Reply With QuoteNot that heavy and not as heavy as my wife's Montblanc fountain pen (she's one of you) - it's a nice colour that doesn't come through clearly in the pictures - a nice burgundy.Originally Posted by jeepie
Lovely. Hope you enjoy it Alan. Looks great. Is it heavy?going back to my (gasp!) rollerball question - I picked up this Montblanc second hand dirt cheap.
Not that heavy and not as heavy as my wife's Montblanc fountain pen (she's one of you) - it's a nice colour that doesn't come through clearly in the pictures - a nice burgundy.
A what????...shudders..
Thanks very much for the heads up, Ten Past.
I have availed myself of the facility at WHS.
I've put this one off for many years - not being a fan, as a rule, of hooded nibs (despite the P51 religion on FPN !)
But recent (ish) Vanishing Point experiences (x2) have made me a little more open-minded :)
Fingers crossed.
Cheers, once again.
I hope I can be of assistance here.
This is what works for me -
1 Separate the two barrel sections, at the middle.
2 Remove entire nib "mechanism" with the converter left attached to it (it slides out from the nib-side barrel)
3 Draw ink into the converter in the usual way, via the nib - there is no need remove the converter from the pen mechanism.
4 Gently wipe off any superfluous ink from around the nib "mechanism" - and return to the nib-side barrel (the nipple will sit in the barrel slot when you have the components aligned correctly)
Using this method the barrel (s) stay completely clear of the ink, and remain clean - and the interior mechanism can be wiped down and cleaned sufficiently to mitigate any spilling or smearing on the inside of the barrel.
Tip - if the converter seems reluctant to draw enough (or even any !) ink, turn the piston all the way up and all the way down twice whilst still submerged - this will reduce the air component of the fill and "clean" the section and feed materials very slightly (depending on the lubricant and detergent profile of the ink you're using) at the same time.
Apologies to all those who know all this stuff already -
Good Luck.
Last edited by Joyce; 23rd January 2017 at 11:04.
Well so much for a no new pens in January policy, Ive bought two in the last two days.
In my defence the yellow Jinhao 159 was free and only cost me a couple of quid postage, same cannot be said of the Retro 51 Tornado but it was a good buy and wanted to try one as they mention them alot on the Pen Addict podcast.
Ooooohhh..... What's that? Pictures please. The 159 is too similar to MB 146 and the Sailor 1911. For the price it is amazing value for money. Might get a Jinhao just for the heck of it, any suggestions?
Nowt expensive http://www.jetpens.com/Retro-51-Torn...m-Nib/pd/11917 The copper coloured one.
Something I can leave lying about and not have to worry. I find something satisfying about cheap pens.
Checked this out http://www.penshed.co.uk/Retro-51-Bl...(VRF-1316).htm very nice. That is a very good point. I have been taking my Namiki to work, very stressful - I have to constantly remind myself not to post the cap (on occasions I have found myself mumbling "don't post the cap" mercifully, there was nobody around) But promised myself no new pens till I've paid for the Nakaya/s!Nowt expensive http://www.jetpens.com/Retro-51-Torn...m-Nib/pd/11917 The copper coloured one.
Something I can leave lying about and not have to worry. I find something satisfying about cheap pens.
Heads up and mini review - the Tesco own brand fountain pen
Inspired by this thread, though unwilling to commit the kind of money being discussed here without some sort of test drive, I purchased this from the local Tesco yesterday.
A fountain pen complete with three cartridges of ink for £2. How can they manage to do that? The only hesitation I had was in deciding between the royal blue or the neon green colour selection. As you can see I went for the conservative choice.
Suffice it to say that for the money the value is excellent. The cartridge seated securely into the nib unit on applying firm, but not undue pressure and the cap closes with a satisfying click.
Whilst it is some time since I last used a fountain pen the nib seems to write smoothly and freely, with a result that appears as legible as could be expected given my unpractised scrawl.
All things considered I'm delighted with my new acquisition. Brexit may have given sterling a slight knock but two pounds is still enough to net a bargain. I may even pick up a green one next time I fill up with petrol.
Whoa .... just a moment! You're the person who took the p*ss when I admitted to owning a few Jinhaos!
I just checked my spreadsheet (yes, I'm one of those sad people who record their watch/book/pen collection in spreadsheets) and I have at least six Jinhaos that write really beautifully. I have far more expensive fountain pens that don't write nearly so well. I think it's pot luck, but for the price it's worth trying a few.
I use my Kaweco Sport fountain pens everyday, but I've not bought any new ones since last May. I still have a peek at Cult Pens but I don't get the itch to buy. I guess the phase has passed.
I would never do such a thing!
Hmmm .... :-)
Over the xmas shopping period, I went on a bit of a Chinese pen buying spree, mainly Jinhao, just to see what they are like. Overall, quite impressed for the money but definitely need running in, possibly grinding/sanding the nibs or replacing entirely (not sure its worth it at this point, but there are guides online so some people clearly think it is). Definitely a company to keep an eye on. They could easily produce something similar to a £100+ pen in the £10-20 price range. I don't think they are quite there yet though.
My main observation was the weird inconsistency in quality. I got a few wood, ceramic and various metal bodies and the quality of some parts is superb, feel nice & weighty, etc., but they are universally let down by uneccessary cheap plastic bits and occasionally tacky design elements (such as the dragon clips on the otherwise excellent engraved metal limited editions).
I can't remember the make but I got some Parker 51 clones for about £1 each. Nowhere near as good as my actual Parker 51, but surprisingly good for £1.
I agree about the inconsistency. To be honest I've been generally lucky with the ones I've bought. They were unbelievably cheap (even including shipping) and I've got some really nice ones. One of the cheapest was £1.67 for a blue 159 and coincidentally that one is probably the best writer of the bunch. Quite wet, very smooth and a nice fine/medium line.
As you say, for a few more pounds spent in the manufacturing they could make some real stunners if they concentrated on maintaining consistency of quality.
Oh and I'm glad to hear you mention the odd design elements. The dragon design clips are hideous!
Thank you very much for the tip, Joyce. I'm just starting off using my vanishing point, so I am very much a beginner. Thank you for your very clear instructions.
Actually the main thing I struggle with, is getting the converter to draw sufficient ink. I have been using that tip where are you submerge the nib unit and then flush and fill the converter twice, before going for the "actual" refill and that's been working really nicely. Thank you so much.
Happy writing!
Sad? Perish the thought! I wish I was as organised. Not so much about watches and pens, everytime I buy a duplicate copy of a book I tell myself keep a list of books, never happens!
Thanks! :-)
It's proved very useful over the years. My aviation book collection runs to over 1100 books now. That's aviation or space related books only. I shudder to think of the total number of books in the house on all subjects. Anyway, my wife knows where to find the spreadsheet now and always checks it before birthdays/Christmas etc.!
Lordy! That is a lot. I too have a superfluous interest in aviation. Any particular favourites? Like the physics behind aviation. Prefer military aviation to commercial. Am I just compensating for a small P***s? Don't know, almost became a pilot many moons ago, cleared final selection and all that jazz. I'll stop now must keep this thread to fountain pens.
You buggers, why have I just ordered 2 jinhao pens for the princely sum of £3 each to try when my trusty Safari has served me well at work for the past two years!
It's a slippery slope!
Many, many reference works, such as the Putnams series on aircraft manufacturers (43 of those) and dozens of books about air accident investigation. My Dad wrote one, and I wrote one too, with my sister (she's written a few on her own) - www.flywiththestars.co.uk
Anyway ..... fountain pens ..... :-)
This one[IMG][/IMG]
Or this one
Is it available in rhodium trim?
Or the 800?
Last edited by 72bpm; 28th January 2017 at 10:52.
For a long time now my dream pen has been the green (striated) M800. One day ...
Last edited by Ian_O; 28th January 2017 at 12:26.
I'd go for the striated one. I have a blue striated M600.
My thoughts exactly, the 800 is too expensive. Wonder how the 600 will look with Rhodium trim? Was looking at nibs, £ 115! To be fair it is a 2 tone nib but still!
I have the bottom one (black) in Rhodium trim. Its an 805. I prefer the Rhodium on all my pens. I have the 805's in black, blue / black striated, and the grey / black Stressman. Love them. Perfect pens for me, size, thickness and with a medium nib, just perfect.This one[IMG]
Or this one
Is it available in rhodium trim?
Or the 800?
Chris
Interesting! I am very suggestible! But no more pens till my Nakaya arrives. SWMBO will shoot me and then cut me into very tiny pieces. Rhodium trim seems to be less common, most websites only have the gold trim. Pelikan website show them as out of stock, they also have a burnt orange trim which looks very nice, reminiscent of the Pilot Custom 845 vermillion. I had plans to buy the said 845 but decided to buy the Namiki Nippon Art Mt Fuji instead.
There you go - https://www.cultpens.com/i/q/PK05146...tain-pen-black
Chris
You don't like me do you?Was looking at the green striated one, will have to wait till my 2 X Nakaya arrive!
For some reason I don't like gold fittings on my pens and was really pleased when I discovered that they do the Rhodium. If you had told me a few years ago that pens could get me in trouble with SWMBO I would have laughed but I have to admit I have snuck a few in for fear of getting a tongue lashing.....You don't like me do you?
Chris
I agree, gold has its place--I have one with gold trim, rest all are rhodium/steel.
I personally think gold looks/feels like you're trying too hard/tacky.
Landed another Jinhao from China. These pens are cheap as chips.
Now that looks mighty nice. What model is it and where can I get one? Is that a fine nib? How does it write?Landed another Jinhao from China. These pens are cheap as chips.
It writes very well on ordinary office paper but I cannot really compare it to other pens as I am new to this. It is loaded with Parker Quink Black ink.
The nib is medium and I bought it from the bay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1622666479...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
Just aquired another two Jinhao for £4.99, a black 159 this time with a #6 nib and an orange 250.
Think I have the Jinhao bug! There are cheap, write fine on crappy office paper and I can leave them at work and not worry if they go walkies.
Was tempted by a Faber-Castel Orondo, right price (50% off normal selling price), right nib but wrong colour - it was black. Really want an orange one :(
I got some beautiful new ink at the end of last week. It's called Fire and Ice and is made by Robert Oster in Australia. It is a lovely turquoise colour with red shades. It's really hard to describe but I'd definitely recommend it.
https://www.robertoster.com.au/store...ICE_100ML.html
http://izods.ink/robert-oster-inks/
Ooo. Did you find a uk seller with reasonable postage costs, Phil?I got some beautiful new ink at the end of last week. It's called Fire and Ice and is made by Robert Oster in Australia. It is a lovely turquoise colour with red shades. It's really hard to describe but I'd definitely recommend it.
https://www.robertoster.com.au/store...ICE_100ML.html
http://izods.ink/robert-oster-inks/
Email from Iguanasell, my Nakaya Shu Nurappanashi ships tomorrow.
I put a link in my post. I got it from http://izods.ink
Super. Thanks Phil. Hadn't made the connection as I had not heard of that company before and their domain is unusual. Pretty expensive still compared with diamine but might just treat myself. Thank you so much
My very first Nakaya, A Shu Nurippanashi! Arrived much earlier than expected.
Absolutely gorgeous looking pen, a lot bigger than I thought. As expected not shiny at all.
A bit of help what is the little black bit in the last image for? The present section on the pen fits both the supplied converter and the cartridge.
Last edited by 72bpm; 2nd February 2017 at 19:21.
Wonder if its for converting standard international cartridges to fit? http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/fo...ge-for-nakaya/
Very nice looking pen, very jealous. I will not be posting pics of my new Jinhao ;-)
That is what it appears to be, thanks! I will not be using the adapter I'll continue to re fill my cartridges!
For the last time NO! I am not buying JinHao till my other Nakaya arrives.
Just received my Jinhao x750 in lava red - compared to my Lamy this thing has some weight behind it! Now to order some coloured cartridges (not quite ready to devote myself to a whole bottle of ink that isn't black!)
Arrived today from China. Used a similar pen during my school days.
Found a supplier in China, no signs of delivery and had cancelled the order. Tried again, placed the order 19/01/17 arrived today. £ 3.50 delivered.
Quick initial try with Iroshizuki Take Sumi, writes better than I expected. Noisy rather than scratchy. Quite impressed to be honest.
[IMG][/IMG]
After hearing horror stories about pens ordered from China pleased I have a usable pen!
Last edited by 72bpm; 8th February 2017 at 17:28.
A quick question to the collective wisdom. How long can I leave my pen/s inked without use before I experience trouble? I currently have 2 pens inked which are in daily use. When a pen runs out of ink I clean it till no residual ink is left and then it goes in to my pen box stored lying down. This is a bit of a pain. So the question is how long can I leave a without using it before the feed dries and gets clogged?
It depends on the ink. Emerald of Chivor gunks up a pen a lot quicker than Shin-Kai.
Difficult one, depends on the pen and the ink. My Platinum 3776 can apparently be left up to 12 months due its special cap (never tested this theory), Diamine Oxblood and Red Dragon clog up my Twiss pens (in a month) but I think that's a red ink issue, so no hard and fast rules.
I've started having fewer pens permanently inked - used to be about 30ish - much less hassle with hard starts and fewer mammoth cleaning sessions.
Have now gone for 6 in my carry to work case and the others stored, cleaned and ready to go. So as I empty one a new one comes out of storage.
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