: Re: Suggestions on fine-nibbed fountain pens that retain moisture well, or trouble-shooting of mine, which don't I grew up in Germany, where we were required to write in fountain pen from second

@Berumen699

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After successfully using disposable fountain pens for nearly two years, I switch to a dip pen. When you consume a pen a week, the main reason was a question of costs and pollution.

A dip pen has the advantage that the ink is in a separate container, which can be properly sealed, and shaken to life when needed. Also, you can add both thickeners and thinners, should it change consistency. The dip pens are also easier to clean, and you can adjust the tip according to your needs and feeling. The disadvantage is that dipping forces a very specific pace to the writing, typically slower compared to any other pen. You need to select your tip according to the pace you are willing to endure.

As for your pens:

An old Lamy school pen that meets all the criteria except that it has a nib that is a little too broad for me.

Sadly, little can be easily done in this case.

Two new low-end, plastic-barreled Lamy pens that write at the width I want and meet all the other criteria but whenever I go to use them (even, it seems to me, when I am using them frequently) they are dry (though the cartridge is full) and they either require extensive coaxing before they write fluidly, or never really get there.

Two possible issues here:

the cap is not sealing well, leaving the pens basically exposed to a constant flux of air. A possible solution is to close the pens in a plastic bag, or put tape inside the cap to improve the sealing.
the ink is not correct. You may be using ink designed for other pens, but which dries too quickly on these Lamy. If you refill the cartridge yourself you could consider adding a small amount of thinner.

an array of Esterbrook pens that do fabulously on sentimental value (they're what my mom grew up using) and on vintage coolness, and well also on fineness, but not very well on several of the other criteria -- they dry out easily, their sacs degrade easily, and they do not reliably handle travel well (and I'm talking ground travel, walking or driving)

They may fare better if you place them in a small padded case, with a piece of rough cotton cloth nearby. Also remember to clean the tips well after each use: dry ink is a pen-killer.

a 1920s Moore pen with a lever-refill sac like Esterbrooks that is delightfully fine, has excellent fluidity, and has the most flexible nib I've ever seen on a fountain pen; but unfortunately, the plastic is simply starting to break down and recently the barrel cracked in a way I'm not sure is repairable

Epoxy resin may help you here. It is a very strong and hard resin. You can apply a coat on the barrel and it should hold it together for much longer.

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