first fountain pen

[paintspill]

i'm planning on making my first fountain pen and am looking for some ideas of which kit would be a good one to start with. i'm not looking for the easiest starter kit. i am very confident in my turning and finishing abilities, i just want to know what kits are most liked. i bought one kit (online) and when i received it i really don't like the proportions (far to small/short). of course any links to pics will be greatly appreaciated.
thanks

 

[toolcrazy]

Try out the Baron or Sedona from Arizona Silhouette. Or the Jr. Statesmen or the Jr. Gentlemen from Crafts Supply.

 

[ctubbs]

Look at Exotic Blanks and particularly the Triton. I made two, one for me and one for my bride. They are good looking kits without a whole bunch of bling hanging off them. They are well balanced and not real heavy but with enough heft to feel stout and solid. http://www.exoticblanks.com/ They have some upgrades available at very reasonable prices. If you buy from them, go ahead and buy some of Private Reserve inks. the ink that comes with the kit works, but the PR is so much better.
As always, YMMV.
Charles

 

[arw01]

A few months back I made that plunge on my first fountain pen kit. I had picked up a closeout on some flat top american fountain pens made by Berea. The standard nibs are pretty crappy, if you get one that works, it will stop working in a few weeks of daily use.

Pick up the Heritage steel nib medium size tip. The Private reserve ink works great. BTW the American Blue is water soluble. I assume the rest are as well. Going to try the Tanzinite blue for the next batch.

 

[Dan_F]

I use fountain pens almost exclusively, and the only kits I like to write with for any length of time are the Churchill or El Grande from Berea. The reason for this is that they have less metal in them, so are lighter and better balanced, and they have a nice fat section (part you grip when writing). None of the kits balance with the caps posted, including the ones I just mentioned. Berea nibs are questionable at best, I substitute a Heritance nib. Obviously others will disagree with me on this, but JMHO.

Here is a pic of one, actually it's a Ligero, no longer in production from CSUSA, but looks the same as the El Grande, with slightly different bands.

Dan

 

[monophoto]

I'm a fountain pen person and have three made from kits.

El Grande: the best of three.
Positives: screw cap, writes very nicely
Negatives: ugly post (but can be done with a closed-end), limited selection of platings, nib is a bit fine, requires two drill bits, both odd sizes

Big Boy Cigar (PSI): ok
Positives: writes nicely, subtle post, screw cap
Negatives: mine leaks around the section, design includes a very tacky o-ring between cap and body, limited selection of platings, erratic converters

Artisan (CSUSA): ok
Positives: writes very nicely
Negatives: limited selection of platings, cap end must be notched (tedious to do), the dreaded 'snap cap', very ugly post (but does a nice closed-end), does not come with a converter (and CSUSA doesn't stock them even though they are in their catalog)

Note the universal theme - FP users don't get any respect when it comes to the selection of platings that the suppliers offer

 

[azamiryou]

In most cases, rollerball pens are also offered as fountain pens. If you have an RB kit you like (or that's popular), I'd say pick that one as your first FP.

 

[Mr Vic]

I'll second the Baron (Navigator from WoodCraft). I prefer the Sterling Silver plating. You can replace the black center band ring and the finial plug with the material of your choice. Here's a link to one I did. Antler and turquoise tru-stone.

http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=52797

 

[paintspill]

so the kit i had was an el toro, decided to turn it this weekend. didn't really want to but was in desperate need of some workshop time. this pen needs 2 odd ball size bits that i will never use again so i drilled it out smaller then turned the inside larger in my chuck. quite the task. didn't want to ruin a good blank so i used a scrap piece of maple. then forgot to turn the tenon on the lid for the large ring so had to remount the finished lid to turn it down. and to think, i know what i'm doing. but i was right. i don't like the kit. but didn't turn out bad after all that. will definitely try another kit soon.