I can't sleep so I thought I'd introduce myself. I joined FPN yesterday after a few weeks of lurking on the boards. I've been interested in fountain pens since I was about 10 years old but didn't really start buying or collecting them regularly until about 4 years ago, when I was entering college. Yeah, I'm a geek-- a geek from Pennsylvania.

My "collection" includes a black matte Parker Sonnet with medium nib (only 2 weeks old but already my favorite pen!); a month-old blue Levenger Baton FP; a 3-year old silver Levenger Prima FP that works like a charm, even after it spent 5 months in my car's glove compartment; and two pens from Turner Mastercraft, a small specialty company based in the South. One is a red acrylic FP and the other is wooden and has purple, blue and pink stripes. All of my nibs are mediums so far. Ironically, the Prima is probably my most reliable pen (after the new Sonnet) but it was the cheapest. I haven't delved into experimenting with nib sizes or kinds yet-- as you can see, I've basically stuck to medium nibs for all my pens so far. One day, I might get REALLY crazy and buy a pen with a BROAD nib! Hoo boy!

Hi Sonnet,

Let me be the first to welcome you to this lil nuthouse! Glad to see that you've joined after weeks of lurking - it either means that we're quite an ok lot or (most likely) that you've gone mad and decided to join other equally mindless people here. :bunny1: :bunny1: :bunny1:

That one day when you become REALLY crazy and get your first broad-nibbed pen will be sooner than you think, especially now that you've joined. With the help of everyone else here, this purchase will be rapidly followed by Pelikans, Pilots, Stipulas, Esterbrooks... basically a whole lot of pens... and bank loans... :doh:

You shouldn't have joined

Welcome!

Wait till you try the stub and italic nibs. Then you're doomed, happily doomed.

Grasshopper:

Oh, I already have plenty of bank loans. Stupid college education.

Hi there and welcome to our humble abode.

sounds like you're off to a good start.

The Prima is pretty much ignored by the pen community. Levenger doesn't really promote it but IMO it's an underrated little pen. I've bought several for friends who just love 'em. They are cheap but well made and the ones I've bought were all excellent writers right out of the box. Dry writers by my tastes but smooth and solid. There are a lot of $20 and less pens out there that are, IMO, as good if not better than many pricey pens. Of course, there are a lot of them that are rickety junk so... catch as catch can.

anyway - welcome and look forward to reading more from you.

KCat

Welcome to our corner of the www... I would heed the advice of all those that stepped in before I in that you're probably doomed... albeit happily.

Cheers!

Welcome Sonnet !

broad ? One day, you'll really blow a fuse and get a fine !

Enjoy the site !

Denis.

Hi Sonnet,

Welcoem to our little madhouse in fountain pen wonderland. I do hope you enjoy your stay here!.

No more warnings required from me, I see, with all the advice gone before.

Maybe just one: try a stub or italic, and you're truly lost .

Warm regards, Wim

The Prima definitely rocks. It's a shame Levenger stopped selling it-- if I had known they would (or how great a pen it is for such a low price), I would have definitely bought several more, including the matching rollerball. God, I am such a pen nut, it's not even funny. Buying new notebooks and pens were the only good things to come out of back-to-school shopping. And yes, I even used my $10 Parker Vector cartridge pen (my first "FP" ever at age 10 ) to take notes in class during 6th grade, my junior year of high school, and college. Even though I just graduated from college, I still like browsing the stationery aisles of drugstores.

I'm trying to get away from Levenger pens and gravitate more towards "traditional" brands like Parker, Pelikan, etc. I fell in love with a PINK! Conklin Mark Twain Signature pen while buying my sister's birthday present but I haven't purchased it (yet). As much as I love the color and overall look of the pen, it is a really long pen. It's probably longer than most Pelikans, without the cap posted. I don't know if I could write comfortably with that. I'm also drawn towards the Pelikan 215 and translucent 200 series of pens. Pretty! But since I just acquired 2 pens within 4 weeks, I'm trying to control myself. Also, I just resigned from my full-time job so I'll definitely have to watch my expenses.

Why can't I get a job involved with fountain pens and Macs?? Then I'd TRULY be happy!

Welcome--from this side of--somewhere!
Ann

Hello Sonnet:

Welcome to the FPN, the place where you can find all sorts of information on fountain pens, inks, and paper. Moreover, I am sure you would love using a broad nib that lays down a thick line of ink. However, you may want to consider using a stub or italic nib, which will really open a lot of eyes when you develop such creative writing skills, as only those nibs can create.

Welcome aboard, Sonnet. Interesting that you chose a fp model name for your moniker. I wonder how long the Sonnet will remain tops - nothing against the Sonnet, it's just that there are soooooooo many wonderful fps out there to temp you. Who knows, maybe one day your moniker will be M800, or Sheherazade, or Cobalt Glow, or . . . . . Just messing around - see you on the boards!