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Happy New Year! I am brand new to this venture in fountain pens; both in product and use. I was visiting an antique store after Christmas and I spotted a brown marbled Diplomat Classic Collection pen in a seller's case. Though used, I figured I could clean it and learn with it. The deal was made and the Diplomat came home with me. It certainly is a beautiful pen and I like the weight of it. I have since cleaned it and filled it with ink. Have used it some to learn the feel and how to best hold it when writing. It is certainly different from what I am used to using; a ball point. I've discovered that, I believe, I should purchase an ink converter (so I don't have to purchase refills). But as for operation, the pen seems to skip and run dry at times. I don't know if this is normal behavior for fountain pens or not. To get ink back into the NIB I have to tap the pen, NIB down, a few times with the cap on, then it begins to write again. The NIB appears to be in great shape. in fact, except for a few scratches from use where you hold the pin on the upper portion of the NIB, it appears to have very little writing time on it. That about covers my knowledge of my one and only pen. Except to say, I realize it is a discontinued model but if there is a way to prevent if from running dry on ink and periodically skipping while writing I would appreciate any help offered. I've attached a photo of my Diplomat CC. Thank you, Diplomat CC from MS GC DiplomatCC.pdf

Ive been into FPs for about a year now and havent attended any FP conventions yet. I reside in C-Springs, CO and theres a convention in Denver, CO next month (October). Ill be attending the convention and was wondering how to determine prices for FPs you want to sell at the convention.

Greetings FPN, I am finally getting off my butt to introduce myself and beg your indulgences with loads of questions. (Warning – long post) My name is Matthew and I’m grad student in Cleveland, Ohio. I have come to fountain pens through two routes: practicality/comfort & fun. I’m currently studying for a pretty important exam that I’ll be taking in about a month. As such, I have been (and will be) studying about 8 hours/day, everyday. This involves a fair amount of writing and note taking. I could probably go faster by using a computer, but I retain information better when I take notes by hand. Up until recently, I had been using the Dr. Grip Ltd gel pens, but was developing a bit of tendonitis. In the interest of making the process of studying more enjoyable and less physically painful, I decided to try out fountain pens. Less pressure, easier writing and a little bit o’ fun. And now I’m hooked. It’s cruel, really. I live on a very meager budget. But studying effectively is very important to me, so I have a small but limited budget that I can devote to finding the right tools for the job. Are there people in the Cleveland area (local to me) who can help me? I’ve learned a lot about pens, inks and paper in the past two month, through trial and error, reading blogs, watching youtube videos and lurking here (lots of lurking). Unfortunately, I find myself no longer able to spend the time (or money) I need to research all that is out there. Also, in chunks of $20-$50, I have spent about $150 looking for suitable tools in the short term. Most of that money has been well-spent, but enough has resulted in disappointment that I’m reluctant to part with much more without a better clue. For example, I generally prefer larger grip (10+mm) pens that come in around 15-25g and are well balanced. I tend to prefer finer points, so I’ve focused my pen search on Japanese fine and European extra-fine nibs. I currently own the following Pens, Ink and Paper: Pens: 9-Pilot Varsities (converting them to eyedropper as I run out of ink), 1-Pilot Metropolitan, 1-Pilot 78g – broad (stub) – I had to try, 2-Platinum Preppies Inks: Noodler’s X-Feather (regular black wasn’t black enough and I was working with cheap paper), Diamine Red Dragon (oddly enough, I prefer this to Oxblood) and Noodler’s BSB (still using sample – I love the color and feel; I would only use this in cheap and/or dedicated pens). Paper: Started with some Piccadilly notebooks I already had (lots of bleeding except with X-feather), now using Clairefontaine (A4 & 8.5x11) and Franklin-Christoph Firma-Flex (A5 & A6). There’s more to the story, of course. But, in a (large) nutshell, that’s it. Any thoughts? - Matthew

Greetings everyone - I have been interested in Fountain Pens for some time and now am considering purchasing one (an Onoto) which would be a considerable investment compared to what I am used to using (a Quill Roller Ball). I am a daily user of Quill Roller Balls - I carry two Graphite/Steel bodied pens with me everywhere. However, over the years they have taken a beating (I can be rough on pens). I was wondering if anyone had experience with the Onoto brand I mention, or give some advice on whether to purchase an Onoto in either the Roller Ball or a Fountain Pen. In my line of work I do a lot of writing so I do not just buy off the shelf pens; however, I am a bit heavy handed on the application of pen to paper. I have heard many great things about the Onoto Fountain pen. The one I am looking at is a school alumni pen (460 USD). My concern would be that I am perhaps to forceful (on the writing tip) kind of guy - and I may be looking at disaster in going the Fountain Pen route. The thing is the Onoto pen is so costly and produced in such limited quantity that I will probably only afford only one, so I am torn between a the reliable Roller Ball tip or trying out the Fountain Pen tip. Might anyone have some suggestions for me as a novice looking to make the leap from daily Roller Ball to Fountain Pen? Many kind thanks for your reply.

Hello I really enjoy the bits of information on this web site. I have to admit that I was getting very bored with ball points and the gel pens . I was looking into calligraphy but much to my surprise fountain pens really hit home with me. Liveing in Youngsan Korea it would be great to link up others who share the writing experience of using a fountain pen. I really enjoy the mechanical part of the pen and all the neat things about keeping in in good order as far as the components of what makes it work. So if there are any groups or clubs out there drop me a emil. I know just enough Korean to get around, but, I truly enjoy the rich history of Korea and the people who make it such a great country. Keep your ink dry and your eye on the paper.