Pentheism

mightier than swords Pen of the Week / Fountain Pen 101 / A Closer Look (Reviews) / Frequently Asked Questions

[pentheism]

Pen of the Week: Week 12

The Sailor 1911 is one of many Montblanc 149 "impersonators". However, each pen does have its own pros and cons. The 1911 sports one of the best nibs on the market, with Sailor's renowned smoothness and feedback. On top of that, Sailor's wide array of specialty nibs makes it certain that you will be able to find the perfect pen for whatever you want. 

[pentheism]

Pen of the Week: Week 11

The Esterbrook Model J is one of the most well liked fountain pens in all of history. Along with its playful rippled effect, the Model J is a relatively inexpensive pen that writes well. Although the pen itself is nice, the real star of the show is the nib. Esterbrook's Renew-point nibs were an amazing new design that allowed users to interchange nibs easily and as they wanted. Because of this, Esterbrook pens last a very long time - once the old nib is worn down, just change it to a new one and the pen is ready to go for another 20 years. 

[pentheism]

Pen of the Week: Week 10

Believe it or not, India is actually one of the large contenders in the fountain pen business. Shown above is the Guider Raja ebonite handmade fountain pen. Indian pens tend to be made out of ebonite or acrylic, and often are handmade. For a price much lower than other brands out there, Indian pens have a quality and personal feel that's hard to find with manufactured pens.

[pentheism]

Sailor Procolor 500 in Aqua

[pentheism]

Sailor Sapporo in Black with gold trim

[pentheism]

Lamy Dialog3 in Matte Black

[pentheism]

Lamy 2000 in Black

[pentheism]

Fountain Pen of the Week: Week 9

The TWSBI Diamond 580 is a medium priced demonstrator that exhibits many traits of high end pens. It has great craftsmanship, a very smooth steel nib, and a faceted diamond design on the barrel. It also comes with a piston filling mechanism, always a plus. What's more remarkable even is that the entire pen can be disassembled, and with the pen, TWSBI gives you all the tools to do so. When maintained properly, the Diamond 580 can last a lifetime.

[pentheism]

Fountain Pen 101: The Barrel

The barrel of a fountain pen isn't really anything special, so I'll keep this post short.

Barrels can be made of a myriad of different materials ranging from plastics to metals. The barrel simply protects the filling mechanism or cartridge of the pen and gives a place for the hand to rest. The majority of the heft and weight of the pen comes from the barrel. Besides this, there isn't much else to the barrel of a pen. It's mainly for functionality, but many more expensive pens may have elaborate designs etched onto it.

In the next FP101, we will discuss the internals of the pen, starting with the filling mechanisms.

[pentheism]

Pen of the Week: Week 8

The Nakaya Kuro Tanemui Writer is truly a remarkable pen. Completely handcrafted from only the best materials, this pen is the best of the best... but only to those that can afford it. With a starting price of $600USD, which can increase to over $2000USD, there is no question that this pen is a luxury buy. However, it's not all just for show either, the pen is custom made to your specifications and hand tuned to be the best possible pen. The Nakaya brand of pens is probably the most sought after brand in all of fountain pens.

[pentheism]

Pilot Vanishing Point in Stealth Black

[pentheism]

Fountain Pen 101: The Cap

Before moving on to the barrel of the pen, we're going to quickly go over the cap. The cap is useful as it keeps the nib protected, and prevents the pen from drying out. There are two main styles of caps: snap on and screw on. Snap on caps are similar to the caps found nowadays in most other pens, they simply fit on with friction and create a seal that way. Fountain pens (especially vintage ones) may also have a screw on cap: which has threads on the inside that match up with threads on the section. In general, the screw on caps tend to be more secure and airtight, overall more beneficial to the fountain pen, though they sacrifice convenience.

The last part of the pen is the clip. Most clips are similar, just a piece of metal that allows the pen to be clipped into a pocket or a bag. Sometimes, especially in more modern pens, the clip is spring loaded. 

Caps don't generally get a great deal of attention in a fountain pen, but they undoubtedly are probably the number one protector of the delicate nib.

[pentheism]

Pen of the Week: Week 7

The Noodler's Ahab is probably in a class all of its own. A very large fountain pen, this pen has something special that many pens of its price don't have: flex. For a very low price of $20USD, the Ahab offers flex for the budget conscious fountain penner. The pen is made of resin, so despite its large size, the pen remains light. The plunger filler allows the pen to easily be filled and cleaned. Like all Noodler's pens, the Ahab can be completely disassembled for thorough cleaning.

[pentheism]

Pilot Custom 823

[pentheism]

TWSBI 580

[pentheism]

Fountain Pen 101: Sections

Moving up from the precious nib, we will now take a brief look at the section of the pen. Although not commonly considered the most important part of the pen, the section of the pen is also something to take into consideration - after all, it's where you grab the pen.

Fountain pen sections have a couple basic designs: straight, hourglass, tapered, and ergonomic. 

Straight

A very common type of section is the straight section. This section pretty much has no special cuts, acting as just an extension of the barrel. Some pens have textures on the barrel to improve the grip, such as this ribbed section:

Hourglass

Many vintage fountain pens have an hourglass section, named for.. well.. the hourglass shape of the section.

Tapered

Most tapered sections, like the one above, flare out at the very end. Tapered sections are similar to the straight sections, but just tend to have a different style, generally being thinner than the rest of the barrel.

Ergonomic

Generally found in modern fountain pens, ergonomic sections are molded to promote the correct grip of the pen. Ergonomic sections are very touch and go, since if your pen grip doesn't match the pen, it will be terribly uncomfortable.

Conclusion

Although not one type of section is best, each person does tend to prefer a certain type over the others. For me, the tapered grip feels the most natural to me, but I tend to hold the pen higher than most. The only way to figure out which type you like the best is to try them all out.

[pentheism]

Danitrio Urushi Lacquer