Are 'net pen folk on the fringe?

[KCat]

The ink mixing thing made me think of this. It made me wonder - do we represent the majority of FP users? That is - do you think most FP users (let's exclude school children required to use FPs in certain countries/cultures) use more than one ink and more than one pen? Or do you think that these 'net groups represent more of the over-the-top addicted FP users?

 

On RS a long time ago, someone started some pretty angry discussion by telling the group that people who own more than one FP were ridiculous, wasteful, etc. My argument at the time was that even if you view pens as a tool, the variety of nibs, inks and so on can provide many different functions. Essentially, like expecting an artist to use only one paint brush ever. But I wonder if we are just kidding ourselves. Not that I mind.

 

Now I'm not asking if we are on the fringe of *society* - just on the fringes of Fountain pen society.

[wimg]

Hi KCat,

 

I think we're the more vociferous pen users/collectors. Apparently, here in the NL, there are a lot of "silent" collectors. You only see a few on the different message boards. I guess that if this is a representative sample, than IMO that's just it.

 

More loudmouthed, more vociferous . So, from that POV, we're the fringe of the fringe .

 

Warm regards,

WtMD

 

P.S.: I have 4 more inks, from AM.

[Gerry]

Interesting thought KC. I don't think that we represent the 'fringe' as much as perhaps the enthusiastic or dedicated or serious users/collectors/repairers. Perhaps Rob comes closer to the fringe with his 1000+ pens...

 

Think of stamp collectors, coin collectors, serious photographers, pipe smokers etc.

 

The more I think of it, the more I find the attitude of the poster you referred to as being rather ignorant of life around him, and the human condition in general. Unless he was a monk living a vow of eternal poverty he would likely be unable to defend his own position with regard to other posessions - got more than one TV, how about phone, radio, car?

 

If *all* you wanted to do was to make a mark on a piece of paper - why I suppose any Bic would do (heck, a lump of charcoal would do) - but there's the experience of writing, the enjoyment of the pen, the appreciation of the art, the satisfaction of the use, not to mention the reward of knowing how it works, knowing how to repair it, and the satisfaction that comes with being able to apply that knowledge.

 

And the ink - well, that's just another part of the equation. Like the pen is to the brush, the ink is to the paint. The artist uses both to create, why shouldn't the scribe have the same ability to control and modify his tools and materials to create the 'picture' appropriate to his wishes at the moment?

 

No, I don't think we are 'fringe' material yet. Just depends on what interests one, and how seriously one takes that interest...

 

Gerry

[georgem]

Don't know about being on the fringe...but.

 

I started out being a fountain pen user (two pens, black ink) for years. Make that YEARS!

 

Then, for whatever reason, I wanted a pen with green ink and could not buy a disposable Pilot Precise V5 (the only disposable pen that I ever would choose to use) in that color unless I bought a box of twelve or a multi color set. :bonk:

 

I bought a Sheaffer triumph and Pelikan green ink and so it began. There are now twenty-two fountain pens and sixteen inks in the collection (accumulation??) all of which are in use. (This doesn't include mechanical pencils, matching BP & RB as well as a number of BPs given to me at one time or another.) And so it grows.

 

I've always found the experience of writing with a fountain pen far more satisfying than using a BP, RB, or other type of writing tool. I don't even want to use the term, "instrument" to describe these. But then, when I was growing up, every literate person had, and used a fountain pen. the other types of writing tools did not become commonplace until I was in high school.

 

If there were no FP bulletin boards, I would still be using fountain pens, probably just as I am right now. I just wouldn't have such a nice group of people to share my thoughts with.

[kjervin]

My sense of the people I know who use fountain pens are that they fall in two groups: The first are the people who happen through gift or whimsy just happen to own a fountain pen. They generally don't use it regularly or think it is only for special occasions. They tend to have cartridge pens and buy the cartridge of the brand that the pen is in order to be sure they work or else have set the pen aside once the original cartridge ran dry.(i.e. "It wrote great until one day it just stopped writing. <sigh>) They are limited by their knowledge of fountain pens (either by oportunity or else willingness to devote the time) and are only irregular users at best. I include inthat group the people who usedthem when they are younger but have since given them up.

 

The other group, those who use fountain pens regularly, tend to have at least 3 or more pens (whether they are vectors, or Rotring Cores, or whatever they have come across). I would think it rare to run across someone who uses a fountian pen regularly, yet only has one or two. Fountain pens just aren't that expensive relative to most adults' income. I find the people who use bottled ink more rare then the people who have multiple pens. I think it is because, unless you have experience filling a pen from a bottle, it can be intimidating, while popping in a cartridge is cake. (parenthetically, I realize that filling a pen from a bottle is cake as well, but the first time can be scary, with visions of blue fingers, so some people avoid the issue).

 

So, I guess I would say, from my experience, owning multiple fountain pens is no more rare among people who use fountain pens then owning multiple non-disposable pens are for people who use refillable rollerball or ballpens (or mechanical pencils for that matter). Using bottled inks in multiple colors and brands seems to be more rare, but not rare enough to be fringe ( i.e. not so rare as shaving with a straight razor, mug and soap, for example). I think people who want to use anything but not have to know how it really works are far more common then those who want to know how they work; whether the thing is a fountain pen, a pc , the internet, or a vcr.

 

As far as wasteful: How wasteful is it to buy 60 pens for $3.98 and throw them away when you're done using them? I think so too.

 

Kj

[KCat]

i'm enjoying the input from everyone here. Yes, KJ, I find disposable bps and such wasteful, too.

 

I think this guy was an anomaly. But a very vocal anomaly. It seemed to offend him that we would "cleave to" more than one pen. His claim was that he had his fathers FP and that was the only pen his father ever owned/used and it was the only one he would ever own/use and that anything else was just silly and obsessive. I wish the thread was still around but it was back when RS was in it's first incarnation. I think eventually he was kicked off the board or maybe he just tired of no one buying his arguments.

 

and of course, he could have been a troll.

[einv]

definitely so. i realized what 'fringe' meant when i saw my friend's collection of bicycle gear. ten pairs of bike gloves, several kinds of studded tires, etc. it was then that i realized that with many inks and pens, of which i could at any time use one or only a few for real-life situations, i was in the fringe as far as writing instruments go.

 

perhaps we need aims in life other than material acquisition; then again, i must be projecting from my sad case ;--]

[Dip Head]

Would this be any fun if we were NOT on the fringe?? I love my two fountain pens, but really get more enjoyment from using a dip pen. Is it about the writing? Is it about the effort? Is it because I can get more expression in my words? <_<

 

Nope. I do it because no one else does. It sets me (us, in this case) apart from the crowd. And when someone receives a note written by one of my own three hands - they know they have received something no one else could give: my time and effort. Ok, enough of that...

 

If I'm not on the fringe yet, somebody please point me in the right direction! It's where I want to be!