Any fountain pen users out there?

[imwjl]

I really enjoy them but don't actually use them as much as I once did because so much communication for work and family is with voice and a keyboard - tablets too.

The obsession and collecting was inspired by good pens as prized possessions my grandparents and dad had, and our family business served Parker Pen. My collection is a bit heavy on Parkers including prototypes and my grandfathers'.

I might have posted these before. My World Memorial Duofold edition is extremely rare. Towards the end of real or Janesville based Parker they made a few in USA after Duofolds were already only made in Europe.

The World Memorial editions have a piece of metal from dismantled USSR and USA nuclear weapons. They're otherwise modern type Duofolds.

My favorites for general use and quality are a Lamy 2000 I got used but in superb shape and the older style Pilot here. The retractable with gold nib Namiki here. Then of course the Parker 75s. Those 1950s - 60s designs are probably best ever for total package of works well, handles well and looks good.

[rllink]

I might add, I write letters on stationary and in cursive to my son in Los Angeles. One a month. I think that he likes getting them.

[imwjl]

Originally Posted by rllink

I might add, I write letters on stationary and in cursive to my son in Los Angeles. One a month. I think that he likes getting them.

Nice.

My daughter has superb hand writing and while not fully into the pens, discovered an old wax seal for letters with family initial. When she was home she would do letters with nice inks I have and seal them that way.

These posts are a reminder that I hope my kids appreciate a few of my possessions if the bus runs me over sooner than expected. There's a really nice acoustic guitar, some pens and a few antiques my wife might only see as stuff.

[Fretboard Phil]

I've been using them since middle school, so for more than 50 years. I only use them for journaling in the morning now, since everything else has gone computer. Plus the recycled paper at work wicks the ink and looks like a mess. I have a Parker 75 like shown a few replies above, but can't use it because it leaks. Now I use two Cross pens and a Tombo from Germany. Write On.

[Gunny]

I was into fountain pens for a while. Still have a couple. I paid to have some really nice pens restored, but got out when it started to cost a lot.

I wrote letters to friends and family and they thought it was "weird". Phooey.

[fumei]

I have used a fountain pen for 60 years. I use other pens for other purposes, but I journal every day (and have for 60 years) and I HATE when I happen to not have my fountain pen with me. The flow suits me well for getting thoughts out.

Vancouver has a store dedicated to pens in general, but fountain pens in particular. I do not want to think of the money I have spent there.






I also use it for my drawings. Although I use a calligraphy version.

[M Hayden]

Yep. I used to use expensive ones, but the new plastic Pilots have more or less taken their place. They’re inexpensive enough to keep in a backpack, and they work beautifully, much better than their price suggests. I use them for everything from letters to family to renderings and drawings. That, a rollerball, a two-ended sharpie, and a pencil are the essentials, IMO....don’t need too much else.

[dirkronk]

I used cheapie fountain pens from about second or third grade (c.1957-8) through junior high. Parkers, mostly, occasionally an equally cheap Sheaffer. The earliest had the side-lever filler and I refilled via the old glass ink bottle with the tip-to-fill small half-moon pool at the top so you didn't have to plunge the entire nib and grip into the ink. Later came cartridge-style cheapies: a buck for a blister pack containing the pen itself and a starter pack of two or three refills. I still have the last Sheaffer I bought from those days, black barrel/chrome cap, and still works surprisingly well.

By 8th grade, I had received a "nice" Parker pen and pencil set and was inordinately proud of the pen: sleek black body, brushed chrome cap with gold-plated clip, click-ring and nib. The fountain pen was cartridge or fill-converter, and it worked beautifully until the plastic finally gave out about three decades ago. In high school and a good bit of college, I used it for formal reports or anywhere I wanted to show off penmanship...otherwise, by that time, 19-cent Bic ballpoints were my everyday go-to.

As a college freshman, I also started my career in graphic design, and that meant introduction into specialized technical pens (Rapidograph and, for some situations, Mars pens); also, an Osmiroid for calligraphy projects. My first Rapidograph had a "0" nib and a body that looked like a mid-level Mont Blanc fountain pen. To avoid having the plunger-nib mechanism clog (they were notorious for needing frequent cleaning), I was told by my professors and my boss to use it daily, for everything: writing checks, taking notes, sketching. It completely shifted me to a lifetime preference for very fine nibs and very fluid ink. I partially retired my Parker but continued using the Rapidograph even after I got my first post-college jobs, when others in the ad biz were indulging in very high end Mont Blancs and similar snob pens.

When I made a career segue to copywriting in the late 1970s, the Rapidographs went into a drawer and I went through assorted pen styles. Eventually (early 1980s?) bought a Rotring 600 fountain pen with ultra-fine nib (along with matching ballpoint and 0.5mm mechanical pencil). Solid metal hexagon barrel, stupidly heavy (I actually love the heft), and uses the shorty ink refills recommended for Mont Blanc and just about every other Euro-style pen maker. Recently, it has manifested a tendency to leak at the nib insert, so it should probably be serviced (rubber washers replaced, whatever), but alas! San Antonio has become a city that isn't friendly for fountain pen enthusiasts these days. I can scarcely find ink cartridges, let alone get professional service.

Today, the ancient Sheaffer, the Rotring, assorted Rapidographs and a Mars pen set (size 0000 to 4 nibs all included), plus my old Osmiroid set, all share my pen drawer with one other fountain pen: a high end Parker of some sort (45? 75? dunno...the gift box had all ID removed) that my cousin bought as a gift for my parents on their 50th anniversary...and which they never used. Very pretty, but I haven't used it yet, either. Maybe soon.

For what it's worth, as I ease further into this retirement thing and settle into my intent to write songs late in life, I'm being drawn back to fountain pens in a big way.

Confession, though (M Hayden, take note!): I have to admit a bit of a penchant now for Pilot "Precise V5 RT" pens in assorted colors: IMO, what roller/gel pens were always meant to be...super-fine point, super-fluid, affordable and easy to use. Pretty darn close to a Rapidograph without the required upkeep.

Cheers,

Dirk

[M Hayden]

The Pilots punch well above their weight - I love mine. Sketching with a fountain pen is, if you’ll excuse the pun, more fluid.

[dirkronk]

Originally Posted by M Hayden

The Pilots punch well above their weight - I love mine. Sketching with a fountain pen is, if you’ll excuse the pun, more fluid.

At my house, puns are ALWAYS excused. Acknowledged, often groaned at, but excused for sure.

Cheers,

Dirk

[tinnitus]

I don't currently own one. I'm curious to know if they are also prone to smearing on greeting cards like Pilot G2 gel pens. Interesting to see this thread pop up here. I saw another VERY similar thread on a completely unrelated firearms forum just a couple days ago. My response there was:
-----
Parker cartridge fountain pens were a one-time Christmas/birthday present for my sister and me back in grade school, 1963 or so.

Teacher: "[Tinnitus], quit playing with that pen and pay attention."

Me: "I'm not playing with my pen!" [Blue ink all over both hands and some on my face.]

[Fretboard Phil]

Yes, fountain pens smear on greeting cards if they have the shiny surfaced paper. If the ink doesn't bead up, it may dry OK, but I usually step down to a ball point for shiny paper.

[imwjl]

Originally Posted by tinnitus

I don't currently own one. I'm curious to know if they are also prone to smearing on greeting cards like Pilot G2 gel pens. Interesting to see this thread pop up here. I saw another VERY similar thread on a completely unrelated firearms forum just a couple days ago. My response there was:
-----
Parker cartridge fountain pens were a one-time Christmas/birthday present for my sister and me back in grade school, 1963 or so.

Teacher: "[Tinnitus], quit playing with that pen and pay attention."

Me: "I'm not playing with my pen!" [Blue ink all over both hands and some on my face.]

There are far more ink options now but paper that is not friendly with most gel pens will probably work poorly with any fountain pen.

There are also refillable roller ball pens as a way to take advantage of the many inks available. Pen and ink choices are like the many high end and low end guitar choices! So much stuff but still have classics too.

Your 1960s Parker cartridge type will be compatible with converters to use bottled and specialty inks. On the '60s, I love some of the 50s and 60s pens. That was sort of peak time for design and engineering efforts.

Nice pens and nice paper are enjoyable much like making your music manually - not turning on the radio. Just like my music efforts, you can spend a lot of time and money still not being very good at it.

[ziapack]

I have used fountain pens for years, got my first as a graduation gift from my Dad when I finished high school. Went through college before the computer so used it a lot then. I always liked writing letters to friends and family so use fountain pens for that as well. I do some journaling and write some poetry just for the joy of writing. I like that feel of a good nib on paper, the flow, the scratch. It is pleasing, don't know what to say.

I have bought some cheap ones over the years, they don't last, wear them out fairly rapidly. I haven't ever bought any of the high dollar pens, but feel a good Schaefer in that $80 range is what I prefer.

Experimenting with ink can be a learning experience as well, kind of similar to finding the right strings for your guitar. I've settled on Waterman ink, mysterious blue and intense black are my two favorites. It is fast drying and I get very few smudges using the Waterman inks.

Good paper is also a pleasure and worthy of a good pen. There was a good pen and paper shop in the city where we go to shop, my last trip to town I saw that it had closed, another Covid casualty. Was a loss, don't know of any others shops of the same caliber.

[imwjl]

My kids have taken some interest so I've been filling some interesting pens and trying some new ink.

I got the legendary and infamous Parker T1 out that's nearly all titanium where the Lamy Personna is not really but a wonderful pen. This T1 was my dad's and he knew Parker engineers who worked on the project. It's actually had a lot of use. Now I read the nib material can break off and is nearly impossible to repair so it will sit like the 1920s and 30s pens that were family elders.

My fascination with titanium alloys started with the T1. Our family scrap processing business served Parker pen. I recall the titanium tube stock scrap and creating sparks in the dark.

I should photograph the T1 with my Moots bike calling it first and last ti rides. It's more of a magical metal for bikes than pens.