Fountain pen newbie questions

[esheffield]

I recently made my first fountain pen - an El Grande. I know very little about the "care and feeding" of these things, though I've read some on here. I did the "curly-Qs" on a brown bag, and it seems to write OK - a little broad for my taste. But the big problem I'm having is that I have a hard time getting the ink to flow after not writing, even for just a few minutes. It seems the only way to get it going is to take my finger and lightly run it down the length of the nib along the split (getting a nice inky line on me). No amount of "squiggling" on paper gets it going consistently. I know a lot of you seem to recommend "Private Reserve" ink - is this problem I'm having likely due to using the ink that came in the kit, or is it probably something I'm doing wrong?

Thanks!

 

[Deere41h]

Since I started using Private Reserve Ink I have never had that problem. That is all I use and I use carry my fountain with me every day. Your problem is most likely the ink not the pen.

 

[Johnathan]

So glad to see a fountain pen user. Yes fountain pens can have this problem. I only use high-end inks and have never had this problem. I use one everyday.

You really should not be using your finger and make sure your not trying to press down hard to get the ink flowing again. Make sure you are keeping the cap on when not in use. you can give the pen a gentil shake to help the ink down the nip. If all else fails, dip the nip in the same color ink or cool water to get it going. You can check out my website for other good tips on fountain pens and check out the website of other members here. Also, the IAP will soon have a great Fountain Pen/Nib Article that will answer most fountain pen questions on their use with advice from some of the best fountain pen guys here on IAP. Hope this helps, and keep your eyes open for that article.[8D]

 

[DCBluesman]

John and Johnathan have given you good advice. If you want to try Private Reserve and can't find it at a store near you, I am offering it through my site at a "thank you" discount this month. http://www.penturners.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=14551

 

[gerryr]

Nobody asked what kind of paper you're using. Coated or slick papers are difficult if not downright impossible to write on with a fountain pen. I also use Private Reserve ink and mine has gone unused for a couple of days and still wrote just fine. I was using mine everyday, until I dropped the nib a couple of days ago after cleaning it.[] But, that gave me an excuse to order a good one from Anthony. [] I also carry a rollerball for those nasty little charge slips that are printed on coated paper.

 

[esheffield]

Thanks for the replies! I'll look around here when I have a chance to see if I can find any (and if not I may take you up on your sale Lou!) If I do, are there any little tricks to know about to using the pump gadget that came with the kit? Right now I'm just using the pre-filled cartridge that came with it.

As for paper, I tried a few different kinds - brown bag, notebook, uncoated copier paper, newsprint. Same think on all of them.

I actually don't write very much myself, but I do like the looks and high-end appearance of a fountain pen and want to add them to my offerings. I figured I should get familiar with them first though so I could be (or at least appear!) knowledgeable to customers! Looking forward to the article too!

Thanks again!

 

[wdcav1952]

Eddie, you got some great advice from some very knowledgeable folks above. I absolutely love Private Reserve ink, although I only have four different colors of it. [] That said, some of my pens simply do not write well with it. I had the most problems with an old Parker. When I bought some Quink (by Parker) ink, these pens "liked" it better. Rinse your converter with soapy water followed by clear water a few times, fill the converter with the ink of your choice and see how the pen writes.

FWIW,

 

[DCBluesman]

This tip is NOT for the faint-hearted. IF you really want to know about fountain pen nibs, tuning and NOT grinding, get a nib smoothing kit from Richard Binder. It's on his Accessories page and will cost about $8 plus shipping. It will smooth both the point and the slit. It's a little risky, but if you work with some of the cheap nibs that are around you will get the hang of fine-tuning your pens.

 

[vick]

Private reserve is great ink and it is the brand that I use as well. However the El Grandes seem to dry out quicker than some of the other pens. I personally do not have this problem if I am good about closeing the cap after writing. If I leave the cap off for even a fairly short period of time though I have the problem you describe. SO I guess I am saying be good about closing your cap and you should be okay.