Hi From Bangkok - Need Advice For First Fountain Pen

[Namwan]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm very new to fountain pens, but I've always been fascinated by the looks of it, and have only done extensive research today.

 

I work as a reporter for a local newspaper, so I have to use a pen five days a week for an average of an hour per day. I've never used a fountain pen before, and I've only used ballpoint pens (0.7-1 mm) for note-taking. I don't know any reporter who uses a fountain pen, so I'm wondering if they are actually suitable for note-taking? Today I read a lot of articles and threads and almost all of them contained very beautiful pictures of handwriting, which must have taken a long time to write. On the other hand, a journalist does not care about handwriting at all, and what they write is only for themselves to read. Then the notebook is thrown away when it is all used up.

 

Today I tried using my mother's 1 mm gel pen and I liked the flow very much. I think it's faster to write with because it needs less pressure than a ballpoint pen. I think fountain pens are beautiful, and I understand that the ink is similar to the ink in the gel pen, but is it much harder to write with? And because we have to write so fast, there are always stains on my right hand, even when I use a ballpoint pen. Will sentences dry up fast enough that the ink won't stain on my hand when I reach the second line of the notebook?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Namwan

Edited November 14, 2013 by Namwan

[logantrky]

, Namwan!

 

There is a limitless selection for you to choose from! I would suggest either a Lamy Safari Al-Star or TWSBI 580. They are relatively inexpensive pens and they would be great to get your feet wet. Just keep reading around here and you will eventually find a pen that you are attracted to!

[Fountainer]

Hello to Bangkok!

Basic rule: Iridium point. Almost all pens have this but not some very cheap ones. The smaller, the scratchier the nib may be but also type of paper affects this. As a reporter you could prefer snap-off cap better than slower screw-off and you may want to be able to put the cap in the end part of pen, off from your hands. There are many pens that can't do this simple task. Maybe you want a converter/cartridge filled pen so you can keep extra ink with you, or just big enough capasity so you don't really have to worry about that. So list your preferences and keep searching with those in mind.

 

Fountain pens always leave the writing wet for a while which is a problem for a fast writing reporter and especially for left handers but there are also papers that suck the ink really fast, that fixes the problem quite well. Some pens are wetter than others and they can also be adjusted a bit. Inks are also different but i'm not an expert to tell about them.

Edited November 14, 2013 by Fountainer

[PAKMAN]

Hello and Welcome to FPN!! Glad to have you as a member!!

 

Some fast drying inks combined with fine nibs will give the fast drying you need for notes. Lots of college kids have luck with Lamy Safari's with fine points for note taking.

[Clancy]

Greetings and welcome to FPN. It's great to have you here with us.

[Wahl]

Welcome to FPN, Namwan !

[Aquinata]

Welcome! I really like my MiniTWSBI with the fine point.....

[Sasha Royale]

Welcome !

 

With a "ball" pen, one has to bear down with sufficient pressure to make the ball track on the paper.

Simultaneously, one must grip the pen very firmly, while bearin down. The liquid ink of a fountain pen is attracted to the paper, so slightest contact will cause the ink to flow. Light contact and a relaxed grip is possible. I used a fountain pen through four years (Okay, four and one half years) of college notetaking. I experienced far less hand fatique.

 

A fountain pen is excellent for taking notes. Which one ?

 

Please give us an idea of your budget range. Some liquid inks dry faster than others. However, if you insist on dragging your hand over wet ink, perhaps pencil is best.

[RMN]

Hi Namwan.

 

 

I use fountainpens for takeing notes when I talk to clients. No problem there. But you need a good surface.

 

For taking quick notes outside in the rain some decent Ballpoints will be more suitable same on very bad paper, but otherwise nothing beats a fountainpen.

 

 

D.ick

[Namwan]

Thanks everyone. I like the demonstrators, and I think being able to see the ink inside is pretty cool. My budget range is $300. But I saw that the Pilot Vanishing Point opens only with a click, which is quite handy. And it comes in pink!

[logantrky]

Thanks everyone. I like the demonstrators, and I think being able to see the ink inside is pretty cool. My budget range is $300. But I saw that the Pilot Vanishing Point opens only with a click, which is quite handy. And it comes in pink!

 

Although I've never owned a Pilot VP, I have heard mostly great things about them. Being you're a reporter, it may be the most convenient way to go. It definitely comes in under your budget as well.

[85AKbN]

welcome.

[notVirtuThe3rd]

Hi! Welcome to FPN.
I'm really glad you've joined us.

 

Have a good day,
Kota Adachi

 

From Japan

[Montblanc owner and lover]

Welcome,you won't have prob of ink stain if you do not run your hand on the paper...No a FP is not difficult to use and can be used for note taking:i'm a student so i take notes the whole day with a FP and have never got prob with that

for the first FP get a lamy safari or a pilot,would be nice. And if you'd like to try a piston filler pen go to TWSBI

[AndyHayes]

Will the perons whose story you are writing wait for you to refill your pen when you run out of ink? You might be better off with a digital voice recorder, a notebook and a few pencils sharpened at both ends!

 

Should you decide on a Pilot VP, they really are wonderful pens. I have 5 of them and carry the matte black one daily. For anyone in the UK who doesn't know, you can buy the body only or nib only from www.cultpens.com I had 4 bodies already and 6 nibs, and didn't want to buy a whole pen, but had been yearning for a matte black one since they came out. Cult Pens provided the solution.

 

In the UK I can't imagine that a reporter would ever throw their notebooks away. They need a record of what was said many years into the future in case of litigation.

[Namwan]

Hi Andy. No, the person will obviously not wait for me to refill my pen, but then again I never interview anyone without at least two pens. I used to have that problem in the past, but I have now worked for four years and have learned the lesson. So running out of ink would not be a problem.

 

I already bought a Pilot VP, and wrote about it in another forum. I like it a lot.

 

And I throw my notebooks away because when I cover a sensitive issue, I record it as a backup in case that person claims he or she did not say what I wrote down in the article. I used to never record interviews, but I learned my lesson when a source claimed that she didn't say GMOs are the only solution for sustainable agriculture when in fact she did.

 

And even if reporters keep their notebooks for years, if anything really goes wrong, the notebook alone can't be evidence because the source can claim that the reporter wrote down the wrong wording.

Edited December 1, 2013 by Namwan

[Penne Stilografiche]

Welcome to the Fountain Pen Network, glad to have you with us!

[nop_bkk]

Namwan hi, I just joined FPN and found your post. I'm more than a year too late on this, but I'll comment anyway. I would have suggested a Pilot VP, with the warning that you cannot buy Pilot cartridges locally as Pilot have all but exited Thailand (there is a Pilot shop near Bangkok Bank on Silom, but I doubt they carry the cartridges). Therefore, you should be sure to order a good supply of cartridges just in case. The VP would be a good choice for you, being someone who has to be out and about, especially with it being a one handed operator. As back up, I would suggest a couple of Lamy Safaris, smooth nibs, reasonably priced, cartridges widely available. Good luck with your fountain pen adventure. Sawadee krub.

[Sasha Royale]

I recently assisted a friend at his kennel. I walked through, taking notes on ration mixtures and quantities for

each animal. Later, I transcribed my notes into a bound journal for use. I used an Esterbrook and Noodler's

Heart of Darkness. However, during the "walk-through", making rough notes on a hand-held pad of paper,

(ready for the heresy ?) I used a mechanical pencil.

 

I knew the pencil had a long "stick" of lead. There was no pen cap to drop. Several times, I put the pencil

into my shirt pocket, (point first) or let it fall onto a counter, to have a free hand.

 

When I was in the navy, I wrote home with my Parker 45, including the six-month sea deployment. But, when

I climbed into the cockpit, with a contoured, steel clipboard strapped to my right thigh, I had two #2 wooden

pencils.

 

When I send a "care package" to a soldier overseas, in the Arabian desert, I include a "Sharpie" marker,

because it writes on paper, tree bark, cloth, human skin, and rocks.

 

More than fountain suggestions, you asked for advice. Good luck !

 

.

[H1N]

Hello and welcome to FPN