So many inks, so few pens

[Skydiver]

6 minutes ago, Doc Dan said:

I'm thinking of buying an el cheapo TWSBI Go or a Pilot Metropolitan that is quick to fill and easier to clean so I can try out new inks. What do you all think of my plan?

As long as you do not have OCD about making sure that the section of the TSWBI Go is absolutely clear, you should be good.

 

If you have OCD, then the Metropolitan might be a better choice -- what you can't see won't hurt you. 🙂

 

But if the price point of the Go is a deciding factor and you have OCD, just screw on the courage to pull the nib and feed out of the Go to clean that part of the section. I found removing the nib and feed from the Go is ten time easier than removing the nib and feed from other TWSBI models. It was like pulling the nib and feed out of a well loved and maintained (vintage?) Custom 74.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Warning: the TWSBI Go requires Hulk-like strength to operate.

[Skydiver]

Mine is okay. Takes about 6-8# pressure. (Basically something like a standard issue AR trigger that has not been customized.) If you find it too heavy, grip it like Norman Bates is Psycho holding the knife, and use your thumb. The thumb has amazing power.

[Sailor Kenshin]

36 minutes ago, Skydiver said:

Mine is okay. Takes about 6-8# pressure. (Basically something like a standard issue AR trigger that has not been customized.) If you find it too heavy, grip it like Norman Bates is Psycho holding the knife, and use your thumb. The thumb has amazing power.

 

Not mine.

 

The Go I have is also a gusher.  And I think it's a Fine nib.  I only use it for the nastiest, desert-dry inks, and even then…

[inkstainedruth]

1 hour ago, Doc Dan said:

I'm thinking of buying an el cheapo TWSBI Go or a Pilot Metropolitan that is quick to fill and easier to clean so I can try out new inks. What do you all think of my plan?

Well, I don't have a Go, so I can't advise you there -- but I like my Metropolitans (I have two of them -- one with a medium nib and one with a 1.1 stub nib) a lot.  

Of course, they were also the gateway to more expensive Pilot pens -- a couple of Decimos and a Falcon.... 

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Penguincollector]

2 hours ago, Doc Dan said:

Lovely cockatiel. They make the best and most loving pets.

 

It is not only guitar players. Wet shavers have acquisition syndrome, too. For me it was straight razors, but now someone got me into fountain pens and they are a lot worse and more expensive!

  Thank you! I agree. I have a flock of three hens (18, 17, and 11 years old) and they are all very sweet, smart, and fun. 
  I used to shave with my grandfather’s double edged razor until it was stolen in uni. It felt very luxe. I’m scared of straight razors, but I’m also a lady, so they aren’t super useful. Luckily, guitars and their accoutrements are way more expensive than most fountain pens so I don’t get any flak from him.
 

2 hours ago, Doc Dan said:

I'm thinking of buying an el cheapo TWSBI Go or a Pilot Metropolitan that is quick to fill and easier to clean so I can try out new inks. What do you all think of my plan?

 

  I would go for any of the inexpensive Pilots ( 78g/ 78g+ and Plumix/Pluminix) are my favorites. I have a BB 78g and a lF Pluminix and love them both. The nib’s interchangeable on either model, so if you like the nib and not the body (some people find the Pluminix too small) you can swap them. 

[inkstainedruth]

10 minutes ago, Penguincollector said:

Luckily, guitars and their accoutrements are way more expensive than most fountain pens so I don’t get any flak from him.

 

I do tend to discuss the purchase of moderately expensive to expensive pens with my husband first.  But HE dropped several hundred bucks recently on some sort of "build your own robot" thingie for which he CLAIMS he might get reimbursement from the company he works for -- only I don't know if he has yet or not....  (His current job is to write software for the next generation of robots to assist with surgeries).  

At this point, he KNOWS that if I'm going antiquing or hitting estate sales, if I come back with any more pens or (on occasion) inks) I won't have spent a lot of money on them, because he KNOWS I'm a cheapskate.  As for new(er) more expensive pens, I've recently been holding off a bit -- we just dropped roughly a grand on a new water heater, and then are about to drop probably NEARLY that much (once the actual work is involved) on a part on one of the cars which has gone bad -- and if we DON'T get it replaced, we'll have trouble getting the car inspected next year....   And of course it's STILL way less expensive than buying a new car -- assuming we can even *find* one at the moment....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Bo Bo Olson]

2 hours ago, Doc Dan said:

For me it was straight razors

Well I looked up all the utensils , Soap Bowl, strops, second best brush, and a medium priced razor and at €500, decided to grow a beard. 

It's real easy to start collecting. 4/5th of my remaining pewter topped beer mugs. The other 1/5th of the best beer mugs are in the living room.

I use to have twice as many. Then one day I asked shy I'd not drank through my beer mug collection....having 120!!!

I got rid of my party beer mugs, (the ones that if broken, so what) so only have some 60 or so.....(((Don't drink through them in a year any more either.!))

Pewter topped beer mugs keep the flies and bees out of your beer if you drink outside. They do hold the beer cooler.

If in a Gasthause that has such....very seldom now....leaving the top open tells the waiter/waitress you want a beer.

[Penguincollector]

48 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

I do tend to discuss the purchase of moderately expensive to expensive pens with my husband first.  But HE dropped several hundred bucks recently on some sort of "build your own robot" thingie for which he CLAIMS he might get reimbursement from the company he works for -- only I don't know if he has yet or not....  (His current job is to write software for the next generation of robots to assist with surgeries).  

At this point, he KNOWS that if I'm going antiquing or hitting estate sales, if I come back with any more pens or (on occasion) inks) I won't have spent a lot of money on them, because he KNOWS I'm a cheapskate.  As for new(er) more expensive pens, I've recently been holding off a bit -- we just dropped roughly a grand on a new water heater, and then are about to drop probably NEARLY that much (once the actual work is involved) on a part on one of the cars which has gone bad -- and if we DON'T get it replaced, we'll have trouble getting the car inspected next year....   And of course it's STILL way less expensive than buying a new car -- assuming we can even *find* one at the moment....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

  Mine is a software engineer, I feel you on the random pieces of expensive tech floating around the house in various stages of development. The robot sounds cool,  it almost makes me wish I could write code. 

[SLinkster]

3 hours ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

the nastiest, desert-dry inks, and even then…

Do tell what some of these might be? I have a couple of lovely pens that like the dry inks I've managed to acquire. 

[inkstainedruth]

3 hours ago, Penguincollector said:

  Mine is a software engineer, I feel you on the random pieces of expensive tech floating around the house in various stages of development. The robot sounds cool,  it almost makes me wish I could write code. 

Oh, it's some small thing that I think is a hand.  Not sure what it's supposed to do, other than maybe hold things.

Years ago I took an adult ed class in programming in Basic, and it made NO sense to me whatsoever....  I'm more than happy to let someone else write the code, as long as it does what it's supposed to do (I've had numerous go-rounds with Apple Support when an update to one app breaks something else -- despite their repeated claims to the contrary -- because I suspect that a lot of the coders and IT people don't understand the concept of unit tests; and the scary thing to me is that I've listened to my husband explain different projects he's worked on over the years, so I DO understand the principle...; and also some of his zoom meetings, since he mostly works from home, yelling at co-workers because they DON'T...).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Bo Bo Olson]

Lamy Crystal Agate, a nice shading dry ink...makes Pelikan 4001 BB look like a swamp. Dry in OB and BB. It is the driest ink I've ever run into.

 

One drop of glycerine fixed that.....do not use two drops.

I made that mistake, but had two bottles of that gray and an empty MB shoe bottle, so it worked out.

[Penguincollector]

28 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

Oh, it's some small thing that I think is a hand.  Not sure what it's supposed to do, other than maybe hold things.

Years ago I took an adult ed class in programming in Basic, and it made NO sense to me whatsoever....  I'm more than happy to let someone else write the code, as long as it does what it's supposed to do (I've had numerous go-rounds with Apple Support when an update to one app breaks something else -- despite their repeated claims to the contrary -- because I suspect that a lot of the coders and IT people don't understand the concept of unit tests; and the scary thing to me is that I've listened to my husband explain different projects he's worked on over the years, so I DO understand the principle...; and also some of his zoom meetings, since he mostly works from home, yelling at co-workers because they DON'T...).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

  Now I’m picturing a robot Thing from the Addams Family hanging out with you, trying out your pens.

[inkstainedruth]

Not that lifelike.... 

I did see a video on YouTube of a remote control Thing running up to people on a sidewalk someplace a while back -- some kid was TERRIFIED....  Although it riding on a skateboard was pretty funny.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Sailor Kenshin]

4 hours ago, SLinkster said:

Do tell what some of these might be? I have a couple of lovely pens that like the dry inks I've managed to acquire. 

 

I'll have to check my Nasty Dry Ink Sample collection.  

[Doc Dan]

8 hours ago, Penguincollector said:

  Thank you! I agree. I have a flock of three hens (18, 17, and 11 years old) and they are all very sweet, smart, and fun. 
  I used to shave with my grandfather’s double edged razor until it was stolen in uni. It felt very luxe. I’m scared of straight razors, but I’m also a lady, so they aren’t super useful. Luckily, guitars and their accoutrements are way more expensive than most fountain pens so I don’t get any flak from him.
 

 

  I would go for any of the inexpensive Pilots ( 78g/ 78g+ and Plumix/Pluminix) are my favorites. I have a BB 78g and a lF Pluminix and love them both. The nib’s interchangeable on either model, so if you like the nib and not the body (some people find the Pluminix too small) you can swap them. 

I bought a cockatiel (natural coloring) when I was in graduate school. I was lonely and needed a pet and couldn't have a dog in the building. She traveled with me on vacations, watched TV with me, shared my oatmeal, played hide and seek. We were together for years and she was the best pet I ever had. When I got married my wife developed a severe allergy to her and I had to give her to a loving family. My wife was more important.

 

Yes, I like Pilot pens in general. I only have one fountain pen. Someone walked off with my other one. I simply want a pen that is easy to load and easy to clean so I can try out a bunch of inks. 

Edited October 15, 2023 by Doc Dan

[Penguincollector]

5 minutes ago, Doc Dan said:

When I got married my wife developed a severe allergy to her and I had to give her to a loving family

  I’m sorry to hear that.  It must have hurt to give up your bird. Many people develop an allergy to the powder down. New world parrots (macaws, conures, Amazons) don’t have the same powder down, should you ever want to try again. 
 

5 minutes ago, Doc Dan said:

I simply want a pen that is easy to load and easy to clean so I can try out a bunch of inks. 

  
  Take a look at the Sailor Lecoule, it comes completely apart for easy cleaning, is fairly inexpensive, and the MF nib is wide enough to show off ink effects but still be legible if you write small.  The converter is a separate purchase but since it fits every other modern Sailor, it’s worth it. I put every questionable ink in mine first. 

[inkstainedruth]

Good to know -- someone in my local pen club was giving away a Sailor Lecoule at the Pittsburgh Pelikan Hub a few weeks ago, and one to the things on my shopping list for the Ohio Pen Show is a converter for it.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[dftr]

On 10/14/2023 at 5:57 AM, Skydiver said:

Getting to step back from this and think about my goals some more: My main nibs of interest are Japanese EF, Japanese F, European EF, European F for everyday use because of my handwriting size. I play with the 1.1m stub occasionally. The other widths in between don't really interest me, yet.

 

I said "yet", because I am in the process of changing my signature. I don't have a dedicated signature only pen yet because I'm leaving open the possibility that the new signature I settle on would look better with a M, B, or stub.

 

Off topic: Balancing having a name with at least 16 letters, and trying to transition from a ineligible scribble, but still fit in the small areas for signatures in forms, and not spend half a day signing papers for a house closing is tough. Maybe Prince had the right idea about changing names. 🙂 The lawyers made me redo signatures for one house closing because my regular signature was inlegible. They made me do my second grade cursive scrawls so that my name could be read despite my protests that is not my regular signature.

 

Back on topic: I found a small cache of my paper collection from many many years ago. I now plan on expanding it some more.

I think when I realized I had so much ink, I shifted to using broad and italic nibs.  I even use a Pilot Parralell 2.4mm Nib...  the XF nibs I use now all flex.  Besides the desires to finish a lifetime of ink, I also enjoy seeing the characteristics of ink when there's more of it.  

 

BTW, I have never heard someone complain that signature is unreadable... most signatures have a few recognizable characters and are stylish scribbles.  

[A Smug Dill]

On 10/15/2023 at 1:24 PM, Penguincollector said:

Take a look at the Sailor Lecoule, it comes completely apart for easy cleaning,

 

I would strongly advise against repeatedly pulling the nibs and feeds out of Sailor Leoule, Profit Jr., and Fude de Mannen pens (which all share the same design and fit for the nib and feed in the grip section).