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Empty Of Clouds (Or Even Ideas!)


Cryptos

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My name is David.

It’s been 2 years and 9 months since I found this rather entertaining website. To be truthful I do not recall why or how I came to be here. I didn’t have any fountain pens at the time - though I had used them in my youth – and I don’t remember having a specific desire to take up the pen. And yet here I am. Bit odd really. It’s been an interesting time, with its fair share of ups and downs; mostly downs really, but I guess that is my karma.

 

Coming to the end of this year gives me pause to reflect on a few things, not least of which is my time spent interacting with the denizens of this place. I think that overall I have been the kind of member that the owner would probably prefer to do without. I’ve been argumentative, whining at times (lots of times actually), insensitively frank on occasion, and in general a right nuisance.

 

What then have I brought that has enhanced or brightened this little corner of the internet? Very little, I fear. In fact, the more I think on this… well, I don’t really see any substantial positives associated with my presence here, although perhaps I have given a few people a good laugh from time to time. The ‘third person’ interlude was a lot of fun for me!

 

There’s not a lot I can do about this. I don’t have much experience with pens. I don’t have hardly any pens at all either. I don’t have any pen-related resources or contacts that I can pass on to interested parties, and I am too far away from the main community to be of any convenience to anyone.

 

I’ve also given away a lot of pens, including some really decent ones (Esterbrooks, Skylines, Sheaffer Balance, Parker 45s – including a custom Kullock, and so on). Although I did this freely and without any thought of reciprocation, I did think that once in a while – if I asked nicely – someone would put me in contact with someone who is known to be able to locate certain items from time to time (channelling my inner Andy Dufresne there). It was my last play to try and establish those kinds of contacts.

 

 

And so, what can I say about pens? I love fountain pens, I really do, but with so many hurdles to jump, well … I don’t have much left now, so here are some thoughts.

 

Mabie Todd Swan SF2

 

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This one is the last of this brand in my possession. It has a springy stub nib that is quite nice to write with, though the overall condition of the pen is only fair. It is my opinion that just about all the Mabie Todd pens that passed through my hands represented the bottom of the market barrel.

 

 

Pilot: A Custom 823 and a Custom Heritage 912 with an FA nib.

 

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Both Pilot pens were superb right out of the box. The 823 has a fun filling system and feels like a pen that means business. The 912 has that wonderful flexible nib. I was lucky inasmuch as I did not expect it to work like a flexible vintage nib, and so I enjoy it very much. Both are constantly inked.

 

Aurora: a vintage 88P. This one was a random catch on eBay when I didn’t know what I was looking at (still don’t come to that). It is unnumbered – which I believe makes it rarer – and has worked flawlessly from the start. For 65 Euros I think this is one of the very, very few wins I had online. It has the plus of being screamingly nicer looking than Parker’s pedestrian ballpoint wannabe, the 51. In my opinion, of course. :)

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Indian pens: Asa Nauka and a Ranga something-or-other.

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Although these pens do the job of holding a Jowo nib, neither was particularly well-finished or, in the case of the Asa, well-designed. Close, but no cigar, as it were. They were also expensive compared to other modern offerings, and I suspect that point alone led to me focussing more closely on the build quality.

 

 

Parker Duofold Jr and Waterman’s 52

 

The Parker’s only saving grace, and the reason for purchase, was the nib. In an otherwise boringly plastic construction having a semi-flexible oblique italic certainly raised the bar. Sadly this one does not get much use and is looking for a new home.

fpn_1481527622__parkerjr_ital.jpg

 

The Waterman… what can I say about this? It’s been back and forth across several oceans and has had most of the parts replaced. I think only the cap is original to the purchase! It does write rather nicely with a Waterman Canada nib, but it’s nothing special. Again it represents the dregs of the brand and pretty much what people over here can get without spending a fortune.

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Scriptorium Balladeer, custom made pen.

 

fpn_1481527694__600_balladeer_ghost-koi_

 

Now this is how a custom pen is made. Beautiful material, excellent fit and finishing, and a wonderful maker who is a joy to communicate with. The downsides here were: a long, long wait time. Though not as long as some. And I made a design choice that has haunted me ever since receiving the pen and has resulted in it going unused. That’s a cross I have to bear, and about all I deserve really. A near perfect pen ruined by the buyer.

 

 

 

 

Lamy 2000.

 

This is my latest acquisition. I bought this to use as a daily knock-around pen for work. It turns out to be one the best production pens I’ve ever had! Yes the nib is not as fine as a Japanese nib, and yes it has a small sweet spot, but by golly that Makrolon is tactile as anything, and the styling is exquisite. If I had acquired this one two years ago I may never have bought another pen!

 

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Where I go from here is anyone’s guess. I sold three pens recently that allowed me to grab a Pilot Decimo (waiting on it as I write this). Beyond that… I don’t know. I gave up chasing flexible vintage nibs.

 

My biggest regrets? Selling some of the decent pens I had. Specifically a superb Waterman’s 94 and a Parker Duofold Streamline. Two great pens that I will never see again. And antagonising far too many people, both here and at various other sites. For which I can only offer contrition and a vague promise of doing it less in future.

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Well David, you have a good selection of pens....my Jr. Duofold is British and semi-flex. They, British factory Parker&Sheaffer had to have more flexible nibs to compete with Swan.

 

My 52 is one of my two wet noodles the other is a unmarked Soennecken. I am too lazy for them, I should practice drawing my letters more. I do have dip pens.

 

The few...6-8 times I did go looking for a 2000 on German Ebay...there were none used. :huh: No body selling off Gramps old pen. I tend to buy old cheap pens rather than overly expensive new ones. Besides which the old ones have better more lively nibs................not so much in boring butter smooth. :P

 

Well I did give away a second pen....the first was five years before. I wanted to hook someone into fountain pens.....When one shows off 30 of the 70, a slew of inkwells, the least one do is get them back to using a fountain pen.

Next time, I'll tell her about the German FPN... :P ...in the first days of addiction, one needs all the help one can get.......look at this pen... :drool: ....now look at that one. :puddle:

Here's six classics....and you do need that nib. :rolleyes: :happyberet:

Misery loves company.

 

 

You have very good handwriting. :thumbup:

I've been promising to take just 15 minutes a day...to learn...for ages. :headsmack:

 

I push semi-flex and the old regular flex nib flex...so many new folks condemned to using only nails and semi-nails.....well, it's their own fault for buying new pens. :bunny01:

 

Stoic's know you can not change the world even a little bit. One can only improve one's self...then comes the mare's nest of how?....is there really a why?....or is that a when? Sometimes it can just be an IF.

Sigh, everyone knows Stoics don't have any fun. Stoic faces, facing fate stoically. :unsure:

Narcissists carry a mirror to admire perfection. Stoics are masochists, they stare in their mirror constantly to improve one self.

 

I scribble in many colors to different patterns, not improving the world at all, but ball points are so boring. How does having fun, brace up to stoicism? They told me studying Government in Collage was a waste of time. I should have studied philosophy. :lticaptd:

 

Just remember René Descartes thought he thought, and wrote a book about it. He didn't think anything constructive or he'd been doing it instead of writing about thinking about it.

Not his fault really, he'd not been trained to do anything...outside of writing with a goose quill, and question how many pins can dance on the head of an angel.

.

.

.

At least he didn't use a ball point.

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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Empty_of_Clouds wrote, "... I think that overall I have been the kind of member that the owner would probably prefer to do without. Ive been argumentative, whining at times (lots of times actually), insensitively frank on occasion, and in general a right nuisance.

 

What then have I brought that has enhanced or brightened this little corner of the internet? Very little, I fear. In fact, the more I think on this well, I dont really see any substantial positives associated with my presence here, although perhaps I have given a few people a good laugh from time to time. The third person interlude was a lot of fun for me!"

 

My response: You must be joking. I have always liked your writings and still feel enjoyment when seeing that you are the most recent contributor to a conversation. If I see your handle, I automatically click on the topic. And I thought your third person was clever and wished I could write as smartly. Please carry on.

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Wait? I thought you left this site? Didn't you have this big long dramatic goodbye?

 

I also have a 88P with no serial number. A great pen. I wish the cap sealed a little better but a great pen. Mine has a hard nib, which I actually like better than the 5 flexy 88s I have owned, which were discolored, and way out of control wet and messy.

 

Glad you found some pens.

Looking for a cap for a Sheaffer Touchdown Sentinel Deluxe Fat version

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Thanks for the post! I always liked your handle and thought the 3rd person phase was funny and weird.

 

Personally, I'm on this website because I get tired of the self-promotion on other social media; this site is quiet, mannered, and still not boring - maybe because we're all a bit weird. Maybe we share some sensitivity beyond just pens. Anyway, I like those quotes!

 

Which makes me think of that other social media personality, Michel of Montreal. His pen reviews always start off with ten minutes of him drinking tea. What a great way to waste some time, watching somebody make a cup of tea! 😂 Pens are almost an afterthought. That's how I feel about my hobby and FPN.

 

Cheers!

"If you can spend a perfectly useless afternoon in a perfectly useless manner, you have learned how to live."

– Lin Yu-T'ang

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This is a good place to learn things. Many of the people who post here have unique views. Nothing wrong with that. Preferences for pens can change during a lifetime, as some favorites become somehow no longer convenient or pleasant to use. The pens that interest one person might not interest someone else. There's room for diverse opinion. As long as it's the same as mine. :lticaptd:

"Don't hurry, don't worry. It's better to be late at the Golden Gate than to arrive in Hell on time."
--Sign in a bar and grill, Ormond Beach, Florida, 1960.

 

 

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This is a forum for people who enjoy the tiniest of details about fountain pens and inks, a technology that reached its zenith, what, half a century ago? We're all bozos on this bus, and I'm glad you're a fellow passenger.

Reviews and articles on Fountain Pen Network

 

CHINA, JAPAN, AND INDIA

Hua Hong Blue Belter | Penbbs 456 | Stationery | ASA Nauka in Dartmoor and Ebonite | ASA Azaadi | ASA Bheeshma | ASA Halwa | Ranga Model 8 and 8b | Ranga Emperor

ITALY AND THE UK

FILCAO Roxi | FILCAO Atlantica | Italix Churchman's Prescriptor

USA, INK, AND EXPERIMENTS

Bexley Prometheus | Route 54 Motor Oil | Black Swan in Icelandic Minty Bathwater | Robert Oster Aqua | Diamine Emerald Green | Mr. Pen Radiant Blue | Three Oysters Giwa | Flex Nib Modifications | Rollstoppers

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and there I was, hoping not to find that "enhancing" and "brightening" were among the criteria for membership. :rolleyes:

X

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I think the ASA Nauka I have with a 1.5 Stub nib is among my favourite pens. Used in the ED mode and loaded with Pelikan Amethyst it has become my go to letter writing pen.

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Not for me. The unnecessarily long cap and oddly placed barrel thread point are poor design choices. I'd like to see those addressed in the next iteration of the pen. Then it will be an aesthetically balanced pen in my opinion. It's not a bad pen per se, just has room for tweaking.

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I like the Asa Nauka design exactly as it is, and the funny thing is, all four I have are slightly different... but I like them all.

So EoC, if you are rooting for an Asa Nauka v.2, that's OK with me, but I am quite happy with v.1!

And I also like the diversity of voices that we have here. I love to disagree with you - mostly I find I do disagree - but like Calabria (and others) I also find that I tend to check out what you have to say -even knowing I'll probably not share the opinions... so I was kinda glad to find that while you ostensibly took your leave of us, you still felt you had to come back and opinionate some more. I'm starting to think of you as FPN's own curmudgeon (how nice to finally have a use for this word) - only happy when you're not. :)

a fountain pen is physics in action... Proud member of the SuperPinks

fpn_1425200643__fpn_1425160066__super_pi

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In real life I'm a happy-go-lucky kind of guy. Honestly! My partner thinks I am a reincarnation of the Chinese Monkey King. :)

 

I miss your avatar image.

 

Which one?

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In real life I'm a happy-go-lucky kind of guy. Honestly! My partner thinks I am a reincarnation of the Chinese Monkey King. :)

 

So in real life you're not this hard on yourself or your pens? Good to know. :)

 

You've arrived at some enviable pens in a relatively short time, and put several on my radar - the Indian pens in particular (if only they weren't so honkingly big). The Asa looks like an affordable alternative to an Oldwin.

 

Seems a shame to sideline that Scriptorium Balladeer when a replacement cap would make it perfect for you.

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Sorry I never got the third person thing.

 

Lovely pen collection though and I definitely loved the Scriptorium pen when I saw it on instagram.

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So in real life you're not this hard on yourself or your pens? Good to know. :)

 

You've arrived at a some enviable pens in a relatively short time, and put several on my radar - the Indian pens in particular (if only they weren't so honkingly big). The Asa looks like an affordable alternative to an Oldwin.

 

Seems a shame to sideline that Scriptorium Balladeer when a replacement cap would make it perfect for you.

 

Actually I am that hard on myself in real life, but mainly in private.

 

The replacement cap would make the whole exercise a financial disaster to be honest. Something I just have to live with I guess.

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Actually I am that hard on myself in real life, but mainly in private.

 

Then we have this trait in common. Could be why some of your posts irritate and fascinate in equal measure.

 

The replacement cap would make the whole exercise a financial disaster to be honest.  Something I just have to live with I guess.

 

Pity. An unused pen, especially a custom one, seems more disastrous than a pen that could be redeemed by the expenditure of time and money. (Am slowly learning that 'mistakes' are not necessarily some kind of fate to be accepted and endured, are not necessarily even mistakes.)

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Then we have this trait in common. Could be why some of your posts irritate and fascinate in equal measure.

 

 

Pity. An unused pen, especially a custom one, seems more disastrous than a pen that could be redeemed by the expenditure of time and money. (Am slowly learning that 'mistakes' are not necessarily some kind of fate to be accepted and endured, are not necessarily even mistakes.)

 

1. The truth is that I don't have any desire to self-congratulate. I work for other people, in service to them. My job is to facilitate theirs. They are the ones who should get the credit. I already get paid. Is that not an expression of my worth to the people I work for?

 

2. That looks suspiciously like wisdom. I have no truck with such exotic ventures. :D My mistakes are as so many empty seashells littering the shores of life. What can you do, eh.

Besides which, to have wrongly ordered a custom pen (at least from a personal design aesthetic) is a timely reminder that the nicer things in life are meant for others. Not for me.

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David - as a recipient of a pen that passed through your hands, I truly enjoy your presence here. The pen in question was a Bell Systems Esterbrook LJ with a 2464 nib. A little bit funky, but that is part of its charm to me. Currently I have it inked with Levenger Amethyst.

 

It's been a fun pen, am glad I have stewardship of it at this point in time. Have always enjoyed your contribution to the forum. Whatever form that might have taken. Whether I agreed with your point of view or not is irrelevant really. Sometimes I did, others I did not.

 

That Scriptorum is a beautiful pen. I hope you enjoy it.

Brad

"Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind" - Rudyard Kipling
"None of us can have as many virtues as the fountain-pen, or half its cussedness; but we can try." - Mark Twain

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Thank you. I am surprised you still have it, but glad that it is still getting some mileage!

 

As for the Scriptorium... I haven't used it since I noticed my error. I'll probably end up giving it away or something.

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