Fountain Pen Nib Types

2020-04-04 5 min read Fountain pens Tech explained Writing stuff Teknikal_Domain Unable to load comment count

Here’s the thing about fountain pens, and fountain pen people… we like choice, we like there being enough options to cover basically any potential use-case or look that we want. (See also: the number of ways we have to fill our pens. As such, there’s a variety of ways to actually produce the nib on a fountain pen, also giving a variety of different results. And that is what I’m going to lightly explain today.

Fountain Pen Filling Mechanisms Explained

2020-04-02 4 min read Fountain pens Tech explained Writing stuff Teknikal_Domain Unable to load comment count

If you’re going to be around fountain pen people, you’re going to realize something real quick: there are a variety of way that pens can obtain and then store ink. Just as a quick little reference, I’m going to list off the most common ones for modern fountain pens.

Refilling Fountain Pen Cartridges

2020-04-01 3 min read Fountain pens Teknikal_Domain Unable to load comment count

Fountain pens can take a variety of different ink storage formats, including cartridges, converters, literally nothing (“eyedropper”), internal pistons, vacuums… you get the point.

Ink cartridges are supposed to be one time use, but some people that I’ve talked to are asking if it’s possible to refill them. And while it’s possible, it’s not likely to be that 100% useful.

Modifying Fountain Pens: Nib Smoothing

2020-03-31 5 min read Fountain pens Guides Writing stuff Teknikal_Domain Unable to load comment count

So, fountain pens. Maybe you want yours to glide over paper like it’s on glass, maybe the nib is just a little small and scratchy, or maybe you just want to try it out and see what’s going on. In any case, here we’re going to talk about nib smoothing or nib grinding, what it is, and what you need.

Dear Diary: Today I Ruined a Pen

2020-03-13 3 min read Fails Fountain pens My stuff Writing stuff Teknikal_Domain Unable to load comment count

So, yeah this was fun.

I was giving all my pens a thorough flush as, well, for most of them it was time for it, and for two of my pens (both the TWSBI brand ones), that means unscrewing the piston off the back. Anyone want to guess what happened just off that alone?

So Many Different Ink Types

2020-03-25 5 min read Fountain pens Teknikal_Domain Unable to load comment count

Disclaimer: I only have photos for some of these, and that’s because those are the ones that I own.

So, back at it again with fountain pens. For most people, ink is ink. For us, well it’s much more advanced than that. Let’s take a look at some of the different ones: sheening, shimmering, iron gall, you name it.

Fun Fact: Wax Seal Colors and Etiquette

2019-09-04 4 min read Fountain pens Writing stuff Teknikal_Domain Unable to load comment count

Anyone reading this actually familiar with wax seals? No? Okay, it’s this:

For you young ones, this was how we used to seal envelopes. No lick-and-stick flaps, you took your envelope (or even, the back of your folded letter), and put some wax (not always actually wax) on it, and used the seal (the metal circle there) to make an imprint and press the wax down, sealing the envelope. Common seals would be either a motto or something novelty, a monogram / initial(s), or a family crest, each with slightly different meanings. Additionally, the stereotypical seal color is red, but the color was actually important: the seal was likely the first thing you’d see, so the color of the seal was a hint as to the contents of the letter.