I recently bought a pen case with really tight elastics – is this safe for my pens? Many people store their pens in cases with elastics (sometimes single bands, sometimes double), and it’s usually safe. However, if you have a delicate pen, whether it’s a fragile material, or in delicate condition, or something else, you may find struggling with a particularly snug elastic is not worth it. You should be careful when placing these pens …
Does a pen really adapt to your handwriting? There isn’t really one answer to this question. It depends who you ask! Since there are many vintage pens out there being purchased and reused, it’s safe to assume some of those pens have been used by people before, and are being reused. Their nibs may not have dramatically changed after being used by their first owners, but the owners themselves may adapt to the pens – …
I think my ink stained my pen. Can I use rubbing alcohol to remove it? No! Rubbing alcohol can dissolve pen materials, or at the very least, fade and discolor it. It’s best to start with water, and if necessary, you can try some pen flush or an ultra sonicator, but water is the safest to work with. The more you know about the material of your pen, the better you can care for your …
What does gold-filled mean? Gold is bonded to a base metal using heat and pressure. Gold-filled is more difficult and expensive to achieve than gold-plating, as the gold is 100 times thicker than gold-plating, and it won’t wear off with use, which often happens with gold-plating.
What is vermeil? Pens with vermeil trim look like they have gold trim, when in fact it is gold over sterling silver, which is often reflected in its price and weight. To be used as vermeil, the gold has to be at least 10KT, and at least 1.5 micrometers thick. As it is thicker than gold-plating, it is more resistant to wear, and the base metal is sterling silver.
What is gold-plating? Following up on last week’s question about rolled gold, gold-plating is created by electroplating another metal with gold. Gold-plated objects are usually quite attractive, but the plating can be quite thin, depending on the price, quality, etc.
I see some of your vintage pens are described using the term “rolled gold” – what is that? Rolled gold is created by a process that involves placing a base metal between two sheets of gold. That sheet must be passed through heated rollers in order for it to bond to the sheets of gold surrounding it. This means the pens that have rolled gold caps, for example, actually have gold sheet caps that have …
My pen was working perfectly when I inked it up. Several weeks later, it’s running dry and skipping a lot – is it broken? The converter still has ink in it. Don’t worry. If you leave your pen inked for several weeks, it’s possible it’s running dry, but since there’s ink in the converter, it’s likely some ink has dried in the feed and is hampering fresh ink flow. It’s an easy fix – just …
Can I use a fountain pen if I’m a left-handed writer? Absolutely. Many fountain pen users are left-handed. Depending on whether you write over or under, you may prefer an extra-fine or fine nib, which tend to have less wet flow of ink. However, there are left-handed writers who use broad nibs, too! With finer nibs, drying times of inks are usually faster, and you’ll have less smearing. Using very smooth paper can prolong your drying times, …
I write with a really heavy hand. What’s the best kind of nib for me? Unless you learn to lighten the pressure with which you write, I’d suggest steering clear of soft, flexible nibs! Try a firm nib like those found on the Parker 51 – they are better designed to handle a heavy hand.
