Need some help getting started with a fountain pen

[joeboom]

So I've been wanting to buy this pen http://www.westcoastshaving.com/Plat...ib_p_1265.html Platinum Plaisir Black Fountain Pen, 03 Fine Nib
The thing I dont know is if it comes with ink? Do I have to buy the ink seperate? What ink? How do I fill it up? What does this thing do ? http://www.westcoastshaving.com/Plat...ns_p_1267.html
Thank you for in advance.

[HarryC]

The Platinum Plaisir does come with ink. It is shipped with a single black ink cartridge inside the body of the pen. The second item that you linked to is a converter which would allow you to use any bottled ink that you would prefer rather than purchasing Platinum's proprietary ink cartridges.

There is a great intro to fountain pens video by Brian Goulet that would be extremely helpful to watch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsiI3hepwic

[Go West Young Man]

Funny, I had the same question a few months ago..... and now I'm practically an expert on the subject. This site is a bad influence!

Fountain pen ink comes 2 ways - in cartridges, a small one-time tube that you pop in and then throw away once empty*, and in bottles, where you draw the ink up into a converter through suction/vacuum, and they can be refilled as needed. Cartridges are quick and convenient, but relatively expensive and ink selection is limited. Bottled ink variety is pretty close to infinite and much cheaper per unit, but filling can be messy and difficult at first.

There are standard and proprietary cartridges and converters, depends on the brand and model which you can use.

IIRC, the Plasir that WCS sells came with a converter, but no cartridges, BUT that was a special deal they put together. Not sure what the 'standard' package comes with.


*some people do refill cartridges with syringes, but that's another level of obsessive ;) And you can modify most pens to fill the entire body with ink (called, for obvious reasons, an eye-dropper).

[The Nid Hog]

If you order the pen from WCS, you can add a bottle of our LE ink too. It's pretty nice--got me interested in blue ink again.

[joeboom]

I see. Thank you guys for the help. Checked this morning and the pen was out of stock

[the_edski]

you can goto www.gouletpens.com if you cant wait for WCS to come back in stock. Either way, you will be supporting a B&B vendor!

[Doc4]

Cartridges are quick and convenient, but relatively expensive and ink selection is limited. Bottled ink variety is pretty close to infinite and much cheaper per unit, but filling can be messy and difficult at first.

Cartridges have one other problem ... you never know when you are going to run out of ink ... maybe in the middle of an important meeting, or with five minutes left in a crucial university exam (been there, done that). Think of them as "disposable batteries" for your pen. With cartridge converters, you can top up the ink supply to "full" whenever you want, to make sure you have a good supply for the day/meeting/exam/&c just like topping up a rechargeable battery (but much quicker.)

[joeboom]

you can goto www.gouletpens.com if you cant wait for WCS to come back in stock. Either way, you will be supporting a B&B vendor!

I actually couldnt wait and ordered it in medium at wcs, I didnt see your comment in time. But thank you for that site, I see the start of another addiction coming up.

[the_edski]

You have no idea...i thought my shaving AD's were bad until I found "The Nib"....

I see the start of another addiction coming up.

[oc_in_fw]

You have no idea...i thought my shaving AD's were bad until I found "The Nib"....

Have you been to the Brown Leaf yet?

[linty1]

Yup, stick with the pump style, it'll help flush out the nib too if any paper scrapings get into it. RIght now I'm just using a Parker 45 I bought from ebay, and some quick Ink from the Local staples.

[joeboom]

So I bought the Platinum Plaisir medium nib and I really liked the style of it. But it wrote too thick for my taste so I'm ordering a Lamy Safari. Still, the Platinum Plaisir is a great starter pen.