W/NW Show me your nice fountain pens

peterm1 said:
I used to own a Conway Stewart - the pink and black colored one which is 5th from the right in the group shot. I lost it somewhere unfortunately but while I owned it I loved it for the flexible 18 carat nib which was a pure joy to write with. I recall taking it to work one day and suspect I left it in someone's office during a meeting. (Never did like or trust that guy).

I have since bought many fountain pens including a Montblanc Meisterstuck but none compare in terms of the pleasure in use.

One thing I want to ask you is whether you know what the barrels are made from? I recall it had a most unusual smell (and taste if one put the end of the barrel in one's mouth).
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I cannot figure out how to include the image from my original post in this reply. However, the Conway Stewarts above date from the 1920s through to the early 1960s, and the ones with the black, conical cap "derbies" are from the 30s and 40s. The rightmost orange and black pen is made from hard rubber, the red pen 7th from the right is made from casein - an element in milk, a material which was used even into the 1950s by Conway Stewart. The rest are composed of some kind of plastic resin.

Usually, the pen material that is described as having a distinctive smell is celluloid, which I believe is cellulose nitrate, or the flammable stuff that "safety film" replaced in photography....

BTW, Herbin Eclat de Saphir is also one of my favorite inks, I agree that Pelikan makes wonderful pens (and I own an M600), and those Nakayas are true works of art. I also get paid for writing, and I do use all of these aesthetically beautiful objects. Of course, I could also use a Bic, but it wouldn't be the same experience, would it?
 
Disclaimer: As the OP of this thread, I'm not responsible for the financial hardship (and/or angry spouse) you may face as result of reading through this thread and getting into the fountain pen world.

But seriously, if you think RF GAS was a lot to handle, you'll be in for one crazy ride with FP GAS once you buy one. There is not such thing as "just one fountain pen to own" or "this is it. I'm done!" If you are already an FP user, you know what I'm talking about.

I've converted many humans into FP nuts by gifting them with a Lamy Safari. It's a great pen to start with. I do think Pelikan M200 series is another great option if you are getting one for yourself (it's a bit too expensive as a casual gift to a friend as they may feel a bit too obligated). It's a piston fill (google what that means!) so you can have a lot of fun with all sorts of inks and appreciate the mechanism specific to FP, and also you can get more expensive and/or vintage gold nibs later as M200 series can take nibs from higher-end lines of Pelikan FPs old and new.

If you think $90 something is too much as a trial, but want to experience a full FP world with piston filling and all sorts of inks, TWISB fountain pens are great and quite a bit cheaper too.

I think, fountain pen is the "rangefinder camera" or "film photography" of pen world. Not for everyone, but if you love it you'll love it forever.

Here is another one of mine.

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Franklin Christoph (one of the few true American manufacturers today) Model 02 with Mike Masuyama tuned 18K stub nib, converted to an eyedropper, filled with Omas Turquoise ink.
 
Beautiful Thread!

I loved fountain pens, i don´t use them anymore since i don´t draw that much, or better said i don´t draw anymore 🙁.

I´ve had many, from montblancs to a 1920´s parker duofold from my ggdad.

Now i still have the caran d´ache silver plated and a pair of pure 925 hex pen and pencil.

I remember i found at a flee market an early montblanc with a pure gold nib it was a pleasure to draw with it, the other one that is excellent for drwing is the shaeffer targa series, id´say the best of all! Always wanted the imperial brass edition.

So beautiful to see all FP´s form the members!
 

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The aforesaid Pelikan from 1989. Actually the more I think on it, I believe it's an M100, not an M120 as I said above. With original and replacement barrels, both knackered. Gold plating wearing off the trim of the cap. Well loved, retired. If I ever get another Pelikan, it'll be "go big or go home." (M800 or similar, if I could ever afford it.)

Photographed with Sony a7 + Pentax SMC Takumar 1.8/55 (on M42 -> K and K -> Nex adapters).

--Dave


Pelikan by Argenticien, on Flickr
 
jsrockit said:
I don't know anything about the topic, but this one appeals to me... beautiful object. I bit expensive for my first fountain pen though if I do choose to get into it. What's a good starter pen which still has some nice aesthetic appeal?
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Your kind remarks on my Nakaya shows your excellent taste 😉
If you want a similar look at a starter price look at possibly the most famous fountain pen ever made, the Parker 51.
Pure style and elegance, outstanding design, if they introduced it today it would still elicit a WOW.
Loads about, they stopped counting apparently after 12 Million. Plenty of colourways, but black is of course the only true colour. Caps by the dozen as well. For the nerds they also have date codes, if not worn or polished off,which gives even more interest.
I have an early, 1944, (first quarter) Vacumatic with a Gold Blue Diamond cap. the Diamond signified the pen was warranted for the purchaser's lifetime.
My second is a 1951 Aeromatic purchased new by my Grandfather with plain cap.
I will take a shot or two later, but for style and elegance with history a collection could do worse than start with a 51.
 
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Later 51 Aeromatics lost the black end cap and the filler became a one piece metal, the MarkII, these also had a squared off end, which for me ruined the look, it was similar to the 61 model.

Paper is cream laid Smythson, next time I'll shoot a grey card 😀

As you will note my hand writing does justice to neither ink nor pens, as my photographs don't to my cameras. I am the weakest link (UK TV joke).
 
Another world has opened up before my eyes!

I haven't used a fountain pen since primary school when they were perceived to be a great device for helping to learn/improve handwriting skills. As I went to secondary school we often used the Berol 'Handwriting' pens or classic, cheap Bic biros and as my note taking increased in classes my handwriting got worse as I tried to keep up with what the teacher was saying....it's never quite recovered 😀 I should try to improve the quality and legibility of my handwriting before starting down this road 😉

Beautiful objects are lovely but there is something special about a beautiful object with a practical purpose.

Something else to add to the 'What has RFF taught you?' thread 🙂
 
Franko said:
With cursive writing becoming a lost skill (not being taught in local schools) written communication and fine writing instruments seem to be just about finished. One or two more generations and the young will question what great grandpa used a fountain pen for.
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Very very early in my life (1950 or so), my dad's hobby was caligraphy. One of the first quotes from him that I carried through life went something like .... "The ball point pen will be the death of handwriting."

Some of my college teachers insisted that everyone print (no cursive writing) their homework, because our handwriting was basically unreadable.
No one I ever met in the workplace wrote cursively (is that the correct adverb?).
 
Okay, I give up!
This fountain pen thing is as confusing to me as my first venture into all things Leica... Bob mentioned a black/green Pelikan M800 but I cannot find one locally to physically see it. Who sells Pelikan fountain pens?

They are beautiful and... (Cough)... shhhhhhh... a bit costly...😱
 
Paulbe said:
Dave--here locally, Artlite office supplies has a more than excellent selection. Down near Marta HQ. Bring lotsa $$$$$!! 🙂
Paul
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Ha! Thanks, Paul, I hear ya!😱
Am I crazy or what? Wanting to start handwriting again. The way I see it, if I'm going to keep writing, I may as well put the personal touch on it in cursive writing with a fine instrument.

Since the 7th grade, I have not used a fountain pen. In university, of course, architectural school had us using Pelikan drafting pens and my drafting was excellent. But my handwriting suffered. Along came the computer drafting that I have come to hate. It took away my ability to write a letter or even take legible notes with a pen or pencil.

The last straw has been this infernal munchkin keyboard on the iPhone!!!

Time for a revolution!!! Back to the pen!!!😎
 
I have a very old MontBlanc which is superb. Traded the nib three times to get the fine width--it is an excellent pen, but the ink dries up before I can use it enough. Just sits in the drawer. A visit to Artlite is well worth it if you are even thinking about a pen--you'll be drooling! Good luck!
 
Paulbe said:
I have a very old MontBlanc which is superb. Traded the nib three times to get the fine width--it is an excellent pen, but the ink dries up before I can use it enough. Just sits in the drawer. A visit to Artlite is well worth it if you are even thinking about a pen--you'll be drooling! Good luck!
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Paul, ya got me...

How about a camera and pen meetup?😀
 
One of the pleasures of using a fountain pen is that you can experiment with using a wide range of exotic colored inks. These are available in most good pen stores. Quite apart from colors I have found it is worth experimenting with different makes of ink. Some tend to be smoother to write with than are others, depending I imagine upon the chemical composition. (Just something worth knowing). My favourites right now are a rich deep green called "Vert Empire" by J. Herbin and a dark sultry black red called "Deepwater Obsession" by DeAtrementis.

Another thing worth understanding is how to modify a nib to get it writing well. I was having trouble for many years with my Mont Blanc Meisterstuck with a fine nib - it was just too damn scratchy caused by poor inkflow till I researched how to improve the inkflow to the nib. It was quite simple really and involved using a fine blade (a single edged razor blade is ideal) to open the slot slightly. Care is needed so as not to misalign the tines of the nib which causes other problems. Another trick that works in relation to inkflow is to adjust the position of the ink "feed" (the little plastic thing under the nib). Moving this forward will increase inkflow while moving it back will reduce the flow.

Here is a good video (one of many articles on the subject to be found on the web)

http://penhabit.com/2015/01/16/adjusting-your-fountain-pen-part-1-ink-flow/

A written article here

http://www.penmuseum.co.uk/master 2.htm
 
Thanks, Peter... You guys were serious, this is a very broad and deep endeavor!

So, Bob was kind enough to introduce me to Fountain Pen 101. From there I have much resource material to go through. Thanks so much, Bob!!!

All the photos have been helpful and I am smitten by the Omas Arte Italiana Celluloid Arco Dama and the Visconti Van Gogh series. The Pelikan is more conservative and having decades of experience with Pelikan pens in architectural and engineering practice, that is my comfort zone.

But, how does one choose which size pen? Or nib, for that matter?

Selecting a pen is very complex I think...
 
coelacanth said:
Disclaimer: As the OP of this thread, I'm not responsible for the financial hardship (and/or angry spouse) you may face
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Yes, you are! I've resisted looking at this thread for days. In a moment of weakness I succumbed.
Was directed by some evildoer here to search out the Goulet Pen Company.
Who will now tell my daughter she can't go back to college in the Fall?
And should learn to forage for food?
 
Oh man...don't get me started.

The pens I write with the most lately are Kaweco Sports; several TWSBIs, including a Micarta and a 580; a custom-made Edison Pearlette; a Pilot Vanishing Point, Falcon, and Custom heritage 92; the Karas Kustoms Ink; and several Franklin-Christoph pens. I love fine-to-medium italic nibs, especially the Mike Masuyama ones that F-C sells, and mostly use Pilot Iroshizuku inks. I tend to prefer understated designs, and love the look of Nakayas, but have never owned one. I inherited a couple of Montblancs from my grandfather but don't use them much; one's too large (a 149) and one's too small (a 144). I could probably go for a 146 someday.

You guys might enjoy the Pen Addict and Pen Addict podcast.

I'm also kind of a notebook fetishist and recently did a piece on NPR's Marketplace about my favorite notebook for fountain pens, the Nanami Paper Seven Seas Journal. If you like fountain pens, you have to try out the Japanese Tomoe River paper these journals are made from. It's amazing!
 
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