Jump to content

For Pelikan Fanatics Only


Ana_

Recommended Posts

So I was in my bank last week and I used my Pelikan M200 to sign a check for endorsement. The teller who is assisting me of course sees me do this and proceeds to immediately say, "oh wow you're using a fountain pen," yes I replied it's my favorite this then initiates a conversation about how the teller used to use a fountain pen when she wrote in school but no longer uses one. She comments about how much she loves the color and then asks me if she can try it. Moral dilemma. If it was my Lamy Safari which is mad sturdy and can write through cinderblock I would've let her but not my Pelikan... Not even my husband has ever written with my Pelikan, nor would he have the audacity to ask... So I did the only thing I could do. I said I'm sorry but the tines are very sensitive on this Pelikan and they can be misaligned if used by someone else who doesn't have the same light touch. She looked at me very strangely as did her coworker and this produced two more visits later on in the week in which one she didn't make eye contact with me and two she looked at me with a very perplexed expression on her face. But I have to say, awkwardness and all it wasn't as uncomfortable as it would have been to watch her clutching my Pelikan.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 31
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • Trebor

    2

  • fountainpenlady

    2

  • Ana_

    2

  • smcneely

    1

I face this issue from time to time as well. I generally take the same action that you did. I had a nib ruined in my early days of FP use by lending. I might have offered to bring my Safari in my next time around for her to try in order to diffuse some of the akwardness. I don't understand why people feel that a request to use someone else's property should be an obligatory yes and then take it personally when it's no.

PELIKAN - Too many birds in the flock to count. My pen chest has proven to be a most fertile breeding ground.

fpn_1508261203__fpn_logo_300x150.jpg

THE PELIKAN'S PERCH - A growing reference site for all things Pelikan

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's socially very hard to do, I agree. There's just a social expectation that if you have a watch or a pen, you have to give the time or lend the pen.

 

Having said that, I've told a classmate before that she couldn't borrow my pen, and she just couldn't comprehend. Cue angry outburst at me. Oh well. Now, I didn't explain that it was a fountain pen; maybe if I did, it would have gone smoother, but sometimes I feel like going through the effort of explaining is just too much, given that most people would probably just accept a "no" answer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Next time you are in the bank, bring the Lamy and let the teller write away.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's okay. "Say what you mean; mean what you say; and don't say it mean." You did just that. If she takes offense, it's her choice. She could have responded graciously and thanked you for showing her your beautiful pen. I agree with Mr. Pink. Take the Lamy the next time and let her write away, and perhaps give her the name of FPN network so she can join us!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A colegue once took my 400NN from my lab coat front pocket at the time she says "Let me see" (in Chile we say "¿a ver?". That can be traduced to "Can I borrow your pen, but I don't wanna give you the time to say no, so I take it anyway?"). I did not have the time to tell her anything. I almost fainted when I saw her trying to PULL the cap out. That was my oportunity to take the pen away from her and said: "sorry, but that is not the way to use it". I can't even imagine her writting with the pen. It is just so personal. I have a couple of very cheap ballpoint pen so I can hand to people who get the uncontrolable desire of writting when they see a fountainpen.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree with Keyless Works ... damaging a nib when using it (even if you are not a usual fountain user) is very difficult.

 

There is no risk lending it, as long as you are there and ask the person to be careful.

Vintage pens have been used by so many hands, ... in so many ways ... and still write beautifully !!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I certainly would not criticize you for your decision because it was yours to make. I am a bit different. I tend to let people try out one of my FPs more often than not (sometimes with friendly coaching), including Pels up through M800s (I rarely carry any of the M1000s by themselves). Since your teller was already a past FP user, I doubt I would have hesitated to let her enjoy it.

Edited by Bill
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Each person has a comfort zone dictated by many parameters such as finances (how easy is it to replace the pen) and personality (some people are more possessive than others and that's okay). Respecting these personal limits keeps you grounded and real. Disrespecting them is not healthy. It's up to others to learn to hear the word 'no' without taking it personally. A lot of people aren't very good at hearing the word 'no' even politely, but that's their problem, not yours.

 

You did the right thing for you OP and I would suggest trusting your instincts in this case.

 

Also, maybe ask the teller to borrow her pen or try on her $100 earrings next time and see what she says.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Each person has a comfort zone dictated by many parameters such as finances (how easy is it to replace the pen) and personality (some people are more possessive than others and that's okay). Respecting these personal limits keeps you grounded and real. Disrespecting them is not healthy. It's up to others to learn to hear the word 'no' without taking it personally. A lot of people aren't very good at hearing the word 'no' even politely, but that's their problem, not yours.

 

I think it's also worth mentioning context. For example, I would consider things like if it's a friend of yours who you know also uses fountain pens, where you currently are (e.g., pen show, pen meetup), someone who's never used a FP before but sees you using one and is interested, or some random guy on the street needing to sign their name or fill out a form. For the latter, I would almost definitely not lend out a pen. There's just too much of an unknown quantity; some people aren't going to understand that your pen isn't disposable, and they're going to chew on it or bang it against a table or get it dirty.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I really have no problem....showing them exactly the way I want them to hold it...'frefinger up', while explaining how very light they must use it....show and tell....and tell again....before hand.....no pressure.

 

I did get some woman to go out and buy a fountain pen.

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I usually give people my pens if they want to try and I really don't get fretful about them damaging the nib. I usually say that fountain pens require almost no pressure at all to write and it really takes a lot of force to really screw up a nib by pressure alone. The only thing that really makes me uneasy is when people try to pull of the cap but I almost always give them the pen uncapped so that I don't have to go through that ordeal (on those rare occasions, I usually make a shrill screaming noise and tell them to screw the cap off). Actually the thing that scares me the most when other people are handling my pens is the risk of them dropping the pen. I think that is a likelier scenario than them damaging the nib while trying out the pen.

 

Most people are really careful when they see that I'm really sensitive about my pens and they respect that and treat the pens accordingly. Some people don't know that the nib should be facing up and they need some coaching. The pen that has flabbergasted most people to date is actually my most recent acquisition, a 149 with an OBB nib. Most people can't write with it because the nib is really sensitive to orientation.

 

But in the end, these are all personal choices. I understand and respect your decision to decline the request. I would have let them try the pen personally along with some polite words of caution.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I let people use my pens when asked and no one has ever broken one. I have a few old rare pens that I wouldn't let some random person use but those don't really leave my desk at home.

 

If it has a soft delicate nib I just say use very little pressure.

So in other wards, you have decoys you provide when someone wants to use your pen. If truly you believe in your generosity with others who may not know how to use a fountain pen, bring out your "few old rare pens" which do not leave your desk. Now that would be talking the talk and walking the walk.

Ea Alis Volat Propiis, per/Repletus Fontis Calamus!
She Flies by Her Own Wings, with filled Fountain Pen

 

Delta DolceVita, F-C Intrinsic 02, Pelikan M800 red/black striation, Bexley ATB Strawberry Swirl, Red Jinhao 159, Platinum 3776 Bourgogne. :wub:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Much of the time, people who admire fountain pens may not have any experience in using them. For them it is a novelty. They are curious. They have a memory perhaps of long ago seeing someone use them or perhaps using one themselves. Once I had a senior in high school ask to use my Pelikan M800 after he watched me writing with it. He said he and his family had lived in Germany and he knew how to use a fountain pen.With hesitancy, I allowed him to use my fountain pen. Right from the start, realized I had made a mistake. He opened the piston and ink went everywhere. He neither fessed up, apologized, nor did he assist me in cleaning up his mess. From that incident on, I decided to never let anyone touch my fountain pens. I won't even loan a Lamy. I will let a person know where they can perhaps purchase one. I appreciate when people admire my fountain pens, but I do not allow appreciation to go beyond. If someone by accident or ignorance presses too hard, drops the pen, you are responsible for its repair. The person will probably give a sheepest expression if you are lucky and keep it moving. Your fountain pen is something which is important to you alone. Someone else who uses a fountain pen would not ask. It is riv gauche in my opinion to ask; people do not get back a free or cheap pen, when others borrow them, let alone something you have paid money to own. In my opinion, if you enjoy your writing instruments, even profess to love them, why would you allow someone to use any of them? I make no apologies when I say no. Besides, my fountain pens don't like strangers. :yikes:

Edited by fountainpenlady

Ea Alis Volat Propiis, per/Repletus Fontis Calamus!
She Flies by Her Own Wings, with filled Fountain Pen

 

Delta DolceVita, F-C Intrinsic 02, Pelikan M800 red/black striation, Bexley ATB Strawberry Swirl, Red Jinhao 159, Platinum 3776 Bourgogne. :wub:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ana and kelleher, I agree with you.

I use M800 and K800 to write clinical records in my office.

I'm often asked by my patients for "something to write with", and I hold out K800 not M800.

Fortunately, no one asks me to use my "M800", nor complaints that I did not not lend it!

Edited by tacitus

Please visit my website Modern Pelikan Pens for the latest information. It is updating and correcting original articles posted in "Dating Pelikan fountain Pen".

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fountainpenlady and luckykate, I am well aligned with you both. And thank you to all for your input, it's definitely an interesting topic. Before I decided to put my Pelikan in daily rotation I really gave it some thought. I envisioned different scenarios, would it take away from the value to use it daily and I wondered what if i'm asked to borrow it and have to say no, could I offend someone inadvertantly, etc. etc. but then I really thought about it. I bought this FP because I really love it and I truly enjoy writing it. How strange would it be for me to buy it and keep it locked up at home just because someone might take No the wrong way? Am I to be that controlled by others possible reactions? That seems absurd. Or because it might get heavy use? I bought the pen from an estate sale, a vintage pen that the man who originally owned bought new then hid away from the world never having inked it ever til the day he died and his family had the estate sale... I couldn't do that. And saying no to people, well, I agree that societally, people are just not used to being told no and take it rather shockingly. I can't help that and don't say no rudely, but ultimately it is my pen and my decision. That being said, I attend pen possee and would let anyone there use it. They know what they are doing. :) Thanks to all for the lively discussion

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So I was in my bank last week and I used my Pelikan M200 to sign a check for endorsement. The teller who is assisting me of course sees me do this and proceeds to immediately say, "oh wow you're using a fountain pen," yes I replied it's my favorite this then initiates a conversation about how the teller used to use a fountain pen when she wrote in school but no longer uses one. She comments about how much she loves the color and then asks me if she can try it. Moral dilemma. If it was my Lamy Safari which is mad sturdy and can write through cinderblock I would've let her but not my Pelikan... Not even my husband has ever written with my Pelikan, nor would he have the audacity to ask... So I did the only thing I could do. I said I'm sorry but the tines are very sensitive on this Pelikan and they can be misaligned if used by someone else who doesn't have the same light touch. She looked at me very strangely as did her coworker and this produced two more visits later on in the week in which one she didn't make eye contact with me and two she looked at me with a very perplexed expression on her face. But I have to say, awkwardness and all it wasn't as uncomfortable as it would have been to watch her clutching my Pelikan.

To be honest here I don't think if she used it for a few seconds or say even a minute it would do any harm to the pen, I've borrowed my M600 and even my M800 to two people a while back and was all good no harm done at all.

 

But what makes cheesed off is they say ohhh your using a fountain pen, I used one when I was at school many years ago, so I'll ask why have or did you stop using it and switch to some cheap pathetic ballpoint. Than they have the cheek to ask ohhh can I try and use yours duhhhh. I don't know what it is but today people get more excited out of using some cheap plastic bic than even say a Lamy Safari

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I let people use my M200 all the time. The nibs are cheap enough that if one is nerfed it's no big deal. So far so good.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have this from time to time at work, my pen/s are usually on the desk along with my agenda and notebook and, on a number of occasions, people have walked in to talk to me and make a note of something picking up the nearest pen in the process to do so.....

 

I have two approaches now, first line of defence is to always have a ballpoint and a second notepad on the desk exactly where people stand when they call to see me.

 

The second tactic, assuming they have managed to get to my FP before I do, is to say quickly, clearly and firmly, "it's a screw cap and that is an 80 year old £200 pen (pause for effect)...you will be very gentle with it wont you....."

 

It hasn't failed yet and generally they suddenly look as though they've grasped a smouldering stick of dynamite. If they are still brave enough to want to use it I explain a little about being light handed and not pressing etc etc, show them how to use it and let them have a go, they've always proved very careful thus far.

 

The rest carefully replace the cap and put the pen down, heading swiftly back to the familiar comfort of the cheap Biro in front of them.

 

I value my pens a great deal but am not precious about them, the vintage ones I use daily have already seen a lifetime of use and abuse so, with care, I figure, they've got this far and they'll probably be here when I'm gone.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33501
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26627
    5. jar
      jar
      26101
  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o
  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More
  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...