Pitman Shorthand Pen

[lorr1e1]

Hi I am using my mobile to access this site apologies if this is in wrong section.

 

I had missed out on a pitman shorthand pen gold nib about a month ago it was a really nice looking pen in great condition.

 

I'm self learning shorthand so it is of interest to have one of these pens, I have estie's, Schaefer's though gave this to my mum and some Parkers.

 

Does anyone know of any pen engineers I could approach to make enquiries about this and other pens I am interested in?

[rwilsonedn]

It's going to be tricky ...

The omniscient Wikipedia says that Pitman (unlike the US Gregg) uses differences in stroke width to distinguish between voiced and unvoiced sounds. So along with reliability and speed you will need some means of varying your line width.

Given that it was invented in the mid-19th century, Pitman was undoubtedly created to be written with steel dip pens. And that still may be the best answer. The obvious alternatives, the Noodler's and other Indian "flex" nibs, never get very fine, probably require too much pressure to allow you the speed you will want, and certainly raise reliability and quality issues you don't want to deal with while taking dictation. Vintage pens from the days in which real flex was common--the early 1900s--are now expensive and delicate, and their feeds are not always user-friendly.

So what you would like is a rare example of a pen from the 1940s or '50s with an F or EF, light-touch semiflex nib. Difficult, but not impossible. A Venus President, a flexible Eversharp (not all of them are) or a well-restored German pen of the period come to mind. The "flex" nib from Esterbrook sounds tempting, but a lot of people find that it is not very useful.

A less obvious alternative would be a fine ballpoint pen. (I know, that is anathema here,) With a ballpoint, a soft backing under your paper, and some experience you can get beautiful line variation without any of the issues of liquid ink.But it just doesn't seem right, somehow ...

Since I use dip pens regularly anyway, my choice would be to start out with an inexpensive steel pen and holder, and see how it goes. But you may want to start out with a fountain pen if that is what you prefer.

Just my two cents. Good luck, and enjoy the exploration!

ron

[northlodge]

Not entirely sure what you are seeking, but my understanding is that the Estie shorthand nib is for Gregg shorthand.

 

The Pitman pen will have been made by Waterman for Pitman shorthand, Conway Stewart also did a shorthand pen, which I suspect was also suitable for pitman

[lorr1e1]

Hi I already have the 9128 estie nib which is marketed for pitman and does have a good amount of flex I have two versions of this one is more scratchy than the othe the writing is written in different directions.

 

there is a Gregg version though I don't have this as this American system does not require thin and thick strokes.

 

I have heard of the noodlers ahab flex nibs for this purpose the long live pitmans shorthand website suggested it, though never seen one in uk at least not on eBay.

 

I'm not going to use dip pens I think it would be too tricky to use fluently.

 

I had seen a few Conway Stewarts but never in a good enough condition.

 

I am hoping to find another pitman fountain shorthand pen it was a very nice example. As I said if anyone can recommend any pen engineers website so I can make some enquiries that would be great.

[sidthecat]

My mother knew both systems, and she used a pencil. Uninteresting, but a pencil will do pretty much anything a rare, expensive fountain pen with a Superflex nib will do.

[Water Ouzel]

I've got both a 9128 and 9048 Esterbrook nib, and if you have a light hand, either should work for shorthand. Esterbrook listed their 1554, 1555, and 9555 nibs specifically for Gregg shorthand.

[Bklyn]

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