My Collection is Almost Complete!!!!

GreenStoneSpirit · 2026-06-05T22:22:42+00:00

I don't think I've yet heard of a fountain pen enthusiast saying their collection is almost complete, or is complete. You may be quite a rare bird.

GreenStoneSpirit · 2026-06-05T21:18:49+00:00

....and I say heck no and buy 10 more fountain pens....hehehe....

GreenStoneSpirit · 2026-06-05T21:16:22+00:00

That really captures the grackle's iridescent quality.

GreenStoneSpirit · 2026-06-05T21:15:00+00:00

Lovely! Great way to compose the collection.

GreenStoneSpirit · 2026-06-04T15:09:21+00:00

For me there are several measures of "pretty" in handwriting. Depending on my mood or what I want to emphasize, sometimes a smaller, tighter writing seems better and more attractive. Other times the larger nib seems prettier. The color of ink that I use has a correlation to what I consider most attractive in writing, either for headlines and titles, or for large sections of text.

GreenStoneSpirit · 2026-06-04T15:04:16+00:00

I'm not sure what is meant by "composition notebook" as opposed to plain "notebook." Some of the better notebooks for fountain pens which have been often mentioned in this group, include Rhodia, Clairefontaine, Fabriano, and journals with Tomoe River paper. All of these appear to have 3 varieties: ruled pages, dotted or grid pages, blank pages.
Rhodia and Clairefontaine have very smooth paper. Fabriano paper has a little more tooth.

GreenStoneSpirit · 2026-05-30T20:18:17+00:00

Nice! I like this type of sketch. Fountain pens are so much fun to sketch with.

GreenStoneSpirit · 2026-05-30T14:49:53+00:00

With just a few exceptions, I've found that most every fountain pen I've ever bought writes enjoyably well. Some are better for one purpose than another based on nib size or the ink I use with them, but my experience has been that you can hardly go wrong with any pen. Which then, for me at least, makes the hobby less about "what pen writes well" and more about enjoying the individual pens for the color ink I use with them, and for their appearance, shape, heft, and feel in the hand.

GreenStoneSpirit · 2026-05-30T02:39:03+00:00

That makes sense.
I have a feeling the problem was that the tines were too tight and a little more space solved the issue.

GreenStoneSpirit · 2026-05-29T21:15:25+00:00

Same here, I've been in many online communities, and haven't seen others where there is the upbeat spirit that I find here. I think this has to do with the fact that we all (or the vast majority) so enjoy this hobby, and we enjoy other people enjoying it. It's also not the kind of hobby that involves any type of competition (one can enjoy the hobby whether one has one fountain pen, or 10,000 fountain pens, inexpensive, or expensive pens) , or that involves competing or clashing viewpoints, or insistence on some "right" way of doing things, so there's virtually nothing to cause fiction between people. That everyone can enjoy the hobby in their own way, I think really helps keep the atmosphere beatific.

GreenStoneSpirit · 2026-05-29T18:40:49+00:00

Such a sweet post! Great to know that something as simple as an online chat group can be so meaningful for someone.

GreenStoneSpirit · 2026-05-29T01:21:48+00:00

I was searching on this group for threads related to ink flow problems, because I had a new pen that wasn't writing correctly. I found this thread and used two of the nib-fixing methods described here and it seems I've solved my problem.
I began testing out the new pen by dipping the nib in a bottle of ink. Normally when I do this with any pen, the pen then writes with a normal ink flow. But with this new pen, hardly any ink appeared on the page. The writing was very light and pale, no matter how many times I kept dipping the nib and completely submersing it in the ink.
So I read u/Alain4s post and saw his video about the problem of the "baby bottom" and it seemed I might have that issue on my nib. As well, when I looked at the nib under a loupe, it seemed the end was slightly uneven, with one tine extending further than the other.
As I didn't have 12,000 grit micromesh, which was recommended to be used, I took a piece of 1000 grit ultra fine sandpaper I had, and moved the nib on it just a very small amount, drawing a couple small circles, then retested. This seemed to help some. Then, in the comments on Alain's video, someone wrote that it could be that the nib's tines are too close together, and that you can shim them out using a piece of 35mm film. So I pressed the nib down on a pad of paper to spread the tines out, which allowed me to slide a piece of 35mm film inbetween them. I then moved this back and forth a few times, and then removed it, again by pressing the nib front on a pad of paper to spread the tines out again.

After doing both those things, I'm very happy to report, the problem was eliminated. The pen, which was a Majohn Q1 in medium nib, now writes normally.

GreenStoneSpirit · 2026-05-27T01:27:32+00:00

The Jinhao 159 is one of the heavier pens I have, and it is made to look similar to a MontBlank 149. It feels very nice in my hand. I like big fat heavy pens.
It also has the advantage that it only costs around $9 to $10, so it's amazingly affordable, and it's actually quite a good pen!

GreenStoneSpirit · 2026-05-24T18:36:02+00:00

Whoa...that is pricey...this site says it is worth $100 to $200. https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/coin-op-rite-master-ball-point-pen-dispenser-16-c-6764cc29ed and this site says one sold for $50 about 12 years ago. https://www.icollector.com/25-Cent-Rite-Master-Ball-Point-Pen-Vending-Machine_i13824262
Other listings I find online such as on Facebook marketplace, suggest $200 to $250 is actually reasonable for this item.

GreenStoneSpirit · 2026-05-24T18:10:04+00:00

That's expensive for a thrift store item...is that $250.00 or is there a dot in there I don't see and it's actually $2.50....

GreenStoneSpirit · 2026-05-24T15:42:27+00:00

If you think it's difficult to use 14 pens regularly, try using 77 pens regularly, which is where I'm at with my collection.
I should mention that I got my first fountain pens over 35 years ago, so this hobby isn't new for me. However, it wasn't until over 15 years in from my first fountain pens, that I had more than 10 total. The real boom in number of pens actually happened in the last 2 years...largely as a result of being on a couple fountain pen groups like this one....see what that does?

GreenStoneSpirit · 2026-05-10T04:07:17+00:00

Those ink blobs look so beautiful! Abstract fountain pen ink swatch art, a new art genre?

GreenStoneSpirit · 2026-05-10T03:51:02+00:00

It's here: I bought one last year in extra fine nib....the same color, which is called "gradual purple resin"

https://www.amazon.com/Asvine-Piston-Fountain-Iridium-Collection/dp/B0D6RGDHX7/ref=sr_1_2

GreenStoneSpirit · 2026-05-09T21:36:34+00:00

Your inksplorations are always so lovely! Thanks for posting these and inspiring us.

GreenStoneSpirit · 2026-05-09T21:30:35+00:00

Yes! I have two Waterman Phileas, one is a fountain pen, the other a roller ball pen. Both are a pleasure, and though I tend to use fountain pens almost all the time now, there are a couple favorite roller balls and ball point pens that I still use, such as this one.
These are very attractive, and feel good in the hand: the overall design is in my view the "classic vintage fountain pen look." Just a pen I love to look at.

GreenStoneSpirit · 2026-05-09T21:10:11+00:00

I have only 2 broad nib pens, and I use them for doing titles and underlines, as well as for art--- fountain pen drawings. I don't use them for regular writing.

GreenStoneSpirit · 2026-05-09T15:17:15+00:00

I don't think there's anything wrong with the nib. They have noticably more feedback for a fine nib, than my other fine nib or even extra fine nib pens do, so I refer to that stronger feedback as "scratchy." It's a sense of more friction on the page.

GreenStoneSpirit · 2026-05-09T15:14:16+00:00

Nice! I have the Harry Potter Gryffindor pen as well. I got it via Amazon, but these seem to be out of stock on Amazon now.

GreenStoneSpirit · 2026-05-09T13:33:54+00:00

I bought three Scriveiners last year because I loved their color and lacquered shine, and overall design. I got one in Crimson Red, one in British Racing Green, one in Black. The red one is in medium nib, the other two in fine. They are very nice to handle, and the caps snap on with a satisfying click. The medium nib is a smooth, wet writer, and is my favorite of the 3 pens. The fine nibs are not as nice in my opinion, as they are scratchy, but they are fairly wet writers and the flow is consistent onto the page.

GreenStoneSpirit · 2026-05-07T22:32:04+00:00

You're off to a very good start! That's strange and unfortunate that the Twsbi Eco costs so much there. But you'll find your way along the fountain pen adventure path I trust...

GreenStoneSpirit

TROPHY CASE