# Where Do I Start???



## jttheclockman (Dec 20, 2010)

OK I am going to try my hand at some fountain pens. But I know nothing about them. Where do I start???  Are the kits we buy a good quality fountain pen???  I am looking at a Cambridge hybrid, and what others should I look at that are classy and also usable??? Do the nibs have to be changed right off the bat???  What is the best way to sell these ink wise???  I have seen people mention pump and cartridge and ink wells. Looking for tips or a place to go to read about the fountain pen. Thanks.


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## gawdelpus (Dec 20, 2010)

JT I am sure you will get a plethoria of advice on this subject, I sell quite a few Fountain pens at the markets , never changed a nib as they seem quite acceptable to most people , all come with an ink cartridge to get started , better inks are available of course, but that's a personal thing to the new owner , the Cambridge is a nice pen can be a bit overdone with the fittings but again a personal thing , these are mostly see and buy items , if it looks good people will buy ,only true collectors would want an expensive nib of choice . I am sure you will get sales with your quality of work  . PS don't fill with ink before sale as the ink can dry out between showings , a bottle of ink to dip in and try is ok ,and the nib is easily cleaned for next viewing . 
Cheers ~ John


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## azamiryou (Dec 20, 2010)

Most of the kits are fine, nothing special needed. Kit nibs have a bad reputation, but if you test and tune them, most will work. And a nib that works is a nib that works - "upgrading" a perfectly good steel kit nib to a perfectly good steel non-kit nib can attract collectors who are wary of kit nibs, but won't necessarily improve the performance of the pen.

Which is to say, my advice on starting out is to just use the kit nibs and follow the advice in the library here at IAP to tune them. Down the road, it's easy to replace the nibs if you find one you can't get working (or a buyer who just doesn't want a kit nib).


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## Chasper (Dec 20, 2010)

The place to start is to make a good fountain pen (Cambridge, Jr. Gent, Triton, etc) and use it yourself.  Try it with the kit nib, with a replacement steel nib, and with a 18K nib; try nibs from fine to broad to calligraphy and stub.  Read everything you can about pens and nibs so you can comfortably throw around phrases like round nib, stub nib, italic nib, cursive italic nib, and oblique nib.  Learn how to tell the difference between a right foot oblique italic and a left foot oblique italic.  

Take some time to learn what goes wrong with pens and learn how to fix them.  You might even want to try a little pen tuning.  Make sure you know the difference between a wet writer and dry writer, learn how to fix a hard starter.  Use your pen with an ink cartridge and an ink pump, try out 3-4 different types of ink.  Take an ink supply assembly apart and put it back together a few times.  Research a little about fountain pen history and learn the names of the classic brands.

When you get all of that done you can "talk fountain pen," and that is the starting point to be able to make and sell fountain pens.  My experience is that pen users want to know that they are buying from a true fountain pen expert and aficionado.  When you reach that point you will know what to make and how to sell them.


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## jttheclockman (Dec 20, 2010)

Chasper said:


> The place to start is to make a good fountain pen (Cambridge, Jr. Gent, Triton, etc) and use it yourself. Try it with the kit nib, with a replacement steel nib, and with a 18K nib; try nibs from fine to broad to calligraphy and stub. Read everything you can about pens and nibs so you can comfortably throw around phrases like round nib, stub nib, italic nib, cursive italic nib, and oblique nib. Learn how to tell the difference between a right foot oblique italic and a left foot oblique italic.
> 
> Take some time to learn what goes wrong with pens and learn how to fix them. You might even want to try a little pen tuning. Make sure you know the difference between a wet writer and dry writer, learn how to fix a hard starter. Use your pen with an ink cartridge and an ink pump, try out 3-4 different types of ink. Take an ink supply assembly apart and put it back together a few times. Research a little about fountain pen history and learn the names of the classic brands.
> 
> When you get all of that done you can "talk fountain pen," and that is the starting point to be able to make and sell fountain pens. My experience is that pen users want to know that they are buying from a true fountain pen expert and aficionado. When you reach that point you will know what to make and how to sell them.


 

And this is basically what has scared me off of making these as of yet. There is so much more to know when it comes to fountain pens than ballpoints. I also think the true collectors are in the fountain pen area. I just never considered them to be big sellers. But with that said I did have people ask about them at this years sales and being I am going to be opening a web site I thought I might offer some sort of version of fountain pens. I guess I have some homework to do.


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