I ask this sort of sheepishly after the arguments I made against a Lamy subforum, but here's my thinking:

I always feel like I'm posting sort of off-topic to ask questions about rapidographs or isographs or whatnot. In one sense, they are fountain pens, but they're different enough from what we think of as fountain pens that it doesn't seem proper asking or bringing up topics of conversation. Especially when asking about ink (since they don't take the same inks as fountain pens) I hate to ask in inky thoughts.

Maybe it really is enough of a totally separate topic that it doesn't fall under FPN's umbrella. Maybe. But I've got lots of technical pen stuff to talk about and nowhere to talk it.

So... discuss. Whaddya think?

Chat it up in WI and see what kind of a response you get. I don't mean the idea of a separate forum, just the topic. If there's a reasonable amount of traffic, you may have a case, but at this moment, I think it's just a small group with an even smaller number of posts. Perhaps it's more suited to a pinned topic than anything else.

What do you think?

Regards,

Gerry

I think there's probably enough graphic artists of various types that a technical pen forum might be interesting.

Hi,

I kind of like the idea

Dillon

I too have technical pens and wouldn't mind finding sources and info in one forum....if that works.

Perhaps you could collaborate on some common questions, tips and tricks and have it posted as a pinned topic in Writing Instruments.

They don't take the same inks as fountain pens? What do they take, then?

I'm really really really tempted to answer here, but could you ask again in Inky Thoughts or Writing Instruments?

Hey, Splicer... isn't this a FOUNTAIN PEN forum?


HA HA HA HA HA!

I kid! Seriously, I kid you. But I had to remark, having read the headline and having read your arguments against the Lamy sub-forum. Hee!

um...

they're fountain pens.

really.

they just have a needle for a nib and tube for a feed.

Yeah, that's it.

Seriously, the reason that I think they should have their own subforum is because it would necessarily expand the scope of the site. I think it would be a shame to start "stylographicfountainpennetwork.com" when there's so much expertise right here. There are enough similarities that I think that FPN is an appropriate place for stylograph topics, but enough differences that I don't really think that it should be mixed in with the "regular" fountain pen stuff.

Lamy pens are well-served by the Writing Instruments forum. Maybe they'd be better served by their own subforum; I've already given my opinion about that, but that was just my opinion. I'm not categorically opposed to a Lamy subforum, I just don't think it would be beneficial to the Lamy users and I'll be happy to be proven wrong.

Stylographs are not so well-served by the Writing Instruments forum, though they could be and I'm perfectly willing to let loose with my rapidograph talk in WI to see if it gets some momentum. There are a lot of technical pen users out there that might come to FPN and decide that this isn't the place to ask their questions and move on from the site altogether. Not so with a "missing" brand focus forum.

Again, I'm happy not to have any action taken now, but I'm taking this thread and some of the posts in it as a green light to just keep posting stylograph stuff in the regular forums and see if the topics get any traction. I might just get one of those Rapidosketch pens I saw in Flax and write a review.

[edited to add emoticons and text sizes to lighten the tone to the shade I'd intended]

Writing Instruments is a well worn sub forum filled with posts, and anything about non-fountain pen writing instruments is sort of "lost in the ether".

I'm wondering if it would be useful to have under the "Creative Expressions" section a sub forum called "Artist Tools", where instruments used more for artwork and drafting could be discussed. This would include rapidographs, brushes, stencils, markers, and any other kind of instruments not primarily used for writing text (hence being not quite correct for the "Writing Instruments" sub forum).

What do you think, y'all?

I like it!