I don't know whether this topic has been polled yet. If so, we can disregard or revisit it.

I have three modern pens which I prefer not to post. I have one vintage pen which I do post most of the time. Thereore, I generally don't post.

http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...wtopic=5857&hl=

Thanks for the link, Glenn. I'm hoping people will choose to revisit rather than disregard on this one. Perhaps we'll get a more "general" feel as to whether people post or don't post most of the time without that pesky "depends on the pen" category; the people who fit into that category (like me) will most likely consider various aspects of their favorite users, like size/girth, balance, etc. and the results may be even more narrowed down. For instance, in the December poll, my response would have been "Depends on the pen." In this poll, my response (as stated above) is, "I generally don't post."

BUT IT DOES!!!!!

e.g., I always post the Lamay Safari, and I never post the Cross Townsend.

I would like to post my fountain pens, but generally refrain from doing it. That's because I'm mostly using pens that are 50 to 75 years old, and I don't want to be the one who cracks their cap lips. And then there are some pens that really don't want to be posted. I've got an old Sheaffer flat-top that I tried posting a couple of times (when I was young and foolish), and the cap just POPPED right off the barrel, flying out several inches. Many other pens -- some Sheaffers, but also my Lamy 2000 -- have cap/barrel matings that survive only the gentlest handling.

My Parker "51"s post very securely, on the other hand, and the caps seem very sturdy. You can bet that I won't be posting my new "51" Flighter, though, as I don't want the scuff marks from its clutch mechanism.

This happens with modern pens also. Sometimes I'll post my Dupont and Visconti (just for fun), and I find that the cap wants to pop off the barrell like your Sheaffer! Sometimes it hangs on, but probably not too securely. The Van Gogh's cap presses on the barrel a little more securely, but it's wobbly. OTOH, the Parker Vac's cap posts really well, and it wants to stay there.

I agree...So which way did you vote???

posting? nah. Afraid of scratching.

But then it depends on the pen.

Nearly always! Certainly my preference.

Most always, depending on how capping affects the balance of the pen.

I do not like to post my Parker 51's simply because I don't want any marks on the pen. However I can't say I have never posted my pens.
If I'm away from home I will post it, so that I don't accidentally drop the cap or lose it.

I -never- post.

I think it started the day I held a fountain pen, posting make all fountain pen back heavy.

It makes a full day of note taking and an evening of homework too difficult.

I did not as I can not truthfully choose either response.

FWIW, I have a BIC Prelude that likes to shrug off its cap if I post it.

I don't post, for balance reasons and also because I would hate to scratch the barrel.

i usually post it. The extra weight of the cap on the back of the pen helps me write more easily with the correct balance.

I do it out of habit

I'd love to post it but because of balance reasons too, I usually end letting my pen unposted.

I generally do not need to post. I almost never do with vintage pens, as posting a fragile cap is an invitation to cracking it. As long as the pen reaches the web between my thumb and forefinger, I don't need to post. I do post later vintage pens that have metal caps, such as the Parker 51 and 61, 45 and 75. And I post my Stipula 22s, which post deep and have metal cap lips, so I don't have to worry about weakening the plastic (although a more careful person than I would worry about scratching the barrels!).

Bigger pens, vintage and modern, are disconcerting to write with when the cap is posted. I get distracted by that cap waving around in mid-air! And the more I write unposted, the more I've gotten comfortable doing so.

best, Dan

90% of the time I don't post. I generally am working at a desk where I unscrew the cap, lay it on the desk, and begin writing. Plus, I have several pens where I'm concerned about marring the finish of the pen barrel. Knock on wood(!!!), I've never had a pen roll-off the desk.

I don't post because to do so seems to invite getting ink all over my hands, but I also have wee little munchkin hands, so a posted pen usually feels too heavy to me.

I almost never post the cap while writing. The only exception is when I write with one of my Sheaffer Tuckaway pens. Those short, stubby pens really need the cap posted to feel complete and balanced.

I have only one pen that I post - the Parker Vector. I never post any of my other pens.

I have yet to own a pen that didn't benefit from being posted. If it scratches I'm not overly bothered (although I do my utmost to avoid it) as my pens are to be used and I'm more scared of the cap rolling around and getting damaged/dropped/lost.

It all started with a Parker 45 which felt miles better posted. I even made sure it was if someone else tried it out. It gave me the impression that it was designed to be used that way. My CS Churchill was used posted but this is the only pen I've had that was equally satisfying (to me) to use unposted.

I also think the extra length given adds to the dignity of the pen.


Greg

(...awaiting puns about 'only posting letters')

I never post fountain pens. However, I do post other writing instruments such as rollerballs etc.

Posting a fountain pen just doesn't seem right to me. Most of my pens are oversize, so I would find it uncomfortable to post them anyway, and besides, I am always concerned that posting would cause damage to the barrel.

I find posting ruins the sensation of writing for me. The weight shifts too far up the pen.

I usually clip the empty cap to the neck of a T-shirt, jacket pocket, or the pen holder pocket in my briefcase, so that it can't get lost.

I never post unless using a small pen like a Kaweco Sport.

I have 6 pens of value (Conway Stewart 100, Dani Trio Densho, Lamy Persona, Namiki VP Blue Carbonesque, Parker "51", Pelikan Athens, most of which actually are being worked on at the moment) . I post all of them, except for the Densho.

To me, they just don't seem balanced without the cap posted. Actually the Persona feels a bit top-heavy, so I may have to reevaluate.

Stephen

I usually post, and now more than ever, as I'm currently using a number of vintage pens. The barrels are simply too short on say a Vac Junior or a Swan to balance properly without posting I find. But I've always posted, so I suppose it's more habit than anything else. And pens like the MB 146 and Duofold Centennial do look magnificent posted!

Scratches? Well, if you use your pens those are going to happen anyway.

"I have yet to own a pen that didn't benefit from being posted. If it scratches I'm not overly bothered (although I do my utmost to avoid it) as my pens are to be used"

I second this sentiment. I started out worrying too much about scratching my pens but as I experimented with how my writing felt via posting I think that I would rather have improved balance than worry about scratching. Of course this would be different if I was writing with a very expensive pen. But, with my meager finances I don't think I'll be worrying about that in the immediate future!

I will post if the cap doesnt scuff the barrel. some pens do some dont. i prefer to post, but i wont post on certain pens where ive noticed barrel scuffing.

my 45 signet scuffs, and 61 flighter scuffs. i removed the scuffs with polish and didnt post them anymore.

my 51s, sonnet, 75 gold plate barleycorn dont scuff, but my conway stewarts do. the conways are black plastic and easy to polish out if i feel the urge so they dont worry me.

the Duofold i bought new? dunno, never tried and never will!

oh yeah, and ive never posted my Pilot VP either. not sure why though...

I prefer to use my pens unposted just because its more comfortable. The only ones I post are the mini FP's.

Well, I post for the same reason. One of the things I don't like is a pen that doesn't post solidily. But, I have huge hands.

Ron

This poll has been active for so long that when I first voted, I wrote posted. Now I don't(!) I find I can write more quickly and more clearly without posting. I also find myself favoring shorter, lighter pens like the Pelikan M200 over longer pens like the Lamy Vista/Safaris/Al-Stars, although I still love my brass bodied VPs, maybe because they can't be posted (since the nibs retract).

Doug

I almost always post my caps. There are a few exceptions ie Urushi/Maki-e pens or huge pens that are way too huge if posted, such as a Mikado or genkai.

When I was in college, I never posted and was always misplacing caps - which is why I started posting.

I've been thinking that someone ought to design a little stand with an upright peg to place a cap on while writing. Maybe the base of this little stand could have a place to rest your pen if you need to lay it down momentarily.

Enlighten me if there already is such an item in production.

Judybug