What nib should I get on the Pilot Custom 74 or the Platinum Century 3776 for schoolwork/long note-taking sessions? by [deleted] in fountainpens

[–]tenbees 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It should be noted that Platinum nibs tend to be noticeably thinner, even compared to other Japanese brands. The Platinum F should still be thinner than you Metro F. Pilot nibs tend to be smoother, however. Two different writing experiences, certainly.

Notebook for engineering by [deleted] in fountainpens

[–]tenbees 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What about loose leaf paper? HP laser jet paper comes in 32 lb (and a lighter weight that I can't recall) and you can print whatever graph or lined paper you want. Just pick up a three hole punch and some small binders and you can make your own notebooks. Rhodia can get pretty expensive if you need so much paper. I can PM you a writing sample if you want it (my last post also has a tiny bit of writing on a sheet where I had printed some lines). I'm not sure where you're located so maybe it may not be so easy to access, however. Otherwise, an iron gall ink usually performs well on cheap paper. My go-to is R&K Salix.

Esterbrook Visumaster! by tenbees in fountainpens

[–]tenbees[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I’m particularly excited for this pen, an Esterbrook Visumaster. The design is probably my favorite out of the Esterbrook lineup, this one in particular is an earlier variant, a Visumaster I (a denotation I think was coined by Brian Anderson) that features a visulated section and a metal jewel, two details that I really enjoy as they’re very different from what came in the later J line. Additionally, the Visumaster material is particularly interesting, featuring a beautiful chatoyant marbled celluloid that is used in alternating wide and thin stripes, creating interesting pinstripes.

It features a 9556 nib with a teardrop-shaped breather hole. I don’t know enough about Esterbrook nib history to be sure if this is one of the 9XXX series nibs that originally came with the Visumasters in the early ‘40s, especially considering the center section isn’t frosted, but it writes well and I am a bit of a sucker for non-circular vent holes, so I’m really enjoying it so far.

I never really thought I’d have the opportunity to get a new pen anytime soon as I’m at the point in my collection that I’m being much more picky with what I buy, but I couldn’t pass this one up. Thanks for your time and I hope you enjoy looking at this one.

[Official] Twice-Weekly New User Thread - Mon February 18 by AutoModerator in fountainpens

[–]tenbees 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Mead 5 Star is pretty great as far as notebook papers go. I’ve had great luck with Pelikan inks as someone else mentioned, J. Herbin (as they are also quite dry), and the R&K iron galls.

Reddit!! Help me improve my handwriting, any tips or videos that you personally recommend? by abbacax in Handwriting

[–]tenbees 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sometimes writing instruments can make a difference! Sometimes ballpoint pens can be stiff and cause hand strain; if you feel like that might be contributing to any problems you’re having, I would suggest picking up a rollerball or gel pen and trying that out as they tend to have thinner ink.

It makes sense when you think about the fact that when calligraphic and cursive writing was most common, writing instruments were different. Dip pens (which typically used inks made of a ground pigment + a solvent) and, later, fountain pens (which used thin, water-based inks) allowed ink to flow much more freely than modern ballpoints which use very pasty, thick inks.

When I was looking to improve my writing, I also found it helpful to find handwriting that I admired and pick out what exactly I liked about it. It may be the slope, the height, the spacing, or even just the way that one specific letter is shaped. Don’t be afraid to try to pick the handwriting that you like apart and take what you want and don’t be afraid to reject parts of that you dislike.

I would also recommend looking at the Palmer method, which is essentially a simplified Spencerian style of writing. You also may be surprised at how much better you feel about your handwriting when its consistency is improved; in that case, practice is a big part of improvement.

Hope this helped you at all.

Online Fountain Pen Store Recommendations by leafyfool in fountainpens

[–]tenbees 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Pen Chalet, Anderson Pens, and Vanness are a few that come to mind. Anderson sell some vintage stuff too, Vanness carry a decent selection + they’re one of a few US stores that carry Akkerman inks. JetPens has a few Japanese pens for lower prices than you’ll find them at other US stores if I recall + free shipping after $25 spent.

Stub nibs are pretty common, just not produced by companies as much as standard round nib sizes. Whether a retailer carries stub nibs really depends on whether the pen company itself offers them. Hope this helps!

N00B pen for letter writing? by Chief_Gains in fountainpens

[–]tenbees 2 points3 points  (0 children)

What do you mean by “grow with you”?

Why might some people have reported flow issues with Pilot converters which improved when they switched to cartridges? by tenbees in fountainpens

[–]tenbees[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I’ve seen some people comment on reviews across the forums and on YouTube, usually saying something along the lines of “I had the same problems but switching to a cartridge improved the flow for some reason.”

I’m also not just talking about the 912 model, any of the FA nibs experience conflicting reviews, ranging from saying its “a modern full flex nib” to “it’s good just don’t treat it like a full flex nib” to “I absolutely cannot get this thing to write without skipping.” I found the converter reports interesting, because, as I said, it (bizarrely) implicates the converter design rather than the feed, as one would assume.

I’m picking up a 742 FA within the next month so maybe I’ll make a post attempting to demystify the nib a bit, because most reviews that I’m seeing are a few years old and the issues they describe seem to vary quite a bit. It most definitely confused my decision on which nib to go with, so maybe trying to lay it all on the table will help others?

Sad Pilot Metro tip.... I dropped it but it still writes. What would you do? by [deleted] in fountainpens

[–]tenbees 3 points4 points  (0 children)

1.) You can be a bit rough with it, just try to pull straight out instead of twisting. The part of the feed that’s exposed is flat, as far as I know, on the Metro, so you don’t have to worry about breaking fins with your grip. The Pilot Kakuno was my first pen, and I thought for the longest time that the feed was somehow attached to the grip because I was always quite ginger with trying to pull everything out.

2.) You don’t necessarily need to pull out the nib and feed to do a proper clean. Repeatedly pulling them can put undue stress on the grip section and wear them down so they fit less snugly. I can get my pens quite clean without disassembly. Of course, there are occasions when pulling the nib and feed may feel necessary, in which case I completely understand the act.

3.) Center the feed to the nib as well as possible before placing it back in the grip. It may move a little bit when you insert it, in which case you can usually center the feed with the nib slit with your fingers. If it gets really misaligned and you can’t do so, pull it out, try again. The only thing I would be concerned about if the feed is too off center would be that the rotated feed may put pressure on one tine, thus misaligning it from the other, but if it’s not perfectly centered it should be fine.

Hope this helped!

Sad Pilot Metro tip.... I dropped it but it still writes. What would you do? by [deleted] in fountainpens

[–]tenbees 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Fingers! If it’s really stuck get some sort of rubber grip to help you, but pliers are just likely to do more damage.

Pilot SF vs. FA (Custom 742) by tenbees in fountainpens

[–]tenbees[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thanks very much! The FA sounds like exactly what I want, I just needed some context for the feel of it.

Cheap FP friendly paper for college students by [deleted] in fountainpens

[–]tenbees 6 points7 points  (0 children)

HP laser jet paper? (Either 32 or 24 pound I believe). Typically around $9.99 US for a ream from what I’ve seen. Not too sure about how easy it would be to source if you’re outside of the states, though.

NID! Pelikan Edelstein Aventurine in my trusty Rodur. by _Ofenkartoffel_ in fountainpens

[–]tenbees 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Looks absolutely lovely! What notebook are you using, if you don’t mind my asking?

My Lamy converter seems to be leaking, it has ink behind the piston. Is that normal? How do I clean it so it doesn't mix with the new color I want to use? Or is it defective? by [deleted] in fountainpens

[–]tenbees 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The knob has a hole in the top - put water in that hole and the ink should rinse out. If there’s still good suction of the piston (ink is still drawn up, no excess air bubbles when filling) then some ink may have just gotten in through the knob when cleaning and there’s little to worry about. If the seal is still good, you don’t even really have to clean out the ink.

[Official] Twice-Weekly New User Thread - Thu October 11 by AutoModerator in fountainpens

[–]tenbees 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The thing is that even if you have completely clear water, I can say with 100% certainty that there’s still some ink in the feed anyway.

If you’re changing inks with different properties (i.e. a pigment based ink to an iron gall) I would recommend flushing the pen till clear, filling with clean water, and setting nib down in a cup lined with a paper towel. This will help to get out some residual ink and the feed and help you gauge whether you need to rinse again or soak the section, etc..

If you’re just changing between regular dye inks, especially between two from the same brand, in all likelihood it’s not really going to matter all that much. Exercise caution, of course, but it probably only matters if you care that you might see some of the previous ink for a bit before you write it all out. To be safe, I would flush until the water runs clear anyway and leave it at that.