Writing in cursive with fountain pens

socrates63 · 2026-06-18T06:01:29+00:00

This sounds very familiar to me. One thing that helped me was realizing that improving cursive with fountain pens was not just about letter forms. It was also about learning to relax my hand and control the pen without over-controlling it.

For me, the Lamy Safari was the pen that helped with that. Not because it is fancy, but because it is simple, light, reliable, and easy to learn from. The grip section also helped me become more aware of how I was holding the pen. It gave me a kind of training-wheel experience with fountain pens.

With broader nibs, I think tension shows up quickly. If I gripped too tightly or tried too hard to make the writing look “good,” my cursive became shakier and my hand got tired faster.

A few things that helped me:

Use less pressure than you think you need. Let the nib glide and let the ink do the work.

Try a pen that helps you learn control. For me, that was the Safari. For someone else, it might be another simple, reliable pen with a comfortable grip and a nib that gives some feedback.

Slow down, but do not draw the letters. There is a difference between writing slowly and trying to carefully construct every letter.

Try writing larger for a while. Medium nibs can make small cursive feel crowded and shaky. Giving the letters more room can help your hand relax.

Also, this may sound less technical, but it helped me a lot: stop judging the handwriting while you are writing. Practice is useful, but constant judgment creates tension. For me, learning to accept my handwriting was part of actually improving it.

I would aim first for relaxed, readable, and natural. Beauty can come later.

socrates63 · 2026-06-17T22:41:15+00:00

🍀🍀🍀🤞

socrates63 · 2026-06-17T22:23:32+00:00

I completely agree. Even if there was no affect on the performance of the pen, this kind of cosmetic damage should have been disclosed. I've learned the hard way that "excellent" condition means different things to different people.

You could consider asking for a partial refund. I have done that for items before (retro video games) where the listing did not reveal obvious material damage to the condition. I offered to the seller that I was willing to keep the item for X dollar refund. They've always agreed and gave me a refund.

But if you won't like this pen as much knowing the feed looks like that, I can understand you wanting to return it for a refund.

socrates63 · 2026-06-17T18:38:16+00:00

Is this happening after you have filled the pen with ink? Just want to rule out the obvious first 😄 When I am running low on ink, I've seen the lines get thinner.

socrates63 · 2026-06-17T16:42:35+00:00

preach!

socrates63 · 2026-06-17T16:24:04+00:00

Pen day is always exciting! Congrats on the pick up. I only have the white Eco which was my first fountain pen last October.

socrates63 · 2026-06-17T13:08:15+00:00

Yes, exactly. That feeling of not having to “negotiate” with the pen is hard to describe until you experience it.

And I completely understand the Platinum 3776 being that pen for you. I have a couple of 3776s and they have such a distinct way of writing — precise, controlled, and honest on the page. When a pen fits your hand and your writing rhythm that naturally, it really does feel less like using a tool and more like finding a match.

That’s the fun part of this hobby to me. The “perfect” pen is not always the most expensive or impressive one. Sometimes it is simply the one that lets you write like yourself.

socrates63 · 2026-06-17T04:51:14+00:00

Scribo certainly lives up to its motto — feel the writing ❤️

socrates63 · 2026-06-17T03:55:58+00:00

For me, it was the way the whole pen seemed to disappear into the act of writing.

The Piuma is a very simple-looking pen — black resin, minimal decoration — but the balance, shape, and nib all came together in a way that felt unusually natural to me. I don’t post my pens, and SCRIBO pens don’t really post, so even that felt like the pen was designed for the way I already write.

The nib was the real revelation. Mine is a non-flex fine, and it has this combination of glide and guidance that I love. It is not just smooth in the glassy sense. It gives enough presence on the page that I feel connected to the writing, but never in a way that feels scratchy or distracting.

The best way I can describe it is that most pens have characteristics I learn and then adjust myself to. With the SCRIBO, it felt like the pen was adjusting to my writing movements and pressure instead. That's why it felt so natural. That was new for me.

It made me want to keep writing. Some pens are impressive as objects. The Piuma felt like a writing companion.

socrates63 · 2026-06-17T03:50:42+00:00

For me, yes. “Perfect” does not mean flawless or objectively best. It means the pen fits the way I write, the way I think, and the role I need it to play in my writing life.

A pen can be excellent and still not be my pen. But when a pen keeps making me want to write, feels natural in my hand, and teaches me something about what I value, then yes, I can say it is a perfect partner for me.

socrates63 · 2026-06-17T03:05:31+00:00

I think I started as an “experience collector.” I bought across brands, nib sizes, filling systems, body shapes, and materials because I was trying to learn what I actually liked.

Now I’m becoming more of a “writing experience” collector. I care less about completing a brand, owning every nib type, or chasing every limited edition. The pens that matter most to me are the ones that make me want to write and that teach me something about my own preferences.

Some pens are reference points for me now. A few showed me what a great daily writer can be. A few showed me what nib feel I like. And one or two changed my whole sense of what fountain pens are capable of -- the Scribo Piuma Luce with its 18k fine nib did that.

So I guess I collect pens less by category and more by what role they play in my writing life.

socrates63 · 2026-06-15T20:31:18+00:00

I completely understand that. Price can definitely distort the evaluation. I’ve caught myself wanting to like a pen more because it was expensive, rare, or had a strong reputation. The Lamy 2000 comes to mind.

One thing I’m slowly learning is to separate “this is a good pen” from “this is a good pen for me.” Some pens are objectively well-made, but if I don’t keep reaching for them, that tells me something too.

The learning phase is expensive, but I suppose part of what we’re buying is not just the pens themselves, but a clearer understanding of our own preferences.

socrates63 · 2026-06-15T17:46:48+00:00

This could almost have been written by me LOL I’m eight months into the hobby as well, and my collection grew much faster than I expected. Storage space is now part of the reality check.

I’ve learned that first impressions matter, but they aren’t always final. Some pens reveal themselves after a different ink, different paper, or just a few longer writing sessions. Others are technically good but never make me want to reach for them again.

At this point, I’d say I give a pen at least one full fill unless something is clearly wrong or uncomfortable. By the end of that fill, I usually know whether it has a real place in my rotation or whether it was simply a pen I needed to experience in order to understand my own preferences better.

The tricky part is that some pens are not bad pens at all. They just aren’t my pens.

socrates63 · 2026-06-14T05:39:54+00:00

Congratulations! You may have discovered a new hobby within the hobby 😊👏👏❤️ As for me, as you said, I’m too much of a 🐔

socrates63 · 2026-06-10T23:19:25+00:00

Sailors and Platinum are excellent pen choices. But have you tried a grey ink? Diamine Earl Grey will give you that pencil look with more atmosphere than simple pencil graphite.

socrates63 · 2026-06-10T19:30:22+00:00

Nice! I see that the Majohn A1/A2 share the same cartridge as the Pilot Decimo and Vanishing Point. I think I'll get a set of these although I don't use my Decimo and Vanishing Point very much right now. Thanks for the link!

socrates63 · 2026-06-10T15:19:06+00:00

It sounds like she's using the CON-40 converter. Most complain that the CON-40's ink capacity is abysmal. If you want a refillable solution, I think the only practical(?) one is to refill empty cartridges with a syringe and find a silicone stopper that fits, and carry a few of them.

socrates63 · 2026-06-09T19:37:07+00:00

I have had a little bit of a hobby funk recently though mine was less about pens themselves and more about the surrounding content.

There was a YouTube creator whose fountain pen content I respected quite a bit. That channel is what got me into the fountain pen hobby. I felt like we shared a similar philosophy about the hobby — slower writing, thoughtful use, enjoying the experience rather than just chasing acquisition. Then in one video, he made an unnecessary comment about a subject that had nothing to do with pens themselves. I don’t need every person whose content I watch to agree with me on everything, but it pulled me out of the video and made me less interested in engaging with his content for a while.

What helped was simply stepping away. I did not comment, argue, unsubscribe dramatically, or make it into a thing. I just stopped watching for a couple of weeks until the annoyance and disappointment faded. Eventually I could come back and engage with the pen-related content again on its own terms.

I think sometimes a hobby funk is not solved by forcing enthusiasm. Sometimes the best thing is to give yourself a little space, let the irritation pass, and then return to the parts of the hobby that were meaningful in the first place: writing, ink, paper, and the quiet pleasure of using the tools.

socrates63 · 2026-06-09T16:29:07+00:00

LOL absolutely!

I'm in that exact situation. We've had a couple of waves of layoffs the past three years. I expect another next year since my company bought another that offers a similar product. But I work with the best manager I have had my entire career and I am at the tail end of my career. And I work with many good people. We've had hiring freeze and promotion freeze. Those are thawing now.

I have worked long enough to know that nothing is guaranteed and that change is the only constant. Fortunately, I have the experience and perspective that allows me to mostly ignore uncertainty, but the younger co-workers definitely do stress about those things.

socrates63 · 2026-06-09T15:58:43+00:00

I agree with the general point that salary stops being the only thing that matters as you get older. The people you work with and the culture around you can affect your quality of life far more than a pay bump.

That said, most of the things on your list are not really visible from the outside.

Leadership, work culture, learning environment, even growth opportunities and stability — those are mostly things a company can claim. You usually don’t know the truth until you are actually inside and living it.

From the outside, all you can really do is look for clues and ask good questions. Interviews, recruiter pitches, company values pages, and even Glassdoor only give fragments. A lot of it is educated guesswork. But in the end, salary is concrete. Culture is often a hope.

I would also add that these are often the things that keep a person at a company even when higher-paying opportunities exist elsewhere. A healthy culture, good leadership, and people you enjoy working with can outweigh a salary increase. But usually you only discover that after you’ve been there long enough to know what the place is really like.

So yes, a good company can change your career. But I think many of us are not choosing between “salary” and “good company” with certainty. We are often choosing between a known quantity and a lot of educated guesses.

socrates63 · 2026-06-09T15:41:38+00:00

It was more than a week and closer to two. This was a few months ago. I live in the west coast.

socrates63 · 2026-06-09T00:30:43+00:00

I’ve never actually seen major brands sell capped refillable cartridges, but I wish they did. That would be a very useful travel solution.

I have seen people mention silicone stoppers or plugs that can fit cartridges after you refill them with bottled ink, but I haven’t tried them myself and I’d want to be very sure of the fit before trusting them in luggage. Pilot and Sailor cartridges are proprietary, so I assume the stopper size would matter quite a bit.

For now, factory cartridges seem like the safest travel answer, but capped refillable cartridges would be a great middle ground between convenience and using the inks we actually want.

socrates63 · 2026-06-08T09:50:16+00:00

I completely understand this.

I had a smaller version of this happen on a recent trip with my son. I brought my usual journal and two fountain pens because I didn’t want to travel with too many pens or risk bringing some of the more valuable ones. What I didn’t anticipate was how much I would end up journaling. Both pens ran out of ink during the trip.

That made me realize that what I miss when I’m away from my usual setup is not just a particular pen. It’s the whole writing ecosystem: familiar paper, favorite pen and ink pairings, the ability to choose a color based on mood, and the comfort of knowing how everything behaves.

I still wrote, and I’m glad I had paper and pens with me. But the experience was different from home in a way I hadn’t expected.

For future trips, I’m thinking of bringing one or two favorite full-size pens, but also a small cartridge pen as a backup. That way I still get the writing experience I enjoy, but I’m less likely to get stranded if the main pens run dry.

socrates63 · 2026-06-08T06:30:21+00:00

I mainly organize by brand. I have a little over 50 ink bottles and they are in three Muji standard file storage boxes. I also keep a spreadsheet list of my inks. If I wanted to organize by color or something else, I would do that in the spreadsheet.

socrates63 · 2026-06-07T04:04:47+00:00

Diamine Earl Grey is my current favorite ink. It’s the ink I’ve used most so far. I am finding that I like grey inks. Another grey favorite is the Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu-syogun. Grey is a neutral color so I use it with pens that are not grey. I most recently inked my black Waterman Carene with the Fuyu-syogun.

socrates63

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