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Thread: Tester pens

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    Default Tester pens

    As the title says.
    Last edited by Empty_of_Clouds; March 14th, 2020 at 03:37 AM.

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    Senior Member Jaguarish's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tester pens

    A glass dip pen is pretty useful for this. I also have some folded nib pens because I like to know how it looks when the ink is smeared. The folded nibs also are a decent approximation of a broad nib.

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    Default Re: Tester pens

    Not a “pure” fountain pen, I use a hybrid Serendipity from James Finnis. Possible a little pricey (note: price is in AUD$), but there are a number of advantages. It takes any #6 fountain pen nib, so you can use one that suits you, as opposed to a fixed glass nib. Also a single dip takes up quite a lot of ink. I’ve written nearly an A4 page with a fine nib attached, and circa A5 equivalent with a broad nib. This is more than most glass nibs, with the exception of the old Visconti glass nibs in their calligraphy set.
    The Serendipity is also a doddle to clean, so great for testing multiple inks. And for you, the bonus is that these are sold from Aus.
    https://pensivepens.com.au/products/...ity-hybrid-pen

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    Default Re: Tester pens

    I don't use dedicated tester pens but I tend to have at least one pen loaded with a test ink at any given time.

    I prefer to use converter or piston pens as I can load a small amount of ink. That way I run out sooner and the ink won't sit in the pen for 6 months or whatever.

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    Default Re: Tester pens

    I have a few inexpensive, reliable pens from Wing Sung, Jinhao and Sheaffer to test inks. They all work very well.
    My other pen is a Montblanc.

    And my other blog is a tumblr!


    And my latest ebook, for spooky wintery reading:

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CM2NGSSD

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    Default Re: Tester pens

    I use a handful of Esterbrook desk pens, which can take any Esterbrook screw-in nib unit. I'm talking vintage, of course. They don't have any ink reservoir but the feed holds enough for about a 1/2 page of writing. I usually have three in fine, medium and bold and use those for doing ink swabs and testing. The best part is that you just swish them in a glass of water and they are all cleaned out.
    "When Men differ in Opinion, both Sides ought equally to have the Advantage of being heard by the Publick;
    and that when Truth and Error have fair Play, the former is always an overmatch for the latter."

    ~ Benjamin Franklin

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    Default Re: Tester pens

    Quote Originally Posted by migo984 View Post
    Not a “pure” fountain pen, I use a hybrid Serendipity from James Finnis. Possible a little pricey (note: price is in AUD$), but there are a number of advantages. It takes any #6 fountain pen nib, so you can use one that suits you, as opposed to a fixed glass nib. Also a single dip takes up quite a lot of ink. I’ve written nearly an A4 page with a fine nib attached, and circa A5 equivalent with a broad nib. This is more than most glass nibs, with the exception of the old Visconti glass nibs in their calligraphy set.
    The Serendipity is also a doddle to clean, so great for testing multiple inks. And for you, the bonus is that these are sold from Aus.
    https://pensivepens.com.au/products/...ity-hybrid-pen
    I 100% totally agree with migo984. I purchased a Serendipiity Hybrid pen over a 1-1/2 years ago and have used it extensively for ink testing. I read about it at Nick Stewart's website and it comes with your choice of nib. I ordered mine with a 1.1mm stub. I've since purchased Jowo #6 fine, medium, and broad nib units from Franklin-Christoph and a used Masuyama ground needlepoint from mcmck here at fpgeeks.

    Linky: https://nickstewart.ink/2017/06/30/i...ty-hybrid-pen/

    You just need the feed and actual nib which slides into the front end of the Serendipity. (The screw on casing of the nib units from Franklin-Christoph I just pull off and store in a small tin.) There is a small reservoir that will fill with ink if you leave the nib in the test ink long enough, so you can use as much or little as you want. Dipping a fine nib unit in a plastic ink sample vial for 10 seconds will give me enough to write about 2.5-A5 pages of letters to a penpal.

    Clean-up is very easy. Just rinse initially under a stream of water and then slide the nib unit out for a complete cleaning of the feed and reservoir. Takes me 30 seconds, followed by drying on a paper towel.

    Why all the different sized nibs? Inks will behave differently depending on the width of the nib. An ink that might look "meh" in a fine nib can show spectacular color and shading when used in a broad or stub. Bo Bo Olson at FPN once commented that your results are dependent on the nib, the paper, and the ink. All three MUST work together, and he's right.

    All the Best.
    Last edited by junglejim; December 2nd, 2019 at 01:37 PM. Reason: spelling, as usual
    Bucket list - walk the Camino de Santiago again

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    Default Re: Tester pens

    Quote Originally Posted by junglejim View Post

    I 100% totally agree with migo984. I purchased a Serendipiity Hybrid pen over a 1-1/2 years ago and have used it extensively for ink testing. I read about it at Nick Stewart's website and it comes with your choice of nib. I ordered mine with a 1.1mm stub. I've since purchased Jowo #6 fine, medium, and broad nib units from Franklin-Christoph and a used Masuyama ground needlepoint from mcmck here at fpgeeks.

    Linky: https://nickstewart.ink/2017/06/30/i...ty-hybrid-pen/

    You just need the feed and actual nib which slides into the front end of the Serendipity. (The screw on casing of the nib units from Franklin-Christoph I just pull off and store in a small tin.) There is a small reservoir that will fill with ink if you leave the nib in the test ink long enough, so you can use as much or little as you want. Dipping a fine nib unit in a plastic ink sample vial for 10 seconds will give me enough to write about 2.5-A5 pages of letters to a penpal.

    Clean-up is very easy. Just rinse initially under a stream of water and then slide the nib unit out for a complete cleaning of the feed and reservoir. Takes me 30 seconds, followed by drying on a paper towel.

    Why all the different sized nibs? Inks will behave differently depending on the width of the nib. An ink that might look "meh" in a fine nib can show spectacular color and shading when used in a broad or stub. Bo Bo Olson at FPN once commented that your results are dependent on the nib, the paper, and the ink. All three MUST work together, and he's right.

    All the Best.
    Nick Stewart warns that the feed is a bit on the large side and so holds a lot of ink. That's OK if you want to write a whole page, but maybe slightly wasteful of ink if you just want to write the ink brand and colour of a comparison ink in an ink review. For that purpose I use a glass dip pen, but it sounds like I could use a Serendipity pen for the whole review. Not sure I would order one from Australia though...
    Regards, Chrissy | My Review Blog: inkyfountainpens

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    Default Re: Tester pens

    Quote Originally Posted by Jon Szanto View Post
    I use a handful of Esterbrook desk pens, which can take any Esterbrook screw-in nib unit. I'm talking vintage, of course. They don't have any ink reservoir but the feed holds enough for about a 1/2 page of writing. I usually have three in fine, medium and bold and use those for doing ink swabs and testing. The best part is that you just swish them in a glass of water and they are all cleaned out.
    Those are fantastic, but I only have one of them. I've sometimes written two pages with it.
    My other pen is a Montblanc.

    And my other blog is a tumblr!


    And my latest ebook, for spooky wintery reading:

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CM2NGSSD

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    Default Re: Tester pens

    Maybe (certainly!) I am peculiar, but I'm a huge fan of Osmiroids and their nibs.
    My other pen is a Montblanc.

    And my other blog is a tumblr!


    And my latest ebook, for spooky wintery reading:

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CM2NGSSD

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    Default Re: Tester pens

    Also love my Osmiroids. Though my inked one bit someone... (at the pen club, they tested how sharp the corners were with their thumb - italic fine straight).

    I have a glass nibbed pen for very quick dip testing - bonus is how fast the cleaning is when doing tests in bulk - and an array of transparent Jinhaos for in-pen testing. Or I'll put them in other converter pens with different nibs and only do a partial fill.

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    Default Re: Tester pens

    I purchased a vintage Esterbrook dip fountain pen.

    Probably, most of you aren't old enough to remember these but when I was a wee young lad I remeber these on the desks of bank employees and in the lobby for filling out your deposit slips. The pen is a real fountain pen with a pen holder that doubles as the reservoir for the ink. The nib is a true fountain pen nib and I can write about a page of A5 Tomoe River paper on one dip. Much less on a really absorbent paper.

    You can find these on eBay for very little money but you may need an ultrasonic cleaner to make them serviceable. Mine took several trips through the cleaner to get all the old ink out but it has written flawlessly since then.

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    Default Re: Tester pens

    I love the look of those Esterbrook Dip Less pen systems and I've been tempted to get one as a communal pen at home or for my desk. I missed the Era when these were popular. It was all ballpoints for this kid of the 70s.

    I have recently used a couple Esterbrook pens for ink testing as the nibs, when dipped, hold quite a bit of ink and they are super easy to clean since the nibs screw out.

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    Default Re: Tester pens

    I usually have Jinhaos or Platinum Preppies/Plasir for ink demonstrator pens so the Japanese fine and standard western medium can be experienced by friends during the pen meet. If the inks happen to have shimmer or sheen I usually use Jinhao or Caliarts demonstrator pens for easy cleaning.

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    Default Re: Tester pens

    Here's an addendum: I'll still use my Estie dip pen setup, but I recently decided to pick up some inexpensive glass pens. There seems to be a new fad going on with artisanal glass dip pens. I saw some exhibited in SF by a Japanese company, and while they were really beautiful, they were going in the $200-300 range. Waaaay out of my budget for an art piece. I found the following from a mention on reddit and tracked them down on eBay. Three pens, with shipping, for less than $6.00. The blue one was dipped and used for the scribbles (you can see ink on the 'nib'), and I probably could have easily gotten more writing out of that one dip.

    "When Men differ in Opinion, both Sides ought equally to have the Advantage of being heard by the Publick;
    and that when Truth and Error have fair Play, the former is always an overmatch for the latter."

    ~ Benjamin Franklin

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    Default Re: Tester pens

    Pretty! What vendor, Jon?
    My other pen is a Montblanc.

    And my other blog is a tumblr!


    And my latest ebook, for spooky wintery reading:

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CM2NGSSD

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    Default Re: Tester pens

    Quote Originally Posted by Sailor Kenshin View Post
    Pretty! What vendor, Jon?
    Here's a listing on eBay.
    "When Men differ in Opinion, both Sides ought equally to have the Advantage of being heard by the Publick;
    and that when Truth and Error have fair Play, the former is always an overmatch for the latter."

    ~ Benjamin Franklin

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    Default Re: Tester pens

    Quote Originally Posted by Jon Szanto View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Sailor Kenshin View Post
    Pretty! What vendor, Jon?
    Here's a listing on eBay.
    Thanks! I got the brownish-looking one.
    My other pen is a Montblanc.

    And my other blog is a tumblr!


    And my latest ebook, for spooky wintery reading:

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CM2NGSSD

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    Default Re: Tester pens

    I keep a glass pen and Q-tips with my Col-o-ring ink testing book. It gives a nice line and also easy to wash.

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