Sad Fountain Pen Experience

[fjoly79]

Dear FPN members, my name is Francois and I joined FPN about 1 month ago. I am sharing my San Fountain Pen Experience further below.

I am originally from a little town north of Montreal, Canada. I bought my first fountain pen in 1995 in Montreal; it was a Sailor 1911, pen that got stolen when I was working in London = (

I furthered my fountain pen passion when I moved to Paris, France in 2002: I noticed that the use of fountain pen was more common in Paris than it was in Canada, and that you could easily find where to buy fountain pens AND quality paper in almost all stationary stores and large stores (like Galeries Lafayette) on top of specialty stores. The variety available was amazing. Now back in the US (I now live in Berkeley, California) I find it very difficult to find affordable fountain pen stationary supplies (*quality paper), although I recently found a little store specializing in fountain pens and stationary close to my place.

My sad fountain pen experience:

​​While living in Paris, I decided to treat myself and buy another fountain pen, a Waterman Carène, black with Silver trim, very nice mid size nib. Given my lack of experience, and probably for the lack of cleaning my fountain pen on a regular basis, the flow of the pen was very irregular. So being impatient, I started tapping the nib of the pen on paper to "revive" the flow, and bent the nib... not realizing that I had damaged the pen, I started hating using that pen and put it back in a box, forgetting about it, in 2003.... Years later, 2017! I move back to Berkeley, California, open my boxes and re-discover my Waterman Carène. So I tested it to find out that the nib was bent... because of my own carelessness.

I sent the pen to the distributor of Waterman, in Canada, for repair. I cost me a pretty penny (half the price of a new one) but it is worth it! of course for sentimental reasons (treasure bought in Paris 15 years ago)!!! and also for the pleasure of keeping this as part of my very small collection of fountain pens!

 

Lessons learned:

​1 - CLEAN YOUR FOUNTAIN PENS ON A REGULAR BASIS

​2 - THE FOUNTAIN PENS ARE FINE TUNED, DELICATE WRITING INSTRUMENTS; DON'T BE ROUGH WITH THE NIB!

 

​I hope you appreciate my sharing of this sad experience and that it will help some of you, preventing you from damaging your pen (s)!!!

 

Francois

 

 

[LizB]

I love a happy ending!

[Russ]

Lesson learned. Now, keep writing!

[jar]

Don't do that.

Edited July 3, 2017 by jar

[mike.jane]

Right, try to learn something from your experiences (lest you repeat your errors), but avoid crying over spilled milk (Won't get that milk back into the bottle, now will it?)

 

Very teachable really. Good stuff.

[Maine Vintner]

I was using today my Waterman Carene with the same trim as you described; was extra careful with it!

 

Welcome and thanks for sharing!

John

[inkstainedruth]

Hi from Pittsburgh!

Don't worry -- we have *all* done stupid things. Some of us will even admit to it....

I've dropped nibs and nib units down the bathroom drain, and also PART of the clutch ring assembly on a Parker 21 (didn't realize it for a couple of *days*! ) and my husband had to open the trap to find the stuff, every time.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[PS104]

I've dropped nibs and nib units down the bathroom drain, and also PART of the clutch ring assembly on a Parker 21 (didn't realize it for a couple of *days*! ) and my husband had to open the trap to find the stuff, every time.

"every time" ???

​and he's still married to you ???

this is the stuff that saints are made from

[Freddy]

 

 

Lessons learned:

​1 - CLEAN YOUR FOUNTAIN PENS ON A REGULAR BASIS

​2 - THE FOUNTAIN PENS ARE FINE TUNED, DELICATE WRITING INSTRUMENTS; DON'T BE ROUGH WITH THE NIB!

 

​

Francois

 

 

 

Francois..Welcome Aboard. Put your feet up..relax..and enjoy your time here.....

 

You learned well..in the future stay calm under pressure..and always make your bed in the morning.

 

Fred

[ac12]

There is a local pen group, the SF Pen Posse.

We usually meet in Millbrae, a short walk from the Millbrae BART station.

Check the clubs section for announcements.

Let's see if we can't make your continued use of FPs enjoyable.

Edited July 4, 2017 by ac12

[Needhelp]

Right, try to learn something from your experiences (lest you repeat your errors), but avoid crying over spilled milk (Won't get that milk back into the bottle, now will it?)

 

Very teachable really. Good stuff.

If you think of it literally then you can put most of the spilled milk into the bottle which is not recommended. If you use a straw and suck the ink and then nlow it into the bottle.

 

THE ABOVE WAS A JOKE DO NOT TAKE IT SERIOUSLY. BEWARE YOU WERE WARNED.

dont come to my door complaining about this.

[Bo Bo Olson]

At least you kept coming back............now do not go to the Inky Thoughts section....repeat, do not go there.

 

.

.

.

Do as I tell you, not as I do!

[Carrau]

Welcome aboard, Francois, from Charleston, SC.

Mike

[mike.jane]

If you think of it literally then you can put most of the spilled milk into the bottle which is not recommended. If you use a straw and suck the ink and then nlow it into the bottle.

 

THE ABOVE WAS A JOKE DO NOT TAKE IT SERIOUSLY. BEWARE YOU WERE WARNED.

dont come to my door complaining about this.

Well that would really depend on the surface on which the milk was spilled on. If it were a a carpet, a nice tablecloth, maybe a doily, yeah? or a tea cozy, then it would be almost impossible to suck that milk up with a straw and dump that now thoroughly adulterated milk back in the bottle. If you spilled your milk on the schoolyard, on the grass like, because Jerry made you laugh so hard, then that milk goes not back into the bottle well either.

[inkstainedruth]

"every time" ???

​and he's still married to you ???

this is the stuff that saints are made from

 

Hey, he also mopped the upstairs hallway when I had food poisoning the weekend after my back surgery and was projectile vomiting (I couldn't get to the other end of the hallway to the bathroom fast enough...).

Mind you, he bitched -- a lot -- about the bathroom drain... (he has a bad knee is isn't exactly anorexic -- and there's not a lot of floor space between the vanity and the bathtub).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[mitto]

Good to know you got your pen repaired. Thanks for sharing the unpleasant experience. Enjoy using your pen.

[Misfit]

Welcome, and thanks for sharing your story.

[senzen]

Dear FPN members, my name is Francois and I joined FPN about 1 month ago. I am sharing my San Fountain Pen Experience further below.

I am originally from a little town north of Montreal, Canada. I bought my first fountain pen in 1995 in Montreal; it was a Sailor 1911, pen that got stolen when I was working in London = (

I furthered my fountain pen passion when I moved to Paris, France in 2002: I noticed that the use of fountain pen was more common in Paris than it was in Canada, and that you could easily find where to buy fountain pens AND quality paper in almost all stationary stores and large stores (like Galeries Lafayette) on top of specialty stores. The variety available was amazing. Now back in the US (I now live in Berkeley, California) I find it very difficult to find affordable fountain pen stationary supplies (*quality paper), although I recently found a little store specializing in fountain pens and stationary close to my place.

My sad fountain pen experience:

​​While living in Paris, I decided to treat myself and buy another fountain pen, a Waterman Carène, black with Silver trim, very nice mid size nib. Given my lack of experience, and probably for the lack of cleaning my fountain pen on a regular basis, the flow of the pen was very irregular. So being impatient, I started tapping the nib of the pen on paper to "revive" the flow, and bent the nib... not realizing that I had damaged the pen, I started hating using that pen and put it back in a box, forgetting about it, in 2003.... Years later, 2017! I move back to Berkeley, California, open my boxes and re-discover my Waterman Carène. So I tested it to find out that the nib was bent... because of my own carelessness.

I sent the pen to the distributor of Waterman, in Canada, for repair. I cost me a pretty penny (half the price of a new one) but it is worth it! of course for sentimental reasons (treasure bought in Paris 15 years ago)!!! and also for the pleasure of keeping this as part of my very small collection of fountain pens!

 

Lessons learned:

​1 - CLEAN YOUR FOUNTAIN PENS ON A REGULAR BASIS

​2 - THE FOUNTAIN PENS ARE FINE TUNED, DELICATE WRITING INSTRUMENTS; DON'T BE ROUGH WITH THE NIB!

 

​I hope you appreciate my sharing of this sad experience and that it will help some of you, preventing you from damaging your pen (s)!!!

 

Francois

 

 

 

Sorry about your experience, I did exactly the same to my first pens, a pair of Sonnets, mangled the nibs... Years later I discovered one can purchase the nibs and sections, and both have revived. The lesson is to have patience.

 

From anecdote Watermans and Carènes seem particularly delicate, I am making a very last attempt with a Laureat which leaked onto the nib each time I uncapped it; it seems to be behaving with a new feed but today I see a small drop of ink, if that turns into the usual huge dollop it's back to a drawer for good, along with a Kaweco from hell.

[fjoly79]

Pseudo88 thanks for sharing your anecdote on the Waterman and Carènes... BTW what is the nib you are showing on your picture profile?

[Needhelp]

At least you kept coming back............now do not go to the Inky Thoughts section....repeat, do not go there.

 

.

.

.

Do as I tell you, not as I do!

????? What?

Im sorry but i did not get it of what you are trying to tell