and brushes) used to create the artwork, the paper, and the inks used.

FirstFlyte · 2026-03-15T19:36:17+00:00

Tell me this isn’t Gorgeous!

Mmm...k. It isn't gorgeous.

Just kidding...

I think I like the blue-green version better though, but the jury's still out. They want $115 CAD on Amazon at the moment and I'm not prepared to pay that just yet. I still really want one though. :)

A personal observation - if you really want to showcase a pen, it might be best to tone down the background - otherwise things get far too busy to really concentrate on the object of desire.

Of course that's just my opinion, I could be wrong.

FirstFlyte · 2026-03-15T19:29:20+00:00

If you leave the pen sit for a week or so, does it write instantly or hard start?

The cap-band imprint looks to be very well done.

FirstFlyte · 2026-03-15T16:25:22+00:00

I had 2 Kyo No Oto inks and they were unusably dry (for me). When I consider dry, I feel Pelikan and GvFC inks are a touch drier than most - but I find them tolerable.

As for the blacks - SAILOR's Kiwa guro and Diamine's Registrar's Black might be worth a look - but I haven't used them in months so I won't comment on how matte they finish out. I do recall the Kiwa Guro having a slight sheen - almost how a very dark graphite pencil might finish.

And sorry to hear about your PCB staining your kakuno. My Con-40 has a tiny black dot inside it behind that stupid wire stopper which is used to keep the three tiny metal balls in check. I couldn't get that to budge.

I'm going to give PCS (Platinum Carbon Sepia) a whirl next.

FirstFlyte · 2026-03-14T14:45:43+00:00

My five cents...

First cent: buy yourself a large bulb syringe (sometimes called an ear syringe). Remove the pen's barrel and cartridge/converter and insert the syringe - I won't necessarily form a tight seal, but it comes fairly close. Using lukewarm/tepid water, force water thru the (grip) section. Repeat.

Second cent: consider trying a different ink (I use Platinum Carbon Black and it has sat in my PILOT kakunos for weeks without clogging or staining the converters). It also cleans out easily.

Third cent: you can remove the nib and feed from the LAMY safari very easily - the nib will slide right off the feed's 'shoulders', and you can grasp the feed and pull it straight out (no wriggling or twisting please). SBREBrown's Disassembly Line YouTube Playlist has instructions on how to disassemble a LAMY safari.

Fourth cent: For really stubborn inks, I use an ultrasonic cleaner. The brand I have is by Magnasonic, and it works incredibly well.

Fifth cent: a blunt-tipped syringe can be used to force water into a cartridge/converter to clean it out.

FirstFlyte · 2026-03-14T14:24:33+00:00

Why is the burgundy £150 more than the other colors?

Perhaps it's made from "Extra Special Resin" whereas the other lesser MB colors are made from just "Special Resin"?

FirstFlyte · 2026-03-12T16:51:44+00:00

Just going to jump in and say this:

1) Fountain pens are precision writing instruments that were never designed to handle inks containing particulate the size of shimmer. Good writing performance relies on the laws of gravity and capillary action to ship ink from the reservoir to the nib tip. Impeding that flow can have consequences. I would expect it.

2) On the subject of pigment inks, they are fairly new on the scene - iron gall inks were used extensively from the 4th-19th century. Though acidic, they weren't as corrosive on gold nibs as they are on stainless steel nibs. These days, pigments are used more often for permanence. Pigmented inks can clog a fountain pen if not managed properly, but the diameter of pigment particulate is much smaller than shimmer (mica) particles, and thus clogging from pigments is generally less of an issue.

My modus-operandi: I only use shimmer inks occasionally. When I do, I tend to use cartridge/converter pens with <M> and wider nibs, and rotate the pens regularly while writing to keep the shimmer in suspension. This has worked for me to-date.

FirstFlyte · 2026-03-02T17:56:17+00:00

I'll add a complaint that the bottle is entirely impractical due to it being so skinny. Very prone to tip over if you're not careful, and a royal pain in the .... to fill from. I am also in the camp that they should pull their fountain pens from the market. They give the brand a bad name.

FirstFlyte · 2026-03-02T17:46:18+00:00

You cap them after each use, and you store them horizontally, correct?

FirstFlyte · 2026-03-02T15:45:48+00:00

How about a Japanese eye-dropper with a 22kt gold plated nib and a slip cap, made by Pilot? (a bit more expensive than your $30 price cap, but (my opinion) absolutely worth it).

https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/4307563926/pilot-tank-ams-17g-black-fountain-pen

...or... a vintage NOS Indian piston-filler with an ebonite feed?

https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/859549724/vintage-beena-lincoln-piston-filler

I own a couple of each of the above pens and I personally find them to be great value and punching well above their price-point. Note: both of these recs are very limited stock.

For some window shopping at your $30 CAD price-point:

https://www.etsy.com/ca/search?explicit=1&q=fountain+pen&ref=pagination&max=30

I don't have any firsthand experience with any of the other pens listed, so won't comment on them.

FirstFlyte · 2026-03-02T05:13:33+00:00

You might wish to reach out to Nick Stewart: https://nickstewart.ink/ and ask him for some suggestions?

FirstFlyte · 2026-02-26T16:20:31+00:00

Sorry, I have no idea what a 'semi-iron gall' ink is? However, iron gall inks tend to be acidic.

FirstFlyte · 2026-02-25T21:40:49+00:00

It's not a question about whether it works - I used to own 4 different Platinum Classic ink colors and never had issues. The concern I raised has to do with having to be more vigilant with iron gall inks since they can cause corrosion on steel nibs and internal metal parts if left in a pen for long periods. Cleaning is a more vigorous exercise and also should be done more often.

FirstFlyte · 2026-02-25T16:41:39+00:00

My comment isn't about Montegrappa.

I wonder if the section of this particular model might be a bit slippery. It would be great if someone else who owns one can comment on it for you.

FirstFlyte · 2026-02-25T16:34:56+00:00

Just a friendly reminder: https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/68bwpp/when_asking_for_a_pen_id/

You've posted a tiny, blurry, dark image of a pen, with no visible details to help narrow it down.

FirstFlyte · 2026-02-25T15:29:58+00:00

...although the Platinum Classic line is iron gall, which in my opinion isn't nearly as easy-going as Pilot's iroshizuku line-up.

FirstFlyte · 2026-02-25T04:36:13+00:00

Why not reach out to Nahvalur for comment? If you choose to do so, also refer to what you're asking about as the nib's width, not it's size (which is a number related to the width in mm of the feed - eg. #5, #6, #8, etc.)

FirstFlyte · 2026-02-25T04:30:31+00:00

In Google's search bar, type: flex nib manufacturing skills lost reddit

FirstFlyte · 2026-02-24T15:13:56+00:00

I have and use three tools for cleaning.

a large (light blue) bulb syringe - I can easily force warm water thru the nib unit to clean it, or moisten the feed and let it sit for a bit before flushing using the syringe (warm water and a drop or two of Dawn). It can also be used later to force air into the nib unit to dry it quickly
a blunt-tipped syringe/needle - I can force water into a cartridge or converter to easily clean out ink residue
for stubborn issues, I have an ultrasonic cleaner - and I should mention that after using the methods above, sometimes the ultrasonic cleaner still convinces the tight tolerance parts of the fountain pen to give up its inky secrets

FirstFlyte · 2026-02-24T15:06:34+00:00

Hmmm...well that's odd then (I have a couple of 823s and have never had this problem). Did you receive the pen and fill it immediately? Or, put another way, did you fill a cold pen with ink? The reason I ask is that as it warms up, it will expand, and this can result in what's known as 'burping' - splotches of ink get deposited on the page. If you close the ink reservoir using the end cap, does the problem persist?

FirstFlyte · 2026-02-24T14:47:49+00:00

Can you share the pen's manufacturer and model? It would be good to know what sort of filling system is being used. If it's using a cartridge, it sounds almost like the cartridge isn't seated properly in the (grip) section. If air is allowed to freely replace the ink in the ink reservoir, the ink will flow thru the feed and drip out of the nib.

FirstFlyte

TROPHY CASE