Thread: Fountain Pens

Originally Posted by izlat

Come on, I am getting the urge to buy some pens I always wanted to try... Sailor 1911 being one of them, iirc the model... Some Danitrio...

Cheers
Ivo

I'd like to try a Sailor too - decided on a Pelikan 805 w/medium nib for now, and loving it.

Originally Posted by orpheus

Ivo, for a while I had a Sailor 1911. I'd heard about their reputation for nib-quality and I wanted to try one. I had it fitted with a "music" nib (basically a very broad stub). It was absolutely fantastic - without a doubt the smoothest nib I've ever tried. A joy to write with. I eventually sold it because the pen was just a bit too big to feel comforatble in my hand. But I do miss that nib!

Interestingly, I must not be the only one who wanted a somewhat smaller pen; they now make a smaller size 1911 as well; I think it's called the 1911-M.

(sings): "If I were a rich man...."

Sailor 1911s and 1911Ms are going the way of the dodo- so if you want one, you'd best act quickly. According to Sailor, these models are being discontinued and being replaced with several pens along the same line as the Professional Gear, the Sapporo and the Sapporo Mini.

The 1911M, luckily, can still be found and at pretty reasonable prices. Although the MSRP is around $160, you can find them for around $120 or so.

Slightly off-topic here, but even if I wanted to, I would not be allowed to write with FP at work.
My new job is as a systems engineer at a pharmaceutical company and there are very strict rules about what type (and color) of pen you are allowed to use for making notes or filling in forms.

Basically you can only use black or blue ballpoints.
No FP because there are easy ways to erase the ink invisibly, and the ink detoriorates a lot over time.
No green because it makes photocopying very difficult.
No red because that is only allowed for red-lining a document.

Bought myself a Waterman Phileas with a F nib.
I am quite satisfied with this pen, which is my
first FP.



Terry

Originally Posted by wvbias

Bought myself a Waterman Phileas with a F nib.
I am quite satisfied with this pen, which is my
first FP.



Terry

Terry, congrats on your first fountain pen! If you're anything like me, it won't be your last - but it will always remain a special one. My first (Waterman Expert) is - to collectors - a pretty cheap, uninteresting pen. But it's never given me any trouble at all, and remains (more than a decade later) one of my favorites to write with.

I don't have a Phileas, but I've heard great things about it from folks who know. It's supposed to be a really great writer's pen.

Originally Posted by wvbias

Bought myself a Waterman Phileas with a F nib.
I am quite satisfied with this pen, which is my
first FP.



Terry

Great first FP - you'll be hard pressed to find another pen that writes as well for the same $$. The fine nib is a great choice - the Waterman nibs run a little broad, so the fine is almost as broad as the mediums of other manufacturers.

Make sure you use the converter and not just cartridges - bottled ink is much cheaper and you can try all sorts of inks - the Waterman converter is very good.

FYI, my first pen was a Phileas with a fine nib - I now have over a dozen!

Orpheus,

I'd say I'll have a second pen fairly quickly.
I'm going to try and hold off but don't know
how successful I will be......

Suzuki,

Thanks for the advise on the converter. I
was considering buying a bottle of Waterman
Ink onces the package of cartridges are used
up.



Terry

I don't want to hijack the thread but,
my favourite I carried for about 20 years was an Osmiroid that was my fathers, bought for him in the 50's; it had an italic nib and was filled by pulling a small gold lever on the side to fill its reservoir.

It' finaly died on me about 4 years ago, I've looked every where but all the new Osmiroids are cheap rubbish and don't compare to my beautiful Osmiroid.

The closest I've been able to find to it is a Mont Blanc at £240, which is a little rich for my blood. so any helpfull suggestions of what to look for Gentleman?

Originally Posted by Wayne D

I don't want to hijack the thread but,
my favourite I carried for about 20 years was an Osmiroid that was my fathers, bought for him in the 50's; it had an italic nib and was filled by pulling a small gold lever on the side to fill its reservoir.

It' finaly died on me about 4 years ago, I've looked every where but all the new Osmiroids are cheap rubbish and don't compare to my beautiful Osmiroid.

The closest I've been able to find to it is a Mont Blanc at £240, which is a little rich for my blood. so any helpfull suggestions of what to look for Gentleman?

Wayne,

I'd hate to see you lose that pen. Try the following sites for potential restoration services.

www.richardspens.com
www.pendemonium.com

(in that order)

Steve beat me to the punch - I was thinking about restoring services myself. I hear great things about them

Cheers
Ivo