Hello All,

An interest in fountain pens was rekindled recently when my father gave me a Waterman Phileas for Christmas. I wasnt expecting much in the way of performance from this pen as my past experience with Watermans hasnt been great. I filled the Waterman with ink, lo and behold, that pen actually works pretty good! So begins another journey.
In the interest of living simply, slowing down and living more, I find myself drawn to quite a few of the older traditions. Ive just finished my first year of wet shaving and really enjoy it, it is true that you can get a really great shave with a straight if you are patient enough to learn it. Incidentally, quite a few razor shavers are fountain pen fanatics as well.

Ive just recently placed an order for a Sailor 1911. Looking forward to reading the forums and learning from the wealth of experience here.

Regards,

Dave.

never got to grips with the wet shaving. Hello there.

Welcome to FPN. I have a couple of very old straight razors that were my wife's grandfather's. I'm not sure I'd want to shave with them. They seem to be pretty well worn. The old fountain pens are another thing altogether.

Hi, Dave and welcome to FPN. Yes, I've noticed there seems to be some connection between old-fashioned shaving practices and fountain pens. A few other members and I have also noticed that a number of people have as hobbies - horses and fountain pens. At first these combinations seemed incongruous, but then it dawned on that all these things have links to the past. Maybe we all want a small portion of our lives to have nothing to do with the technological world . . . but then here we are on a computer forum. OK, I'm getting a headache trying to figure this out.

Judybug

Welcome Dave. I too am from California. Have you had a chance to visit Fred Krinke at The Fountain Pen Shop in Monrovia? He also leads up the Southern California Pen Collectors Club. Unfortunately I'm not in the area right now....off doing the war thing.

Jim

Another welcome from Texas. I still use a 25-year-old Merkur double-edge, though straight razors have always fascinated me. With all the meds I'm on, one nick could prove fatal!

I hope you enjoy it here.

Welcome to FPN Dave. It's a great place to be when your sad or happy. It's even a better place to be when you have money i.e. "The Marketplace"

P.S. - I hate shaving.....sorry

Thank you all for the welcome.

Jim, I havent had a chance to check the Fountain Pen Shop, I live in Mendocino County which is a pretty good distance from there. Sure would be nice to find a nice writing shop nearby, as there is not much here presently.

John, nothing wrong with the Merkur DEs, they are still my first draft choice when traveling or when I dont have the time for a straight.

Regards to all,

Dave

Hi from Marin.
I don't know any straights who would shave me.
Where's your nearest retail store with pens? I once saw that expensive place on the now touristy main street, but I can't remember which town, Healdsburg maybe? And I forgot the name too.

Havent heard of the place in Healdsburg. Not too far from here, maybe worth a look see. The Sailor 1911 and Sheaffer ink arrived last weekend, I'm liking this pen quite a bit.

Regards,

Dave

I think it had penny or cash in the name. It might have been the town with the Safeway and the park. It must have had an H in the town name, so it could be St. Helena if I went there that day. So bad, I didn't have to remember. I looked at things because they were there for real, but they charge full retail because the target customer is old rich women who write to each other, and there are other places in San Francisco to look for ink and such. The chances of my buying a new pen at those places is still not very good.

Hi Dave.
Nice choice the Sailor 1911! You will enjoy it!

Hi Dave, welcome to the FPN. I have always preferred wet shaving over electric razors. My father had several straight razors from the 1930s and 1940s that he used quite often, more so when I was a child. In his later years he came to love his Army safety-razor, with disposable blades.

I like to use a mug with glycerin based shaving soap, which doesn't cause any "razor burn" like the foam in a cylinder creates. Nothing like a good lather in your mug, and a badger brush to start your day with. Moreover, no five o'clock shadow to deal with at the end of the day.

Best wishes!