Your Pen/ink Combinations For The Perfect Writing Experience

[IndigoBOB]

 

Thanks for the extra details. This thread has really led me to analyze my experiences when writing with a new pen/ink/paper combination. It adds quite a lot of fun to the hobby to compare how one pen/ink combination feels different on different papers and then think about how to describe the feelings.

 

Hopefully soon I'll have a new blissful experience to report, but I'm not quite there yet. For my birthday I bought myself a vintage Pelikan 400 with a butter smooth and stubby OBB nib. It's so smooth that it feels glassy even without any ink in it on most papers! However, I'm having trouble keeping in the sweet spot range when I write, so occasionally I'll feel a slight gouging sensation that ruins the whole experience. Once I finish this fill of slightly dry vintage Sheaffer #22 Permanent Blue-Black, I'll try some Doyou, Yama-dori, or Miruai and see if that produces the insane smoothness I desire on any kind of paper. As it is with the current ink, if I'm able to maintain the sweet spot then it feels like there isn't even paper under the pen with good paper (I finally tried this Black N' Red journal I bought a while back....awesome smooth paper) and more of the drifting over silk feeling on really poor and gritty copy paper.

 

 

If you don't mind standard business colors, the regular Platinum inks are less boring than Pilot and cheaper than Sailor (at least where I am), yet also have amazing performance on just about every kind of paper. If I'm having trouble with a pen, Platinum Blue-Black (a silky smooth and permanent iron gall ink) always seems to save the day...not to mention it can give a deeply saturated KTC-style indigo from a wet nib or very nice shading with a flex nib. At least for me, it's one of those inks that can make a nib feel smoother (like with Miruai).

 

 

I've never heard much about platinum & they don't show up on people's favorite lists, which is where I get most of my ideas/suggestions, but I wouldn't mind dabbling with a sample, especially Carbon Black.

 

A lot depends on how my PIlot CH 92 comes back from Nibmeister Mark Bacas and how that works with the black inks I have, especially Kiwa-Guro. My collection is beginning to consolidate to 3 pens. I only want three inked at once. Heck, if KTC worked in anything close to as well as my Noodler's Charlie, I'd probably only have 1 or 2 inked... And also because I use permanent inks that require higher maintenance if not regular use and too many pens prevents me from using them causing them to get clogged easily:

 

1. (Ultimate Favorite) KTC will probably always be inked in one of my Noodler's Charlie's with an FPR Medium. It paradoxically has a beauty that enraptures me yet is somehow formal enough for me to not get caught up in it while I write... somehow... it just clicks.
2. (Alternator) BSI.English.Roses works wonderfully in my x750-Franklin-Christoph-M. Franklin-Christoph does magic to those steel Jowo nibs. This color is one I'd alternate to try new colors if experiments yield something fruitful.
3. (Black EDC) For my Third, which has always been my search for my EDC (working with cheap paper) with black ink (I love a warm rich black ink): right now this position is being split between a TWSBI-580-F-Heart of Darkness and a TWSBI Eco-T-EF-Kiwa.Guro---- But this third pen I'd like to reduce to one, hopefully being the Pilot CH92 inked with Kiwa-guro.
4. (Experimenter) Whatever's new. May include up to two pens testing to see if the ink clogs a pen easily or if the ink is known to not clog pens at all.

[KLscribbler]

Sorry I can't help with the vacumatics. You are wise to avoid the English Duofolds for the reasons you suggested. Both of mine have very rounded and (for some of us) wonderfully feedback-less nibs. It may be tough to find the combination of softness and response that your looking for, but I'm sure there are some pens out there.

 

That's interesting. I had always assumed the very rounded tipping shape exemplified by the post-1970s Newhaven Parkers like the P25 were emblematic of an era when FP makers had to try hard to win over ballpoint users, and made their nibs that way to accomodate BP-habituated users. I thought nibs from earlier periods might be different. It seems I might have been wrong in my assumptions. Perhaps Newhaven nibs were like that from the beginning. Now this makes me wonder if the nibs of the immediate postwar Parker Victories made in the former Valentine plant were also made like that.

 

It's true that the particular writing characteristics I like - nib softness, wetness, some tactile feedback - are quite hard to find together, in the same pen. That's one reason my Pilot CH91 is so precious to me - not only does it have everything I want in a nib, but it also has pretty much everything else I prefer in a pen: good ink capacity, easy to clean, perfect size and shape (flat-top, not too large or thick, flared section), rhodium trim & not ostentatious-looking overall. The only possible complaint I could make is that I wish Pilot soft nibs were available in pen bodies other than black.

 

PCH91 Soft Medium + Sei Boku. Still my champion for writing bliss.

[truthpil]

 

That's interesting. I had always assumed the very rounded tipping shape exemplified by the post-1970s Newhaven Parkers like the P25 were emblematic of an era when FP makers had to try hard to win over ballpoint users, and made their nibs that way to accomodate BP-habituated users. I thought nibs from earlier periods might be different. It seems I might have been wrong in my assumptions. Perhaps Newhaven nibs were like that from the beginning. Now this makes me wonder if the nibs of the immediate postwar Parker Victories made in the former Valentine plant were also made like that.

 

Sorry I think my previous post was misleading because I wasn't specific enough. I was thinking of the later UK Newhaven Duofolds of various names like the juniors and other later models. They are, as you said, made to combat with ballpoints. I've never tried one of the early Duofolds, but my experience with prewar pens is that they often have flex and feedback so maybe you can find what you're looking for from that period. For example, all my 1930s-50s piston fillers have feedback.

[chromantic]

​^^ TruthPil - Here's a picture of the M405 Stresseman with the KWZ Maroon, sorry it took so long.

 

[truthpil]

​^^ TruthPil - Here's a picture of the M405 Stresseman with the KWZ Maroon, sorry it took so long.

 

 

Gorgeous pen and ink!! Maybe this is a stupid question, but what's the difference between a Stresseman model and a standard Pelikan?

 

I had another blissful writing experience tonight on cheap paper..... a UK Parker 51 Aerometric with the original stock 1.3mm oblique cursive italic nib filled with Herbin Lierre Sauvage. It's amazingly smooth while still writing nice crisp lines with huge variation. This combination practically writes by itself regardless of what paper I put under it. So glad I decided to pull this neglected pen out of the case!

[chromantic]

 

Gorgeous pen and ink!! Maybe this is a stupid question, but what's the difference between a Stresseman model and a standard Pelikan?

 

No difference. It's named after Gustav Stresemann, foreign minister of the Weimar Republic (I've been mis-spelling it, it seems ) Here's the skinny from Pelikan:

https://www.pelikan.com/pulse/Pulsar/en_US_INTL.FWI.displayShop.252238./souveraen-stresemann

[Fuzzy_Bear]

Still hunting. Doesn't help that what was good one day is not what I need the next.

[truthpil]

Still hunting. Doesn't help that what was good one day is not what I need the next.

Perhaps this band of enablers can help.

What sort of writing experience are you hunting for and what are your usage needs?

[migo984]

It's true that the particular writing characteristics I like - nib softness, wetness, some tactile feedback - are quite hard to find together, in the same pen. That's one reason my Pilot CH91 is so precious to me - not only does it have everything I want in a nib, but it also has pretty much everything else I prefer in a pen: good ink capacity, easy to clean, perfect size and shape (flat-top, not too large or thick, flared section), rhodium trim & not ostentatious-looking overall. The only possible complaint I could make is that I wish Pilot soft nibs were available in pen bodies other than black.

 

 

You’ve described exactly my favourite pen characteristics, especially the nib performance, section shape & discrete appearance. I also prefer a lighter-weight pen. :-)

 

However, despite not meeting all those criteria, my top pen is my vintage black Waterman W5. Filled with Kobe #51 Midnight I can write for hours. The battered old nib is a dream.......

[KLscribbler]

And a little update on my part - I think I've found the ideal ink pairing for my UK P45, at least on copy paper.

 

Surprisingly, it's Pelikan 4001 Blue-Black. I don't use dry inks all that often, but in this pen it's just the thing to tame the extreme smoothness of the nib. 4001 Blue-Black has this thin, watery texture without much cushioning, so I can more keenly feel the texture of the paper when writing. It only works on paper with some tooth to it, though - things like copy paper, cold-pressed watercolor paper, some kinds of rice paper, etc.. On papers with a hard and smooth surface like Rhodia, it's still "I can't feel the paper at all" smooth.

 

On a different note - is anyone here able to comment on the writing feel of vintage Pelikans in the old 400 series? (400, 400n, 400nn, and their respective 500 versions)

 

Earlier in this thread I mentioned not liking many of the modern Pelikan Souveran nibs, because they tend to be stiff and have a very rounded "blobby" shape to their tipping. I've often heard that older Pelikan nibs from the 50s tend to be soft, and to have less rounded tipping that tends towards a stubbish profile in the wider nib grades. Sounds like something I might like.

[truthpil]

And a little update on my part - I think I've found the ideal ink pairing for my UK P45, at least on copy paper.

 

Surprisingly, it's Pelikan 4001 Blue-Black. I don't use dry inks all that often, but in this pen it's just the thing to tame the extreme smoothness of the nib. 4001 Blue-Black has this thin, watery texture without much cushioning, so I can more keenly feel the texture of the paper when writing. It only works on paper with some tooth to it, though - things like copy paper, cold-pressed watercolor paper, some kinds of rice paper, etc.. On papers with a hard and smooth surface like Rhodia, it's still "I can't feel the paper at all" smooth.

 

On a different note - is anyone here able to comment on the writing feel of vintage Pelikans in the old 400 series? (400, 400n, 400nn, and their respective 500 versions)

 

Earlier in this thread I mentioned not liking many of the modern Pelikan Souveran nibs, because they tend to be stiff and have a very rounded "blobby" shape to their tipping. I've often heard that older Pelikan nibs from the 50s tend to be soft, and to have less rounded tipping that tends towards a stubbish profile in the wider nib grades. Sounds like something I might like.

 

Argh...I wish I could trade P45 nibs with you, because what you have is exactly what I was hunting for and couldn't find. 4001 BB is one of my go-to inks for taming wet pens (usually vintage German piston-fillers with flexible nibs).

 

Vintage Pelikans have become my thing of late and I have two 400s and one 140. The 1950s Pelikan nibs are varying degrees of semi-flex and are indeed stubbish. They are my most favorite of pens, along with the P51 OBB italic I mentioned earlier. However, the vintage Pelikan gold nibs in any width broader than EF tend to be too smooth for your liking. It's the 1930s-1950s CN (chrome nickel) nibs that might interest you. They have some real tooth to them and can be very flexible. I have a 100 CN BB nib on my 400 and it's a true wet noodle with significant tooth. It feels like writing with broad soft pencil lead. Someone is selling spare vintage steel nibs on eBay for a reasonable price if you know someone who can swap the nib for you. I also have a 1950s Artus with steel OB nib that has the same characteristics...very flexible and toothy.

[Fuzzy_Bear]

Perhaps this band of enablers can help.

What sort of writing experience are you hunting for and what are your usage needs?

Been here a long time. I've been enabled. My AD HD loves changes. The old man joint pain, why at 48, doesn't help. I enjoy many different, so my hunt will never end.

 

It also depends on my mood.

 

😁

[truthpil]

Been here a long time. I've been enabled. My AD HD loves changes. The old man joint pain, why at 48, doesn't help. I enjoy many different, so my hunt will never end.

 

It also depends on my mood.

 

 

 

Same here! I hunt for one experience and find it 20 pens later, then I end up coming across rumors on here of some different experience and start hunting for that...indeed, it doesn't seem to end.

[Torrilin]

Been here a long time. I've been enabled. My AD HD loves changes. The old man joint pain, why at 48, doesn't help. I enjoy many different, so my hunt will never end.

 

It also depends on my mood.

 

 

Got anything where you’re consistent? (Yes, I recognize PRECISELY how ridiculous a question that is, but it can happen, I know because I’m ADD and it happens for me very rarely)

 

I really prefer to always have a pen inked in black. Specifically Platinum Carbon Black because it performs at least acceptably on even very absorbent or odd paper, and because it makes every nib I’ve tried it in perform more to my liking. But your favorite ink or favorite paper may well be different.

 

If you can find the nice and consistent parts, it will be easier to get the good experience you want more often. (For me, light pens, fine nibs or crisp italics, and inks that perform well over a broad range of nibs and papers)

 

And it’s ok to not be the kind of person who only likes one pen body and one nib style. I think that appeals to us ADHD types partly because if we like a thing then we just can’t wind up in that space. We end up consistent and boring only with stuff where we don’t much care.

[Fuzzy_Bear]

Actually yes. I always have an Eco 1.1 loaded with Texas BlueBonnet. And a Lamy Al-Star, B with Blue Steel.

 

Yeah, I get frustrated easier than most and will just put it away until I care to deal with it again. My Phileas was that way. Bought it, it was dry, like pour water out of the glass and it evaporates before it his the ground dry. I put it away for almost a year before deciding to mess with it again.

 

Consistent? I consistently forget things, except to make my wife mad by forgetting things. Procrastinate? Pretty consistent with that as well.

 

😁

[Torrilin]

Ok, so look at what you like about the 1.1 and Blue Bonnet combo. What draws you back to it? Shading? Line variation? Color? The way the nib feels against paper? Do you like the same ink in other pens? Is it more the pen makes inks feel good?

 

There’s a lot of aspects, and it’s good to poke at the good stuff.

 

Maybe look at reviews of the Eco 1.1 or the ink. See if other people notice different stuff.

 

(For me there’s something satisfying about black ink. It’s harsh and cold and a good one has very crisp lines. Uncompromising. No judgment, no gentleness. It’s not at all neutral but it reads that way.)

[Noihvo]

 

[truthpil]

 

 

Thanks for sharing your favorite combination!

I'm a big fan of Pelikan Blue-Black and especially love how well it writes with very wet nibs.

​The Rangas are too big for my hands, but I've got a smaller ebonite pen from AsaPens on the way which I hope will write and feel the way yours does.

[Bookman]

The best pen-ink combination for me would be the one that best loosened the ideas from the inside of my skull; allowed me to get lost in my writing, not thinking about anything but what I wanted to say and how I wanted to say it (until time for a refill, that is); and left behind on the page a pleasing yet distinctive writing line. These days I'm partial to my Esterbrooks (Messrs J/#9668 and Dollar/#9550) filled with good old Waterman Bleu Sérénité.

Edited April 15, 2018 by Bookman

[jmccarty3]

I consistently forget things, except to make my wife mad by forgetting things. Procrastinate? Pretty consistent with that as well.

 

Sounds like a perfectly normal adult male to me. Rejoice in your normality, and immerse yourself in it!