#pilot kakuno ink pens

[pratignya18]

Brand-ed!

What are your favorite brands and why? “Humans are genetically hardwired to notice differences and differences are often what attract people to your brand in the first place” A good pair of jeans, a comfortable pair of boots, and an ink pen that glides like molten butter on paper and you’ve made me the happiest person around. It was in the summer vacations of grade 8 that I shot up and moved…

[bees-n-bones]

first week (+ 1 day) is done!!

the concept is that this is a lair built inside a mountain by an evil scientist, the structure was revealed a few weeks ago in game time by a chunk if the mountain falling and taking parts of room 1 (and maybe more) with it

this first spread feutures such things as; a storage room wich will disapear anything left in it for more than 30 minutes, a portal that will teleport you to a random room, a secret passage in the library, and some other fun stuff

i am finding this challenge quite fun and the likelihood of me doing the full thing next year is high, but im very happy that im doing this mini-version first since i am figuring out stuff i would like to do different as i work

[perverse-plasticity]

Pretty happy with this one, despite the smudges! It took fucking forever, I’m never crosshatching again. Done with a pilot kakuno EF and diamine dragons blood.

[yamneko]

I mean, it's the perk of having penpals. You need to get different colored inks and pens at least.. right???

[urbanadventureleague]

Fountain pen update, August 2023: Some new mid-level pens and a general stabilization of the stable

From left to right: Sailor “Bridgestone” pocket pen, Platinum Procyon, Sailor Compass? and Pilot Kakuno It’s been a hot minute since I’ve talked about my fountain pen obsession. During my Japan trip in March and April I purchased a Pilot Elite 95S pocket pen, also known as the E95S. This is the classiest pen that I own besides the brass Kaweco Sport Emee got me for Christmas. It’s also the first…

[erysium]

in your vesper and onion post i saw that it looks like you inked the pages traditionally! Your art always looks so lovely; I was wondering what your art process looks like? Do you always ink your art traditionally, do you colour digitally or with a traditional medium etc?

Thank you!! I still feel like a traditional ink newbie, but I do draw and ink comics or illustrations traditionally once in a while! I've been using one of the super cute Pilot Kakuno fountain pens, which I hear are nice for beginners. It has a little wink face on the nib ;)

[malacandrax]

Hello hello!! Just wanted to say that I really love seeing your traditional drawings, they're so charming 🥺 It's pretty rare to see trad. art on here compared to digital, which is a little sad.. there's just something about the personality it has!

Do you find that the post engagement they receive is less than your digital works? Personally I've had this experience but I'm not sure if it's different for other artists 😯 It's discouraged me a lot from posting since I don't regularly have enough time to sit down and make a digital piece vs drawing in my sketchbook 😓

On a related note, is there a pen you'd recommend for sketching/doodling? All the pen drawings in your sketchbook posts are so pretty 🫶

Thank you so much! That means a lot honestly. Seeing other peoples sketches is one of my favourite things, you're right, it's generally less perfect but I think it has more charm because of that. I feel like *personally* I actually often favour traditional stuff over digital when I see it online- I have a big collection of digital sketchbooks and fav'd youtube flipthroughs.

HOWEVER yeah I think we are in the minority. To be completely honest on itch.io I've actually only made 4 sketchbook sales*, I assume there's a market out there but I ain't hitting it haha! I do have a good chunk of patrons that comment and like my sketches, which is wonderful, and I often get sweet tags on the doodles I share here- but you're right that engagement is lower. I'd encourage you do just do it for yourself, though! There's nothing like having a big stack of art in real life. Maybe that's a privileged position for me to have, at the moment I don't need to worry about engagement on my sfw art, but also it's a shame to not do something you enjoy because of numbers. (I would recommend using a scanner if you want to catch more peoples eyes. Mines crap but it's way better than photos were.)

Pen wise I am a picky bitch, I like things that don't require pressure, make a uniformish line, and ink that flows easy- so I prefer gel pen styles or fountain pens. My most recent fav were some lyreco retract gel 0.7's my partner randomly brought home from work lol, but I lost the black one and replaced it with a uniball signo 0.7 [UM-120*], honestly they're just regular gel pens though, I generally try them out in a shop and pick ones that don't blob or scratch.

My fountain pen is a pilot kakuno, which atm has that blue grey ink in (sailor 224) and I really love it. (also I put it into a water brush pen) I've also used carbon platinum for a good waterproof ink.

Good luck with your sketchbook endeavours, and thank you again!

*there are...at least two types of uniball signo, and the other one with a soft grip is bad imo.

**thank you to those sweethearts who bought the sketchbook!

[july-19th-club]

my sister has two fountain pens, both very friendly pilots (a metro and a kakuno) and she brought them to me to clean them or fix them bc neither of them write without flow issues . and well her first problem was that she didn't realize she had no ink in one of them. her second problem was that she brought the ink out to refill and ... baystate blue. noodler's inks are imo extremely overhyped in general but what ive discovered this morning as i'm rinsing her pens out at home is that this one leaves a gritty/sludgy residue of blue/black particulate on fucking everything. i knew it stained to high heaven but it's so GUNKY . and almost greasy? sludgy. this stuff is harder to clean than my organics studio nitrogen and nitro is fucking famous in fountain pen reddits for being so staining and hard to clean. if noodler's ink has one million haters im one of them. if noodler's has ten haters im one. if noodler's has one hater that is me. if noodler's has zero haters i am no more on this earth . if the world is with noodlers then i am against the world

[daftpatience]

hi pen friend!! I got a pilot kakuno pen recently and I am playing around with it. However!!! I learned that I really like having thicker bold lines and I’m kinda sad that the non on my shiny new pen is so so very fine. Is there a way to broaden the nib a little or do you maybe have recs for a pen with a slightly broader nib? (I have been preferring pilot pens with a 1mil nib size, those have good thicc lines that I like. Even a little thicker without being a marker would also be IDEAL) This is gonna be a work pen for me so being durable would also be a nice bonus.

ooh so!! there are a couple things you can do in this case!!! IM PUTTING IT UNDER A READMORE CUS I RAMBLEEEE letsgooo

• swapping out the nib pilot kakuno nibs are compatible with many other pilot pens including the 78G, Prera, Plumix, Penmanship, and Metropolitan! it can be hard sometimes to find spare nibs for this brand, so if this is what you wanna do i'd suggest hunting around any local pen shops that might carry nib replacements + ebay/facebook marketplace/etc.

• grinding the nib down this option is usually not recommended for beginners, but i'm all for fucking around with things i own (sometimes to my detriment) so i'd definitely look into it! especially with something as affordable as a kakuno - most fountain pens are tipped with a somewhat fancier metal (iridium, osmium, gold, palladium, etc) which you Don't want to grind all the way away, but kakunos are not tipped with anything special. they're just plain stainless steel through and through, and i see no issue in giving grinding a go in that case! you'll definitely want to watch a lot of videos on the process - most involve a whetstone and/or extremely fine grain sandpaper & lots and lots of smooth, confident hand movements.

the two i learned are these: smooth, long strokes where you tilt the pen from a low angle to a high angle, and figure eights. the angle of the pen is extremely important, and you'll have to be careful to ensure everything is balanced.

i've ground down a cheap knockoff lamy to a WIDE chisel before, and it came out better (albeit still a bit scratchy) than it used to write (because it wrote like shit originally) imo, as long as the inkflow is even and consistent i don't mind a little feedback on the page.

• getting a pen with a broader nib ok this is where i recc some more pens!!! if you're looking for a workhorse that's a little broader or juicier than a kakuno, i cannot overstate my love for the platinum preppy in 05 (medium nib). this little thing is an absolute legend. they can sit inked and idle for an entire year thanks to the cool seal mechanism in the cap, and i've never had one dry start on me before. they're cheap, feel amazing, i can go on. since they last so long, usually the first failing point is their bodies rather than their nibs, so if you want something a little more durable you can upgrade to a platinum plaisir (which is just a preppy with a metal body!)

i can also highly reccomend Lamy safaris for their ease of nib swappability and range of options! you can go all the way from an EF to a 1.9mm chisel tip >:)

the pilot metropolitan is a universally beloved pen for its quality, though i don't have one so i have no personal stuff to say! this and the lamy are a little pricier than the preppy/plaisir/kakuno but with that comes the bump up in quality and longevity. things to consider!

in general i'd say that any fountain pen with a snap cap rather than a screw cap will work well for work - since unscrewing and rescrewing a cap all day as you do things is sort of a pain in the wrist. i find myself leaning to my lamys & preppies when im working since its so much faster and easier to pop that thing lol.

[blue-bujo]

Last week in my Weeks. I typically don't use stickers this big, but I like how they fill out the pages. Would do again.

Fountain pen: Pilot Kakuno, F nib

Ink: Ferris Wheel Press Roaring Patina Black

Stickers: Stickii Club

Other: Zebra mildliners

[bees-n-bones]

yeahhhhh boyyyyy

1 day down, 28 to go! ill do updates once each spread of 7 (8 for this first one) rooms are done, i might even sprinkle in some of the lore ive come up with :3

[eggbunni]

Decided to be a fountain pen masochist and actually ink up my Pilot Kakuno with Organics Studio Nitrogen. Eeee!

Also crazy to see how much my “quick” handwriting has changed in a year.

Book is the Hobonichi 5-Year. ✒️✨

[decepti-thots]

not a meme question, but do you have a favorite pen? i don't know anything about them but you seem to, lol

I do, but my answer will differ depending on if you're asking my personal favourite pen or if you want advice as someone who doesn't use FPs as to what a good way to try one out is, anon! (sorry you just ACTIVATED MY TRAP CARD)

I currently have six fountain pens, five of which are 'starter'/budget pens and one of which is a mid-range 'enthusiast' pen. My favourite I own is the latter. It's my Nahvalur Original, which I own in the Spring colour, and which cost me around £45. It's a pen designed to exclusively take bottled ink with a fancy filling mechanism, instead of ink cartridges. It's not high end by the standards of fountain pens, per se, but it's solidly in the 'enthusiast' realm. (My Dad, who once owned an FP because he needed something that looked good while signing Important Work Documents, did a double take when I told him how much it was, lmao. He did not ever spend that much on one pen.) It is a hefty, lovely thing with great build quality which I can use with fancy ink and feels great to write with. Nice nib, great quality, looks awesome.

But if you have never used a fountain pen, and want to try it, you do not need to spend over £20 or your local equivalent, fwiw. Many cheap fountain pens suck, but equally, many people who have spent thirty years collecting them who own pens worth hundreds will happily tell you, many cheap fountain pens are excellent, and noone needs to spend much to get an industry-gold-standard one. My second favourite pen is my Pilot Kakuno, which is aimed mostly at schoolkids in Japan where Pilot are based, can be bought for under twenty pounds shipped in the UK, similar prices in most of the world, and writes better than multiple 'adult' pens I own. Because Pilot has incredible high quality pen nibs and the Japanese FP market is competitive. You could easily buy just a Kakuno and be set forever with a pen that is extremely good quality! And there's other similarly great options too; there's a whole section of the market that is just 'good pens for newbies'. The Lamy Safari is a very famous option from a western (german) brand, for example. (Also have one of those, it's good.)

If you want to try fancy fountain pen inks with special qualities like sparkle or sheen, you'll probably need to put down a little extra money for a converter- basically a refillable cartridge that refills from a little ink bottle, instead of the disposable ones most stationary shops sell. But you don't need that if you're happy with the normal ink cartridges. All cheap fountain pens accept cartridges, though the better brands do tend to require you buy their cartridges, unfortunately.

And if you REALLY don't want to risk it: buy a Platinum Preppy. Platinum are a very well regarded brand, they use the same nibs in their entry level pens as they do their £30 ones, just with cheaper gel pen like bodies- and they are like. £5. Comes with a cartridge. Writes great, I own one. Again, a Japanese brand aimed squarely at schoolkids, very cheap but genuinely good to write with.

(The one thing for fountain pens I would say is, do spend the extra little bit on a cheap notebook with fountain pen friendly paper. Same as with e.g. paints, good paper is more important than the pen a lot of the time. The worst fountain pen in the world on good paper is better than a £500 pen on shit paper. Here is a guide; I use Clairefontaine.)

anyway sorry maybe you didn't want all of that. but if you think fountain pens sound Interesting and are curious, i'd encourage you to try one, but buy cheap. many cheap pens rule. and fountain pens are great- they are better than almost every other kind of pen for doing longform writing, because they don't cause wrist strain when doing it for long periods. i would definitely recommend a fountain pen over other kinds if you want to use it to write for long periods, no matter what pen you get, tbh!

[whatsinmypen]

Starter Fountain Pens 

(that aren’t the Pilot Metro or Lamy Safari) 

(So you never have to ask me for recs again)

New to fountain pens? Long-time enthusiast? No matter, you’re probably sick of hearing about the Lamy Safari and the Pilot Metropolitan (or Pilot MR in certain markets) and their respective merits as beginner fountain pens. It feels like every other day someone asks for suggestions for their first fountain pen, and inevitably the recommendations for either of those two come flooding in.  

It’s not without reason. I’m guilty too—the Lamy Safari is still one of my favourite pens of all time (and I will still recommend it), and the Metropolitan is just about the safest bet you can make on a fountain pen when you’re just getting started.  

That being said, there are a ton of other pens out there, and I feel like newbies sometimes miss out on pens they might like better. So, to help further our collective horizons, here are 22 OTHER fountain pens for absolute beginners.  With links!

All under $30.  

1. Pilot Varsity ($3.30 or $21.25 for assorted 7-pack)

Afraid of commitment? Looking to dip your toes before diving in? No problem--just try out a disposable fountain pen! For a pen designed to be disposable, the Pilot Varsity writes pretty well and comes in 7 fun colours. Just mind the paper you're using--it can bleed through pretty easily, as it is one-size nib only (and that size is medium).

2. Platinum Preppy ($6.00)

Not quite as "disposable" as the Pilot Varsity, the Preppy has a few advantages: multiple nib sizes (though they're all pretty fine), a wide assortment of colours, and can even take a (proprietary) converter if you so choose. They do crack pretty easily, especially at the cap and grip section, but they're still a solid choice for a fountain pen newbie.

3. Jinhao 993 Shark ($3.95)

Not only are these pens adorable and affordable, their (hooded!) nib is exceptionally good considering the low price, though medium is the only nib size you'll get. Don't feel too bad though, because this pen comes with a converter included! I honestly have zero complaints about this pen, it's an awesome, quirky buy.

4. Jinhao x450 ($9.90) & x750 ($9.99)

Now these look like fountain pens. Pull one of these out at a meeting and you'll definitely get a couple of questions (or perhaps encounter a pen friend out in the wild!). Metal construction, medium (& somewhat gushy nibs), and a converter included? Sign me up! They might be a little heavier than what you're used to, but otherwise make for a great starter pen.

5. Paili 013 Vacuum Filler ($9.95)

Pro: a vacuum filler pen for under $10?? Yep. Forget those cartridges and unleash the power of bottled ink with this surprisingly reliable fountain pen!

Con: If you're a newbie, you're likely unfamiliar with this filling mechanism, so it might be a little daunting. But I promise there's no mystery, and YouTube is your friend!

6. Platinum Prefounte ($11.00)

Another Platinum, this time a little dressed up but still fun! The Prefounte comes in both fine and medium nibs and takes either proprietary Platinum cartridges or converters (sold separately, unfortunately). This pen is also pretty forgiving if you end up forgetting it in your drawer: Platinum's Slip & Seal mechanism can keep the ink from drying for quite a while (allegedly, up to a year). Keep in mind, Platinum pens tend to have a little bit more feedback (read: scratchy feel on paper), so if you don't like the feel of writing with pencil, for instance, maybe opt for a medium nib.

7. Luoshi Labyrinth ($12.95)

If you want something striking and unique, this Luoshi might be right up your alley. The Labyrinth is an all-metal pen with a surprisingly smooth medium-fine nib. It might be a little too weighty for those not accustomed to hefty metal pens, and some people have complained that the cut out labyrinth design adds some discomfort to lengthy writing sessions, so keep that in mind!

8. Pilot Kakuno ($13.50)

If you've heard good things about the nib on the Pilot Metropolitan but wanted something cheaper/quirkier, boy have I got good news for you! Marketed for children in Japan, the Kakuno has the same nib unit as the Metro, making for a superb writing experience at a considerably lower price point. They come in a ton of colors and take proprietary Pilot cartridges or converters. Nibs of different sizes come engraved with different smiley faces for extra fun.

9. HongDian Black Forest Series ($16.95)

This pen is just cool. Matte, all metal finish? Check. Cool colours? Check. Converter included? Check. Matching colour nib? Check (on a couple of them, at least). Though this pen is metal, it is pretty slim and comes with a textured grip, making for a pretty comfortable writing experience (unless, of course, you don't like slim pens!)

10. Kaweco Perkeo ($17.00)

I call this pen Kaweco's Kakuno, because... well, just look at it. Then go back up to #8 and see that I am right. Regardless, this pen is a solid choice for a beginner, with different nib options (all pretty smooth) and a great assortment of colours. It also has a triangular grip, which will help you hold the pen in the correct position--though some people find it uncomfortable, so keep that in mind!

11. Platinum Plaisir ($17.60)

Pros: Aluminum body, several colours to choose from, different nib options (fine & medium), and Platinum's magical sealing cap to prevent your ink from drying.

Cons: Converter (proprietary) sold separately. Boo.

12. TWSBI GO ($18.99)

This little pen (the most affordable TWSBI iirc) has quite a few things going for it. It comes in several colours and has a bunch of different nib sizes (from extra fine all the way to a 1.1mm stub). The filing mechanism (a simple spring loaded piston) is very practical and easy to use, though it may be a little unfamiliar to most beginners and will require bottled ink (so go ahead and add to cart while you're at it!).

13. ONLINE Slope ($19.00) & Switch Plus ($20.50)

Smooth writers with ergonomic grips (i.e., triangular) to keep you in position when writing. Both the Slope and Switch Plus are made of plastic with stainless steel nibs that come in both medium and fine and write pretty smoothly. They're a great choice for a beginner, but maybe skip these two if you're not a fan of the triangular grip or if you like heavier pens.

14. Delike Mojiang Pocket Pen ($19.95)

If you'd like to give pocket pens a try, maybe start with the Mojiang. This little pen is all-metal, which gives it a nice heft despite its small size. It only comes in fine, but writes more like a medium. Though it takes standard international converters and cartridges, watch the size--some converters might be too long to fit! Furthermore, smaller pens usually mean smaller ink capacity, so if you're writing in long sessions you may have to refill more frequently.

15. Moonman M2 Eyedropper ($21.95)

If you want a large ink capacity and want to see it slosh around your pen as you write... well, look no further! Though this pen can take cartridges and converters, it was designed as an eye dropper pen, meaning you fill the body of the pen itself with the ink of your choice with... you guessed it, an eyedropper (included!).

16. Wancai Mini ($21.25)

Same as the above, just. Teeny tiny!

17. Diplomat Magnum ($23.20)

Despite its lofty name, the Diplomat Magnum is pretty slim, not to mention super light. It has a nifty little ink window so you can keep an eye on your ink level and comes Diplomat's soft touch stainless steel nib (in sizes extra-fine to medium) for a super smooth writing experience. This is another pen with a (less pronounced) triangle grip, and comes with a converter included.

18. Pilot Explorer ($23.60)

Pilot at it again with the superb nibs. Like the Kakuno and the Metropolitan, the Explorer also features a frankly incredible stainless steel nib (in both fine and medium). It comes in several colours and Pilot even deigned to include a converter with this one (though it's a squeeze converter that 1. might be a little unfamiliar to some and 2. kind of sucks in general, so maybe stick to the Pilot cartridges with this one).

19. Faber-Castell Grip ($24.00)

This pen is literally designed to be a beginner fountain pen, but it still looks pretty sleek, imo. It does feel a little plasticky/cheap, but that Faber-Castell nib writes super smoothly. It only comes in fine, though it writes more like a medium. No converter included with this one (boo-hoo).

20. Kaweco Sport ($25.00)

Another German pen, and another pocket pen! I love Kaweco nibs (from EF to medium, though you can buy other Kaweco nibs separately), and the Kaweco Sport is a great introduction to pocket pens. They come in a ton of colours and are pretty reliable, though they only take short international cartridges (and a short converter, which, you guessed it, is sold separately). There are several colour and material variations, but the classic has a plastic body and stainless steel nib. Maybe skip if slim writing utensils are not comfortable!

21. Pelikan Twist ($26.00)

OK, this pen may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I had to add it. It's super funky and the nib (medium) is pretty good. All in all, it's a pretty nifty way to try out a Pelikan, and if you're into the design (and the triangular grip) it can be a fun and reliable daily writer. Converter sold separately (askjdbaklsdjb)

22. TWSBI Swipe ($26.99)

This pen may not look like it goes over the top, but let me tell you, it does. The TWSBI Swipe boasts no less than four different ways of filling it. You can use your regular cartridge. You can use the (included!!) traditional converter. You can then swap that converter out for a piston converter (also included! what?!), and if you're not happy, you can just eyedropper the whole dang pen. It might be a little too much, too soon for complete newbies, but the learning curve is not very steep, and it's a great way to try out all of these methods on a single pen. Like the TWSBI GO, nibs (stainless steel) go from an extra-fine all the way up to a 1.1mm stub.

[thegodthief]

You've mentioned using fountain pens in passing before. Do you have any pens, ink, and paper you prefer? Tried and true supplies? Others saved for special times?

Paper: AFFORDABLE! I would say that answer is in jest, but my budget is giving me side eye. While I do have special paper for special things that may or may not intersect with the use of fountain pens, it is for a greatly limited reason. Most of the time, I'm writing on whatever paper/notepad is in reach and it is for this reason that most of my nibs are F or EF to limit feathering. Because cheap paper will suck ink out of a pen faster than you can refill it if you use a M nib or larger.

Pens: Pilot Kakuno, my beloved. I have found them to be accessible to my budget and accessible to my needs. I have a few set aside (with corresponding ink) for use in magical endeavors. If they get lost or I drop it nib down, it's not a reduction in my net worth.

Ink: Diamine, my beloved. J Herbin, my lover. For black, there's nothing like J Herbin Onyx for me.

If I could only have one: Pilot Kakuno EF + J Herbin Onyx, please and thank you.

Right now my fountain pens and inks have been put in storage because I just don't have the room to go all in with them again. Once I finish rearranging some stuff and clearing out some debris from my life (emotional and physical), I'll be able to sit down with my pens again and stain my fingers unique combinations of colors.

I have a few Edison pens, and some Stipulos, but the day I dropped a LE Stipulo one foot onto a tile floor and shattered the end knob off of it was the day that I realized I'm not paid enough to have a "true" fountain pen habit. Give me the Kakunos and Metropolitans, and I'll be okay.

[themetalvirus]

YOU.HAVE.A.COLLECTION?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! ALSO YES I IG I AM PRETTY NEW!! U JUST REMINDED ME I SHOULD USE IT

YES!!!!!!! quick closeup of my pen desk =)

currently inked, left to right: nahvalur horizon in dusk, moonman m2, nahvalur original: peter draws edition, twsbi eco, twsbi diamond 580 in iris (stub nib), kaweco sport in pearl (limited edition!), twsbi diamond 580 in iris (fine nib) (one of my favorites), lamy safari in lightrose (limited edition but currently still available!), moonman n6 (fude nib, another one i reach for a lot), pilot kakuno

not pictured: two fountain pen revolution himalayas, the ACCURSED ooly splendid (DO NOT BUY UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES), the fountain pen revolution muft (BAD.), a discontinued sheaffer calligraphy thing, my jinhao shark (it's my travel pen so it's in my purse), the pilot metro i gave to my ex

USE YOUR FOUNTAIN PEN. USE IT. DRAW SILVER AND THINK OF ME ON THIS SPECIAL BIRTHDAY DAY.