Where To Get A Well-Restored Yet Affordable Vintage Fountain Pen With Flex!

Glad you asked. He didn't state the name of the pen. Just that it was a waterman's with flex, and it goes from hairlines broad strokes, like all the pens on his site. Judging from the photos, it looked fine. That was good enough for me. He has Waterman's up on his site from time to time. If it's a waterman's, or a similar reputable brand , it should be of good quality. But what really counts is the nib and the feed of the pen. If it's made from that era (early 1900s), the pen is usually made to be very durable and well-made. And since it also goes through Greg's hands, it should work fine. He is reputed to be an expert on nibs.

But sometimes he doesn't mention how fine the nibs are on his site. And it's hard to tell from the photos. So it's good to just ask him before buying. He is friendly so he won't mind you asking. The pens are all different so it will be hard to find one exactly like mine. But there will always be good pens to very good pens on his site.

Just one tip: you shouldn't put waterproof inks (like noodler's bulletproof) in fountain pens with extra fine nibs. Only put them in those with fine nibs or broader. And never put indian ink in them.

I did an interview with him sometime back. https://www.facebook.com/groups/USKSG/doc/405069356171519/

I agree. It's nicer when you are getting something direct from a craftsman you can talk with rather than a faceless company. You can match the quality of the product to his skill level. I heard the parker 51 is a really good pen. I'd personally get that one of it were an italic nib only because i'd want to only use it for drawing. Not so much for writing. Italic and flex nibs give you interesting lines for drawing. The advantage of EF nibs is that you can see more line variation if the pens are very flexible. Of course a more economical alterntive are dip nib pens which are great too.

Well there are many models of Waterman pens. And different types of nibs too. I heard that a good one would be a Waterman 52 with a #2 nib. But that's rare. But there are other watermans with very flexible nibs. If you are doing comics, like me, a more flexible one would be more suitable. Best to get more information from the seller about how flexible it is before buying.

Not all vintage waterman nibs are "wet noodles". Some are more flexible some are less. Depends on your preference. A softer flex will respond to every slight pressure you exert on the nib. Good for drawing but maybe you'd have to draw slower and more carefully with them in case you snap the nibs. My earlier waterman pen I got is a "wet noodle" (though I heard that that's not a formal term) and it's very very soft. My pen from Greg is also soft. but has a bit more stiffness in it. which is kinda of nice because it allows me to draw a little faster. I like both. They serve different functions.

I think it might be possible to put a vintage nib on a Noodler's pen. But since vintage pen bodies are already so durable, (they've lasted about a 100years), I would put a vintage nib on a vintage body.

My hands are pretty big. My regular sized waterman already feels a little small. So a smaller flex pen may feel too small. haha.