Does Legal Lapis Xerox okay?

[Ink Stained Wretch]

What does a U.S. Govt. black ballpoint look like? Something other than a BIC? And what would happen if you filled out a form in, say, Noodler's Black? Would the marshals come and arrest you?

Meant to post this long ago. What you can't see is on this photo is the "US Government" imprint. The ones I remember said "Skilcraft - US Government" on them, not sure the new ones have the brand name on them. Also, the old Viet Nam era pens had a single wide chrome band (separate piece of metal, actually, not a stamped imprint) instead of the four narrow bands/two narrow and one broad band in the photo.

 

Oh, I remember those single wide band ballpoints. I also remember the army using green ballpoints. And they were not as good as BIC Crystals. But I always supposed that you could use one ballpoint pen for decades while you swapped refills in and out. I didn't stay around that long so I never got a chance to find out for certain.

 

They really loved green junk in the army way back then.

[haysdownunder]

I remember there was a vending machine for these at the library when I was a kid. They cost a quarter, and the librarians all used them too. There was a rotating drum inside with a glass front; you could see all the pens lined up from the clicky end. I finally convinced my mom to buy me one and was surprised at how light they were. I think I was expecting metal, but they were pretty thin plastic. I still have it too!

[kiavonne]

Meh. I come from a govt family. Seems every relative I have has worked for the federal govt. I remember my mother bringing work home and using the black U.S. Government ballpoints. They actually wrote better than the bics. I work for a federal office now. For a while, we got the white stick bics imprinted U.S. Government. Now, it's plain, still stick bics. We have been getting in other bp's lately though. Pentels. It all comes down to the infamous phrase: "low bid."

 

We aren't under any restrictions in our offices for the color of ink. Blue and black and red are the norms, people don't think much about asking for other colors. However, I've always bought and used my own office supplies, seeing as "low bid" brings in some pretty cruddy stuff. Nowadays, instead of using black roller balls, I use my fountain pens. I use Legal Lapis, Nikita Red, Air Corp Blue Black, Heart of Darkness, Baystate on occasion, and I use Galileo Manuscript brown on our buff colored official history cards. Haven't heard any complaints, yet.

 

My blues all photocopy well enough. It was a long time ago when blues appeared "white" and reds faded. Things all come out pretty intact anymore. I remember a long time ago when I used to have to produce reports perfectly (using old word processors) on "camera ready" paper. Everything was justified, within set margins, and the paper was marked with the special blue guidelines that would disappear once the report was "published."

[Tango Yankee]

Today I find out that all the Feds still carry those tacky black "U.S. Government" ballpoint pens. My, my.

 

I've got one of those tacky black/chrome "U.S. Government" fountain pens!

 

Of course, I've had and used my share of the ball-point variety during my career. Wish I'd had the fountain pen one while I was still in--imagine the looks I'd have received when I used it! :roflmho:

 

Cheers,

Tom

[cerberus920]

The Air Force gets the blue ones, just because the zoomies are "special." (I was Navy, myself.)

 

I don't know where you got that we had blue. I was a Zoomie (I passed the ASVAB) & when I was in, all we had were the black Skilcraft w/ a single metal band. They were the worst writers ever invented- a charred stick is better than those things.

[mrdavie]

Hey, just sign your fortune away in pencil and fax it to me.