Hello all!

I found your website after googling how to fill a lever pen and it's really caught my interest!

I LOVE fountain pens and I have a little collection of 19 of them - the majority being Shaeffer and Parker with a few other 'fashionable' ones. My favourites (at the moment) are the Shaeffer ones as the ones I have got are from a calligraphy set so they all have broader nibs than the normal ones. I've got a couple of dip pens too although have to admit I've only really had a play with them so far. My reasoning (or excuse) being that I haven't finished restoring my writing slope (complete with inkwell now) yet so I am waiting for that project to be complete before I get into the whole calligraphy thing...

I am not at all knowledgeable about fountain pens but they are something that are catching my interest and as I am developing a love for all things old, these sorts of pens are starting to make an appearance on my eBay watch list along with travelling inkwells and writing sets!

I bought a little pen a few years ago, which I thought I had lost, and it has stamped on it 'Unique Junior, made in England'. (I think it may be an Osmiroid but I can't see any markings to suggest that, I just saw a picture on the web that looked just like it) It is a gorgeous green marble effect with brass coloured clip and lever. I can't remember why it ended up forgotten in a drawer but I found it again yesterday and after taking it apart and giving it a clean (I reckon you experts would cringe if you knew what I did!) I filled it with ink and set off writing. I was expecting it to leak all over me and therefore remembering why it was stuffed into a drawer but it seems to be writing fine. The only thing is that after writing a couple of pages of A4 it ran out of ink and I had to refill - made me wonder whether I'd filled it right in the first place or whether it just doesn't hold a lot of ink - can anyone help?

I find it quite hard to find a fountain pen that will actually write nice for me, I'm left handed. I've tried left handed pens and they just don't work properly. The only ones that I've found work are Sheaffer and Parker ones - and they don't like it when a right hander picks them up now! So I am very protective of my fountain pens, even the cheap ones!

Anyway....I seem to have gone off on a tangent.....apologies and hello from a new one in Manchester!!

Welcome to FPN!

Great intro!

Welcome to the Fount(ain)* of all knowledge when it comes to pens.

* Apologies, for the greater good I will now leave the thread in order to harm myself with a blunt instrument.

Hello & welcome.

Another Mancunian eh...... nice to have you on board and hope to see you at the Pen Shop in the Trafford Centre sometime.

Good bunch on here and know their stuff.

Welcome again.

Ian (Manchester UK)

Welcome from another North West-er!

Cumbria North West !!!!

Think you need a new compass

Its a bit like the 'posh' end of Manchester called Worsley......... it stretches for miles and miles when you meet someone from Walkden or Little Hulton !

As far as the bright sparks at the BBC are concerned, we're interested in news from Manchester and Liverpool - unless you read the BBC news on interactive, when they lump us in with Newcastle for some reason!
My bit of Cumbria is former Lancashire, quite far south really, so in the absence of a better definition, yes, we're in the north west! You'll just have to put up with us until we gain independence, I'm afraid!

Another Local Yokel wishes you welcome from Preston
Aaaaah!! the Trafford Centre, going there today to get something for my daughters 21st, might just might nip into the pen shop for a converter for the safari

David

Bluetiger, welcome to the addiction!

I grew up in "the other Manchester" (Georgia, USA).

John

Welcome to FPN. My daughter is currently living in Manchester while she completes her Ph.D., so I'm always interested in people and news from your neck of the woods!

Welcome to FPN you will have lots of fun.


Ann

Welcome to FPN, Bluetiger .

Martin

Hello and Welcome tiger!

Hi Bluetiger, & welcome to the FPN.

If you're going to tinker around with dip-pens and ink and writing with them, might I strongly suggest buying some blotting-paper & a rocker-blotter? I've found it almost impossible to write on anything other than the BEST paper with a dip-pen without using a rocker-blotter. And the best paper is expensive. So to counter it, use cheaper writing-paper but buy a blotter and blotting-paper.

Blotters may be found fairly easily on eBay or in antique-shops/second-hand shops. Blotting-paper (and pen-shafts & spare nibs) should be easily found in any good art-supplies shop. Blotting-paper comes in either huge sheets (which may then be cut to size to fit the blotter), or in rectangular pads. The best of luck with your pen-related fun!!

Welcome to FPN.

Aah.. U or City?
My wife used to be a PhD student working in the "math tower", as I understand it's gone now. I also remember eating at this great chinese buffet restaurant in the gay district.

Welcome, Bluetiger.

The place where you from reminds me of English football (or soccer as they call it here). Are you a supporter of Man U or Citeh?

I am a supporter of Blackburn Rovers, and have been a keen follower since the days of Kenny Dalglish as the manager. I have never been to the UK, and hopefully someday, I can watch a 'live' game at Ewood Park. Go Rovers go!

purpledog