My thoughts on weight and balance in a fountain pen. Remember these are my opinions only, and probably more than you want to know.
A fountain pen is different from a ballpoint in how we write with it. The fountain pen should be used without having to press the point into the paper to make a line. The weight of the pen should be enough to make the line, and all we are doing is gliding it across the surface of the paper to shape the line of ink and lifting it to break the line of ink between words. This is different from writing with a ballpoint where pressure is required to roll the ball and leave a trail of ink. Most people who have been born into this ballpoint pen world will have to learn the totally different penmanship and lighter touch of the fountain pen.
Having said all of that, the best weight of the pen is that weight that makes a continuous smooth line WITHOUT downward pressure from our hand. In that respect, the fountain pen is less fatiguing than the ballpoint.
More weight than is needed to make the smooth line is more weight that we will have to lift to break the line between our written words. And that can cause a long term fatigue.
Balance is being able to hold the pen in the vertical writing position without using pressure from our hand to combat the weight and momentum of the pen.
Typically, our kit fountain pens have a very heavy cap. The cap weight is usually more than 1/2 of the total weight of the capped pen, and all of that is above our hand when the cap is posted. That makes for a very top-heavy pen that can be difficult to control without a tighter grip on it with our fingers.
Writing with a kit pen without posting places the threads and metal parts in the web of my hand, and that can rub a raw spot on my skin after using ir for any length of time.
So I solve the problem with a "closed end" fountain pen. I can make it a little longer than the kit to better fit my larger hand, and I can adjust the weight of the pen to match the needs of the writing tip.
Using a typical Baron as an example, the kit pen comes in at about a total of 50 grams, depending on the weight of the wood or plastic materials used in the barrels. 25 grams of that weight is in the pen, and the rest is in the cap. I can make a longer "closed end" pen that weighs no more than 15 grams. However, that is a marginal weight for getting a smooth line from the kit nib, but well within what will make a good line with an upgrade nib such as the Bexley I use or the ones that Anthony sells.
The reason I have always have praise for the steel nib on the El Grande is because it will make a smooth line with a total pen weight on 12-15 grams, and I haven't found another kit nib that will do that.
It would be easy to question why I would want to close the end and lighten the weight of the cap since I am not posting it for writing. There are two reasons for closing the end and recessing the clip. The first is that it makes a better looking pen when it is not half custom pen and half kit. The other reason is that a lighter pen is easier to carry in the shirt pocket without having to add the support of a plastic protector or a carrying case. A pen the weighs a total of 22-25 grams is easier on the pocket than one that weighs 50 grams or more.
It all comes down to personal preference. I prefer to write with a lighter pen and without posting the cap, and that is my argument for making the lighter pen. Others prefer a heavy pen, and they prefer pne that is more like the kit. Some people like a lot of metal, others dont. That is why I make both types, but most people prefer the lighter version of the pen when given a choice.
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