Fountain Pen Primer Document from http://code.google.com/p/hobbyutil/ [email protected] Version: 12 Dec 2011 Table of Contents Introduction..............................................................................................................................................2 Tidbits...................................................................................................................................................... 3 Pen.......................................................................................................................................................... 6 How a fountain pen works...................................................................................................................6 Pen construction.................................................................................................................................6 Buying a pen.....................................................................................................................................10 Converters........................................................................................................................................10 Nib.................................................................................................................................................... 11 Cap/body..........................................................................................................................................15 Vanishing Point Pen..........................................................................................................................16 Refilling rollerballs.............................................................................................................................16 Ink......................................................................................................................................................... 17 Reusing ink.......................................................................................................................................20 Permanence: waterproof, archival, etc.............................................................................................21 Are expensive inks worth the cost?...................................................................................................23 Specialty inks....................................................................................................................................23 Ink bottles.........................................................................................................................................24 Mixing inks........................................................................................................................................26 Testing inks.......................................................................................................................................30 Poor-man's chromatography.............................................................................................................32 Using old inks...................................................................................................................................32 Eradicator.........................................................................................................................................32 International cartridges.....................................................................................................................32 Ink costs............................................................................................................................................34 Paper..................................................................................................................................................... 34 Making your own forms & booklets...................................................................................................37 Accessories...........................................................................................................................................37 Carrying devices...............................................................................................................................38 Pen holder........................................................................................................................................39 Blotter............................................................................................................................................... 41 Using a fountain pen..............................................................................................................................41 New pen............................................................................................................................................41 Things to think about.........................................................................................................................42 Troubleshooting writing problems.....................................................................................................43 Other problems.................................................................................................................................45 Useful tools.......................................................................................................................................46 Cleaning a pen..................................................................................................................................47 Glossary................................................................................................................................................ 55 Recommendations.................................................................................................................................57 Pens................................................................................................................................................. 57 Inks................................................................................................................................................... 57 Appendix: measuring............................................................................................................................58 Length............................................................................................................................................... 58 Mass & volume.................................................................................................................................58 Appendix: density of ink........................................................................................................................60 References............................................................................................................................................62 Introduction A relative recently passed away and left me her Parker Slimfold fountain pen (made in England in 1958) that she bought when she was in England in the late 1950's. A few years ago she had sent it to me and I cleaned it out and got it working for her. She told me in a letter that she would make sure her executor got me the pen after she passed away. While it's a pen that doesn't have much monetary value, it has great emotional value for me -- I treasure it and love writing with it (it's 10 mm in diameter, short, and weighs less than 14 g). The executor's son had the pen for a number of months and came to like fountain pens; I suspect he was disappointed in having to give it up. His mother is planning to get him a replacement pen, so I put together a document for her that summarizes some of the things I know (or think I know) about fountain pens. Then I gathered other miscellaneous stuff I had related to pens, ink, and papers and included it. This stuff resulted in the present document. My goal is to provide information to help people get started using fountain pens, as well as put down a few things I've learned, thought of, or investigated. The situation can seem overly complicated to a newcomer -- and this isn't helped by all the marketing-speak and detailed technical talk by fountain pen aficionados. Key terms are in this font. If I think something is especially important, I'll emphasize it like this. Oh, and I'm not affiliated with any company or business -- any opinions expressed here are my own. Now that this document is nearing completion, I wonder: how can anyone write many tens pages on fountain pens? I mean, most people will just think "Criminy, they're just sticks for writing -- what's the big deal?" So what exactly is the lure of using fountain pens? Some of the reasons you'll figure out on your own by trying a fountain pen. Here are a few things to like about fountain pens: Ergonomic: a good fountain pen on good paper affords one of the least tiring methods of doing a lot of writing. The pen can seem to glide across the paper almost effortlessly. Cheap: you can buy inexpensive fountain pens and refill them many times. This is not the case with rollerballs1 and ball point pens. Over a period of time, this can result in a low cost of writing -- and less junk being put into a landfill. Repairable: you can get a fountain pen repaired if it breaks. Choices: a fountain pen can use hundreds of different ink colors available on the market. There are thousands of different pen types to choose from and you can find a length and weight that satisfies your tastes. You