Fountain Pen Tuning

[timdaleiden]

Okay, I finally made my first fountain pen. I have never owned or written with a fountain pen before.

/forum/albums/timdaleiden/tn/tn_fp.jpg

Now I know I have read stuff in the past about doing curly "Q"s on a brown paper bag to break in the nib. Does this also polish the tip of the nib, and make it feels smoother on the paper?

The pen works fine, but it doesn't feel smooth on the paper. Is this normal? Is there something else I can do to make it glide better?

 

[DCBluesman]

Tim--you're exactly correct, the curly-q's on a paper bag will smoothen the writing tip. If you've done 1-2 minutes worth, you have knocked off most of the imperfections. After that, the abrasiveness of even fine writing papers will continue to polish the tip. If your pen feels harsh against the paper, try this. Rest the pen in the "v" created between your thumb and index finger until the point just rests on the paper. Use your whole arm and hand to move the pen (no downward finger pressure). The ink should flow and the pen should glide. If not, a few more curly-q's are in order. Oh! And make sure you are using high grade stationery. Printer paper just won't cut it for a fountain pen.

 

[wdcav1952]

Tim,
Lou told you all the informational "stuff" which leaves me to say welcome to the fountain pen community, and also, very nice work! []

 

[timdaleiden]

Thanks Lou, and William. I guess I was expecting the fountain pen to feel more like a roller ball pen. After the nib is polished will it feel more like a roller ball? I know rollers use a thicker ink.

Also, many people have raved about the private reserve ink, will this make it feel smoother, or does it just remain more dependable with that ink?

Sorry for all of the questions, and I know I could have asked in other places...but the information I receive may be useful to others here who are considering a fountain kit.

 

[Tom McMillan]

Nice pen Tim!!! I'm a novice in the fountain pen arena too---so, I'll appreciate knowing more and would have the same ? you do.

 

[PenWorks]

Very nice pen Tim. I bought some mylar polishing paper from Richard, here is the link
http://www.richardspens.com/
You may have to go under Accessories, it is 8.00 for 2 sheets. If you are going to screw around with FP's, I think it's a must have. Works great.

 

[scubaman]

Or use one of the fine micro mesh grades.

Good quality paper: look for Clairefontaine, or check out http://www.paperpenalia.com/

I don't think the brand of ink has much to do with how the nib glides. The combination of nib, feed and ink will determine how much ink you lay down.

 

[woodscavenger]

Good luck with your nib. The paper sack does usually work. I tend to change the angle of attack when doing the figure 8s to change which part of the nib is getting conditioned. I have discussed this multiple times. I am about 50/50 on baron nibs giving me good service. They are either good or finicky. The new Gentlemans is stellar as is Anthony's 14k nib for the same pen. I can't wait to try my ligero kit when my drill bit arrives.

 

[DCBluesman]

Tim--you are now getting into the area of "belief" versus fact. I can only offer my experience. Fountain pens <b>can</b> feel as smooth as any roller ball but it is a long-term effort. I often find that it takes a year or two for a new nib to 'fit' the angle I hold my pen and my writing style. As for inks, there are good and bad inks. There is nominal noticeable difference in how they write. The true difference is in the negative impact (corrosion, contaminants, etc.) poor inks have on the feed, nib and point.

 

[timdaleiden]

Okay, I think I have it fixed now. It really felt to me as though it was scraping across the paper, not exactly what I expected. The paper bag idea helped, but not enough.

Anthony, I checked the link you provided and did a little reading, as well as checking out the polishing paper. I remembered that I had something very similar to that in my shop, purchased at a hobby store. Very fine, like MM. I was very careful not to do too much adjusting at one time, just little scrapes at angles and directions where I felt it was rough, in the writing position. It didn't take much.

It now feels very nice to me. []

I have to admit that I am surprised at how well the ink flows through this nib, without spilling out all over the place. I have read links in the past about how they work, and was fascinated by Anthony's disassembled views of these things, but to actually see one work is impressive. It really is a masterpiece of micro-engineering.

Now many of the things that others have talked about make sense to me. I understand why a softer metal, like gold, would make a better nib. I also understand why somebody would not want others to use their personal fountain pen.

Thanks for the help folks.

 

[melogic]

Very nice pen Tim. I have only turned a couple of fountain pens and they were for friends of mine that knew what they were doing to break them in. I appreciate all of the information shared here in this thread. I learned a lot.

 

[Old Griz]

Ain't is nice when a plan comes together...
Real pretty pen and welcome to the realm of the enlightened [][]

 

[wdcav1952]

Tim,
For what it is worth, I really like the Private Reserve Ink. I get it from Anthony and find that I have less clogging problems than I did with more readilly available ink, ie Staples or whatever.

 

[RussFairfield]

Another entry into the magic world of the Stylophile whose PhD (preferred handwriting device) is in the fountain pen.

Congratulations, Tim, and it looks like a fine example of the art.

You are discovering the most difficult part of owning a fountain pen - learning to write. Gently gliding the tip of the pen across the paper in a smooth continuous line is a lot different from trying to push the tip of a ballpoint through the paper, and often needing a soft backing under the paper so we can push even harder.

You really should try the Private Reserve ink. It is worth the price. All PR ink is now available in the same Universal cartridge that is used in our pen kits. My favorite color is the Black Cherry.

 

[driften]

I have been using Midnight Blues privite reserve ink in my fountain pens. Good stuff.
One thing you will find about fountain pens is the paper matters more then with other types of pens. The ink bleeds though the paper more also.... Founatin pens are great!

 

[Scott]

Hey Tim! Great looking pen! It sounds like you have this all figured out. For scratchy nibs I'll use some 600 sandpaper, then polish with the brown paper. I like Private Reserve ink. My favorites are Tanzanite and American Blue. Take care!

Scott.