Which Fountain Pen for myself?

I have decided to make myself a fountain pen but have no idea which kit to use. I want a reasonably good pen without breaking the limited bank. Any ideas from the "experts?" This is my first attempt at a fountain pen or any higher end kit.

Thank you for letting me pick your brains and experience.:wink:

I'm no expert, but my favorite is Jr Gent II (or Jr Statesman II if you want to spend a bit more money). CSUSA if you're going to buy a lot of them or, better yet, buy a nice blank from Ed & Dawn (exoticblanks.com) and add a kit or 2 to your order. Add one of the small Heritance® SF nibs to your order, too.

I've made FPs from two kits - CSUSA's Artisan, and PSI's Big Boy. I selected these kits because they use 10mm tubes - one of the things that I promised myself when I started the penturning adventure is to focus on a couple of diameters so that I don't have to have a multitude of drills and barrel trimmers.

The Artisan offers 10k gold plating, while the Big Boy only comes in 24K gold. I've never seen a kit with gold T/N, black T/N or rhodium. That's something I don't understand - FP users are accustomed to paying more for quality. The pen kit makers don't seem to understand that they are missing an upsell opportunity.

The Artisan is a snap cap. That's would not be my first choice. It also doesn't come with a converter (nor does the Big Boy), and I don't believe that CSUSA even offers converters (PSI offers two versions - standard, and 'better'). And the Artisan has a metal extension on the end of the body that I really don't care for. However, I think it would be possible for an experienced turner to do a closed-end version. One thing to be prepared for - it is necessary cut a shallow notch in the cap to accommodate the clip. I use a Dremel, but a small file would also work.

The Big Boy has a screw-cap. It's a bit bulkier than the Artisan, but for me that's not a problem. The end of the body also features a cap, but it's nowhere near as long or ugly as the metal cap on the Artisan. However, the Big Boy does have a hexagonal ornament on both the cap and the body end that looks a bit 'industrial' - some may not like it. The Big Boy has a rubber o-ring on the body to prevent leaks in your pocket - the thought is noble, and it's not all that obtrusive. Another thing that some users may object to, and I suppose you could leave it off if you prefer.

I also have an El Grande that my wife gave me a couple of years ago (before I started turning). It's a nice design - there is a plastic extension on the body that I don't really care for and that could be omitted by doing a closed-end version. Its a screw cap without a lot of tacky ornamentation. But it's a tapered design - the body and cap use different diameter tubes. And the version I have has a rather fine nib. I suppose that it would be possible to find a substitute nib. I will say that it writes better than either the Artisan or the Big Boy.

The FP on my desk is a PSI Noveau Sceptre, I like the kit. Other good choices would be any of the Jr kits from CSUSA or possibly a Baron or Sedona.

Louie gave you some good advice. I suggest the Jr. Gentleman. You can get it in several different versions with or without the postable cap and it has a nice, quality feel, with smooth threads. I have been EXTREMELY frustrated with the offerings for fountain pen kits. The kits are made and marketed to makers, not to users. Those horrible elongated metal sections on both ends look awful in my opinion. Perhaps that's the reason many pics only show them with the cap attached to one end or the other. I've started making closed-end pens for this reason.
The Broadwell designs from PSI look interesting, but I haven't tried them yet.

I have yet to receive an acceptable nib with a Berea or Woodcraft kit. Some of the CSUSA Dayacom nibs have been excellent. Some of the Heritance semi-flex nibs I've tried have been good. If you like more normal sizes (medium) the Artisan would be a nice kit but I find the notch requirement for the cap to be an inexcusable design flaw and offers a nice way to ruin a perfect CA finish. The Americana is also fairly slim if you can live with a snap cap.

Your mileage will vary

The Baron is the least expensive FP kit that is worth while doing . It comes in all the better platings and has a decent quality nib . The Jr series of pens is the larger version of the Barons and get more ornate as you go up the line . These also come in better platings and have acceptable nibs . The full sized Gent , Statesman , Majestic and the El Grande series are very large pens and are not for everyone . They also come in the better platings and have acceptable quality nibs .
Stay away from the Flat top and Cigar FP kits , these are the entry level kits for FP's . They only come in the low end plating and the nibs will require extensive tuning to get them to write acceptably . The screw cap versions come with the rubber O ring because the metal to metal threads don't stay together in the pocket so the O rings are a short cut to keep them from unscrewing .
A word about nibs . The nibs that come with most kits will write acceptably out of the box however none of the kit nibs can be considered a high quality nib . With proper tuning they can be made to write very well but it will take some work to get them there . There are high quality replacement nibs available from several vendors like Lou (DCBluesman) and Anthony (The Golden nib) and upgrading to one of these nibs will improve the writing ability of any kit pen but even these nibs will benefit from a good tune up .

I :heart: my silver plated navigator FP.

Although I made it a good while ago my favorite fountain pen is the El Toro from AS. It's just an unusual pen. I get a lot of comments about it just because of its' small size when closed.

My daily carries are Jr. Gent. and Jr. Statesman. I have 2 Jr. Statesman FP and one Jr. Gent. FP for carries. Just depends on my mood which one I pick up. (rosewood burl, curly maple and gator jaw)

I think the Jr. Gent would be a great starter for your first FP. Not too expensive but great quality and looks.

My advice is different from the others here. Find the components that "fits your style".

Then, throw away the stock nib. Replace it with a Heritance steel nib and Private Reserve ink cartridges. You 'll be happy for the rest of your life with these upgrades that will cost you less than $10.

Both Lou Metcalf and Ed Brown have the nibs. Only Ed has the PR ink. IMHO, PR ink is superior to Mont Blanc ( and other premium label) ink costing nearly 5 times as much

How much experience do you have making pens? If you've made roller balls, you've essentially made fountain pens. Many of the RB kits also come in FP versions. So my advice is, choose your favorite RB that you've got experience making, and make one of those as a fountain pen.

Can't go wrong with a jr. gent.

My personal rec is to go with either the jr gent or, if you like the look, a jr retro. Best quality kits on the market. If you get the better platings, the threads are plated to match, not black enamel which will wear through. Buy the drill bits once and make a set of sleeves for your pen mill, and you can make at least a half a dozen different kits with them, everything from plain jr gents to jr emperors or jr majestics. And when you get bored doing just the barrels you can start replacing finials and centerbands, lots of options.

Thanks everyone. This is the most helpful forum just packed full of good free advice. I have only turned slims so far but am looking forwards to moving on up. With this wealth of advice, I'll mull over which and make an order. Thank you so very much for all your most valuable advice. Now to spend a few bucks and tear up some wood!:wink: