Fountain Pen Lessons I Learned as a Beginner

Flex pens/nibs aren’t always great

My first non-disposable fountain pen is the Noodler’s Ahab. I tried the Lamy Safari 5 years ago and it didn’t impress me so I purchased the Ahab. I enjoyed writing with the Ahab because aside from that calligraphy effect, I was able to use it for regular writing.

The effect that you can get with a flex pen is wonderful but it takes a bit more time to write. With flex nibs, you need to write slower whenever you add pressure to your writing because if you write too fast, you will have problems with getting the ink to continuously write. Most fountain pen users don’t recommend flex pens for those who are getting into the hobby as well – especially because it’s finicky and a bit more of a challenge.

I bought my 2nd flex pen (not a Noodler’s) last year but I didn’t have a similar writing experience. I couldn’t get the pen to write consistently. Then I found out that that particular nib was really tricky to get writing. It was frustrating so I then decided not to purchase more flex nib pens.

You don’t have to get all nib sizes

Choosing nib sizes was one of the most difficult decisions to make when I was first starting out. I started with a couple of fines then started to buy mediums and then eventually a broad. The broad nib was great but I was not always pleased with the way I write with them. Because of that, I rarely reach for them when I’m journaling.

Tip: If you want to try different nib sizes, I suggest buying a pen that you can swap nibs out like the Platinum Preppy, Jinhao fountain pens or maybe the Lamy Safari or Al-Star.

Be aware of the limited edition pens

Being new to fountain pens, I wasn’t focused on collecting them. For one thing, fountain pens don’t come cheap. Second, I didn’t know what to do with too many pens. When I do buy pens, I want it in a color that I like.

I’m not the type to collect all the limited or special edition pens but I hate that I missed out on the blue and turquoise TWSBI 580 AL. I was literally about to buy one until someone bought the last piece.

I think if you really like that color, the pen, and have the means to buy it, go get it.

When Goulet Pens released their special edition Conklin Duragraph/Duraflex last year, I immediately purchased it. Lesson learned!

Bottled ink is better than ink cartridges

While cartridges are convenient, they aren’t really versatile. Just like printers, ink cartridges are often made for a certain brand. If you purchased an ink cartridge from Lamy, you wouldn’t be able to use it on a non-Lamy fountain pen. When I first started, I was afraid of purchasing 50ml bottles because I didn’t want to commit to the volume. Instead of buying that beautiful Lamy Turquoise in a bottle, I opted for cartridges. It wasn’t bad. I used the ink in my Lamy Safari. When I wanted to switch out and use it on the Pilot Metropolitan, I realized the mistake I made.

Ink samples are a great way to explore different inks

I think it’s safe to say that I really got into fountain pens because of the inks. I’ve justified my pen purchases by the inks I have available. While I love bottled inks, I don’t like committing to 50ml of the same ink. Ink samples are a godsend. You can get 2ml for a less than $2 at various places online like Goulet Pens, Anderson Pens, or Ink Journal. 2ml seems like a small amount but you’d be surprised how far that 2ml of ink can go.

I love ink samples. I try not to buy bottled ink unless it’s an ink that’s not easy to come across (like Sailor) or if I love the design of the bottle.

Design (in terms of usability and functionality) of the ink bottle matters

As a user experience designer, I’m more particular about an object’s design more than others. The ink bottle is no exception. When I’m shopping for a new ink bottle, I always keep the ink bottle’s design in mind. Ink bottles are a commitment – they can go at most 100ml – that’s enough ink for you to last at least a decade. I mentioned this also in my previous post about beginner-friendly fountain pen ink. There are some ink bottles that are beautiful but aren’t as functional like the 30ml Herbin or the old 1670 ink bottles.

Good ink bottle design is important especially when your ink runs low (at least half empty). If the bottle isn’t designed well, you would have a more difficult time getting that ink out of the bottle. You might have to transfer it to an ink vial or a different inkwell. The opening of the bottle is also something to consider – you would want a ink bottle that has a wide mouth because some pens have wider grips.

Personally, if the ink is good and the bottle’s designed well in both function and form, I would most likely purchase a full bottle of that ink – like the Pilot Iroshizuku.

Thick paper is not always fountain pen friendly

One of the things that I listed on my Things You Should Know Before Getting Into the Fountain Pen Hobby is that paper quality matters! You will appreciate fountain pens even more when you see different characteristics of inks jumping off the page.

When I tried my first fountain pen, the Noodler’s Ahab, I was underwhelmed. I had certain expectations when I started writing with a fountain pen and that was not it. I’ve been hearing the term “fountain-pen friendly” from a few people from the Bullet Journal community but didn’t understand what it truly meant.

I tried writing on my old notebooks like the Moleskine. The ink bled and feathered; it frustrated me. Then I figured that maybe the Moleskine’s paper was a too thin and can’t handle the ink well so I tried a thicker paper, a Moleskine sketchbook – there was no bleeding but the ink feathered so bad.

I learned that the thickness of the paper didn’t matter at all. I have heard of a well-loved 160gsm notebook that doesn’t perform well with fountain pens. The Tomoe River, which is famous in the fountain community is only 52gsm (it’s really thin) but can handle ink splatters really well.

Read: Tomoe River Notebooks to Try in 2020

Leuchtturm isn’t that bad

When I started using fountain pens for bullet journaling, I thought that it wouldn’t able to handle ink well. I tried it and it wasn’t that bad. In fact, my handwriting looked better on the Leuchtturm that it was on the Rhodia (which is well-known for its ability to handle fountain pen ink). I recently moved back from a Rhodia Goalbook to a Leuchtturm for bullet journaling and also used a Leuchtturm for long form journaling.