Reasons why today is a happy day:
1. The SUN! Okay, so it’s still cold outside, but SUN!
2. Belgian waffles with raspberries and real whipped cream.
3. Good news from friends!
4. Packages from Amazon–Rand ordered Enchanted for me. Yay! I also ordered a couple of cheap disposable fountain pens that arrived today. (I’ve caught the fountain pen bug from Emma…I bought one at Office Max, but it’s a medium point pen, and I really prefer a fine point. I’m looking at a couple of other inexpensive options, but I need to do some more research on things like ink option, and cartridges vs. converters for bottled ink, etc.).
5. Having the day off.
🙂
Happy Easter to anyone who will be celebrating this weekend. I’ll be heading to PA for dinner on Sunday, spending the night, and going for my *first fitting* on Monday. Look for more details on that over at the wedding blog!
I’m contagious! Tee hee hee
As for cartridges v. converters, cartridges usually hold more ink than converters. However, I’ve found that you can refill your used cartridges. Get a syringe and needle (very, very cheap from pet supply catalogs or your local vet or pharmacist) and you can refill a cartridge from bottled ink and pop it back in the pen. Unfortunately, I don’t think you can do a bunch of them at a time and store them, because I haven’t come up with a way to re-seal the cartridges (although someone suggested wax, but I haven’t tried it yet). If you find a way, please share.
In the meantime, happy writing! I’ve never enjoyed writing with a pen as much as I do now that I’ve discovered the beauty that is the fountain pen!
I’m a devoted fountain pen user. Eventually, though, I’ll bet you’ll want to make the investment in a relatively inexpensive, refillable fountain pen. I’m partial to the Waterman Phileas myself.
The Waterman Phileas (M nib) was my first fountain pen (a gift from my brother). Since then, I’ve purchased a Conklin Twain Signature, a Waterman Kultur, and Pilot/Namiki Vanishing Point (all F nibs). The VP pen is by far my favorite, but it was also the most expensive.
If you’re looking for a good F nib, the Waterman Kultur is a good place to start. I haven’t been able to find a Phileas with the fine nib. The Kultur, which I believe is the demonstrator model of the Phileas, is a bit less expensive, and comes standard (I think) with a fine nib. I got mine from Montgomery Pens (www.montgomerypens.com) for about $25.00.
The Phileas Jim linked to above says it’s a fine nib.
I did look at the Kultur, also (I like the frosty purple!). It is less expensive, but doesn’t come with an ink cartridge. The Phileas also comes with a converter. Soooo….I don’t know. 😉
And a question about ink cartridges…are they interchangeable, or do you have to stick with a brand? (I have a bunch of Sheaffer ink cartridges that I use in my calligraphy pens.)
Some manufacturers make their pens so they will only take their brand of cartridges. I believe Waterman is one of them. Many other pens (like my Conklin) will take “international” cartridges. I believe some of the on-line retail outlets have lists of what pens can take the international cartridges and which ones require their own brand.
But since I’m a relative newcomers to the fountain pen scene, if you have more questions, check out http://www.fountainpennetwork.com. It’s a bulletin board/forum full of people with tons of knowledge about all things fountainpenny!