Fountain Pen Questions

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mdburn_em

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I've got some questions about fountain pens and decided on this forum to ask them. First, I'll say that I do think Fountain Pens deserve their own forum/thread. Like pen-turning, finishing etc. I do understand that making them definitely falls under pen-turning but information about them does not. That being said I have some questions.
Before I ask them, I want to say this. I don't WANT to go to any other site because this site feels like my home away from home to me.
Has anyone thought about writing a featured topic on FP care and use? This would be a good thing to have in the library.
Has anybody on this site organized a group buy for FP...stuff? Converters, ink etc? Is that a silly question?
In the pen-turning forum, there is a thread about FP pump. Alfred posted a link to a site with lots of converters and lots of ink. There were discounts available for multiple purchases. Which of those converters would fit our kits?
Some of these, in bulk, were quite reasonable. Russ, how do I/we know which ones are the highest quality and the ink won't adhere to the side? Has anyone approached BB about bulk discounts on the Schmidt pump?
I want to be as knowledgeable as possible about this subject when I'm conversing with customers. I want to supply a high quality pump to every customer that purchases a FP. I would like to be able to supply them with ink, not just give them a link or tell them where to go for it.
For new users, I would like to give them a(n) (elegant) brochure about FP use, cleaning, care and inks. I don't want to even tread lightly on anything that might be copyrighted though. That's why a pdf in the library would be great. (I certainly hope I haven't overlooked a permissions clause about use of items in the library.)
Sometimes I feel like a 2 year old asking the eternal why questions. For that, I apologize. I appreciate any enlightenment y'all can provide.
 
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http://www.penturners.org/content/FP_Nib_Replacement.pdf

There is a lot of good info in that article to aid in understanding how a fountain pen works.
 
I too mentioned this a while back and I feel that I am fae from the one who should do it myself, but I am learning more all the time. I personaly started using daily a couple months back and still use one daily. The biggest thing that people don't realize is that they are perfectly useable in a day to day fashion. For me, I work as an Insurance appraiser and my pens see outdoor use in some rather harsh weather here in New England. If it can work for me, anyone can use one daily. I also have no problems with carbon copy press thru either.

Now as for the ink.. I buy from www.peartreepens.com James has great prices and the sample program is two fold for us. I love to be able to order 4 colors & brands to test out the color. Now you can do a few things here. First you can print out a sample sentance in a note pad with this color ink. Now you can show this "real color" ink to show your buyer what it will look like. Then the awesome bottles that the ink comes in is perfect to refill with "stock inks" and give a useable sample to a customer. I plan to do this with all mine. The samples are only $2.95 shipped (up to 4 a month, the "clock" resets if you buy ink) Honestly, most people like black and blue. I have a bottle of each just to fill these with. I then use a lable maker to mark the bottle.

I would love to see a nice color .pdf file to print out. Just to put the word out there, my work CPU here in my office has a pdf printer so I might just be able to put something into a .pdf file if someone wants me to try.

Here are a few links:
www.peartreepens.com
www.pendemonium.com

Here is a pen I made with a bottle of black & blue in the bottles from The Pear Tree:

1218062.jpg
 
When I was hunting for the answer to yesterdays trivia question I typed "fountain pen parts" in my search engine. I found a numerous amount of info and lots of sites.
 
Mark, I know you said you don't want to go to another site for your answers, but they are best answered elsewhere. But I will address some of your concerns.
I did put an article in the library, thanks to Stan, the link is above.
There have not been any group buys, for the fact. that 95% of the pens turned and sold from turners on this site are ball pens or rollers. (that is a guess on my part).
So the interest and numbers would be low. Ink is readily available from a number of internet providers. What works in your pen, may not work in mine. I suggest you try different brands for yourself and see what flows and works the best. I stock ink from
Visconti, Stipula, Caran d'Ache, Parker, Waterman, Private Reserve, & Lamy, To sell and ship one bottle of ink is a real pain in the butt. So take advantage of the offer posted from the above links.

As far as FP care, pretty much every FP web site says about the same thing. I am sure you can do a little rewording and come up with something that says the same thing. Feel free to copy what I have on my site as far as pen care.

The only way you can become truly knowlegable about fountain pens, is to use them, tinker with them, play with em, take em apart. A fine FP is like a race car. some days they run flat out and some days they just need a tune up.
 
Originally posted by johneaton
<br />penpassion.com
These people are crazy about fountain pens. They are not pen turners as we are, but they love their fountain pens and they know a lot about them. John Eaton
Click to expand...
Another good place to go is fountainpennetwork.com
 
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