Fountain pen - recommendations

[Cid]

Crikey. My Nakaya briarwood has been a total twat of late. Was pissing ink into the barrel, and pissing ink through the cap. General ink-pissing issues. Piss, piss, piss everywhere. I had got to the point of thinking I was going to have to send it back to the US, when the unscrewability of the top half went wonky. Whilst trying to get it undone (so I could access the cartridge), I had to twizzle so hard that the feed and nib began inching out. And I thought 'wtf,' and totally yanked those fuckers out.

I've subsequently given every inch of it a clean (tbh, it was already pretty bloody clean).

And pared down the top of the cartridge converter with a razor blade. Just on the off chance.

And re-set everything.

And, erm. To my surprise. It's now working perfectly.

Better, even (I think) than it was when I first got it. A distinctly juicier flow.

(And I was a bit disappointed to find that the feed was bog standard cheap moulded plastic, lol. That's clearly not where the costings go :lol: )

All of which left me wondering - when I went to look at the pricing of Nakaya nibs (should I be tempted by an additional one) why the fuck they refuse to sell them separately / loose?! It was such a piece of piss to set that... erm... I struggle to believe that it's anything to do with expertise. A clear attempt at stopping Nakaya nibs being attached to cheaper / other pen bodies, perhaps?!

You didn't by any chance photograph the components as you were taking it apart did you? I'm kind of interested in turning the outer bits of pens as, basically, it's pretty simple. The difficult part is obviously the mechanism, and the nib (which is probably why Nakaya are protective). A threaded cap and general accoutrements (like a clip) are added complications, but I suspect pretty easy to resolve.

There are loads of pen kits out there, but they generally end up looking shit... But, with enough will, it shouldn't be too hard to mod them - just on a random google this guy's looks a lot better than most, though you can tell the threads look a bit cheap:

Spoiler: big image

If it were possible to get actually decent components to go in there, you could sell them for decent money. Generally they have that shitty polished brass plate look, which limits what you could charge (and the joy of working with decent components of course).

 

[Cid]

This is the thread that image came from, think I'll have a look around the FPN later - some people are clearly having a go at using better components.

 

[mrs quoad]

The mechanism?



There are dozens of photos of the nibs out there. Nibs.com has top down pics of them, for example. They just won't sell them loose.

And in brief scouting, there's also an article I stumbled across that provided some evidence that their elastic nibs are individually hand carved.

I'd be deeply surprised if there wasn't a photo or three of their feed, too. They're squeezed in, fwiw. Not screwed.

 

[mrs quoad]

Nakaya Feed, Which One Do You Have? - Japan - Asia

No full pics admittedly!

 

[mrs quoad]

This looks about right: nakaya disassembled - Google Search

Edit: I note this is a Platinum feed.

nakaya are, obvs, sort of platinum. Wouldn't surprise me if the feed was a platinum component. (Converters are, for example.)

I couldn't distinguish this from the feed I extracted from my nakaya.

 

[Cid]

The mechanism?

Well, not mechanism I suppose - the collector and feed on further googling. The section might might be tricky too... At least the section-feed-nib interface. And section-barrel-cap... Basically areas that need some precision component like a thread or a friction fit.

But actually it looks a little easier to break down and modify things than I thought.

 

[mrs quoad]

In a move I already regret, I have just restocked not only on my regular Edelstein Mandarin Orange, but also with a tub of Diamine's Shimmering Orange Inferno.

I can see no good coming of gold-flecked orange ink.

 

[izz]

In a move I already regret, I have just restocked not only on my regular Edelstein Mandarin Orange, but also with a tub of Diamine's Shimmering Orange Inferno.

I can see no good coming of gold-flecked orange ink.

you could mix'n'match letters in the same word ooooooooooooooooorrrrr do capitals/or the first letter of a word in the shimmerer and the rest in the ordinary.

I may need to get out more.

 

[mrs quoad]

you could mix'n'match letters in the same word ooooooooooooooooorrrrr do capitals/or the first letter of a word in the shimmerer and the rest in the ordinary.

I may need to get out more.

Tragically, the oranges may not match.

 

[izz]

Tragically, the oranges may not match.

pictures ?

 

[Chilli.s]

I've been rocking one of those cheap from China bought on Amazon fountain/cartridge pens. At less than three quid it's very good. The trick is to wash them through with a detergent before use to get any oily stuff from the factory out. It even looks like a Parker.

Less than £2

 

[mrs quoad]

At less than three quid it's very good.

...

Less than £2

At this rate, it'll be less than a quid inside of a minute

 

[Yuwipi Woman]

I want one of these for drawing:

Penholders

 

[Cid]

In a move I already regret, I have just restocked not only on my regular Edelstein Mandarin Orange, but also with a tub of Diamine's Shimmering Orange Inferno.

I can see no good coming of gold-flecked orange ink.

'While we appreciate your continuing use of handwriting, we also feel that glittering orange was perhaps the wrong choice for your paper 'an epidemiology of despair; does the prison system ignore mental health issues?''.

 

[mrs quoad]

Diamine's Shimmering Orange Inferno.

^^^grievously disappointing.

My Spencerian ground Falcon Namiki can make nothing of it. It's frankly pretty dry (not great for a very flexible nib), and lacks any actual shimmer even at the nib's broadest.

I've put it in my Pelikan demonstrator - the fattest nib I own (though still a Pelikan "F," which tbh is about as fine as a fat thumb smeared through oil). Yeah. Dry. Not much. I can see the gold settle both in the feed and in the barrel in seconds.

Waste of £8.

I want one of these for drawing:

Penholders

Specifically that?

You can get principally identical oblique nib holders for £2-3 in plastic. I've got a turned wood one on my desk that was, iirc, a bit north of a tenner.

The need for oblique also seems worth questioning - it slightly reduces the angle at which you need to hold a nib but, tbh, if you're alright at drawing clean lines / using your arm and not your wrist for descenders / ascenders, then the oblique will be minimal gain.

I don't feel I gain anything from the oblique holder over my (obvs non oblique) Spencerian FP.

 

[Virtual Blue]

I see that Amazon have stopped selling the Pilot MR in fine.
Any recommendations? I prefer metal pens and don't want to pay over £20

 

[Cid]

I see that Amazon have stopped selling the Pilot MR in fine.
Any recommendations? I prefer metal pens and don't want to pay over £20

Ask cultpens whether they can source one.

Years ago I asked whether they could get hold of the Gedess lead pointer, they said no but they'd add it to their list. They now stock it.

 

[Yuwipi Woman]

Specifically that?

You can get principally identical oblique nib holders for £2-3 in plastic. I've got a turned wood one on my desk that was, iirc, a bit north of a tenner.

The need for oblique also seems worth questioning - it slightly reduces the angle at which you need to hold a nib but, tbh, if you're alright at drawing clean lines / using your arm and not your wrist for descenders / ascenders, then the oblique will be minimal gain.

I don't feel I gain anything from the oblique holder over my (obvs non oblique) Spencerian FP.

They are pretty spendy, aren't they? I haven't seen anything that quite cheap with the custom-made ergonomic handle, measured and fitted to your hand. But, at that price, I'd have to put that on the "want but can't have" thread and settle for a cheaper one.

I do like my pens though. I have a ruling pen that I've used since art school that I'm quite fond of.

 

[ViolentPanda]

I see that Amazon have stopped selling the Pilot MR in fine.
Any recommendations? I prefer metal pens and don't want to pay over £20

Platinum Plaisir. A tenner each for an excellent, comfortable-to-use (cartridge) pen, although the nib is nowhere near fine enough for mrs quoad .

I use one converted to an eyedropper fountain pen, and it takes me about 4 months of everyday use to get through a penful of ink!

 

[ViolentPanda]

Ask cultpens whether they can source one.

Years ago I asked whether they could get hold of the Gedess lead pointer, they said no but they'd add it to their list. They now stock it.

Cult Pens are still selling Pilot MR models.

 

[Cid]

Cult Pens are still selling Pilot MR models.

I noticed, just wasn't sure whether the fine nib was a special.

 

[mrs quoad]

 

[campanula]

Oddly enough, I have become enamoured of L'artisan pastellier 'vermillion'...as a change from my usual violet. I inherited my F-in-l's Duofold...a lovely solid pen.

 

[Cid]

View attachment 106008

Who are P-wide team? old skool hip-hop?

 

[mrs quoad]

Who are P-wide team? old skool hip-hop?

P = prison. Have had to write it out so many times that a straightforward P has come to make sense.

 

[izz]

View attachment 106008

Purty. Got me thinking I should widen my ink repertoire.

 

[mrs quoad]

Purty. Got me thinking I should widen my ink repertoire.

It's literally only worthwhile in direct sunlight.

And with a fat, fat nib.

(Or "medium-fine," as ViolentPanda might call it )

 

[FridgeMagnet]

I have the grey and gold one, whatever that's called. I found the effect quite subtle too - you only notice the sparkle when it catches the light, it's not like a gel pen. And yes not worth using in a fine nib. Flows well - you can keep it loaded in a pen without it clogging up.

It seems to dry a lot faster than the Herbin 1667 which also has shiny in it but basically never dries.

 

[izz]

Have a Lamy Vista with a fat nib (no I can't remember how fat but its a calligraphy one) and the sparkly red Herbin 1667. Disappointing - I can see the lovely sparkles moving round inside the pen but they seem to stay in. The written word is just red. Crushed I was, crushed.*

It needs a good washout before I try it with something else.

e2a. loving the ease with which a Lamy nib can be changed.

as you were.

*no I wasn't, but I tutted.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

Have a Lamy Vista with a fat nib (no I can't remember how fat but its a calligraphy one) and the sparkly red Herbin 1667. Disappointing - I can see the lovely sparkles moving round inside the pen but they seem to stay in. The written word is just red. Crushed I was, crushed.*

It needs a good washout before I try it with something else.

e2a. loving the ease with which a Lamy nib can be changed.

as you were.

*no I wasn't, but I tutted.

I never found the 1667 that sparkly either. With all these inks it seems you have to hold the page in sunlight and tilt it until you go "aha! I see something now!".

With a broad nib I prefer the look of an ink that shades nicely, tbh. Lots of the traditional Diamines and Herbins do.