Ridiculously Expensive FP Ink!

by Tony Thomas

Let’s face it, fountain pen ink is ridiculously expensive!

Most ink is somewhere around $12 for a 50 ml bottle.  And as it takes over 3785 ml to make a gallon, that is over 75 bottles of ink.  At $12 per bottle, a gallon of fountain pen ink costs $900 per gallon!  

Noodler's ink is one exception that I can think of (aside from Chinese or Indian inks).  You can get 90ml for around $12 and a huge 16 oz. bottle of selected ink colors for $50.  That is around 473 ml of ink for less than .11 per ml, or right around $400 a gallon.  A comparative bargain!

When you add in the high cost of shipping and tax, unless you are pretty well off, you will be seriously constrained as to the range of inks that you can buy.  That is why I am thankful for ink samples offered by Goulet Pens, Anderson Pens, Pen Chalet, and other vendors.  That at least gives the most frugal of us a chance to experiment with small quantities of even the most expensive fountain pen inks.

I hope that manufacturers will provide more low cost ink options.  I am sure that this can be done as that the bottle is probably more expensive to manufacture than the ink inside.

What do you think?  Do you think that fountain pen ink is too expensive?  What is your favorite "go to" ink?

Are Hand-Finished Fountain Pens Worth It?

 

by Tony Thomas

I bought my Edison Collier back in 2013 and it is one pen purchase that I have never regretted.  Although it is not a completely custom pen, it was turned on a lathe and hand finished.  It is really a work of art.

I prefer hand-finished pens to those created in factories using mass production methods because of the tender loving care that goes into them.  The human touch.  

It really makes a difference.  And, yes, hand-finished pens are worth it.

I love pens from Edison and other companies that produce hand-finished pens like Franklin-Christoph and Ranga.  They are unique and very versatile.  I can swap nibs, use them with a converter, with cartridges, or as an eyedropper.

One day, I hope I can afford a custom pen from Edison so that I can pick the design and materials that are tailored to my aesthetic sensibilities and my writing needs.  

Until then, I can only imagine the pen of my dreams.  

I'm Back!

by Tony Thomas

I'm back!  Did you even miss me?

I know that I haven't shown up here in quite a while. I have been retired for the last few years and haven't spent a lot of time with my fountain pens lately, although I hope that will change. I've been doing most of my work on my tablet and my computer.  Dictation is sure a lot easier than writing everything out by hand. And, paper takes up a lot of space and is pretty expensive these days.

I still love my fountain pens although I am not able to buy them at the pace that I once did. That said, I still have a pretty nice collection that I acquired over the years and plenty of pens to put into rotation as long as I can afford the ink and the paper.

I also tend to use pencils quite a bit for drafting because my pens tend to dry out while I am in the thought process.  I have also experimented with using the Apple pencil and styluses with my iPad. There are some good drawing apps that are very good for note taking such as Notability and Good Notes and provide a pleasant writing experience.

My books, "The Fountain Pen Book" and "Getting Started with Fountain Pens" are still selling on Amazon, Apple Books, B&N, Kobo, Sribid, Smashwords, and other stores. I thank the fountain pen community for continuing to support my efforts. Hopefully, one day I will be able to write some more books and revise the ones that are already out.

With the global pandemic going on, perhaps I will be able to spend more time using my fountain pens for enjoyment rather than utility. I do enjoy using them to continue to improve my penmanship.

What about you?  How much are you using your fountain pens lately?