Pens

[Moliere]

I owned a fountain pen while on my mission. I used it for about a month before realizing the pain of using it far outweighed the coolness factor. I used cartridges since I carried it around with me but I can't even imagine trying to use a bottle of ink....but then again I'm not a banker so I also don't wear a suit to work.

[old_gregg]

I have a couple lamy safaris and reservoir cartridge things I really like

[Clark Addison]

I owned a fountain pen while on my mission. I used it for about a month before realizing the pain of using it far outweighed the coolness factor. I used cartridges since I carried it around with me but I can't even imagine trying to use a bottle of ink....but then again I'm not a banker so I also don't wear a suit to work.

You don't carry the bottle of ink around with you. We aren't talking about a quill that is dipped in ink. The bottle is used to refill a permanent cartridge, rather than using disposable ones.

Also, I don't wear a suit to work.

[Moliere]

You don't carry the bottle of ink around with you. We aren't talking about a quill that is dipped in ink. The bottle is used to refill a permanent cartridge, rather than using disposable ones.

Also, I don't wear a suit to work.

Gotcha, it would be cool though to have a bottle of ink on your desk but only if you had a quill pen.

[PaloAltoCougar]

I would have enjoyed receiving a fountain pen for Christmas but I was pleased to have received spats and a walking stick.

[chrisrenrut]

Gotcha, it would be cool though to have a bottle of ink on your desk but only if you had a quill pen.

I owned a fountain pen while on my mission. I used it for about a month before realizing the pain of using it far outweighed the coolness factor. I used cartridges since I carried it around with me but I can't even imagine trying to use a bottle of ink....but then again I'm not a banker so I also don't wear a suit to work.

i don't think that word means what you think it means.

[eldiente]

Anyone use fountain pens? Is that too nerdy to talk about? Over the holidays, I guess I had too much time on my hands. I ran across some websites written by people who care way too much about pens, and they hooked me. I picked up a couple of entry-level pens to see how I liked them (the fact that I am using a term like "entry-level pens" in a sentence is why I am thinking this may be too nerdy). I got a Pilot Metropolitan:



and a Lamy Safari:



In my limited use so far, I like the smoothness of the pens, and the ease of writing. Dislikes include looking like a hipster doofus whenever I use one in public. Also, I currently have ink stains all over my hands.

I figure that right in the middle of a semi-final football game is the perfect time to get this conversation rolling. Any fountain pen aficionados on the board? Any favorite pens? Or how about favorite inks? I have just been using the standard ink cartridges so far, but each of these pens comes with a converter so you can use bottled ink (and really, could there be any more of a ludicrous affectation than having a bottle of ink sitting on your desk?). I just ordered a couple of bottles, so I will be sure and update the board on how I like them (color, viscosity, drying time, etc.)

Anyway. Feel free and share any fountain pen-related thoughts here.

Check out www.thepenaddict.com

There is also a podcast by the same name.

[clackamascoug]

I would have enjoyed receiving a fountain pen for Christmas but I was pleased to have received spats and a walking stick.

Does the walking stick have a removable cap with which to store distilled spirits?

For Christmas I got a tube of Glister and a Kirkland bag of pistachios.

[Clark Addison]

Well, it appears that the message board at large may not be quite ready for the refinement of my fountain pen posts, but don't worry, I am not going to let the haters stop me!

As promised, here is my ink update!!!!

I received today my first two bottles of ink, and while I was at it, I bought another pen. Here is my collection so far:



First the pens. At the top, there is a gold Pilot Metropolitan with a fine nib. Second is a Lamy Safari, fine nib. And last is a black Pilot Metropolitan with a bold nib. OK, not a lot of variety so far there.

At the top are my two new bottles of ink. Before buying, I obviously did a lot of research, and based my decision on which labels I thought looked cool. On the left I have a standard black ink. Sturdy, workhorse, and I think we all agree a necessity. For my second bottle, I wanted blue (I like blue because it makes it easier to tell an original from a copy); however, much like BYU in 1999, I decided to move away from a traditional royal blue. I like a little deeper and bolder look. So I opted for "Noodler's Air-Corp Blue-Black". It is a dark blue that is discernible from black, but still deeper than a standard blue ink.

Still deciding which pen I like, what size of a nib I like, etc. I will be sure to keep the board updated through my journey, but I am already confident that nothing says classy like a old-timey fountain pen in my hands. Hopefully it will distract from the ink stains all over my fingers.

[Moliere]

[eldiente]

Well, it appears that the message board at large may not be quite ready for the refinement of my fountain pen posts, but don't worry, I am not going to let the haters stop me!

As promised, here is my ink update!!!!

I received today my first two bottles of ink, and while I was at it, I bought another pen. Here is my collection so far:



First the pens. At the top, there is a gold Pilot Metropolitan with a fine nib. Second is a Lamy Safari, fine nib. And last is a black Pilot Metropolitan with a bold nib. OK, not a lot of variety so far there.

At the top are my two new bottles of ink. Before buying, I obviously did a lot of research, and based my decision on which labels I thought looked cool. On the left I have a standard black ink. Sturdy, workhorse, and I think we all agree a necessity. For my second bottle, I wanted blue (I like blue because it makes it easier to tell an original from a copy); however, much like BYU in 1999, I decided to move away from a traditional royal blue. I like a little deeper and bolder look. So I opted for "Noodler's Air-Corp Blue-Black". It is a dark blue that is discernible from black, but still deeper than a standard blue ink.

Still deciding which pen I like, what size of a nib I like, etc. I will be sure to keep the board updated through my journey, but I am already confident that nothing says classy like a old-timey fountain pen in my hands. Hopefully it will distract from the ink stains all over my fingers.

Try Noodler's Liberty Ellisium

[Eddie]

So - any lefties try fountain pens? I'm not way interested to begin with, but I suspect that I would come away disappointed if I were to try one.

Lefties push the pen/pencil across the paper rather than pulling it across. Most pens are made to be pulled, and the pushing tends to put pressure in places and in ways that results in less than spectacular performance. Most pens are OK. Some are horrible. Few are awesome. I suspect fountain pens would be in that middle grouping.

[old_gregg]

So - any lefties try fountain pens? I'm not way interested to begin with, but I suspect that I would come away disappointed if I were to try one.

Lefties push the pen/pencil across the paper rather than pulling it across. Most pens are made to be pulled, and the pushing tends to put pressure in places and in ways that results in less than spectacular performance. Most pens are OK. Some are horrible. Few are awesome. I suspect fountain pens would be in that middle grouping.

a fountain pen wouldn't work well for that

[Clark Addison]

So - any lefties try fountain pens? I'm not way interested to begin with, but I suspect that I would come away disappointed if I were to try one.

Lefties push the pen/pencil across the paper rather than pulling it across. Most pens are made to be pulled, and the pushing tends to put pressure in places and in ways that results in less than spectacular performance. Most pens are OK. Some are horrible. Few are awesome. I suspect fountain pens would be in that middle grouping.

As the board's resident fountain pen expert, let me respond to this (well, maybe except for eldiente).

On the plus side, I would think, is that unlike ballpoint pens and their ilk, a fountain pen really doesn't require any pressure on the paper, so the pushing/pulling issue would not be a big deal, I suspect.

On the minus side, fountain pen ink is more watery and smudges easier than ballpoint pen ink. I just did a test, and on my standard pad of paper, it takes about 5 seconds to dry. This may present some issues for lefties.

As an aside, my team at work seems to have the same attitude about my new pen enthusiasm as most of the board: eye-rolling, age jokes, etc.

[lambdacoug]

So - any lefties try fountain pens? I'm not way interested to begin with, but I suspect that I would come away disappointed if I were to try one.

Lefties push the pen/pencil across the paper rather than pulling it across. Most pens are made to be pulled, and the pushing tends to put pressure in places and in ways that results in less than spectacular performance. Most pens are OK. Some are horrible. Few are awesome. I suspect fountain pens would be in that middle grouping.

I'm not a lefty, but found this:

http://www.nibs.com/Left-hand%20writers.htm