Greetings gents! You read that correctly. I work in MRI, so I can't use a pen that's made of any ferrous (magnetic) materials. I would imagine that most pens are not, but as I have no experience with "good" pens, I figured that this would be the place to ask such a question! I was browsing the West Coast Shaving website, looking at wet shaving gear, and happened upon this Nooder's Ahab Piston Fill Fountain Pen, and wondered if it might fit the bill for me. I don't need or want anything that's too fancy or ornate, so I thought that this pen might be right up my alley. Thoughts? Suggestions? Thanks!
Looking for an inexpensive, non-ferrous fountain pen
- Thread starter wildcatstrat
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If I could write it off on my taxes as a work related expense AND sneak it past my wife, I'd be all over that!
That ahab will have a steel nib, as must cheaper pens do, and I have no idea if they are magnetic or not. a lot of pens through the body and fill mechanisms are resin, acrylic or plastic based but the nibs are going to be a metal of some kind. what is the budget you are looking to spend, it may be possible to get a gold nib pen in a resin body at a price you would be comfortable with (usually around 120 or so)
I dont have a magnet here to check anything I own for you though
I dont have a magnet here to check anything I own for you though
You're obviously working with far stronger magnets than I have but the Lamy nibs aren't magnetic nor is the clip and my twsbi doesn't appear to be either. My pilot capless is though down at the business end.
Titanium isn't ferrous maybe you could get a pen made from that? ;-)
Titanium isn't ferrous maybe you could get a pen made from that? ;-)
Hirsute
Used to have fun with Commander Yellow Pantyhose
I'd recommend talking to Brian at Edison pens. About the components he uses. It's easy to find pens with resin bodies and gold nibs but is be concerned that the feed, filling mechanism, or clip may have some ferrous metal.
Plenty of high quality plastic pens with gold nibs[(EDIT) and brass fittings], but not necessarily at bargain prices. I was on the point of recommending a vintage lever filler, which you might find at a good price, but an internal piece called the J-bar would probably be magnetic steel. The ones I keep as spares are. Possibly some later model that will take cartridges (which can be refilled) would be good. Some Parker 45s had gold nibs, I believe, although most that you find will be stainless steel. Some later Sheaffers perhaps. Others might suggest specific models.
They'll kick me out of here if I try to talk you out of fountain pens, not that I'd want to. If you're going to be using this to fill out forms on the job, though, be aware that this could be an issue with a fountain pen on some paper. Fountain pens will bleed badly on some cheap papers, spreading out and even soaking through to the other side. They can be bad on multiple layer carbon forms, since you would normally not put any pressure on them. Some fine, rigid, nibs are okay for this. You might have no trouble at all, depends on what paper your forms are printed on, but don't throw the ballpoints away just yet.
They'll kick me out of here if I try to talk you out of fountain pens, not that I'd want to. If you're going to be using this to fill out forms on the job, though, be aware that this could be an issue with a fountain pen on some paper. Fountain pens will bleed badly on some cheap papers, spreading out and even soaking through to the other side. They can be bad on multiple layer carbon forms, since you would normally not put any pressure on them. Some fine, rigid, nibs are okay for this. You might have no trouble at all, depends on what paper your forms are printed on, but don't throw the ballpoints away just yet.
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Check out the Pilot 78g ... a $10 pen with a gold nib made in Japan.
Eyedropper conversion ...
... can be done on this pen, if you like (or if the converter has metal parts that offend.)
Eyedropper conversion ...
... can be done on this pen, if you like (or if the converter has metal parts that offend.)
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Thanks for all of the input and suggestions guys.
If you want to try something fountain pen-like that is completely non-metallic, check out the Pentel Pulaman Tradio or Pentel Tradio Stylo at JetPens.com. Both models are essentially the same pen, although the Tradio is available with blue or red ink as well as basic black.
While they don't write exactly like a regular fountain pen, I like using mine a lot. You can get quite a bit of line variation depending on pressure or nib angle. They're also quite inexpensive in comparison to a regular fountain pen; if you lose it or someone "borrows" it, you're not out much money.
While they don't write exactly like a regular fountain pen, I like using mine a lot. You can get quite a bit of line variation depending on pressure or nib angle. They're also quite inexpensive in comparison to a regular fountain pen; if you lose it or someone "borrows" it, you're not out much money.
You are kidding, or?? It has a steel nib that is gold plated.....
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Gold colored anyway. I'd say gold plated steel, but don't actually know that. The magnets I have don't attract it noticeably, anyway. The nibs on mine aren't engraved with anything about the material, but higher end Pilot nibs that are gold show it proudly on the nib, 14K or 18K. It would be surprising to find an actual 14K nib on a pen in this lower price range. Mind you, apart from that, I'd agree that it's a great first fountain pen, and a good pen generally..
I think the problem is going to be meeting the "non-ferrous" and "inexpensive" criteria. Fountain pen nibs are generally either stainless steel or gold, even stainless steel contains some ferrous material and while it may not be detectable with a normal magnet I don't know if it would be safe around an MRI scanner. Gold nibs are obviously non-ferrous, but they're not inexpensive. There are some titanium nibs out there, but they're uncommon and not cheap, ditto palladium which I believe some Viscontis use.
Gold-plated nibs are likely to be steel under the plating.
Gold-plated nibs are likely to be steel under the plating.
I have one of those on my desk right now!
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