I have always found fountain pens intriguing. I had this notion that if you wrote with a fountain pen you must be a sophisticated person. As a kid, I wanted to be a sophisticated, V.I.P., who wrote with fancy pens. Turns out you don’t have to be sophisticated or a V.I.P. to write with a fountain pen. So, I bought one.
Holy cow, my mind literally exploded when I went to research fountain pens to see which pen would best suit me. There are so many types, manufactures and price points that I felt overwhelmed. Good news, my mind didn’t explode but I have learned so much. I feel like I am now apart of the fountain pen community!
Fountain Pen 101
As to not have anyone’s minds explode, this is a very down and dirty, list of Fountain Pen terminology.
- Types of fountain pens: Cartridge, Converter, or Piston
- Nibs: Material: nibs are made from stainless steel, gold, brass, even titanium. Sizes: nibs comes in different widths, broad(B), medium(M), fine(F), extra fine(EF)
- Inks: (India Ink, Fountain Pen Ink) Always use the right ink for the right pen or gunk and clogged nibs will result.
- Beginner/Advanced? Yes, there are entry-level pens to introduce you to the fountain pen community. However, advanced pens have specialized nibs and elaborate barrels.
Resources
Like I said there are millions of web pages, videos, blogs etc. on fountain pens. Here are a few websites and YouTube channels that will help point you in the right direction. ~You’re Welcome.
- Cult Pens This place has every pen on the planet. Seriously, every pen. They have great information on fountain pens and choosing the right pen for you.
- The Goulet Pen Company has videos on all things fountain pen. Check them out, they have great information and if you have questions they probably have a video for that.
- Jet Pens One more great place to find pens of all kinds.
So I landed on a TWSBI Diamond 580 fountain pen. It uses a piston to fill the ink so there’s no cartridge or converter. I love it. This is my first “grown-up” pen and I am excited to write with it every day. I bought different fountain pen ink colors specifically for fountain pens. Other types of inks will gunk up the nibs and clog them. I am so thrilled with this pen that I’d like to try a cartridge pen and a converter pen to see the what differences are and how they work.
I am hooked. I’m excited. I can’t wait to try all different kinds of ink colors, practice penmanship and draw with my fountain pen. If you are a pen enthusiast, please share your favorite pens and tips and tricks. Leave a comment, like and share! Thank you kindly!
Artfully Yours,
Andi
Artful-Living 