Thread: Fountain Pens?

I always use an FP and hardly ever write with anything else, except when writing with an FP is impractical, and then I write with a pencil.

I have a Swan Leverless 1060 which has a Swan no. 2 Fine very flexible nib. I also have a Parker Vacumatic and used to have a beautiful Geha Goldswinge with a rolled gold cap and an incredibly beautiful nib; but the end cap broke. I mainly use my new Parker Sonnet for daily use, with Purple Noodler's ink. I also like to use Private Reserve Sherwood Green and J. Herbin Café Des Îles. The photo is of the Geha (not my photo).

Originally Posted by eple

Yeah, I was astonished by how much of a difference there was between a ball point and a fountain pen. I'm looking to grab a Parker 51 soon-ish, just to have another back-up pen. Normally I only take my Lamy to school, but I wouldn't mind having a "nice" alternative. I think a 51 would serve my needs well, and they're pretty much bullet-proof.

I picked up a Parker51 40 years ago and it is still going strong.
The Lamay is a great choice for school.

The pilot vanishing pen is also not too bad. Replacement nibs for the pilot are a deal
or they were before gold went nuts.

Originally Posted by niftyshaving

Like razors I do not have all of them..... yet.

I also am very pleased by the better Japanese pens.
They have very smooth and flexible nibs and can be the best of the lot
if you like em.

Start modest read and play... there are entire forums dedicated to
fountain pens... One reason for a fountain pen is calligraphy and
dip pens open that door.

Of all the things folk forget is paper. I am lucky and have a paper vendor
near by (Kelly Paper) and great paper can make an inexpensive pen
work very well. A good pad of engineering paper with the grid on the
reverse side is a lot of fun. High rag and cotton papers are often a lot better
than clay finished copy paper. Inkjet papers are fun to try.

Some drafting papers take ink well. Keep your eyes open...

I know what you mean on paper making a difference. I am a poor college student so I can't afford good paper for the most part, best I can get is Rhodia pads pretty cheap, they are %50 off in our bookstore, I have a few and take all my notes on them.

Originally Posted by eple

Yeah, I was astonished by how much of a difference there was between a ball point and a fountain pen. I'm looking to grab a Parker 51 soon-ish, just to have another back-up pen. Normally I only take my Lamy to school, but I wouldn't mind having a "nice" alternative. I think a 51 would serve my needs well, and they're pretty much bullet-proof.

I was very surprised like you were at the difference. I had used them a couple times, but never enough to make a difference. But wow do they ever.

A few days ago I had to get my professors signature on so etching a surprised home when I handed my fountain pen to him.

I ended up scoring a beat-up Sheaffer Snorkel at an antique shop yesterday. An hour of polishing, and a redo of all of the internal seals means it's back to its former glory. It's a nice, smooth writer with an open nib (odd for a snorkel).


Oh, and as for paper. My "notebooks" are a combination of Moleskine and Leuchtturm 1917 products.

Reading about fountain pens gives me the urge to get back to repairing them. I used to buy on ebay, repair and resell. I love fountain pens. Some of the most beautiful pens are the vintage ones made of celluloid. One question though. Do you use a fountain pen to sign grocery store credit card slips?

Originally Posted by htmitten

...Do you use a fountain pen to sign grocery store credit card slips?...

I do, and generally the shop assistant gets some Sherwood Green or Noodler's purple on their fingers as a souvenir...
BTW, my Geha is sitting in a drawer with a broken filler cap (but perfect otherwise) if you want it for repairs...

Tragedy struck for me today.

I put my pen on the desk to get something and my pen rolled off and landed right on the nib cracking it pretty much in half.

Noodler Ahab flex pen loaded with bulletproof black. Also have another one loaded with noolders fox I'll have to use that for now.

Lame!! Can you get a replacement nib for your pen? If not, this is always a good excuse to buy yourself a new pen...perhaps a vintage example?

Also, I decided that the snorkel wasn't for me. The nib is a little too fine, and I don't really like the ink-flow on it; picked up a Parker 51 (Aerometric) as a replacement.


PS - no I don't use my pen for signing receipts or anything like that - only for notes/journal/personal stuff.

I like the idea of a fountain pen, but being left handed I don't think it is an option for me.

I think all I would wind up with is a big smear.