Whoever imagined pens could be so fascinating 
Fountain pen - recommendations
- Thread starter HackneyE9
- Start date
Athos
Well-Known Member
mrs quoad said:Don't get too excited - it's still 6-8 weeks, at an optimistic guess
Must say, though, I haven't stopped using the Briar wood pen... The nib is just stonking. Just lays out a beautiful, consistent line with a luvverly bit of feedback from the paper.
If the rolled string 'un is anything like that nice, I might end up thinning my pen collection because the others'll just be going unused.
PM me if you're selling any!
High Voltage
In the top 97% of Urban's most interesting posters
Whoever imagined pens could be so fascinating
It's a whole new world of "stuff" to explore - Mrs Volts (izz) has a computery/programmery type background and, by all accounts these "type of people" seem to be into pens - me? I am of more humble printing stock and have viewed the height of pen evolution to be either:-
the Bic Crystal (black medium natch)
or
the Bic M10 (again, black body and black ink with a medium ball) - anything else was, at best, a "bit suspect" bordering on the feminine
Oh! how wrong I was - fountain pens are where it's at - then there's Ink and <gulp> the ULTIMATE writing paper
If you had any inherited wealth prepare to kiss it goodbye - welcome to the world of pens
ViolentPanda
Hardly getting over it.
Hmmm, that might give me a cheap opportunity to try a flex nib.
Kinn'ell. Looking through that site, and seeing the "post office nib" reminds me of clearing a room half filled with boxes of them (and nib holders) in King Edward Buildings when I subbed there in the late '80s, All went into a skip!
FridgeMagnet
Administrator
I just realised that I left the house for a casual wander and I'm carrying _eight_ fountain pens. With seven different inks. And a pencil. 
FridgeMagnet
Administrator
I did walk into a crown court with a bullet pen once. It doesn't really look all that much like a bullet though. (I also had a Swiss army knife in my bag I realised later but they didn't even notice that on the x-ray.)
This is why I refuse to print out on 80gsm paper.
Tesco's do a remarkably good 90gsm own-brand at £4.20 which just doesn't feather OR have any noticeable issues with bleeding. It's fine with an EF nib too - very few nib-skanking fibres picked up.
Given a lot of my work involves proofing work / editing it / annotating it... that's all 100% necessary. IMO.
Last time I bought a ream of 80gsm... well. I bought it about 6 months ago, and a good 400 of the 500 sheets are still sitting next to me atm.
High Voltage
In the top 97% of Urban's most interesting posters
or
Tracing paper as we used to call it - Izal made a similar range of "paper" - now, fortunately, discontinued.
Bloody everywhere uses bloody 80gsm shite. My institute uses it
FridgeMagnet
Administrator
Weight isn't always the best guide. Smiths 70gsm paper is actually not too bad - or at least, I have a pad which is writeable on with FPs (the trouble being that they change their suppliers routinely so I can't guarantee that the quality is the same now). I have old Habana notebooks with _60_ gsm paper which perform excellently, and the super-thin half-thickness refills for the Midori Traveller's Notebook also work fine, with just a little show-through and no bleed or feather. Rhodia pads, iirc, are 80gsm. And so on.
High Voltage
In the top 97% of Urban's most interesting posters
I feel your pain . . . 80gm2 I can see why you refer to it as an "institute" - madness - So. About these pens that you're thinking of "thinning" 
I can see why you refer to it as an "institute" - madness - So. About these pens that you're thinking of "thinning"
High Voltage
In the top 97% of Urban's most interesting posters
Oh! look . . . a biro!!
Go on, my son, give it some "whelley" - press the damn nib, what's the worst that could happen??
(nice handwriting btw)
smmudge
i know the smudge is true
I think I'm gonna go through the paper!!
Yeah. I was intending to generalise more specifically about printing paper.
And even more specifically, about the 80gsm that's ended up in nearly every organisational or institutional printer in every organisation or institution I've been based in.
ViolentPanda
Hardly getting over it.
I think I'm getting the hang of it (though I become quite nonsensical when I write slowly)
View attachment 18070
I think that you may have channeled a male opinion about buggering someone there.
*passes smmudge the brain bleach*Honestly I wouldn't have ever noticed
High Voltage
In the top 97% of Urban's most interesting posters
I think I'm getting the hang of it (though I become quite nonsensical when I write slowly
View attachment 18070
NEVER underestimate the power of applied brute force and ignorance
Although, given the choice of your written passage (Fnarr) - gentleness and sensitivity also has its place
I've received an email from Nakaya, saying that they'll gladly ask their 'nib master' to grind a soft (i.e., flexible without being 'elastic') F nib to my desired width.
(They don't do a 'soft' (i.e. flex) EF).
So how wide do I want it?
Erm.
e2a: RIGHT.
Nakaya F is 0.28-0.34mm
Nakaya EF is 0.24-0.28mm
Sailor EF is 0.23mm
So... I guess... Probably asking for something about 0.26-0.30ish... wouldn't be too cheeky
Like, it's a step towards Sailor's EF, without asking for something that Nakaya don't do
e2a2: gotta say, I do love being asked how thin I want the nib master to grind my nib
(They don't do a 'soft' (i.e. flex) EF).
So how wide do I want it?
Erm.
e2a: RIGHT.
Nakaya F is 0.28-0.34mm
Nakaya EF is 0.24-0.28mm
Sailor EF is 0.23mm
So... I guess... Probably asking for something about 0.26-0.30ish... wouldn't be too cheeky
Like, it's a step towards Sailor's EF, without asking for something that Nakaya don't do
e2a2: gotta say, I do love being asked how thin I want the nib master to grind my nib
Well, the difference between 0.28ish & 0.23 is very visible. And they clearly distinguish between 0.28 & 0.24. So hopefully that'll chisel a tiny bit off, and make a bit of a difference!
Also, I've just discovered that Sly Stallone has designed his own dream pen: http://www.kenroindustries.com/M-Chaos.html
Erm.
Visit to maki-e painters: http://www.stutler.cc/pens/aizu_makie/index.html
