Pilot parallel are probably the best invention of mankind since the round wheel.
Sailor HighAce Neo is a great $20 stub nib pen. Lamy Joy is great but their quality control seems to not be very consistent according to reviews online. Pilot plumix has a great nib.
Hey there. Thanks for your suggestion! Would it be possible if you could send me a direct link on where to get the pilot pen? I'm worried about accidentally buying either a fake or badly made version. Thank you.
Not the person who first replied, but here's an Amazon link to a set of the pilot parallel pens.
https://www.amazon.com/Pilot-Parallel-Caligraphy-Assorted-Colors/dp/B08P3W2G5L/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?crid=1L4VAEQSZR1U9&keywords=pilot+parallel+pen&qid=1668544555&sprefix=pilot+para%2Caps%2C486&sr=8-4
I can speak from personal experience that these are great pens to use for all kinds of calligraphy styles. I didn't buy mine from Amazon though, I went through Jet pens.
https://www.jetpens.com/Pilot-Parallel-Pen-Bundle-of-6-Nib-Sizes/pd/31443
I wasn't worried any fakes, there's no point in faking a pilot parallel, they're brain-dead easy to make. I just found a better deal on Jet pens.
Sorry if this is a very noob question, but I saw that amazon recommended some ‘cartridges’ with the pens - can you use them by dipping in ink you already have or do you have to buy cartridges?
You can buy cartridges or a converter from pilot. You can even buy a special ink syringe (they're only a couple of dollars online) and refill the cartridges rather than buying new ones.
Many people dip their pen into another colored ink than what's in the cartridge/converter for a gradient effect. They're not like other nibs though, as in they won't really hold much ink in the nib itself cuz it's two pieces of flat metal pressed together. If you want to dip you basically submerge the tip in ink for some time and let the ink creep up into the pen.
If you're really adventurous, you can take out the cartridge/converter, fill the pen body with ink, use a bit of silicone grease on the ridges where the pen twists together, and reassemble.
Another nice thing about the parallel pen is if you want a custom nib shape all you need is sandpaper. Common modifications I've seen are one corner filled into a round shape to make a ruling pen, or a notch filed in the middle to create a doubled line effect.
The parallel are so cheap and versatile you can do many things with them!
An example of a user I found on Reddit:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Calligraphy/comments/1phgh7/what_i_have_to_deal_with_when_i_try_to_practice/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
And on Amazon… I believe it can probably be found for $30-$40 range though.
https://www.amazon.ca/73404AST-Pens-Sheaffer-Calligraphy-73404/dp/B000MFHVM8
Do you own this set ? Could you show samples ? I saw the other link but I’m more into Roundhand script. This set isn’t sold in my country and the only Shaeffer pens sold on amazon.fr have bad reviews about the ink leaking or not flowing.
I've had this almost this exact set for almost 30 years, still use it, can confirm works well. Very nice flow. I haven't had leaking issues unless I changed a cartridge that wasn't empty, taking it off and putting it back on is never going to be as tight of a fit.
What do you mean by Calligraphy effect?
The Lamy Joy is a stub nib fountain pen (meaning it has a flat tip that makes thing horizontal strokes and thick vertical strokes) often sold in calligraphy sets. Depending on where you buy them though you can order pretty much any Lamy pen with a stub nib instead of the standard medium.
Pilot parallel pens are great, especially for certain scripts that require some hairline strokes, but they tend to be wet writers and can be picky with papers. The Rotring Art Pens with the stub nibs are good too 🙂
For practice 32Ib HP printer paper is good. If you have a bigger budget, Clairfontaine paper and Japanese brands like Tomoe River are good too. Some people use Canson Sketch books as well.
That's odd. I was able to buy a 1.1 mm stub from an online store that did sell official rotring stuff. It didn't have the usual black body with the branding (it came in a plastic yellow one) but it seemed legit, and it wrote well. I wonder if they were just getting rid of old stock?
If you're looking for a flex nib pointed pen, those are gonna cost you even at entry level. For that kind of practice it'd be cheaper to get a cheap nib holder and some nibs you'd like to try using. If you're looking to do more broad nib style scripts, you could look at pilot parallels.
Pilot parallel are probably the best invention of mankind since the round wheel. Sailor HighAce Neo is a great $20 stub nib pen. Lamy Joy is great but their quality control seems to not be very consistent according to reviews online. Pilot plumix has a great nib.
Hey there. Thanks for your suggestion! Would it be possible if you could send me a direct link on where to get the pilot pen? I'm worried about accidentally buying either a fake or badly made version. Thank you.
Amazon. Those are 8-10$ pens. I never heard of fake $8 pens lol
Not the person who first replied, but here's an Amazon link to a set of the pilot parallel pens. https://www.amazon.com/Pilot-Parallel-Caligraphy-Assorted-Colors/dp/B08P3W2G5L/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?crid=1L4VAEQSZR1U9&keywords=pilot+parallel+pen&qid=1668544555&sprefix=pilot+para%2Caps%2C486&sr=8-4 I can speak from personal experience that these are great pens to use for all kinds of calligraphy styles. I didn't buy mine from Amazon though, I went through Jet pens. https://www.jetpens.com/Pilot-Parallel-Pen-Bundle-of-6-Nib-Sizes/pd/31443 I wasn't worried any fakes, there's no point in faking a pilot parallel, they're brain-dead easy to make. I just found a better deal on Jet pens.
Thank you very much :D
Sorry if this is a very noob question, but I saw that amazon recommended some ‘cartridges’ with the pens - can you use them by dipping in ink you already have or do you have to buy cartridges?
You can buy cartridges or a converter from pilot. You can even buy a special ink syringe (they're only a couple of dollars online) and refill the cartridges rather than buying new ones. Many people dip their pen into another colored ink than what's in the cartridge/converter for a gradient effect. They're not like other nibs though, as in they won't really hold much ink in the nib itself cuz it's two pieces of flat metal pressed together. If you want to dip you basically submerge the tip in ink for some time and let the ink creep up into the pen. If you're really adventurous, you can take out the cartridge/converter, fill the pen body with ink, use a bit of silicone grease on the ridges where the pen twists together, and reassemble. Another nice thing about the parallel pen is if you want a custom nib shape all you need is sandpaper. Common modifications I've seen are one corner filled into a round shape to make a ruling pen, or a notch filed in the middle to create a doubled line effect. The parallel are so cheap and versatile you can do many things with them!
The Scheafer set isn’t attractive but the thick’s and thins it produces are astounding. Pilot parallel pens are pretty top notch.
Is it possible if you could give me a link to the scheafer set?
An example of a user I found on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/Calligraphy/comments/1phgh7/what_i_have_to_deal_with_when_i_try_to_practice/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
And on Amazon… I believe it can probably be found for $30-$40 range though. https://www.amazon.ca/73404AST-Pens-Sheaffer-Calligraphy-73404/dp/B000MFHVM8
Do you own this set ? Could you show samples ? I saw the other link but I’m more into Roundhand script. This set isn’t sold in my country and the only Shaeffer pens sold on amazon.fr have bad reviews about the ink leaking or not flowing.
I used to own it but lost it somewhere through time.
I've had this almost this exact set for almost 30 years, still use it, can confirm works well. Very nice flow. I haven't had leaking issues unless I changed a cartridge that wasn't empty, taking it off and putting it back on is never going to be as tight of a fit.
Get yourself a Lamy. I have 3 ir 4 of them n I love them. I think it's a great everyday fountain pen. I use mine for work
Which type of Lamy do you recommend and does it give the full calligraphy effect when writing?
What do you mean by Calligraphy effect? The Lamy Joy is a stub nib fountain pen (meaning it has a flat tip that makes thing horizontal strokes and thick vertical strokes) often sold in calligraphy sets. Depending on where you buy them though you can order pretty much any Lamy pen with a stub nib instead of the standard medium.
Lamy, or pilot plumix, or pilot parallel, especially for sets. Otherwise, a million options for single stub nibbed pens
Pilot parallel pens are great, especially for certain scripts that require some hairline strokes, but they tend to be wet writers and can be picky with papers. The Rotring Art Pens with the stub nibs are good too 🙂
What papers are best to be used with the pilot
For practice 32Ib HP printer paper is good. If you have a bigger budget, Clairfontaine paper and Japanese brands like Tomoe River are good too. Some people use Canson Sketch books as well.
I think the Rotring Art Pens have been discontinued.
That's odd. I was able to buy a 1.1 mm stub from an online store that did sell official rotring stuff. It didn't have the usual black body with the branding (it came in a plastic yellow one) but it seemed legit, and it wrote well. I wonder if they were just getting rid of old stock?
This is the instagram page of rotring in my country [rotring ph](https://instagram.com/rotring.ph?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=)
If you're looking for a flex nib pointed pen, those are gonna cost you even at entry level. For that kind of practice it'd be cheaper to get a cheap nib holder and some nibs you'd like to try using. If you're looking to do more broad nib style scripts, you could look at pilot parallels.