# Fountain Pens 101



## sbarton22 (Oct 25, 2011)

I'm looking to try to add some fountain pens to my arsenal. Can anyone help me with a Fountain Pen 101 type of heads up before I start spending money?

Things that come to mind...

Do I need to purchase upgraded nibs like I would do for a ball point or roller ball?

How does the ink work? As in, do I load the cartridge or let the purchaser do that?

I am assuming that the cartridge route is the way to go? I have no idea.

I assume the actual pen turning on the ol' lathe is the same as anything, but is that a false assumption?

And for perspective, I'm not looking at making a $300 pen. I'm looking at making something that looks nice and I can actually afford to produce a few to be my "high end" pens as I start off. For example, I've made more slimlines than anything, and that has allowed me to experiment and learn for a low cost. Once I feel more comfortable with the fountains, I'll move up in class.


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## avbill (Oct 25, 2011)

*to answer your questions*

Do I need to purchase upgraded nibs like I would do for a ball point or roller ball? *Y**es and No  The nibs from the kits are "good" as long as you know how to adjust/aline the nibs so there is no scratchiness  to the**m. *

How does the ink work? As in, do I load the cartridge or let the purchaser do that? *You should never load ink into the pens feeder/nib section.  * 

I am assuming that the cartridge route is the way to go? I have no idea.
*with each kit you will receive a cartridge and you will receive a piston reserve pump.  Either way the customer will have the choice to select with way they want to go
 *
I assume the actual pen turning on the ol' lathe is the same as anything, but is that a false assumption?
*your assumption is true. turn the pen as  others. The only difference is the nib section *


Once you write with a fountain pen you will have a hard time going back to a ballpoint.  Have fun!:wink::wink::wink::wink::wink:


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## monophoto (Oct 25, 2011)

- Nibs - you don't need to purchase upgraded nibs, although that option exists.  Upgraded nibs are expensive, so they increase the price of the final product and narrow the potential market for sales.  Frankly, I've used a fountain pen exclusively for more than 30 years, and I'm not a big fan of high-end nibs; because they are gold, they are softer and bend more easily, and therefore require more frequent 'tuning' than ordinary nibs.  Stainless steel nibs can write just as smoothly as gold nibs, and those who use fountain pens for their utility rather than as ego statements are usually satisfied with steel.

That said, you do want to make sure that the kit you work with has a decent nib and that the section (the piece that the nib fits into) doesn't leak.  I've had both good and bad luck with commercial kits.

The other thing you want to consider is how the cap attaches to the body.  Because fountain pens use liquid ink that can dry out, a fountain pen with a screw cap is 'better' than a fountain pen with a snap cap (IMHO).

-  You should never preink a fountain pen.  Instead, let the customer decide what kind of ink, and what color, he wants.  You can dip a pen in a bottle of ink for demonstration purposes if you make sure to flush the pen with clear water, and then dry it with a soft cloth, after the demonstration.

-  Again, let the customer decide.  Cartridges are convenient, but ink in cartridges is more expensive than ink in bottles, and the selection of colors and ink types is more limited.  I use converters (pumps) in my personal fountain pens that I fill from bottles.  Some converters are better than others; again, the issue is leaking. 

-  Yes, if you are working with a kit, the process of turning is exactly the same as for ball points, roller balls or pencils.   That said, there are some subtle differences - fountain pens tend to have larger barrels, and the smallest tube size that I've ever seen in a fountain pen kit is 10mm.  There are a number of fountain pen kits that use body and cap tubes that are of different sizes, and that require that you have different drill bits and that you commit to which end of the billet will be for the body and which for the cap much earlier in the turning process.  

You need to understand that the market for fountain pens is miniscule compared with the market for ball points and roller balls.  But there are those of us who won't use anything else.


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## OKLAHOMAN (Oct 25, 2011)

Louie, sorry to disagree with this point Upgraded nibs are not all gold #1 actually most are flex steel now a days and the cost is not expensive  you can buy a quality  steel nib nib from the vendors here, they range from $6-8 dollars give you a choice of tip (extra fine,fine or medium ) giving you the option to serve your customer with this option, and will improve on the component nib 100%. Most , notice I said most not all savvy fountain pen users will back away from a pen with the kit nib as they know it's made in China and in their mind is an inferior nib to say a steel JoWo, Bock, etc made in Germany.


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## glycerine (Oct 25, 2011)

If the nib says "Dayacom", I would replace it simply to remove the manufacturer's name from the pen.  Just looks better in my opinion.  If you want something that a fountain pen "snob" would recognize, go with Bock.  There's at least one vendor here who offers them...
I personally like to use a converter and a bottle of ink, but some might prefer cartridges.  I would offer both.  
What price range are you looking for in a fountain pen kit?  In my opinion, the jr. gent is a good classic basic fountain pen and isn't that expensive...


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## RussFromNH (Oct 25, 2011)

I just purchased a kit the other day for my first fountain pen. I have not opened the kit yet, but I have some questions. 


Is the nib easily replaced?
What is a converter?  is that a pump?


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## bradh (Oct 25, 2011)

RussFromNH said:


> Is the nib easily replaced?
> What is a converter?  is that a pump?



-Yes the nib section pulls apart and then can be pushed back together with a new nib - no tools required.
-The converter is the little piston pump that comes with the kit. It is used to draw ink out of a bottle then it is placed inside the pen as the ink source.


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## RussFromNH (Oct 25, 2011)

Thank you!


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## Ted iin Michigan (Oct 25, 2011)

Wow. Great info given on this thread. I'm in agreement with most everything. Esp about the market size. I think the descriptive term was "miniscule". Right on. 

I've been doing pens for about 4 years now - more or less serious for about 2 years. So far, I've sold one fountain pen and had to discount it to do that. One thing I've done recently is to have a fp loaded and ready to go for folk to try out. Not one of the higher end ones, just so they can experience how the ink flows. It's gotten some good comments. Gonna try that same approach at my next show (see last paragraph below).

And I just don't get it (the lack of interest). Personally, I love my fp's. Carried one for 20 years at my other job. When one of my emp's would come in with a design for approval, they'd always give a relief sigh when I got the fp out 'cause I didn't sign off with anything else!

HOWEVER - I have a show coming up that promises to be a bit upscale. I have several real nice fp's (one amboyna burl is spectacular!) and I'm gonna push them. Even did some real nice boxes to show them off. I agree with avbill and monophoto: it just _feels_ better when I'm using a fp.


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## Haynie (Oct 25, 2011)

Ted iin Michigan said:


> And I just don't get it (the lack of interest).




The lack of interest is simple people don't know how to use them, they take extra care, and precaution, and who ever heard of having a pen "tuned".  The general public has been Bic-ed to death.  No hassle, no smears, dries instantly, etc.  Just the way it is.

That being said my goal is to make and use fountain pens to intermingle with roller ball pens for drawing and writing.  .  Why?  I am working on slowing my life down.  People don't seem to have time for the slower pace FPs require.

The info in this thread has been very helpful.  Keep it coming.


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## OKLAHOMAN (Oct 25, 2011)

Minuscule???? While I agree that in certain markets fountain pen sales could be rather small compared to roller ball sales and smaller yet compared to ball point sales. If your selling to your average craft show shopper who is looking to spend $10. for a yard ornament on a stick your not going to sell many if any fountain pens. I've been doing shows for a while now and my fountain pen sales are in the 40 to 45 % range at most shows and at some as high as 50% of my total sales. My average show I sell $4,000 worth of pens, but I only do high end art shows. We here at the IAP have 11,300 members the Fountain Pen Network has 55,024 members. You could say that in the full scheme of things all pen sales compared to "Bic" are minuscule.


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## sbarton22 (Oct 25, 2011)

Fantastic answers!!! This is great!

This may be a dumb questionm but is a rollerball and FP interchangeable  (while constructing them)? when I shop for kits, I always see roller  ball and fP grouped in the name.

Also, do these little pump mechanisms live in the tube? are there special cuts or anything needed to house them?


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## sbarton22 (Oct 25, 2011)

OKLAHOMAN said:


> Minuscule???? While I agree that in certain markets fountain pen sales could be rather small compared to roller ball sales and smaller yet compared to ball point sales. If your selling to your average craft show shopper who is looking to spend $10. for a yard ornament on a stick your not going to sell many if any fountain pens. I've been doing shows for a while now and my fountain pen sales are in the 40 to 45 % range at most shows and at some as high as 50% of my total sales. My average show I sell $4,000 worth of pens, but I only do high end art shows. We here at the IAP have 11,300 members the Fountain Pen Network has 55,024 members. You could say that in the full scheme of things all pen sales compared to "Bic" are minuscule.



Um...the numbers you just stated are staggering to me. You are my hero and now I have a legitimate goal that I want to strive for.


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## Lenny (Oct 25, 2011)

If you are new to fountain pens you might not be aware of a couple of things that you should keep in mind during assembly .... (I wasn't when I made my first FP .... forgive me if this doesn't apply to you) 

Be sure to line up the grain when in the closed position and nib and clip alignment when in the writing position. hth


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## Texatdurango (Oct 25, 2011)

sbarton22 said:


> Fantastic answers!!! This is great!
> 
> This may be a dumb questionm but is a rollerball and FP interchangeable (while constructing them)? when I shop for kits, I always see roller ball and fP grouped in the name.
> 
> Also, do these little pump mechanisms live in the tube? are there special cuts or anything needed to house them?


 
I read above where there are differences in rollerball and fountain pens as far as tube diameters and other things but I have never encountered that in the dozen or so different kits I have assembled over the years.

During assembly there is absolutely nothing to do differently.  I will often start out making a rollerball kit and after finishing it I will change my mind and screw a fountain section on instead!

Every capped kit pen I make can be converted from rollerball to fountain pen in four easy steps that can be done in less than a minute, even while the customer is standing right there waiting on it.

1. Simply unscrew the rollerball section
2. Remove the spring from inside
3. Stick a converter or ink cartridge onto the bottom of the fountain section
4. Screw the fountain section on and you now have a fountain pen!

Before I sell a pen I always snap a cartridge on and test the pen to make sure the ink flows smoothly, it writes smoothly and doesn't leak anywhere.  If in person, usually the cusomer wants to take the pen as is but if I'm mailing the pen I will remove the cartridge, clean the feed and nib before reassembling the pen for shipping.  This way I know the pen writes well.  Better me find out and fix the problem than to ship a pen to a customer for him/her to find out that it doesn't supply ink well or it writes scratchy.


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## BlackPearl (Oct 25, 2011)

Haynie;1302973
The lack of interest is simple people don't know how to use them said:
			
		

> OK how does one "tune" a fountain pen?  I have tuned a dulcimer and a radio but never a pen or a fish. :beauty:
> 
> I have not checked the library but I would guess there is instructions there?


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## Lenny (Oct 25, 2011)

OK how does one "tune" a fountain pen? I have tuned a dulcimer and a radio but never a pen or a fish. :beauty:

I have not checked the library but I would guess there is instructions there?[/quote]

and you would be correct! :biggrin:


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## StephenM (Oct 25, 2011)

BlackPearl said:


> OK how does one "tune" a fountain pen?  I have tuned a dulcimer and a radio but never a pen or a fish. :beauty:
> 
> I have not checked the library but I would guess there is instructions there?



The ever elusive REO Speedwagon reference.


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## larryc (Oct 25, 2011)

I just looked at fountainpennetwork.com and my brain hurts! :befuddled:
I'm not sure I want to know that much.


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## 76winger (Oct 25, 2011)

Rather than throw in a load of links, check out this thread, it's got lot of great Fountain pen related links posted by many members. I found them quite helpful as I'm still in learning mode where FPs are concerned as well: 
http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=80442&highlight=nib+replace


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## IPD_Mr (Oct 26, 2011)

monophoto said:


> - Nibs - you don't need to purchase upgraded nibs, although that option exists. Upgraded nibs are expensive, so they increase the price of the final product and narrow the potential market for sales. Frankly, I've used a fountain pen exclusively for more than 30 years, and I'm not a big fan of high-end nibs; because they are gold, they are softer and bend more easily, and therefore require more frequent 'tuning' than ordinary nibs. Stainless steel nibs can write just as smoothly as gold nibs, and those who use fountain pens for their utility rather than as ego statements are usually satisfied with steel.


 
As has been mentioned not all upgrades to nibs are steel vs gold.  I won't get into that as I think it is pretty self explanatory.  I will have to disagree about the gold nibs vs steel.  I have a Pelikan with an 18k nib on it.  The difference in feel from it and any steel nib I have ever used is very discernible.  Is it worth the money?  Is the price difference between a Cavalier and a BMW 725i worth it?  To some no and to some yes.  It will play a huge roll in your market.  If you sell to a fountain pen connoisseur crowd and show up with IPG Dayacom nibs, don't expect to make booth rent!  If you sell at craft bazaars you may do alright.

Oh and if you think all the different refills for pens are confusing, multiply that by 100 when you really start to work with nibs.  Most of us only see fine and medium nibs.  You also have broads, obliques, italics, musics and multiple others.  Each of those can also be specific ground to a style of writing or to ones taste.  These kind of tips are not for ones ego, but are designed to help you produce a specific style of writing.  Do you want more or less shading when you write, do you need fine lines for ledger work, are you an artist that creates fine works of art that sells for thousands, do you want to hand write invitations or greeting cards and envelopes to look almost calligraphic?  The list goes on and on.  AFWIW, I honestly know very little about nibs, but I do know enough to honestly say, yes there is a difference in upgrade nibs, whether it is steel or gold.


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