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Left Handed

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I apologize if this question has already been asked, but are there any pencils and pens that are specifically good for left handed people. Specifically, fast drying pens or pencils that don't smear. Thank you!
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DBergy65
6
Dec 8, 2017
As a new Fountain Pen user (I got hooked less than a year ago) that is left handed, I had many concerns as well. There are three areas that can be adjusted to help: nib size, paper and ink. The finer the nib, the quicker the ink will dry on the paper since less will be applied by a fine nib then a broad. I tend to stick to medium and fine nibs. Extra Fine nibs sometime dig into cheaper paper since as a lefty I often PUSH the nib while writing where a righty would be PULLING the nib. Paper is a factor in how it absorbs ink. Very high quality paper tends to let the ink sit ON the surface so the water in the ink has to evaporate to dry; other paper will absorb more of the ink moisture INTO the paper will dry faster. I am still experimenting in this area though. Then there is the ink: there are so many inks and all have unique characteristics and drying time is one of them. Some are purposely made to dry fast. Noodler's Bernanke inks and Private Reserve Fast Dry inks are just some that come to mind. My suggestion is to try samples of ink colors you like and experiment on a variety of papers. Gouletpens.com offes sample inks and a package of sample notebooks. Hope this helps...
alexlea444
4
Dec 8, 2017
DBergy65Thanks for all the information. I'll definitely be trying out those samples!
You might want to take a look at the Yoropen.
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It's available in several versions.
joeltwilcox
17
Nov 8, 2017
I ended up getting into fine writing equipment through a random search for this topic once. JetPens is a good source of obscure Japanese writing stuff and has a blog entry about this very question:
https://www.jetpens.com/blog/pens-writing-supplies-for-the-left-handed/pt/891
Granted, this isn't a strictly high-end list of recommendations, but they're the only place I know of in the States that sources pens from Japan that are ergonomic for left-handers. I especially like my Jetstream ballpoint multipen because it dries super fast on nearly any paper. Not exactly a fine writing utensil, but there you have it.
Schneider pens offer left handed fountain pen nibs and their Slider family of pens with Viscoglide ink have remarkably fast drying inks ideal for lefties.
mikelcal
0
Oct 23, 2017
I also have this question. I have used the Lamy Safari pens with the left-handed nib, but that doesn't seem to make much of a difference if I use a regular nib (it still catches paper fibers from time to time). I is annoying that the left handed option provided by Lamy is only available in one thickness, and there is really no variety. I have been looking for a fountain pen with a nib suitable for some copperplate style calligraphy
MrSharkbait
479
Oct 24, 2017
mikelcalThe Italix pens from Mr. Pen offer left handed nibs. Two models dropped in recent weeks.
tom.benedict
86
Oct 23, 2017
Never knew those three were south-paws! That's cool.
To answer your question, when I was in school I gravitated toward technical pens loaded with inks designed for drafting. I've still got a set of Koh-I-Noor pens with some ink still left in the original bottle. The ink dries incredibly quickly, and once dried, is pretty impervious. For drafting, technical illustration, or inking pencil drawings, it means you can erase the pencil lines after inking without smudging anything. For a leftie like me, it means by the time my hand drags over the ink, everything is already dry so nothing smudges.
But they're not without their problems. I live at 2,500' above sea level, but routinely work at 14,000'. The pressure change is enough to make these pens dump ink everywhere. The same thing happens if you take them on an airplane without emptying and cleaning them first. These days I mostly use whatever pen I have in my bag, and smudge away. :/
tom.benedict
86
Jan 18, 2018
Sad to say she didn't, but they're really not that expensive. Even with the color gel assortments and the colored pencil lead she picked up (yeah, she went NUTS!) it still came out less than $20USD for each of us. Here's the one she got for me: https://www.jetpens.com/Uni-Style-Fit-Meister-5-Color-Multi-Pen-Body-Component-Black/pd/7301 Scroll down on that page and she got the pencil attachment and black, red, and blue cartridges.
alexlea444
4
Jan 18, 2018
tom.benedictAw shucks. That's quite an impressive selection, especially for under $20 USD!
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