To finish off this series I’d like to share some miscellaneous advice about fountain pens.

Be Careful with Luxury Brands

Pretty much all fountain pens could be considered “luxury” these days. However, specifically be careful with brands that market themselves as luxury. Montblanc is a great example of this. In the last 30-40 years the quality of their fountain pens has declined as they focus on other parts of their business, but they still charge a premium. Vintage Montblanc pens are higher quality and can be had for much cheaper than new.

Visconti is another example. I haven’t personally used one, but they are known for having frequent issues with their nibs (up to the point of not writing at all) and poor customer service.

The fundamental problem here is that you’re paying for the name on the pen and for it to be attention-catching in your hand or on your desk. It doesn’t matter if the writing experience is poor if it’s only used for an occasional signature. If you want to write with your pens, on the other hand, you’ll be unhappy with such a pen.

Interestingly I have not found this to be the case with the Japanese luxury brands Namiki and Nakaya. You are still paying for the name to some extent, but the craftsmanship is better and the pens write well.

Explore Beyond the Common

I got a lot of my initial advice about fountain pens from the r/fountainpens subreddit. It’s a fantastic community and very helpful, but like all such communities it has developed some preferences. Commonly recommended brands get upvoted, which makes new members inclined to purchase the same things, and it snowballs from there. In general the advice is good, particularly for those just starting out.

However, several of my favorite pens are only rarely discussed there, and I found them by chance. The Waterman Carène I saw mentioned when looking at a discussion of vintage Waterman pens. I had never even heard of the Waldmann brand until receiving a Solon in Truphae’s subscription box. I’ve had both of these pens inked since first receiving them. These aren’t rare in the way an uncommon vintage model are; they’re still mass-produced modern pens. But it is unlikely I would have even considered these if I stuck with the standard recommendations.

On the flip side I’ve disliked some of the most popular pens on that subreddit. In particular I’m not a fan of the way the Lamy 2000 writes.

This isn’t to say that you should ignore popular recommendations, they are usually popular for a reason. But once you’ve established your own preferences more, be open to exploring additional options.

In this post I’d like to share my thoughts about vintage fountain pens.

Vintage Isn’t for Everyone

Before getting into what I like about vintage pens, I do want to give some disclaimers.

As a combination of age and more primitive designs, vintage fountain pens tend to be more finicky than modern pens. They’re more prone to leaks or burping ink. Filling mechanisms were much more varied, and some can be quite difficult to clean.

There is mixed information online about the safety of modern inks in vintage pens. Some experienced restorers advocate strongly to only use certain inks (Parker Quink in particular), whereas other experiments have shown no issues. I have generally erred on the side of caution, but this does limit the ink choices when using vintage pens.

Vintage pens also tend to need specialized restoration. While there is a lot of good reference material on this (particularly from Richard Binder) it is a delicate operation. Lots of practice is needed, so you may be better off sending pens to an expert.

Why I Like Vintage Pens

My first exposure to vintage fountain pens was inheriting my grandfather’s Sheaffer Imperial III (circa 1960). I had already been into fountain pens for about a year at that point, so I had some experience with modern pens. It needed quite a bit of work to restore (bringing the Ship of Theseus to mind), but I loved the Triumph nib with the Waverly tip. I now use the pen daily.

This got me interested in doing more research on vintage pens. Fast forward and now about half of the pens I use regularly are vintage. These are the things I have liked the best:

• Vintage pens were designed to write. Modern fountain pens are mostly the “luxury goods” camp, and are often not good writers as a result. Vintage pens were made in a time when people frequently wrote by hand, and so are easy to hold and use for long periods without fatigue. They often hold larger volumes of ink as well.
• Vintage pens are made of materials uncommon today (particularly celluloid and ebonite) that have both a striking appearance and are warmer in the hand. I’m a big fan of the stacked celluloid used in Parker Vacumatics in the 1930-40s. It gives more color to a time period often thought of as staid and conservative today.
• Vintage pens are unique. Due to both smaller numbers being manufactured and a proliferation of small pen manufacturers there are a lot of different pens out there. It’s possible to find pens that are uncommon or even rare today.
• Vintage pens also align well with the environmentalist aspect of fountain pens – repairing and reusing a high-quality item for decades.

Where to Get Vintage Pens

I’ve purchased vintage pens from two places primarily. I don’t have any affiliation with them, but have been very satisfied with my purchases:

• Antique Digger: This site tends to have more pens from the big names in vintage pens
• Redeem Pens: This site tends to have more unusual and uncommon pens

It is possible to get vintage pens on eBay, but you have to be careful as fakes are common (particularly with expensive brands like Montblanc). I’ve generally avoided it.

Finally, check out local antique and thrift stores! Since fountain pens aren’t as obviously valuable like watches or jewelry, you may find some surprises. Plus the hunt is part of the fun!

Up Next…

Up next will be the last post in this series, though (hopefully) not the last time I write about fountain pens. I’ll be sharing some miscellaneous thoughts that didn’t fit well into one of the other posts.

In my second post on fountain pens I’d like to share my likes and dislikes based on what I’ve tried. Disclaimer though: fountain pens can be very personal, so these are just my opinions. I also have no affiliation with any of the products listed below.

This isn’t an exhaustive list of everything I’ve used either. I’m just calling out things that stand out either positively or negatively.

Paper

Likes

• Maruman Mnemosyne: This is my go-to for notebooks. They’re available in a variety of sizes, the paper is a good thickness, and I’ve never had problems with any ink I’ve tried on it.

Dislikes

• Tomoe River: This is often called out as one of the best fountain pen papers, and it does show off sheen and shimmer in inks really well. However, I find the paper too thin and ink takes a long time to dry on it.

Ink

Likes

• Pilot Iroshizuku: Pilot’s upscale line of inks are fantastic. They’re available in a wide variety of colors, have great flow, always well-behaved, and come in large, easy-to-use bottles. I have the more Iroshizuku inks than any other brand and it’s my first stop if I want a new color.
• Birmingham Inks: Birmingham is a small, family-run business making inks out of Pittsburgh. They have a great variety of colors and their inks are also well-behaved. What makes them stand out is that they also have lines of inks designed with a variety of properties: working well on bad paper, permanent and waterproof, and easily washable. These properties are often hard to find in colors other than blue and black.

Dislikes

• Shimmer inks: Regardless of brand, I dislike shimmer inks. These inks of particles (usually of mica AFAIK) that create a glitter effect. However, in order to get this effect you have to shake up the bottle when filling and then again shake the pen before use, or else the shimmer particles will all have settled. It’s then really hard to clean out of pens and can clog the feed.
• Noodler’s: I am a little torn on this one because Noodler’s does offer some nice inks, and they’re a great source of inks with unusual properties (such as their bulletproof line which is apparently immune to being removed via lasers). However, there is a lot of inconsistency been batches and some inks behave very badly. While I have a couple I like, I probably won’t buy more.

Nibs

Likes

• Wavely: Also known as WA, this is an uncommon nib grind with an upturned tip (though less so than on a fude nib). I first encountered this on a vintage Sheaffer pen, and I believe Sheaffer used it commonly. I like it because it makes the nib work smoothly at a variety of writing angles. It is a lot harder to find on modern pens, however. I believe Pilot offers them only in Japan. https://fpnibs.com/ offers it as a custom grind on Jowo nibs as well.

Dislikes

• Jowo: Jowo manufactures standalone nib units, and is one of the most common nibs you’ll find in pens not made by the big companies that make their own. They work fine and have a good variety, but I find the writing experience to be just mediocre. However, they are nicely interchangeable between pens, and many customizations are possible.

Pens

Likes

• Pilot/Namiki: Pilot is my favorite modern pen company (Namiki is their high-end luxury brand). I find their nibs to be smooth and consistent at all sizes. They offer a wide range of pens from intro models like the Kakuno or Metropolitan up through the absolutely stunning Namiki models. I’m also a big fan of the Vanishing Point as the best combo of the convenience of a ballpoint with the good writing experience of a fountain pen.
• Franklin-Christoph: Franklin-Christoph is a small manufacturer of acrylic pens. I like that they break out of the mold of many such manufacturers and use more creative materials and designs for their pens. I also appreciate that they offer a much wider variety of nibs with custom grinds. They’re a great starting point if you want to try non-standard nibs.

Dislikes

• Platinum 3776: This pen is highly recommended, and I wanted to like it. I’ve now tried a few, however, and each time had a horrible experience with the nib. It was like writing with a needle and the flow was poor unless I used a very wet ink. I also really dislike their converters. The pens are beautiful, but not worth the trouble. I do have a Nakaya (Platinum’s high-end luxury brand), however, with a great nib.
• Sailor: Sailor makes a lot of different pens, and are particularly known for their collaborations. This is great because you can probably find a pen to match any aesthetic you’d like. The pens are manufactured well, and their converters are pretty good (though small). However, I really dislike the nibs. They are known for having feedback, and it is just too much for me.
• Lamy: The Safari is very commonly recommended as a starter pen, and the 2000 is often called out as one of the best fountain pens. I do like the Bauhaus design, and the pen bodies are really solid and stand up well to use. However, I dislike the nibs. The sizes are inconsistent (often writing a size or two larger than indicated) and the Safari’s nibs are scratchy. The 2000’s nib is smooth, but it has a very small sweet spot to get this smoothness. Slight differences in the angle of the pen make the writing experience worse. I also found the 2000 to be very picky about ink, with some inks exacerbating the sweet spot problem.
• Custom Acrylic: Rather than a specific company, this is the trend of small manufacturers or single artisans making pens on a lathe. There is a lot of skill involved, and I don’t want to diminish that. However, I find the acrylics used to be very gaudy, and the pens are often much larger than I like. Because many of these pens use Jowo nibs, the writing experience is all the same. I do own a couple of these, but I can only recommend buying one or two where you like the experience and sticking with that.

Up Next…

Next up I’ll be writing about my experiences with vintage pens.

This is a bit of a different post for me. Over the last year+ of quarantine I have picked up a hobby of collecting fountain pens. I wanted to share my thoughts and some resources about the hobby for others that are interested. This will be split across multiple posts.

Why should you not use fountain pens?

Before getting into why I got into this hobby and how someone new could get started, it is important to recognize that fountain pens aren’t for everyone. There are a lot of reasons pencils and ballpoint pens are the primary writing instrument used for decades. While there is a lot to like about fountain pens, they just aren’t appropriate in every situation.

• You write infrequently. Fountain pens are designed to be used frequently. Most will dry out after a period of disuse (ranging from days to weeks depending on the model). You’re better off with a ballpoint.
• You don’t want to ever think about your writing instrument. Fountain pens can be somewhat temperamental compared to ballpoints, and writing with one does take a different technique. If want to just grab a pen and not think about it, you’ll probably be happier with a ballpoint.
• You care a lot about water resistance or other archival qualities. Fountain pen ink is water-based (don’t try and put other kinds of ink in one!). As such most are not water resistant and will fade in sunlight. Ballpoint ink is oil-based and so is naturally water resistant. It’s possible to find fountain pen inks with these qualities, but you will be more limited in your choices.
• You only use low-end paper (as often found in schools or offices). As fountain pens have become a luxury good, ink manufacturers assume the use of higher-end paper. Many inks will perform badly (bleeding through and feathering) on low quality printer paper. It is again possible to find pen and ink combos to mitigate this problem, but this will limit your choices.

Why did I get into this hobby?

I would describe myself a both a collector and user of fountain pens. I have pens that I don’t usually have inked but that I appreciate aesthetically. However, I journal every day and actively use most of my pens.

When the pandemic started, I had been journaling off and on for a couple years and wanted to start doing it more consistently. I was also taking a lot of notes while working on my master’s degree. I was looking at some journal recommendations online and saw a discussion about fountain pens.

The thing that drew me in initially was the aesthetics of it all. I work on a computer all day, and the world of pens, inks, and handwriting represented something radically different than my day to day work. This is still something I appreciate about the hobby. The pens I like best have a lot of craftmanship put into their making.

I also like writing. I find journaling really valuable for collecting and processing my thoughts and feelings each day. I also find that a handwritten todo list each day helps me stay on top of tasks in a way that a digital one did not. While I tend to prefer blue and black inks, the variety of colors available also gives me another avenue to express myself.

Finally, I appreciate the reduced environmental impact of fountain pens. Fountain pens last for years unlike disposable ballpoints, and bottled ink has very little waste. The collecting aspect of the hobby does diminish this, but I try to be mindful in what I purchase.

Resources

Note that I have no affiliation with any of the products or companies listed below.

https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/ is my best recommendation for resources and information about fountain pens. It’s an active and friendly community with a lot of good resources on the sidebar.

https://www.penaddict.com/ has a lot of pen and ink reviews along with various stationery and paraphernalia. Their top five list is also a great starting point when buying your first pen.

https://www.jetpens.com/blog/How-to-Write-with-a-Fountain-Pen/pt/271 is the guide I followed when learning to use a fountain pen for the first time.

https://mountainofink.com/ has tons of ink reviews and is my first stop if I am considering buying a particular ink. They also have a good overview of the various properties of ink.

In terms of buying anything, I recommend either Goulet or Anderson. They’re both small, family-run businesses with good prices and a wide selection. I don’t have a local store like this, so I buy online. Do check to see if you have a local store though, there are many throughout the United States.

Do not buy from Amazon. Aside from general concern over their business practices, fakes are common.

My Starter Recommendations

The resources above have some starter recommendations. This is my take on what I like best as a starter tier. These recommendations may not work for everyone. I’d encourage doing your own research using the resources above and others before committing to a purchase.

• Pen: Pilot Metropolitan. These are inexpensive yet rock-solid pens available in a wide variety of colors. I would recommend a fine or medium nib first. The only downside is that the converter doesn’t hold much ink.
• Ink: Pilot. Pilot/Namiki Blue and Black are standard colors, and the Iroshizuku line is higher end and has more color choices. I would highly recommend trying samples first as it makes it easier to experiment with different colors.
• Paper: Maruman Mnemosyne. They offer notebooks in a variety of sizes and the covers stand up to use well. The paper is well suited to fountain pens without being really thin.

Go Slowly!

Don’t go wild with buying pens and inks at first. Particularly on the r/fountainpens subreddit you will see posts from people that spend hundreds of dollars and buy dozens of pens and ink without having tried anything. Inevitably this will lead to disappointment and wasted money. Like many hobbies based around equipment, “Gear Acquisition Syndrome” is a real concern and can lead to buying things for the sake of buying. I find the best way to combat this is to be really honest with myself about what I want out of a particular purchase. Does it fill some need or is it just the goblin brain shouting “Ooh shiny!”? It’s also helpful to wait a few days before making a purchase to see if you still want it.

I find that around $200 is where you stop finding improvements in the writing experience. Beyond that you are paying for a brand name, a particular aesthetic, or the craftmanship. These are valid reasons to purchase a more expensive pen, but I wouldn’t recommend this until you have established your preferences. Buying a really expensive pen that you dislike is one of the fastest ways to turn yourself off on the whole experience.

Up Next…

Next up I’ll be writing up my likes and dislikes in what I’ve tried.