Getting Started: Fountain Pens

I don't want this to become too much of an obsession, but I'd like to get a fountain pen 'starter kit'.

I think I'm going to start with a Waterman Phileas Fountain Pen with a fine nib.

Other than this, what do I need to just get started?

ada8356 said:

I don't want this to become too much of an obsession, but I'd like to get a fountain pen 'starter kit'.

I think I'm going to start with a Waterman Phileas Fountain Pen with a fine nib.

Other than this, what do I need to just get started?

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Some ink and paper that likes fountain pens. You'll find that notebook paper filler, in general, isn't agreeable with fountain pens. They usually bleed right through it or feather pretty badly. Other than that, there's not much to them.

ada8356 said:

I don't want this to become too much of an obsession,

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Oh, yeah, right.

You know how with wetshaving you really only need one razor, some blades, one brush and some soap? And then you turn around and find you have a closet full of stuff, enough to shave a platoon? It works that way with fountain pens, too. Be forewarned.

daniel said:

Some ink and paper that likes fountain pens. You'll find that notebook paper filler, in general, isn't agreeable with fountain pens. They usually bleed right through it or feather pretty badly. Other than that, there's not much to them.

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Ok, ok... let me clarify.

Pretend you are getting to go back and buy your first ink and paper, knowing what you know now what would get? Feel free to suggest a different pen too if that's applicable.



Honestly, what I'm trying to do is avoid what happened with me and wet shaving... I read and read about it, and the more I read, the more stuff I HAD to have... I'm trying to stay as ignorant as possible about this topic.... for now.

ada8356 said:

Ok, ok... let me clarify.

Pretend you are getting to go back and buy your first ink and paper, knowing what you know now what would get? Feel free to suggest a different pen too if that's applicable.



Honestly, what I'm trying to do is avoid what happened with me and wet shaving... I read and read about it, and the more I read, the more stuff I HAD to have... I'm trying to stay as ignorant as possible about this topic.... for now.

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Well, to stay simple, Noodlers ink is pretty well thought of and as to paper, you really just have to look for the weight of the paper (although the finish has something to do with it too). The heavier the paper, generally, the better it is for fountain pens. This is all generally speaking of course, since I'm no fountain pen expert and have managed to avoid any and all acquisition addictions related to fountain pens. I still use my three year old Lamy Safari that was (is) my first pen and just recently had to buy some Noodlers ink after my supply of Lamy ink ran out.

I use this pen all the time and the more I use and abuse it the less and less I want an expensive pen. I know what I would do to a nicer pen and can't bring myself to get anything better.

Another thing is I'm not very picky when it comes to inks, etc. So, I may not be helping you out much.

Each item--pen, ink, and paper--tend to be very individual choices, and to some extent, it depends on the use that is intended for them. You can easily see that for each of those there might be a more formal choice for business use than for casual correspondence. There are extensive discussions over at The Fountain Pen Network, among other sites, on preferences. Some people will fret over shades of a color of ink. I just bought some fancy Amalfi paper from Italy that will be used for very special letters. I also have a Milrequius notebook, made in Spain but available at Target, that is good just for jotting down notes. Many folks love Moleskine notebooks. Others swear at them. All have different uses. It's not unlike shave creams and soaps: One person will love a particular sandlewood and not another, and someone else will have an opposite opinion. A third person won't even like sandlewood.

I know that doesn't help . . . FWIW, the Phileas is a well thought-of pen.

I understand what he is saying. You ask 100 B&Bers what a good starting set up is. You get something like:
88 say the HD, 12 something not HD
90 say Taylor Avocado, 10 not
etc...

There are individual preferences to be sure, but what is the generally agreed upon standards even if you may not agree personally...

Dennis02 said:

There are individual preferences to be sure, but what is the generally agreed upon standards even if you may not agree personally...

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Pen: It's hard to go wrong with a recognized name like Parker, Waterman, Sheaffer, etc. As for the nib, you'll probably have a choice. I think that most people would start with a fine. Some will want finer, some will want broader, but a fine is probably a good starting point. For the name brands, even their "starter" level pens should be quite useable, and maybe as much as you ever need. There are plenty of folks that love a Parker Vector, which you can find for less than ten dollars.

Ink: You'll get the broadest choices of colors from companies like Noodler's and Private Reserve. Noodler's also offers a series of "bulletproof" inks, which are quite permanent once they've dried on paper. Many consider this important for check writing. I think if I had to pick one ink, I'd probably go for a blue-black. Not very exciting, but versatile. Most pen manufacturers offer their own brand of ink, but might be limited to blue, blue-black, and black. Note that there is no need to use a pen manufacturer's own brand of ink.

Paper: You want something that isn't going to wick up ink like a paper towel, but doesn't have such a hard finish that the ink just sits up on top and takes forever to dry. A coated paper can kludge up your nib. For utilitarian pad paper, Ampad Gold Fibre gets good marks. For something nice, 100% cotton Southworth paper is generally considered good. A lot of people do well with just plain copy paper. If you've got a fine, rigid nib, you don't want anything with too much texture that might catch the point.

Great starter pen - that's the one that got me hooked.

There are kits out there with ink and a converter - if you're just buying the pen, I suggest getting the converter so that you can use bottled ink.

The Waterman converter is quite good and pretty cheap.

The converter allows you to use other types of bottled ink (besides Waterman - which is actually pretty good stuff) and the bottled ink is much cheaper than the cartridges.

Suzuki said:

The converter allows you to use other types of bottled ink (besides Waterman - which is actually pretty good stuff) and the bottled ink is much cheaper than the cartridges.

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That's a good point, and there's much more variety available in bottled inks than in cartridges. Some of the great inks aren't available in cartridges. On the other hand, if you carry your pen and think you're going to run dry away from home, it's much easier to carry a spare cartridge than a bottle of ink.

Dennis02 said:

I understand what he is saying. You ask 100 B&Bers what a good starting set up is. You get something like:
88 say the HD, 12 something not HD
90 say Taylor Avocado, 10 not
etc...

There are individual preferences to be sure, but what is the generally agreed upon standards even if you may not agree personally...

Click to expand...

This was sort of my thought process also. I certainly realize there are plenty of YMMV areas, but since I don't know anything about this field, I am just looking for some ideas for good starters... once pointed in the right direction I can progress from there if I choose.

Thanks for all of the input, it is much appreciated.

Suzuki said:

The Waterman converter is quite good and pretty cheap.

The converter allows you to use other types of bottled ink (besides Waterman - which is actually pretty good stuff) and the bottled ink is much cheaper than the cartridges.

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Does that mean that the pen will take cartridges unless I have the converter?

Unfortunately the only 'kit' that I've come across with the Phileus includes a medium nib which I don't think will fit my writing style very well.

Suzuki said:

Great starter pen - that's the one that got me hooked.

There are kits out there with ink and a converter - if you're just buying the pen, I suggest getting the converter so that you can use bottled ink.

The Waterman converter is quite good and pretty cheap.

The converter allows you to use other types of bottled ink (besides Waterman - which is actually pretty good stuff) and the bottled ink is much cheaper than the cartridges.

Click to expand...

I agree. While I have some expensive pens, the Phileas I have writes as well as most. It's a great value.

As far as nibs go, it has been my experience that some "fine" nibs write a medium line and vice versa. I would try the pen before you buy it to make sure you like it. Stores like Paradise Pens will let you try the pens and inks. I'm not sure about Houston but I think there might be a brick and mortar store somewhere other than at the mall.

I also started with a Lamy Safari. At $25 it is a steal for the quality of the pen. I now have 25 pens mostly vintage Sheaffers, some lever fillers, snorkels and touchdowns. I carry one every day.

As for inks, Noodlers and Private Reserve will do you just fine. Plenty of colors to choose.

Aaron, this is a slippery slope my friend. I started with fountain pens and ended here wetshaving. You have been warned

Enjoy!!

Scorpio said:

As far as nibs go, it has been my experience that some "fine" nibs write a medium line and vice versa.
Enjoy!!

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Sailor's are known for being on the fine side. A medium Sailor will write like a fine so I bought a fine nib and boy, is it fine. But, it's a beautiful pen and one of my favorite nibs.

ada8356 said:

Unfortunately the only 'kit' that I've come across with the Phileus includes a medium nib which I don't think will fit my writing style very well.

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I see they have them at Pendemonium. $45 includes a converter and one cartridge. I don't know how that price compares to other sources.

I also just found that Amazon has the Phileas for $42.99, but I don't think it says whether it has a converter or not.

farace said:

Oh, yeah, right.

You know how with wetshaving you really only need one razor, some blades, one brush and some soap? And then you turn around and find you have a closet full of stuff, enough to shave a platoon? It works that way with fountain pens, too. Be forewarned.

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+1

When I was in Houston earlier this year I was taken to a store called Dromgool's, or something similar. That would be a good place to start/get infected.

BTW, YGPM.

farace said:

I see they have them at Pendemonium. $45 includes a converter and one cartridge. I don't know how that price compares to other sources.

I also just found that Amazon has the Phileas for $42.99, but I don't think it says whether it has a converter or not.

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Did you see one that had a fine nib? Everyone that I've come across has a medium nib.

I have a Lamy AL Star, a Waterman Phileas, and a Namiki Vanishing Point. All are from pendemonium and all have fine nibs. They all write well, but differently, even with the same ink (Noodler's Legal Lapis). The Phileas actually seemed to need a bit of 'break in'. The smoothest of the beasts is the Namiki, but the Lamy is probably the best value of the three, IMHO.


Wayne

ada8356 said:

Did you see one that had a fine nib? Everyone that I've come across has a medium nib.

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It looks like, for Cobalt Blue Marble or Red Marble, you have your choice of fine or medium. They're all out of black.

Amazon looks like you have a choice as well.