Zebra F-301 all the way. It works great for writing on those small blood collection tubes. http://www.zebrapen.com/products/pen/f-301?c=30
Depends on which Conklin crescent filler pens you mean! There are the vintage ones of course, but assuming you mean pens from the current company using the Conklin name, they have had a couple of lines of crescent filling pens. There was a rather high end line they made a couple of years ago, and there is a lower end line later. I just got one of the newer ones with a steel nib for $75 and have been enjoying it quite a lot. -Tom
i was referring to the older ones. mine has a brown cap, black body, all chased hard rubber, pat. may 1918.
Dave, this is one of the best products for shining up BHR black hard rubber pens.http://www.restorationproduct.com/renwaxinfo.html some antique stores have it.
Gawsh, I didn't realise there were so many pen connaisseurs around here! Typically I like a smooth, gliding rollerball with a fine nib. While I used a standard Parker fountain pen for many years, I simply found it to be too 'inky' after a time. Currently I'm using a black Pilot G-2 with 0.7mm tip; it moves beautifully, but it's running a little low on fuel so the writing looks kinda scratchy at the moment
Correct. Condition, condition, condition. Oh, and scarcity and cache. Larger sizes are typically more desirable than smaller ones. Brown, by the way, is not how it would have started. Black hard rubber discolors from light and/or water. -T
Just picked up my first FP. OK, it is a Sheaffer Calligraphy set with three nibs and 4 color cartridges. I started with a medium nib but would like to try the fine nib. Can I just simply unscrew nibs and swap them out, or do I need for the cartridge to be empty?
It was bad enough when I joined that I started expanding my collection of razors and buying soaps and creams. Now I see another interest I had - Pens. I have a Mont Blanc roller and a Cross fountain pen. Reading all the pens so of you have I'm going to have to sign off now and start surfing the net for Pens! I'm almost too embarissed to share my other interests guessing that there will be others like me out there which will only fuel my other interests!
Great Pens! It was bad enough when I joined this group seeing how I started spending mone buying razors and blades along with creams and soaps, etc. Now we come to my other interest! Pens. I have a Mont Blanc roller, Cross fountain and several old fountain pens given to me by my grandmother. Reading all the comments about pens, I guess I need to sign off and start surfing the net for pens again! I'm almost too embarissed to share some of my other interests and obsessions because finding others who share that interest will only make me spend more money and time on the internet! Thanks!
I've never used any Sheaffer Calligraphy sets, so I can't specifically answer your question. However, I have some Esterbrooks, which use interchangeable nibs. With an Esterbrook, you can change nibs without flushing the ink. Although, you have to be careful. Otherwise, doing this can be messy. One big caveat, since Esterbrooks are lever fillers and the Sheaffer Calligraphy pens use cartridges, changing nibs might not work as well. In the end, I guess, the worst possibly would be a wasted cartridge and a mess. Another notable: Since calligraphy pens are italics (the point is linear instead of round), writing is generally more scratchy and less smooth. Thus, I don't think an italic fountain pen is representative of the overall fountain pen writing experience. Also, generally the finer the nib, the more scratchy and less smooth writing will be, as well. I hope this was helpful on some level. Good Luck.
Thanks for the response. I knew that as a calligraphy pen, it wouldn't be the exact same type of nib. However, for $10 for the set I figured it was worth the shot. And I just learned the no shaking the pen rule...
Fountain pens are addictive. A good choice for beginners are Esterbrooks. You can get them from ebay for $20 and they have interchangeable nibs so you can buy new nibs to change how the pen writes. http://cgi.ebay.com/ESTERBROOK-FOUNTAIN-PEN-SJ-1550-GREEN-RESTORED-I9078_W0QQitemZ270455261461QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3ef863c915&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14 I have several of these and using Aurora black ink (my favorite) it writes better than a pilot G2. (best of all it's not disposable) Then you can move up in price to visconti and Pelikan pens. Beware though, if you think you have alot of shaving supplies wait until you get bit by the fountain pen bug.
+1 Esterbrooks are great first vintage fountain pens -- inexpensive, durable, interchangeable nibs... Learn more here: http://www.richardspens.com/ref/j_profile.htm
Yep, just unscrew the old and screw in the new. Sheaffer Calligraphy pens are very nice. For jotting letters and such, I like the fine tip, but for practicing Chancery Cursive (an obsession that I don't indulge often enough), the broader nibs are better. Also great are old Osmiroid calligraphy nibs. They're wonderful writers and they fit into Estie sections! My favorite is the medium italic, although there's quite a broad range (no pun intended) of sizes and styles, including a left-hand oblique (Osmiroid's version is a strange looking beast). Enjoy your set, Justin! I expect a full report after the weekend! Cheers, Tom