murid

I finally caved and bought myself a fountain pen. But I got a cheap Pilot Kakuno EF. I tried a Fine nib before, but it was a bit too wide for my tastes. The Extra fine suits me better.

I also got some paper from Muji, which I heard is a good cheap fountain pen paper.

It cost me about $11 all in all, but I'll experiment a bit before trying out something else.

#fountainPen

Jun 22, 2023 at 3:09pmWeb
Show threadSacha RavendaJun 22, 2023
@murid I keep wanting to do this as well. I see a bunch of artits I like getting stuff like the Lamy Safari and it's tempting me.
Show threadmuridJun 22, 2023
@sacha In terms of pens, I find that the feeling of writing with a fountain pen is close to using a nib pen. It has that same scratching on paper feeling that you don't get with ballpoint or felt tipped pens. I like how tactile it is. But it's more convenient because you don't have to worry about an open ink well and constant refilling.
Show threadSeptinoxJun 22, 2023
@murid The fountain pen lingo for the “scratching on paper feeling” is “feedback”. 😉 Some people love it, some prefer their pens to be buttery smooth. Hope you enjoy your pen!
Show threadmaya ⛓️Jun 22, 2023
@murid I love the Pilot EF!! If you end up liking the nib but not the look, it swaps into the Metropolitan body no problem... (wish they'd just sell it that way lol)
Show threadmuridJun 22, 2023

@maya I found that the F nib was too large for my drawing, which usually has a lot of fine hatching. Also it tended to bleed on the cheap copy paper that I usually use.

But the EF seems to fit my use case now that I've tried it.

Not sure if I want to go down that rabbit hole of better bodies. At the moment I just need a tool for writing that I bring everywhere and not worry about.

Show threadlostJun 25, 2023
@maya @murid I love my metropolitan because the nib is just a touch flexible, which creates surprisingly nice variation when I write cursive. I have more expensive fountain and dip pens, but the metro is always a delight.
Show threadparadoxmoJun 22, 2023
@murid the Kakuno is a great pen. Hope you enjoy it. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to hit us up at @penfount , lots of knowledgeable and helpful people.
Show threadmuridJun 22, 2023

@paradoxmo @penfount I didn't know there was a whole instance dedicated to fountain pens.

One problem with the fediverse is that you don't know about all the cool stuff until you accidentally stumble into it.

Show threadMuro deGrizecoJun 22, 2023

@murid

Congratulations! The Pilot Kakuno EF looks like a nice pen.

Is this your first fountain pen?

Show threadmuridJun 22, 2023
@murodegrizeco Yes. I've tried all sorts of other pens before, but this is my first try at fountain pens.
Show threadMuro deGrizecoJun 22, 2023

@murid

I love the way fountain pens glide over the paper and require no pressure.

My current fountain pen is just a cheap Kaweco Sport. I refill the plastic ink reservoir with a syringe and a blunt "glue applicator" needle, from a bottle of blue Quink. Messy, but easy enough.

For paper, I mostly write in a Moleskin journal. Or I use a few notepads of especially glossy paper for writing letters.

I owe a letter to a Bulgarian penpal, come to think of it!

Best to you! Write on!

#fountainpen

Show threadJoeJun 22, 2023
@murodegrizeco @murid I have yet to eyedropper my Kaweco Sport; but it's in my pocket every day along with a Field Notes pocket journal.
https://www.linuxbookpro.com/field-notes-and-kaweco-sport-every-day-carry/
Field Notes and Kaweco Sport Every Day Carry

I carry both these on the go and it doubles as my wallet. Admittedly it’s a bit chunky.

Show threadJanice in GAJun 22, 2023
@murid @penfount Congratulations! That’s a good start. ❤️
Show threadAlan MartelloJun 22, 2023

@murid Congratulations!

You mentioned nib and paper but didn’t mention ink. Likely you’re using the Pilot cartridges, but you may want to consider either buying a converter (the Pilot CON-40 Fountain Pen Converter https://www.jetpens.com/Pilot-CON-40-Fountain-Pen-Converter/pd/16562) OR using a blunt end syringe to refill a cartridge (like this https://www.jetpens.com/JetPens-Ink-Syringe/pd/22182)

Easiest way to try various inks: find a local #FountainPen club that meets - folks will gladly share some ink / give you ink samples to take home.

JetPens.com - Pilot CON-40 Fountain Pen Converter

This converter allows you to use the pens listed under Compatible Products with bottled fountain pen ink. The converter holds 0.4 ml of ink. Agitator beads inside the ink reservoir help maintain steady ink flow by preventing ink from accumulating on the converter's sides.

JetPens
Show threadJanice in GAJun 22, 2023
@amart @penfount @murid A Kakuno will take a Pilot Con-70 converter, which costs a little more but also hold more ink. I find CON-40 converters to be a bit unsatisfactory