Fountain Pen 101 Guide

Beginner friendly guide to first time users

Why own a fountain pen:

  • they are a long lasting tool
  • they are customizable to you
    • There are heavy pens available for people who like a little weight to their pen
    • There are pocket pens available for those who like small pens
  • there are so many different type to choose from


How to choose your first pen:

  • Try the available pens to find one you like
    • Do you like ultra thin lines? Then you are probably an ef nib user
    • Do you like a smooth writing experience?  Then you might like m nib pens

How to set up your fountain pen:

Almost every fountain pen comes with a default ink cartridge.

It is best practice to rinse the nib with water once before use to get rid of any manufacturing oil that could still be left on the pen.

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How to clean and maintain your pen:

It is very important that you clean with water only and no other solution unless the pen needs serious cleaning. 

  1. Disassemble the pen
  2. Flush/soak in water until there is no more visible ink coming out of the nib
  3. Dry the pen
  4. Reassemble the pen
  5. Add ink and use

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*If the pen isn't fully cleaned with water alone, it is recommended to use a little bit of diluted dish soap else there is a more aggressive form of cleaning solution which are made for fountain pens specifically.

 

Basic fountain pen terms:

 Nib

The tip of the fountain pen 

 

Cartridge

 Long plastic tube that holds ink.

These are usually considered disposable, but can be flushed and reused

Colors usually doesn't have any special shimmer or sheen properties.

*Many pens comes with one filled with a default color ink

Converter

Different ways to fill your fountain pen

Piston fill is the most popular type of converters. 

Ink

Different types of inks available 

Shimmer

Sheen 

Dye

Pigment

 

How to change ink color:

It is best practice to fully clean out your pen before changing color or even when adding more existing ink into your pen

Basic trouble shooting:

If your ink dries

If the tines are misaligned 

Things to keep in mind when choosing an ink:

Inks with glitter is not recommended for pens that have an extra find (EF) nib because the glitter particle can get stick on the nib and cause clogging which will prevent your pen from writing smoothly.