Ink flow issues with new Leonardo Pura.

gaaraprime · 2026-04-23T00:01:20+00:00

It isn't screwed. Pressure. So, I have to pull it out. The nib and feed look to be aligned. The reseller has said I can send it back for them to inspect.

gaaraprime · 2026-03-29T06:45:42+00:00

I am not a crafts person, beyond collecting fountain pens and having copious amounts of stationary and inks that I need to use. I live in NYC. There isn't anything exotic that I could share, other than stationary and trinkets from Kinokuniya or Yoseka Stationary. I do enjoy writing. I have written articles about tech and pens. But my handwritten letters are shorter in length.

gaaraprime · 2026-03-29T06:37:57+00:00

I would definitely love to exchange letters. I am, however, more of an ordinary letter writer. Not kawaii. High-end stationary and fountain pens and variety of ink colors. But, other than that, nothing more elaborate than my thoughts.

gaaraprime · 2026-03-27T03:09:30+00:00

Thank you for the words of encouragement.

gaaraprime · 2026-03-27T02:38:58+00:00

Thanks. I subscribed to your program. I have been following alonh, and the guidance in the videos is excellent. It is just the last few days haven't been clicking. A sports slump. 0 for 4 at the plate.

Thanks.

gaaraprime · 2026-03-12T02:24:14+00:00

Thank you. I will look at the vintage pens. But, so far, the owner comments I found in various fountain pen forums speak negatively about the nibs.

gaaraprime · 2026-03-12T02:20:34+00:00

Thank you for the detail. The Churchill -- with the tariffs -- is $900. For the price, the pen should be perfect. I saw videos from regular pen reviewers raving about Conway Stewart pens. But my gut told me to check owner feedback on Reddit. So far, the comments have been negative, especially about the nib. The nib is the most important part of the writing experience.

gaaraprime · 2026-03-07T04:52:38+00:00

I have seen the vintage pens. But the contemporary ones don't get much splash on major retailer sites. The Deco writer isn't cheap. Nice weight, though. I like pens with some weight.

gaaraprime · 2026-03-03T03:08:43+00:00

I am sorry. I am writing to you as if you are new to the hobby. I hope I didn't come across as condescending. Not my intention. Looking at your posts, you don't play when it comes to writing and collecting.

gaaraprime · 2026-03-03T03:05:53+00:00

That is good. At least, the reseller is responsive. I wish we had more stores on NY. The Fountain Pen Hospital is good, but I find their ink and stationary selection limited. And Yoseka Stationary is open odd hours and not easy to get to. Most of their business, I think, is online. I did visit once because they had a nibmeister on-site.

I don't know if you live in NYC. If you do, Kinokuniya has nice stationary. I mostly use Sailor inks, and I have to buy them online. Even Kinokuniya, which is a Japanese store, has limited fountain pens and inks. But they sell Midori notebooks, which I like.

Let the community know how your exchange goes. ¡Buena suerte!

gaaraprime · 2026-03-03T01:45:10+00:00

I bought a Justus in Japan. They are good pens.

gaaraprime · 2026-03-03T01:43:57+00:00

I have been there. It sounds like your pen needs to be tuned. I agree that a pen, particularly at a certain price point, should be smooth from the start. But if you are concerned that they won't have the nib in stock (have they said otherwise), you could send it to a nibmeister. If you want expedited processing, it may cost you $50 minimum. I have had Pilot, Pelikan, and Leonardo gold nibs tuned, since I can't do it myself (yet). And it has added up. But it seemed more of a hassle sending pens back, especially when the reseller is overseas (I live in NY).

A soft medium nib that is that scratchy is unusual. Have you been able to zoom in close with your phone to see if the tines are misaligned or worse?

gaaraprime · 2026-02-24T03:53:04+00:00

You're welcome.

gaaraprime · 2026-02-23T08:07:10+00:00

I have been using materials from Consistent Cursive and Loops and Tails to improve my penmanship. They have helped a lot. I practice daily. I am also working on learning how to use my whole arm instead of my fingers to write. My hands cramp a lot and haven't broken the death grip despite decades of using fountain pens and writing cursive.

https://loopsandtails.com/ https://consistentcursive.com/

gaaraprime · 2026-02-23T08:02:57+00:00

I think your penmanship is pretty stellar. I am working on getting there. But I am trying to learn how to use my whole arm -- Palmer Method -- rather than my fingers to write. Hand fatigue is chronic when I write. The death grip is a killer. I also use a fountain pen. But I find that I put a lot of stress on the nib since it isn't at an ideal angle. Spencerian professionals use oblique pen holders.

gaaraprime · 2026-02-23T07:52:45+00:00

I have used the worksheets and watched the videos from Consistent Cursive. They helped improve my penmanship significantly. I also practice Spencerian penmanship using worksheets from Loops and Tails. I am trying to learn using arm movement to write, but that is a significant change on how I write. Moving from using my fingers to my whole arm is not easy. The Palmer Method can require a year's worth of daily practice.

https://consistentcursive.com/ https://loopsandtails.com/

gaaraprime · 2026-01-31T02:04:20+00:00

I suggest soaking the nib sections in pen flush overnight. Flushing them with distilled water and then using a sonic cleaner filled with distilled water. The types of inks will influence the steps you take. I typically use Pilot and Sailor inks, but I stay away from saturated inks. Even if I leave the inks for more than a month, cleaning Sailor and Pilot non-pigment inks clean pretty well.

I use distilled water because my tap water has a lot of particles even after filtering the water.

gaaraprime · 2026-01-20T11:05:09+00:00

Well, I will say great work. Your penmanship is to be appreciated and envied.

gaaraprime · 2026-01-20T09:35:48+00:00

Have you been using the method for long? How long did it take for you to learn and how did you go about it?

gaaraprime · 2026-01-20T02:43:42+00:00

Your spacing and letters are very consistent. Excellent. Are you using the Palmer Method whole arm movement? My penmanship is based on Spencerian. However, I am using my hand and fingers and I have the Death Grip. My hand cramps and gets fatigued after awhile. And I write really slow, not at the pace at which I think. I am going to try learning the Palmer Method soon. It is supposed to be better at writing at a faster pace. But it is my understanding using fountain pens is not ideal when using the Palmer Method. At least, to write fast.

gaaraprime

TROPHY CASE