W/NW Show me your nice fountain pens

I realize this thread is in the W/NW forum so maybe we should start another thread (or not) about why one should enjoy a fine fountain pen in the first place....besides the "gear mentality" a lot of us have!😀

However, I am interested in both the aesthetic and tactile connection to my writing. So, I want to improve my cursive writing and develop a personal touch to my writings.

This link gives me very good reasons to want to write in cursive:

http://www.artofmanliness.com/2014/12/16/improve-your-cursive-handwriting/

So, I have been working for hours and hours on my penmanship. It still sucks. And to think of all those months in architectural school and years of drafting by hand with Pelikan technical pens and ink on mylar.... only to allow computer keyboards to send all of my past skills straight to hell.😡 What a waste.

But, I can still get a fine writing instrument (already picked it out and headed to Paradise Pens in Atlanta on Monday to try it out. Yay! Salvation in the form of a writing instrument. (just gotta figure out what to sell to pay for it...)

I can also get the ink of choice! And the appropriate writing paper!

But I need weeks and weeks of daily practice with a new instrument to have good penmanship and even longer to reconnect my brain to paper!!!! So, it is time to start.

Wow! In the last 7 years, I have gone back to the M3 and M6 rangefinder film cameras. I have picked up the flyrod fishing way of life and it will include matching flyrods and eventually my own fly-tying. Now, back to the fountain pens and can a typewriter be far behind?😱 Elegance and class. Personal relationships with tools that seem quaint these days.

Shoot, even my bride is wishing I had my MG back so we could ride into the mountains on picnics again. I guess SUVs are not as romantic! Neither are computer keyboards, or digital whatevers so it looks to be an interesting future ahead! Yay!
 
Monz said:
Pelikan M200 Cognac by Monz, on Flickr

A special edition baby Pelikan fountain pen. The Diamine Ancient Copper ink is a perfect match for it. It's a bit small and needs to be posted to write comfortably. The nib is stainless steel but is unbelievably smooth. Cute, no?
Click to expand...

Beautiful! Monz, is that 200 pen with a fine nib easy enough to write with? I have not touched a fountain pen in decades so I cannot fathom or compare it with anything quite yet. The new 200 Cream Limited Edition is pretty as well but that cognac is very elegant. My compliments!🙂
 
dave lackey said:
Beautiful! Monz, is that 200 pen with a fine nib easy enough to write with? I have not touched a fountain pen in decades so I cannot fathom or compare it with anything quite yet. The new 200 Cream Limited Edition is pretty as well but that cognac is very elegant. My compliments!🙂
Click to expand...

Hi Dave,
This Cognac M200 has a medium stainless steel nib and is very smooth. It's easy to write with. The writing on the Rhodia pad shown appears quite thin but on other papers, the line may be a little thicker.

Pelikan nibs tend to be quite wet and slightly "thicker" than average. A "Fine" Pelikan nib may be a little thicker than a typical western Fine nib. Generally, well adjusted medium nibs tend to be smoother than fine nibs.
 
dave lackey said:
This link gives me very good reasons to want to write in cursive:

http://www.artofmanliness.com/2014/12/16/improve-your-cursive-handwriting/

In the last 7 years, I have gone back to the M3 and M6 rangefinder film cameras. I have picked up the flyrod fishing way of life and it will include matching flyrods and eventually my own fly-tying. Now, back to the fountain pens and can a typewriter be far behind?😱 Elegance and class. Personal relationships with tools that seem quaint these days.
Click to expand...

Subvert the dominant paradigm!

And, thanks for the link.
 
Monz said:

Pelikan M200 Cognac by Monz, on Flickr

A special edition baby Pelikan fountain pen. The Diamine Ancient Copper ink is a perfect match for it. It's a bit small and needs to be posted to write comfortably. The nib is stainless steel but is unbelievably smooth. Cute, no?
Click to expand...

super pretty. after my sailor red-brown is gone, ancient copper is on my list of replacement inks to examine.
 
dave lackey said:
...can a typewriter be far behind?😱 Elegance and class. Personal relationships with tools that seem quaint these days...
Click to expand...

Dave, you mean like one of these Corona 4s? We could always start another thread!

~Joe

PS: Just for the record, I only have ten typewriters at the moment.


Corona 4 by Joe Van Cleave, on Flickr
 
Oh, my, is the only thing I can say about that beautiful machine. 10, you say!!! Joe, you are a bad influence.😛

I am still saving up for a boomerang table in my Leica Cave, now I have to change course for a fountain pen to write with and sign prints. This typewriter thing is doable as ribbons are available, much to my surprise!

Must resist... Must...
 
Conventional cloth ribbons can be found at some office supply stores. I know my local Office Max has generic replacements, the Porelon model 11472.

Some typewriters use custom spools. In that case, you can respool a new ribbon onto the old spools.

Even with regular spools, if your machine has the original spools, keep them! The modern replacements are plastic - they work fine, but for the sake of keeping your machine original, keep the metal ones.

For cleaning your machine, never ever use WD40! Use alcohol and/or a degreaser (keep it off the outer paint) then use naphtha (Zippo lighter fluid) followed by light machine oil on the moving parts.

~Joe

PS: For more typewriter related fun, visit the Typosphere, which also includes a list of typewriter related bloggers.
http://typosphere.blogspot.com/?m=0
 
The Ultimate GAS!!!

Leica M bodies matched with fine writing instruments.😱

Yes, that is what I am currently working on and I have selected Pelikan pens to match up with my M3 and M6. The fun part is about to begin tomorrow as I venture into the retailer and try out a pen or two. Matching colors, matching inks.

And more...😛
 
Monz,
I've got a Pelikan that looks just like yours, except that mine is called the M250. The only visible difference is that mine came with a 14K semi-soft fine nib. It writes beautifully.

Regarding typewriters: A couple of years ago, we were told that the Russian government is going back to typewriters for all of their most confidential correspondence.
http://nypost.com/2013/07/12/russia...to-leak-proof-sensitive-classified-documents/

Use of fountain pens and typewriters and shunning of electronic (easily surveilled) communication will probably increase in the future.
 
Dave,

Great choice (to be made) going with Pelikan as your 1st fountain pen. Pelikan Mxxx series is really fantastic because you can enjoy the all aspects of fountain pen world (e.g. piston filling, swappable nibs, classic and classy design with or without modern twist, etc) with a broad range of price points and aesthetics that suit you.

A few notes from my experience:

• If you decide to buy, see if the store will let you dip the actual pen you are about to buy (not just the same model on display) to test the nib.

• Buy from an authorized dealer for future customer service including the lifetime warranty and one-time privilege of swapping the nib with a different size if you change your mind within 30 days of purchase.

• M2xx, M4xx and M6xx nibs (and many vintage ones) are interchangeable with each other. If you start with M2xx that has a steel nib and later want to venture out to a solid gold nib, you can buy the nib unit from higher-end models or vintage ones (see nibs.com or other places) and that should fit M2xx pen perfectly (but the steel nib on M2xx is really fantastic).

• If you find the nib skipping or feels dry right after the purchase, don't worry too much. Try flushing the nib, feed, ink reservoir with room temperature clean water thoroughly before attempting other solutions.

Good luck!!

My very 1st fountain pen that I bought myself about 10 years ago.
19415888944_1e1c399b44_b.jpg
 
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