Fountain pens

[dbriski]

I have a customer that is asking questions about fountian pens. I have not made one yet and don't have experience with them, but I have a kit in stock that I was planning to play with when I got some free time. His questions are How do you fill them and do they drip or are they clean?

Also is there much difference from the Jr. Gent Rb and Fountain pens, as far as the building process difficulty? Is the Nib installation difficult? Do I need any special tools?

 

[JimGo]

No difference in build difficulty. I haven't had one drip yet, but I tend to keep them "nib up" when in storage. They can be filled either using any of a number of standard refills (Office Depot sells the refills) or using liquid inks from an ink well (just need the appropriate mechanism, which you can buy from Arizona Silhouette or CSUSA).

 

[ed4copies]

Originally posted by dbriski
<br />I have a customer that is asking questions about fountian pens. I have not made one yet and don't have experience with them, but I have a kit in stock that I was planning to play with when I got some free time. His questions are How do you fill them and do they drip or are they clean?

Also is there much difference from the Jr. Gent Rb and Fountain pens, as far as the building process difficulty? Is the Nib installation difficult? Do I need any special tools?

David,

I don't want this to sound bad, so please read with the kindest tone you can muster.

BEFORE you sell a fountain pen, MAKE time (we all have the same amount of this commodity - it's how we USE it that differs). At least write with one of the kits until you have a "working knowledge" or your first knowledgeable customer will chew you up and spit out the pieces.

Fountain pen guys are, in many cases, religious about their writing experience. After 10 years of selling to "casual users" I still get questions I can't answer and hear customers saying things I KNOW are inaccurate - but arguing is a "non-starter".

Once you have tried the nib, you will realize it is an "OK nib". Then, if your customer also TRIES it, they will usually concede it is good, FOR THE PRICE. Good news is, if he has to ask YOU how to fill it, he's also NOT real avid in his fountain pen use.

Good luck!![][][]

 

[dbriski]

Ed that was no way sounding bad and took totaly as intended. This customer is my first customer (out of 2) comming back for a 2nd pen. He is not that knowlegable about pens, and is a beginning woodworker. The first pen he bought from me was a slimline. So his knowlege of a good nib and such isn't a problem.

I was intending to do what you suggested in making one for myself, I just hadn't gotten to it yet and he just started an inquery about a new pen today.

 

[DaveO]

Wow,it's great that this thread came up when it did. I was going to make the same inquiry tonight. I also have been requested to make a fountain pen. I don't even know which kit is best and all the rest other than turning the wood and finishing it. I will be watching this thread with great interest.
Dave[]

 

[DCBluesman]

From our perspective, there is no difference in making a fountain pen versus a rollerball. The only different is that a rollerball refill holder screws into one couple or a fountain pen nib assembly (comes as one piece) screws into the coupler. Do NOT forget to get a piston pump. Most people like to use cartridges, but you REALLY need to see the mechanics and your customer may want the option of using bottled inks. Here comes a shamesless plug...you can get one of the best inks available...Private Reserve Ink...from either PenWorks (Anthony's) site or from me.

 

[dbriski]

Does the pen kit not come with the Piston pump? Looking at the kit I have, Rhodium Jr. Gents II it looks like there is a pump mechanism included.

 

[wdcav1952]

David,

Some kits come with a convertor for ink, and some do not. Since I am not sure off hand which do and which don't, I'll leave it at that. Trust us, any real fountain pen user will not want to use cartridges.

BTW, the Jr Gent II is a nice kit.

 

[bjackman]

Berea kits come with converters/pumps, CSU kits do not, must be bought seperately.

 

[dbriski]

Is this the coverter pump?

<br />

If so my jr gent, from the Group buy at the pen shop came with it. If not, What the heck is it ?

 

[Rudy Vey]

Originally posted by dbriski
<br />Is this the coverter pump?

<br />

If so my jr gent, from the Group buy at the pen shop came with it. If not, What the heck is it ?

It is the converter pump, just recommend a good ink, like the Private Reserve, Noodlers or similar ones. BTW, I have a colleague who exclusively writes with fountain pens, and he uses the converter pumps when he is not traveling. As soon as he travels in a plane, he changes to cartridges. He takes the pen empty (!) and some cartridges to the trip and puts them in after he has landed - from his (and own)experience I can not recommend to use the pump when traveling.

 

[Firefyter-emt]

Keep in mind, if you have the FP kit, you may have a roller ball pen in the same kit. If you do, you can do one of two things, you can "try one out" JUst buy a spare nib from CSUSA and some refills. then you can swap that nib end into the pen that was a RB. (BTW, it's a great upsale to have the extra FP ends for some kits. For those who want the FP but don't know if they will like it, being able to convert back to a RB can break a sale. The other thing would be to take the nib holder from the kit you have and use that one. I would recomend buying a spare. The new nib will come with the screw in barrel. So if you buy one of their nib's and a converter you can make any one of them a FP.

As for bottled ink, I think the best deal to test some ink is from The Pear Tree, Co.
www.peartreepens.com There you can request up to 4 samples that will ship in small screw cap glass bottles and hold enough to fill a pen once (a full bottle may fill 6 times, but the bottle is not full) He will ship you 4 colors from a vast aray of ink for $2.95 Shipped!! There are 2 very good things from out stand point. First, we can order a few colors to try out for us or our customers. B) Those little bottles are the best thing to have for sale. If you have s full bottle of ink in the standard black/blue you can transfer some from your large bottle into these small vials and include them as a "starter ink" for the piston pump. Keep it simple, blue & black and maybe have a small list of places to buy bottled ink. There was a lot of intrest in FP's but many did not know how well they behave and how wide the range of inks are now. I personaly have the Private Reserve "Burgandy Mist" in my daily user and love the deep maroon color.

Here is the vial to compare against a bottle of ink.

 

[TellicoTurning]

I've made and sold a number of fountain pens... I like making them because I like fountain pens.. I haven't yet tried the pump, I normally put the cartridge in the tube, not installed because I found the ink will dry and the pen will gum up and not work properly and nothing kills a sale quicker than a pen being gummed up and not working.. my sales pitch is that NO One has written with the pen before the buyer.. most avid fountain pen persons don't want a pen that has been written with before (except collectors of antiques) because a fountain pen will wear in to the writer's hand writing style. I am going to try the pump soon, but have never had a buyer walk away because of my "pitch" ..

 

[Mac In Oak Ridge]

Fyerfyter,
I have to disagree with your swapping back and fourth statements. A roller ball pen has a spring in the end of it to push against the ink cartridge. If you take the rollerball cartridge out and put a fountain pen end piece in the pen and put a converter on it then you can't screw it in to the handle. The end of the converter hits the spring. If you make a rollerball pen with the spring loose in it then your customer is going to loose that spring and you don't have any replacements.

You need to sell rollerballs or fountain pens not one for both.

 

[LanceD]

I have sold several rollerball pens with an "optonal" 25.00 upgrade to add the fountain pen nib. I always explain to them about the spring in the rollerball and if they lose it they may have a little trouble finding a replacement spring because I don't have any extra springs available.

 

[Firefyter-emt]

Granted, if they lose parts it is their fault. However, the FP nib can be added as an upgrade. More people are willing to spend an extra $10.00 or so on a nib knowing they can go back to a roller ball if they do not like the FP.

I would be supprised if a useable spring could not be found at any hardware store. Might have to cut the spring, but still useable.

If they loose it, they can buy a "roller ball" replacenemt kit... []

 

[bgray]

Originally posted by bjackman
<br />Berea kits come with converters/pumps, CSU kits do not, must be bought seperately.

Actually, I just got an order from CSA today, and my Emperor did not come with a pump, but my Gent Jr. did. Go figure!

It might be worth calling CSA and figuring out which kits come with pumps and which do not, which I plan on doing.

As a side note...don't allow your packages sit outside in freezing weather if you have fountain pen kits. We were gone this weekend, and my package sat on the step from Friday to Sunday. All the cartridges were broken because they froze!

 

[bradh]

Here in Canada, Lee Valley will not mail Fountain pen kits during the winter for that very reason.
Brad