Welcome back to the Gentleman's Gazette.
In today's video, we'll discuss how to
use a fountain pen and how to write with
it so it brings you joy.
In the U.S. writing with a fountain pen is not something
that you learn in school unlike in other
countries like in Europe, but a lot of
people find that they enjoy writing with
a fountain pen much more than with a
ballpoint pen or in another kind of
pen because it's more deliberate and intentional.
These days with technology
and innovation, we don't even need to
write by hand anymore, but we can just
send messages or emails.
However, a handwritten note can really
purvey that you really care about the
recipient and they feel much more valued,
than if you sent them a digital communication.
Even though you can use a
ballpoint pen or a rollerball,
using a fountain pen gives you that
unique character to your handwriting
that can't be replicated by anyone else.
Why is that? A fountain pen has a metal
nib with two tines and you can control
the thickness of the line by applying
more or less pressure. Forging a nib is
art of its own and the higher-end
ones are made out of 18 karat or
even higher karat degree of gold.
For example,  all of Montblanc Meisterstück pens
come with a solid gold nib and you can
learn whether it's worth it or not in
this video here.
In general, prices for fountain pens can range from very few dollars to thousands of dollars. To learn
more about inexpensive fountain pens and
mid-range fountain pens, check out these videos here.
So if a fountain pen is more
expensive than a ballpoint pen or a
rollerball, why would you want to invest
in one? Well, the connoisseur appreciates
the personality added to his penmanship,
and it's just a very different writing experience.
The look at the pen that may
underline your personality, the way it
feels, and writes are all attributes that
you don't find in other writing instruments.
If you want to learn more
about the general anatomy of the fountain
pen, please check out this guide here. 
So if you're ready to give writing with a
fountain pen a try, how should you choose
one to begin with?  First of all, look at
the size.
A fountain pen is a very personal
instrument and it's supposed to be
perfect for your hand; if you have a big
hand, get a bigger fountain pen. If you
smaller hand, get a smaller one.
When in doubt, it should never be too
short and rather be a little longer, but
you also want to pay attention to the
width because when you hold it and if
the pen is too wide,  it may be
uncomfortable to write with it.
Frankly, there's no clear-cut answer for
it, you simply have to try different ones,
and different widths and lengths to
figure out what feels comfortable in
your hand.
The second thing to pay attention to is the weight.
In general, we often associate
weight with something luxurious that is
really full of craftsmanship. 
Now for fountain pens, that may be really nice if
you just want one to just sign something,
but if you want it to write into
letters that are pages long, you want
something that is not too heavy,
otherwise, your hand will tire out more
quickly. Again, figuring out whether
something is too light or too heavy, also
depends a bit on your personal
preference; so I urge you to try
different fountain pens at a store or
something that is sent to you but always
get a selection, so you can make sure you
find something that really works for you.
And don't just settle for the first best
fountain pen you come along. 
Likewise, just because it's expensive and a
recognizable brand name doesn't mean
it's best for you and your hand and your needs.
The third thing you look at is the
filling mechanism. To write with the
fountain pen, you need ink and ink is
typically found in a little cartridge inside
the fountain pen. They're basically small,
disposable plastic tubes that hold the
ink and they're widely available. 
Yet, finding different colors can be a bit
more tricky. Some brands also design
their cartridges so you can only buy
proprietary ones, which limits you in the
choices of ink and it's also more
expensive, the longer you have the fountain pen
and because of that, many people switch
to a converter which is basically
another plastic tube with a little
mechanism so you can manually add ink to
it and therefore, you open up the whole
range of inks on the market and it's
also much less expensive, it's also less
harsh in the environment, and overall the
more sensible choice. More old-school way
to re-ink a fountain pen is a
piston mechanism. Typically, you just turn
the becket of the fountain pen which
pushes a piston back and forth.
It creates a low-pressure environment which
sucks in the ink inside the fountain pen.
When you do that, always make sure
there's a little bit of air left inside
the piston otherwise the ink flow may
not be as smooth and nice as you want it to be.
In my opinion, it's much more
elegant than using cartridges or a
converter and it's my fountain pen
mechanism of choice. Like in the early
days of fountain pens, you could also
find models with a lever and a second
inside or some push-nut mechanisms, but
none of them have stood the test of time.
And today the piston, the converter, and
the cartridges are basically the options you have.
Next up, you look at the nib.
First of all, the material can
be important and of course,
the workmanship of the nib and how refined it is.
Generally, the softer and more
flexible the nib is, the better.
While steel nibs are rather smooth and very
economical,  higher-end fountain pens typically come with
gold or palladium nibs but they always
have an Iridium-tipped point which hardens
it because that's where the nib
touches the paper. Of course, gold and
palladium tips are also much more
expensive than more economical steel or
metal nibs. On top of that, the size of the
nib itself is also important; the larger
the nib, typically, the nicer it is to write
with it. Because of that, the most
expensive fountain pens typically have
larger nibs than less expensive fountain pens.
Again, if you need twice as much gold
for a nib for a big one, it gets even
more expensive. The one thing even more
important in the nip size is a tip of
the nib because that's what you write with.
Typically, these days you find extra
fine, fine, medium, broad, and very broad
nibs; they're often abbreviated as f, EF, m, b, and vb.
100 years ago, fountain pen
manufacturers would offer 50 different
kinds of nibs including extra, extra fine, and extra broad. They also had stub nibs
and oblique nibs that were slightly cut
and angled just to get a different look.
If you're just starting out or if you're a lefty, I
suggest going with a fine nib or maybe a
medium nib is the best way to start.
It gives you greater flexibility and makes
it easier to write with it.
That being said, of course, you should
always try the nib in a different width
so you understand how they feel
differently and how they look differently.
In general, if you have a big
hand and a big handwriting, a slightly
broader nib may look more appealing.
On the flip side, if you like an elegant
look and you have a small handwriting,
an extra-fine tip may be the right one for you.
In calligraphy, stub or italic
nibs are very popular. Personally, I like
really wide nibs for signatures because
they give it a unique look that is very
hard to fake.
So for signatures, I typically use an
oblique 3B nib, which is a triple width
and it's very wide. I wouldn't want to
write letters with it though because it's uncomfortable.
Now, medium-sized nibs
are the most common standard sizes and I
like my handwriting to look a little
different, so when I write longer letters,
I typically go with something extra fine.
That being said, I'm a big fan of flexible
nibs that allow me to create a very fine,
thin line if I apply less pressure and
a much wider line if I apply more pressure.
Oftentimes, the vintage fountain
pens have much more flexible nibs than
modern fountain pens; so if you like the
variation in your stroke, maybe you have
to look into vintage fountain pens first.
So once you settle on a fountain pen
that works for you, how should you write with it?
Well, first of all, you have to
use a high-quality paper. Many regular
printer papers are not really suited for
fountain pen ink because as soon as you
write on them, the ink bleeds and looks
very bad. Instead, buy a paper that is made
for fountain pens and when you write on
it, it will look beautiful.
The same is true for stationary if you want to write
greeting cards -- make sure it works with a fountain pen.
A good paper doesn't
feather or run and it is often made out
of cotton; so before you buy a paper, ask
specifically if it's meant to be written
on with fountain pens or buy from a
source that supplies them and
advertises them as fountain pen paper. 
The broader your nib, the more ink will
transport onto the paper and the longer
it takes to dry. So if you write with a
fountain pen and you touch it with your
hand, you may smudge it and it will look
terrible.
To prevent that you have to either let
it dry, or use an ink blotter. 
If you want to get ahead quickly, and of course,
always be aware that you can smudge ink.
Typically fountain pens come with a cap
and some people like to post the cap on
the back part of the fountain pen
because that creates a different balance.
Personally, I have larger hands, and like
larger fountain pens and posting a cap
on top is not really necessary, and it
creates a weird balance for me. 
So I typically don't do it with my fountain pens.
That being said, some fountain pens,
especially smaller ones are designed to
have a cap posted in the back for the
perfect balance. Again, this is something
you have to try out yourself and see
what kind of feel you like.
On vintage fountain pens, I've often seen a cap crack,
probably because it was posted too often
and too aggressively. So personally,
that's another reason why I don't do it.
The fountain pen I use for signatures is
actually in a stand on my desk and the cap
is mounted to the stand so I couldn't
even have the opportunity to post a cap on it.
Now, when you write with a fountain
pen, it's essential that you keep it at
the right angle, and that you're not
flexible with your fingers.
So what exactly does it mean? If the tip of your
nib is facing down on the paper and the
slit is facing up, it should have a net
angle of about 45 to 55 degrees.
Once with that angle, write a few words to find
that sweet spot for you that feels
comfortable writing. If you angle your
nib above 55 degrees or below 45 degrees,
it won't write as nicely, it won't be as
smooth, and the ink won't be transported
as well onto the paper, and it's just
weird, it also sounds strange and scratchy.
You also want to avoid twisting
the pen because the tines should be in
touch with a paper at times, otherwise,
the ink won't flow.
And a really important distinction to running with a
rollerball or ballpoint pen is that you
have to keep your hand rather rigid.
What do we mean by that?
Well, some people are finger writers and
they move their hand in their fingers as
they write. With a round ballpoint pen
that is okay because it works in every
angle but with a fountain pen with a
straight nib, that is not the case.
So once you have the right angle with your
fingers, you shouldn't really adjust your
wrist, you just stay rigid, so you
just keep on writing. Yes, there can be a
little bit of movement, but you'll figure
out at what point in time it's too much
movement and the pen won't write anymore.
As a general rule, your arm and your
shoulder will do more of the work than your wrist.
 Honestly, it sounds more
difficult than it is, if you just try it
a few times you'll get the hang of it pretty quickly.
Last but not least, you have to
learn how to apply the right amount of
pressure onto your nib. As the tip of the
nib touches the paper, just apply a
gentle pressure and you'll feel how the
ink flows out. Please don't press hard
on it because it may damage your nib as
well as the paper. Also, it means that
you'll get a lot more ink out of the
nib and just not a good look, you'll likely smudge it.
Now, what about lefties?
Can they write with a fountain pen?
Back in the old days, people who were lefties
had to actually learn how to write with
their right hand because it was the
proper way to do it. In this day and age,
children learn how to write with their
left hand, it just requires a different
positioning for their hand, so they don't
smudge the writing because it goes from
left to right. Personally, I'm
right-handed, so I can't speak from
experience, but I know that lefties have
found a way to hold it in a proper way
so you don't smudge your writing. 
If you are a lefty, I suggest you get a fine,
medium nib because it allows for
greater angle variation. Then of course
you have to practice and I suggest you
google for a video for a lefty who shows
you how to do it, because my left hand
writing would not be a good example.
So long as you know how you choose the
right fountain pen for your hand and how you
write with it, what else do you need to
keep in mind? Well, I think that you
should always keep the cap on top of the
nib where you don't write with the
fountain pen. Why? Well, if you don't, it
dries out and you'll have a hard time
actually starting to write the next time around.
Also, your nib may get
damaged, so unlike with a ballpoint
pen, you always want to put the cap and
cover your nib. On top of that, a fountain
pen needs a bit more maintenance which
means, it has to be cleaned regularly.
While some people suggest to clean your
fountain pen every two months,
I personally do it once every couple of years.
Ultimately, it depends on how often
and frequently you use it and if it
looks sturdy and it doesn't write
properly, it's time for a clean.
To clean, I suggest you hold your fountain pen
under running water, you can also put it
in a glass of water, let it soak and you
can exchange the water until you don't
see any more ink color. A much faster
way to clean your fountain pen is to
use an ultrasonic cleanser but that may
be too costly, if you just have one fountain pen.
Ideally, you take all the
parts apart,
wash them individually, and let them dry
gently on a cloth towel, for example, so
you make sure there's no water in the
ink reservoir, otherwise when you write
and there's higher water content, your
ink won't look as strong and it's also
more likely to bleed.  Also, avoid exposing
your pen with the ink to extremely cold
temperatures because it may freeze or
you shouldn't just let it sit in the
attic where it gets really hot because
the ink can also dry in and then
cleaning it may take a much longer time.
That being said, there are certain things
that have a certain stabilizer added
that is supposed to keep them from
drying in but that goes only so far. 
If you expose the ink to extreme
temperatures, it will dry out. If you live
in an extremely cold environment, you can
also try Noodlers Polar Ink which is freeze-resistant.
Personally, I like the
inks from Montblanc because they have
nice colors and it doesn't dry and even
if I don't use the fountain pen for a while.
So what are the ideal conditions for
ink storage?
I'd say, I'd rather have the cool room
temperature, darkest spot. 
And one hotly debated item is if you should lend your
fountain pen to someone else or not. 
Some people argue that giving your fountain
pen to someone else means the whole
dynamic of your fountain pen that took
several weeks to get there will
disappear because someone else holds the
fountain pen slightly different than
you do, others think that it doesn't
matter if someone else takes a quick
note with it.
At the end of the day, it's something for
you to decide, and you can see and feel
how long it takes to write in your
fountain pen until it feels like it is
your fountain pen. Now with that being
said, if you want to learn about the most
common fountain pen mistakes especially
beginners make, check out this video here.
I'm sure you will thank me for it. 
In today's video, I'm wearing a white dress
shirt paired with a Prince of Wales
check coat in a light brown and dark
brown with an orange-reddish overcheck.
I'm pairing it with a madder silk bow tie
in red with elements of blue and yellow,
and my pocket square is a wool-silk
blend that likewise picks up the color
of red, yellow, and blue. You can find both
of them in our Fort Belvedere shop here.
My pants are black, cotton chinos from
Ralph Lauren, I'm pairing it with a pair
of whole-cut Oxfords in a chestnut
medium brown and a belt in brown that
matches that color and I chose a gold
buckle from our belt system that works
well with my rings. For my socks, I chose
a pair of ribbed, mottled yarn socks in
blue which are a prototype that I'm
testing right now. It picks up the color
from the pocket square and a bowtie,
thus tying it all together. If you're
interested in the belt system where you can
exchange every buckle with every belt
please check it out here. The fountain pen
I'm using personally is a Montblanc Meisterstuck. All the other pens you've
seen are from different videos and we
have quite a few of them on our channel
so if you're interested, check them out.
