# What and How???



## jttheclockman (Dec 21, 2009)

OK I think I am going to try a fountain pen or two or three this coming year. I have never done one so sorry for duplicate ????  What are good kits to make in a fountain pen???  No I am not looking to make my own kit at this time. I see alot of people seem to do this. 

What is involved as far as ink and nibs???
What should I be aware of when dealing with customers???
What should I inform them on???
Do you use the nibs that come with the kit and if not what else do you use and why????
What type inks should I buy????

Any other tidbits you want to throw in that I forgot to ask would be appreciated. If there is an article or a thread with answers then please point me in the right direction.

Thanks.


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## ldb2000 (Dec 21, 2009)

The El Grande make nice larger but still light fountain pens and it come in all the better platings . The Gent/Statesman/Majestic and the Jr's of those pens make nice fountain pens but they are kind of heavy for some fountain pen users . The Baron/Navigator kits are nice pens for women because of their smaller size .
The Nibs that come with the kits are not the best but can be tuned up to write very nicely , however most fountain pen users won't even look at any pen with a Dayacom/Chinese nib . There are several guys here on the IAP that sell replacement nibs , I get mine from Lou (DCBluesman) , they aren't too expensive and write well without tuning . Gold nibs are considered to be the best but the Gold plated steel write just as good since the part that you write with is Iridium (or equivalent) the main difference is the softness of the gold itself . For a person who don't normally use fountain pens the steel is better because the Gold could be damaged by pressing too hard when writing .
Ink is more of a personal thing . Some people like Private reserve others like Noodlers , I use Parker Quink and Private reserve . The most universal is Watermans Florida Blue , it works well in almost all fountain pens .
Look in the library for Lous "Behind the nib" articles .


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## BRobbins629 (Dec 21, 2009)

The best thing you can do is make a few different styles and use them yourself.  Then you can talk from experience.  Replacement nibs usually perform better than kit nibs and don't use the ink that comes with the kits.  Try one of the ones Butch suggested.  It can take several years to be knowledgeable enough about the nuances of nibs, how to tune them etc to sell to a fountain pen enthusiast, but a casual user will not know the difference.  There's plenty to read in the library here and on fountain pen network.  The high end is a whole different world but fun to explore.


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## jttheclockman (Dec 21, 2009)

Wow this sounds intimindating when you say tuning the nib. How is this done and how am I going to know if the customer wants something different tuned wise???  I may get a few that Butch mentioned to try myself but being I never write with a fountain pen I am not going to know the difference if it bit me. 

What is the deal with cartridges and pumps??? Which is better and what do you all sell?? Thanks.


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## ldb2000 (Dec 21, 2009)

Tuning the nib sounds complicated but it's really not , but it is something that takes a little practice to do correctly . If you use one of the replacement nibs , like the ones from Lou , you really don't have to tune them up , they write well out of the box .

If you really want to learn about fountain pens go check out "the Fountain pen network" www.fountainpennetwork.com . Also get yourself a quality fountain pen , good quality vintage fountain pens can be purchased from the people there at reasonable prices , to learn how to use them . Then you will be able to tell how a good pen writes . 

Cartridge or converter is another personal thing . Most fountain pen nuts don't like either , they prefer a pen that stores it's own ink (bulb filler , lever filler , piston filler) For convenience the cartridge is best , when it's time to refill , just pop out the old one and pop in a new one .


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## cbatzi01 (Dec 21, 2009)

ldb2000 said:


> Also get yourself a quality fountain pen , good quality vintage fountain pens can be purchased from the people there at reasonable prices , to learn how to use them .



I think this is a great idea.  I ordered some noodler's ink from Jetpens.com, and decided to try a "cheap" (still $30) Lamy vista fountain pen, so I could compare a manufactured FP to one of mine.  There was a difference, and when  no one is looking, I use the Lamy.  It did give me a sense of what the nib should feel like, and how the ink should lay down, which has been valuable when testing my pens.  

Good luck. 
Chris


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## ldb2000 (Dec 21, 2009)

Yep , Lamy makes a couple of good writing fountain pens that don't cost allot , so does Pilot and even the Chinese company Hero has a couple of very nice writing pens that are downright cheap . Some of the things you will notice about these pens are they are very light weight and they don't have allot of chrome/silver and gold embellishments , they lay down an even line without skipping (some are wet and some are dry but all are consistent), and if you are lucky enough to get a really good one , the nib just seems to glide across the paper with no pressure needed .


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## RussFairfield (Dec 22, 2009)

jttheclockman said:


> OK I think I am going to try a fountain pen or two or three this coming year. I have never done one so sorry for duplicate ????  What are good kits to make in a fountain pen???  No I am not looking to make my own kit at this time. I see alot of people seem to do this.
> 
> What is involved as far as ink and nibs???
> What should I be aware of when dealing with customers???
> ...



If you are getting into fountain pens to follow the money, you have a lot of catching up to do. Except for the casual buyer who wants an inexpensive fountain pen because they're "neet",  all of your customers who are willing to spend some money will be more knowledgable than you, and every one of them will have personal preferences. The only way to overcome this knowledge gap is to learn the language of foutain pens, make and use a fountain pen, learn everything there is to know about a fountain pen, and learn how to tune them. All of that information is available in the links that have been posted in previous messages on this forum

I was asked a similar question by another member of our pen turning club here in Spokane, WA. Following is taken from my e-mail answer to his question. Some of it has already been said by others....... 

Regardless of what we say, the kit nibs are not all as bad as we claim they are. The biggest problem with kits is the ink in the ink in the cartridge, and that the only paper we have used them on is what we find in our ink jet printer. No nib will write well in this test.

I cannot make a blanket judgement about kit nibs because there is a lot of difference between the different kits. Consistency of quality has alwys been a problem. The El Grande kits are a consistently good writer, while the old Americana or Parker style were consistently poor (in my opinion), and the Barons and the like are consistently inconsistent.  

I understand your not wanting to buy a $100 nib just so you can have a good fountain pen for writing. Here is what I would do -

Forget about a gold nib, or even the aftermarket steel nib. Make a kit fountain pen and put it on an equal basis for comparison before you spend a lot of money. 

Make an El Grande, Churchill, or other pen in that class. They are basically the same pen and they will all write well. If it doesn't, you got the odd one. 

Buy a Schmidt reservoir to replace the piece of plastic that comes with the kit. This is definitely worth the money. Don't use the cartridge that came with the kit because they contain the worst possible ink.

Buy a bottle of "Quink" at Office Depot. Everyone says to buy the expensive Private Reserve or Noodlers inks, but the Parker "Quink" writes quite well at a 1/4 the price and there is no postage. 

While you are at Office Depot, buy one of those writing tablets that are some percentage of rag content that is 50% or greater. 

Do some dry writing with the new pen on a piece of grocery bag paper. It is abrasive enough to polish the tip faster.

Put ink in the pen and use it long enough to break it in. Make sure you don't fall into the trap of pressing too hard like you were using a ball-point pen. I think you will know how it writes after about the 5th page.

THEN would be the time to order one of the aftermarket steel nibs. My guess is you wouldn't be able to tell the difference, unless it was a different line width.

For what it's worth, that's what I do. The ink and the paper are more important and can make a bigger difference than where the nib came from, what it is made out of, or how much you paid for it.

Again, for what it's worth...... I have made a lot of pens with the gold nibs because that is what the high-end buyers demanded, but the fountain pen I use every day is an El Grande with the kit nib. I use it because I can't tell the difference, and it can be replaced for the cost of the kit if I lose or misplace it somewhere. If it wears out, I can replace it for less than $10, but I don't see that happening anytime soon because it is now on its 5th bottle of Quink.


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## wdcav1952 (Dec 22, 2009)

Bravo, Russ!!!!!!


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## jttheclockman (Dec 22, 2009)

Russ

There is alot of good info there and you touched on the one thing I am afraid of and that is not knowing what I am talking about when it comes to the fountain pen and all the variables. With a ball point there is not as many variables. I will try to get up to some sort of speed and will buy a few different kits to play with. I have not written with a fountain pen much so will have to learn that aspect of it also. As far as following the money, I will never be able to touch the big boys who do that for a living but I do want to add them to my line. I had a couple people ask for fountains this past show season so thought I would try it. 

I appreciate the replys from everyone. Gives me some place to start and that is what I am looking for. Hopefully I will be able to post one or two in the coming year. Thanks again and have a great day.


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## DurocShark (Dec 25, 2009)

You can buy the Heritance steel nibs for, what, $6? I bought a few recently. They look great, but I agree that once you've smoothed it and "broken" it in, the kit nibs write just fine. But I'm not nearly as hard core as many out there. 

Good paper is the most important part. Yellow legal pads are NOT good paper for fountain pens (or rollerballs for that matter). 

Make one or twelve and play!


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## Dan_F (Dec 27, 2009)

For fountain pen friendly lined paper try Clairefontaine, Rhodia, or Black and Red notebooks. If you look around, you may be able to find them locally, otherwise try the web. Black and Red may be easier to find. I think Target started carrying some of the Rhodia notebooks. These papers are smooth, and not overly absorbent, so the ink won't "feather" on them. The pen will glide on them. Brian at Goulet Pens carries a good selection of papers, and is a member here as well. 
The _Goulet Pen_ Company    There is much to learn about such things over on the Fountain Pen Network FPN

Dan


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