Hello, I hail from Lowell, Massachusetts.

I used dip pens a bit back in college days, some for drawing and some for letter writing. Put them away while the kids were little. 20 Years later....

I noticed a nice fountain pen in someone's hand this spring, and I was bit. Took a while to work its way out, but I've bought a couple cheap pens and will explore before I invest in anything that goes up on the wife's finance radar. I'm sure she's wondering about my "cheap" pens, which cost more than a hundred times as much as she would consider reasonable for a pen.

I have found the pen store at Burlington Mall, but not much else in the way of retail stores nearby where I can browse pens, inks, etc.

Oh, and I wanted to mention that membership creation was a nightmare. I didn't get the authentication email for days...

WH

Newbie also. Welcome aboard

Welcome to FPN, folks!

Welcome.

Hi there and welcomen2.
Don't worry about the authenication. Once you're a member nothing can happen anymore except the really worst. That will be that you end up spending every dime or two on new pens and new inks.

Mike

Welcome aboard!

How cheap do you consider cheap? My faves at the moment are my fi'dolla Stypens. Now that's cheap.

Welcome to FPN! Jump right in and enjoy!

I bought a $40 pen and a $60 pen, one is a waterman and the other a parker. Don't remember the models, they were at staples.

The parker is a bit scratchier, but a finer line. I have dip pens with finer points not as scratchy.

The waterman is pretty bold and wet. It glides better than any dip pen I've had, but it is so wet it bleeds through most 20# papers that aren't coated. The RednBlack and Cambridge limited notebooks I have with 24# paper don't give any trouble with either pen.

I just bought a journaling bible and a leatherbound journal at the CBD warehouse sale today. The journaling bible has ESV text, and the calfskin hardbinding, only $17 (list $75, I think) and the journal is a $30 list item, only $6. They were both imprinted, and either a mistake was made in the imprinting, or they were returned for some reason.

Anyone know how to take the gold/silver imprint out of fine leather? Should I try saddlesoap?


WH

Welcome to the forums. I don't know about imprint removal but the knowledge base about pretty much anything is huge! someone will be able to provide an answer.

Alas, not me.

The Waterman is probably a Phileas. Excellent pen, a favorite, though it does tend to write like a garden hose. Love those long carts, too, though not the color range. But that's what syringes and bottled inks are for.

Welcome to FPN!

Hello and welcome to FPN. Take a look around there's lots to see.

Kurt

Yes , that is correct, Phileas, and the Parker is a Lattitude.

WH

I tried goo-gone on the blank book journal. The gold on the surface came off readily. The gold in the imprint took more work. Still a little left. I'll try a soft brush, then give it a little polish. It roughed the surface up a bit, but I'm hoping for a positive outcome.

welcome to FPN

Welcome.

Yes, that Paradise Pens store in Burlington is about all there is north of Boston. Try Office Depot, though they are a bit reluctant to let you touch the pens, and know little about them - their selection has shrunk. In Boston, there's the Bromfield Pen Shop, and Cambridge has Bob Slate Stationers (Harvard and Porter squares). Cross in Providence, RI has a factory store and will have a tent sale soon. There have been Boston Pen Shows in April.

If you poke around past posts, you'll find comments about different vendors.

Hi and welcome! Don't worry about what you spend on fountain pens. Only the first ten thousand dollars hurts...after that, you'll be so numb you won't notice...