Maybe this has been addressed before. But, as I sit here fiddling with my Recife Crystal (fine point) for the 50,000th time (I don't know how many pages of doodling I've done), it's finally beginning to do exactly what I've wanted and prompted me to ask the topic question.

I considered doing a poll, but quickly realized there's no way in you-know-where that I could predict the possible outcomes.

So, out of sheer curiosity, are there any other patient types out there that nursed an irascible writer along long enough for it to become a fave?

Interesting question. A year and a half ago, I bought a Lamy Vista and decided I would carry it around in my pocket to see if I liked fountain pens.

After a day I really hated it because the line was too wide. Then I discovered I could get a finer nib for it, which I did.

I still hated it because the color of the ink was watery and pale. Then I discovered I could get a converter and I could use whatever ink I wanted.

I still hated it because the nib was too dry and didn't leave much of a trail of ink. Then I discovered that I could floss the nib to increase the ink flow.

I still hated it because the nib was so scratchy that writing with it was unpleasant. Then I discovered that I could smooth the nib by aligning the tines and rubbing it on a paper bag.

I still hated it because my handwriting was weird and illegible and ugly. Then I discovered that if I practiced my handwriting -- duh! -- it would improve.

Now, it's one of my favs. What a great pen!

Doug

My UK Parker Aerometric Duofold Junior took about six months to become a truly satisfying pen. I bought it mint, as new old stock, which turns out to have been a mistake if I wanted a generous writer out of the box. I could write with it, and if I had been an English student or office worker at the time the pen was manufactured, I could have done my homework or posted receipts or drafted contracts. The pen did lay down ink.

I had it adjusted by two pen people of good reputation here in the United States. No great improvement. Time loosened up the nib and mellowed the feed, or whatever happened. In time the pen became a voluptuous writer.

By contrast, I bought a structurally similar pen, an Aerometric 17 Duofold, somewhat used but pretty virginal, and it was a wonderfully smooth and generous writer the first time I inked it. So, yes, some pens seem to take time, whether or not one believes in the idea of breaking in the nib.

Hmmm...

My Montblanc, I'd say.

When I first started using it, even though it was an F nib, it still seemed rather broad, and it was also very very VERY smooth. Now the nib has roughened up slightly and the ink-flow has now levelled out to something closely resembling FINE. In consequence, I find myself using it more and more every day.

When I got my first Esterbrook SJ with a 9128 nib (my first flexible nib), I thought "What is this tiny, stiff excuse for a flexible nib?! Bah.", then I put it in my pen box and ignored it.

Some time later I got new inks, and since the SJ was empty, I put one of my new inks in it to try it out - now the 9128 nib seemed to be more user-friendly. Since I adored the ink colour, I persevered with the pen, and after a couple of weeks I wasn't so disappointed, and the nib characteristics started to grow on me.

A little while later still, I gave it a trip across a piece of mylar and suddenly it was perfect!

Now, it's one of my nicest writing nibs, and that little SJ is never without ink!

Doug, what ink are you using in your photo? It looks like a 3:1 Lake Placid blue:avacado mix I have been using.

Stephen

Actually, it's straight Legal Lapis, but it doesn't really look that bright or green. I think I was using the "vivid" color button on my camera, or hit another button in my photo software or something... Legal Lapis is green, but NOT quite that turquoise in real life. I don't use Legal Lapis straight anymore. It makes a great ink to mix with other "bulletproof" inks, though...

Doug

Without a doubt, for me it has been the Rotring Core. The first couple of times I saw one, I thought, "What an ugly critter that one is -- I've seen sneakers that looked better after the dog chewed on them." Then I tried one and discovered that for all its cosmetic flaws, it actually wrote extremely well. So I bought one. Then I bought two more. Then (mercifully) they became harder to find so I could with a clear conscience stop buying them.

What a great story!

I haven't yet nursed a once grumpy pen along to favorite status (instead, I keep buying more pens), but I do have an ink I initially hated and now love.

A Pilot Knight. When I first got it I almost returned it to Office Depot, because it seemed so heavy. Because it writes so well, I kept coming back to it, and it is now in my pool of daily pens.

A slightly different slant, I actually liked this pen as soon as I saw it.

This is about my OldGriz Dragon Pen.
I liked it from the day I got it.
The intention was to use it for a specific purpose and not use it as a general use pen.
That is changing. I find myself going to it more and more often, for all sorts of writing.
The thing just feels good in my hand and is a joy to write with. On top of that it is a great looking pen and built like a rock.

I bought a Pelikan 140 that was juicy at start yet skipped and stopped after a half page. It was a very frustrating experience since the nib was soft, wet at first, and gave good line variation.

After I flushed, flossed, and ensured the feed was clean, I learned that different inks really do make a difference. The pen was allergic to Pelikan Royal Blue. With Waterman Florida Blue, the pen was a little more juicy yet still skipped and dried up when the barrel was half empty. Noodler's Eel ink (American Blue) was the perfect solution. The pen is now wet and writes without skipping until the barrel is empty.

Now the 140 is my favorite, even edging out the Lamy 2000. The nib experience with the 140 is wonderful.

My Parker Sonnet. I have had it for many years. I love the look -- it is the Laque Forest Green. I wanted to love writing with it. But it always felt scratchy, and seemed to leak -- I was always finding ink on the section the hard way, by finding ink on my fingers. I would use it for a while, put it away, get to looking at it again, use it for a while, put it away ...

Well, I learned somewhere on the web that it was not leaking. Putting the nib down into the cap may cause the nib to spray just a little when it is clicked shut. Putting the nib up into the cap, and capping gently, is the cure for this. And it has worked!

As far as scratchy, well, it has a fine nib, and I really prefer mediums. But once I discovered that this pen has a sweet spot, just about 5 degrees counter-clockwise of the angle at which I usually hold a pen, that cleared up a lot. I can't say it is my favorite, but it now has a regular place in my rotation and I am very glad to finally be as fond of this pen as I always wanted to be.

Yep, my Sonnet was the one I grew to love, too

It initially came with a M nib that was hard-starting and back when I was a FP newbie, I paid full retail price (in Canada) for it so I really disliked the pen. Every time I looked at it, I got annoyed because I knew I overpaid for an unreliable pen (hey, if I had overpaid for a reliable pen, that would have been OK ). I decided to go for a nib exchange and get a M Italic nib from Parker (which turned out to be quite stubbish--yay!) and am very pleased with the results. No startup problems, and I can even forget the horrendous amount of money I paid for the pen

For it would have to be my first fountain pen, a Cross ATX medium point. The first I did when I got the pen was to throw away that useless "twist thingy" that someone accidentally put in the box. Of course, the cartridges don't really work that well and the pen wouldn't write. So I put it away and swore to never use it again. Then, in an attempt to sell it, I came here and my wife has been angry with me ever since.

John

I actually have a sort of theory, based on years of experience, that things that I really like straight off will end up disappointing me in the long run, things I'm initially disappointed with will end up being much loved. This applies to people, cars, art, pens etc etc. As you can see, I don't believe in love at first sight!

On the pen front this applied particularly to a Sailor Bamboo Susutake with cross emperor nib. At first I just couldn't get along with either the weird ergonomics of the pen or the equally weird nib. I persisted, and its now a pen which has a special place in my heart.