Are Fountain Pens Really Practical?

by Tony Thomas

I used my fountain pens quite a bit while I was working for a company that did not allow devices such as cellphones and tablets in the office. 

Now that I am retired and working at home all of the time, I find myself using my devices the majority of the time and largely ignoring my fountain pens. 

And when I don't use devices, I find myself using rollerball pens and mechanical pencils to write with because they are easier to deal with. 

What are the disadvantages of using fountain pens? 

- Removing, replacing, and posting caps is not fun

- Many inks are non-permanent

- Many inks cause feathering on cheap paper

- Fountain pen friendly paper is really expensive

- Fountain pens can dry out if not used quickly

- Many fountain pens are comparatively fragile

- Fountain pens must be cleaned

But there are also advantages:

- Wide range color of inks

- Some ink is less expensive than rollerball refills

- Prestige factor

- Fountain pens are more fun to write with

- They promote better penmanship and artistry

- Wide range of nib sizes and types

Do you use your fountain pens on a daily basis?   If so, how do you use them? 

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My book, "The Fountain Pen Book", is available exclusively on Amazon.com: https://amzn.to/3Cd8PAt

Fountain Pens and the Pandemic

 

by Tony Thomas

It is already March and this is my first blog of the year.  2020 was certainly interesting and now things have to be returning to some degree of normal.

The global pandemic has certainly made life much more complex and challenging for most of us.  It has literally turned our lives upside down.  Some questions for you:

1. Are you using fountain pens more or less?

Since I quit working full time and retired three years ago, I find myself using my fountain pens less.  One of the reasons why is I was in an environment where electronic device use (other than the company-assigned PC) was prohibited.  As a result, all of my note taking was with pen and paper.  That facilitated the use of fountain pens.  I am sure that changing work patterns and environments have also impacted your fountain pen use.  

2. Are you using a fountain pen to write letters?

The US Postal Service certainly has been negatively challenged by the pandemic.  As a result, mail delivery is much slower and less reliable these days.  I am sure this has reduced the number of letters being written.  One of my favorite uses for fountain pens is creating handwritten letters and notes that add a personal touch.  Fewer letters being sent probably means less fountain pens are being used to write them.

3. Has the pandemic curbed your fountain pen spending?

I am sure that fountain pen retailers have been hit really hard financially as people have lost their sources of income due to the pandemic and made the transition to living on unemployment.  The recent stimulus payments may have caused some funds to flow to these retailers, but if you are like me, fountain pens are not high on my list of things I need to buy.

How has the pandemic affected you?

   

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?

Are you a Fountain Pen Addict?

by Tony Thomas

Is fountain pen addiction a thing? Given the large size of some of our pen collections, I often wonder.

I am sure many of us have looked longingly at Brian Goulet's amazing pen collection that is housed in a growing number of IKEA cabinets with drawers. Of course, Brian can justify owning all those beautiful pens. After all, he is in the pen business. Having a huge pen collection is one of the perks that comes with business ownership.

I watched a popular fountain pen vlogger admit that he spent a ton of money (over 20 grand) during his first year of production. While he didn't elaborate, I suspect that a fair amount of that money was used to purchase fountain pens and ink based on his content. An alarm bell went off in my head.

While many of us admit jokingly to having a bad case of "fountain pen acquisition syndrome", things can easily get out of control, especially given the price of high-end fountain pens. I admit I have more pens than I really need. To qualify that statement a bit, I acquired them over a period of several years. (That is a lame excuse, I know.)

However, one thing I did as a frugal fountain pen guy is to put severe limits on the amount of money that I would pay for a single fountain pen. My limit was (and is) $200 for a single pen. Most of the pens in my collection cost me $100 or less. A lot of them are way below $50. And many more are cheapies from China and India. This is helped me to keep my "pen habit" under control.

In recent years, I have been much more careful with my expenditures given the size of my collection. I rarely buy any new fountain pens anymore, and when I want to change things up a bit, I just switch nibs.

I have found that my best fountain pen investments have been in pens that have easily replaceable nibs. You can get a lot of mileage from a midrange pen from Edison, Franklin-Christoph, or even a less expensive one like a Ranga, by just buying some extra Jowo nib units.

For the most part, I have steered away from fountain pens that sport gold nibs. I do have a small collection of Japanese Pilots and Platinums with fine and extra-fine gold nibs. The writing experience of those pens certainly justifies the higher price. At some point, I may add a low-end Sailor to the mix, but I don't see any pricey Nakayas or Pelikans in my future.

I certainly don't begrudge those with high-end fountain pen collections. If you enjoy them and afford them, that is great. But for the rest of us, a bit of reality and moderation is in order.

Help Keep the Fountain Pen Movement Going

by Tony Thomas

I watched with great interest the explosion of the fountain pen market around 2010.  It was an exciting time since flex nibs began their resurgence and it seemed like every pen lover had to have one.  Noodler’s pens and inks were riding that trend. A company called the Goulet Pen Company started in a bedroom around that time.  And an interesting vlogger from the Netherlands by the name of SBRE Brown started doing pen reviews.  

 I started “The Frugal Fountain Pen” blog in 2014 to focus on pens and accessories at the lower end of the cost scale.  It seemed like more attention was being devoted to expensive fountain pens and cheaper pens were not getting that much attention.  That trend continues.

It also seemed like not many new inexpensive fountain pens were being introduced. Fountain pen production is expensive, especially in the development stages, and most companies can’t afford to take the risk of releasing a product that may not sell.  

A few years ago, I turned my focus to fountain pen videos on YouTube with mixed success. YouTube is such a large and popular platform that it is hard to get enough visibility to build an audience. In addition, YouTube is making it much more difficult for smaller channels to produce revenue to help subsidize the costs of their productions.

Within the last few months, I read that one of the most popular YouTube channels covering fountain pens was shutting down. I enjoyed watching “The Pen Habit” since its introduction and will miss Matt Armstrong’s valuable videos and pen reviews.  He has raised the bar for YouTube fountain pen video production.  You can find his final video here:

https://youtu.be/QA5Wd8uOrZs

To help fill the void, I have decided to spend more time writing for this blog rather than concentrating on fountain pen videos.  In addition, I just completed a new book aimed directly at new fountain pen users.  It is called: “Getting Started with Fountain Pens”.  It is a very short book in the introductory price is only $.99. It will be available on Amazon for Kindle, Smashwords, Apple Books, Nook, and Kobo.  

At some point, I may even make it available at no cost as a way of giving back to the fountain pen community.  It is imperative that we stimulate interest in the hobby so that companies will continue to make investments in new products and fountain pen retailers will continue to prosper.

If you know anybody that may be interested in my new book, or if you want to support my efforts, you can find the link here:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DZP8W56

Happy Fountain Pen Day!

by Tony Thomas

I hope that you are having a happy Fountain Pen Day today and will take some time to write with your fountain pen if you own one.  If not, today is the day that you should order one!

By the way, today (11/3), you can buy my bestseller "The Fountain Pen Book" for only $1.99! 

amzn.to/2AaRdT7 

Enjoy the day!

Tony

Speed Writing

I have been experimenting with speed writing to allow me to take notes faster. Do you use shorthand or speed writing?

Also, here are some cool links I found on shorthand and speed writing:

https://collegeinfogeek.com/shorthand...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persona...
http://www.alysion.org/handy/althandw....

Handmade Leather Pocket Notebook

by Tony Thomas

I decided to create a pocket notebook out of a piece of tooling leather that I had dyed previously.

 It is great for holding loose pages of Rhodia pad paper, other scraps of paper and receipts.

This notebook was super easy to make.  Just cut the tooling leather (4 to 8 oz.) to size, dye it and fold it.

I secure it by using an elastic hair band that are available at most drugstores.   Great project and very handy!

Pentel Energel Pens

by Tony Thomas

I know I usually write about fountain pens, but I thought I would change things up a bit.

Besides fountain pens, I am also a gel pen and pencil user.  Why?  Due to my frugality, I have a limited supply of really fountain pen friendly paper and sometimes cannot deal with long dry times when using really good paper.

I have recently tried out the Pentel Energel line of gel pens after using pens from Pilot and Uniball for a long time.

What immediately impressed me is their short ink dry time and lack of smearing.  They also produce a nice, dark black line.  And are they smooth!  I have used the needle point and ball point versions and am impressed with both.  

By the way, I was not compensated in any way for my recommendation of this line of pens.  I just love them!

Why the Noodler's Ahab is One of My Favorite Pens

by Tony Thomas

I love Noodler's Ahabs. 

At around $23 or so, they are affordable and the epitome of frugality.  They are also very comfortable in my hand (and I have large hands).   Ahabs are sturdy, hold an ample amount of ink, and they can be easily converted to an eyedropper if you need a truly massive amount of ink.  They have a unique piston cartridge converter and can also use the recently released 2.7 mg re-loadable cartridges.  Also, I find the design very attractive and they come in a wide range of colors as well as a clear, demonstrator version.

Like many other pens from India, they are made of vegetal resin and have a funny smell.  The smell dissipates with time and I have found that it grows on you.  And if you throw an Ahab into a landfill, the pen body will reportedly biodegrade, making it environmentally friendly.

Besides its perfect size, one of my biggest attractions to the Ahab is its easily modified ebonite feed and its ability to use standard #6 nibs.  As I have a growing collection of these sized nibs, it makes it easy to change nibs "on the fly".

Currently, the two Ahabs shown are fitted with Nemosine fine and extra fine nibs.  I also like to use stock italic nibs as well custom-ground stubs.  Every once and awhile, I will also load up the stock Noodler's flex nibs to have some fun.  I heartily recommend the Ahab!

Buy the Noodler's Ahab demonstrator here: http://amzn.to/2kTkOrt

Full Discosure: This is an affiliate link.  You will help support The Frugal Fountain Pen and it won't cost you a penny more.

A Letter and a Pen

by Tony Thomas

 One of my favorite You Tube personalities is Amy Schmittauer (@Schmittastic on Twitter). Her channel, "Savvy, Sexy, Social", offers plenty of valuable information on social media marketing.  I watch her channel regularly as she is a thought leader in the field.

Back in April of last year, I wrote her a short note with one of my fountain pens for which she thanked me on Twitter.

When I heard she was writing a book, I decided to send her another handwritten note and a Platinum Preppy fountain pen and refills.  

From watching her videos, I learned that she likes to write everything down rather than just putting it into a computer.   That made her the perfect candidate for a little bit of "fountain pen evangelism". 

To my surprise, she unpacked the pen and read my note on one of her You Tube videos leading up to the book launch.  You can watch it here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBXXtsJsUwk

Amy's book, "Vlog Like a Boss: How to Kill it Online With Video Blogging" drops January 31st (my birthday) on Amazon and you can get yours here.

Enjoy your pen, Amy!  And in the words of my buddy, Brian Goulet, write on!

More on Amy: http://savvysexysocial.com/

The Pocket Notebook Book Review

by Tony Thomas

Ray Blake is well known as champion of personal organizers, notebooks and journaling.  His You Tube video on making your own travelers notebook has received over a quarter of a million views.

When I saw that he wrote a new book on pocket notebooks, I was intrigued. I bought it in Kindle format and began to read.  While it is a short book, it covers a lot of ground.  

He begins by discussing how to buy and set up your notebook.  I would have liked to see some reviews of different notebooks rather than generic descriptions, but I still found his information helpful.  He continues by providing different applications for pocket notebooks. This is the real "meat" of the book and the reason you should buy it.

This is a great book for fountain pen users looking for more ways to use their pens.  Users of rollerballs, gel pens, pencils, etc. will also resonate with its contents.  If you have a pocket notebook or plan to get one, I think this book is essential.  It is fairly priced and it is a book you will turn to often.  Highly recommended!

Buy the book on Amazon

If you use the affiliate link above, you will help support this blog and you won't pay a penny more.

Ray Blake's Web Site

My Beaker Pen Cup

by Tony Thomas

I decided that I wanted to put some of my frequently used fountain pens in a cup on my desk for quick access.  But what kind of cup did I want to use?  A coffee cup?  A Ball jar?  Something else?

After thinking about it a bit, I decided it would be cool to put them in a lab beaker made of borosilicate (thermal shock resistant) glass.  After checking the measurements, I settled on a 250 ml beaker and placed an order on eBay.  The price was a bit more than $7 with shipping.

I think it has a high-tech look and the beaker is perfect for that purpose.  Where do you keep your frequently used pens?

My Favorite Pen Dealers

by Tony Thomas

As many of us look for places to shop for gifts this holiday season, I thought I would take a few minutes and share some of my favorite pen dealers:

The Goulet Pen Company: I have followed Brian and Rachel since they were selling fountain pens, paper, and ink out of their house. In recent years, Goulet has grown become the one of the premier fountain pen dealers in the United States, with a strong emphasis on customer service and education. They have a You Tube channel with an exhaustive library of videos on fountain pens, ink, paper, accessories and tips. Goulet also has one of the broadest ranges of products of any fountain pen dealer.  Their website is top notch with plenty of custom tools to help you find the best pens, paper and ink for your needs.  In addition, they offer great service with a personal touch. I only wish they offered free shipping options and faster fulfillment when they are backed up with orders.  https://www.gouletpens.com

Jet Pens: Jet Pens is another great dealer that offers all kinds of writing instruments (fountain pens, ball points, roller balls, dip pens, pencils, etc.) as well as paper, ink and more. Most of their products come from Japan, and I have a great affection for Japanese products. I love the fact that they offer free shipping for all orders over $25. I also really like their online product guides and have found them to be helpful. Jet Pens offers prompt shipping and most of my orders ship the same day or the next. http://www.jetpens.com/

iPen Store: I have probably done business with iPen Store longer than any other dealer. They sell a wide variety of writing instruments, including ballpoints, rollerballs and mechanical pencils. Aside from the brand names, they also sell their own line of quality pens under the "Rosetta" brand name. IPS has an ebay store under the name "Streetfair" and I believe that is where I bought my first Lamy Safari many years ago. As they are in the next state (MI) and they ship First Class USPS, I have found them to be a quick and reliable source. http://www.ipenstore.com/

Pen Chalet: Pen Chalet has also become one of my go to dealers for fountain pens, although they also sell rollerballs, ball points and mechanical pencils. Their web site is easy to navigate, their prices are very competitive and they offer fast and friendly service.  https://www.penchalet.com/

Anderson's Pens: I have only placed one or two orders with Anderson's, but Brian and Lisa are well known and respected in the fountain pen community. They have a brick and mortar store in Appleton, WI with a wide range of products and I have found their customer service and shipping speed to be exceptional. They also have a lot of knowledge about vintage pens, especially Esterbrook. http://www.andersonpens.com/

I hope you will check out these dealers and give them a try.

Happy shopping!

TWSBI Eco Review

by Tony Thomas

I know I am late to the party, but I finally bought a TWSBI Eco fountain pen, made in Taiwan. Due to its amazing popularity, the Eco has been a difficult pen for me to score. Every time I was ready to pull the trigger, it was on backorder. Now I see why.

To their credit, TWSBI is company that puts a lot of thought into the design of their pens. They are always experimenting with new and innovative designs, building prototypes and getting feedback from the fountain pen community. You can always see what they are working on by checking out their Facebook page. A pen like the Eco is the result.

"Eco" is short for "economical", and at less than $30, this pen is pretty amazing. Aside from some cheap fountain pens from India, this is the least expensive piston filler you can buy. The main advantages of piston filler pens are their large ink capacity and ease of use and cleaning.

In the case of the Eco, it is easy to disassemble and clean using the handy plastic wrench provided with the pen. (The only caveat is that you need to be careful not to completely disassemble the piston assembly when you remove it because it can be a bear to reassemble correctly.)

Speaking of plastic, TWSBI reduced the price of this pen by reducing the number of metal parts of the pen to just three: the nib, the clip and the metal band at the base of the clip. The rest of the pen is made of plastic, although I do not think that this fact diminishes its quality in any way.

I find the pen to be very attractive. The Eco I selected has a black hexagonal cap, red finial with TWSBI logo at the top of the cap, silver-colored clip and matching ring at the base of the cap, transparent body for monitoring the ink level, and black filling knob at the base of the pen. It sports a 1.1 mm italic nib that writes a bit thinner than other identically-sized italic nibs in my collection.

I found the nib to be very smooth and well adjusted right out of the box. This is unusual, as I find that many stub nibs need a bit of work on a micro mesh pad to write as smoothly as I would like.

Bottom line: I think the Eco is one of the best low-cost fountain pens that you can buy. This pen will be in my EDC arsenal for the foreseeable future.

For more information:

https://www.twsbi.com/

https://www.facebook.com/TWSBI/

Platinum Preppy 2mm Extra-Fine Fountain Pen

by Tony Thomas

While I have reviewed the standard Platinum Preppy previously, I wanted to check out and review the extra-fine 2 mm version as well. To my knowledge, this is least expensive Japanese extra-fine pen that you can buy.

As with the standard Platinum Preppy, this pen is easy to hold and very comfortable. Because it is molded from light plastic, it is certainly more fragile than more expensive fountain pens. It comes in black and blue-black and can be used with standard Platinum ink cartridges or a Platinum converter (that costs more than the pen.) I found the nib to be very smooth and a pleasure to write with.

If can be found for as little as $4, and it really is a bargain for those who are like to write very small or very fine text.

Canson XL Marker Paper

by Tony Thomas

As I am always on the lookout for fountain pen friendly paper, I like to hang out at art supply stores and check out what they have. I have heard good things about paper used by artists to create layouts and sketches with markers, so it became the object of my attention during my most recent visit.

Upon examination, a paper that has intrigued me is Canson XL Marker paper. It is somewhat light at 70 gsm (18 lb.) and semi-transparent. What really impressed me is its amazing smoothness. It is also made in France, and the French are known for making quality paper. (Clairefontaine is a great example.)

Although it is someone expensive at around $10 for one hundred 9” x 12” sheets, I decided to give it a try. I was not disappointed. This paper is ultra smooth and does not feather with fountain pen ink. There is also no bleed through, although a bit of show through is evident due to its light weight.

My plan is to cut it down to smaller sheets so I can use it in my leather notebook. A very impressive paper!

Update: After doing some more testing, I have found you can only get optimal results on one side of the paper only.   The other side seems to have a different finish and does not accept ink as readily.  Of course, this depends on the pen, ink and nib you are using.  So, make sure that you test both sides of the paper and label which side is up if you remove the paper from the pad.

Note: A similar paper called Canson Pro-Layout Marker paper is also available for the same price but the pad only contains 50 sheets.

Recharging Your Dried Out Fountain Pen

by Tony Thomas

It is hot outside and you know what that means: Your fountain pens will be more prone to drying out.

What do you do with bone dry pens? Conventional wisdom says that you clean them out and refill them with fresh ink. But I have another, more frugal, solution.

When two of my less expensive pens dried out suddenly, I just reached for a syringe and a bottle of distilled water and filled the cartridge or converter up with water. I then dipped the tip of the pens into some water and they wrote perfectly again.

What you have to realize is that ink is nothing more than dye suspended in a water solution. When the water evaporates, the dye is still there in much more concentrated form. When you add water, it dilutes the dye and the pen will write again. Depending upon how much water you add and how much dye is left, it may be more or less saturated than the original color of the ink. But it will write and you will save a bit of money on ink.

And, for me, that is a good thing!