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Here is a Halloween throwback to 2021 when Retro 51 released the The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Limited Edition Tornado Popper Rollerball.

This spooky looking pen was limited to just 1031 items (the date of All Hallows' Eve) and the great looking design of this pen only helped in it selling out very quickly, supposedly within the hour!

Here are a few common questions we often get asked to do with fountain pens and ink. If there is something we haven't covered and you need help with don't hesitate to contact us.

1. My pen won't write. What can I do?

If it is a brand new pen make sure the cartridge or converter is pushed into the pen fully. An ink cartridge has a seal that must be broken for the ink to flow. It may take a while for the ink to get through the feed into the nib to start with. Try squeezing the ink cartridge to get some ink into the feed or screwing the converter to force some ink up into the feed.

A ball pen works by a small metal ball baring moving at 360 degrees in a fitted socket distributing the oil based ink.

Early inventions had a thin tube that was filled with ink. A small metal ball was held at the end to stop the ink leaking out, very similar to today's current design.

The first patent for a ballpoint pen was issued in 1888 to John J. Loud who was looking for a writing instrument that would write on coarse surfaces, such as wood, jobs that a fountain pen could not achieve. However, Loud's design was not suitable for letter writing so was never released commercially.

Before the fountain pen there were quills or dip pens which had to be repeatedly dipped to replenish your ink. So something more practical was needed. Queue the development of the fountain pen.

The first recorded fountain pen was from 973 when Fatimid Caliph Al-Mu'izz Ii-Din Allah requested a pen that didn't leak over his hands and clothes. He was presented with such pen that had an internal reservoir that held ink.

If you have been thinking about starting on your fountain pen journey you may have done an internet search and felt a little overwhelmed by all the terms and especially the price of some fountain pens. But buying a fountain pen does not need to be scary as writing with one is such a great experience it should be enjoyed by as many as possible.

If you are new to fountain pens or switching from cartridge filled fountain pens you may have wondered how to fill up a pen with bottled ink. It is not a scary process and is actually quick and easy.

This short video will show you how to do this using a piston filled fountain pen.

Both hugely popular for their ease and convenience of writing but maybe you wouldn't know which is which? Well hopefully this can help.

The way the pens work are not hugely dissimilar. Both have a tiny metal ball bearing in the nib that glides around 360 degrees to evenly distribute the ink. However, it is the ink itself that differentiates these two pens, which we will get to later.