Some Paeans On Pens, Greetings From Goa-India

[misquitas]

"What?"
"Fountain pens?"
"Why?"

These were the three most common questions that I was confronted with, in the past few weeks. Friends and relatives simply could not believe that I had decided to revive an age-old fascination over a simple, yet beautiful piece of technology.

Some may have wondered why I was willing to stain my fingers and clothes, just to relive my childhood necessity -- fountain pens. Especially at a time and era when liquid ball (gel) pens were efficient and affordable.

Well, truth be told, they had a point. Simple and affordable fountain pens manufactured in India and sold here in Goa are almost non-existent nowadays and finding lovers of fountain pens in Goa almost seemed an exercise in futility.

Their views were even backed by those in the stationery business. "Only one in about 100 people come to our sop to buy a fountain pen. Those rare customers are the high and mighty, who come in to buy expensive fountain pens," admitted the owner of a stationery shop in Panaji, the capital city of Goa.

I realized that I wasn't likely to find too many lovers of fountain pens in Goa. May be, even from across the globe.

And then, much to my pleasant surprise, I found Fountain Pen Network, the world's best forum for those passionate about fountain pens!

I am a 43-yr-old journalist residing in Goa-India and I still cherish fond memories of the fountain pens that I used and/or owned during my school days in the eighties. Since my parents worked and lived in the Arabian Gulf while I was at school, I had access to the more popular fountain pens of the time. The cheaper foreign fountain pens were Pilot and Hero, while the more expensive pens were Parker and Sheaffer.

The Indian pens that I used included Camlin, Pinto and Selza. These Indian fountain pens were simple in construction and cheap to buy. The beauty of these Indian fountain pens was that spare nibs of various shapes and sizes were easily available and affordable at almost all general stores in the locality. Ink bottles were not expensive either.

Right from my school days, I realized that I preferred medium to broad nibs, rather than fine or extra fine. My handwriting has always been comparatively large and broad nibs suited my writing style.

I must admit yielding to the lure of roller ball pens and gel pens when I pursued college and university education. After all, these roller ball pens and gel pens were far more convenient and less messy.

When I entered the field of journalism in the mid-90s, my passion for fountain pens was reignited and within the next few years, I went on to buy some Parker Vector fountain pens and used them extensively in my profession.

Then, I took a break from fountain pens for the second time in my life. For the second time, ball point pens took over my life for the same two reasons: convenience and economics.

 

With the arrival of PCs, mobile phones, laptops and tablets, much of my writing was not dependent on fountain pens. The few fountain pens in my possession began to remain for a longer period in my drawers and the ink bottles (the Chelpark range of turquoise blue, violet, sapphire blue and black) were eventually -- and regrettably -- discarded to make space in my stationery drawer.

About a month ago, I felt the desire to pursue a childhood interest. Something that is cheap, replaceable and fun to use.

And for the third time in my life, I turned back to fountain pens.

To my good fortune, I happened to notice that a colleague in my new media organisation also had a passion for fountain pens. We got talking and interacting on fountain pens and he referred me to a website dealing in fountain pens (asapens.in, etc.) and some other related websites.

By now, I was also scouring for the old fountain pens and inks that I had used during my previous two stints with fountain pens. A visit to some stationery shops made me realise, much to my surprise, that most of these Indian fountain pens were not in existence any more, that Chelpark ink was not available in Goa any more and that, the demand for fountain pens was almost zero. Or 1 in 100 customers, as a shop owner explained to me.

So much had changed in the world of fountain pens within a decade or so.

But that has not deterred me from pursuing my interest in fountain pens. On the contrary, it has increased my interest fountain pens.

In the past few weeks, I bought a few cheap fountain pens (Camlin, Reynolds) from stationery shops in Goa andd even purchased some from the internet (Jinhou 599A , Pilot Varsity disposable fountain pens from the USA).

I then went back to my stationery drawer, pulled out all my old fountain pens, some originally owned by my wife, father and mother-in-law.

My collection: 21 fountain pens.

1. Camlin 47
2. Camlin Elegante
3. Camlin Mini
4. Camlin Sleek
5. Chelpark Conqueror
6. Chelpark Emperor
7. Cello disposable fountain pen
8. Jinhou 599A (2 Nos)
9. Parker 45
10. Parker Vector (2 Nos)
11. Pilot V-Pen (Varsity pen)
12. Reynolds Grippy
13. Reynolds Ink Pen (2 Nos)
14. Sheaffer Targa 114k 585
15. Unnamed pens (3 Nos)
16. Waterman 18k 750 Plaque or G Made in France

Except for the Waterman and Sheaffer fountain pens (which were originally owned by my dad), the other fountain pens in my collection are cheap -- no more than Rs 200 (US $3) apiece.

I hope to read and learn more about fountain pens from the Fountain Pen Network,

Thanks,
Melvyn

 

Sorry about the poor quality of the snap, which was clicked with an illuminated tube light a short while ago (3 AM).

Edited November 3, 2015 by misquitas

[PAKMAN]

Hello and Welcome to FPN!! Glad to have you as a member!!

[northstar]

Hello and wel come to FPN.

[Landofnone]

Wow!, what an elegant Introduction that was, almost felt like i was reading a book for a moment.

 

Fountain pens as well as dip pens are extraordinary tools to communicate with. I on the other hand, never wielded such pen, for I, wasn't fortunate to have grown up around fountain pens. Come to think of it, I never knew they existed until much later in my life, sad really, it's like i was living under a rock. But as of yesterday, I bought myself a Pilot Metropolitan with a Fine nib and a bottle of Noodler's Black link. Can't wait to hold it in my hands, I might be looking into buying a gallon of lnk to hold me over for quite some time. lol

 

 

Nevertheless, I wanted to give you a warm welcome from Alabama, and to say that we're glad to you have here at FPN, and to have a happy writing with such delightful collection of fountain pens.

[misquitas]

Wow!, what an elegant Introduction that was, almost felt like i was reading a book for a moment.

 

Fountain pens as well as dip pens are extraordinary tools to communicate with. I on the other hand, never wielded such pen, for I, wasn't fortunate to have grown up around fountain pens. Come to think of it, I never knew they existed until much later in my life, sad really, it's like i was living under a rock. But as of yesterday, I bought myself a Pilot Metropolitan with a Fine nib and a bottle of Noodler's Black link. Can't wait to hold it in my hands, I might be looking into buying a gallon of lnk to hold me over for quite some time. lol

 

Many thanks for your appreciation of my introduction.

 

The use of fountain pens over here in Goa-India, was not a matter of choice, but compulsion, especially around the 80's when I was at school. Fountain pens were almost mandatory in schools back then and it was not an uncommon practice to find 2-3 fountain pens placed in compass boxes of students.

 

It was also farily common to find classmates running out of ink and "borrowing" ink (5-6 drops) from others in the classroom. As a result, stained fingers and uniforms were the expected consequences while handling fountain pens and I still cherish those fond memories of fountain pens in school.

 

As one of our usual practices after school hours, we would "service" the pen by virtually stripping the fountain pen of its parts (nib, etc) and we would use a razor blade (after breaking it into two parts) to "clean" the nib. It was a messy job, but fun nevertheless.

 

Regards.

M

[notVirtuThe3rd]

Hi! Welcome to FPN.

I'm really glad you've joined us.

Enjoy!

Best wishes from Japan,

VirtuThe3rd

[Sasha Royale]

Welcome, Melvyn !

 

I, too, enjoy the reliable and affordable fountain pens. In the 1940's and 1950's, these were lever-fill pens. All are no longer in production, but their durability and economy left many easily available to me in the 21st Century.

 

I hope you derive as much enjoyment from the non-elite, general-use fountain pens, as I do.

 

Currently, there comes available, on Ebay, a Jinhao x450 fountain for 99-cents (68 rupees?). I hope you can capture one for your collection.

 

Write with joy.

 

[misquitas]

Welcome, Melvyn ! I, too, enjoy the reliable and affordable fountain pens. In the 1940's and 1950's, these were lever-fill pens. All are no longer in production, but their durability and economy left many easily available to me in the 21st Century. I hope you derive as much enjoyment from the non-elite, general-use fountain pens, as I do. Currently, there comes available, on Ebay, a Jinhao x450 fountain for 99-cents (68 rupees?). I hope you can capture one for your collection. Write with joy.

Many thanks for your tip on the Jinhau x450 pen. Must have a look at the product.

 

From my collection of fountain pens, I have noticed that some of the cheaper pens write as smoothly (if not better) than their more expensive counterparts.

 

My broad point (pun intended) is this: People need not spend huge amounts on fountain pens. The cheap fountain pens available in the market could be just as effective to nurture and sustain one's passion for fountain pens.

[Wahl]

Hi Melvyn

[iSukhi]

I will be visiting Goa soon. Are there any fountain pen shops in Goa that I can visit? It would be my pleasure to meet you @misquitas.

[misquitas]

I will be visiting Goa soon. Are there any fountain pen shops in Goa that I can visit? It would be my pleasure to meet you @misquitas.

None dedicated exclusively to fountain pens, but you would find the standard fare (Parker, etc.) at stationery shops here in Goa. Some book/stationery shops do stock premium pens. Wish you a pleasant stay in Goa.

 

Regards,

[hari317]

 

I had never heard of Pinto/Selza pens, pls do write more about them.

[mitto]

Greetings and welcome to FPN from across the borders - Islamabad, Pakistan. Hope you enjoy your time here with us.

[Chrissy]

Hello and welcome to FPN.

[Bisquitlips]

Welcome! We are glad you are with us!

[misquitas]

Greetings and welcome to FPN from across the borders - Islamabad, Pakistan. Hope you enjoy your time here

 

 

Thanks, Glad to be back on this forum after a three-year break.

Edited June 24, 2018 by misquitas

[misquitas]

Greetings and welcome to FPN from across the borders - Islamabad, Pakistan. Hope you enjoy your time here with us.

 

 

Hello and welcome to FPN.

 

 

 

Welcome! We are glad you are with us!

 

 

 

Thanks for the vote of confidence. Hope to be more frequent on this forum.

Regards.

[misquitas]

 

I had never heard of Pinto/Selza pens, pls do write more about them.

 

 

As far as I can recall, they were locally manufactured and used by a large number of students like myself in the 70's and 80's. I have not seen them now and I guess they may have discontinued production quite some time ago.

 

These Pinto and Selza pens were very basic in design (nib, feed, cap and cover), equally simple to service and available across all general stores in our villages. An eyedropper was used to fill the bottom cover of the pen which doubled up as an ink reservoir, which could store a fairly large amount of ink. This cover had a fair amount of thread to minimise ink seepage between the threads.

 

Nibs and feeds were readily available as spares in shops, specially since nibs were most prone to damage, wear and tear. We would generally stock 3-4 spare nibs (fine, medium and thick) and feeds at any given point in time. Our regular service (once in a month or so) would be in stripping all four components of the Pinto or Selza pens apart (cap, nib, feed and bottom cover), washing them in water and fitting them back. As simple as that. These pens were popular as they were very cheap at the time, since they were prone to loss or theft (a common feature in schools here in Goa).

I don't think they would be available in shops anymore, but I must check with old general stores and check if they have some of them which have been left unsold over the years.

 

Regards.

[misquitas]

 

My collection of pens and inks:

BRIL INKS:

Black (3)
Laurel Rose (1)
Turquoise Blue (4)

CAMELIN INKS:

Royal Blue (1) + 1 bottle
Blue (1)
Black (1)
Green (1)

QUINK INK:

Black (1)

 

FOUNTAIN PENS:

* 23 Fountain pens
* Varsity Disposable fountain pens

 

The 60ml Bril and Camelin inks bottles cost me Rs 18 apiece. The 500ml Camelin Royal blue bottle cost me Rs 80. Sufficient ammunition to last me a few years, I'd reckon.

 

Regards,

Melvyn

Edited June 24, 2018 by misquitas

[akrohn2010]

Welcome back to FPN! Enjoy your second stay with us.