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View Full Version : Pocket-size advice - or - Can I have the moon on a stick, please?



spuntotheratboy
January 27th, 2013, 05:21 AM
In recent years I've more or less completely abandoned fountain pens for the convenience of the Fisher Space Pen. And it is great, no doubt, but I'm missing using a fountain pen. What I really want is an italic space pen, if such a thing were not an oxymoron.

But it seems there are a few pens that come close. Most particularly I really like the look of the Kaweco Liliput, and the A G Spalding Mini looks pretty good too, and I know there are others I've not looked into.

But it seems as though there are drawbacks. The first, only a minor point, is cartridges. I'd much prefer to convert and use bottled ink if possible. The Kaweco Sport takes a converter, I think, but it's a bit chunky - I really am looking for something that can fit comfortably in my trouser pocket.

More important is line variation. It looks to me as though neither of the pens I mentioned can take an italic or even a stub nib, but perhaps there's a bit of flex in a medium nib, enough to give me a bit of line variation?

I'm fully aware I'm asking for the moon on a stick! But I'd be very grateful for advice and recommendations - perhaps someone knows of something like the Liliput but with a stub nib and a converter, and then I'd feel silly not to have asked.

Thanks!

fountainpenkid
January 27th, 2013, 05:30 AM
I believe that Jinhao makes a Fisher space pen fountain pen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVO1CVRdfI4

They don't hold much ink though. But they do take a converter. I know nothing about putting a stub nib on it though. If you want a pen that is really close to the liliput's form factor, but that takes a converter, and has a nib to your liking, the only way I think you could do it would be to go to a custom pen maker and have them turn a pen like that for you. Shawn Newton of Newton pens seems to be an upcoming great pen turner, that has lower prices. He also offers button fillers. Brian Gray of course is great too, and he just released a pneumatic filler. If you're willing to spend a couple hundred, maybe you could have him make a pneumatic filler on a liliput style pen--but it would take a lot of work on his part, as he would have to fabricate all new parts for a pen that slim.

spuntotheratboy
January 27th, 2013, 06:03 AM
Interesting! I'm afraid a hand-made pen is not even an option, lovely though the idea is - I'm looking for something that's going to sit in my pocket and get knocked and dropped - but the Jinhao is interesting. Not as pretty as the Liliput or the Mini, but the converter is a bonus.

As for nibs, I'm starting to wonder if it might be worth looking into grinding it myself - nothing radical, just enough to give me some thicks and thins.

Thanks very much.

fountainpenkid
January 27th, 2013, 09:10 AM
Interesting! I'm afraid a hand-made pen is not even an option, lovely though the idea is - I'm looking for something that's going to sit in my pocket and get knocked and dropped - but the Jinhao is interesting. Not as pretty as the Liliput or the Mini, but the converter is a bonus.

As for nibs, I'm starting to wonder if it might be worth looking into grinding it myself - nothing radical, just enough to give me some thicks and thins.

Thanks very much.

Unless a custom pen would be too expensive or you don't think you could find what you're looking for, I really don't think knocking or dropping is a problem, unless this is literally being thrown across rooms and hitting concrete floors constantly. I use a Pelikan m400 in my pants pocket most days--it falls of the floor sometimes, I might run with it in my pocket...and it is fine. I really don't think there should be a problem. But I used to use space pens too, and they were fun, and so I see that if you're really used to using them, then maybe an acrylic pen is too much of a change. My ED-use pen (used in my pants pocket) is actually a Parker Slender Vacumatic, in grey pearl. It is very small and quite thin, fits in a pocket very nicely, and holds over 2ml of ink. I do not baby it either...celluloid is actually quite durable if it is high quality...I don't know if it is easy to find an Italic nib in one of those though. If you do like the looks of them, I can highly recommend one. You can find one for under $150 restored, and under $100 unrestored.

snedwos
January 27th, 2013, 02:43 PM
1.1 mm TWSBI Mini? But I guess it would be a risk if you're going to really mistreat it. The Stipula Passaporto is an eyedropper filled pen, and I'm sure you could get a stub.
The Sailor Chalana would be the silly option, and I doubt they make italic nibs for it.

fountainpenkid
January 27th, 2013, 04:34 PM
1.1 mm TWSBI Mini? But I guess it would be a risk if you're going to really mistreat it. The Stipula Passaporto is an eyedropper filled pen, and I'm sure you could get a stub.
The Sailor Chalana would be the silly option, and I doubt they make italic nibs for it.

I think that if TWSBI ends up fixing their plastic one and for all, then the mini might work...but it is fat, thus will show in the pocket. The Stipula passaporto is another good suggestion. Both are fat for their size though, and I don't know if the OP likes that or not. I can't recommend the mini from my own experience because of the cracking though. There is no guarantee about anything TWSBI it seems.

KrazyIvan
January 27th, 2013, 08:13 PM
My Stipula Passaporto has a .9 mm stub. Very smooth. I have the AGSpalding, Kaweco sport, and have had the Liliput. Best bang for the buck is the Kaweco Sport with 1.1 mm italic.

spuntotheratboy
January 28th, 2013, 06:47 AM
Wow, thanks a lot for all your advice - lots to think about!

Cost is a good part of the reason I'm not looking at a custom pen, but also... well, my Space Pen is dented and scratched, which I like because it's real-life wear and tear, but I'd feel different about a custom-made object. I'm not looking for the pen of my dreams, you see (except in a weird way I kinda am...) but something I don't have to loose any sleep over, and which I can replace or repair easily if it gets lost or broken. The Vacumatic's beautiful, but not the pen I'm looking for right now.

Sailor Chalana - yeah, silly's the word! But thanks a lot for pointing it out, I enjoyed seeing it.

TWSBI Mini looks interesting, not as much to my taste ęsthetically as the Liliput or the Spalding, and if it's likely to break then I'm likely to break it, if you see what I mean. I don't want to give the impression that I use pens to bang nails in, or anything! But I am looking for something I don't need to worry about.

The Stipula looks like a great pen - on the fat side, but very pretty and it has a proper filler and I could get a stub - maybe even a full italic, or cursive italic, I'll investigate. Definitely on my list.

And then the Sport - not as nice as the Stipula, but then again I'd worry about it less. And a proper filler, and a stub...

I really appreciate your all taking the time to help. Such a shame there's no italic or stub for the Liliput, I really love the look of it! At the moment I'm thinking about the Stipula or the Sport.

Thanks again!

KrazyIvan
January 28th, 2013, 08:54 AM
One thing I forgot to mention. I have owned the Fisher Space Pen. Keep in mind the Sport is very light weight. The Space pen feels more weighty if I remember right. The Sport is all plastic/acrylic as is the Stipula but the Stipula feels higher quality. Even then, the regular Sport feels like a good everyday beater pen you can carry in your pant pocket (although I would not do that). If you want metal, look at the Al-Sport. The Carbon Sport is just cool to look at. That is one I have not tried yet so can't really comment too much on. Maybe in the future.

fountainpenkid
January 28th, 2013, 10:11 AM
One thing I forgot to mention. I have owned the Fisher Space Pen. Keep in mind the Sport is very light weight. The Space pen feels more weighty if I remember right. The Sport is all plastic/acrylic as is the Stipula but the Stipula feels higher quality. Even then, the regular Sport feels like a good everyday beater pen you can carry in your pant pocket (although I would not do that). If you want metal, look at the Al-Sport. The Carbon Sport is just cool to look at. That is one I have not tried yet so can't really comment too much on. Maybe in the future.

+1 to all of that! It is a shame that the mini has cracking problems, because it is the coolest pen (IMO) of this bunch. The all sports look awesome!

eriquito
January 28th, 2013, 04:16 PM
My Stipula Passaporto has a .9 mm stub. Very smooth. I have the AGSpalding, Kaweco sport, and have had the Liliput. Best bang for the buck is the Kaweco Sport with 1.1 mm italic.

I really, really like the Kaweco Sport. So much so that I often visit Anderson Pens just to see if I can put one in the shopping cart. But then I remember... it's too small for a converter. Has that changed? Am I remembering incorrectly? I had one that I converted to an eye dropper, but I wasn't thrilled with that solution.

I'm still looking for a Kaweco Sport safety filler from the 30's, but who knows when I'll find one. I may have to grab a piston filler at the LA Pen Show.

Ivan, do you like the Passaporto? Every time I see them at pen shows I'm shocked at how small they are. Can any sort of writing comfort be found in them?

Have I totally hijacked this thread? Hang me. Hang me now!

- Eric

KrazyIvan
January 28th, 2013, 04:34 PM
I really, really like the Kaweco Sport. So much so that I often visit Anderson Pens just to see if I can put one in the shopping cart. But then I remember... it's too small for a converter. Has that changed? Am I remembering incorrectly? I had one that I converted to an eye dropper, but I wasn't thrilled with that solution.

I'm still looking for a Kaweco Sport safety filler from the 30's, but who knows when I'll find one. I may have to grab a piston filler at the LA Pen Show.

Ivan, do you like the Passaporto? Every time I see them at pen shows I'm shocked at how small they are. Can any sort of writing comfort be found in them?

Have I totally hijacked this thread? Hang me. Hang me now!

- Eric

The Monteverde mini converter fits the Kaweco Sport. I think I saw a Kaweco Safety on eBay a month or so back. It went for way more than I was willing to pay. Maybe it was a different pen.

I have seen some very small Chinese aerometric converters (ala Con-20 but smaller) sell on eBay in lots of 4-6 and have been meaning to get some to test out. I have seen posts on FPN that suggest they fit a variety of midget pens.

I do like the Passaporto. It is one of the few mini pens that I can hold comfortably. It is a larger diameter section that makes the whole thing work for me and probably why I like the Kaweco Sport too. I had trouble with the Liliput because it was too small of a diameter. The AG Spalding is almost the same way but redeems itself by not having to screw the cap on to post it.

auto winder
January 29th, 2013, 12:10 PM
...

I have seen some very small Chinese aerometric converters (ala Con-20 but smaller) sell on eBay in lots of 4-6 and have been meaning to get some to test out. I have seen posts on FPN that suggest they fit a variety of midget pens.
...

I bought a pack of 4 converters like that, unfortunately they were a bit too wide to fit into the Kaweco Sport.

KrazyIvan
January 29th, 2013, 12:24 PM
I just found this converter that looks interesting (not my image):

http://templarink.com/images/ConverterComparison.jpg

Pinkys.Brain
January 30th, 2013, 06:33 AM
As for the nib of the Kaweco: Take a BB nib and grind it to a stub. There is a lot of tipping to play with ^_^

spuntotheratboy
January 31st, 2013, 06:25 AM
As for the nib of the Kaweco: Take a BB nib and grind it to a stub. There is a lot of tipping to play with ^_^

That's actually my plan - I ordered the Liliput the other day, so I'm just waiting for it to turn up and I'll break out my whetstones!

I'll let you know how it works out.

spuntotheratboy
February 6th, 2013, 06:03 PM
So, my Kaweco Liliput turned up this evening. I just spent an hour or so with my whetstones and, while the nib's not perfect yet by any means - a little dry and rough - I'm pretty pleased with it as a first go. I'll write with it for a while and then go back to my finest stone and see what I can do.

Here's a writing sample; slightly out of focus and a bit scrawly, but I think it shows that I managed to get some italic character out of the nib. The ink is J. Herbin Perle Noire on cheap printer paper. I think it's a little grey still because of the water I rinsed it with after grinding.

1662

Thanks again for all your advice.

Cheers!

fountainpenkid
February 6th, 2013, 06:25 PM
So, my Kaweco Liliput turned up this evening. I just spent an hour or so with my whetstones and, while the nib's not perfect yet by any means - a little dry and rough - I'm pretty pleased with it as a first go. I'll write with it for a while and then go back to my finest stone and see what I can do.

Here's a writing sample; slightly out of focus and a bit scrawly, but I think it shows that I managed to get some italic character out of the nib. The ink is J. Herbin Perle Noire on cheap printer paper. I think it's a little grey still because of the water I rinsed it with after grinding.

1662

Thanks again for all your advice.

Cheers!

great to hear! Tell us how it ends up!

KrazyIvan
February 6th, 2013, 10:39 PM
Impressive, most impressive.

earthdawn
February 6th, 2013, 10:55 PM
Well I love my Kaweco Sport for work. It's cheap enough I dont have to worry about it.

Now I recently found out how to do a neat trick but putting a sack on a cut down cart.... Holds a lot more ink and the ink of my choice.

http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac10/thevaporcafe/659378B1-7417-4F80-BC1F-90F4EC3957B6-3471-000000E9AD81FD13.jpg

spuntotheratboy
February 6th, 2013, 11:47 PM
Thanks KrazyIvan!

Now, earthdawn, you have to tell me the rest... balloon? Condom? I'm really intrigued!

eriquito
February 6th, 2013, 11:56 PM
Now I recently found out how to do a neat trick but putting a sack on a cut down cart.... Holds a lot more ink and the ink of my choice.

earthdawn! This is a really cool and ingenius trick! It will definitely put a modern Kaweco Sport on my LA Pen Show shopping list. Thank you for sharing!

=) Eric

earthdawn
February 7th, 2013, 12:03 AM
Hehe... that was mean eh'

Ok i am going to do a video on how to do it but it is really easy.

You need a empty cart, #6 sac and shellac. Pendemonium has the sacs and shellac CHEAP.

Ready... in a nut shell you cut the cart leavign about an 1/8" on the back side. Then measure out the sac while on the cart so it will fit within the back of the pen once on. Then cut the sac to size and add shellac to the cart and put the sac on. Once it dries you will now have an eyedropper for your Kaweco.

Holds a lot of ink and is super cheap. Does not leak as long as you apply the shellac correctly. Its easy to make a few it you want so you can change out the ink color without to much effort other then cleaning the nib out.

snedwos
February 7th, 2013, 12:22 AM
Drill a hole in the end of the barrel and make it a blow filler!

inky
February 7th, 2013, 09:19 AM
I may have to give that cart/bulb filler a try!

ink mixer
February 10th, 2013, 03:09 PM
Is it really so hard to syringe refill cartridges? That being said, after using my Kaweko for a couple months, the piston filling model would be cool.

fountainpenkid
February 10th, 2013, 04:12 PM
Is it really so hard to syringe refill cartridges? That being said, after using my Kaweko for a couple months, the piston filling model would be cool.

I don't think it should be that hard...but It just seems like it would be hard to flush.

snedwos
February 10th, 2013, 05:29 PM
Not hard, just annoying.

spuntotheratboy
February 19th, 2013, 04:27 AM
great to hear! Tell us how it ends up!

Granted! I've been using my pen all the time with a massive smile on my face. Hooray, I'm italic again! And I daresay it's not as smooth as a commercial italic nib but it's pretty good - I'd call it feedbacky rather than scratchy.

I finished my first cartridge and refilled it with Noodler's Black and everything's lovely.

I'm going to leave it alone for a while now - the sac conversion looks great but because of the small size of the pen I think the increase in ink capacity would be pretty minimal. Maybe I'll have a go one day when I have a bit of spare time!

Thanks again everyone for your advice and encouragement.

fountainpenkid
February 19th, 2013, 06:49 AM
Granted! I've been using my pen all the time with a massive smile on my face. Hooray, I'm italic again! And I daresay it's not as smooth as a commercial italic nib but it's pretty good - I'd call it feedbacky rather than scratchy.

I finished my first cartridge and refilled it with Noodler's Black and everything's lovely.

I'm going to leave it alone for a while now - the sac conversion looks great but because of the small size of the pen I think the increase in ink capacity would be pretty minimal. Maybe I'll have a go one day when I have a bit of spare time!

Thanks again everyone for your advice and encouragement.

Nice! I think the "bulb" filler conversion may do more than you think....with the cartridge, the ink capacity is about .6ml I think...and with the bulb thing it is a little bit over 1ml...

Best,

AndreasDavour
February 19th, 2013, 02:51 PM
I just found this converter that looks interesting (not my image):

http://templarink.com/images/ConverterComparison.jpg

Jeebus! That must be the smallest converter ever. I wonder how much ink it will hold. Enough for a post card?

snedwos
February 19th, 2013, 03:49 PM
Jeebus! That must be the smallest converter ever. I wonder how much ink it will hold. Enough for a post card?

If you fill the pen with sand instead of ink, and use a needlepoint nib, maybe...

KrazyIvan
February 19th, 2013, 04:17 PM
I bought the converter but have not tested it yet. I am still trying out the mini arometric filler in my Passaporto. That holds roughly .2-.3 ml's.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8088/8467431986_84419715ce_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ivan_romero/8467431986/)
Just to show how the mini squeeze converter fits in the Stipula Passaporto. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ivan_romero/8467431986/) by IvanRomero (http://www.flickr.com/people/ivan_romero/), on Flickr

fountainpenkid
February 19th, 2013, 04:40 PM
I bought the converter but have not tested it yet. I am still trying out the mini arometric filler in my Passaporto. That holds roughly .2-.3 ml's.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8088/8467431986_84419715ce_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ivan_romero/8467431986/)
Just to show how the mini squeeze converter fits in the Stipula Passaporto. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ivan_romero/8467431986/) by IvanRomero (http://www.flickr.com/people/ivan_romero/), on Flickr
very cute, but I think I would stick with the eyedropper in the end...

spuntotheratboy
March 4th, 2013, 10:59 AM
I took my Liliput up in an airplane recently, 3 hour flight, and it didn't leak even a tiny bit either way. I even wrote with it in the air and it was fine. I've got Noodler's Black in a re-filled cartridge. Result!

fountainpenkid
March 4th, 2013, 02:46 PM
I took my Liliput up in an airplane recently, 3 hour flight, and it didn't leak even a tiny bit either way. I even wrote with it in the air and it was fine. I've got Noodler's Black in a re-filled cartridge. Result!

great to hear!

Petergly
March 11th, 2013, 03:48 PM
I took my Liliput up in an airplane recently, 3 hour flight, and it didn't leak even a tiny bit either way. I even wrote with it in the air and it was fine. I've got Noodler's Black in a re-filled cartridge. Result!

Good to hear. I have just bought one, and will be doing the same thing with mine.

KrazyIvan
April 24th, 2013, 08:18 AM
From this thread: http://fpgeeks.com/forum/showthread.php/2089-Micro-Pocket-Pens?p=21336#post21336



I have one of those. Unfortunately, it did not work with my Kaweco Sport.
What was the problem? Fit, ink flow or something else?

The converter did not fit on the nipple.

UK Mike
April 27th, 2013, 06:03 AM
I tried the Monteverde mini converter on a recent Kaweco Sport and the thing just doesn't fit. Apparently Kaweco made some subtle changes to the back of the feed, it isn't the bore of the converter so much as the outside diameter or something. I have inspected it and can't see why it doesn't fit - but it doesn't.

I'm now using the official Kaweco squeeze converter - everything fits, but ink capacity is very small and I have the impression that the converter doesn't fill very well.