Crash Course Fountain Pen.

[@KJ_PhD]

New Howard subscriber and I have a question: you mention these pens put more ink on the page. Would this cause more smearing for those of us who are left-handed? Would you maybe not recommend these pens for lefties?

[@adventuredenali]

Hello and welcome! It could very well cause more smearing. I’ve heard of lefties using drier inks, or more absorbent papers to help that. I’ve also heard of lefts altering their pen hold so that they approach either from above or below to avoid dragging their hand across the words. There are a handful of lefties that I know who collect fountain pens and use them exclusively, so it is quite possible. There are also nib smiths that can do a left handed grind so that the tip of the nib doesn’t push into the paper so much. The lefties I’ve talked to though have just altered how they hold a pen to accommodate.

[@adventuredenali]

Going to try and find some of the yotubers I know whom are left handed... kzbin.info

[@adventuredenali]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/f6rTq5qNnrNkfbs

[@adventuredenali]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jXKziWOfZb-GqNE

[@KJ_PhD]

@@adventuredenali Thank you kindly for the response & for providing the links! The continual smear is a nuisance for lefties. Regarding altering your pen hold, I feel like I could change it for a few minutes but would ultimately resort back to my comfort hold, so I give credit to those who have been able to successfully change their grip.

[@aledford1990]

Heard about you from the Howard Stern Show, & I’m so glad I did! Started journaling about 2 years ago, & I love tips & tricks to progressively better my skills. Might I add, your channel is relaxing & soothing, an escape from stressful times! Thanks for your content!

[@TheTommyBernhardPodcast]

Love Howard! Been listening for 20+ years! I inspire to be like him some day.

[@ep6507]

I’m here because of Howard, and I love all your videos. I ordered my first fountain pen...a Jinhau with Jacques Herbin Bleu Austral ink. I’m very excited! 🖋💚

[@adventuredenali]

Wow! That’s so exciting! Congratulations, and also welcome, and thank you! :D

[@constancemcguire5870]

@@adventuredenali Howard Stern is a big fan of yours. He spoke very highly of you. Don't be surprised if your subscriber numbers go up.

[@TheTommyBernhardPodcast]

Howard brought me here as well. He never ceases to amaze me in his taste. I hope I can be a fraction as good as Howard is one day!

[@mileslevit9033]

Best and most beautiful homage to fountain pens I've seen. Beautifully drawn and written. Full of love and reverence for this beautiful art/craft/technology. An beautiful loving hands.

[@andrewtongue7084]

As always Alicia, succinct & to the point. On a matter of clarification: 'Vintage' refers to any object that is more than thirty years old; this remains so up to (& including its ninety-ninth year); at one hundred years (plus), it then becomes an antique. That was a fantastic overview - & for those just beginning their journey into the world of fountain pens, invaluable. In keeping with a literate style, I would offer this poem, penned by one of Ireland's most famous sons: Mr. Seamus Heaney - the collected works so generously gifted to me for my last birthday by my long-time friend, Kate, in Dublin; this piece sums up in a few stanzas, both the tactile, aesthetic (& romantic) elements of the writing instrument - singularly outlining the very purpose of communication, by hand - & for which, over the millenia, humankind has strived to perpetuate. The Conway Stewart. 'Medium', 14 -Carat nib, Three gold bands in the clip-on screw-top, In the mottled barrel a spatulate, thin Pump-action lever The shopkeeper Demonstrated, The nib uncapped, Treating it to its first deep snorkel In a newly opened ink bottle, Guttery, snottery, Letting it rest then at an angle To ingest, Giving us time To look together and away From our parting, due that evening, To my longhand 'Dear' To them, next day. No doubt, you will enjoy this most apposite of works. Heaney always wrote out his poetry in longhand, leaving the world with an indelible imprint (literally) of a long life, lived - with all the troubles & strife that most of us endure, but nonetheless, celebrate. Do take care, both, Best, Andrew :)

[@TeamFish15]

The best way to describe a piston filler is that the entire barrel is a converter.

[@adventuredenali]

Oh man, that’s brilliant, very clear and easy to explain.

[@johnlopez3996]

I am school teacher and I have my students learn about fountain pens. They will all earn one of they can learn the parts of a fountain pen and practice their cursive writing to an acceptable level. This video that you made will come in handy. Thank you.

[@sheelachattopadhyay]

That is awesome! I would have liked to use fountain pens in school. The closest I got was using a modern feather quill and dip pen at home on occasion. :) Using one back when I was learning to write probably would have spared me the bad grip that I'm correcting now.

[@b.akshayb1386]

Hii

[@ironmic9244]

Give 'em a pen; take away the phone. lol Nice to see a teacher take initiatives. I remember my teacher who did the little things. No doubt many students will remember you as progress in life, especially those who continue with fountain pen use.

[@SharonH11100]

Nice and I love the mourning dove in the background 🎼💁🏼‍♀️

[@adventuredenali]

I’m glad you noticed!

[@funkymunky5683]

A lot of wonderful information! I sped the video to 1.5 times speed and it was PERFECT. Thank you for giving a simple, extensive, and straightforward video!

[@davecharvella4854]

Excellent! Love that "snorkel" filler!! And, I see you're using one of my all time favorite pens in presenting this ... the Pilot Custom 823!

[@inkfade4281]

I recently bought a Sheaffer Valiant Snorkel (inspired by your love for vintage fountain pens) as my second vintage fountain pen and am head over heels in love with it. I would love to see a more detailed video of your vintage Sheaffer collection, as I've been more interested in Sheaffer over all the other brands when it comes to vintage.

[@adventuredenali]

Sheaffers are so great! They’re my favorites too, I think, hehe. The snorkel is such a fun design, so elaborate, and unnecessary.

[@constancemcguire5870]

This brings me back to my elementary school years in the 60s. I went to Catholic school and fountain pens were a requirement to learn cursive. We were not allowed to use ballpoint pens. I always had ink all over my hands when I replaced the cartridges.☺️

[@rmoraespinto]

Indeed. I went to a Catholic boarding school and I am grateful to them for my long standing taste for fountain pens and the love for the smell of certain inks (Parker Quink mostly). No cartrige filling systems were available at that time. So, the mess was probably worse than yours. BTW - don't you love these videos by AdventureD?

[@c.d4936]

hahaha, that's funny! we don't have that now in modern school but i wish! God bless you friend :)

[@wittwittwer1043]

Constance wrote: 'This brings me back to my elementary school years in the 60s. I went to Catholic school and fountain pens were a requirement to learn cursive .... " ....... In the 40s we learned to write with carpenter's pencils, and we wrote on poor quality high sulfur pulp paper. We wrote in block letters. Later we switched to fountain pens and had much better quality paper to write on. Until I began 6th grade, we were graded on penmanship.

[@NelsonFJ]

I really like your drawings and illustrations; the first page you looked at looks like an old manual page. The video title made me imagine one of those instructional / promotional videos from the forties or fifties; where a narrator with a Mid-Atlantic accent would say "This is Alicia, and she received a brand-new Sheaffer pen; let's understand how it works" (= Thanks for the video

[@adventuredenali]

Oh man, that’s so fantastic! I love watching those old promotional videos.

[@NelsonFJ]

@@adventuredenali Have you ever watched one from Sheaffer explaining the shortage of pens during the war? It is fascinating. look for "Sheaffer Pens During WWII: Short Film from 1943" here on KZbin.

[@archivist17]

A bold attempt to explain a complex topic with lots of technical terms which can be off putting for some of the curious. A great video, and I hope it helps some of your viewers feel more comfortable in the hobby.

[@cw7422]

I had my dads grey Schaefer snorkel fountain pen. I gave it to my oldest son. My mom bought it for my dad in approx 1957.

[@SouthShorePaper]

I'm terrible at remembering all of the details , I just love writing with my pens and I'm still learning. You beautifully illustrated the details .

[@PuffPets]

Vacuume filler will always be my go-to. Love that blue ink you're using.

[@kushalbanerjee1305]

Ah! The romance of free-flowing ink and the dazzle of the fountain pen nib ❤

[@tragicallysarah7623]

I really liked this. As a fairly new Fountain Pen enthusiast, I found this very helpful. Please consider making more. You clearly have a lot of knowledge on the subject and seem to speak a lot from experience. I recently got my first flex nib and struggle with getting the ink to flow well. I'm not sure if it's the pen or the user. Lol. Anyway, I like the way you explain things. So this is my official request as a fan. Please make more crash courses! Haha! Thank you!

[@sheelachattopadhyay]

Flex pens take a while to get used to. Slowing down your writing speed a hair might help with the flow issue. If it is something like a vintage Ladybird, that one was designed for Spencerian script despite its pocket size. I find that they don't need as much pressure flex wise to work. My view is coming from working with flexible dip pen before jumping into fountain pens personally, so that made the learning curve a bit faster unintentionally. Also, your ink can affect the flow issues too.

[@tragicallysarah7623]

@@sheelachattopadhyay Oh I haven't thought about the ink. Interesting. Maybe that's where I'll start. Thank you!

[@wittwittwer1043]

@@tragicallysarah7623 wrote: "Oh I haven't thought about the ink. Interesting. Maybe that's where I'll start ..." ....... About ink: DO NOT use the following inks in a fountain pen: Iron gall ink (the type used to write the US Constitution, using a quill pen), or India ink. The iron gall is acidic, and is especially bad for steel nibs. The India ink is a thick ink designed for use with dip pens and brushes. It dries quickly and will clog the feeds of fountain pens. Inside the pen, it dries to a hard crust. Recently "shimmer" and "glitter" inks have been introduced. I accidentally loaded one of my pens with glitter ink. The ink had tiny metallic-looking particles in it, and it jammed the feed of my pen. I had to clean the pen with my ultrasound cleaner. I have not used shimmer ink; to me it is just a gimmicky novelty, and doesn't look natural when it dries.

[@The7threst]

I have been a fountain pen user for years and have quite the collection, but love how concise and usefull this video is. This is goint to get referenced a lot by me :)

[@inkypinky6385]

I know all of this but it’s still so much fun to hear you talk about it. 🤩 I will surely watch this all over again.

[@richarddewitt3457]

Great vid! My most recent pen purchase was a spoke design Axle and I love it. Happy writing !

[@adamw.20]

...ein sehr schönes Hobby--ich hätte leider nicht die Muße dazu---super!!!!

[@susanbeckett9347]

This was terrific for fountain pen users both novice and experienced.

[@adventuredenali]

Oh that’s great!

[@harisivakumar207]

I’ve got three questions to ask, if you do not mind: How long have you been using fountain pens for? What was the very first fountain pen you ever wrote? How many fountain pens have you acquired over the years?

[@vandelsoproductions]

perfect timing! I'm just "penabling" a friend and she's getting her first TWSBI. So glad I now have this to show her! Thanks!

[@adventuredenali]

Awesome!!! I hope you’re friend enjoys her first fountain pen!

[@vandelsoproductions]

@@adventuredenali Me too, I can't wait to have pen dates with someone who lives near me. Wait till I get her started on typewriters!

[@tragicallysarah7623]

I bought my first TWSBI last week! I got the TSWBI Draco and I have never been more in love!!! I got an EF nib and wow. Best pen EVER!!! And also, she's so prettyyyyyyy! ❤

[@adventuredenali]

@@tragicallysarah7623 exciting!!!

[@cebukitty]

thanks for this crash course to fountain pens 🖋 video. i’ve been exploring this hobby for 2 years and still learned a lot from your video :) looking forward to a crash course on inks, fp friendly papers and proper care and maintenance and storage of pens and inks :)

[@rileneday]

I truly appreciate you taking the time to do this video. I am a beginner and this helps me to better understand fountain pen jargon❤

[@KevinBReynolds]

Love your penmanship and printing. Must be a fine point as your writing looks to be very small. I notice you have your nib leaned over a lot. Thanks for the vid!

[@xXMusicLoverXx34]

Great notes of information. Short but very educational. Plus I found it funny how you cracked while explaining the piston pens😅 Another fun video👍

[@TheTommyBernhardPodcast]

New subscriber! Howard Stern sent me 😊

[@adventuredenali]

Hello and welcome! :D

[@ironmic9244]

Excellent detail, and I learned something new, so thank you. Your handwriting should be in Hallmark cards - it's beautiful.

[@brianmarquise]

Love your handwriting!

[@michellea1092]

Who else is here because of Howard Stern? I am & I find your content delightful

[@urfuneral36]

Lmao

[@Explicitcorp]

Baba booey

[@manalainen]

This was superbly done! Very nice and wonderful

[@manalainen]

Also, that safety pen looked super neat! Which model was that?

[@keithedwinsmith9416]

Nicely explained. Don’t have many fountain pens myself. Started with a handful of Lamy Safaris, then 3 Platinum Century 3776s (inked with Noodler’s bulletproof inks (reason for getting the spring-capped Platinums)). Recently started on brass fountain pens : Traveller’s Notebook one and Kaweco lilliput wave. Noticed the image was slightly bouncing and did find it a tad distracting. Camera tripod on the desk, rather than floor? Or, desk wobbly?

[@carlygreen1185]

I’m new to your channel! Love watching! Thank you for this video. Very helpful!

[@paddymcnamara9147]

Good one for new FP users and very well explained in such a concise way. Thanks again!.🔱

[@ambsquared]

Pilot Parallel calls them plates and not tines. I have been having a tough time with Mont Blanc Toffee Brown drying in the nib. It doesn’t take too long to dry in the Lamy Safari I have it in right now. I have to clear out the nib to get it flowing again. Even capped it dries out after not very long.

[@adventuredenali]

Oh wow, is it a particularly dry ink? Have you had these pens drying like that with other inks?

[@sajjadhusain4146]

How strange. I have had my Pilot Custom 823 inked with MB Toffee Brown from the day I bought the pen nearly three years ago. Never had this drying out problem you cited here. Only goes to show the bafflingly varied experiences we have with many of our particular pens and inks.

[@ambsquared]

Only had issues before were when I had too many pens inked and didn’t use them frequently. Or some cheap scratchy Jinhao Sharks that gave me some trouble. I have been cleaning my pens and getting the number that are inked down, but I do like to rotate colors I write in the journal every day. When I get a new pen, I want to ink it immediately, but trying to get myself to have just 5 or 6 inked at a time. I might start writing down when I filled a pen in my journal. In the back I keep a sample of the pens I have inked. Just the name of the ink and pen using it. When I empty one, put an x by the note. I wonder if maybe the cap isn’t sealing that well. Sometimes when it starts it is darker and almost greenish black for the first few letters. Then it clears up and looks normal. If I put it down for a short time without capping, it dries up some and is hard to get flowing. I’ll try it in a different pen next. Maybe a TWSBI since they seam to really seal well and I’ve never had a dry start with any of the ones I have.

[@jamesaritchie1]

Good video. The only other thing beginners should know is how deep this rabbit hole can be.

[@daipayanchowdhury4842]

Hi, AdventureDenali... Can you please demonstrate the grey colour pen which you showed for a little while in between the video (5:40)... The little tongue coming out of the feed was really very interesting.

[@MichaelKaufman0]

Here cause of Howard Stern. I like your videos too.

[@dwanasciesow3874]

Thank you for great and education video. English is my second language and these vocabulary is very useful. Next time please write with bigger fonts or make bigger zoom. Regards from PL

[@bkr_418]

Could you make a video on improving your handwriting? Your script is beautiful! I use a Twsbi 580, still saving for a nice gold nib pen 🖊 🙂

[@Richard_Barnes]

What to sing to a mega music nib pen? ‘Your once, twice, 3 tines a lady.....’ 😂

[@pasttenseSara]

Great video ... many will benefit from your knowledge and efforts. I would add 'barrel' along with 'body' as that seems to be equally associated and sometimes interchanged. Thanks for all you do.

[@adventuredenali]

Thank you! Oh yes, good reminder! :D

[@painchaud2000]

What a great video!!! Fountain pens sure are a whole world to discover! Like the famous rabbit hole 😋

[@teresa8287]

Great video! Helpful information!

[@adventuredenali]

Thank you! I’m glad!

[@randy-9842]

Richard Bender look out! This pretty, soft spoken, young lass is bringing you some competition! One of these day's she'll author some books to rival yours. Well done!

[@adventuredenali]

Well that’s quite a compliment! I think those are some big shoes to fill.

[@manalainen]

Binder, not bender... :D

[@randy-9842]

@@manalainen You are correct - my error. Thanks for the correction!

[@PenFriends]

For anyone wondering, please don’t put headphones on your nib :p Anyway Alicia! Great work, I feel you could scan this in and send out with pen cases! Or turn this into a sticker for journals :) a DK like illustrative guide to pens :D

[@kellark]

Heard about you from Howard Stern early in the week and he said you had 10k subs. Now you have 12.4k. Interesting content. Subscribed. You should call Howard on the air. He would take your call.

[@douloureux.]

Your channel is growing so fast now! Congrats :)

[@AJ-bn6bc]

i missed ur vids 😭 glad to see u again!

[@reddiewip]

could you tell me the year and model of the sheaffer pen at 6:12? My friend has one identical and i have one that is solid black with a brushed chrome cap w/ gold band. I'm so confused as i can't find an accurate year, make, or model :(

[@adventuredenali]

That one is a Sheaffer Tuckaway, circa 1949. These models came in various colors, cap styles and trim. The earlier ones had a different nib, but most have the Triumph nib like this one shown. There were also some larger models that look very similar to this one. The Tuckaway was a small pen.

[@CydPiper]

Thank you Alicia! very inspirational & educational information on fountain pens. I hope you continue to elaborate on this topic. Your videos are always so enjoyable & relaxing too. TIA xo

[@gymnosophist7471]

Hi Alicia! Can you please tell me what was that pen with the retractable nib you briefly showed in this video? I have a (now sadly discontinued) MB Boheme with the same feature and it’s really cool! Also, who is Howard Stern???

[@dolinman]

such a cool video!

[@dawndavidson6062]

What nib size are you using in this video - you mention the pen is a Pilot Custom, could you say which one please? Thanks so much!

[@Ereyner426]

@adventure Denali...Howard stern was taking about your KZbin...reach out to him

[@emmavoels2]

Is it bad that I see another pen owner with the same pen as mine, that I get excited? I love my snorkel so much but it has to go to the shop for a new spring sadly... I think the sac in the mechanism let in moisture.

[@SkySpiral8]

Some nibs have three tines? I need to see that!

[@TeamFish15]

Music nibs do. Search here on KZbin and you’ll see some neat videos.

[@joeblue4116]

New Subscriber here. Got a question! What is the difference between an eyedropper and a cartridge? Why bother with a cartridge? Finally, can you recommend a good vintage eyedropper? So I guess that is more than one question, but thank you for your answer.

[@se7515]

Pretty sure this video led Howard to buy this pen, then lose his mind when he couldn't figure it out. Brian's KZbin videos always gave me all the info I needed, but Howard gets private lessons.

[@ericinla65]

Howard is very easily influenced.

[@lauritasantos7738]

Hi Alicia! Love your video. Which pen is the golden little one at the end of the video? Thank you so much, and congrats for the fast growing community here :)

[@11msedson]

Howard stern brought me here ❤️😍

[@c.d4936]

although i already know about fountain pens, this is a great intro vid for a noob. well done on the video, if only the camera didn't shake!

[@Jit143kumar]

Can you please explain us more about nibs in detail ?

[@AliceInaBulletJournal]

I m getting four fountain pens Crazy horse brown a5 extra fine journaling fountain pens ✒️ I’m soooo excited four Christmas

[@danholcomb6089]

Comment bababooey if your here cause Howard stern kept mentioning her

[@humanfirst11]

Who is Howard?

[@Microtimer1000th]

what notebook is that?

[@jaskaransingh680]

What is the name of fountain pen used in the beginning of video

[@adventuredenali]

Hello! That’s the Pilot Custom 823, fine nib. I believe it’s what I used throughout the video. :)

[@karipalaciov]

Super useful 🤍🤍🤍thanks Alicia!

[@adventuredenali]

Excellent!

[@phoenix063071]

Howard Stern got me checking this out. Lololololol Wow

[@adventuredenali]

Haha! Hello there! Hope you find something you can enjoy. :)

[@Cjsk8mom]

What notebook are you using with the months/days at the top?

[@adventuredenali]

That’s the Stalogy notebook! You can find them at gouletpens.com, or jetpens.com as well as many other retailers.

[@lennysmop7743]

Howard Stern sent me here!

[@talksfromtheheart]

This was fun!

[@pantaksianno2236]

Useful!

[@deborahmeyers7839]

I'm left handed and a fountain pen feels weired in my hand why? ❤️

[@СергейАлексеев-г8к]

Круто!)

[@HalinPhilly]

I'm really enjoying your vlog... Did you ever dream in a million years that your channel would blow up thanks to Howard Stern's pen collection and his infatuation with your channel? I hope you end up as a guest on his show one of these days.

[@adventuredenali]

Hello! Thank you so much! No, I never did imagine this, haha! It’s still hard to believe! It’s nice to be appreciated though. :) I think that could be fun, to be on his show! XD

[@untutoredyouth8371]

Goulet Pens has a wonderful video called "7 Fountain Pen Myths You Need to Stop Believing" which is just a joy to watch, even if... well, I've been into fountain pens about a year and have several of them and I just love that video of how he talks about fountain pens:)

[@lonewolf5973]

When You become popular> the weirdos show up👨‍🎨

[@steverone7623]

Oh yeah because there’s absolutely nothing weird about using a fountain pen in 2021

[@Knubbers24_Ryan_Van_Riper]

👍✒️✌️

[@adventuredenali]

😀

[@lyndasnart7823]

☕️😷🌍👍🇦🇺

[@catwhisperer911]

:)

[@ericinla65]

I USE a Color Laser Printer. Much much faster and simpler. We are in the 21st and not the 19th Century.

[@adventuredenali]

Good for you! I don’t have a printer, nor computer. And even if I did, I’d never enjoy them, too stale and impersonal. I’ve always preferred writing by hand.

[@ericinla65]

@@adventuredenali Funny that you are still able to video and post on KZbin without a computer. :). FYI, I used to do what you are doing now. Back in the 80s and was paid to do it.

[@adventuredenali]

@@ericinla65 oh? What was that you got paid for? I use my phone for everything, it is my computer I suppose!

[@ericinla65]

@@adventuredenali Just letting you know it is a phase you will grow out of eventually. Do you really think you will still be doing this full time in 10 or 20 years? Enjoy it while you can.

[@adventuredenali]

@@ericinla65 writing? Yes, absolutely. I’m 36, and have been writing since I first learned how. I don’t think that will ever disappear.