Fountainpen users, how do you do it?

Unfortunately, Sheaffer no longer makes the cheap fountain pens. I started using them when I was in middle school, or possibly even in grade school, and I have a sentimental fondness for them. I have several, and they’re fairly easy to find on eBay, but I am saddened at the thought that I can’t wander down to the store and pick up a cheap new fountain pen.

Gosh that is sad (that is my post, I was accidentally logged in as Phatlewt, sorry). Now I’m going to have to stock up! Do you remember what that model was called?

I was just going to offer another suggestion. Turn the pen over (upsidedown, flat side to the paper) and try writing with the back of the nib. If I understand you, your problem is that you angle your hand foward and back as you right, causing the nib to lose contact with the paper. By starting upside down, you’ll press more of the nib to paper when you angle.

When I first started writing with an FP I wasn’t sure of the “right way” to do it – no one ever showed me – and was writing upside down for a while. It works fine, actually, but eventually I started rotating the pen to its side, so that the nib would wear down at an angle and give me sexy pseudo-calligraphy. Nothing like a pen that’s broke in just so.

No sorry. The saleslady said it was the only FP that had that mechanism, so it should be easy to find.

Sorry, I was actually asking Lynn Bodoni about our fondly remembered discontinued el cheapo $2 Sheaffer pen. :slight_smile: I’d like to get a few but without the model name ebay is somewhat difficult.

Once I switched to blue-black, and started capping my pen during long lulls in writing/doodling in short lulls, I no longer had any ink problems. I still say you should try writing upside down, and using blue ink. :slight_smile: