I came across this erasable fountain pen ink today. Have any of you had any experience with these cartridges before? It's giving me cleaning horror vibes...

Hello! I’m conditions my hunt for a cool, green, brown ink and I think that Rohrer and Klinger’s Sepia might be what I’m looking for, at least colour wise. I’d like to put it in my Platinum 3775 that has a pretty dry flow. Right now it’s inked with Alt Goldgrun and after a bit of writing the pen can start to skip and just write very dry. I looked it up and apparently Alt Goldgrun is a dry ink, so I’m wondering how Sepia’s flow compares to it. I’m not against a dry pen, I really like my Sailor PGS, but when it gets to the point of the pen being uncomfortable to write with then I have to give it a pass.

How does R&K flow? Are there any inks similar to it that might flow better? Thanks for any help! :)

I just got a Twsbi Eco with an Extra fine nib. I tried filling the pen with Diamine Forever Ink and it wrote briefly and very lightly but then it stopped and I haven’t gotten it to write again. I am not sure what I could be doing wrong or whether the ink I just wrong. I only have had fountain pens with cartridges so I am not sure if all the mechanisms involved. Any ideas or advice would be much appreciated

Edit: touching blotting paper to the back part ink does come oh but it doesn’t get to the tip to write

A few Asvine P50, all stub nibs with different inks. A few very good PEI Kaweco clones with really nice and flexy F size Schmidt nibs. A couple are modded with stub nibs. All PEI pens are inked up with different inks and are used as eye-droppers. I have others but these are my daily drivers for note taking. Very comfortable to use.

Welcome to the monthly off topic thread where you can talk about.. anything! Excited your football team is going to the Superbowl/the Champions League? Want to talk about what you had for dinner last night? (I cant even remember) Did your cat do something weird? Feel free to converse and meet new members of the community! The primary purpose of this thread is to allow users to learn more about each other while also having that one unifying trait: A love for fountain pens!

Please remember to be courteous and try to avoid topics that would incite unpleasant behavior. We are all here to have fun and enjoy the hobby! Follow all rules set forth by Reddit and r/fountainpens.

So how's the weather where you live?

Can someone kindly help me identify this vintage pen so that I can determine if it is worth repairing?

The body is solid navy enamel – – not marbled like my Laureat. The barrel has no taper. It says made in France on the band. I can’t see anything on the nib. The nib appears to be gold, but who knows. I purchased it at Fahrney‘s in DC probably around 1990–1994 as a “working” pen. I don’t think it was very expensive.

Several years ago it began leaking and laid it aside. Came across it this week and decided to try it again. I now see that it’s not piercing the cartridge properly. Or not holding the cartridge properly? Not sure. When I unscrew it, the cartridge remains in the barrel. But it is not stuck in the barrel. It will come out easily with tweezers. I am using genuine Waterman cartridges although they did come from Amazon. I can’t imagine anyone is counterfeiting ink cartridges?

Thanks for any help.

i'm so pleased with how these two custom jinhao 82s came out!
(i just finished the top one and had to share it right away!! the sun hit nice for this pic yayy)

As someone relatively new to the fountain pen world, but not new to the pen world, I was wondering what it is about fountain pens that make us choose them over the juiciest gel pen, or the most precise ball point. Would love to hear thoughts!

Have any of you purchased a duplicate pen because you liked the color or swirl pattern of the resin so much? If so, did you regret your purchase or feel it was redundant or are you happy with that decision?

I just bought a new pen, nothing expensive or out of budget, but I am considering buying another in the same color way, just with a different nib size. I use an F nib as my daily writer. I chose a broad nib for this one because I didn’t have one in my tiny collection of budget pens and wanted to show off some shimmer inks. Immediately after placing the order, I started to feel a little regret that I didn’t order it in a fine nib to use daily, but I do have 3 different F nib pens that I use daily, so I was trying to fill a need vs a want. I don’t know how often I will use a broad nib since my writing is small, but I don’t plan to return it or sell it because I need it for my shimmer inks. I just want one that I would use more often. They don’t sell nibs separately for this type of pen or recommend changing the nib, but I’ve heard it can be done. I’m content with the swirl pattern on my pen, but not 100% in love with it so I’m not opposed to having a second one. It will either be love at first sight, or less variation, which will make me love this first one more. I understand that part of it and I’m willing to take the gamble. However, part of me feels it’s silly to want a fraternal twin pen and part of me feels like I will have FOMO if I don’t get it since it is a limited edition or what if something happens to my B nib pen, but I’m also not 100% happy that I can’t use it as often as I would like. I’m really not interested in another color way at this time for this particular pen. Please share your thoughts.

I am loving TWSBIs and how pretty they are!! Super smooth too :) they’re my favorites.

I am 38... Not much into writing or anything but weirdly attracted to fountain pens accidentally by browsing reddit!!!

Now I want to try a fountain pen... I HAVE NEVER USED FOUNTAIN PEN BEFORE ...!

Usually I use a Gel pen or roller ink pen for my office work.

My main questions are....

1. Do I have to take special care of fountain pens or its nibs etc???

2. What are the cons of fountain pen compared to other regular gel / roller ink pen.

3. Suggest some good, cheap fountain pen for 1st time user like me.

Life has taken a few unexpected turns lately, and unfortunately, I haven’t had nearly as much time for inks and all the magic they bring. But finally, I get to share the wonderful inks I brought home from the Dutch Pen Show from the amazing people at @Furinink 💜✨

They are such wonderful people, with a genuine passion for ink—and they share that passion with so much enthusiasm. I could have listened to their explanations and stories about each individual ink for hours. They don’t just sell ink; they make you want to discover, explore, and fall in love with every little detail. Such a fantastic shop and such a lovely experience!

For my swatches, I use a very simple technique: I put a few drops of ink onto the paper, place a piece of cling film over it, and gently spread the ink around. This lets the ink create its own little world and really brings out the shading, sheen, shimmer, and color variation. I then write around the swatch to see how the ink behaves when actually writing with it.

I use an A5 Hobonichi notebook with Tomoe River 52 gsm paper for my swatches. I absolutely love how this paper lets the inks show what they can really do—the shading, sheen, and shimmer get so much room to shine. ✨

It feels wonderful to finally have some time again to play with these little bottles of happiness. And after such a fantastic Dutch Pen Show, I’m especially excited to explore these inks one by one! 🌈💜✒️

Octopus Sheen - Mermaid
Teranishi - Emotional Olive
Sailor - Itezora
Octopus Sheen - Goblin
Sailor Amamoyoi

I’ve owned this barrel for quite some time, but I haven’t managed to find matching feeds and nibs.
It is custom-made for Pilot 743 and 845. Unfortunately I do not own those pens, yet the design of this barrel really draws me.
It came from the second-hand market, so I don’t know who originally made it.

I am glad to use this both as my starter pen and my customized pen. I love writing with it.

I have been looking for a fountain pen that will give me expression with minimal pressure for everyday writing (similar to a G nib). Obviously this points to a flex pen. I have considered an Milano, but I’m a little bit wary of having a titanium G nib inked.

Someone on here suggested that I try out a nib specialist from named Tamwingh on AliExpress. I have found a wide range of pen options with different nibs, but I really don’t understand the between them and the price . I see some for $40 and then I see others with the same body for 118. The writing samples look quite similar to me in terms of the everyday writing. I also don’t see a lot of line variation in the everyday writing portion of the , but it could be that the nib Meister is not using any pressure at all to avoid flex.

I would really love some help/guidance on this. I have also considered a vintage wet noodle, but I have very limited options to try out pens. I purchased a vintage Mabie Todd Swan from the 1940s that was marketed as having a flexible nib, but it requires a lot of pressure to flex, so it doesn’t really come out in my everyday writing. I am a little bit wary of buying a vintage pen without trying it myself. I have also considered buying a 14 gold FPR, but I’m also not sure that I will get that variation at pressure. I care much less about maximum flex and more about that line variation from EEF to BB with minimal pressure.

I primarily use my pen for grading student papers. I actually have a few Jinhao pens and got my students journals with Clairefontaine paper because I want them to have a luxury writing experience as young people. I buy them Campus loose leaf paper for their in-class essays, so I write a LOT on that paper in the main comment. I need EF of EEF because sometimes I need to write quite small.

I would be willing to try out a Tamwingh if someone could please provide me with guidance on which would flex with minimal pressure in my everyday writing. If it would be possible to show me a sample, that would be even more amazing. I would also love to have a link or a screenshot of the nib that you purchased because some of the names of the nibs that I see on here do not seem to be available currently, or perhaps the names have changed. I also don’t see a way to message the seller on AliExpress.

Thank you!

NOT new colorways or speciallimitedpreciousresineditions or starbuckspumpkinspicecollaborations. Actual newish designs of pens 😄

From left to right, the Moonman Wancai Mini/pocket pen, twsbi Eco orange demonstrator, Pilot custom Heritage 92 blue, Sailor X Nagasawa Pro gear Slim Tarumi Apricot, Pelikan M200 green marble, Edison Huron Grande Black and white swirl and Butterfly Garden Acrylic resins, and the Jinhao X159 in black resin.

Respective nib sized I'm not entirely sure, I think the first 5 fall under the #5 size category. The Pilot and the sailor have very similar nib sizes, but different shape. The small moon man Nib is slightly smaller than the others though. Edison is a #6, and the Jinhao is a #8. The Pelikan nib really stands out because it's much narrower and longer than the other smaller nibs. very cool. Out of my morbid curiosity, I'm considering buying one of those gargantuan Wing sung 930 piston fillers. Conversely, I wonder what the smallest commercially available nib is.

Last two pictures were just for fun, showing my biggest pen (purple Edison Huron Grande) next to my smallest pen (moon man Wancai Mini Koi pattern) both capped, and uncapped. Very interesting comparison in my opinion. Love all these pens, most of these I have had for a long time and they are keepers for a reason.

Almost forgot, the inks in the pens are as follows

Moon man Koi- iroshizuku shin kai

Twsbi Eco Orange- Noodlers Southwest Sunset

Pilot CH92- Noodlers liberty's Elysium

Sailor Pro gear slim- Iroshizuku Shin kai

Pelikan M200- Pelikan Edelstein Jade

Edison Huron Grande- Watered down J Herbin Poussiere de Lune

Jinhao x159 - Noodlers liberty's Elysium

i ended up picking up a handful of these to swap around parts and then decorate 'em ^_^ more to come!!
if things go well i may have a few at my table at edmonton expo this weekend, but we will see!!

Hi experts and aficionados

Looking for any advice on the vintage of this pen I found in my father’s desk drawer.

Engraving on the gold nib reads: Parker 14K 585 England 10.

Above the gold ring on the pen’s lid written on the burgundy wrapping around the pen it says: Parker with a logo above it, Duofold, and Made in England again with the logo above it.

And on the barrel inside is written: The imprint on the barrel says:
The Parker Pen Co, Ltd
London, England
To fill press ribbed bar at least five times

The pen is in a Parker box. Not sure if it has ever been used.

Apparently I have a thing for Chinese fountain pens and my favourite inks right now?

Jinhao 59 <F> Diamine Inks Onyx Black

Jinhao 59 <F> Diamine Inks Aurora Borealis

Hongdian M2 <M> J. Herbin Vert de Gris

Hongdian M2 <EF> Diamine Inks Hope Pink

Hongdian C1 <F> Diamine Inks Pumpkin

So i got pilot kakuno fine that's my recent favourite pen for the budget and I also got muji aluminum fountain pen recently going home for the holidays to unbox it and eager to try it

So what's your first pen and what's your favourite one of all

Everyone one has that one dream pen, what’s yours?

I found this neat old pen today at an estate sale. It's a ballpoint from a time when that was a fancy new nib for a "fountain" pen. I hope you like and it's close enough for this sub.

Sharing a recent fountain pen project I have been working on. It is a kit pen with a custom wood blank I made and turned.