The Only Civilized Way to Write; Or, Let's Talk About Fountain Pens!

In My Humble Opinion
1

Fountain pens! The epitome of civilized communication. Who here has 'em, who here loves 'em, who here want to talk about 'em? Who here thinks Slow Moving Vehicle must have been a virgin until he was 37?

I’ll go first.

Normally I carry three pens with me pretty much at all times: a Lamy Studio with a Medium nib, that I just learned how to swap out for a Fine (thanks again, Green Bean!); a Parker Sonnet that is my daily writer; and, since I like to fart around with Spencerian script, a Noodler’s Ahab with a flex nib, suitable for the aforementioned circumflatulation.

But tragedy struck yesterday, when I left my jacket on top of my car and - I’m horrified to say - forgot about it and drove off. My wife rescued my jacket and pen case some hours later, but the pens…well, we only lost the Ahab, but the Lamy is in critical condition - completely shattered feed, otherwise just a few nicks in the barrel and cap. The Parker came through okay, with just a big dent in the barrel, though the tines of the nib might have gotten misaligned, as it’s a bit more scratchy. Still, I can write with it. The Noodler is a total loss, but I’m sending the Lamy in for repair and I am hopeful of a full recovery. Flowers and get well cards can be sent to Lamy’s repair center in Texas.

So, anyway, not all of you are vapor-headed ADDers like my stupid self. So, Doper nibheads, let’s talk pens!

2

I have several that I rotate through. My current favorite is a Pelikan M805, with a Lamy Safari in #2 position.

Currently on the sidelines due to injury is my Rotring can’tremember (one of the ones with the hexagonal metal body. I made the mistake of lending that one to a coworker with patience issues. She pressed down so hard the nib bent. I need to send it for repair.

There are several others that I use more rarely for various reasons. I usually leave two or three on my desk loaded with unusual colors for marking up printouts and such.

The big tragedy is the absence of a Lamy 2000 from my collection. Technically, I own three…

[ol]
[li]Lost at work, found after a month, lost again permanently[/li][li]Ordered, stolen off front porch.[/li][li]Fell out of motorcycle side are when I left the zipper partly undone.[/li][/ol]

I haven’t been able to bring myself to order another just yet.

3

How does it arise the perception that some intermediate stage between the quill dip pen and the ball point is the “civilized” apex? There have been many technological stages in the development of ink. At what point did ink reach the zenith of civilization? Is it somehow boorish to use modern state-or-the-art ink in a fountain pen?

By the way, when I was in college (50s), everything was done with a fountain pen, as ballpoints were in their infancy and not yet reliable. But the novelty of using the fountain pen wore off. I learned penmanship in grade school with a nib dipped in an inkwell.

4

Somewhere among my belongings is a Parker P51 with matching pencil that my Dad had. When I find it I’m going to send it off to the pen doctor for a rebuild. I bought a cheap fountain pen not long ago and was amazed to find that I enjoyed writing with it. My penmanship improved dramatically as I went along. Mrs. Gap even was able to read it.
I recall a thread a while ago on cursive writing not even being taught anymore. I’m not surprised given the lousy results one gets with ball points. Even the much lauded Sharp G2 gell roller leaves a lot to be desired compared to the fountain pen.
Fountain pen usage is very throwbacky, but like straight razors and fedoras, I’m counting on the hipsters. As an old fart, I applaud their love of vinyl records, tube amps and other classic technical items.

mind the gap

5

I respect the idea in theory, although in practice, I’m too clumsy and the resulting mess would be right out of Roger Rabbit.

I’m glad that others are preserving parts of our heritage, just as there are still people driving horse-and-buggies (horses-and-buggy?) Harness racing, okay?

6

I spent a few years refining my tastes in fountain pens. What I write with now mostly are two Pelikan 400NNs from the late 50’s, one tortoise and one green. Both are full flex. I think right there Pelikan hit the sweet spot of impeccable engineering and timeless beauty.

I don’t care for almost all modern fountain pens – there’s little true flex any more, and I think resin cannot compete with celluloid for charm and depth.

I have some BCHR (Black Chased Hard Rubber) Waterman 52s just barely out of the 19th century, and those are full flex as well, but I find I don’t use them as much. They are not pretty (can’t afford the red ripples), and it unnerves me a little to write with something so old.

I also have a scattering of other vintage celluloid – a gorgeous flexy Eversharp Skyline, some Burnhams, a teeny Vacumatic sub-deb which was my first vintage pen. A stub Esterbrook in gray.

I love my pens and would not be without them. I love that I can buy bottled fountain pen ink in hundreds of shades. But then I love writing by hand; I have spent my whole life fooling with developing a unique penmanship style.

I owe this little hobby to the fatal forces of the Fountain Pen Network, which opened a world to me.

7

All I need to know about fountain pens, I learned from Peanuts.

Is that a common occurrence when writing with them?
ETA: And do any of you have a Snoopy fountain pen? Also, are there different kinds, where the ink is in the pen, versus in an inkwell? Which are “better”?

8

I have a 25 year old plain ole Schaefer White Dot I plan to be buried with. And several dip pens. Two are mother-of-pearl, one of which lives in a satin lined velvet case. A third is made of wood and lives in a leather case. Another two are rather generic. When I was using dip pens, I developed a more swirly writing style which would be absurd with a ballpoint.

My hands shake a bit as a med side effect and writing has become frustrating. Now that I’ve been reminded, perhaps a return to a dip pen might be the thing to do.

9

In college, I used the Parker disposable fountain pens. Still keep a few at work.

I have two good pens: The amber from the set ofVisconti Millennium Arc pens. It’s gorgeous, but needs a new ink bladder or something. I’m also not a fan of the fine nib on the pen (I prefer a medium). But a friend gave me the pen just before he passed away, so it’s not going anywhere. :slight_smile:

When I write cards and such by hand, I use my Levinger Sea Glass pen. It was not expensive, but I love how it writes.

Next up, I’m thinking of buying a dip pen.

ETA: I’m not a hipster. I think I’m too old.

10

When the ink is contained within the pen, that is a fountain pen. When you dip the nib in an inkwell, that’s a dip pen, not a fountain pen. Dip pens are lineal descendants of quill pens. I have no opinions to offer about Snoopy or Peanuts.

11

Would it be too, too infra dig for the subject of cartridge pens to be introduced into the discussion?

12

I’m not a penman, so WTF?? Why don’t you just buy a new nib and fit it yourself?

13

Not for me. I actually don’t own any vintage pens - although I have my eye on a Sheaffer that I spotted in an antique store while Christmas shopping; if it’s there after the holidays, it’s mine - and all of mine are cartridge-filled. Although for expense’s sake, I do refill my cartridges with a hypodermic syringe.

Scientific Wild Ass Guess here, but…because fountain pens hold an ink reservoir large enough to allow for writing more than one or two sentences at a time - making them superior to quip and dip pens - but still allow enough control for good penmanship, unlike ballpoints. And as above, I am not especially enamoured of vintage fountain pens - all mine are modern. Some vintage pens do not work well with modern inks, though.

14

Just for giggles, I googled “ink cartridge pens” - and they are still made!

I remember using one in college (1967 - 71) and thinking the $0.19 BIC was a godsend - no more fumbling with a cartridge that was never completely empty - always enough to make a mess of your hand or the inside of a trash can - and you can see when it is running low!

I will, however, concede that real ink makes for a much classier presentation - but that is not enough to justify keeping one around.

I was once a draftsman - one of the few trades where ink survived (my set, bought 1967, included a pen). I never saw anyone use ink, and neither shop had ink on the premises.

But bless you for keeping the technology alive.
How about film photography? Complete darkroom - $50 including dryers for both paper and RC print media!

15

Good gracious, SMV!! I’m so sorry to hear of your losses!

Do you have a loupe? You can probably tweak the tines of your Sonnet right back into position. Sorry about the Ahab. I know how rare it is to find one of those that actually works right.

Pork Rind was talking about the Rotring 600. That has a unique nib, and the pen is not even made any more.

Not sure what you mean. The vast majority of FPs sold these days are cartridge/converter.

Well, resin has the decided advantage of not being explosive. :stuck_out_tongue:

But yes, the fact that modern pens don’t have true flex is a big problem. I know that they can’t do the gold the same way as they did before, but I’m not sure why they can’t replicate the Esterbrook steel flex nib. That thing is pretty sweet.

Do you have any wet noodles?

So, as for me, I like both vintage and modern pens, with an emphasis on German brands and ring-tops.

This is what I have in my purse right now (a few more than usual, but hey)

  • Sheaffer Balance Lifetime ring-top, early 1930s in black and pearl, fine point. This is my main daily writer, and always inked with Waterman Serenity Blue.

  • Montblanc Meisterstuck 146, unknown age but reasonably modern, with an italic nib. This is my latest acquisition, and it sure is nice. (No, I did not pay anything near full price for it.) It is currently inked with Noodler’s Pinstripe Homage (dark teal)

  • Rotring 600 Lava, broad nib, always inked with Aurora Black.

  • Wahl Eversharp Symphony, early 1950s, with a full flex nib, with Aurora Black.

  • Lamy Studio in blue with 1.1 stub, usually inked with PR Ebony Purple (it doesn’t look purple!)

  • Pelikan M200, black, italic nib, inked with Diamine Syrah (wine color)

  • Pilot Metropolitan, fine point, with franken-ink.

  • Sheaffer Imperial 440, 1970s, fine nib, inked with Rohrer & Klingner Fernambuk (bright orange-pink. this is my mark-up and editing pen)

My normal everyday carry is my Kaweco Sport XF, but I need to re-ink it, and I don’t feel like futzing with a syringe right now. (long story why I have to syringe-fill that one.) I also have several Pilot Varsities hanging around my desk at work. I can get those through the office supply catalog!

I also have a pretty extensive collection of all sorts of other pens, including odd vintage flexies, ring-tops of various makes and models, more random Esterbrooks than you can shake a stick at, not all of which are in working condition, a 100% one-of-a-kind pen made of hand-poured resin and shaped free-hand made by a guy in my pen club, grandpa’s Sheaffer Snorkel, other Grandpa’s sheaffer Targa, another Snorkel, a Parker 51, several 45s, and a bunch of other things that I’m forgetting right now.

Yeah, I like pens.

16

Exactly so. The nib on the Rotring is not easily removable (as opposed to my Pelicans, for example) and I’m not sure where I’d even get the parts. Nib repair is not particularly expensive, and you get the option of asking for customization as part of the repair.

Thinking about that pen specifically, I’ve always liked it for it’s extra-fine nib. It’s a great pen for making tiny notes. It’s always been a little stiffer than I’d like though, so I’ll ask for a little more flex. And I’ll never loan it out again.

17

Now I dont get expensive pens. I think my house must have some sort of evil pen gnome who secretly comes in and steals my pens because lose so many I just cannot see spending good money on one. I go to Costco about once a year and buy a dozen and later they are all gone and I’m resorting to stealing from places again.

18

I did not know that. When I was in third grade (the first year my teacher would accept any work in ink), it was my understanding that a fountain pen was necessarily the kind you could pull ink up into (and presumably spray at someone as a prank, although this was not encouraged at my school), and a cartridge pen was presumably a different species of writing implement.

Both items were a closed book to me, however, as I had found myself entirely incapable of directing ink from the nib onto paper. It wasn’t until some ten years later that I learned of the existence of left-handed nibs, and by that time I had already developed a completely illegible penmanship. Somehow, inflicting that chicken scratch on a nice finely-crafted instrument just seemed kinda wrong.

I still loves me some pretty penmanship from a nib, though. :slight_smile:

19

I’m not trying to be pedantic here, but none of those are celluloid.

20

I went through a series of Waterman pens for about ten years and couldn’t justify it to myself after a certain point. I bought a $200 Cross rollerball and never went back.