Hello everyone. I've been lurking for a couple weeks, learning a lot from the forums, and wanted to introduce myself. Bought my first new fountain pen in years in August, along with a bottle of Noodler's Black, and now, less than a month later, I have three new pens (a Lamy Safari, Waterman Phileas, and Pilot Knight) and five bottles of ink. Any day now I am going to break down and order a stub from Richard Binder -- and my wish list keeps growing!

I learned Palmer-method cursive handwriting using a school-issued lever-filling fountain pen (I now wonder about how well-funded my hometown school system was, as even then this was highly unusual, and the second-grade desks actually sported inkwell holes -- unused) and later owned a red Shaeffer No Nonsense pen (high school), many disposables (college), and a couple "real" pens. I had just started to eye more models in stores and catalogs when something about my left-handed writing position changed and fountain pens and rollerballs started to skip on me. (I have an embarrassingly huge collection of gel pens now.)

Recently I switched to writing underhanded, which cleared up the problem quite nicely, and a new computer and more time have led me from calligraphy sites to Moleskinerie to 43 Folders and PigPog to the Fountain Pen Network, which I really enjoy.

It's been a mixed blessing, however, to find folks online who like pens, paper and notebooks as much I do. I feel so encouraged in my notebook-buying and pen and ink testing habits and indeed, rather...enabled. I read about wonderful ink colors and smooth-writing pens and fountain-pen-friendly paper and a Haze Comes Over Everything and I. Have. To. Get. Them. Soon.

Welcome, Lefty928!

Yes, it sounds like you are getting the hang of things. When you spend time online with other people who are equally addicted to fountain pens, paper, ink, etc., it is very ------- well, gratifying to say the least. You will notice that there's always someone who is spending more money than you are - and that's a great stress/guilt reliever! Enjoy

Judybug

Welcome. I think that if there is a fountain pen twelve step program then we here are all relapsed members.

Hi Lefty

Welcome to the forum, its always good to meet another penaholic

Dawn

Hello lefty928 from another southpaw, and one who also switched to underwriting to make FP life easier. Not too hard to switch, was it? Anyhow, plenty of other lefties here, including some who have VERY impressive handwriting (but not me ). Enjoy the place and hope to see you around.

HI. I'm Ruaidhrí and I'm a penaholic

Thanks, everyone, for the warm welcome! It's so nice to be among fellow penaholics. You understand.

Judybug, I hadn't thought about the fact that, compared to the really ace collectors here, I'm not spending so much money, really. Really, not at all. In fact, I am actually saving money, by trying out so many lower-priced pens. It's not going to escalate. Nooooo....

And, southpaw, you are right. It wasn't hard too hard to switch, just never thought about it before. I've seen beautiful examples of handwriting at FPN. To my faint dismay, switching to an underhand cursive italic didn't make my handwriting pretty, at least not without the help of an edged pen. It did, however, make my scrawls more consistently legible.