fountain pen

by Tony Thomas "The Fountain Pen Book" is my latest book and has just been released on Amazon.com.   "If you are interested in fountain pens, this book is a great place to start. It is short, easy to read and filled with valuable information that I have gathered since becoming a fountain pen enthusiast. I have included lots of links so that you can connect with other fountain pen users, dealers and resources. I hope you enjoy reading this book as much as I have enjoyed writing it!  Check it out: http://goo.gl/4C9BV6

by Tony Thomas It is Fountain Pen Day!  Is it time to renew our love for fountain pens and writing with them.  I have been writing with fountain pens on and off for over 40 years.  In the past five years or so, my interest in them has increased due to the efforts of people like Brian Goulet, Stephen BRE Brown and the members of the Fountain Pen Network.   There is a large and growing fountain pen community and I am proud to be a member.  Pull out your fountain pen and paper and let's celebrate together!

by Tony Thomas I like a great pen deal as much as the next person (after all, this is the Frugal Fountain Pen).  However, beware the fake Hero 616s on auction and sale sites!!  I bought one for $2.99 and it is clearly a fake.  I took comparison pics so you can see the difference between the real deal and the fake.  I requested a refund from the popular auction site and included these pics.  Caveat emptor!!!  And it you happen to get a fake, report it and request a refund. Update: I rinsed it out and attempted to fill the pen.  It wouldn't even fill.  The breather tube was disconnected from the feed and I could not reconnect it.   The pen did write pretty well but you can only use it as a dip pen.  I tried to open it up after soaking it in hot water but it wouldn't budge.  Not worth $2.99 or even $1.00 IMHO. Fake is on the right Fake is on the right Fake is on top Fake is in the forged package This is the ad for the fake.  Oh, t...

by Tony Thomas I decided that it was time for a new everyday carry notebook and picked up a junior-sized Levenger Circa Bomber Jacket.   I love the look and smell of genuine leather and it does not disappoint. I settled on a disc-based notebook because they are so flexible and I have used them for years. As I have a paper cutter and a punch, I can use all kinds of paper, including sketching and drawing paper, copier paper, cheap notebook paper and really nice paper like Rhodia. In addition, the disc-based notebook is really a part of a larger system because I can move things around easily and pull out pages that I am no longer using and archive them in other notebooks.  Very useful! I spruced  up  the Bomber Jacket with some copper-colored aluminum discs (1") to replace the smaller plastic ones that it came with.   The end result looks great and is the perfect size and weight for my needs.  Even though it wasn't cheap, I expect to get a lot of use out of it...

 by Tony Thomas It is Back to School season again and I went to my local Walmart and picked up some composition books from Norcom.   I picked some from Colombia and decided to test them out.  They were on sale for $ .50 each! The paper is very nice and comparable to the Brazilian paper that I have used in the past. After some tests with Pilot Blue and Waterman inks and there is no feathering, bleed through or show through.  Highly recommended !

by Tony Thomas If you are out and about and would like to change the ink in your fountain pen, here is a tip for cleaning it quickly: First of all, get a glass of water and a paper towel or absorbent tissue.   Empty the pen converter and dispose of the ink or put it in a storage vial.  Then, use the paper towel or absorbent tissue to absorb all the ink in the nib and feed.   It may take awhile for all of the ink to soak into the towel or tissue. After that, soak the nib and feed as well as the converter in the glass of water. Fill the converter and empty it several times until the water is pretty clear. Disassemble the nib and feed if you can and use a tissue to absorb any remaining ink from both and also the section.   If possible, refill the glass of water and repeat the steps.   When you are done, you should have a reasonably clean pen that is ready to fill with a different color of ink.

by Tony Thomas Mixing ink is a lot of fun and is a very economical way of getting the most out of your ink. My favorite brand to mix is Waterman.  It is a great, cheap everyday ink that is problem-free in just about any fountain pen and mixes well. I use Serenity Blue, Black and Tender purple as my mixing inks.  I make a "Blurple" (inspired by Richard Binder) by mixing 80% Serenity Blue with 20% Tender Purple.  And a Blue/Black by mixing 80% Serenity Blue with 20% Black. Both of these mixes are fairly water resistant (see pic below).  Have fun mixing!    Waterman Inks Scribbles on the top have been soaked in water. Writing on the bottom after it dried.  Used really cheap copier paper.