I just received the two flex nibbed fountain pens I ordered from Goulet Pens, and have been writing & sketching with them for the past few days.
Overall, I like them both--a Konrad in red tortoise and an Ahab clear demonstrator--although I expected them to be wetter and more easily flexed (they both require quite a bit of pressure to get the kind of line variation I was looking for). I still need to find the best nib/feed adjustment for my styles of writing & drawing, but for a couple of $20 pens, they're alright.
Also in the order was a bottle of Noodler's bulletproof black ink, which, as promised, can take watercolour without bleeding, and this is perfect. I should note that the Noodler's ink, which I purchased with drawing in mind, is also very pleasant to write with. It's smoother in theses pens than the Pelikan 4001 and the J. Herbin Lie de Thé which I'm using almost exclusively in the Konrad now. The J. Herbin ink shades nicely with the flex nib and because it goes down more heavily, is about two shades darker than when used in the Pelikan 120 medium italic. It is a bit too dry to really call it a perfect match however. You can bet I'll be fiddling with the feed and nib positions to try and find that elusive sweet spot.
Overall, I like them both--a Konrad in red tortoise and an Ahab clear demonstrator--although I expected them to be wetter and more easily flexed (they both require quite a bit of pressure to get the kind of line variation I was looking for). I still need to find the best nib/feed adjustment for my styles of writing & drawing, but for a couple of $20 pens, they're alright.
Also in the order was a bottle of Noodler's bulletproof black ink, which, as promised, can take watercolour without bleeding, and this is perfect. I should note that the Noodler's ink, which I purchased with drawing in mind, is also very pleasant to write with. It's smoother in theses pens than the Pelikan 4001 and the J. Herbin Lie de Thé which I'm using almost exclusively in the Konrad now. The J. Herbin ink shades nicely with the flex nib and because it goes down more heavily, is about two shades darker than when used in the Pelikan 120 medium italic. It is a bit too dry to really call it a perfect match however. You can bet I'll be fiddling with the feed and nib positions to try and find that elusive sweet spot.
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| Pages and pages of scribbling as I try to learn how to write legibly with the flex nibs. |
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| Inking the Ahab fountain pen with Noodler's Bulletproof Black Ink. Now I can sketch on-the-go in my Moleskine watercolor notebook and lay down some washes without bleeding. (unless I want to: the guy and dog sketches on the right were started using Pelikan 4001 black Ink in a really wet Shaeffer Targa, which I let bleed a little for shading). |
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