Do you write with a fountain pen?

[AprilHare]

Originally Posted by Juliette

Most interesting... thank you for the link!

You are quite welcome Juliette

Originally Posted by ShortNCuddlyAm

Argh! I had to stop reading that forum, it was causing me to spend too much money!!

It certainly is a risk when it comes to fountain pens However China seems to be exporting some very high quality cheap fountain pens at ridiculously low prices (AUD$4 for my last iridium tipped one, including shipping from Hong Kong) - if you can handle not having a brand name, that is. And the disposables are cheap enough, I suppose.
Just hold back from the spending

Originally Posted by Bob Russell

I went through a fountain pen "phase" in high school. Used all kinds, from actual "quill" pens that were basically a feather, to the pens you dip in the ink bottle, to the lever pen refills, to the cartridge refills that use the ink well, to disposable cartridges. They were rarely nice to write with because they either smeared ink, or leaked, or just scratched on the paper as I wrote. Still, I stuck with many attempts because it was, well, fun.

I've certainly found it fun I think one needs repair (age, lack of use and lack of original quality - Conway Stewart one!) but beyond that they're all good.

Originally Posted by Bob Russell

I'm more practical now, and use disposable pens. I'm like wodin - I keep a lot and scatter them around. I'm absolutely convinced my wife eats them. Come to think of it, she must eat my umbrellas also!

I think I got my disposable fountain pen just so I could take one out and about without needing to worry so much about losing it..

Originally Posted by Bob Russell

Anyway, I've tried expensive pens, gel pens, fountain pens, etc. I really like a nice pen. But in the end, my own personal taste seems to fall toward certain mass produced cheap disposable pens. I'm glad because they are cheap, but I'm disappointed that (in my experience) the more expensive pens only seem to look nicer, not function better. And, in fact, seem to be less consistent in the quality of the refills.

It's interesting that I have been filling mine from bottle so far and not going to any effort to try and get proper cartridges for them. The plunger (and screw type) seem sufficient (although the Conway Stewart as I pointed out earlier needs work).

Originally Posted by Bob Russell

Btw, I'm really impressed with those of you that always write with a fountain pen. I couldn't deal with it all the time even if I liked it better. But with all that use, you must certainly have found some nice ones, or you would have given up by now.

It's certainly about ease of use and less pressure on my hand for me. The pens are generally good (at least the ones I've seen so far).

Originally Posted by Bob Russell

As an aside, for some reason I really also like those small metal "half-size" pens that fit easily in your pocket or purse, and have a metal cap that goes halfway down the pen. Hard to describe, but the only place I've found them is from my realtor, who was kind enough to give me several!

Half sized pens, eh? - The only ones I've seen like that are Sharpie permanent pens, the kind that write on metal and glass etc.

Originally Posted by Bob Russell

Okay, now look what you've done to me... I've gone and signed up for a Joon pens catalog.

Quite clearly the original poster's fault..

[ShortNCuddlyAm]

Bob - I'd recommend trying a Lamy Safari for a cheap fountain/cartridge pen (they're cartridge pens, but you can get converters for them) that actually writes well. The ink also plays a part - some inks are far better than others.

[Bob Russell]

Originally Posted by ShortNCuddlyAm

Bob - I'd recommend trying a Lamy Safari for a cheap fountain/cartridge pen (they're cartridge pens, but you can get converters for them) that actually writes well. The ink also plays a part - some inks are far better than others.

That's a great tip. I checked a couple of reviews, and they say basically the same thing. Plus, I suspect I had a Lamy pen or mechanical pencil years ago that I had all but forgotten about, and it was one of my favorites for a long time. I've got to get one!!!!!

[Bob Russell]

Okay, this thread has convinced me! I've just bought a Lamy Safari with med nib and some black ink. Don't plan to carry it around with me or use it for everything, but it will be fun to have at my desk when I'm scratching out thoughts or if I ever decide to write a letter the old fashioned way again. (Thanks AprilHare, ShortCuddlyAm et al!)

[ShortNCuddlyAm]

Originally Posted by AprilHare

It certainly is a risk when it comes to fountain pens However China seems to be exporting some very high quality cheap fountain pens at ridiculously low prices (AUD$4 for my last iridium tipped one, including shipping from Hong Kong) - if you can handle not having a brand name, that is. And the disposables are cheap enough, I suppose.
Just hold back from the spending

I know! I'm not fussed about brand names - it just needs to write well and feel nice

(And the Chinese Parker 51 clones are verrry tempting...)

Originally Posted by Bob Russell

Okay, this thread has convinced me! I've just bought a Lamy Safari with med nib and some black ink. Don't plan to carry it around with me or use it for everything, but it will be fun to have at my desk when I'm scratching out thoughts or if I ever decide to write a letter the old fashioned way again. (Thanks AprilHare, ShortCuddlyAm et al!)

But if you get addicted, it's not our fault!

[pking36330]

Originally Posted by Bob Russell

Btw, I'm really impressed with those of you that always write with a fountain pen. I couldn't deal with it all the time even if I liked it better. But with all that use, you must certainly have found some nice ones, or you would have given up by now.

Bob, despite my love of fountain pens, they are sometimes terribly inconvenient. When you just need to jot down a phone number, it's cumbersome to have to remove a fountain pen cap, place the cap on the other end and then take the number. It takes two hands and sometimes while standing and holding the notebook you'll write on, you just don't have both hands free to prepare the fountain pen, let alone have the time.

All that changed when I got my Vanishing Point fountain pen. I carry it in my shirt pocket just like a ballpoint or other pen. In this position, the nib is retracted at the top of the pen (never leaked, not once). To use it, you invert the pen, press the plunger just like a ballpoint and the nib is exposed and ready to write. And you still get the favorable writing experience as with all fountain pens. Best of both worlds and alwasys a conversation starter.

[AprilHare]

Originally Posted by Bob Russell

That's a great tip. I checked a couple of reviews, and they say basically the same thing. Plus, I suspect I had a Lamy pen or mechanical pencil years ago that I had all but forgotten about, and it was one of my favorites for a long time. I've got to get one!!!!!

Originally Posted by Bob Russell

Okay, this thread has convinced me! I've just bought a Lamy Safari with med nib and some black ink. Don't plan to carry it around with me or use it for everything, but it will be fun to have at my desk when I'm scratching out thoughts or if I ever decide to write a letter the old fashioned way again. (Thanks AprilHare, ShortCuddlyAm et al!)

You're quite welcome We'll need feedback, photos and writing examples, of course

Originally Posted by ShortNCuddlyAm

I know! I'm not fussed about brand names - it just needs to write well and feel nice

(And the Chinese Parker 51 clones are verrry tempting...)

I'm thinking - if I can get another one from C/HK as cheaply, I'll try for fine nib this time.. The Parker Quink ink I got takes a while to dry with a medium (supposedly a medium/fine) nib..

Originally Posted by ShortNCuddlyAm

But if you get addicted, it's not our fault!

Yeah, not our fault Bob

[AprilHare]

Originally Posted by Crowl

Considering how bad my handwriting is these days that would still be a bad plan, not to mention both pasttimes would cut into my reading time.

A fountain pen would be great for making notes while reading..
I've found my handwriting looks much better using a fountain pen, it improves your natural handwriting - with the lack of effort required to write coupled with the way the nib flows ink.

[Mr. Dalliard]

Used to play with them as a teenager. Was devastated recently when I found out the Osmiroid no longer existed.

[AprilHare]

Originally Posted by Mr. Dalliard

Used to play with them as a teenager. Was devastated recently when I found out the Osmiroid no longer existed.

I had to look them up I'm afraid - the name comes from the chemical element Osmium?
It's fascinating from the standpoint of the materials that have been used to manufacture fountain pens over time:

• Iridium
• Chrome plating (chromium)
• Osmium
• Stainless steel
• Gold
• Plastic
• and probably others I'm unaware of.

I'm told that most products marked 'iridium' nowadays aren't - but wouldn't that be false advertising?

[Dylrob]

Originally Posted by AprilHare

I'm told that most products marked 'iridium' nowadays aren't - but wouldn't that be false advertising?

Here is an interesting read on the matter.

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Unfortunately, if you're left-handed like me, it's almost impossible to write with a fountain pen, since your hand smears what you've just written. I used to have enormous problems in English lessons in school, where we had to use fountain pens.

I suffer the same lefty fate. I tried while in Junior High School, (US grades 7,8,9) with a fountain pen and 'South Sea Blue' ink. I loved the color! Good thing I did, as almost everything I owned eventually turned that shade. Smudging ink as I wrote colored all my papers blue, as well as the edge of my hand and my forearm. Leaking pen turned my shirts blue. And, as this pen was a Shaeffer Cartridge model, and I had this habit of chewing on the end of my spare cartridge... eventually turned my mouth, shirt front, pants, and the unlucky students sitting on either side of me blue too!

I gave up on fountain pens until I discovered the Pentel fiber nibed pen. It wrote like a fountain pen, allowing different thicknesses of line, dried before it smudged, and never leaked. It's only drawback was that it wasn't water resistant. This became a problem when I move to the Tropics, and I had to give up that pen.

Stitchawl

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by PDS

Hi, I use a fountain pen most of the time, I love them. I am left handed and find that the ink dries a lot faster than a smudgy biro.

Do you hold your pen as a typical lefty does, i.e. writing backhanded with the edge of your hand rubbing over what you just wrote, or do you somehow manage to keep your hand under the written line?

Stitchawl

[lev]

Just saw this thread...love fountain pens!
naturally voted always..



+



love this combo (Pilot bamboo - a very smooth writer + iroshizuku inks ). taking notes and long writing sessions is so much easier with a nice fountain pen and good quality paper..

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

Do you hold your pen as a typical lefty does, i.e. writing backhanded with the edge of your hand rubbing over what you just wrote, or do you somehow manage to keep your hand under the written line?

Stitchawl

If there is a "comfortable" way to write left-handed with a fountain pen without smudging the ink, I'd love to know what it is, because I've never found it .

The only way I ever discovered was what I think you are describing - "doubling your hand up" and effectively writing backwards, from above, which is very uncomfortable indeed.