basic newbie Qs

[SEBENZA]

right its been almost 4 days since ive been a fpgeek so forgive me these QS please , i must of put
40 hours into looking at fountain pens etc i think ive got the gist of them and have enjoyed every minute of it , but would like to clear up a few things up .

??s :confused:

1)is ink (bottled) more economical than cartridge or is it just for fun / diversity that people use bottled .?

2)do you have to screw the piston down on a convertor/piston pen to keep pressure on fluid .?

3)is there a benefit to gold nibs do they write better or is a bragging rights type of thing .
?
4)what is a demonstrator pen is it to show insides working ?

5)within the knife collecting world forgeries are a growing concern , is this something i should be weary of with pelikan pens .?

6)weird one ,and id go and look but im snowed in at present but do w.h smiths in the uk sell inks etc for fountain pens and fountian pens themselves ?

[fountainpenkid]

1. I think it really depends. Inks like Pelikan Edelstien or Iroshizuku will probably not be more cost effective than cartridges. But inks around the $12 range, if they are 80ml or so of ink (Diamine, Noodler's, Pelikan....) are more cost effective. So overall, I would say that unless you are buying all expensive inks, that it will be more cost effective to use bottled ink. Cartridges are no fun anyway!

2. I don't totally understand what you're asking...But if you think that every time you want to use a piston filler or convertor pen, that you have to twist it to get the pen to write, than that is a misconception. Sometimes bad nib/ink combos will cause that, but you really should be able to leave the piston/convertor untouched untill it runs out of ink.

3. Gold nibs are not better in terms of smoothness, most of the time. (The tipping is the same on both, right? ;)) But they do allow for flexibility, which can be very fun. The only other advantage is that they can be retippped and repaired more easily than a steel nib. For me, I choose gold nibs because I just want a gold nib. No real reason. Just my irrational thought ;)

4. Yes. Now'days, there isn't always as much to show--the filling system is usually a boring c/c.

5. No. Pelikans are popular among people who like fountain pens, but they don't have some luxury aura around them like Mont Blanc. I've never heard of fake Pelikans (at least fake ones that are SOLD as real Pelikans).

6. I live in the U.S so I can't help you with that one...

3.

[SEBENZA]

hi thanks , i think you covered everything for me .

no 2 is spot on exactly what i was asking so thanks ,so they draw down automatically ?

just thought of another , flex nibs i take it this is for line variation which is nice in a pen so a flex nib would presumably be made of gold .


sorry for qs ill be gettinga few books arriving soon so should get better lol .

thanks FPK

[fountainpenkid]

hi thanks , i think you covered everything for me .

no 2 is spot on exactly what i was asking so thanks ,so they draw down automatically ?

just thought of another , flex nibs i take it this is for line variation which is nice in a pen so a flex nib would presumably be made of gold .


sorry for qs ill be gettinga few books arriving soon so should get better lol .

thanks FPK
You're welcome!
Flex nibs don't have to be made of gold, but the best ones are...Noodler's makes many inexpensive pens with steel flex nibs: http://www.gouletpens.com/Noodlers_Pens_s/809.htm Fountain Pen Revolution also sells cheap flex pens: http://www.fountainpenrevolution.com/ The one problem with those is that neither are very high quality pens...both seem to be plagued with problems (a bit more so with the noodler's pens though) although, in Noodler's defense, they are made to encourage tinkering...thus the reason why they often don't write out of the box. Go to Greg Minuskin's site and sometimes you'll find $70-$80 gold nibbed flex pens...some are just 3rd tier cheapies with a nice nib, but he'll also find some sheaffer's, wahl eversharp...etc.

Best!

[earthdawn]

What fountainpenkid said !!!

http://gregminuskin.com

Check often if your interested... he comes out at random with some AMAZING deals !!! He is also, if you did not know, one of the most respected Nibmeisters out there so you can be 100% assured you will get a pen that writes how it should from day 1.
FYI if you do go and find something you want DO NOT WAIT... just email him that you want it and then wait to see if you were the first. He will email you if you were successful or not.

[KrazyIvan]

I think most of the questions have been answered.

One thing I would like to add on the Pelikan forgeries, there is a distinction between a forgery and an homage pen. I have seen homage pens based on Pelikan. Libelle makes one that I have seen. The pen looks like a Pelikan but they do not label it as a Pelikan, which would make it a fake.

(Not my images) A real Pelikan (on the left A Reforrm 1745 on the right which is sort of an homage pen too):

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7141/6550458169_83f93f44a5_z.jpg

The Libelle homage:

http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Libelle-Carbon-Fiber-and-Black-Fountain-Pen-/00/s/MTYwMFgyNzM=/$(KGrHqIOKioE6(bmqYMWBOwC2tCYW!~~60_57.JPG

[FP_GaF]

WHSmith sells some inks but at inflated prices. In the UK you can order all your heart desires online from either Cult Pens (in Taunton) or the Writing Desk. Not affiliated with either but have used both excessively and I am a very happy customer.

Both carry a lot of inks. The Writing Desk is the UK retailer for Edison and TWSBI. They also carry Sailor which Cult Pens does not.

Have a look at both but tie down your wallet and cut up your debit and credit cards before you do so...

Other online retailers are available.

[Saintpaulia]

Also in Merrie Old England don't overlook Andy's Pens. Good guy and a full service shop with many brands, incl. Pelikan.

[Pendora]

Just a thought here newbie....... if you have cartridges that are empty just flush them out and refill them with your favorite fountain pen ink. I use blunt tip hypodermic needles (available cheap on my site) and just fill with water to get inside the cartridge.

Michelle
Pendora LLC
www.pendorapens.com


right its been almost 4 days since ive been a fpgeek so forgive me these QS please , i must of put
40 hours into looking at fountain pens etc i think ive got the gist of them and have enjoyed every minute of it , but would like to clear up a few things up .

??s :confused:

1)is ink (bottled) more economical than cartridge or is it just for fun / diversity that people use bottled .?

2)do you have to screw the piston down on a convertor/piston pen to keep pressure on fluid .?

3)is there a benefit to gold nibs do they write better or is a bragging rights type of thing .
?
4)what is a demonstrator pen is it to show insides working ?

5)within the knife collecting world forgeries are a growing concern , is this something i should be weary of with pelikan pens .?

6)weird one ,and id go and look but im snowed in at present but do w.h smiths in the uk sell inks etc for fountain pens and fountian pens themselves ?

[Pendora]

I agree the demonstrators fill systems are really boring but I think alot of people like the demonstrators because they can have a few lined up with different inks and they just LOOK COOL!!

Michelle
Pendora LLC
www.pendorapens.com



1. I think it really depends. Inks like Pelikan Edelstien or Iroshizuku will probably not be more cost effective than cartridges. But inks around the $12 range, if they are 80ml or so of ink (Diamine, Noodler's, Pelikan....) are more cost effective. So overall, I would say that unless you are buying all expensive inks, that it will be more cost effective to use bottled ink. Cartridges are no fun anyway!

2. I don't totally understand what you're asking...But if you think that every time you want to use a piston filler or convertor pen, that you have to twist it to get the pen to write, than that is a misconception. Sometimes bad nib/ink combos will cause that, but you really should be able to leave the piston/convertor untouched untill it runs out of ink.

3. Gold nibs are not better in terms of smoothness, most of the time. (The tipping is the same on both, right? ;)) But they do allow for flexibility, which can be very fun. The only other advantage is that they can be retippped and repaired more easily than a steel nib. For me, I choose gold nibs because I just want a gold nib. No real reason. Just my irrational thought ;)

4. Yes. Now'days, there isn't always as much to show--the filling system is usually a boring c/c.

5. No. Pelikans are popular among people who like fountain pens, but they don't have some luxury aura around them like Mont Blanc. I've never heard of fake Pelikans (at least fake ones that are SOLD as real Pelikans).

6. I live in the U.S so I can't help you with that one...

3.

[Pelikan-Vera]

Nichepens offer the best deals for Peli's in the UK. enjoy. No affiliations here either.

[whych]

Regarding fake Pelikans.
Germany probably had more pen manufacturers than any other country up to the '50s early 60's.
Many of these manufacturers made pens that looked similar to the original Pelikan or MB but in most cases put their own brand name on them (like Reform) or were they were made by smaller manufacturers who never put a brand name on the pen.
In many cases the pen clip mimicked the Pelikan one, or even Parker but were never sold as these brands.
The fake pens are all from the far east and would not have come from any German manufacturer.

[fountainpenkid]

Regarding fake Pelikans.
Germany probably had more pen manufacturers than any other country up to the '50s early 60's.
Many of these manufacturers made pens that looked similar to the original Pelikan or MB but in most cases put their own brand name on them (like Reform) or were they were made by smaller manufacturers who never put a brand name on the pen.
In many cases the pen clip mimicked the Pelikan one, or even Parker but were never sold as these brands.
The fake pens are all from the far east and would not have come from any German manufacturer.
+100. Goldfink I believe made 400-like pens in the 50's, but as you said, they called them something else.