Greetings

[d.b]

Very new here- joined last night
I will take things slowly AND read FAQ before asking particularly naive question. Well I'll try!
I like to write with a fountain pen and have been researching the options available to me.

ISSUES
1 I don't have a lot of dollars to invest so am interested in the higher quality Chinese models or super bargain traditional offerings.
2 I do not need 50 pens in my life
3 I am left handed
4 my hand writing is all but illegible
5 not interested in calligraphy beyond maybe a simple signature
All the above will have caused some "we'll learn him" and are perhaps open to partial reversal
Oh and the big #6
6 I am almost blind -dark glasses, long white cane

[thagbert]

Welcome to the fold!

[cedargirl]

Hi and welcome d.b.

There are a lot of very good inexpensive fountain pens around.
Chinese pens seem hit and miss. I have quite a few and I would not recommend Baoer or Kaigelu for a beginner. I would recommend Jinhao, Huashilai and Luoshi. Other people have had different experiences.
I'm not sure if the weight of a pen is pertinent to your needs. (You didn't mention whether you are an under writer or an over writer, and I'm neither, so I don't know whether it is relevant.) The point I am slowly gettingto is that many Chinese pens are made of metal (brass I believe) and some of them are quite heavy in the hand, particularly if you like posting the cap.

I would suggest that you need to use a pen that has a Fine nib. These deposit less ink and therefore the ink is less prone to smudging.
You might also find a quick dry ink is preferable and there are quite a few of these available.

As to a pen recommendation, everyone has their favourite. Many people start out with Lamy Safaris. I'm not particularly found of mine because it has a contoured grip section which tells you where to put your fingers. But it is this feature that you might find useful. They come in a range of colours and nib styles and are not expensive (around $30 or less).

Take the time to find some fountain pen friendly paper. It is a mistake to think you can get a good result from a fountain pen on normal cheap and nasty writing pads. You do have to invest in more expensive stationery, or be prepared to hunt around in your local stationers until you find some paper that works with FP ink.

And finally, please don't expect using a fountain pen will improve your hand writing, per se. The only thing that will make your writing get better is you - through persistent practice. Fountain pens can, however, make this journey more pleasing.

I hope that helps, somewhat. You will get a lot of useful advice here. It won't always be consistent. But that's what makes life here interesting and challenging.

Good luck.

[Tracy Lee]

Very nice to have you with us!

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

[jbb]

Welcome.

[d.b]

Cedar girl et al
Thanks for the warm welcome
1 weight not a particular problem
2 am looking at Lamy
3 was also thinking pilot 78g??
4Smudging not a major problem I don't hold my pen in that twisted crack handed style where a lefty has been taught to write by a right hander.
Suspect my grade teacher now long dead was a lefty.
5 now the fine nib suggestion requires consideration
I've been looking at very broad nibs because having written I need to be able to read it??!
6 paper if I buy a ream what specs do you suggest?

Excuse the staccato style - I decipher rather than read. This style or lack rhereof saves me from editing and punctuating < sad ad I was once a teacher if English!

[cedargirl]

Cedar girl et al
Thanks for the warm welcome
1 weight not a particular problem
2 am looking at Lamy
3 was also thinking pilot 78g??
4Smudging not a major problem I don't hold my pen in that twisted crack handed style where a lefty has been taught to write by a right hander.
Suspect my grade teacher now long dead was a lefty.
5 now the fine nib suggestion requires consideration
I've been looking at very broad nibs because having written I need to be able to read it??!
6 paper if I buy a ream what specs do you suggest?

Excuse the staccato style - I decipher rather than read. This style or lack rhereof saves me from editing and punctuating < sad ad I was once a teacher if English!

If smudging isn't an issue for you, but having a larger line is, most of what I wrote is probably irrelevant.
The Pilot 78G is a good pen and you can get it as broad as a BB. It's so inexpensive that if it doesn't work out for you you could replace it with something else.
With the Lamys, if you don't like the nib, you can buy replacement nibs.
You might find it easier to use cartridges, rather than having to fill a pen from a bottle? In which case, make sure you get a pen that will take cartridges.

[cwent2]

:welcome:

[fountainpenkid]

Welcome!

[caribbean_skye]

Welcome welcome.

[jor412]

Hello :) Apart from cedargirl's suggestions on Chinese fountain pen brands, you might want to check out Hero. They're pretty reliable, mostly Parker look-a-likes. Now and then, you'll encounter a Hero that's a Sheaffer look-a-like and has a conical nib.

[Greg Minuskin]

Welcome! You will find the folks here on the FP Geeks really fun, and friendly.

If there is something I can do for you, please let me know!

Greg Minuskin
www.gregminuskin.com
greg@gregminuskin.com

[KrazyIvan]

Welcome. If you are and overhand hook writer, try a Lamy Safari before you buy. The section can make it difficult to get used to. Im not a lefty but I have a lefty coworker that can't use the Safari. Well Appointed Desk blogger, Ana, is also a lefty who does not recommend the Safari. Then there is Bogon07 who is left handed and has tons of Lamy's. So try it first if you can.

[southpaw52]

Greetings fellow lefty,welcome aboard.