Fountain pen users, rejoice!

[Venderious]

So disappointed with Moleskine this year. Their quality has deteriorated. Just look how the ink from my Mont Blanc bleeds through the paper.

Can anyone recommend a page a day diary?

It is really a shame. I've been wanting to turn away from Moleskine exactly for this reason. Leuchturm1917 supposedly has better notebooks, haven't tried them though.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

It is really a shame. I've been wanting to turn away from Moleskine exactly for this reason. Leuchturm1917 supposedly has better notebeeks, haven't tried them though.

As I have posted earlier in this (and other threads) I can't recommend Leuchtturm1917 notebooks highly enough, - I use them myself all of the time - and regret the deeply disappointing deterioration of the quality in the products produced by Moleskine.

 

[AVBeatMan]

@Scepticalscribe. Will you tell me where in London you get your Mont Blanc pens serviced? I’ll be there in a week or so and would like to have mine “looked over”. Also, how long do you leave them with them? Thanks.

 

[GerritV]

About a month ago I decided to no longer use my iPad and it’s plethora of notetaking apps, and I got me a Traveler’s Notebook. Coming from the generic Apple Pencil, what a joy it’s been so far to be back with my Lamy 2000, Lamy CP1, Lamy Persona and Rotring 600.
Since I do a lot of drawing/doodling as well, I started to wonder how good/bad an idea it would be to use the same pen for both writing and sketching. Doesn’t a nib slowly adapts to one’s handwriting?
Aside from that, I sometimes find myself in situations where I don’t feel that good about using my favorites. Poor paper, poor conditions, outside...
So I ordered me a TWSBI Eco. Nothing fancy, just something to doodle and pick up whenever the situation calls for it (the typical Grocerie List writing I’d say).

Here it is (not my picture)

 

[cambookpro]

About a month ago I decided to no longer use my iPad and it’s plethora of notetaking apps, and I got me a Traveler’s Notebook. Coming from the generic Apple Pencil, what a joy it’s been so far to be back with my Lamy 2000, Lamy CP1, Lamy Persona and Rotring 600.
Since I do a lot of drawing/doodling as well, I started to wonder how good/bad an idea it would be to use the same pen for both writing and sketching. Doesn’t a nib slowly adapts to one’s handwriting?
Aside from that, I sometimes find myself in situations where I don’t feel that good about using my favorites. Poor paper, poor conditions, outside...
So I ordered me a TWSBI Eco. Nothing fancy, just something to doodle and pick up whenever the situation calls for it (the typical Grocerie List writing I’d say).

Here it is (not my picture)

View attachment 857400

I’ve owned a few of these. Great little pens, easy to take apart and relatively cheap. TWSBI do make some solid products, and their customer support is great.

 

[AVBeatMan]

That’s it. Enough. Moleskine out. Leuchtturm 1917 in.

 

[GerritV]

I’ve owned a few of these. Great little pens, easy to take apart and relatively cheap. TWSBI do make some solid products, and their customer support is great.

Hey, thanks cambookpro - that sounds good (like many online reviews I went through).
Unfortunately, living in a retarded country like mine, I'll have to wait a month for delivery via a webshop in the Netherlands

 

[maxsquared]

That’s it. Enough. Moleskine out. Leuchtturm 1917 in.

I have been using real pens for a long time now, though as a fountain pen enthusiast, I was a big fan of note books.

If I remember correctly Leuchtturm was good, but still quite bad for fountain pens, the paper is a strange one, it feels super thin, though it's not as bad as Moleskine, but it feather like crazy... Have they updated their paper?

My last note book was Moleskine Evernote Sketch book and I remember it was 100 gsm paper, it was still a bit bleeding through, but way better than the standard notebook

 

[GerritV]

Silly question perhaps: did anyone ever experience with mixing two (or more) different ink colours? I have some black and some blue leftovers and thought of creating my own custom "Nightshadow"

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Silly question perhaps: did anyone ever experience with mixing two (or more) different ink colours? I have some black and some blue leftovers and thought of creating my own custom "Nightshadow"

No.

I'll do that with paints (for painting), or with inks for sketching, but not when writing.

 

[GerritV]

No.

I'll do that with paints (for painting), or with inks for sketching, but not when writing.

Any particular reason(s) for that distinction sketching vs. writing ?

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Any particular reason(s) for that distinction sketching vs. writing ?

For sketching, or art, colours matter, and one can sometime six inks (as I do with paints) to explore shades and nuances in colour, and use colour to emphasise, or highlight a visual effect.

When writing, I want clarity, and legibility, and I don't want any kind of visual distraction.

Blue, blue/black, and black are the only inks (all Mont Blanc) that I use when writing text (or, even headlines).

 

[GerritV]

For sketching, or art, colours matter, and one can sometime six inks (as I do with paints) to explore shades and nuances in colour, and use colour to emphasise, or highlight a visual effect.

When writing, I want clarity, and legibility, and I don't want any kind of visual distraction.

Blue, blue/black, and black are the only inks (all Mont Blanc) that I use when writing text (or, even headlines).

Thanks for commenting, all clear.

 

[S.B.G]

I saw this fascinating video yesterday.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I saw this fascinating video yesterday.

Lovely video, absolutely fascinating to watch, and both instructive and informative.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Ollé]

That’s it. Enough. Moleskine out. Leuchtturm 1917 in.

You won't regret it. @Scepticalscribe put me onto them earlier this year and I haven't looked back. I came from Rhodia, which I wasn't overly happy with, now I'm a convert to Leuchtturm and their notebooks and diaries.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

You won't regret it. @Scepticalscribe put me onto them earlier this year and I haven't looked back. I came from Rhodia, which I wasn't overly happy with, now I'm a convert to Leuchtturm and their notebooks and diaries.

Delighted to learn that you are happy with Leuchtturm 1917; I, also, had used Rhodia, which - as is the case with you - I wasn't overly happy with, and Moleskine are a sad shadow of what they once were.

I absolutely swear by Leuchtturm 1917; terrific quality and very enjoyable to write on.

 

[GerritV]

While going through some left-over boxes from closing my former office, I stumbled into my Sheaffer converters that I had completely forgotten about. Metal housing with a rubber pumping system, so not the best one can hope for but still... And what's even more, I stored the pens (Sheaffer Targa) elsewhere all that time.

Today, after about 10 years, I assembled the parts and can't wait to ink them up !

[automerge]1571253964[/automerge]

I’ve owned a few of these. Great little pens, easy to take apart and relatively cheap. TWSBI do make some solid products, and their customer support is great.

In some (mine) parts of the world, a TWSBI seems to be very hard to get. I gave up on this one and went for a Lamy Vista, 1.1 Stub Nib along with a Diamine Damson. A setup for testing purposes, one might say.
Happy so far

 

[Scepticalscribe]

While going through some left-over boxes from closing my former office, I stumbled into my Sheaffer converters that I had completely forgotten about. Metal housing with a rubber pumping system, so not the best one can hope for but still... And what's even more, I stored the pens (Sheaffer Targa) elsewhere all that time.

Today, after about 10 years, I assembled the parts and can't wait to ink them up !


View attachment 870008 Well, I

Sheaffer always made elegant pens; in my student days, I wrote with some that my father (who also used them) gave me as a gift.

Well wear and do enjoy using them and writing with them.

Let us know how you get on with the pens, although, if they give you trouble, it may be a good idea to have them serviced by an authorised dealer.

 

[cdcastillo]

While going through some left-over boxes from closing my former office, I stumbled into my Sheaffer converters that I had completely forgotten about. Metal housing with a rubber pumping system, so not the best one can hope for but still... And what's even more, I stored the pens (Sheaffer Targa) elsewhere all that time.

Today, after about 10 years, I assembled the parts and can't wait to ink them up !


View attachment 870008
[automerge]1571253964[/automerge]


In some (mine) parts of the world, a TWSBI seems to be very hard to get. I gave up on this one and went for a Lamy Vista, 1.1 Stub Nib along with a Diamine Damson. A setup for testing purposes, one might say.
Happy so far

Damn, those pens look handsome.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Damn, those pens look handsome.

Agreed, they do look handsome.

However, I suspect that @GerritV may need to have them serviced from authorised dealers (or sent back to where they were made for servicing) before they can be used.

 

[S.B.G]

I had to fill out some forms at the doctor's office today. They handed me a clipboard and a cheap ballpoint pen. I started to write my name and instantly hated the feel of it. I may as well have tried to scrawl with a sharp rock instead.

Then I remembered I had one of my rollerball pens in my pocket and it saved the day.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I had to fill out some forms at the doctor's office today. They handed me a clipboard and a cheap ballpoint pen. I started to write my name and instantly hated the feel of it. I may as well have tried to scrawl with a sharp rock instead.

Then I remembered I had one of my rollerball pens in my pocket and it saved the day.

And that is exactly why I always carry a Mont Blanc Meisterstuck roller ball and a Mont Blanc Meisterstuck fountain pen.

But, I agree completely: The feel of those cheap pens in your hands as they scrape - scrawling with a sharp rock is a very good way of phrasing it - across the page in an ugly, uneven and discordant manner is very striking.

Then, you remember your own pen, which writes with a smooth and easy - indeed a gliding motion, a motion that feels almost an extension of your wrist.

 

[S.B.G]

And that is exactly why I always carry a Mont Blanc Meisterstuck roller ball and a Mont Blanc Meisterstuck fountain pen.

But, I agree completely: The feel of those cheap pens in your hands as they scrape - scrawling with a sharp rock is a very good way of phrasing it - across the page in an ugly, uneven and discordant manner is very striking.

Then, you remember your own pen, which writes with a smooth and easy - indeed a gliding motion, a motion that feels almost an extension of your wrist.

Indeed. It makes me wonder how I ever lived using those pens before I discovered a fountain/rollerball pen.

That gliding motion across the page makes the whole experience easier and more enjoyable.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Indeed. It makes me wonder how I ever lived using those pens before I discovered a fountain/rollerball pen.

That gliding motion across the page makes the whole experience easier and more enjoyable.

It also makes it feel more "natural", that this motion is entirely natural, whereas with the other (horrid) pens, you feel as though you are fighting the very elements as you write, you are fighting both pen and paper, both motion and movement are so profoundly unnatural.

What I love about the Mont Blanc is that it seems as though it is an extension of my wrist when I write; the pen glides easily across the page, the ink flows, and the whole experience is enabling the act of writing rather than fighting against it.