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Hello, everyone. First post - please, be kind. So, I came across a CT Flighter Sonnet (1994 version) at a charity shop I volunteer at. Marked "Sonnet Q.I France". Old Parker logo - arrow through ellipsis(?). Feather engravings on clip are distinct and sharp - good sign. However, the nib seems 'off'. See images - too much tipping, and layered to form a ridge on upper part. Blob of tipping on end if tip (no pic, as couldn't fix pen to microscope in that position). The engravings are nowhere near as sharp as the ones on the clip- not sure if this indicates an issue. It writes fine though... Not as wet as I would have liked, but hey, for a fiver, can I really complain? So, my questions are: Do you, penthusiasts, think it is genuine? If so, is the nib's condition a problem? Should I attempt to sand it down using micro-mesh? Should I return it? As a sixth-form students, I don't think my budget will stretch to a whole new nib unit...

Fellow Australians (and co-interested citizens of the world), In the short time that I have returned to the fountain pen game, it has become abundantly clear that we Australians are at a particular disadvantage when it comes to sourcing fountain pens, inks and supplies at a reasonable price which we can all afford (particularly considering the current value of the Australian dollar against the US dollar). As such, I have decided it would be useful for those who, like myself, are having difficulties in this regard to have a list of suppliers we can go to. It's particularly hard to source waterproof and premium inks at a good price. Depending on the brand however, this may or may not be a problem. For instance if your after Jinhao's the cheapest option is generally eBay, although the shipping takes a long time from China. Our brethren in the People's Republic really must do something about their postal services. Anyway, if you're after pens from brands like: - Twsbi; - Pilot; - Platinum; - Kaweco; - Moteverde; - Pelikan; - Blackstone; - Lamy; and so on and so forth Or inks from brands like: - Diamine; - J. Herbin; - Faber Castell; - Pelikan; - Pilot; - Waterman; - Rober Oster Signature; - Blackstone; - Platinum; - Caran D'Ache; - Lamy; and so on and so forth Then the following suppliers will be of assistance to you. These are in no particular order, but websites are first, followed by eBay sellers. Websites A special mention to user Drone for introducing me to the Singapore based sites, and my thanks once again for their assistance. 1. www.overjoyed.com.sg These guys are brilliant, firstly because they display all their prices in Australian dollars automatically (or in your local currency, wherever you live), and secondly because shipping is generally free and only takes about 1 week. They supply popular pen brands like those mentioned above, as well as ink, notepads and other supplies. Certainly for inks like Diamine and pens like Twsbi and Pelikan, their prices are the best I have come across so far as an Australian buyer. Same goes for Pilot Iroshijuko inks. Fountain Pen Inks: http://www.overjoyed.com.sg/lifestyle/fine-writing/ink.html?p=1 Fountain Pens: http://www.overjoyed.com.sg/lifestyle/fine-writing/fountain-pen.html 2. aws.straitspen.com/shop These guys supply fountain pens and inks as well, but have a more limited range than the above site, in addition to other products. Prices are very good but they seem to generally charge for shipping. For instance when I inquired about shipping for the Twsbi Vac 700, I was told it would be about $17 AUD. However, they do generally charge Australian customers in Singapore dollars, which are roughly the same value as Australian dollars, so this is a big advantage. I imagine the shipping is not so bad if you order multiple items. 3. justwrite.com.au So here's a local site which sells pens, inks (such as Blackstone) and TUNING SUPPLIES! You can get a complete kit for around $18.00 delivered here: http://justwrite.com.au/Fountain-Pen-Tuning-Kit. Disclaimer that using those products to tune your pens voids warranty and should only be done if you know what you're doing. I am not responsible for any damaged pens or voided warranties and neither are they! Prices are generally good, for instance a complete set of Blackstone's colours of Australia will set you back only around $35 AUD (5 x 30ml bottles) which is great value. They also sell a wide range of fountain pens, including Blackstone, and they carry both economy and premium brands at a decent price. eBay Sellers 1. osteralia Sells the full range of Robert Oster Signature inks at a great price (less than $10 AUD for 50ml bottles). Highly recommend this seller, as they are highly communicative and respond quickly to inquiries and suggestions. Also sells a lot of other FP related products. http://www.ebay.com.au/usr/osteralia?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2754 2. engeika Great price for Platinum waterproof inks, such as their Carbon or Pigment ranges. Best price I have found as an Australian buyer. Reasonably quick shipping from Japan and pleasant to deal with. http://www.ebay.com.au/usr/engeika?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2754 Conclusion So that, dear readers, seems a good start but please do add your own sources! Many thanks. Cheers!

Few months ago I was ecstatic to discover this vintage Pelikan (btw, thanks to everybody who helped me identify the model of pelikan in this topic: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/299779-unknown-vintage-pelikan/?do=findComment&comment=3496046). However, my hype was short-lived. It turned out that there was a rather large cut in the section, and there was ink coming out of it. While I was writing, there was some ink coming out, but it was not that big a deal, but after capping it and then uncapping it, the section was full of ink drops (there will be a picture provided how the pen looks right after uncapping it). I guess some kind of pressure (or maybe vacuum) is formed when the pen is capped, resulting in the ink coming out. So, I have few ideas in my head, how to fix this issue. 1. If I could disassemble this pen, and then cover the crack (the section) with silicon grease from the inside. With this "solution" there are few problems. First I have no idea how to disassemble the pen (and whether it is possible to disassemble, because by the looks of it, it is not possible to take the nib out or any other as in in the M800 or M100), and second, I don't know if the silicon grease will mess up the feed in some way. 2. I was thinking of just covering the outer part of the section with silicon grease, hoping that silicon grease would enter the crack and therefore stop the leaking. 3. Simply change the section part. However I do not know from where to find any spares, and as I said earlier, I am not sure if this pen could disassembled at all. Anyway, I'm using it as a dip pen, which is kind of a shame since this pen was not designed to be used that way. I would really like to find a problem to this solution. Any and every suggestion is more than welcomed. Now I will attach some pictures of the leaking and the crack, but if you would like to see more pictures of the pen just visit the link provided. P.S. I am really hoping for solving this problem so that I can make my first pen review. If I am not wrong, there isn't any review about the M21, so I think it might be an interesting review

Before I got into fountain pens, I absolutely hated them. I had always like pens, pencils and stationery. My favourite was the Pilot G2 when I had first used a fountain pen. The first fountain pen I had ever used was a "cartridge pen" from Tesco: http://images3.mysupermarket.co.uk/ProductsDetailed/78/284178.jpg?v=4 It was terrible. Ink dropped out of the nib, the ink colour was washed out and it feathered and bled through and paper. (Recently I discovered that the pen and ink bleeds and feathers on Clairefontaine!) From this experience, I thought all fountain pens were like this. I had no idea there was such a vast range of fountain pens and how much they cost. A few years later, I was given some money as a gift, so I decided to get a Parker (my mother praised Parker a lot, and she wasn't even a pen enthusiast). I got a Parker Jotter ballpoint after doing much research. It was the most expensive pen I ever had, at £6. Some time later, I discovered Uni-Ball Jetstreams- the best ballpoint you will ever use. After that discovery, I got really into pens. I was into ballpoints, rollerballs, gel pens, felt-tip pens, but not fountain pens. I still thought they all behaved the way the Tesco pen did. When I saw prices of fountain pens, I couldn't believe it. They were enormously more expensive than regular pens. I also discovered bottled ink online, and my interest grew a bit. What made me want a fountain pen was a small stationery shop. I was in there when I saw a few fountain pens and bottles of ink. Suddenly, for some reason I really wanted a fountain pen! I did some web-surfing and discovered that fountain pens were awesome! After loads of research, I decided I wanted a Lamy Safari with a converter, and a bottle of Diamine Oxblood for Christmas. And that's how I got into fountain pens. Sorry for the long post. Here's a aesthetically pleasing pen: http://www.conwaystewart.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Churchill-Bracket-Green-FP.jpg

I've got a spare A5 Clairefontaine notebook that I currently have no use for. What should I do with it?

Hi, It's my 18th birthday soon and so my parents will probably be getting me a new pen! What are some options for less than $400 AUD? Thanks!