I have Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black and it is a very interesting ink. Definitely dry writing and I guess a high surface tension.
I've tried it with a semi flex Wahl Ringtop and with some of my flexy Esterbrook nibs. To my great surprise, it can transition to flex flow and back to hairline flow almost instantly.
I haven't tried flex with more than a few inks but this has really been the best by far.
Anyway... It took inventors a long time to sort out the fountain pen to the state it achieved by the 1920s, able to handle flex and whatnot.
So it may take more than a few days and a lot of stumbles and hiccups for you to figure things out.
In other words, don't give up just yet!
I personally find projects like this, using real science and engineering, to be incredibly rewarding. Although, they are often incredibly frustrating and maddening, too. But if it was easy it wouldn't be worthwhile.
That's why I have huge admiration for the Wright brothers. I found it incredibly inspiring to read up on the remarkable, ground-breaking scientific research they performed to optimize wing shapes and propeller shapes using their own wind tunnel, and to perfect the mechanisms for control surfaces, before attempting even manned gliding let alone powered flight.
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