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Post by katiel on Aug 18, 2018 0:29:08 GMT
Alright, I’m thinking of dipping my toe in the water, but I’m looking for recommendations. I recently came into possession of two samples of glittery ink, but this ink *really* doesn’t work with my dip pens since all the glitter settles to the bottom of the vial while I’m dipping from the top. Soooooo....I’m thinking of getting an inexpensive fountain pen, just so I can play with my sparkle inks.
I know, I know, I’m probably playing with fire here. But I’m also intrigued by the idea of being able to just grab a pen and go write somewhere. I’ve hardly used my dip pens at all this summer because I keep just grabbing my regular crappy ballpoint pen so I can go curl up under my favorite tree outside to write my letters...and I can’t exactly do that with my dip pens...at least not very easily. And right now, the nice weather, and my tree call more loudly than my dip pens and ink. But could I have the best of both worlds? Pretty ink, and my time outside?
Soooo...these things both have me considering getting my first fountain pen. But I’m a little hesitant to jump off the deep end. Do you guys have any recommendations for good, not too expensive, starter FP’s? It doesn’t have to be anything too fancy. I just want to use my sparkle inks, and maybe write outside, not at my table. What do you guys think? Any ideas? Looking forward to seeing what you all say. Thanks in advance, everyone.
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Post by MKB on Aug 18, 2018 2:20:08 GMT
Uh-oh. Katiel, back away slowly, no sudden movements. (People, do we have any antivenom on hand, as she is clearly about to get bitten.) TWISBI ECO Extra Fine* - Holds lots of ink
- You can see the glitter sloshing back and forth
- Can be taken apart for lab-grade cleaning, if you desire (and you probably will after the glitter)
- Nice writer
* I don't normally recommend an extra fine for a first time fountain pen user, since they aren't as smooth as the other options, but then this is for Katiel, and well, yeah.
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Post by filpot on Aug 18, 2018 6:20:52 GMT
To quote Randy Travis (not many people quote Randy Travis.....) "I've heard tell the road to hell is paved with good intentions...."
Actually, it's paved with fountain pens.
Alternatively, to quote Dante (in translation) "Abandon hope all ye who enter here."
That's all I'm saying.
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Post by katiel on Aug 18, 2018 12:12:29 GMT
* I don't normally recommend an extra fine for a first time fountain pen user, since they aren't as smooth as the other options, but then this is for Katiel, and well, yeah. Haha, yeah, it’s like you know me or something! But all kidding aside, I was wondering...since I would be using this primarily with glitter inks, do you think that I should try writing with a “less fine” point? (And maybe not so tiny) so that the glitter is actually visible/noticeable? I’ve been wondering to myself if I could write large enough to make a medium nib work reasonably well...
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Post by MKB on Aug 18, 2018 14:00:02 GMT
The medium will definitely show off the glitter better, and you will have to write larger to keep letters from closing up. I imagine this will happen naturally, like when we use a marker. Good thinking on that.
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Post by sails on Aug 18, 2018 14:06:29 GMT
Why not just spend around two dollars each for one of the Jinhao with a Lamy Safari look? I've been using them for glitter inks, and believe me, eventually those inks WILL clog your pen.
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Post by katiel on Aug 19, 2018 1:15:31 GMT
Forgive my ignorance because I’m still learning, but will it clog them permanently? Or is it something that can be cleaned out? I’m not opposed to a bit of hard work, but I guess I’d like to know what I’m in for.
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Post by radellaf on Aug 19, 2018 1:51:22 GMT
if you really wanna show off glitter ink with a pen that's easy to clean, try a Pilot Parallels. The smallest nib is a bit wide for letter writing, though I did it once. Not my usual first pen rec, but for this purpose I'd try it. Between Pilot Metro, Lamy Safari, and TWSBI, I'd say Pilot has the easiest to pull and clean feed, and easy to refill-with-eyedropper cartridges. Pilot Plumix is a more reasonable italic for letter writing. Chinese pens are a great value but the QC is poor and who wants a bad first FP? Worth a risk if you really don't have $20-$50 to spend on a few known brands though.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 19, 2018 12:31:57 GMT
Chinese pens are a great value but the QC is poor What does QC mean?
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Post by sails on Aug 19, 2018 12:39:35 GMT
Forgive my ignorance because I’m still learning, but will it clog them permanently? Or is it something that can be cleaned out? I’m not opposed to a bit of hard work, but I guess I’d like to know what I’m in for. Some people will say glitter inks do not permanently clog pens... but I had to reluctantly throw out a Preppy after multiple attempts failed to remove the clog. That's why I suggested the Jinhao. I think the model number is 599 but I'm not sure. I bought a multi-pack.
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Post by Mia on Aug 19, 2018 13:29:25 GMT
Chinese pens are a great value but the QC is poor What does QC mean? QC = quality control
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Post by Mia on Aug 19, 2018 13:30:47 GMT
Forgive my ignorance because I’m still learning, but will it clog them permanently? Or is it something that can be cleaned out? I’m not opposed to a bit of hard work, but I guess I’d like to know what I’m in for. Some people will say glitter inks do not permanently clog pens... but I had to reluctantly throw out a Preppy after multiple attempts failed to remove the clog. That's why I suggested the Jinhao. I think the model number is 599 but I'm not sure. I bought a multi-pack.Yes, it is the 599 model, and have used them with the glitter inks. I do need a pen cleaning session at some point this month.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 19, 2018 18:41:47 GMT
Thanks! I have a few Jinhao 450x and 750x and use them regularly. It's true that the nibs differ from one pen to another, but I'm mostly happy. I don't use glitter ink though.
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Post by stompie on Aug 19, 2018 19:41:34 GMT
Jinhao, Baoer, all good. I have a glitter ink in a Moonman M2 and so far, no blockage, but I can foresee it coming sooner or later.
You can also get a Manuscript Calligraphy pen. I get a lot of them and keep them filled with different colour inks. Here they are £2 which is for the pen, 3 nibs F,M & B plus a cartridge. They write very well and keep a nice sharp crisp italic. If they do give me trouble I throw them in the bin and buy a new one. That said, they are so easy to clean, so if I wanterd to, yeah, I could.
Ken Frasier, an excellent calligrapher uses them and rates them very highly!
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Post by filpot on Aug 20, 2018 5:51:58 GMT
Jinhao, Baoer, all good. I have a glitter ink in a Moonman M2 and so far, no blockage, but I can foresee it coming sooner or later. You can also get a Manuscript Calligraphy pen. I get a lot of them and keep them filled with different colour inks. Here they are £2 which is for the pen, 3 nibs F,M & B plus a cartridge. They write very well and keep a nice sharp crisp italic. If they do give me trouble I throw them in the bin and buy a new one. That said, they are so easy to clean, so if I wanterd to, yeah, I could. Ken Frasier, an excellent calligrapher uses them and rates them very highly! Stompie, please tell me where you get your manuscript pens so cheaply!
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