Lent To A Stranger

[dubhe]

Sat on the train, lady in front asks if I have a pen she can borrow. I see that she has a medical questionnaire to complete and she knows I have a pen, as I just put it away.

 

I say, 'yes, of course' and pull out my LeGrand RB, handing it over I wince as she tries to pull off the cap, then relax as it unscrews and she does not post it, saving the precious resin from scratches.

 

I'm now typing this whilst she completes the longest medical form I have ever seen, tapping the pen in the desk between questions.

 

So glad it wasn't a FP.

[OngL]

It happens... Always carry another ballpoint (Bic or any lowcost ones) for loan.

 

I was in a meeting recently, and I always wonder some people would bring a notebook but not a pen. He asked for my pen (Heritage 1912) and I politely decline saying it is a fountain pen which is used differently. He moved on to another person next to me.

[Chrissy]

I wouldn't lend anyone one of my Mb pens, so also having a cheap pen available is an obvious plus.

[Pen Nut]

Only a select few get even half a chance to use any of mine........

[Opooh]

I have a 161 on my desk and a 161P in my pocket in case someone asks for a pen. Both are in excellent condition and were never " lost ".

[orfew]

I always keep an MB BP in my 3 slot case along with my Fps. The 164 has been loaned, but I will admit to watching the user carefully. Not that I suspect them of possibly stealing it, but most people think of pens as something disposable or at the very least interchangeable among users.

[orfew]

It happens... Always carry another ballpoint (Bic or any lowcost ones) for loan.

 

I was in a meeting recently, and I always wonder some people would bring a notebook but not a pen. He asked for my pen (Heritage 1912) and I politely decline saying it is a fountain pen which is used differently. He moved on to another person next to me.

I never loan my 1912. It is my daily user at the moment and always stays close.

[Paul Raposo]

My response to the lend of a pen

 

http://copypasterepost.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/no-frog.jpg

 

The last time I lent out a fountain pen this happened:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/207239-nib-feed-destroyed-on-my-duofold-jr/

[meiers]

I never loan my 1912. It is my daily user at the moment and always stays close.

Same here.

I would give them my Jotter (Parker)

Edited January 22, 2015 by meiers

[Wolverine1]

I carry a couple of cheap BIC Sticks or cheap advertising ballpoints in my bag for exactly this reason.

[s5blitzer]

Never been asked and never will be borrowed by anyone.

[Montecristo]

This always happens to me when on an airplane to a country where you need to fill in lengthy immigration / customs forms that the crew hands out before arrival. The first time I only had my Hemingway ballpoint with me and a nice lady seated next to me asked me to borrow the pen when I was finished filling out the form. Since it was a ballpoint I could not use the 'but it is a fountain pen' argument. She borrowed the pen and I decided to start reading a magazine to prevent eyeing my pen too obviously. Before I knew it the person opposite the isle from the lady borrowed the pen from her and after that this persons neighbour borrowed the pen. Suffice to say that I broke a cold sweat and imagined my pen going all across the plane from isle to isle. I anxiously awaited the opportunity too ask for my pen back (mentioning an imaginary form I needed to fill out). Since that time my travel-kit always includes two bics.

[StyloBug33]

These stories are always nightmares to me. I have become really paranoid about using fountain pens in public and almost always carry a few cheap ballpoints with me, just in case. I have also come to terms with the fact that I may be called upon to be rude. I don't say no very easily, but I'm getting better. After reading all the horror stories people have gone through on this site, I would never loan a fountain pen to someone who didn't know how to use it. That means, the only one who writes with my fountain pens besides myself is my husband.

 

I had never considered someone asking to use an expensive pen that isn't a fountain pen. I have a few, but don't carry any of them with me. Montecristo, someone passed your pen around on an airplane???? That is rather mind-boggling. Even if it wasn't a fountain pen, it was obviously an expensive pen and the first person who borrowed it certainly had no right to give it to someone else. That's crazy.

Edited January 22, 2015 by StyloBug33

[BrandonA]

Only a select few get even half a chance to use any of mine........

+1

 

It was only a rollerball though. Even so I'd of said no.

[dubhe]

I did think about saying something like, "please be careful, it's quite special" but I thought that increased pressure would have made her more likely to drop it!

 

To be fair, I bought rthe LeGrand RB secondhand for a third of the retail price exactly because I wanted to be able to take it and use it anywhere without the fear you all mention. If I had only had my FP (cool blue StarWalker) I probably would have had to be rude!

 

StyloBug33, your comment above about it obviously being an expensive pen: the lady I lent it to had absolutely no idea what she was holding. It was a pen.

 

Once I arrived at my meeting I looked around the table during discussion, 12 attendees from senior management posts across the UK. 4 Bics, a Parker, 2 unbranded clicky ballpoints and the rest gel ink pens from the office stationary cupboard. Are pen affectionardoes a rarer breed than I thought?

[AJ50]

I was asked by a colleague if he could borrow my pen to make a couple of notes. Thankfully the pen I was using was not one of my Montblancs but it was a Caran d'Ache, so not cheap. After using the pen he kept hold of it and proceeded to 'play' with it twiddling it with his fingers, scratching his head with it and finally scratching his leg with it. At this stage I asked for it back!!!

[dneal]

One more reason I keep a Kaweco Sport in my pocket. I'll let anybody borrow it, since they can't hurt it, and it's hilarious to watch them try to use it if they don't know how or don't post it.

[Sasha Royale]

Do you feel that anyone in need of a pen is ENTITLED to your pen, just because you

have one ? If it were my fountain pen, I would reply, "No. I don't have a pen you can

borrow." Since it was only a rollerball, and any damage to the easily replaced refill

cartridge is a small matter, I don't care.

 

Ever seen a user post the cap, then DRIVE it home with sharp punch of the heal of

his hand ? Will you ever learn ?

[jar]

If I lend a fountain pen to a stranger or anyone not familiar with them they get the pen but never the cap. If all they have is the pen there is no fear of them pulling caps off or putting it in their pocket without providing a clear example of why that is not a good idea. They also get a short seminar on how to write with a fountain pen complete with demonstration.

[______Zaphod_Beeblebrox]

I would have no problem lending my pen out.

 

I seriously doubt anybody knows how much your pen costs.

 

Besides, your missing the main question that needs to be asked, was the woman attractive?