Woodchipper
Member
I took a chance and bought a Metro RB-FP kit. However, I'm a bit cautious about the local market. What have others found? What motivates a person to buy a fountain pen in the day of ballpoint and roller ball pens? Thanks.
Fountain pens?
- Thread starter Woodchipper
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philipff
Member
FPs sell poorly in my market. But, every once in a while someone comes along and wants nothing else. So, you never know. I keep a few handy and only the best quality. P
Dieseldoc
Member
John: Funny you ask the question. I have been making pen's for way to many years and had Four high end Majestic 22kt gold pen which have been show many times and just last week found a buyer at the Bank,as I was using one segmented pen and he ask about it. Conversation led to fountain pen as he is a user. End deal I sold two of the four to him. Just have to great luck finding a fountain buyer!!!!
hokie
Member
Fountain pens seem to be experiencing a resurgence in popularity in recent years. I think part of it might be a sort of counter-culture against modern/digital lifestyles. They also allow for a whole rainbow of inks to be used and can be tuned to suit each person's writing style.
As they relate to much of this community, you might not find many fountain pen enthusiasts seeking one out that was assembled from a kit. The nibs are generally not great quality, the grip sections are often made of metal, giving a less-than-optimal feeling in-hand, and they are on the heavier side (lots of brass parts), making them tiresome to write with for longer periods of time.
Kitless fountain pens, however, are certainly sought out as they mostly don't suffer as much from the nib/grip/weight issues and usually almost every part of them is hand made/unique. I've made a number of kitless fountain pens, but find myself gravitating to kitless ballpoints/rollerballs. While fountain pen users are certainly out there in greater numbers than in years prior, they are still just a tiny fraction of the general population. I'd like to see the pens I design actually get used by anyone I give them to rather than sit on a shelf somewhere, so I focus on ballpoints and rollerballs for the most part now.
As they relate to much of this community, you might not find many fountain pen enthusiasts seeking one out that was assembled from a kit. The nibs are generally not great quality, the grip sections are often made of metal, giving a less-than-optimal feeling in-hand, and they are on the heavier side (lots of brass parts), making them tiresome to write with for longer periods of time.
Kitless fountain pens, however, are certainly sought out as they mostly don't suffer as much from the nib/grip/weight issues and usually almost every part of them is hand made/unique. I've made a number of kitless fountain pens, but find myself gravitating to kitless ballpoints/rollerballs. While fountain pen users are certainly out there in greater numbers than in years prior, they are still just a tiny fraction of the general population. I'd like to see the pens I design actually get used by anyone I give them to rather than sit on a shelf somewhere, so I focus on ballpoints and rollerballs for the most part now.
Woodchipper
Member
A few years ago, the gift shop at the local museum said that there was an interest in fountain pens as the younger generations were getting away from texts and emails, going to a more personal touch in communication. Will assemble the kit and see what happens. Thanks to all for your comments.
NJturner
Member
I agree totally. One thing I have just started doing is focusing on kitless with multiple sections - one for a fountain and one for a rollerball. I've tried premade rollerball tips that use fountain pen ink, but am not totally satisfied they will hit the spot, as they still require people to handle ink, which seems to be a put-off. I'm now playing with making a section that will replace the fountain pen one (nib and converter) with a Schmidt or similar roller ball refill. I bought a bag of G3 pens at Staples, have cracked them open for the refills, and am doing a lot of playing to see what I can come up with that looks good and provides some flexibility to what I make. We shall see.
Woodchipper
Member
Interesting but I have seen some outstanding kitless fountain pens but not in my realm of patience.
Seems FPs would not be carried as a BP but would be used in a home or office setting.
Seems FPs would not be carried as a BP but would be used in a home or office setting.
I think I'm a textbook case of one of those weird millennials who likes things like fountain pens (and snail mail, and film photography, and mocking up a design for something with pencil and paper even if I'm going to 3D print it eventually... you get the point).
I have no experience trying to sell my pens, but I've been collecting and writing with various fountain pens for something like 15 years. In my experience, none of the kit pens (even the higher end ones from Beaufort or Dayacom) come anywhere near even a relatively inexpensive commercial option for actual writing experience. I'd take my Conklin Duragraph or even my TWSBI Eco over the Tritons or Majestics of the world 10 times out of 10.
I think if you're hoping to sell turned fountain pens to clients who are FP enthusiasts, you're better off getting into kitless or at least semi-kitless, and planning to work around Bock or JoWo nibs.
Ironically my first exposure to fountain pens ever was a kit pen (a Classic Elite or some earlier version of it, I believe). I didn't realize until much later that the nib on it was horrifically bad. Still think I'll try replacing that nib with a #5 Bock at some point so I might actually feel like writing with it at some point.
If you're just wanting to try one out, by all means try out a kit pen. If you like it, some of the larger kits (El Grande for sure, definitely a few others) can have a good #6 JoWo nib dropped right in without changing the feed or housing, and you'll immediately have a better writing experience.
I have no experience trying to sell my pens, but I've been collecting and writing with various fountain pens for something like 15 years. In my experience, none of the kit pens (even the higher end ones from Beaufort or Dayacom) come anywhere near even a relatively inexpensive commercial option for actual writing experience. I'd take my Conklin Duragraph or even my TWSBI Eco over the Tritons or Majestics of the world 10 times out of 10.
I think if you're hoping to sell turned fountain pens to clients who are FP enthusiasts, you're better off getting into kitless or at least semi-kitless, and planning to work around Bock or JoWo nibs.
Ironically my first exposure to fountain pens ever was a kit pen (a Classic Elite or some earlier version of it, I believe). I didn't realize until much later that the nib on it was horrifically bad. Still think I'll try replacing that nib with a #5 Bock at some point so I might actually feel like writing with it at some point.
If you're just wanting to try one out, by all means try out a kit pen. If you like it, some of the larger kits (El Grande for sure, definitely a few others) can have a good #6 JoWo nib dropped right in without changing the feed or housing, and you'll immediately have a better writing experience.
Woodchipper
Member
BHuij, thanks for the comments. I don't anticipate getting into kitless or semi-kitless as I'm not confident there is a market for high end fountain pens. Almost to the the Slimine pens. Donated two pens to a charity and they guesstimated the value down in the basement.