Turned Pen Question

[*Terence*]

I posted a previous thread about selecting a pen for my mother. After asking many questions I have decided on getting a pen turned. I fell in love with the Majestic fountain pen. I the realized that it is a really large pen and that lead me to the Majestic Jr fountain pen. I am now wondering if a fountain pen is too much. She has never had a fountain pen or any type of high end pen. Should I give her a ballpoint or rollerpen instead? What is the difference and why would I go with one over the other. Also should it be the standard or jr size?

Thanks

 

[Kevan]

Well, a fountain pen is a nicer writer, and a more impressive gift. Period. They are smoother writers than ballpoints and (most) rollerballs. You also have the ability to use any color of ink you want in a fountain pen -- through bottled ink or standard short cartridges --while you're limited to ink refills with rollerballs and ballpoints which only come in a few colors. There are a few rollerballs that take bottled ink, but most of them rely on refills.

I've never heard of the Majestic Fountain Pen, and a Google search turns up multiple sources. Where are you looking?

They do require a bit more maintenance than other pens, but (assuming it uses a converter, which it probably does) if you've got a cup of water and a bulb syringe (like for your ears or babies' noses), cleaning is a breeze. If you don't, just use water in a cup. There are videos on Youtube that show how simple it is, and you only have to thoroughly clean it when changing colors. If you use the same color, just a light flush is necessary. If you use short cartridges and not bottled ink, just flush the nib out with a bulb syringe.

Again, Youtube it.

It's up to you. Personally, I think she'll be impressed with a fountain pen, and she might remember them from her childhood, or might remember her parents using them. It'll be a nice gift.

But if you think she'll be more comfortable with another pen, get her a rollerball. At least that's better than a ballpoint. At the end of the day, all we can do is offer advice, and we'll always be in favor of a fountain pen. You're the one who knows your mother.

 

[*Terence*]

Kevan... The knowledge is greatly appreciated!

The gift I am anticipating will be the pen and a leatherbound journal/notebook of some sort. My mom is 62 so would a fountain pen be something from her childhood? I am considering having a fountain and the roller.

Here is the link to pens I am looking at.
http://www.pennstateind.com/store/majestic-pen-kits.html

TGN also has them.

 

[Kevan]

The link that you gave is to the kit. If I'm not mistaken, that's not the complete pen, it has to be made into one. I guess you know that and have someone in mind? Or somewhere that sells the complete pen?

I have one kit pen, made of bamboo. My dad gave it to me for my birthday about 4 years ago. It's the same basic style as that one, except it has gunmetal furnishings on the cap and section (where you put your fingers). It uses a standard converter (or cartridge) and a Bock nib, which is pretty standard fare.

Yes, I would consider that a nice gift, and your mom is around the same age as mine, so she would remember fountain pens from her youth. If that's what you want, go for it.

 

[Dresden]

With some basic equipment turning a pen is very easy as long as you prep and measure everything correctly. Ive turned a dozen or so my self if you want easy to use go with a roller pen kit and select the trim and material you think suits your mom many to chose from. I cant weigh in on fountain pens YET its on my list of things to try.

 

[*Terence*]

Yes, I recognize they are kit only. Yes I do have someone in mind. Working out the details right now. What needs to be decided is the type of pen. I am leaning towards fountain and roller ball.

Next is to figure out the notepad.

 

[Dresden]

What suppliers are you looking at? Ive had good luck with Penn State Industries and Wood Craft.

 

[Kevan]

Notepad, as in paper to write on? Easy...Rhodia. Several options available. Or if you were thinking a book with a nice cover, Franklin-Christoph has some nice options at a reasonable price.

 

[*Terence*]

PSI is who I am looking at. TGN has it as well but they do not have the bit and bushings. Wood Craft does not have it all.

I would turn my own but I do not have a lathe.

 

[*Terence*]

Notepad, as in paper to write on? Easy...Rhodia. Several options available. Or if you were thinking a book with a nice cover, Franklin-Christoph has some nice options at a reasonable price.

I am thinking something really nice leather bound... something she can use the fountain pen on.

 

[Dresden]

When i got my sets from Wood Craft i was at the store and found everything but not everyone has one locally. Too bad on the lathe its a fun little hobby even using a mini lathe is a very rewarding time waster : )

 

[*Terence*]

No garage... I keep fish, that is where a lot of my time/money goes. Maybe when I buy a house I will buy a garage full of tools.

 

[Kevan]

I am thinking something really nice leather bound... something she can use the fountain pen on.

Yes, but pad (as in, tear the sheets out from the top) or notebook/journal format? If it's a pad, Rhodia has nice covers for their pads. Not leather, but "leatherette."

If it's a notebook, you have literally a ton of options, for "leatherette" hard or softbound notebooks/journals, and paper inserts for nice leather covers.

 

[Slivovitz]

Kevan... The knowledge is greatly appreciated!


The gift I am anticipating will be the pen and a leatherbound journal/notebook of some sort. My mom is 62 so would a fountain pen be something from her childhood? I am considering having a fountain and the roller.

Here is the link to pens I am looking at.
http://www.pennstateind.com/store/majestic-pen-kits.html

TGN also has them.

Your mother is five years older than I am. I grew up aware that fountain pens existed, but never seeing anyone use one that I recall; I discovered them much later. That might have been different if I'd had a different background. If you can ask your mother what she remembers about fountain pens, without tipping her off, you can see what associations they have for her. She may have used them in school and remember them with fondness, but then again, maybe not. My own mother, who is 90 years old, remembers fountain pens, and knows that I use them, but has no interest in them. If you ask people around here, you're going to get told that fountain pens are "better", but that doesn't mean that a particular person is going to prefer one. A rollerball can be very nice to write with too, depending on the refills it takes.

One thing I would be concerned about with a kit pen is the quality of the nib that they include with it. Following the link, I can't find that information for the Majestic fountain pens, although I didn't delve very deeply into the site. I believe I've read that many kit pens have "IPG" nibs, Iridium Point Germany. These are nibs of varying quality from various manufacturers, and despite the name, not necessarily made in Germany. Since the quality of the nib determines how nice a fountain pen is to write with, I would get more information before going for it. Mind you, it may be perfectly okay, I would just find out for sure.

An added comment. I got curious and looked for information on the rollerball refills they include. Apparently it's a brand called Hauser, and the customer reviews are scathing. The most positive comment was that someone said they were the same size as Schmidt refills, and Schmidt is a good brand; you could substitute that when you put the pen together. I do understand the attraction of making something yourself, but you want it to be a good writing instrument, so you don't want to overlook this kind of thing. Best of luck, though, whichever way you go.

 

[*Terence*]

Yes, but pad (as in, tear the sheets out from the top) or notebook/journal format? If it's a pad, Rhodia has nice covers for their pads. Not leather, but "leatherette."

If it's a notebook, you have literally a ton of options, for "leatherette" hard or softbound notebooks/journals, and paper inserts for nice leather covers.

I would love to find some sort of leather bound journal/notbook that I can have her name printed on it or something.

Your mother is five years older than I am. I grew up aware that fountain pens existed, but never seeing anyone use one that I recall; I discovered them much later. That might have been different if I'd had a different background. If you can ask your mother what she remembers about fountain pens, without tipping her off, you can see what associations they have for her. She may have used them in school and remember them with fondness, but then again, maybe not. My own mother, who is 90 years old, remembers fountain pens, and knows that I use them, but has no interest in them. If you ask people around here, you're going to get told that fountain pens are "better", but that doesn't mean that a particular person is going to prefer one. A rollerball can be very nice to write with too, depending on the refills it takes.

One thing I would be concerned about with a kit pen is the quality of the nib that they include with it. Following the link, I can't find that information for the Majestic fountain pens, although I didn't delve very deeply into the site. I believe I've read that many kit pens have "IPG" nibs, Iridium Point Germany. These are nibs of varying quality from various manufacturers, and despite the name, not necessarily made in Germany. Since the quality of the nib determines how nice a fountain pen is to write with, I would get more information before going for it. Mind you, it may be perfectly okay, I would just find out for sure.

An added comment. I got curious and looked for information on the rollerball refills they include. Apparently it's a brand called Hauser, and the customer reviews are scathing. The most positive comment was that someone said they were the same size as Schmidt refills, and Schmidt is a good brand; you could substitute that when you put the pen together. I do understand the attraction of making something yourself, but you want it to be a good writing instrument, so you don't want to overlook this kind of thing. Best of luck, though, whichever way you go.

She may have been aware that the existed but the use of one I doubt as she grew up relatively poor. How is a quality nib defined? I think I am going to go with a set, a roller and fountain. In the Jr size.

Fountain Pen: http://www.pennstateind.com/store/PKMAFTPJR.html

Roller Ball: http://www.pennstateind.com/store/PKMAJTPJR.html

 

[syngent]

Franklin- Christoph has some really nice leather covers and there notebooks are nice as well, on their own or with the leather cover

 

[Kit Walker]

I am five years older than your mother, and never touched a fountain pen as a child. I was more aware of dip pens than fountain pens, because our penmanship books were intended for use with them, and our desks still had inkwells.

 

[Slivovitz]

...How is a quality nib defined? I think I am going to go with a set, a roller and fountain. In the Jr size.

Fountain Pen: http://www.pennstateind.com/store/PKMAFTPJR.html

Roller Ball: http://www.pennstateind.com/store/PKMAJTPJR.html

Since I brought it up, I ought to try to answer, although it may not be so easy. You could ask the seller where they source their nibs, and what is written on the nib for the model you want. If the nib is actually made in Germany (and "Iridium Point Germany" doesn't necessarily mean that) then it's probably decent quality. If it's made in China it might be fine or it might not. You would probably actually need to examine the nib. to find out. Many Japanese pen makers make excellent nibs, but I don't know that you would find them in a pen kit. If you want to do a lot of reading, you can go to the reference pages on Richard Binder's site and scroll down to the section on nibs and feeds. The most useful thing, of course, would be if somebody here has actually made a pen from one of those kits and can tell you what they got.

Not trying to be a wet blanket, it's just something to be aware of. It sounds like a thoughtful gift.

If you have a Barnes and Noble bookstore near you, you could look there to see what they have for journals. I used one of their Bombay journals and liked it well enough. Mine is full now and I'm using something else. If you want something personalized, though, I don't know what to recommend.

 

[*Terence*]

Since I brought it up, I ought to try to answer, although it may not be so easy. You could ask the seller where they source their nibs, and what is written on the nib for the model you want. If the nib is actually made in Germany (and "Iridium Point Germany" doesn't necessarily mean that) then it's probably decent quality. If it's made in China it might be fine or it might not. You would probably actually need to examine the nib. to find out. Many Japanese pen makers make excellent nibs, but I don't know that you would find them in a pen kit. If you want to do a lot of reading, you can go to the reference pages on Richard Binder's site and scroll down to the section on nibs and feeds. The most useful thing, of course, would be if somebody here has actually made a pen from one of those kits and can tell you what they got.

Not trying to be a wet blanket, it's just something to be aware of. It sounds like a thoughtful gift.

If you have a Barnes and Noble bookstore near you, you could look there to see what they have for journals. I used one of their Bombay journals and liked it well enough. Mine is full now and I'm using something else. If you want something personalized, though, I don't know what to recommend.

Could I not just buy a "replacement nib" of sufficient quality? I have a friend in Japan for the next 5 days.

 

[Kevan]

I honestly don't know if you can get a nib-only in Japan. I know Sailor sells nibs but they have tons of options and it gets expensive. I don't believe Pilot does sell nibs alone, but I don't know. I was just going to suggest Meisternibs.com, and just buy the size of nib the pen-turner uses, or ask him what nibs he uses. Like I said, the guy who made my bamboo kit pen used a Bock nib, and that's a generally considered a good brand, as they make nibs for a lot of luxe brands. That pen was gifted to me before I knew much about nibs, and I've never had any problems with it. It's a Fine, and it's pretty smooth.

For a personalized journal, you could get her any of the suggested leather covers/books/products people have listed here, and then take it to a leather shop and see if they have a metal letters for her name or initials, and see if they'll press them on for you. It's a fairly simple process involving a hammer and a metal letter stamp. Worth a shot.