A lot of people think fountain pens are archaic or even intimidating,
but we’re here to demystify these classic writing instruments.
We’ll explain the inner workings of a fountain pen,
how to use one,
and the dos and don’ts that every expert knows.
What is a Fountain Pen?
A fountain pen stands out thanks to its most important (and iconic) part: the nib.
Through capillary action, ink flows from a reservoir, through the feed, and down the nib’s slit to the paper.
Speaking of reservoirs, different fountain pens use different filling systems.
Most fountain pens use cartridges or converters,
which are separate from the pen and must be installed.
Cartridges are small plastic containers filled with ink.
They’re easy to use, but can get expensive in the long run and feel wasteful.
Converters let you pair your fountain pen with bottled inks, which come in a wider range of colors than cartridges.
Additionally, while bottled inks require an upfront investment,
it’s cheaper to refill your pen from a bottle than with cartridges in the long run.
However, converters are less convenient than cartridges, and they require a little more maintenance.
No matter which you choose, be sure to check which cartridge or converter your pen needs.
Brands like Kaweco and Faber-Castell are compatible with standard international cartridges and converters.
Some cartridges and converters are proprietary, meaning they are only compatible with pens from a certain brand.
For example, Platinum pens like the Preppy can only use Platinum cartridges and converters.
Finally, some pens use internal filling mechanisms like pistons or vacuums, which are permanently attached to the pen.
They have large ink capacities and can only be used with bottled inks.
They’re not very difficult to figure out, but they do tend to be more expensive.
We recommend that fountain pen beginners start with cartridge or converter pens before graduating to pens with internal mechanisms.
It’s a good idea to find out if you like using fountain pens at all before splurging on something you won’t use!
How to Use a Fountain Pen
We’ll demonstrate how to use a Platinum Preppy Fountain Pen because it’s one of our favorite pens for beginners.
The first thing you should do when you get your fountain pen is familiarize yourself with its parts.
Pens that don’t come in a box usually have an uninstalled cartridge inside the barrel,
so be sure to check there if you can’t find yours.
We highly recommend giving your pen a quick clean before you ink it up.
Some pens are tested at the factory to make sure they’re working properly, and there may still be ink in the feed.
Additionally, manufacturing oils can cause your pen to experience spotty ink flow.
To clean the pen, remove the barrel from the grip section and hold it under cool, running water for a few seconds.
Next, soak the pen in a cup of clean water and replace the water if it becomes saturated with ink.
Let the grip section dry completely.
You can wrap it in a soft, absorbent cloth and put it nib-down in a cup to help draw the water out.
Inking up the pen with a cartridge is very straightforward.
Take a look at the cartridge and locate the opening. This is usually the part with a lip.
Some cartridges are sealed with a flap of plastic and others have a metal or plastic ball in the opening.
Once you’ve found it, place the opening of the cartridge over the back of the grip section.
Push straight down firmly on the cartridge until it’s punctured.
Re-attach the barrel and cap the pen.
It takes time for ink to flow from the cartridge to the nib, so you’ll want to set the pen aside for five to fifteen minutes.
Try putting it in a pen cup with the nib down to encourage ink flow.
After some time has passed, do a few test scribbles to see if ink has reached the nib.
If it’s been more than thirty minutes and the pen still isn’t writing,
you can remove the barrel and gently squeeze the sides of the cartridge to force ink down into the feed.
Be sure to do this over a towel or scratch paper though: you don’t want to accidentally drip ink onto your desk!
If you’re using a converter, check to see what kind of converter it is.
The two main kinds are squeeze and piston.
For the squeeze converter, you usually pinch down on a bar in the middle of the converter to push out air and suck in ink.
The Platinum converter is a piston converter.
It has a column on the back that is twisted to move the piston up and down.
Install the converter on the back of the grip section.
We recommend pushing air out of the converter before dipping it into ink:
for a squeeze converter, press down on the bar and hold it in place.
With a piston converter, twist the column until the piston is all the way at the bottom of the converter.
Dip the nib in the bottle of ink until the grip section is partially submerged.
Let go of the squeeze converter’s bar or twist the column on the piston filler.
Next, we suggest emptying the converter and filling it again.
This pushes out excess air from the converter and feed, giving you a fuller converter fill.
Remove the pen from the bottle and wipe the nib and feed gently to remove excess ink.
You can start writing with converter-filled pens immediately because ink is already in the feed.
Now it’s time to start writing!
Hold the pen so that the nib is at about a 45 degree angle to the paper.
This is generally lower than how you would hold a ballpoint or gel pen.
Both tines should be touching the paper, so be sure not to twist it too much to the left or right.
Apply just enough pressure to keep the nib against the paper:
most fountain pens don’t need a lot of pressure to write.
It might take you time to get used to writing with a fountain pen, and that’s okay!
Go at your own paceand you’ll be a fountain pen expert in no time.
Next, we’ll take a look at some fountain pen dos and don’ts.
Use the Right Ink
Never use India ink, printer ink, dip pen ink, or liquid paint in your fountain pen!
Using the wrong ink will clog the feed and ruin your brand new pen.
Always look for inks that are labeled for fountain pen use.
On the JetPens website, you can click on the “Specifications” tab and check the “Usage” row to make sure that the ink is okay for fountain pens.
If you’re not sure if the ink you picked out is safe,
err on the side of caution and don’t use it!
Don’t Clean Your Pen with Harsh Chemicals
Pen cleaning is an important part of fountain pen maintenance.
Cleaning your pen ensures your pen works smoothly and consistently.
As a general rule of thumb, you should clean your pen every time you change ink colors
or every few weeks, depending on how often you use it.
Most fountain pens clean up nicely with plain water,
so you should never introduce rubbing alcohol to the mix!
Rubbing alcohol and acetone will be the first chemicals to break down the plastic pieces of your pen.
We have a whole video on pen cleaning with some tips and tricks on stubborn pens that you can watch here.
Pick the Right Nib Size
Fountain pens generally write a little broader than ballpoint or gel pens,
and the exact width can also be affected by the ink and paper.
However, it’s still a good idea to think about your preferred ballpoint or gel pen tip size when you pick out a fountain pen.
We have a whole video on picking the right fountain pen nib that you can watch by clicking the card above,
but we’ve summarized the information here.
Pair Your Pen with the Good Paper
Fountain pens use water-based inks, which are more prone to feathering and bleedthrough.
Run-of-the-mill printer or filler paper usually won’t cut it.
Thankfully, there’s plenty of fountain pen friendly paper out there, and they don’t have to break the bank!
Budget-friendly options include Kokuyo Campus Sarasara Loose Leaf Paper
or Apica CD Notebooks.
Fountain pen enthusiasts love Rhodia, Tomoe River Sanzen, and Midori MD paper too!
Store Your Pen Correctly
We recommend storing your fountain pen horizontally between uses.
You can also store the pen in a pen cup with the nib pointing up.
In this position, ink will flow away from the nib and it may take a few scribbles to get the nib writing again.
We caution against storing the pen with the nib facing down.
This keeps the nib saturated with ink, but it could also cause ink to leak into the cap.
We hope this video has been a helpful resource for every intrepid fountain pen user!
We’ve written tons of beginner guides on fountain pens, so make sure to check out the description to find links to all of them.
If you’re looking for a beginner fountain pen, click the video linked on the screen at the end of this video.
Thanks for watching!