Beginners Welcome (St. Louis, Mo, Usa)

[_sam]

My new boss always carries his Montblanc BP with him and I immediately was struck by the beauty in its design. After some research I found a good rate on a Pilot Sonnet RB and after using it for a couple days decided it wasn't for me, and thus began my adventure into the world of fountain pens.

 

Fast forward a few weeks of obsessively reading through the FPN forums and watching Brian Goulet's videos (no relation, just a happy customer)—last night I received 16 ink samples, a Lamy Safari Petrol XF and a Pilot Metropolitan F. I already had a Muji FP and a glass dip pen lying around so that is where my collection stands currently.

 

I immediately tested all the inks I received and have shared the results below (please excuse the poor penmanship, I have yet to begin the rigorous journey of re-learning cursive I plan to embark on shortly.

 

http://image.ibb.co/cHR2xw/COLLAGE_1.jpg

 

Unfortunately you cannot see the subtleties in many of the ink swatches due to my phone's potato-quality camera, but I was totally blown away by some, especially the Robert Oster inks. I will admit I was a bit disappointed by the Noodler's inks which everyone seems so fond of. I was excited to use them because of their "bulletproof" nature, but found the 54th Massachusetts and Bad Blue Heron particularly wet/runny. Is this a common complaint, or maybe it is just because I was using them with a glass dip pen and there wouldn't be an issue once I load them into a converter?

 

One thing that exceeded my expectation was how easy it is to use the Muji pen as an eyedropper. No o-ring, no special lubricant/sealant, just pour in the ink and go—I didn't even have an eyedropper so I just dumped the ink sample right in! It probably only filled up the pen 1/3 of the way at most, and there have been absolutely zero issues, very pleased!

 

So if you made it this far, hello, and thank you for all the knowledge and resources you have provided here! After just a few weeks I feel like I am already years ahead of where I should be and am excited to jump into this hobby headfirst. Ultimately, I would love to master calligraphy to the point that I can incorporate it into my art and professional life as a graphic designer

 

[Wahl]

[OCArt]

Welcome to our little corner of the universe from a pen user in San Diego.

[_sam]

Thanks!

 

 

Welcome to our little corner of the universe from a pen user in San Diego.

Thanks! Already feeling very welcome!

 

 

 

Sam

[ThomasB]

Hello and welcome from Baton Rouge, Louisiana...Enjoy your time here

[jar]

Welcome home. Pull up a stump and set a spell except on the stump where the ink samples were set to dry. Sit somewhere else.

 

 

 

See what I did there?

[_sam]

Welcome home. Pull up a stump and set a spell except on the stump where the ink samples were set to dry. Sit somewhere else.

 

 

 

See what I did there?

 

already got enough ink on my hands after one night of writing that i know better than to sit in it!

[Carrau]

Welcome aboard, from Charleston, SC. What Robt Oster inks did you especially enjoy?

Mike

[_sam]

Welcome aboard, from Charleston, SC. What Robt Oster inks did you especially enjoy?

Mike

 

Thanks Mike! My favorite was definitely the Gold Antiqua, but I inked up the Australian Syrah which is also very elegant and much more work-appropriate.

 

I also loved the smooth crispness of the Montegrappa Black and am very interested in sampling more colors from Diamine and Pilot Iroshizuku.

 

 

Sam

[mitto]

Greetings and welcome to FPN.

[Henricum_Tropen]

Hello and welcome to FPN, from Cape Town, South Africa.

[_sam]

Greetings and welcome to FPN.

 

 

Hello and welcome to FPN, from Cape Town, South Africa.

 

 

Thanks and hello to you too! How often do you guys find yourselves refilling your pens? I only used my Pilot Metropolitan fine nib for 1 day at work and now it seems to already be empty. Is that possible? It was filled with Robert Oster Australian Syrah ink if that makes a difference. Perhaps I just didn't get a good fill out of the low ink level in the sample bottle I had? My Lamy Safari with Diamine Dark Forest ink is still inked up and writing great, but do I really need to fill these squeeze converters every day?

[Chrissy]

Hello and welcome to FPN.

[PenChalet]

Hello! Welcome to the Fountain Pen Network! We're glad to have you!

[PAKMAN]

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

[Doulton]

Welcome! I have recently been practically glued to the Goulet web site, selecting ink samples and being a bit too self-indulgent. I’ve collected fountain pens off and on for much of my life and find that I most enjoy the mid-priced range of pens.

[_sam]

Welcome! I have recently been practically glued to the Goulet web site, selecting ink samples and being a bit too self-indulgent. Ive collected fountain pens off and on for much of my life and find that I most enjoy the mid-priced range of pens.

Thanks Doulton! What pens do you recommend? I really enjoy the Pilot Metropolitan F as a daily writer, I think even over the Lamy Safari EF, but am interested in trying a stub or even oblique nib.

 

I am probably going to get a couple Hero 616s because I like the design and they are cheap, and will likely also add a 14k gold nib pen from the $40-$75 range in the near future, but would love to hear what others think.

Edited December 9, 2017 by _sam

[Sasha Royale]

Warm welcome !

 

Thank you for sharing.