Starting to get interested but need HELP

Good Evening ALL!

I have been on this forum for a little over a year learning how to shave and I feel that I have done well.

Now it is time for me to get involved in what I like the call the "Gentleman's Arts"

Truth be told, way back when, (about 50 years ago) I started to learn "Proper Handwriting" in a Catholic school with a fountain pen.

Never stuck with me (well the ink made an impression after leaking into many shirts, and as a result of singing too many documents, my signature put's a doctors signature to shame.

Yes it is that bad.

Anyway, I now have it in my head that I want to do better.

Perhaps find a good book on penmanship, a beyond reasonably priced pen to start with with a Medium (like opposed to fine "Line" (?) and blue ink (I sign a lot of legal type stuff which requires this)

Also thinking I can afford some "Quiet Time" for an hour or so every day to practice and kind of "Zen" out with it.

After lurking, I know that there is a lot more to this than just a pen and a cartridge. I know there are cartridge converters but damn if I understand them.

Not to over stress this, I do not have a clue and I am depending on the B&B Gent's to assist me.

In the past, I have learned not to overspend on a new experience.

And for good reasons.

Anyway,

Thanks in Advance!

Unc

There are as many choices of fountain pens as razors -- countless. If you are interested in penmanship and you simply want to write more legibly, then perhaps there are books that would help. If, on the other hand, you wish to write beautifully & artistically, maybe you should study calligraphy -- if you're really keen, you might even discover a night class at a community college!
Or maybe you just want your signature to look better . . .

Whichever direction you choose, you will have to take into consideration when deciding on your pen. If calligraphy is your interest, any art store should have supplies and starter sets. A standard fountain pen, just like safety razors, offers the choice of legacy or modern -- You can get an inexpensive modern cartridge fountain pen that usually comes with a couple of cartridges of blue ink. If you want something nicer and have some money to spend, the Pelikan line of piston feed fountain pens are lovely -- you fill from an ink bottle by twisting the end of the pen which activates the piston. Potentially messier than the cartridges, but more satisfying IMO.

If you find a cartridge fountain pen you like, it will likely be easy to find a converter, allowing your cartridge pen to drink from the bottle too. Just a tip from an ink stained wretch; if you get some ink on your skin (easy to do while filling) a bit of the gel type automatic dishwashing liquid used as hand soap works wonders! Also, fountain pens do not work well with changes in air pressure, so don't take yours on an airplane (again, like razors, but for different reasons) as fountain pens can experience eruptions. Some pens are more temperamental than others in this regard -- one reason that I've avoided older legacy pens.

Hey there Unc,

Here are some basic answers to your getting started question.

1) Don't go wacko with your first pen. Pilot Metropolitans with a medium nib are great starter pens. It will cost less than $20 US and many of us carry them daily. You will find it comes in many colors... It comes with a converter so you can use bottled inks as well as cartridges.

2) Get a good ink for this pen. I personally like Diamine inks. Blues and greens are my favorites. But, in terms of color, you have an almost unlimited set to choose from.

3) Watch a video or two about writing with a fountain pen. A light touch and the right angle are the big points...

4) Slow down your writing speed. Take your time and your handwriting will improve.

Have fun,

Bob

I bought the Pilot Metropolitan as my first fountain pen. They were great and super easy to use. Once the ink ran out (they're disposable), I bought a Lamy for less than $30 and it's been awesome.

AZBronco said:

I bought the Pilot Metropolitan as my first fountain pen. They were great and super easy to use. Once the ink ran out (they're disposable), I bought a Lamy for less than $30 and it's been awesome.

Click to expand...

Pilot Metropolitan pens use replaceable cartridges and converters. These are not "one fill" pens.

I think you might be talking about Pilot Varsity fountain pens.

My most sincere thanks to all of you for taking the time to help me out!

I have been doing some research on my own which has lead me to consider the Pilot Metropolitan Medium Point Pen as a decent place to start.

I understand that it comes with a "Squeeze" type converter but reviews I have read state that the converter does not hold a decent quantity of ink.

That being said, I am looking at this converter
https://www.amazon.com/Pilot-Fountain-Pen-Converter-CON-50/dp/B0016YWJZ8/ref=pd_sim_229_3?ie=UTF8&dpID=41I1m%2BKhf9L&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&psc=1&refRID=EYP12QC8V9ABBXN3XPQF

To my mind, this seems like a decent way to get started without spending a lot of $$$ just to see if this "New" method of writing will appeal and work for me.

I have no issues with spending larger amounts on a pen in the future but I have always found it prudent to purchase reasonably priced gear to start with before spending the larger amounts on the really good stuff.

Any and all help (including PM's) are more than welcome including Ink recommendations as well as paper.

PS, Also looking for a reasonably priced good dark blue ink that can be found on Amazon.com

Thanks Again!

The squeeze converter holds enough ink to do a fair amount of writing ... it's good for at least a couple or more large pages filled completely and it is really easy to operate.

I've had great luck with Thornton's Luxury Goods lately as an everyday work ink --> www.amazon.com/Thorntons-Luxury-Goods-Fountain-Bottle/dp/B010BWMYKA

Chinese pens have come along way in the past two years, especially Jinhao brand.

The 159 is a big muscular pen inspired by Montblanc and gives good performance. the 599 looks like a Lamy. Both are available for less than the price of a coffee. Worth trying out and moving on to bigger and better things if you enjoy the pen experience. You can always do a PIF for others to try out writing with a fountain pen.

Again, a very sincere thank's to you all for your advice.

As I said earlier, I prefer to spend small amounts to get started on a new venture.

Sorry in advance for being long winded with my example.

Many years ago, my best friend got bitten by the Golf Bug and kept insisting that I would love it.

I gave in and promised to play 9 holes with him if he bought me lunch.

We went to the golf course and I rented a canvas bag with an assortment of clubs and purchased a big bag of golf balls that had been fished out of the water hazards.

I was HORRIBLE as I expected and out of respect, we let everyone play through.

Finally a foursome showed up and we let them in front of us.

One of them was wearing the very best in Golf clothing. Expensive shoes, long and loud socks, plaid as far as the eyes could see and the "Funny" hat with the cat toy on top.

Not to mention the huge leather bag full of shiny clubs each with it's own "Hat" and attached to a rig with wheels so he could pull it around.

Sad to say, even with his $$$$$$$$$$$ investment, he was far worse than I was with my $16 total for the day.

That being said, I took the advice of Vacumatic (Thank You Kind Sir!) and I purchased the Jinhao 159 and 25 Jinhao Blue Ink Cartridges for $7.54 including S&H from Amazon.com

Granted that this will not be the greatest pen and ink available, it should be enough to decide if I want to invest more on better gear which I have no problem with doing.

Now I just need to find some halfway decent paper while I am waiting for my new "Toy's" to be delivered!

UncleRJ said:

Again, a very sincere thank's to you all for your advice.

As I said earlier, I prefer to spend small amounts to get started on a new venture.

Sorry in advance for being long winded with my example.

Many years ago, my best friend got bitten by the Golf Bug and kept insisting that I would love it.

I gave in and promised to play 9 holes with him if he bought me lunch.

We went to the golf course and I rented a canvas bag with an assortment of clubs and purchased a big bag of golf balls that had been fished out of the water hazards.

I was HORRIBLE as I expected and out of respect, we let everyone play through.

Finally a foursome showed up and we let them in front of us.

One of them was wearing the very best in Golf clothing. Expensive shoes, long and loud socks, plaid as far as the eyes could see and the "Funny" hat with the cat toy on top.

Not to mention the huge leather bag full of shiny clubs each with it's own "Hat" and attached to a rig with wheels so he could pull it around.

Sad to say, even with his $$$$$$$$$$$ investment, he was far worse than I was with my $16 total for the day.

That being said, I took the advice of Vacumatic (Thank You Kind Sir!) and I purchased the Jinhao 159 and 25 Jinhao Blue Ink Cartridges for $7.54 including S&H from Amazon.com

Granted that this will not be the greatest pen and ink available, it should be enough to decide if I want to invest more on better gear which I have no problem with doing.

Now I just need to find some halfway decent paper while I am waiting for my new "Toy's" to be delivered!

Click to expand...

While playing with the best of everything won't make you a better player, playing with sub-par equipment won't help the cause at all. If you don't like the pen and ink, then you should consider trying something else. If you do end up liking the pen and ink, then you should consider to try something better.

I've had a few Jinhaos, and some can be nice; some can be not so nice. I've never tried Jinhao inks though. Let us know how everything goes!

Claudel Xerxes said:

While playing with the best of everything won't make you a better player, playing with sub-par equipment won't help the cause at all. If you don't like the pen and ink, then you should consider trying something else. If you do end up liking the pen and ink, then you should consider to try something better.

I've had a few Jinhaos, and some can be nice; some can be not so nice. I've never tried Jinhao inks though. Let us know how everything goes!

Click to expand...

Good advice here. A fountain pen should write pretty smoothly and effortlessly. Some of the Chinese pens I have used are great, and some aren't worth a one hundredth of the Seventy Five Cents I gave for them. If you experience scratching, hard starting, and/or poor quality controll, perhaps you might consider the Metropolitan too.

Also remember that the 159 is HEAVY. Mine writes quite well, but I find it too big and heavy for my hand. Another consideration if you find yourself somewhat disappointed with your purchase. Good luck!

For $7.54 I decided "What the heck" also remembering Amazon's return policies.

As far as the size and weight is concerned, I have large hands and fat fingers so this may actually be a plus for me.

Probably going to end up purchasing the Metropolitan anyway down the road when I need to reorder Cryrogen Shaving Soap.

UncleRJ said:

Again, a very sincere thank's to you all for your advice.

As I said earlier, I prefer to spend small amounts to get started on a new venture.

Sorry in advance for being long winded with my example.

Many years ago, my best friend got bitten by the Golf Bug and kept insisting that I would love it.

I gave in and promised to play 9 holes with him if he bought me lunch.

We went to the golf course and I rented a canvas bag with an assortment of clubs and purchased a big bag of golf balls that had been fished out of the water hazards.

I was HORRIBLE as I expected and out of respect, we let everyone play through.

Finally a foursome showed up and we let them in front of us.

One of them was wearing the very best in Golf clothing. Expensive shoes, long and loud socks, plaid as far as the eyes could see and the "Funny" hat with the cat toy on top.

Not to mention the huge leather bag full of shiny clubs each with it's own "Hat" and attached to a rig with wheels so he could pull it around.

Sad to say, even with his $$$$$$$$$$$ investment, he was far worse than I was with my $16 total for the day.

That being said, I took the advice of Vacumatic (Thank You Kind Sir!) and I purchased the Jinhao 159 and 25 Jinhao Blue Ink Cartridges for $7.54 including S&H from Amazon.com

Granted that this will not be the greatest pen and ink available, it should be enough to decide if I want to invest more on better gear which I have no problem with doing.

Now I just need to find some halfway decent paper while I am waiting for my new "Toy's" to be delivered!

Click to expand...

Good look with the Jinhao, 5 years ago I would not have suggested a chinese pen to anyone wanting to dip their tow in the pen water, they have come a long way since then, not a lot of money to see if you like using a pen.

Try and get hold of a loupe and look at the end of the nib, should be something like oo for alignment, plenty of youtube vids to help you if fine tuning is needed.

Beware this is a slippery slope - enjoy the Jinhao and you will open the flood gates to Montblancs and then vintage pens and all manor of goodies, even the Parker Vacumatic.

Even though I verified that my Jinhao 159 had shipped via Hong Kong Post, I decided that I simply could not wait for the Fountain Pen Experience!

That being said, I ordered the Pilot Metropolitan Medium Nib pen, the Pilot Con 50 converter and a bottle of Noodler's Baystate Blue

On a side note here for all of you that have decided to take you time to help me out, I have an real life motive.

My darling Daughter and the apple of my eye is getting married next month.

To a really nice guy that I 100% approve of.

Dear old Dad (Me) got it into his head that he wants to hand-write a special letter to his little girl to be hand delivered on the day of her wedding.

Per Amazon.com, my "Kit" should be delivered by this coming Thursday.

Which means that I have until the evening of September 9th to finish crafting the best ever handwritten letter to a daughter that has ever been written!

Now I just have to pick out a Cursive Script that I can manage with the above materials.

Links to examples of script are badly needed!

Again, thanks to all that have taken the time to help me out here

There is a compate cursive writing lesson here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wInhVD9ZT-s

For the big day some good quality paper is essential, Jetpens have a guide

http://www.jetpens.com/blog/fountain-pen-paper-recommendations/pt/730

.....and lots of practice.

This sounds like a lovely idea, I am sure that it will mean so much to your daughter.

Vacumatic said:

There is a compate cursive writing lesson here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wInhVD9ZT-s

For the big day some good quality paper is essential, Jetpens have a guide

http://www.jetpens.com/blog/fountain-pen-paper-recommendations/pt/730

.....and lots of practice.

This sounds like a lovely idea, I am sure that it will mean so much to your daughter.

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And a Very Sincere THANK YOU!

My wife has spent many, MANY hours making a commemorative needlepoint sampler for them.

As you can see, I/We are doing everything we can to make our daughters wedding extra special.
My role as the father of the bride has mostly been signing checks and saying "Yes" to any and all questions.

Other than the father daughter dance ( I hope to GOD they don't record that disaster as I have two left feet) my only duties are to be there.

And to be very well groomed and wearing my Tux.

As to my grooming, the week before I get a haircut (don' want to show up with a brand new haircut)

Sparing no expense (but some sleep and a few $$$) I have arranged to meet my barber at 7:30 A.M. (they do not open until 8:00 A.M.) to get the DELUXE treatment.

Hot towels, hot lather, straight edge razor shave, beard, moustach and eyebrow trim and a last minute touch up to my hair.

Nothing but the best for Daddy's Princess!

BTW, did I mention that I purchased a blinking LED bow-tie to wear for about 10 minutes behind the scenes? Just long enough "Freak her out) backstage before things get rolling?

I've been using the Jinhao Lamy copy for a couple of months as a fairly low risk work pen. So far I am on my third (I gifted the first two, they didn't break). So far they have been fine, especially for what it cost.

One of those for a few dollars would be a good introduction to fountain pens. If you like it, buy something better to try out. If you don't, bin it.