I just spent a half hour with the Mont blanc guy looking at the Leonardo ball point and the Einstein fountain. Yikes.
I quite like the Einstein actually, though the lid looks incongruous IMO. And $4.5K is a lot of money....
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I just spent a half hour with the Mont blanc guy looking at the Leonardo ball point and the Einstein fountain. Yikes.
I quite like the Einstein actually, though the lid looks incongruous IMO. And $4.5K is a lot of money....
I think you should just go for these...all the birds with one stone as they say, I'll pass on them and let you get this eBay BIN...have at it:Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimbo
Montblanc Alfred Hitchcock Albert Einstein Leonardo DaVinci Fountain Pen New | eBay
Cheers!
You do realise that you could buy 1,500 jinhao's for that, i bet they would last longer too (even at 6 months each that montblanc would need to be going for 750 years) :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimbo
Though speaking in seriousness if you like and can afford it - why not.
Well, I don't know for sure but I suspect it's a bit like razors - a good quality fp will out last you, your kids, and their kids if you take care of it properly. Though the bladder-type ones do suffer a bit with degradation.
But yeah, a lot of money. Their more normal ones like the Starwalker or Meisterstruck ranges are slightly more sensibly priced. These limited editions don't really ring my bell to be honest, plus you are stuck with whomever they decide is worthy of immortalising. If they ever did a decent Sir Isaac Newton one, though, my wife and I would probably have to get divorced.... :(
In any event, I agree Ed - if you like it and can afford it why not? People spend their money on weird and wonderful things. If I think a bit about it, over the past whatever years I'd have spent at least [censored by "marital bliss" software] on razors and related stuff I reckon, and that's quite abysmal when you think about it.
James.
To gaudy for me.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimbo
Tim
It does look a bit overblown, I agree. In fact all the special editions do IMO, though some are nicer than others. It is slightly better in the flesh, and does feel nice in the hand. No idea how it writes because they'll only charge it with ink if you are really serious about purchasing which of course I was not.
But these are just the moderate ones. According to the shopkeep, those people with a "special relationship" to Mont Blanc get invited to special low-volume or even one-off pen offerings in exotic European locales. I think the "special relationship" definition involves money spent, basically.
Ah, lifestyles of the rich and famous! :)
James.
What, they didn't invite you to Gstaad!!!
I'd take you as a +1, but they don't have +1s for obvious reasons (you get a buffet of +es on location which would inevitably result in a very costly disassociation with any preexisting +1 you may bring along...)
I personally like functionality first then artistic impression. When the looks start interfering with the functionality is the big stopping point for me. Or if the look thing is there for no reason other to impress. I almost deleted that but will continue. :) I like things that work. If they look good while doing, that it is great! A gold nib with a stainless brushed pen, push on cap, is about perfect for me. If you find it I lost mine! A combination of looks and practicality.
I hope this ramble makes sense.
[Parker Sonnett] :roflmao
Tim
Yes, makes perfect sense to me. I'm the same with my everyday writing utensils.
James.
I have decided in my life that everything that I get is "everyday". I might not use it everyday but I could!
I might add patina....:)
Tim
Ive just had a browse of the DaVinci and the Einstein and both look like a box of puff daddys bling fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down. Good taste wasn't in the design brief it appears. Truly awful looking things. The Hitchcock is passable but still has the look of ostentatious tat about it.
Obie, my friend, I finally got to read your paean to the fountain pen, thoroughly enjoyed it. It did bring up a memory of having read somewhere that Ernest Hemingway used a typewriter for the narrative parts of his novels, but stood at the mantel and hand wrote the dialogue, the essence and spirit of any story, longhand in ink.Quote:
Originally Posted by Obie
If I recall from my reading, that was his routine. Also, because of the beating his body had taken through the years, he frequently stood up to write. Ah, what magnificent writing.Quote:
Originally Posted by Razorfeld
Thanks for the kind words on the piece.
Guilty as charged :) Numerous Montblanc, Pelikan, Edison, Lamy, Parker, etc. I use a FP 99.9% of the time and love it! Interesting correlation with straight razor use...
Just went through a tough patch with my Charcoal Lamy Safari, lost it for a few weeks and had it returned to me, only two days later to get in a car wreck and have the paramedic rip it off my shirt to put on a neck brace.... We got the car back to collect our personal items and found most of the Lamy Safari (clip ripped from cap..) got it home and cleaned it up and it still works like before but with a bit more history behind it :)
I don't use a fountain pen but my wife has one. It hasn't been in use in about twelve months and when she went to use it, it was dried out. She replacedtheink carting bit can't seem to get it going again. Any ideas on fixing it?
Yeah, they will dry out over time if left unattended. You can buy cleaning solutions, but giving the business end of the pen (the bit holding the nib) a good soak in warm water usually does the trick for me.Quote:
Originally Posted by OCDshaver
Check out Youtube - I'm sure there are plenty of videos there that will point you in the right direction. Try searching for 'fountain pen cleaning' or something like that.
Edit: just noticed that her pen has a cartridge rather than a converter (refillable cartridge) After soaking, you're going to want to get all that dried ink out of the pen, and plenty of it will be dried right in the path of the ink. With a converter getting that out can be easy because you can just suck water in through the nib, expel it back out, and repeat until it's clear. Try mounting the cartridge then squeezing it to see if it will draw water in through the nib. If that works then use it as described for the converter. If it doesn't I have had some luck in the past with filling the cavity behind the nib with water then blowing it through. This can a) make a hell of a mess and b) give you funny looking lips if it's a permanent ink. :)
Some places can give you a cleaning tube for cartridge pens, for example Montblanc. Essentially it is like a plastic pipette. In fact, a cheap plastic pipette could probably be used too - just cut the end to a height that fits fairly snugly over the ink feed tube. Then just suck up some warm water, put the pipette over the feed tube, and squeeze. Repeat as many times as necessary.
James.
I'd start the simplest way - put the part with the nib in a glass of cold water for a day to a week and change the water every now and then. If that doesn't work the next step would be to add a little dishwashing detergent.
Ink is water soluble so the dried out stuff should dissolve back and clear up the channels. There shouldn't be anything in there to rust, the nib is usually made of gold or stainless steel and in the later case it's not the high-carbon type for tools and razors, but more like a cutlery.
This is rather crazy! Glad that you're good!Quote:
Originally Posted by OCDshaver
I think this is getting out of control :)Attachment 180474and I still have 2 more pens coming.
Thanks for the suggestion gentlemen. Looking back on my post and the problems I was having typing my message on my iPad, its amazing you were able to decipher what I was trying to say at all. Give me a real keyboard any day. Thanks again.
Had the same thought the other day while looking at my array of pens... begining to rival the razors ;-)Quote:
Originally Posted by edhewitt
Slow down! :gaah:Quote:
Originally Posted by edhewitt
This is an idea so you don't end up with gallons of ink!
Fountain Pen Ink - Samples - Ink Drop | GouletPens.com
I am still using samples from a neighbor that she didn't like or are a duplicate.
Tim
I'll recommend Rohrer und Klinger ink for fountain pens it's great ink with many colours. Just be sure to buy the right ink because R&K also makes tuch that will dry and cloke the inkflow. They make and ink called Salix that is and old recipe. It makes beautiful nuances of blue. My favourite:-)
I have been *really* tempted by the samples that Goulet have on offer, but I'm afraid I'll just discover inks that I absolutely must have... But it's a good reminder. Next time I order from them, I'm sure there will be a few samples added to the order.Quote:
Originally Posted by 32t
So far my favourite inks are both Noodlers: 54th Massachusetts and Kiowa Pecan. Quality inks.
I've also been getting some curious looks and comments at my revolving door of Jinhaos at work. Everyone sees a fountain pen and thinks they're expensive. The reactions when I explain some were $5.00 delivered to my door are priceless.
Gentlemen,
Here is my newest love: Pelikan M800. I just received it, and it is gorgeous. I grew up with fountain pens, and my first fountain pen, in the first grade, was a Pelikan. I don't know what happened to it. Currently I have the M400 and now the M800. The first draft of my novels, short stories, essay and other writing projects is always written with the fountain pen and then to the laptop.
Attachment 184464
I love my Pelikans.
Badgister,
I know what you mean. The Pelikan is celestial. My small collection of fountain pens consists of Mont Blanc, Waterman, 2 Parkers and three Pelikans (Models 120, 400 and 800). All the pens see heavy use, since I rotate them as I do my straight razors. Ah, the fountain pen is one of life's greatest joys, my friend, especially the Pelikan.
Obie,
My collection is 90% Pelikan. I especially like those vintage ones that have a little flex.
Here are a few from my collection:
Attachment 184468
Have you heard of Nakaya? they make stunning lacquer pens with incredible nibs. Here's mine:
Attachment 184467
I have one old fountain pen a friend gave to me, a Parker, normal looking brushes steel looking pen with cap. He always used one, and I liked the fact that he mixed a black ink with a beautiful blue india ink, looked incredible. I remarked to him how nice I thought it was, when we parted company, he gave it to me. Still have it to this day.
I can understand the appeal, especially after seeing some of the fine pens here, the Japanese pen is magnificent.
Congratulations on your new pen Obie!
Badgister,
That is a delicious collection. Good show.
Phrank,
Thanks for the kind words.
I just recently bought a Cross fountain pen as I was working on a audio system in a bookstore.
They had a selection of Cross and Lamy pens.
The Cross was the one Iiked the look on the most.
It was not expensive at all, about 150 quid.
I've been thinking about getting one for years, and find myself using it all the time now.
That said, I'd like to get one more.
The Cross is fine, but one with a little more heft to it, and perhaps with a bit more sense of exclusivity, would be nice.
Anyone able to offer up some tips?
I'd like it to be rather thin tipped, and naturally I want to fill it myself, no cartridges or anything.
Budget-wise I guess I'm pretty open but let's ay about $500 to $800 as a starting point..
Birnando,
I will always recommend the Pelikan. I love the M800, but I have eyed the M1000, too. The M1000 is a big pen, and it will bit within your budget range. The Waterman is a lovely pen. So is the Parker. There are others, of course. I prefer a medium point. Yes, I think the Pelikan is the Puma of fountain pens.
Thank you Obie:)Quote:
Originally Posted by Obie
Yes, the Pelikan was the very make we used when learning fine writing back in school all those years ago, so I have fond memories of my first Pelikan.
I will look up the recommedations you gave and see what I can find that will suit my needs.
Thanks again my friend
In my view you can't go wrong with the Pelikan Souveran series. They have a built in ink reservoir, so you don't need a cartridge convertor to fill from the bottle.
With a budget between 500$ and $800 you can get a pretty Fancy one!
Well, as per usual I tend to be like a kid when I want something.
So I reached out to the folks at nibs.com and thanks to you guys I'm now eagerly awaiting delivery of a green Pelikan M1000.
A very classic look for me, and seeing as I am a rather large fella, we found that it would be a good pen for me.
Thanks again gents for the responses and the help.
Both here in this thread and via PM.
I'll have to try a Pelikan. Did you know that it's beak can hold more than it's belly kan? :)
Here's the pens I have on my person at all times. I have others I keep in storage and will crack them out when I get the urge, but these are fully charged and ready to go whenever I need them.
First 3 are FPs: Visconti (Van Gogh Starry Night), Mont Blanc (Starwalker), Vintage Ononto. Second two are a matching set of non-FP Mont Blancs. One's a ball point, ones a rollerball. I much prefer the rollerball.
Attachment 184486
Attachment 184478
James.
Birnando, nice one! You chose well. The striated Green is Pelikan's signature model.
