You are correct about pigmented inks causing problems with fountain pens because the pigment particles would settle out an clog the passageways, but some of the modern ink manufacturers have gotten around that by making the pigment particles much smaller than was historically possible. The particles are so small that they don't settle out because they are constantly buffeted by the water molecules. I have not used them, but it seems they work quite well.
It is true that _"older"_ pigmented inks clogged the feed, I have a range of pigmented *New* inks, I recommend E.g. Lamy with a F nib as the EF is too small. and washing/cleaning the feed more often than when using normal inks!
@@jonathonshanecrawford1840 I have recently been playing with Noodlers Heart of Darkness, which is identified as a permanent dye ink that chemically bonds to the paper fibers. When you first put it on, and even after it initially dries, you can still partly wash it off with water--however, after about 20-30 minutes it undergoes some chemical change and becomes quite water resistant.
@@theronwolf3296 That the ink take 20-30 minutes to 100% dry _(permanent),_ within 20-23 minutes. if one is on a plane and the pen _"burps" at least one has time to clean out the ink, after that, "new shirt!"
I love all these writing instruments and have used all of them. I still use quills, metal and glass dip pens, and fountain pens, which are my favorite. I own a bunch of fountain pens, including a few that cost more than I ever thought I'd pay for a pen. But you don't have to stick to dye-based inks. Pigmented inks work just fine, and won't clog your pen, assuming you don't leave the ink in the pen for a year. Even if they do clog your pen through lack of use, it's pretty easy to clean one out. The inks you have to avoid are acrylic inks, and shellac inks, such as waterproof India Ink. Shimmer ink has a ton of pretty large particulates in it, and it works fine in fountain pens, so there's no reason pigmented inks won't work. India Ink with no shellac in it is really just a carbon ink and can be used in fountain pens. A number of companies make carbon ink for fountain pens, as well as other types of pigmented ink. You do have to be careful, but I haven't found any companies that mislabel ink. If it says it's for fountain pens, then you can use it in your fountain pen. But for those who want to try fountain pens, be carfe, it's a very deep rabbit hole. I've owned hundreds of fountain pens opver the year, and still own around fifty. Some cost many hundreds of dollars. A handful cost a LOT more. I am far from rich, but somehow I still manage to find money for ridiculously expensive fountrain pens because, well, they're fountain pens and I love them. The expense just kind of sneaks up on you. Once upon a time, before I got as old as the moon, I earned a living as a writer. For twenty years I averaged writing somewhere around seven to eight hours per day using a fountain pen. Or more. Many days went to twelve or fourteen hours. Even though I'm long sinece "retired", I still write at least five hours per day with a fountain pen, and usually three or four hours with a dip pen of some kind. You'd think I'd be sick of fountain pens, but I love them more than ever. And ink? I gave away two hundred bottles of ink not very long ago, which was half my collection. I'm back up to akmost three hundred. I use a LOT of ink, around four hundred Ml per year, but at my age I won't live long enough to use more than half of what I have, and even that is unlikely. But it's ink. It's a rabbit hole, and the deeper you go, the deeper it gets, and side tunnels start popping up all over the place. It's the old joke come true. My biggest fear is that when I die my wife will sell all my pens for what I told her I paid for them.
Wow! What an incredible story, and I learned a lot of new things about ink that I didn't know before. I think you have me beat on fountain pens and ink, lol. But you're right. It IS a rabbit hole, and I have no regrets about jumping in.
In June 2015, made and shape a _sort of_ reed dip pen, and it work quite well. In the last 2 years or so I started _"collecting"_ fountain pens - mainly *Lamy Safari.* It all started way back in the Ye olden day _(1995)_ when I brought my first two _(bladder reservoir system)_ it perished over time! Now my preferred system is the converter!
I haven't yet tried the converter style, but I might. I began with the disposable cartridges, but soon figured out that it was cheap to just clean and refill them, and then I discovered the eyedropper style. I adore them all though.
@@unhiddenhistory 😀 Yes, one can refill ink cartridges, till the opening starts to fail. Lamy Cartriges are Cartridges to be refilled _(they don't tell us that!)_ Although disposable cartridges are OK when travelling, thus one doesn't have to refill the pen - _converter,_ The _"Eye-dropper"_ can be messy if travelling, yes easy to clean the barrel part, except with all fountain pens (and some roller-ball pens) the feed section hast to be cleaned as well, bit of a hassle though, but that's the fun of fountain pens! Oh! By the way I won't make a video on refilling cartridges and converters, as people have already done so!
I like to soak the pen parts in warm water after I take the pen apart, then scrub ink off with a toothbrush. Maybe that's why my teeth are blue! 🤣 Just kidding.
I have loved fountain pens for decades. In retirement I have gotten into cutting quills, and do workshops for children, Garden Clubs, and my local Museum. And I, too, am an inkaholic.
Two months in the fountain pen collecting and I have more than twenty pens. It reminds me of when I started painting a long time ago ( 🤔 i should start again ), i had so many brushes. Thanks for the history lesson. I read the his of plumbing and toilets. That was interesting. Thanx again and have a happy 2023. ✌️
Very cool video. I came here after seeing how incredibly hard it was to whittle a quill or reed pen and started down a mental rabbit hole of how much it took to have all the materials just to start writing. Not to mention the learning process. Man. Really makes you think a lot harder about recorded history.
Ha, as someone who loves writing with a fountain pen as well, I had a chuckle when I discovered my distaste for roller ball pens is mutual. Enjoyed this love letter to traditional writing instruments :) Keep up the good work!
There are a few things you mention there that are not quite correct. First, you do not have to disassembled and clean the fountain pen EVERY TIME you refill them. Indeed, if you use a good dye based ink and you do not change the color, you can clean them extremely infrequently. I use my Parker vector pens only with dye based inks, I have had them for twenty years, and I have clean them maybe three times (when changing color). They still write fine. I do recommend to clean them when you change inks (both if it is brands even if in the same general color, or to a different color even if the same brand). Second, it is incorrect that you HAVE TO use only dye based inks. Some of the most popular brands of ink are primarily pigmented based, like Noodler's, Diamine, and my favorite ink for writing, Pilot Carbon. Now, and returning to the first point, yes, if you use pigmented inks you should clean the pen more often. But in my experience (again, as long as you keep using the same type of ink), once every three or four months is enough, even when vendors and manufacturers suggest once every two to four weeks. The problem is that the pigment particles do accumulate in the feed and nib, and they might clog your pen. But they are water soluble. Usually one hour soaking in water should do the trick. If it is still clogged, you can take a small water pump (think of those people use to extract buggers from baby noses), and use it to pass water through the feed and nib with a little pressure (little, you don't want the nib and feeder to come off). I have never seen a pen that cannot be unclogged with this methods, if it was used with pigmented based fountain pen inks. What you should NEVER DO, is to use calligraphy ink, India ink (also known as Chinese ink in some languages), or something similar. Those tend to be based on shellac or acrylic based. Both are resins, and thus, not water soluble. They bind to the feed and nib and you will never get them out. Besides, acrylic ink is somewhat acidic, and it will corrode every metal part (nib included) that gets in contact with the ink. Third, I do not use dip pens as often as I used fountain pens, but I do from time to time, and I find that it is you DO HAVE to give them some maintenance, besides simply "wiping the remaining ink off." As before, calligraphy inks tend to be shellac based (sometimes acrylic based), and they might accumulate in the nib, making it not to function correctly. The difference, and probably the reason most people don't, is because when fountain pen nib replacement usually run somewhere in the $5 range for inexpensive steel nibs, and can get to the $500 range for the most expensive gold nibs, and they are tricky to switch without damaging the pen, dip pen nibs, if you know where to buy them, cost $10 a package of 100 brass or copper ones, or 30 stainless steel, (so, somewhere in the 10 to 35 cents range per unit) and are trivial to switch. So, sometimes they are not worth the hassle. My father was an avid fountain pen collector (unfortunately his entire collection got "lost" when he passed), and I inherited the bug. I have been using fountain pens since the 1980's. People who know me, my fondness for fountain pens and particularly for inks, but maybe don't know much about fountain pens themselves, have gifted me through the years some calligraphy inks. So, some time ago I have started experimenting with calligraphy dip pens. So, you mentioned things I do know a bit about.
Yes, I definitely think I shall! I've been using fountain pens for many years, and people should know how satisfying it is to use them. They really connect us with the past, as well as lend elegance to our modern writing.
@@unhiddenhistory I very much agree! I would love to see more people value and enjoy the art of writing by hand with fountain pens, especially in this increasingly digital world we live in. That would be marvelous and I am looking forward to watching it!
Well done! Thank you! I've always loved writing instruments, went through undergrad using a Cross pen and pencil set, then in graduate school, started using Rapidograph pens and eventually the line of Rotring. When I'm not lazy, I use my Rotring fountain pens. But the roller balls are seductive for lazy folk such as myself!
The moving images are annoying, couldn’t go further than 2 minutes, just made me dizzy. Your content sounds interesting but it’s of no use if unwatchable.
there's a lot of facts about quill pens you left out like only certain bird feathers can be used and back then it took weeks to make one cause you have to let them dry out in the sun. for someone who studied your leaving out a bunch of details.
You are correct about pigmented inks causing problems with fountain pens because the pigment particles would settle out an clog the passageways, but some of the modern ink manufacturers have gotten around that by making the pigment particles much smaller than was historically possible. The particles are so small that they don't settle out because they are constantly buffeted by the water molecules. I have not used them, but it seems they work quite well.
It is true that _"older"_ pigmented inks clogged the feed, I have a range of pigmented *New* inks, I recommend E.g. Lamy with a F nib as the EF is too small. and washing/cleaning the feed more often than when using normal inks!
@@jonathonshanecrawford1840 I have recently been playing with Noodlers Heart of Darkness, which is identified as a permanent dye ink that chemically bonds to the paper fibers. When you first put it on, and even after it initially dries, you can still partly wash it off with water--however, after about 20-30 minutes it undergoes some chemical change and becomes quite water resistant.
@@theronwolf3296 That the ink take 20-30 minutes to 100% dry _(permanent),_ within 20-23 minutes. if one is on a plane and the pen _"burps" at least one has time to clean out the ink, after that, "new shirt!"
Fountain pens are the king of writing instruments! I love them and use them everyday. Glass pens are fun to use as well.
I love all these writing instruments and have used all of them. I still use quills, metal and glass dip pens, and fountain pens, which are my favorite. I own a bunch of fountain pens, including a few that cost more than I ever thought I'd pay for a pen. But you don't have to stick to dye-based inks. Pigmented inks work just fine, and won't clog your pen, assuming you don't leave the ink in the pen for a year. Even if they do clog your pen through lack of use, it's pretty easy to clean one out. The inks you have to avoid are acrylic inks, and shellac inks, such as waterproof India Ink.
Shimmer ink has a ton of pretty large particulates in it, and it works fine in fountain pens, so there's no reason pigmented inks won't work. India Ink with no shellac in it is really just a carbon ink and can be used in fountain pens. A number of companies make carbon ink for fountain pens, as well as other types of pigmented ink. You do have to be careful, but I haven't found any companies that mislabel ink. If it says it's for fountain pens, then you can use it in your fountain pen.
But for those who want to try fountain pens, be carfe, it's a very deep rabbit hole. I've owned hundreds of fountain pens opver the year, and still own around fifty. Some cost many hundreds of dollars. A handful cost a LOT more. I am far from rich, but somehow I still manage to find money for ridiculously expensive fountrain pens because, well, they're fountain pens and I love them. The expense just kind of sneaks up on you.
Once upon a time, before I got as old as the moon, I earned a living as a writer. For twenty years I averaged writing somewhere around seven to eight hours per day using a fountain pen. Or more. Many days went to twelve or fourteen hours. Even though I'm long sinece "retired", I still write at least five hours per day with a fountain pen, and usually three or four hours with a dip pen of some kind. You'd think I'd be sick of fountain pens, but I love them more than ever.
And ink? I gave away two hundred bottles of ink not very long ago, which was half my collection. I'm back up to akmost three hundred. I use a LOT of ink, around four hundred Ml per year, but at my age I won't live long enough to use more than half of what I have, and even that is unlikely. But it's ink.
It's a rabbit hole, and the deeper you go, the deeper it gets, and side tunnels start popping up all over the place. It's the old joke come true. My biggest fear is that when I die my wife will sell all my pens for what I told her I paid for them.
Wow! What an incredible story, and I learned a lot of new things about ink that I didn't know before. I think you have me beat on fountain pens and ink, lol. But you're right. It IS a rabbit hole, and I have no regrets about jumping in.
unbelieveble story, i love!! you're my inspiration!!
I recently discovered fountain pens. Where have they been all my life? Love them.
Better late than never, right? ☺️
I love fountain pens!
I've loved them ever since I was a kid, and I rarely meet others who use them as well.
In June 2015, made and shape a _sort of_ reed dip pen, and it work quite well. In the last 2 years or so I started _"collecting"_ fountain pens - mainly *Lamy Safari.*
It all started way back in the Ye olden day _(1995)_ when I brought my first two _(bladder reservoir system)_ it perished over time! Now my preferred system is the converter!
I haven't yet tried the converter style, but I might. I began with the disposable cartridges, but soon figured out that it was cheap to just clean and refill them, and then I discovered the eyedropper style. I adore them all though.
@@unhiddenhistory 😀
Yes, one can refill ink cartridges, till the opening starts to fail. Lamy Cartriges are Cartridges to be refilled _(they don't tell us that!)_
Although disposable cartridges are OK when travelling, thus one doesn't have to refill the pen - _converter,_
The _"Eye-dropper"_ can be messy if travelling, yes easy to clean the barrel part, except with all fountain pens (and some roller-ball pens) the feed section hast to be cleaned as well, bit of a hassle though, but that's the fun of fountain pens!
Oh! By the way I won't make a video on refilling cartridges and converters, as people have already done so!
I like to soak the pen parts in warm water after I take the pen apart, then scrub ink off with a toothbrush. Maybe that's why my teeth are blue! 🤣 Just kidding.
I have loved fountain pens for decades. In retirement I have gotten into cutting quills, and do workshops for children, Garden Clubs, and my local Museum. And I, too, am an inkaholic.
Two months in the fountain pen collecting and I have more than twenty pens. It reminds me of when I started painting a long time ago ( 🤔 i should start again ), i had so many brushes.
Thanks for the history lesson. I read the his of plumbing and toilets. That was interesting.
Thanx again and have a happy 2023.
✌️
Very cool video. I came here after seeing how incredibly hard it was to whittle a quill or reed pen and started down a mental rabbit hole of how much it took to have all the materials just to start writing. Not to mention the learning process. Man. Really makes you think a lot harder about recorded history.
Where are the gel ink ballpoint pens, rollerball ink pens, felt tip pens, fine-liner pens, technical wire pens, brush pens etc.?
Not to mention pencils (wood and mechanical) That's a whole other world that has been changed by modern tech.
I may have to make a part two, lol! 🤣
Ha, as someone who loves writing with a fountain pen as well, I had a chuckle when I discovered my distaste for roller ball pens is mutual. Enjoyed this love letter to traditional writing instruments :) Keep up the good work!
Awww...thank you so much for your kind words!
Loved this video, just got myself a pretty cheap drip pen for drawing and for whatever reason I got curious about its history.
I'm so glad you enjoyed the video! I do hope you'll watch some of the other ones too!
She needs more subs!
Big fan of the Goulet Pen Company, especially Brian Goulet.
They're such a wonderful company to buy from. I've bought so many things from them over the years.
The yt algorithm brought me here and I have no regrets.
There are a few things you mention there that are not quite correct.
First, you do not have to disassembled and clean the fountain pen EVERY TIME you refill them. Indeed, if you use a good dye based ink and you do not change the color, you can clean them extremely infrequently. I use my Parker vector pens only with dye based inks, I have had them for twenty years, and I have clean them maybe three times (when changing color). They still write fine. I do recommend to clean them when you change inks (both if it is brands even if in the same general color, or to a different color even if the same brand).
Second, it is incorrect that you HAVE TO use only dye based inks. Some of the most popular brands of ink are primarily pigmented based, like Noodler's, Diamine, and my favorite ink for writing, Pilot Carbon. Now, and returning to the first point, yes, if you use pigmented inks you should clean the pen more often. But in my experience (again, as long as you keep using the same type of ink), once every three or four months is enough, even when vendors and manufacturers suggest once every two to four weeks. The problem is that the pigment particles do accumulate in the feed and nib, and they might clog your pen. But they are water soluble. Usually one hour soaking in water should do the trick. If it is still clogged, you can take a small water pump (think of those people use to extract buggers from baby noses), and use it to pass water through the feed and nib with a little pressure (little, you don't want the nib and feeder to come off). I have never seen a pen that cannot be unclogged with this methods, if it was used with pigmented based fountain pen inks. What you should NEVER DO, is to use calligraphy ink, India ink (also known as Chinese ink in some languages), or something similar. Those tend to be based on shellac or acrylic based. Both are resins, and thus, not water soluble. They bind to the feed and nib and you will never get them out. Besides, acrylic ink is somewhat acidic, and it will corrode every metal part (nib included) that gets in contact with the ink.
Third, I do not use dip pens as often as I used fountain pens, but I do from time to time, and I find that it is you DO HAVE to give them some maintenance, besides simply "wiping the remaining ink off." As before, calligraphy inks tend to be shellac based (sometimes acrylic based), and they might accumulate in the nib, making it not to function correctly. The difference, and probably the reason most people don't, is because when fountain pen nib replacement usually run somewhere in the $5 range for inexpensive steel nibs, and can get to the $500 range for the most expensive gold nibs, and they are tricky to switch without damaging the pen, dip pen nibs, if you know where to buy them, cost $10 a package of 100 brass or copper ones, or 30 stainless steel, (so, somewhere in the 10 to 35 cents range per unit) and are trivial to switch. So, sometimes they are not worth the hassle.
My father was an avid fountain pen collector (unfortunately his entire collection got "lost" when he passed), and I inherited the bug. I have been using fountain pens since the 1980's. People who know me, my fondness for fountain pens and particularly for inks, but maybe don't know much about fountain pens themselves, have gifted me through the years some calligraphy inks. So, some time ago I have started experimenting with calligraphy dip pens. So, you mentioned things I do know a bit about.
I loved this video, thank you! It would be so cool if you made that video on only fountain pens!
Yes, I definitely think I shall! I've been using fountain pens for many years, and people should know how satisfying it is to use them. They really connect us with the past, as well as lend elegance to our modern writing.
@@unhiddenhistory I very much agree! I would love to see more people value and enjoy the art of writing by hand with fountain pens, especially in this increasingly digital world we live in. That would be marvelous and I am looking forward to watching it!
I just bought a new fountain pen, so I might just do a new pen video soon!
Awesome!! Can’t wait!
Great video but the swaying graphics make me seasick, lol. Did you give a date for the invention of the fountain pen? Or did I miss it? Thanks.
Haha, don't worry---I mostly use footage now, as the moving images were not well-received. Thank you for watching!
Well done! Thank you! I've always loved writing instruments, went through undergrad using a Cross pen and pencil set, then in graduate school, started using Rapidograph pens and eventually the line of Rotring. When I'm not lazy, I use my Rotring fountain pens. But the roller balls are seductive for lazy folk such as myself!
dip pens .... i have ordered one now with feather ... to reseemble i am writting with quill
UMM Hi I AM NEW HERE
Proud user of a Lamy Vista here
I have an Ahab Flex pen that I love.
Great informative video. However unfortunately couldn't watch the video because I was getting motion sickness from the images swaying back and forth.
Don't worry----I realized this pretty soon, and don't intend to use that effect again, so I hope you'll watch some of the others.
The constant muving of the image made me dizzy and distract me. I don't know what is the purpose of it but was very disturbing.
Yes, I agree. I no longer do that in my videos. Live and learn, right?
You forgot about rollerball and gell pens
they are still ballpoints
@@angelosdkg technically maybe. but they are a different writing experience.
I think I will have to make a part two!
I like the video but please never do the sway in any other video it ruins your hard effort you put in
I've stopped doing that, lol. 😁 It only appears in a few of my earlier videos, so you won't see it in my newer content.
The moving images are annoying, couldn’t go further than 2 minutes, just made me dizzy. Your content sounds interesting but it’s of no use if unwatchable.
Yes, I agree. Only my earliest videos have moving pictures, so please check out some of the later ones, as I mostly use video footage now.
there's a lot of facts about quill pens you left out like only certain bird feathers can be used and back then it took weeks to make one cause you have to let them dry out in the sun. for someone who studied your leaving out a bunch of details.
I may have to make a part two, lol.