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surprise123

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Hi everyone,

 

I was just in a situation a couple days ago that prompted me to start finding the answer to this question: How do you keep your pens from being stolen/trashed/roughly played around with in a place where sticky hands are everywhere?

 

So let me tell you the story:

It all started in 4th period in my middle school. I was running my TWSBI Eco in its original case, along with an old Parker rollerball I found (Does anyone know what "IIIL FRANCE" mean?). I had to go staple some papers together and I left my pen in its case, capped, and stowed in my paper-eating binder. It was safe, they said. No one will touch it if it's out of sight, they said. I was already the curiosity in my school for my use of fountain pens, and the "incident" where a teacher found me filling up my Pilot Metropolitan (seriously, that thing is a great pen, but INK CAPACITY PILOT INK CAPACITY). Anyways, I went, stapled up my thick packet, and went back to my seat to see ink dripping off the desk, and my painfully handwritten 15-page report in ruins. It was the guilt in their eyes that caught my eye. And what did I see? Binder open, case open, pen cap off, and the nib totally mutilated and utterly destroyed. Wow, you should (not?) have heard my cursing from that scene. I started to yell at them and then realized that the teacher had watched the whole thing and was standing on the side eyeing the nib (I later bent it into a fude shape). This situation was too much for me to process. I had worked hard to get the permission to work to make money to buy that pen. Now what??! So I gravely mopped up the ink, salvaged the parts of the report that were legible, and confronted the perpetrators. They explained that they wanted to try it, but one kid pressed to hard (ahem, I'm looking at you, ballpoint pens! ?>:( ) and cracked the feed wide open and mutilated the nib. Wow. So I demanded a replacement from them. The whole ordeal was actually smooth, the parents doing what was right and helping me get a new pen. So maybe there isn't that much evil in the world?

 

So now you know my story. Back to my question, apart from deterring curious and rude people from sticking their noses places they shouldn't, is there any low-key way of storing my pens?

 

- The 13 year-old pennophile

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Hi Surprise123,

 

I'll field the easy question... ;) ...your Parker was made in France in 1993.

 

Good luck with the rest. :)

 

 

- Anthony

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Wow. So I demanded a replacement from them. The whole ordeal was actually smooth, the parents doing what was right and helping me get a new pen.

 

Those are some stand-up people to replace your pen - all too many these days wouldn't, unfortunately. Thanks for sharing that bit - nice to see some decency going on. Sorry about your report - that sucks.

 

As for your question, curiosity killed the cat. Two solutions - eliminate the curiosity (e.g. by having a disposable fountain pen and training them how to use that, then letting them try), or keep possession of your pen at all times - I do this sometimes - I'll walk away leaving my notebook and cell phone on a chair or table, but my $200 fountain pen in my hand. :) People aren't curious about locked cell phones. They are curious about fountain pens. (And I'm an adult surrounded by other adults. The vast majority of the people who know me and my pens would never touch them, but why chance it? For you, a $30 TWSBI is financially equivalent to my $200 Sailor - yours might even be more expensive, so don't chance it.)

 

Pockets, pen pockets, around-the-neck pen holder thingies, in the hand, clipped to the shirt collar, somewhere.

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+1 to having a disposable for people to try (like a Pilot Varsity).

+1 also to keeping your valued pen in your hand or in your pocket when you leave your desk.

 

Also the fact that they wanted to try your pen and admitted to what they did shows that they are interested. Great opportunity to make conversation and share your love for fountain pens!

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Sorry you had to learn that lesson that way. I am glad that those responsible for the damage will be replacing your pen.

 

Liz offered some good suggestions. I keep pens in a shirt pocket (a couple anyway). Does it look geeky? Probably. But at my age, I don't concern myself to much with it. I have had people ask and I will show them if they want to try one. While I am right there with them.

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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Wow. The audacity to open your closed binder and your pen case and manage that when you were gone for what, 30 seconds? The audacity. By middle school I can't believe anyone would think that behavior is acceptable.

 

I carry a Sailor these days. I don't turn my back on it. Most people don't know a $150 pen when they see one. To them a pen is a pen. I don't think they'd mean any harm, but harm they may do.

 

Still, I can't believe someone opened both your binder and your pen case. I'd be more understanding if you'd left it lay out on the desk.

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Carry the pens always with you.If you don't use shirts with pockets keep them in your hand, after some days you will get used to having them with you.

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Personally I wouldn't bring anything pricier than Pilot V-pens in few colours to a school.

 

On the other hand, just last year a ex-collegue of mine stole a company laptop from a locked cabinet while drunk...

You do not have a right to post. You do not have a right to a lawyer. Do you understands these rights you do not have?

 

Kaweco Supra (titanium B), Al-Sport (steel BB).

Parker: Sonnet (dimonite); Frontier GT; 51 (gray); Vacumatic (amber).

Pelikan: m600 (BB); Rotring ArtPen (1,9mm); Rotring Rive; Cult Pens Mini (the original silver version), Waterman Carene (ultramarine F)

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I started to yell at them and then realized that the teacher had watched the whole thing and was standing on the side...

 

Wow. The audacity to open your closed binder and your pen case and manage that when you were gone for what, 30 seconds? The audacity. By middle school I can't believe anyone would think that behavior is acceptable.

 

I carry a Sailor these days. I don't turn my back on it. Most people don't know a $150 pen when they see one. To them a pen is a pen. I don't think they'd mean any harm, but harm they may do.

 

Still, I can't believe someone opened both your binder and your pen case. I'd be more understanding if you'd left it lay out on the desk.

 

Hi Kelly, et al,

 

This is why I "left early"... I had an exceedingly difficult time keeping my cool... especially when I read that the teacher witnessed the event and stood by and did nothing. :angry:

 

Now, I have to take my leave, because I still find this difficult to read. As you say, I might have a slightly different opinion had the pen been carelessly left out.

 

I went through college with the same pen... but I always made it a point to clip in my shirt pocket when not in actual use... either wear a button-down shirt... or if you want to be stylish, wear what I did in college... polo's with an inconspicuous welt breast pocket. :thumbup:

 

At any rate, I'm glad to hear they accepted responsibility... seeing they didn't have much choice... there were witnesses.

 

 

- Anthony

 

 

EDITED to clarify text.

Edited by ParkerDuofold
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Platinum Preppys were where I fell in love. I've tried the Varsities but I prefer the ability to choose my inks. For about $3 each I got several colors and cartridges.

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Oh the wonders of (written) language, and what may, or may not have been implied...

You do not have a right to post. You do not have a right to a lawyer. Do you understands these rights you do not have?

 

Kaweco Supra (titanium B), Al-Sport (steel BB).

Parker: Sonnet (dimonite); Frontier GT; 51 (gray); Vacumatic (amber).

Pelikan: m600 (BB); Rotring ArtPen (1,9mm); Rotring Rive; Cult Pens Mini (the original silver version), Waterman Carene (ultramarine F)

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I am sorry to heard this, but well .. Ok ... its Teen mischief at work here ... but yes the teacher need to be .. perhaps .. re-educate himself / herself, and I do hope the kids involved learn theirs too , let's be honest most of us in our high school days likely had cause some ( usually in-intentional ) mayhem of sorts. Be generous and forgiving both to yourself and to others is my advice

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All the ruined and multilated nibs in my parts boxes were destoyed by myself and not by anyone else. Such an incident never ever occured to me. Back in late 1950s to mid 1960s when I was in Middle and High Schools, we all used fountain pens and we all knew how to use FPs. There were no BPs or RBs. In Primary School we used to use reed pens that either our teacher made for us or our parents bought for us. We learnt writing using reed pens on wooden sheats (called Takhtees) that we would wash twice a day.

 

Memories, memories.

Khan M. Ilyas

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That’s sad. I’d never had problems, but I only took italic nibs to school. And only in high school. And absolutely everybody loved the magic of me getting bored and fishing out the practice paper. A 1.1mm is probably fine for regular work, if you’ve got good ink. I always had a 1.5 or 1.9 inked too tho. Italics have a pretty big surface, so they can take a fair bit too.

 

I don’t know if a ball nib is less intimidating, but I could definitely see that happening.

 

And I’d definitely have hesitated to leave a $30 pen out. Especially one that left my hands as clean as a TWSBI. My school pens left me covered in ink smudges. Even from just writing. And not just my writing hand.

 

My beloved delicate ef drawing nibs... nobody gets to touch those but people I’d trust with my phone passcode. Thin bits of metal are bendy.

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Hi everyone,

 

I was just in a situation a couple days ago that prompted me to start finding the answer to this question: How do you keep your pens from being stolen/trashed/roughly played around with in a place where sticky hands are everywhere?

 

So let me tell you the story:

It all started in 4th period in my middle school. I was running my TWSBI Eco in its original case, along with an old Parker rollerball I found (Does anyone know what "IIIL FRANCE" mean?). I had to go staple some papers together and I left my pen in its case, capped, and stowed in my paper-eating binder. It was safe, they said. No one will touch it if it's out of sight, they said. I was already the curiosity in my school for my use of fountain pens, and the "incident" where a teacher found me filling up my Pilot Metropolitan (seriously, that thing is a great pen, but INK CAPACITY PILOT INK CAPACITY). Anyways, I went, stapled up my thick packet, and went back to my seat to see ink dripping off the desk, and my painfully handwritten 15-page report in ruins. It was the guilt in their eyes that caught my eye. And what did I see? Binder open, case open, pen cap off, and the nib totally mutilated and utterly destroyed. Wow, you should (not?) have heard my cursing from that scene. I started to yell at them and then realized that the teacher had watched the whole thing and was standing on the side eyeing the nib (I later bent it into a fude shape). This situation was too much for me to process. I had worked hard to get the permission to work to make money to buy that pen. Now what??! So I gravely mopped up the ink, salvaged the parts of the report that were legible, and confronted the perpetrators. They explained that they wanted to try it, but one kid pressed to hard (ahem, I'm looking at you, ballpoint pens! ?> :( ) and cracked the feed wide open and mutilated the nib. Wow. So I demanded a replacement from them. The whole ordeal was actually smooth, the parents doing what was right and helping me get a new pen. So maybe there isn't that much evil in the world?

So now you know my story. Back to my question, apart from deterring curious and rude people from sticking their noses places they shouldn't, is there any low-key way of storing my pens?

 

- The 13 year-old pennophile

Re lllL France....same place + link

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/329085-1993-parker-sonnet-rollerball/?p=3942463

 

Fred

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I know it's a sad story but I'm glad you got your pen repaired or replaced. But most of all, you learned a lesson for life: Never leave your fountain pen unattended.;) I have many rare or valuable vintage pens and they all get used in my daily business. I often leave my office unlocked but I'd never leave any of my pens on the desk.

 

The other point to remember is, never allow anybody not familiar with fountain pens to use any of your delicate pens. I always have a crappy felt pen or ball pen in reach to hand to my co-workers if they need to jot down something. If you always keep an assortment of pens around, hardly anybody will notice.

 

Anyway, stick with fountain pens, it's worth the effort.

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Hi surprise123,

 

so you learned it the hard way! :(

 

There also is a thread here where grown-ups tell similar stories:

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/303453-never-let-people-who-dont-use-fountain-pens-use-your-fountain-pen/

You see: Stupid behaviour is not limited to teenagers ;)

Even when almost all are careful and responsible, there always is the one moron,

and one moron is enough to ruin what a hundred saints have created! :wallbash:

 

The lesson is: Don't leave your Preciouss unattended or don't bring it to school!

And don't expect it to get better when you leave school ....

 

You could keep it in a tin box with a padlock, too. :D

Or you could attend a school in a country where fountain pens are still compulsory - like in Germany :D

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So I guess I did learn something... that once the incident's word got out, after a few days of circulating in the scuttlebutt, some people came up to me. They were all FP fanatics! One had a Sailor in his front pocket, god, the nerve of him...

 

And the only reason people would do anything like this is because I moved not long ago to the Potomac area, lots and lots of snobby kids with rich parents around...

 

And after that ordeal, I always "wear" my pens on my shirt now. I made a lanyard to tie onto a leather slip which contained my precious pens (remember, folks, to a thirteen year-old, (adults) $25 : $25 :: (me) $25 : $1000. So yes indeed, my world was falling apart that day. Any SAT flashbacks yet?

 

Gawd why did I leave it in the binder why did I leave it in the binder :wallbash:

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