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

Submitted by  Drewscape on  April 30, 2012 - 2:56 pm

I'm an illustrator from Singapore. And I draw comics.

When I first found out about flex pens, I went on a wild search for the ideal or close to ideal flex fountain pen for drawing. I first got a Noodler's Ahab flex pen which did the job but it was a little stiff for me. Next, I got a Pilot Falcon EF which felt good but I soon realised that it was only considered a semi-flex. And it didn't give me a lot of line variation when I drew with it. After reading the posts on FPN and found that a vintage flex pen would give me a really good flex, I searched for a good vintage pen restorer to buy a pen from. I found a few sites that restored vintage pens. I first bought from one site which sold me a vintage flex (Waterman's wet noodle XXF-BB with a "user-grade" body, customised just for me) for US$400. I was willing to spend that amount because I wanted it to be my ultimate pen! When I got it, I realised that it turned out to be only a F-BB. But it had good flex. And it is still a very good pen. But I believe I overpaid now that I look back.

I still had not found the pen I was really looking for. As an illustrator, I just want a pen that goes from extra or extra extra fine to a nice thickness and is flexible enough that just a slight pressure would create line variations in my drawings.

I soon found Greg Minuskin's site. He sells vintage fountain pens like hotcakes. They were always gone before I could decide to buy them. So I emailed him for more information about vintage fountain pens (I'm still a newbie to fountain pens) and he was very friendly, prompt and helpful with my questions.

I believe one of the reasons why his pens sell so fast is that they are so affordable. So affordable (around US$60- $200) that I thought they might not compare with the $400 pen I had bought before. But I was wrong. I did finally manage to buy a pen from him recently and it is exactly as he described it. The hairlines are really extra fine hairlines and it flexes easily to a good thickness. I would compare the feel of it to a dip pen's g-nib, only much smoother. And it was also a Waterman's with a well-restored casing for much much much less then my other pen. It was perfect for me! It had just the right stiffness and flex to fit the speed I draw. It felt not too soft and not too hard. I've filled it with Pelican ink and used it to draw this random drawing attached. (They are sweating because it's very hot here in Singapore right now.) It's perfect for my style of drawing! And I'm really happy with it. It ranks as one of my favourite pens I use daily as an illustrator. Maybe my ideal pen.

Of course, not every artist wants an extra fine pen. So it's best to find out what you really want before picking a pen from an online store. Also, it would be wise to ask for more details about the specifications before paying since you can't try it for yourself.

I'd gladly recommend Greg to anyone looking for affordable, well-restored, get-your-money's-worth vintage pens with great customer service included!

Oh, take note that there is a US$20 shipping fee on top of the pen to Singapore. It comes safely wrapped up with a tracking number.

https://gregminuskin.com
https://drewscape.blogspot.com

Tags
art product reviews
fountain pen

Comments

Drewscape Mon, 30 Apr 2012 - 18:39

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.

raphael (not verified) Tue, 01 May 2012 - 01:18

wow, that is pretty amazing service :) i always like when you get to talk (or write, in that case) not only to real people, but also to those guys that run the business, and not some hired Q-and-A cubicle soldier. nothing produces happy customers like treating them with respect, and be more for them than just an anonymous dispenser of things in exchange for money.

i, myself, prefer dip pens for ink drawing, but i do have a soft spot for nice fountain pens, especially beautiful vintage designs like the sheaffer targa or the legendary parker 51. they dont make design of that caliber anymore. i also feel your pain regarding fountain pens capable of thin lines. my handwriting has a really low x-height, so even the EF nib of my chinese fountain pen is pushed to its limits occasionally. that is what kind of keepy me from buying a twsbi fountain pen: they ought to be incredibly well-writing pens, but the nibs are made in germany, and thus, their EF nib probably isnt as fine as an asian EF.

Drewscape Tue, 01 May 2012 - 15:56

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.

Li-An (not verified) Thu, 03 May 2012 - 04:55

Interesting post as I searched for pen for drawing (I used a Waterman to ink a comic book but I found it too heavy). I bought a Pilot Capless Fountain Pen but I use it to write my stories :-))

Eugene Heng (not verified) Sun, 06 May 2012 - 00:16

Hi,

I just got some Noodler's pens, the Ahab and the smaller Flex. I must say that the Flex has a softer response than the Ahab. According to Nathan Tardif the maker of Noodler's Ink, the Flex pen can be used to fit vintage waterman nibs, the so called wet noodle.

Loved your posy and thought that you might give the smaller Flex pen a try. I do feel that you are right in that the vintage nibs are less stiff....

Cheers

Drewscape Sun, 20 May 2012 - 23:40

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.

Drewscape Sun, 20 May 2012 - 23:51

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.

lim Kian Aik ,Peter (not verified) Tue, 02 Jan 2018 - 16:14

i have a pen and I need to restore it as surface coating. Can you help me??