Comment by tristor | Hacker News Reader

Comment by tristor | Hacker News Reader

I collect fountain pens (and other types of pens) and paper/stationary. I have been writing extensively by hand for many many years. While it is not my overall favorite, I think it's important for folks to know that from a writing quality and feel perspective that modern low-cost pens are actually /very/ good, and are the way to go. The Platinum Preppy is every bit as good as the majority of classic fountain pens, and better than many, very few are better, and you can buy it for under $20 basically anywhere.

The most important thing for writing with a fountain pen and having a good experience is actually the INK, not the pen, because the ink determines the flow, forgiveness, and the time to dry (which prevents smudging). Additionally, paper has a huge influence. I'd recommend investing in good quality paper with cotton in their mix. If you don't want to spend a lot but get good quality mass-produced stationary, G. Lalo and Clairefontaine are both good brands to buy.

Interesting. I don't collect but i do calligraphy and use a fountain pen as my main instrument. I use a noodlers Ahab primarily because of a flexible nib. I used a Waterman for a long time till sometime I lent it to dropped it. I also have a Lamy gifted to me it. It's good but i prefer a narrower nib.

I concur with your point about the ink. I used to use private reserve but recently shifted to Waterman and I'm happy. I prefer the colour of the later. Another important thing is the paper. It needs a bit of a bite that produces a scratchy sound. Also, older paper that's exposed to humid environments tend to bleed the ink causing bad writing.

I've found that with regard to ink, there is no one size fits all solution. Some pens work with fast-flowing inks, other pens don't work as well. So there is some amount of trial and error that goes into pairing pen with ink.

This is very true, the pen, ink, and paper work together to form a system. They all have some effect on all of the variables such as flow, ease of movement, drying time, etc. For the most part modern ink are better in every aspect compared to classic inks.

I'm not sure I understand the difference between modern and classic inks. Is there a definition somewhere?

(I have 20-25 ink bottles of ink and by trial and error I've roughly figured out what ink works in what pen. I probably should know more about inks given that I write a lot, but I haven't made any systematic approach to figuring this out :-))

One data point i can contribute is calligraphic inks. Using normal fountain pen ink with a square nib dip pen will produce writing that will spread even when dry. The binding agent in the ink is designed for much smaller strokes.

Calligraphic ink (i use Windsor Newton) is quite different and forms something like a scale on the paper when dry holding everything in place. You can feel the texture of the writing when it's drym

> I'm not sure I understand the difference between modern and classic inks. Is there a definition somewhere?

I'm not sure if there is an official definition. But what I mean by this, is that classic inks (like iron gall) were usually a combination of pigment and an acid as a carrier. Modern inks are usually alcohol or water carriers with nano-pigments or dyes, combined with surfactants which helps ensure the ink flows well without any issues across varied paper types.

Ink has moved forward rather significantly in modern times, but I am not a chemist so I can't really get into details. I've used (out of some desire for the archaic) some correct reproductions of classic inks like iron gall or other pigment inks and it is kind of nasty and clogs the nib of the pen, but leaves a very permanent mark on the paper that has a somewhat unique appearance. I know some people prefer something anachronistic, but I am a fan of modern ink for sure.

Absolutely right about the paper. I use copier paper to write on, and a specific brand of it, because even between the brands of identical looking paper there are huge differences. Some branks seem to suck up the ink like blotting paper with more feathering than an explosion in a pillow factory, others are just too rough and feel horrible to write on. The ink also makes a big difference. Some inks just kinda suck, others work really well. (Currently I'm running Platinum Blue-Black in a cheap Platinum Plaisir on 'Double A' brand copy paper. Parker Quink also works very well for me.)

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