Writing Tool Discussions

Hello,

This would be a place to discuss various tools that we use/need in our lives. Could be anything, so as long as it is about tools.

Here we go...

There are several pens on the market that are being sold as disposable. I don't fancy that fact and would like to do something about it. The ones I'm referring feature a reservoir of ink but cannot be opened without a specific tool on which I have no idea what it is nor what is named.

I'm looking for a tool that can unscrew the following ink system by using an indented tooth (the red part).
Attachment 21330

There many videos on YouTube that show how this can be opened with pliers, but it's not worth it as they'll break easily.

Thank you.

Pencils only need to be sharpened every now and then. Solid alternative right there :smilie4:

Also, this thread reminds me I need to get a new set of screwdrivers. My current one is nearly destroyed.

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Pencils only need to be sharpened every now and then. Solid alternative right there

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Actually, I'm seriously thinking into moving to fountain pens. It's much more comfortable for those that write a lot, and cheaper in the long run. The only problem is that those EF (extra fine) nibs are very expensive, if you buy quality. I prefer a 0.3mm out of all line weights.

Hey anon, can you rename this thread to Writing Tool Discussions?

At the moment i'm using a Pilot Hi-Tecpoint V5 refillable (https://www.pilotpen.eu/en/collectio...-fine-tip.html). It's a roller-ball pen, with a needle tip with a bib 0.5mm. At the beginning it writes as small as 0.3mm, but once the tip is worn-out it starts to increase to 0.5mm and over. Pressing very hard will wear the tip faster and also bend it, and once these are true, the pen will no longer write continuously. That's the queue to replace it.

Refilling these is straightforward: they use a 1ml cartridge which can be bought, but is much cheaper to be refilled. To do this, just use a syringe and refill the cartridge again.

So as long as you do not drop it (the tip will bend), or press hard, it will last you for years.

I recently discovered that writing on printer paper will wear down pens a lot faster than notebook paper. Which would explain why these V5 pens stop writing continuously after several months of use.
But I have no idea why; the GSM is the same for both of them, but the notebook seems softer.

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Originally Posted by Master Razor

At the moment i'm using a Pilot Hi-Tecpoint V5 refillable (https://www.pilotpen.eu/en/collectio...-fine-tip.html). It's a roller-ball pen, with a needle tip with a bib 0.5mm. At the beginning it writes as small as 0.3mm, but once the tip is worn-out it starts to increase to 0.5mm and over. Pressing very hard will wear the tip faster and also bend it, and once these are true, the pen will no longer write continuously. That's the queue to replace it.

Refilling these is straightforward: they use a 1ml cartridge which can be bought, but is much cheaper to be refilled. To do this, just use a syringe and refill the cartridge again.

So as long as you do not drop it (the tip will bend), or press hard, it will last you for years.

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why do i get the feling that im using a Ferrari when i see that pen :D

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Originally Posted by mammamia11

why do i get the feling that im using a Ferrari when i see that pen :D

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I guess it depends on what you are used to. For my taste, I like the tip to be as thin as possible. A 0.1mm is my absolute fav but they are extremely expensive.
What do you have?

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Originally Posted by Master Razor

Actually, I'm seriously thinking into moving to fountain pens. It's much more comfortable for those that write a lot, and cheaper in the long run. The only problem is that those EF (extra fine) nibs are very expensive, if you buy quality. I prefer a 0.3mm out of all line weights.

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.. And so I did.
For a time I used wooden pencils, and later moved to mechanical ones. I hate pencils because they make it easy on you; they have no specific rules to use or care. The pen is a ripoff of the pencil, meant to be as easy as possible, and pay twice as much for it.

Fountain pens on the other hand... those are the crown jewels. They force you to write in a specific way, and write well, instead of just scribble as you do with the pen or pencil.
I used fountain pens back in the day but then I was "seduced" by everybody on the ease of using pens. As kid, i wrecked most of my fountain pens because I did not know how to use them. You can't write any direction, you can't push hard, can't write upside down, or write standing. Just need to sit down, flat surface with your elbow on it and write.. an elegant tool from civilized times.

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Originally Posted by Master Razor

.. And so I did.
For a time I used wooden pencils, and later moved to mechanical ones. I hate pencils because they make it easy on you; they have no specific rules to use or care. The pen is a ripoff of the pencil, meant to be as easy as possible, and pay twice as much for it.

Fountain pens on the other hand... those are the crown jewels. They force you to write in a specific way, and write well, instead of just scribble as you do with the pen or pencil.
I used fountain pens back in the day but then I was "seduced" by everybody on the ease of using pens. As kid, i wrecked most of my fountain pens because I did not know how to use them. You can't write any direction, you can't push hard, can't write upside down, or write standing. Just need to sit down, flat surface with your elbow on it and write.. an elegant tool from civilized times.

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I envy you. I usually scratch papers so fountain pens are not for me. Let a lone the indescribable badness of my font. Enjoy your writing.

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Originally Posted by illusive

I envy you. I usually scratch papers so fountain pens are not for me. Let a lone the indescribable badness of my font. Enjoy your writing.

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I've rediscovered the benefits of using fountain pens, but I also found a new benefit: my handwritten signature has greatly improved.

I'm not one of those guys that simply scribble as a signature, instead I write my full name and initials, in cursive handwriting, and also add some security features to it (dots, lines, loops). The longer it is, the harder it is for someone to forge it. And the fountain pens makes it possible to have certain parts of the signature distinctive. Where the pen and pencil is linear, the fountain pen is not, sometimes you scratch the paper, other times you push hard, you write on the side making the line thinner.. all these things add to the uniqueness of the signature.

I found something interesting: pencil grades are not what they appear. It seems like nowadays only artists care about graphite, so you're more inclined to seeing B-grade rather than H in stores. I would say it's a coincidence but nothing made my man is. The problem is, B-grade wears out faster than H, so you'll have to resharpen faster; and it will smear the page (subjective to smudging, especially if left-handed), and will make it difficult to erase; and it destroys precision - so easy to write with that when used tin measurement drawing, you stop anywhere but at the destined spot. Mathematicians and scientists absolutely hate B-grade, and I'm including myself here. As with anything: you trade something something good for something easy. It's also remarkable that a 4H of a brand does not match the 4H of another brand. So, the cut-off is half of the hardness line; so if the range is H to 10H, cut-off is 6H; it seems to be half + one. Surprisingly, on soacial platforms, if you ask anyone, they all recommend 2B, have no ideea why.. And HB and F are exactly the same, so you blame the Japanese for that. On the reddit's recommendation i went from 2B, incrementing 1, and stopped at 6H; it was the only capable of maintaining a proper point after writing 10 pages in A4. It should've been kept simple: creativity is B; work is H. H is getting harder to find. I guess the world needs more artists than scientists..

Attachment 21813

Fsber Castel, 2.5cm lead exposure, and 25mm snap-off blade.

Simplicity is beautiful, isn't it?