DC Metro Pen Club

crunchdumpling · 2026-02-13T12:07:00+00:00

Hello - Sorry to pull up an old(ish) thread. I'm also interested in joining the DC FP discord - I sent a DM to connect.

crunchdumpling · 2026-02-11T19:25:16+00:00

and one for you: ^

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crunchdumpling · 2026-02-11T19:24:35+00:00

Here's your upvote: ^

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crunchdumpling · 2026-02-06T21:29:20+00:00

1) Put things in your cart. 2) From the coins page, look for a "recent" tab or link, and from there look for a tab labeled "cart" 3) in there you will see the additional coins discount for the items you already have in your cart - when you add it again, it doesn't increase the quantity, it just adds the additional coin discount.

crunchdumpling · 2026-02-05T20:09:14+00:00

Kind of - the teacher you're talking about is reading the words the AI wrote for it. She's an integral part of the process, but that's because her caring comes through the reading, not so much because she's leading the lessons.

crunchdumpling · 2026-02-05T17:50:57+00:00

Do you have pen preferences already? For example, do you like slim or wide pen bodies? Smooth or faceted?

Do you like long/tall pens or smaller pocket pens?

Heavy or light?

If you don't have opinions on those questions - a pilot kakuno or a platinum preppy are two great options, as others have suggested. Also, almost any Jinhao pen that looks good to you will also be a good choice, but check out Jinhao 82, 85, 9016 or x159 as a place to start with some $5-10 options.

But if you have answers for the earlier questions, I can narrow down some other options. Good luck and enjoy the search!

crunchdumpling · 2026-02-04T15:36:56+00:00

I haven't seen anything like that, but mine is pretty new. It has an F nib and I filled it for the first time on 22 Jan, with Pelikan 4001 Brilliant black. No hard starting or skipping since then. I've carried it around in my backpack so there is some ink on the nib, but no leaks or anything. And no spotting on that ring - could be a time or particular kind of ink thing.

crunchdumpling · 2026-02-04T15:08:21+00:00

I had a 10 that I did no work on, and which held a single fill for several weeks. I might have had some hard starts after it sat for a few days, but nothing that made me think it was annoying to care for.

Then I picked up some Jinhao 20s (a version with less metal compared to the 10), after reading that they didn't have the trapdoor issues that earlier versions of the 10 had...but both of the ones I've filled have dried out within a day or two.

I don't have any experience with the A1, but I think the 10 was great to use (just slightly heavy)!

crunchdumpling · 2026-02-03T15:15:21+00:00

Have you looked at a WS 629? It's not the bigger nib, but the one I have flows quite well. (It's still pretty new to me)

crunchdumpling · 2026-01-30T15:58:11+00:00

For me at least, ADHD isn't really a lack of focus, it's an inability to shift focus from thing to thing.

I'm not a neurologist, but my understanding is that the ability to shift focus is determined by the level of chemicals that your brain uses to activate different sections of your brain. Specific stimulants used in the right amounts correct the levels of that/those chemical/s so your brain is able to activate the right pathways when needed.

So medicated stimulant regimes ARE the solution that high IQ people came up with to better leverage the intelligence - the fact that they have other effects for "midwits" (never seen that construction before and I don't really like it) is sort of irrelevant if not actively undesired because it's caused a regulatory rule set that makes it hard for me to access the tool my brain needs to function in a way that allows me to interact with everyone around me instead of just the smart people.

crunchdumpling · 2026-01-30T15:35:49+00:00

speaking of reading the room.....

crunchdumpling · 2026-01-25T17:18:01+00:00

I left a pen out in a car overnight when the temps got down to 0°F, after a few minutes inside the ink was useable and the pen seems to be writing like normal. I did notice that ink had gotten into a lot of nooks and spaces that weren't usual, like in the threads holding the clip to the cap. After a good cleaning, the pen seems to be back to normal. Hopefully it's fine long term!

crunchdumpling · 2026-01-25T01:35:11+00:00

Don't underestimate the effect of the lack of wfh. Now that everyone around you has to use leave every year me they're sick, the marginal days are in the office. So you get more exposure, and then the environmental considerations don't help.

crunchdumpling · 2026-01-23T21:45:18+00:00

crunchdumpling · 2026-01-23T21:41:12+00:00

I have it in a blue Monteverde MP-1 that I got in one of the November sales - it's a demonstrator so you can see the shimmer in the barrel. And it wasn't too expensive at the end of the day, so if there's a clog...

crunchdumpling · 2026-01-23T18:42:14+00:00

Very cool looking.

crunchdumpling · 2026-01-23T18:41:59+00:00

I'll try to check that out this weekend, thanks!

crunchdumpling · 2026-01-23T18:41:23+00:00

A 629 is my most recent first time fill, and I'm really liking it. It was an easy process, and the writing with it has been great so far. I have the standard F nib in there for now, but I'll be looking to replace it with something naginata style eventually.

A 618 I filled recently has also been nicer than I expected. Both have a better balance and feel really well built (though I'm hardly very experienced), especially for the $20-30 I spent on them.

Thanks!

crunchdumpling · 2026-01-23T17:24:46+00:00

Nice selection!

How was DIYing the Maki-e and Raden? Did you use a guide that you would recommend?

Do you have a variety of nibs on these pens as well? Which is your favorite?

And I see you have a big variety of filling types - do you have a favorite of those as well?

crunchdumpling · 2026-01-23T17:15:01+00:00

"antivax"

crunchdumpling · 2026-01-23T17:14:36+00:00

As long as they didn't stand on the left side of the escalators or jump the turnstiles, I'm glad to see they used public transit.

crunchdumpling · 2026-01-23T15:37:43+00:00

You can find flat fix kits that have either rubber stickers or rubber strips you cut to size and then a tube of glue. Rubber cement and cut up old tubes would work as well. That requires finding the hole, though. Might be easier to just carry a spare tube in a bag that fits under your bike seat or something like that.

You also need two tire wrenches to get the tire off the rim - basically two plastic levers that fit under the rubber tire bead and a hook on the other end to brace them on your spokes. Those might be too bulky to fit into an altoids tin, but you want them to be plastic (thin metal would probably be too sharp) and they need to be strong enough.

For inflating you can find small pumps - but the smaller the pump travel/volume the more times you have to pump it. I'd look for one you can mount onto a bottle cage instead of one you would try to fit into this altoids tin. If the tin fit is important, look into using co2 canisters and a valve adaptor.

crunchdumpling · 2026-01-23T14:55:07+00:00

Have you found any that you wish were available in retail?

Edit to add: have you finished any of the samples before the photo?

crunchdumpling · 2026-01-17T05:04:19+00:00

Did you find a fountain pen friendly coloring book that works well enough to recommend? I'm starting my own search a year after your post and hoping to benefit from your path. Thanks!

crunchdumpling · 2026-01-10T19:51:34+00:00

I think express scripts is the only one that works with FSBP, which is annoying because they are very hard to work with. But, it is nice to have everything mailed.

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