You can even fill cartridges with another dropper-type fountain pen with a fine nib. Higher weight isnt always better, but for a fountain pen you dont really want to go below 70g.

r/Pen_Swap: I'm selling all my non-Pilot pens to reign in & focus my collection. To be honest, Pilot’s Blue-Black was so dark, I couldn’t really tell the difference between it and the Sailor Kiwaguro. Hopefully this can help. Best fountain pen under 250. This is a small, syringe-like device that inserts into the pen where the cartridge goes, allowing you to fill the pen with bottled ink. Pen: Platinum Preppy. Bleed-Through - where the ink soaks through the paper. Stock nib sizes normally range from EF (extra fine), to B (broad), but outliers exist (0.004" to 6mm.) I am no mechanical genius, but i have been able do do my own repairs on these pens easily. Thanks for writing this up, RGS! ._3-SW6hQX6gXK9G4FM74obr{display:inline-block;vertical-align:text-bottom;width:16px;height:16px;font-size:16px;line-height:16px} Why not just get the converter? Not quite as flow-ful as Pilot/Iroshizuku but not the drag that Noodlers can be in these pens. After poking at pens for nearly 20 years, my favorite is the Parker 51 followed by the various Sheaffer Snorkel models. The Pilot proprietary small cartridges are really nice to work with. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. I've had over 300 pens (and about 150 right now) from every major manufacturer, new and vintage. Thanks for this guide! The inks were J. Herbin Ambre De Birmanie, Krishna Kot-Massi Ochre, Kyo-no-oto Yamakilro, and Noodler’s Harold’s Hearse. Franken-flusher for Pilot fountain pens. Now that I've said that, I'll talk about the BEST fountain pen for under $25, and one of my favorite pens of all time.

($4-$10 per oz, up to $16 for specialty inks). There's a lot of valuable additional information in the comments. This is a cute survivalist-type trick, but I've never really understood this 'tip'. It's the Noodler's Ahab, and now I'll tell you why. Alternatives include the Lamy AL-Star, an aluminum safari, or the Lamy Vista, the see-through version. Two major brands are obviously Rhodia and Clarfontaine at 80g and 90g weights respectively. Narrowed it down to 4 pens. For specialty nibs, this is an incredible reference, and will have to do for now because my browser crashed while filling this out. Ink and paper combinations are so varied that I'm not sure you could dent the subject, and beyond that a nib can make a difference too. You hold gold nibs and vintage pens higher so therefore you enjoy them more. However, steel is not in the same league as gold. This subreddit has an irrational fear of old pens. It was bigger around than the mini-cartridges used by the Petit, but it worked great. Snorkels usually cost more to buy and another $20 or so to repair. The other two inks were stone. This one runs for $15, but many places have been selling out.

Also, the paper you use does make a difference, but one that is not covered in this post. I'm not sure if a beginner would want to drop $50-70 + repair costs on a hobby they were just getting in to, but if anyone comes to this thread and is willing to spend that much on a great pen, I've heard nothing but glowing praise about the aerometric Parker 51. How-to: Asking for Pen Identification by /u/JonSzanto. Now, I know that you don't always choose the paper you write on, especially at work or school. One option is to use a syringe (preferably an ink syringe) to fill up your cartridges/converters.

These Sailors & Platinums are special in that they were always my favorite non-Pilot pens and I never intended to sell them, and two of them include my favorite swapped EF nibs... but I'm reducing to Pilot-only as a move toward minimalism. A cheap italic pen is the Pilot Plumix, and an inexpensive flex pen, is Noodler's Ahab. The fiber feed must be plastic because the Noodler’s cellulose bonding ink came right out.

Sailor professional gear imperial black $215 Visconti opera cherry blossom $240 Pilot custom heritage 823 $206 Pelikan m400 tortoise $239. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. .s5ap8yh1b4ZfwxvHizW3f{color:var(--newCommunityTheme-metaText);padding-top:5px}.s5ap8yh1b4ZfwxvHizW3f._19JhaP1slDQqu2XgT3vVS0{color:#ea0027} I have a Moonman Wancai, and plan to try it out eventually. This allows to write in whatever color you'd like. Those are great with a cleaning and a new sac. Spend $30 or $40 for a new sac and cleaning, and it will outperform all of the new steel nib pens you find here. I started with a cheap Pilot Plumix, and now I've been lusting after one of these. ._1PeZajQI0Wm8P3B45yshR{fill:var(--newCommunityTheme-actionIcon)}._1PeZajQI0Wm8P3B45yshR._3axV0unm-cpsxoKWYwKh2x{fill:#ea0027} The Pilot Petit is well designed for pocket carry. FWIW, i have converters for all my pens, and a syringe, but I rarely use the syringe. The most popular paper high quality brands around are Rhodia and Clairefontaine (which I think are owned by the same company). Picture 3. If anyone has any questions/suggestions/corrections, please comment, and I'll update my post. It's cheap ($20-$30), made of durable ABS (think Lego), and writes great. New ones are often made from modern materials and will hold up for a decade or longer. Don't get me wrong, but that's fine, but not everyone will share that sentiment. By using our Services or clicking I agree, you agree to our use of cookies. My biggest problem was a standard infant snot sucker wouldn’t fit to flush the feed, just like on a normal Pilot. ._12xlue8dQ1odPw1J81FIGQ{display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle} (This is what I use). However, less-absorbent paper often means longer drying time for ink. None showed signs of contamination by the darker permanent inks which had been flushed with water. I'm sure some Lamy shills will argue with me on that one. ._3Qx5bBCG_O8wVZee9J-KyJ{border-top:1px solid var(--newRedditTheme-line);margin-top:16px;padding-top:16px}._3Qx5bBCG_O8wVZee9J-KyJ ._2NbKFI9n3wPM76pgfAPEsN{margin:0;padding:0}._3Qx5bBCG_O8wVZee9J-KyJ ._2NbKFI9n3wPM76pgfAPEsN ._2btz68cXFBI3RWcfSNwbmJ{font-family:Noto Sans,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-weight:400;line-height:21px;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-ms-flex-pack:justify;justify-content:space-between;margin:8px 0}._3Qx5bBCG_O8wVZee9J-KyJ ._2NbKFI9n3wPM76pgfAPEsN ._2btz68cXFBI3RWcfSNwbmJ.QgBK4ECuqpeR2umRjYcP2{opacity:.4}._3Qx5bBCG_O8wVZee9J-KyJ ._2NbKFI9n3wPM76pgfAPEsN ._2btz68cXFBI3RWcfSNwbmJ label{font-size:12px;font-weight:500;line-height:16px;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center}._3Qx5bBCG_O8wVZee9J-KyJ ._2NbKFI9n3wPM76pgfAPEsN ._2btz68cXFBI3RWcfSNwbmJ label svg{fill:currentColor;height:20px;margin-right:4px;width:20px}._3Qx5bBCG_O8wVZee9J-KyJ ._4OtOUaGIjjp2cNJMUxme_{-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-ms-flex-pack:justify;justify-content:space-between;padding:0;width:100%}._3Qx5bBCG_O8wVZee9J-KyJ ._4OtOUaGIjjp2cNJMUxme_ svg{display:inline-block;height:12px;width:12px}.isInButtons2020 ._4OtOUaGIjjp2cNJMUxme_{padding:0 12px}.isInButtons2020 ._1ra1vBLrjtHjhYDZ_gOy8F{font-family:Noto Sans,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:unset;line-height:16px;text-transform:unset}._1ra1vBLrjtHjhYDZ_gOy8F{--textColor:var(--newCommunityTheme-widgetColors-sidebarWidgetTextColor);--textColorHover:var(--newCommunityTheme-widgetColors-sidebarWidgetTextColorShaded80);font-size:10px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.5px;line-height:12px;text-transform:uppercase;color:var(--textColor);fill:var(--textColor);opacity:1}._1ra1vBLrjtHjhYDZ_gOy8F._2UlgIO1LIFVpT30ItAtPfb{--textColor:var(--newRedditTheme-widgetColors-sidebarWidgetTextColor);--textColorHover:var(--newRedditTheme-widgetColors-sidebarWidgetTextColorShaded80)}._1ra1vBLrjtHjhYDZ_gOy8F:active,._1ra1vBLrjtHjhYDZ_gOy8F:hover{color:var(--textColorHover);fill:var(--textColorHover)}._1ra1vBLrjtHjhYDZ_gOy8F:disabled,._1ra1vBLrjtHjhYDZ_gOy8F[data-disabled],._1ra1vBLrjtHjhYDZ_gOy8F[disabled]{opacity:.5;cursor:not-allowed} Old sacs and diaphragms were often made of rubber and failed regularly. Is the Wancai prone to burping. I'm adding this for anyone who finds this post: This site sells Noodler's ink in the U.K.:http://www.purepens.co.uk/acatalog/Noodler_s_Inks.html, Well done, this should be pinned to avoid that beginner question post that keeps happening. I bought my first pen at the LA pen show in 1994. You recommend a F or EF, but a Pilot EF is really thin, whereas a Lamy EF is just "thin".

You could put a couple lines about paper as ShallowJam suggests.

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