Hi it's good to see so many other people with my problem - how to collect as many beautiful pens and appreciate them, share that appreciation, and not appear totally barmy. This is a great site. I'm so pleased to have stumbled upon it. Now to bed!!

Welcome to FPN!

You'll find lots of useful information here. Enjoy!

Judybug

Shalom Rabbi Solomons,

FPN is a great resource for learning about and acquiring pens.

Have you any experience as a sofer? A while back we had a thread about antique inks and quill pens and I made some inexpert references to the ink recipe used to write S.T.a.M. Perhaps you have access to material of that sort that would interest some of us.

All good wishes for your preparation for the yamim noraim.

Andy

BTW, I'm the Executive Director of a Conservative Synagogue in San Diego

Welcome, Rabbi!

I second Andy's comments. I am quite interested in the ink(s) used for copying Torah. I learned Hebrew in seminary, and now manage five communities of Jewish inmates. I would't trade the experience for anything.

You never know w h o you're going to meet!

Russ

Welcome to FPN. Where upon this Earth are you from? We are a very international bunch.

Hello Rabbi

Welcome to the forum, I have your pen collecting problem, as we all have on here

Dawn



edit. typo

Hello and welcome aboard!

Hi & Welcome. Always nice to have a new face

Hi Andy - I am not a sofer but an Ortho Rabbi at Princes Road Synagogue My Webpage. I have quill and ink and on Friday attempted to mend a sefer I had unfortunately discovered not to be kosher during the reading last week. The ink spread like on blotting paper which leads me to believe that we need a new sefer - or at least a new Klaf (skin) for that Yeriah (piece of parchment). The ink was given to me by a sofer in London, and the quill is from a duck. I believe the ink is made from gall nuts and gum and soot, although there are many different formulations.

Regards

Rabbi Zvi

Rabbi, I didn't presume you to be a sofer, and I'm sorry to hear of your unsatisfactory repair experience.

What I was hoping for was that some of the folks here on FPN might be interested to know what some of the ink recipes are. I'd be interested to know if there are any midrashic explanations (rather than practical explanations) about the ink components. Also, I've found our FPN friends open to learning about different customs and you could probably share the ones related to the art of the sofer and the S.T.a.M. items themselves.

I'm intrigued that the working sofer immerses in the mikva before the daily writing chores begin. Custom or halacha? I don't know. I bet you do.

Being "people of the book" as we are called by others, those books got written and there must have been quite a tradition of the professional scribe before we entered the printing era.

I'm also interested in the conversion from the ancient Hebrew letters to the Assyrian letters, k'tav ashuri, and what the practical and political and religous ramifications of that change were.

BTW, I checked out your website and you sure have a beautiful Bet K'nesset!

All good wishes and shavua tov,

Andy