while I'm at it, another fountain pen question

[swan_tower]

How the hell do you use a shimmer ink in a fountain pen without it clogging up the moment you look away?

I have tried this precisely once, and the results were so bad that for the first time in my life, I purged the ink out of a pen rather than using it up. I don't know if the answer is "the pen you used is clog-prone" (Pilot Vanishing Point; I haven't had issues with non-shimmer inks) or "only ink with shimmer if you're intending to write a bunch immediately, because six hours later it will be causing problems" or "use a dip pen" or what, but it seems like other people are able to use shimmer inks more successfully. Is there something I'm missing?

Comments

[foxmoth]

The answer is, sadly, that some pens (and possibly certain filling systems) are more clog-prone, especially if they have fine tips (or finer). Unfortunately, unless you're using a medium or broad nib, this is likely to be an issue; it also depends on the amount of shimmer in the ink. Pilot VPs (Capless, Decimo) are particularly prone to drying out anyway because the click mechanism means that the nib is exposed to air in a way that a "regular" capped pen isn't, but this means they're also more prone to clogging with shimmer inks. :] Dip pens are fine as long as you remember to wash/wipe them off after use, which I have definitely failed at.

[swan_tower]

Given the capless mechanism, I didn't expect the Vanishing Point to be good for, say, a week. But it shocked me to not make it through an afternoon before I had issues. Per above, I think my core issue is that basically everything I own is a fine or extra-fine nib -- I legit need a different pen if I want to use these inks.

[foxmoth]

Yes - I'd categorically anti-recommend shimmer inks for the Vanishing Points, sadly. If you get a sufficiently wet sheening ink, those can be okay, but a lot of the sheening inks (not all) also have weird behavior issues, so your best bet is likely reviews or recs.