I’ve always admired the elegance and allure of fountain pens. I have a strong emotional connection to the written word and everything associated with it since I am a writer.
I’ve always been strangely fascinated by stationary shops. I have way too many notebooks, but I’ll cheerfully spend money on office supplies even if you’d have to pull me kicking and screaming into a mall.
Because of this, it’s possible that it was inevitable that I would develop a fondness for Great Fountain Pens Brand.
However, using fountain pens might be scary. There are strange individuals around who watch ink dry and dress in fishing vests when they get together. It’s a weird world with its own dialect.
If you’re anything like me, you probably don’t know many individuals who are also obsessed with this subject who you could consult for guidance on where to begin. As a result, you go online to look for this information.
There is a ton of fantastic information and fantastic blogs (like this one), but the majority of it is written for individuals who are knowledgeable in the subject. Not to us amateurs.
If you’re anything like me, you’ll read a lot, be confused, and intimidated. And ultimately, after reading things for months on end that you hardly comprehend, you’ll make the decision to get a pen and see what happens.
You’ll make some errors, but gradually, through trial and error, you’ll begin to understand why these fountain pen enthusiasts are so passionate.
Alternately, you might give up because it’s too much work and regret wasting your money.
That is the reason I chose to write this. To remove some of the anxiety and false starts that come with diving in on our own, I want to provide a short, step-by-step guidance on how to get from real novice to early-stage addiction for someone who wishes to use fountain pens for the first time.
Several Simple Definitions
The terminology used in the fountain pen industry is so extensive that I could write a complete lexicon about it, but that is not what I’m trying to do.
Simply providing you with the essential definitions you’ll need to comprehend the remainder of this article is my only objective.
I don’t want to get into aspects that are unnecessary for someone just starting out, but rather to concentrate on topics that someone who doesn’t know anything about fountain pens wouldn’t know.
The twig
The portion of the pen that touches the paper and through which the ink is released is known as the nib.
Most pens will have a stainless-steel cap, whereas more expensive pens will have a gold cap.
You may drastically alter the experience of writing with a pen by switching out the nib.
The size of the nib’s tip is one of the first choices you’ll need to make when purchasing a Cheap Fountain Pens.
Nibs are available in a range of points, from exceptionally fine to bold, on the majority of common fountain pens.
The thickness of the lines you write will depend on how much ink is emitted from the nib’s tip.
There are numerous more nib styles available, ranging from very fine to bold, such as a cursive italic or a stub. These unique grinds work best with particular handwriting types.
Nib sizes don’t follow a standard, which makes things more complicated. A Japanese pen’s “fine” nib will typically be finer than a German pen’s “fine” nib.
With certain inks and writing styles, certain nibs perform well.
Softer nibs, like those made of gold, will tarnish in a way that conforms to the user’s handwriting.
As a result, if you give a pen to someone else who has a very soft nib and they use it, the ink flow will look unusual to them because the pen has literally tailored itself to you.
Cartridge
Similar to how you would refill a ballpoint or gel pen, a cartridge is the ink reservoir that you can remove from your pen and completely replace. The simplicity of cartridges is a benefit.
Simply insert a new cartridge when your old one runs out of ink, and you’re good to go.
The drawback is that buying cartridges on a regular basis is far more expensive than just buying an ink converter and refilling your pen.
Converter
A converter converts a system for filling cartridges into a refillable one. The fundamental objective of converters and filling systems, which come in a variety of designs, is to store refillable reservoirs of the ink that your pen uses to write.
Some pens have converters built in, while others require ordering.
For instance, a Lamy Safari simply includes a cartridge, whereas a Pilot Metropolitan includes a cartridge and an empty converter.
If you want to refill a Safari, you must either purchase more cartridges or a converter and ink.
