I don’t know if anyone around here is into that sort of thing, but I can only assume that *some *Dopers must be fountain-penners.
. . . . . . maybe . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . not .
(just having some fun witcha… I do love a good fountain pen, and use them for illustration work as well as writing, but enough to go to a show? Drive to another city and find parking and figure out the Metro and pay more I want to for a hotel room? Naaaah…) (Can you report back on it?) (Now you have to see everything, and buy something!)
Oh, there’ll certainly be some reporting on it over at my blog. I don’t mind the drive, but I’m glad I have family in the area so that I don’t have to get a hotel.
I’ll pencil it in.
I’m not in to fountain pens, but I very much understand those who are. World enough and time, you know. (And dosh, too.)
If you’re in the area, there is what this layman thinks is a pretty nice pen store downtown, on F and 14th NW. (Or at least there used to be – I don’t work in that neighborhood anymore.)
–Cliffy
I don’t have the faintest inkling of what you guys are talking about.
I don’t either. My fountains stay in one place, they don’t need a pen to keep them there. Oh, wait, I get it. You’re talking about the old days when people used a feather to write with.
Bravo, Johnny. Bravo.
If that store is still around in DC, then I’m sure they’ll be at the show. It’s the biggest in the world. There are supposed to be a crazy number of traders and vendors there.
I was so excited when my favorite “doodler” mentioned what pen he uses… aaaargh! It’s a $240 fountain pen!
So let us know if you see a Nimiki Falcon for a sawbuck or two…
(Hey, he used to use a $600+ Mont Blanc) (I think I’ll stick with using my $3 japanese markers)
Namiki (Pilot). They can be had for around $150 from online pen stores.
They’re not usually sold with extra-fine nibs as far as I know, and that would be a bit of a waste. They’re best known for their “soft” nibs, so called because they’re flexible.
If you want a non-flexible extra-fine fountain pen, a Pilot 78G costs less than $20. A Platinum Preppy is about $4. I suspect your doodler has a Soft Fine though.
If I lived anywhere close, yes, in a heartbeat. I love a good pen and am still in mourning for my lost Waterford and smooshed-by-a-car Parker Sonnet. My win-the-lottery fantasies always begin with a Montblanc Meisterstuck.
Even as I write this, I realize what a huge flaming dork I sound…
I’ve never used a Falcon, but I’ve heard good things. I know you can get them for less than $240, though.
Bah. Fountain pens are cool. Nothing dorky at all.
If you’re looking for a Falcon you can get them at this site for less than $150. They’re good folks to deal with.
I’m not sure what I’m buying, but I know I’m getting my grandfather’s Parker 51all fixed up. It was unearthed this summer after not being used for at probably 30 years. I’m pretty handy with the pens, but this isn’t one that I’m willing to mess up.
I came away from the NC pen show with a TWSBI Vac 700. I almost bought a beautiful, white Namiki Vanishing Point (that Pendleton Brown was grinding), but I didn’t care for the italic nib. It’s a little too fancy for me.
How do you find it? I nearly bought one recently, but got a 540 with a stub nib instead. It’s great.
I really like it, now. I got a medium nib, and it was super dry. That’s a thing with the 700, apparently. It’ just the nib, though. Speedy has some videos up online showing how to open up the tines (they’re wicked tight), but I never could get them to open. I don’t know why, but they just wouldn’t. I might take the old (I think it’s a Bock) nib to the show with me and see if someone will adjust it for me. Maybe even grind it, I dunno.
So, I got a set of three Knox nibs (M, F, XF) (that’s the two-tone nib in the picture), and it’s awesome. That cheap nib-change did the job.
Bottom line, though, I don’t regret it. It’s really nice looking, hefty, and it writes beautifully. I do wish it had been better out-of-the-box, though.
I just looked at his site (cool stuff!) and noticed this post:
And that pen is just $13.50. Sounds like a winner.
I’ve seen a few of those reviewed recently. I think JetPens was sending them out all over the place. I need to get on that list.
Damn, I wish I had known about this earlier. I am a daily fountain pen user.
I live near the site but have plans to be out of town. Can’t believe I’m giving up a nib smoothing workshop to visit my mother-in-law.