Looks like a lot of mistakes were made, by Phillip, Ed, as well as some of the IAP members in this thread. All of it comes down to misunderstandings/assumptions.
1)Phillip could have been much clearer in his email, as there's a lot of room for interpretation there.
2)Ed assumed Phillip was a newbie (IAP history says otherwise), and ran with it, instead of getting a little clarification first. This came in my ExoticBlanks email. There are dozens there each day---I don't do "background checks"--I answer the question as it was posed. If you ask ANY question with ALL, NEVER, or ALWAYS in it, my response is likely to be "NO". Very few things are universal. "ALL commercial pens" do NOT use the same nib, nor would they ALL use the same converter. But that is obvious to anyone who knows anything about pens.
3)Phillip was too quick to read Ed's response as a brush off, instead of what it was, a response born out of misunderstanding his original email.
My response was absolutely accurate. As I attempt to be---had he said he was a pen maker and wanted to make a pen, then asked those questions, my answer would have been different. When you write me an email asking for information, tell me your background. Otherwise, I have no idea what you will understand.
4)As is all too often the case with Jeers threads, the popular member response is to defend their beloved vender, and point out the many ways the OP is wrong. It's easy to see why Ed thought the guy was a newbie from the email, but anyone reading this thread can see that he's been a member here for 5 1/2 years. After a quick check (mere seconds), looks like he's been making pens for at least as far back as 2010. With that info so readily available, he's still being derided as a lazy newbie. This treatment is far worse than the misunderstanding between Phillip and Ed. Much worse.
