Stupid Pen Tricks: Fountain Pen Tweaks And Hacks For Artists

[@forgotMyUsername100]

I learned a few new ones! I love fountain pens as tools foremost, thank you for all the advice on making the most of them.

[@mkompan]

You're welcome! I'm glad you found it helpful.

[@ricardovalencia7610]

Awesome content as usual! 🙌🏼 My kaweco AL sport didn't reverse write at all, followed your tutorial and now I can get XF lines with it! Thank you!!!

[@mkompan]

You're welcome! Glad worked for you.

Looking forward to an upcoming video about the best way to wash ink off one's hands 😁

[@mkompan]

I would stay clear of fountain pens if that's an issue. :)

[@ichirofakename]

Lava brand hand soap. Or better yet, shampoo your hair.

@@mkompan I'm afraid I'm in too deep already :)

[@spinningchester6481]

I just purchased a set of Jinhao X750 and the first one I tried wouldn't write well. This video had the perfect advice to get what I thought was a dry pen to write. The Jinhao X750 feed needed to be loosened and the nib shoulders flared, and then it wrote wet and juicy. FPR EF Ultra Flex nibs and #6 fude nibs for this set are now winging their way by post to me. Thanks for the advice! You just saved me a lot of money and hassle!

[@mkompan]

@@spinningchester6481 glad this video was helpful to you! That trick is something every pen user needs to know.

[@HagothVoyage]

some fun tricks. Thanks Marc.

[@mkompan]

You’re welcome!

[@alexandrerodriguesdesouza8255]

very good video. Thanks a lot

[@mkompan]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Skeptic2006]

Very glad I found your channel. Thank you for the tips.

[@mkompan]

My pleasure! I'm glad you found my channel too.

[@BW2Color.Stephanie]

Enjoyed your video😊

[@mkompan]

@@BW2Color.Stephanie thank you!

[@LadyFireHorse]

Love the Super Cartridge idea! It's good to have options. I'm a fountain pen aficionado and have a bit of a collection, nothing overly expensive but enough of a variety. I love my TWSBI Eco demonstrators as I love being able to immediately see which colour ink and how much it has. I have both the Kaweco and Traveler's brass pens. The Kaweco cap isn't snug so Kaweco sent me a new cap but it had the same issue. I ended up wrapping the bottom of the pen a layer of just regular matte finish scotch tape. It's almost invisible and added just the right thickness to solve the capping issue! 😃 I also have a variety of dip pens as I enjoy calligraphy! ❤ Thanks for all the tips (pun intended).

[@mkompan]

Glad you enjoyed the video! Taping the back of the pen to make the posting tighter is a good hack. Perhaps I can collect enough new tricks for a sequel.

[@LadyFireHorse]

@@mkompan I hope you do!

[@Kliffot]

I love tweaks ! the Flexperiments with overfeeds never ends XD

[@AlliListArt]

thank u Marc, so many useful tips. love Alli UK X

[@mkompan]

My pleasure! I'm glad you enjoyed them.

[@MultiEbbot]

Good one! Really nice.

[@mkompan]

Thank you!

[@Seifenschaum]

Hey Marc, thanks a lot for the video. Came - basically - like requested :D Was just looking for a video like this one and thought about your channel... and bam: best timing ever! Will be watching later after work. Thanks a bunch!

[@mkompan]

Thank you! I've been posting more frequently lately, mostly to promote my workshops. Hopefully I can keep it up.

[@Seifenschaum]

@@mkompan Credit, where credit is due, my friend. I picked up quite a few tricks regarding the technical ("tuning") side of fountain pens for drawing/sketching. Really appreciate the time you put into those videos. I sure hope a lot of people will sign up for your workshops! :) All the best from Germany and don't stress out too much. We want you to be healthy and to learn from you for a long time. So don't feel forced to produce too many videos :) Cheers!

[@yach1d]

Great tips

[@mkompan]

Glad you enjoyed them!

[@irvintepper5]

thank for this video

[@mkompan]

My pleasure!

[@ichirofakename]

When might one want to use India Ink? I've been using a standard waterproof fountain pen ink (De Atramentis Artist Ink) and so far have no complaints.

[@mkompan]

@@ichirofakename On some papers, particularly if you’re super heavy with the inking, it does perform better. I’m perfectly happy with the waterproof fountain pen inks I’m currently using, however.

[@nenesimone]

@@mkompan Please make a video about using "risky" inks in fountain pens and appropriate mods for it. Thanks.

[@mkompan]

@@nenesimone I’ll look into it!

[@ichirofakename]

@@mkompan I just thought of one, heavy India Ink sheens quite brightly, maybe you want that effect.

[@sharonkatz4451]

Fabulously helpful Marc, thank you! I bought a TWSBI 580 and the feed and nib were so tight I accidentally bent one of the plastic feed fins while pulling them out. Should I order a replacement feed from TWSBI? (Shipping is expensive to Canada) Or can I use it as is? It isn't broken but it is slightly bent upwards. Thanks!

[@mkompan]

You're very welcome as always Sharon! Strange, I've never had problems pulling the nib and feed out of my 580's, but over the past year a number of commenters have been having difficulties doing it. Perhaps there's been some change made in the pen. Bent fins will not harm the performance of your pen, and are just a cosmetic issue.

[@creativecolours2022]

Modifying cartridges into super cartridges is a bit complicated and a rather unsafe way to hold more ink with you. Most of the larger fountain pens, I mean those with longer handles that work with the international size of ink cartridges can accommodate a second new sealed cartridge into their handles back to back with the one that is in use. And a good number of ink manufacturers offer their waterproof inks in such cartridges as well, at very reasonable prices. Kaweco, Diplomat, De Atramentis, Platinum etc are all available in cartridges too in various different colours and types. The hack with the paper towel looks very promising. But how long does the paper towel stay wet into the cap of the pen and how often do I have to check and rewet the paper towel patch? Do the cloth towels (the type of wettex or similar) work the same for this hack? Have you ever tried the same hack on Jinhao fountain pens?

[@mkompan]

The usefulness of the super cartridge is debatable, but it is safe. I've done this a number of times, and all of the super cartridges are still intact after two years. As for the paper towel hack, this will depend on the pen and the weather, but the pens I've done this with have stayed wet for two or even three days without problems. I haven't tried this with other materials, but anything that can retail moisture will likely work. And yes, this will work with Jinhao pens. I prefer pens with clear caps, so I can see if there's moisture inside.

[@creativecolours2022]

@@mkompan Well instead of making your own longer ink cartridges you could modify the larger ones, like those of the Lamy pens for example that are longer and hold more ink than the international type of cartridges. In this case the only thing you have to do is to widen a bit the opening of these cartridges as the Lamy cartridges have a narrower opening that doesn't fit well on other pens. I'll try the towel hack on my Jinhao pens. It would be great to have a fountain pen filled with India ink instead of using only dip pens with it. Are you certain that India ink doesn't dry into the feeder of the fountain pen if you add the wet towel in the cap? Because there is no point to keep it wet in the nib and having it drying in the feeder. I'm asking because I haven't done this ever before and I don't want to ruin my Jinhao pens that are my favorite ones.

[@mkompan]

@@creativecolours2022 I’m sure there’s more than one way of doing this cartridge hack. So long as the conditions in the cap are very moist the feed will not dry out. This is essentially how the Indiegraph pen works. The water reservoir in it is far more effective, however. I kept it inked with Speedball Super Black for well over 6 months without use and it started right up. I have no idea how long this particular hack will last, but I wouldn’t risk more than a few days.

[@creativecolours2022]

@@mkompan The problem with Indigraph pen is that it is very expensive.The most affordable option (which is a pen with its nib lol as there is an option for a pen without its nib ) is 89 euros plus 12 for shipping costs. And I'm in Greece you know and the company that is producing this pen is in Spain. So it is not that if I order it I'm going to pay any kind of import taxes, as often happens when I buy something from US. But I just can't afford to pay 100+ euros for a pen no matter how innovative and over designed it is just for the sake of using India ink in a fountain pen.

[@mkompan]

@@creativecolours2022 I made a review of the Indiegraph some time ago. Price issue aside, I found the pen uncomfortable to use. Furthermore my tests showed that the difference in performance between India ink and Platinum Carbon black was very slight.