After lurking for longer than a very lurky thing I thought I should register and actually post something.

My name is Martin and I'm a .... whoops, wrong forum . I mean these are my 3 hats:

1. First and foremost I like fountain pens. A lot. I've owned fountain pens since I was 10 and used one (almost) exclusively from my teens. I'm not really a collector, I just "accumulate". Honest.

2. My wife Anna runs The Writing Desk (www.thewritingdesk.co.uk) and I help out a bit. We started TWD 5-years ago now and it's been a lot of fun as well as hard work. It's extremely rewarding to see mention of us on this forum and if you ever visit the London Pen Show you may even meet us in person !

3. At the last AGM of the Writing Equipment Society I was elected their Membership Secretary. I have been a member of the WES for about 5 or 6 years and I have learned a lot from the Journal as well as from other members so I am keen to put something back. I would encourage all those with an interest in writing equipment to join so that each can gain access to this wonderful resource.

We live in Bury St Edmunds which to those outside East Anglia is in Suffolk, roughly half way between London and Norwich (but not like either). Contrary to popular belief it is not flat so at times I am grateful that my bike has a granny gear.

enjoy,

Martin

Welcome to the FPN, Martin (and, i hope, by virtue of non-virtual communications, Anna.) Very good to see you here and to know a little more about you both.

I want to thank you both for your exceptional responsiveness. Not too long ago I was fretting over the discontinuation of Diamine inks in the US (since remedied it appears) and i received a very rapid and helpful response re: how i might acquire some of this ink. I'm sure I thanked you at the time but want to say so again. Folks here show know that TWD is a great place to do business.

Just so's ya know, FPN is very open to individuals and companies advertising here. Sales, trades and so on take place in the MarketPlace forum. But you're also welcome to include a link to your web site in your signature if you so desire.

Look forward to reading more about your "accumulation" and again, Welcome to our little family of pen nuts.

Hi Martin,

welcome to FPN. As you noticed already, TWD reputation has preceded you.

Enjoy the forums !

Denis.

Welcome Martin (and Anna)! I'm guessing you've got a very large collection, especially given your position at TWD (have to do so many field tests, right?) - what are your favorites? Looking forward to seeing you around. Very nice website, btw.

Hi Martin, welcome to the forum, as you've already worked out The Writing Desk is well known here and many of us have ordered from you (I was busy paying for another ink order last night actually )

Welcome Martin,

Your post reminds me, must do a check on the ink stocks as I may need to order some more.

Jim

Hi,

That means that I would need to buy about 20+ Sheaffer Aerometric converters from you, a bottle of Diamine Registrars, and two other bottles of Diamine.

Now, how would I possibly get 20 of the converters into the shopping cart without all of that labourous process?

Anyway, You have quite a good reputation here at the Fountain Pen Network, and we are glad to see you here.

Welcome!!!

Dillon

Hello Roy,

I hope you enjoyed your time in Suffolk. I'm an import but I've lived here for nearly 20-years so I've sort of got used to it!

Interesting idea about the colour. Looking here might give one or 2 starting colours.

Martin

Hi Dillo,

Just add 1 and change the quantity to 20 . I guess you must have a lot of pens 9 .

Martin

Hi,

Yes, I have plenty of converterless Sheaffer cartridge pens--at least 20 of them.

I collect them, and they are fun and nice to write with!

Dillon

Thanks for your comments .

No, I don't actually own a lot of pens and I'll probably sell a few this year to find the purchase of 1 or 2 "special" ones. I own pens to write with so those I find I'm leaving in my pen cabinet ( ) too much are destined to be loved by others. I do, however, get to fondle a lot in the interests of quality control!

Favourites? Vintage: CS 55/58, NS/AF/Aerometric Duofolds (built like a brick out-house), Swans with #4 semi-flex nibs. Modern: Lamy 2000, Pelikan M200, Conway Stewarts (although don't actually own one yet), Yard-O-Led. Pens I'd like to own: Aurora, Stipula, Conway Stewart (Duro), maybe a Duofold.

Hats off to: Conway Stewart, Yard-O-Led, Diamine and the WES. Great British success stories!

Martin

Welcome!

CHecking your website:

Hello Martin and Anna
Welcome to the FPN Society.I heard the TWD is very good place.Enjoy!!!

Take Care
Emrecan

Nice Avatar, emrecan. I was given a Lamy Studio Palladium for Christmas .

Martin

Welcome, Martin.

Like many here, I've been a customer of the Writing Desk (where else can you get all those converters in one place?), and it was good to meet you and Anna at the London Pen Show.

Ray

Thanks Ray. Forums like this can be faceless media but considerably enhanced when you have met or spoken with some of the members.

Hope business is going well. I'd like to see those pens you picked up on your recent trip. They sound interesting.

Martin

Hi Martin,
Thanks yours is very nice too,looks cool.Lamy Studio Palladium is one very cool pen

Take Care
Emrecan

Hi Martin and welcome to FPN!

My husband (boyfriend at the time) and I lived in Norwich while he was taking his Master's degree at the Univ. of East Anglia in the early 1990s. When we took the coach (bus) to London and back, I remember seeing the signs for Bury St. Edmunds

Nice to have you on board. My pen mentor is a member of the WES and highly recommends it!

Hello Maja,

Small world we live in! You'd probably have shot straight down the A11 that skirts the edge of Thetford forest. That's only about 12 miles or so from us.

Norwich is a nice city but we don't visit very often.

Martin

Shot down the A11? That'll have been me. The part of that area that I see most often is the A11 in a blur as I head to Snetterton.

Hi again Martin (and Carrie!),

Yep, the coach would barrel down the A11 through Thetford and Newmarket on its way to London from Norwich, if I recall correctly.... England certainly has a great transit system!

That's a matter of opinion, but I guess everything's relative .

Martin