Fountain Pens.

[essdee1972]

Gentlemen, where can I get a Scheaffer extra fine nib? I have a classic Sheaffer in black, with a medium nib. The ink line it leaves looks like the Amazon in flood season. Plus it bleeds through the paper. I have tried the nib "drying" techniques seen in this thread, but to no avail (it now looks like the Amazon in low flood season, but you know, the Amazon!).

Cannot find any in the regular Indian sites (William Penn, Amazon(aarrgghh!), etc.)

[Mack The Knife]

SD,

I am not sure what you mean by "classic Sheaffer".

Please post a pic of yours or a link to one.

For most things Sheaffer, Peyton Street Pens is usually a good bet - http://www.peytonstreetpens.com/

Contact Teri Morris with your question/s.

[essdee1972]

Thanks, Mack! I don't have a pic of the pen, and I don't have that one with me right now. Here's a link to the same model:

http://www.gouletpens.com/sheaffer-saga ... H-E0947053

The nib on mine has a different design, though, more of curlicues like a Sheaffer 300 (http://www.gouletpens.com/sheaffer-300- ... H-E0932553).

[Mack The Knife]

SD,

The Sagaris is a modern pen.

Is it the line width or wettness that you are complaining about?

If it's the former and you are unable to find a replacement, your only option is to learn how to grind the point down to a line thickness that suits you. I would not recommend this course of action for the inexperienced.

If it's extra ink flow that is bothering you, switch to a drier ink such as Pelikan's 4001.

There is always Teri at Peyton Street Pens but importing a nib alone for an economy range Sheaffer, unless it has some sentimental value, isn't worth it.

You could sell it to someone who appreciates a decently wet nib and use the proceeds to get another with a fine or extra fine nib. I wonder if they even make an an extra fine nib for the Sagaris.

Since you like a thin line, you should be looking at Japanese fountain pens. Just remember they usually run one line thickness thinner than their western countreparts. That is, if you want an extra fine, order one with a fine nib.

[essdee1972]

Thanks again, Mack!!

Peyton Street doesn't have EFs, only Ms.

I was impressed by the Pilot Metropolitan you gifted my kid, so I promptly got myself a similar pen in fine. Now that's become my go to pen. Washed and put the Lamy Safari in the pen case.

I was using Waterman ink with the Scheaffer, maybe that's the issue.

[brihacharan]

Gentlemen, where can I get a Scheaffer extra fine nib? I have a classic Sheaffer in black, with a medium nib. The ink line it leaves looks like the Amazon in flood season. Plus it bleeds through the paper. I have tried the nib "drying" techniques seen in this thread, but to no avail (it now looks like the Amazon in low flood season, but you know, the Amazon!).

Cannot find any in the regular Indian sites (William Penn, Amazon(aarrgghh!), etc.)

SD
Try Sukhla Pen Mart....in Flora Fountain ...near Central Bank, you could be lucky
IMHO - Inks of different brands behave differently (Mack - would appreciate your take on this)
May be it has something to do with their specific gravity, flow index etc...
SD - the Shaffer Black you gave me flows better & uniformly (better than CAMLIN which I was using earlier......)
Briha

[kshitij]

SD,
I too have shifted to using Fountain pens full time. The Safari is what i carry with me but i have a few Platinum Preppys around at home and in the office. They are cheap and extremely good value given the way they write. I like the M nib on them but also use a F to insert small corrections in notes at work. Try the preppy for daily use as you can leave them around without being too worried about them.

The ASA Nauka has made me a fan. The grip and balance is perfect for me and it writes extremely smooth too. Thanks to Mack for introducing this pen to me. Have ordered two more and waiting to have them soon. Unfortunately they are too big and heavy to lug around and too dear to leave on the office table

Added in 40 minutes 30 seconds:
The first of the ASA got delivered to me just now in office

20160204_144732.jpg

The ASA Galactic.

The other two Naukas will sadly come in only in the first week of March.

[Mack The Knife]

Try Sukhla Pen Mart....in Flora Fountain ...near Central Bank

Very good suggestion. There are quite a few fountain pen shops at Flora Fountain.

IMHO - Inks of different brands behave differently (Mack - would appreciate your take on this)
May be it has something to do with their specific gravity, flow index etc...

Correct. Also, inks within the same brand may behave differently. We should also remember that some papers are fountain pen friendly and some aren't.

I too have shifted to using Fountain pens full time.

Super! For sheer convenience and reliability, the Pilot / Namiki Capless (Vanishing Point in the U.S.A.) cannot be matched. Try one.

[Mack The Knife]

[kshitij]

I am actually confused between the pilot VP and the lamy dialog 3. Dont want to spend on getting both hence will decide on one of them soon.
The youtube link you shared isnt working.

[Mack The Knife]

Don't be confused. Go for the Pilot VP.

They come with steel or gold nibs. Mine have 18k nibs - broad and medium.

In the case of the VP the nibs differ from the standard Japanese line thickness format.

The medium and broad are similar in line thickness to their western countreparts, whilst the EF and F follow the Jap standard of a thinner line thickness compared to their western countreparts. They recently introduced a 1.0 mm stub nib but it's difficult to locate and prices have increased.

Cheapest place to buy from are Japanese online shops such as Engeika, Rakuten Global, etc. However, you are almost certain to get hit for duty for parcels from Japan.

The second cheapest place is https://www.penchalet.com/fine_pens/fou ... n_pen.html
I will message you a 10% off discount code but if you wait, you could get a larger discount (15% - 20%) when they have their sales. I suggest, you sign up for their newsletter.

P.S.: I have fixed the link to the You Tube video.

[brihacharan]

Try Sukhla Pen Mart....in Flora Fountain ...near Central Bank

Very good suggestion. There are quite a few fountain pen shops at Flora Fountain.

IMHO - Inks of different brands behave differently (Mack - would appreciate your take on this)
May be it has something to do with their specific gravity, flow index etc...

Correct. Also, inks within the same brand may behave differently. We should also remember that some papers are fountain pen friendly and some aren't.

Bang on Mack
Just recalled my earlier days in the Paper & Plastics division of Metal Box Co.....
Papers are made of wood pulp / cotton waste etc....they are bleached to get the whiteness....
In the process the pH value of the end product vary, resulting in their absorption of ink deposits and also shade variation....
JK used to make special writing paper for making 'Letter Heads' ...wonder if they still do
Briha

[Mack The Knife]

JK used to make special writing paper for making 'Letter Heads' ...wonder if they still do

Let us know if you see one that is fountain pen friendly.

http://www.jkpaper.com/#

[essdee1972]

I normally use a Bilt Matrix notebook. The slimmer types. The paper is a bit glossy, and the ink from a medium takes forever to dry. Wonder if I have to use a "blotting paper" like those ol' timers! Time to buy a top hat and a tail coat, I guess!!

Kshitij, that ASA pen is a monster, bro! The Safari looks like a little kid next to it!

Mack, thanks for the link. I'll now need to save up for a VP, it seems!

Brihaji, for formal letters I use Royal Executive Bond by ITC. Run it through the printer to print the letterhead and the dotted lines. Then freak out with the fountain pen.

[brihacharan]

I normally use a Bilt Matrix notebook. The slimmer types. The paper is a bit glossy, and the ink from a medium takes forever to dry. Wonder if I have to use a "blotting paper" like those ol' timers! Time to buy a top hat and a tail coat, I guess!!

The glossiness in paper is attained by a micro-fine layer coating of clay & the paper rolls are calendared (similar to stropping a knife blade) and these papers are good for letterpress & offset printing, but not for fountain pen writing!
Executive Bond Paper are very FP friendly!

Brihaji, for formal letters I use Royal Executive Bond by ITC. Run it through the printer to print the letterhead and the dotted lines. Then freak out with the fountain pen.

Briha

Added in 1 hour 55 minutes 21 seconds:
Here's some basic GYAN on writing paper (Fountain Pens)

BEST SUITED PAPER FOR FOUNTAIN-PENS

There are a huge number of factors to consider when picking a great paper for use with fountain pens. It is very much like picking a fine wine with many subtleties and nuances. However, any great paper will bring out a whole new life to your pens and ink letting you to see things you would have missed before.

WHITENESS AND COLOUR
Paper, as you may know, can be found in almost every colour imaginable, from pure white to the bright neon pink. The de facto standard for more fountain pen paper is white. Some papers can be more white (brighter and less gray) than others. Another popular colour is a cream/ivory colour. This can make your ink look different and sometimes creates some really nice effects with certain inks. Cream paper is also somewhat easier on the eyes as it is not as bright.

FEATHERING
Some cheaper papers have a tendency to exhibit feathering, where ink spreads out uncontrollably through the paper. You tend to get very thick lines and strange spikes along the letters. This is due to the paper absorbing the ink too quickly, much like a tissue soaking up water. Lower quality papers like those found in most spiral notebooks tend to be more prone to feathering, where as higher quality papers are designed to prevent feathering, mostly through a coated surface.

BLEED-THROUGH AND SHOW-THROUGH
Bleed-through is very common on thinner papers or bad quality papers that tend to absorb ink very quickly. Higher-end papers generally are coated and manufactured in a way to resist ink from bleeding through, no matter how thin the paper is. However, even with the best fountain pen paper, you may get traces of your writing being visible on the other side. This is known as show-through or sometimes called "ghosting." Show-through can be countered by using a thicker paper stock, such as 32lb over 20lb.

TEXTURE
Some papers have a much smoother texture than others. Fountain pens generally pair well with papers that are very smooth, as the nib will just glide over the paper. Generally, coated papers tend to be more smoother while uncoated ones have a rough texture. Other specialty papers, such as cotton paper, will have a woven texture, much like a shirt or fabric.

DRYING TIME
When you write on paper, the ink laid down takes some time to dry completely without smearing. The dry-time factor has a lot to do with the specific ink used (fast-dry inks for example), but will all conditions being equal, some papers dry faster others. As a good rule of thumb, smooth and coated papers tend to take longer to dry than uncoated, rough papers.
As well, a paper than greatly resists bleed and feathering will tend to take longer to dry, as the ink must evaporate instead of being absorbed.

RULINGS
If you have ever used a standard notebook, you must be familiar with American college-ruled or wide-ruled paper, which has lines spaced at regular intervals along the sheet with a cut-off margin on the side. You may be surprised to learn that there are other unique rulings that can be found on fountain pen paper. There is a dot-ruling which is very similar to graph-paper, but uses dots instead of lines. There is also the French (SEYES) ruling often used to practice cursive in France, as well as many others. If you opt to use printer paper for daily writing, you can conveniently print almost any ruling you like directly onto your paper. There is very inexpensive paper that will work for fountain pens and extremely expensive paper that will work very well. However, keep in mind that not all expensive paper is guaranteed to be suitable for fountain pens.

All said and done ‘Executive Bond Paper’ which is available in most stationery stores would fit the bill. This type / quality of paper is manufactured by JK, ITC and Andhra Paper Mills. One more point to consider is the type / quality of INK one is using....as the solvents used in manufacturing them have different drying properties.

Briha