Vintage/ Expensive Pens...im Having Trouble Using Them

[RockingLR]

I've recently decided to try vintage pens as I "step out" of the newbie pen world. I started this great journey with pilot metros. I now have a nib creaper, a vintage lakeside fine semi flex, a waterman 52v flex, and waterman thorobred (3v?) Fine more a soft nib then semi flex.

 

I have them inked and I carry them with me but for some reason I always grab my metros over my vintage...even if they are inked with the same ink. The gold definally write smoother and I now understand the softness or give pens have. I just can't seem to unconsciously get over the fact that I'm using pens that cost $100 and over. Lol.

 

I will admit they do write wetter then the metros but overall it's lovely writing with them.....did anyone else go through this?

 

Did you find a way to use your nice vintage or expensive pens or did you stay with you modern or cheaper ones? At this point I feel like I'm somehow subconsciously sabatouging myself and asking myself why should I have "expensive(to me)" fountian pens if they don't get used....should I carry only my vintage for a while? Does anyone use them for edc's? I'm feeling rather frustrated with myself right now.

 

*Note* I hope this posts in the right spot as I'm doing this from my phone....I apologized if it doesn't.

[Buzz_130]

The use of your pens is up to you. I have pens that only stay at home and write in journals and fountain pen friendly paper. But I also have my work pens that make the journey to the office for notes, signatures, brainstorming, and other inky goodness. It's up to you--enjoy your writing tools.

 

Buzz

[kestrel]

I never leave the house without at least one vintage pen. My most valuable pens (emotionally, historically, or monetarily) stay safely at home although, in 23 years of teaching in a public high school I never lost a pen. The vintage pens are too much fun not to use. I have a Sheaffer's Balance and a Parker Big Red Duofold, both roughly 90 years old, that call to me like sirens if they aren't inked and moving around with me. I won't take them white water rafting but for everyday carry we are happier together.

 

Like Buzz wrote. These are tools to be used and you admitted you enjoy using them. Make them earn the money you paid for them. Make them work.

[carlos.q]

I can understand your legitimate concerns but... if you carry the pens with you, why not use them? And to put things in perspective, you posted your comment using a phone with internet access which you carry and use daily, and it surely cost more than $100.

 

Use your pens and enjoy them in good health!

[ParkerDuofold]

I've recently decided to try vintage pens as I "step out" of the newbie pen world. I started this great journey with pilot metros. I now have a nib creaper, a vintage lakeside fine semi flex, a waterman 52v flex, and waterman thorobred (3v?) Fine more a soft nib then semi flex.

 

I have them inked and I carry them with me but for some reason I always grab my metros over my vintage...even if they are inked with the same ink. The gold definally write smoother and I now understand the softness or give pens have. I just can't seem to unconsciously get over the fact that I'm using pens that cost $100 and over. Lol.

 

I will admit they do write wetter then the metros but overall it's lovely writing with them.....did anyone else go through this?

 

Did you find a way to use your nice vintage or expensive pens or did you stay with you modern or cheaper ones? At this point I feel like I'm somehow subconsciously sabatouging myself and asking myself why should I have "expensive(to me)" fountian pens if they don't get used....should I carry only my vintage for a while? Does anyone use them for edc's? I'm feeling rather frustrated with myself right now.

 

*Note* I hope this posts in the right spot as I'm doing this from my phone....I apologized if it doesn't.

Hi RockingLR,

 

You've acquired some nice pens there,... so I've heard.

 

Since these pens are new to you; I suggest you leave them at home. Write with them for a while, get used to them and the way they write... then when you're more comfortable with them, then take them with you to face the brave new world.

 

Handling a pen that's 90-100 years old can be a little unnerving... you feel like you're handling a delicate, museum piece instead of a pen, (and sometimes you are). It's not always easy to get comfortable with that concept... until you get comfortable with the pens themselves.

 

So, my advice is do that first... get comfortable with the pens and then everything else will fall into place.

 

You may also want to start out by carrying "less rare" or "less fragile" vintage pens... cut your teeth on a Parker 45 or an Esterbrook, (I'm just discovering what great little pens they were/are), or the like.

 

Also realize your biggest problem is in your head. It's just a nonsensical, psychological hurdle... so jump it... and live free.

 

Be well and enjoy life... and your pens.

 

 

- Anthony

[ParkerDuofold]

Just to follow-up,...

 

To answer some of your questions:

 

 

Did you find a way to use your nice vintage or expensive pens or did you stay with you modern or cheaper ones?

 

I had a pretty rocky start with vintage pens... a lot of the ones people here love didn't seem to love me. I finally came across a couple I really liked... the Parker 45's and the ebonite Duofolds from the '20s.

 

 

At this point I feel like I'm somehow subconsciously sabatouging myself and asking myself why should I have "expensive(to me)" fountian pens if they don't get used....should I carry only my vintage for a while?

 

Refer to my post above.

 

 

Does anyone use them for edc's?

 

I usually use a Lamy 2000 as my edc, but I have been to carry my P45 Insignia on a semi-regular basis because it's gold-filled body makes a nice presentation at business meetings.

 

 

I'm feeling rather frustrated with myself right now.

 

Dump those feelings here and now... they're b.s. and serve no useful purpose... jettison that attitude.

 

 

- A.C.

[praxim]

One cure for worrying about expensive vintage pens is to buy more expensive modern pens.

 

...or, as PD said, try something somewhat vintage yet lower cost. Additional to the Esterbrook and Parker pens he mentions, there are other good brands you can pick up in good shape under US$100. I have a bunch of cheaper lever fill Onotos in the $25-$60 range all of which write beautifully, Aurora 88s and a genuine S T Dupont Classique all apparently cheaper than your current vintage pens.

[langere]

Hi RockingLR,

 

I have a different suggestion for you. I think you have too many pens inked. To really get to know a pen, you need to spend some time with it. You need to figure out how it writes, how it speaks to you, under what circumstances the pen works the best, etc.

 

How do you do that?

 

I suggest you have only one or two pens inked up. If you do that, you force yourself to get to know that pen and figure out its strengths and weaknesses. That way, your process of acquaintance doesn't get sidetracked by other pens, some of which you are obviously more comfortable with, but mainly because you know them better and their quirks.

 

I try not to have more than 3 pens inked at one time so that I have the chance to really enjoy each one. I give each its special time and that's for me a great part of the fun of fountain pens. Each one is different and needs to be respected for itself. These are not interchangeable pens, but individual performers. The process of getting to know each one is a joyful process and one important reason why I use fountain pens.

 

Erick

[mitto]

I don't use any modern pens and have no intention to buy and use them in future either.

[bugsydog55]

Hi RockingLR,

 

I have a different suggestion for you. I think you have too many pens inked. To really get to know a pen, you need to spend some time with it. You need to figure out how it writes, how it speaks to you, under what circumstances the pen works the best, etc.

 

How do you do that?

 

I suggest you have only one or two pens inked up. If you do that, you force yourself to get to know that pen and figure out its strengths and weaknesses. That way, your process of acquaintance doesn't get sidetracked by other pens, some of which you are obviously more comfortable with, but mainly because you know them better and their quirks.

 

I try not to have more than 3 pens inked at one time so that I have the chance to really enjoy each one. I give each its special time and that's for me a great part of the fun of fountain pens. Each one is different and needs to be respected for itself. These are not interchangeable pens, but individual performers. The process of getting to know each one is a joyful process and one important reason why I use fountain pens.

 

Erick

I have to agree with this post. One of the inexpiable things with fp's is the fact that they are individualistic and tempermental with distinct personalities and character. Though I haven't jumped into world of vintage yet I can feel the appeal. For me, it's the amazing world of Indian ebonite. Only nine pens into this and I can see the need of a 12 step program.

[welch]

If you have a Parker 45, then use it. Don't think of it as "vintage", since it was the first modern pen: meant to be taken apart by an owner, various nibs that an owner can install, cartridge/converter. Parker designed it so that the owner did not need to send it back to Parker Service.

 

Furthermore, most fountain pens were designed for Palmer Method business writing, which is quick and clear. They were, and are, "take it to work" pens. That's why all but a few vintage pens have a stiff nib. Nobody wrote sentences to have beautifully formed characters. The P-45 was Parker's school pen and college pen, Parker's entry-level pen until an owner was ready, and had the money, for a top-line Parker-75 or top-of-the-top modern Duofold.

 

The Parker 45 went out of production about 2006, but there are so many that they are not expensive.

[RockingLR]

Thank you everyone and please keep giving suggestions!! I love to hear what you all have to think about vintage and expensive pens.

I ended up getting the pens I have because they were all $150 and under and the modern pen I was looking at "upgrading" too was $175. You all pointed out some great points. I think the biggest change for me is going from a fairly dry writer...at least my metro's are fairly dry...to rather wet writing pens and it made me hesitant to write with them. I agree I will have to spend some time. I won't lie when I got my lakeside pen I HATED it. It wrote so completely different it seemed it was such a huge letdown to what people say vintage is supposed to feel like and suddenly i found myself reaching for it as I used it more.

I will admit I have found that the "flex" writing is not for me. I much prefer stiffer writing pens. I really don't have the patience for flex writing and I may be re-homing the waterman 52V woodgrain I have....which in my opinion has probably a "easy" flex not a wet noodle as I can write with regular writing with a light hand but it doesn't take that much pressure at all to make it flex and it made me see the appeal to writing that way.

Some "one on one" time with these pens is what I need to give myself. And I agree with the poster above who said I have too many pens inked. I'm reaching for what I know not what I have so I shall "un ink" a few except the one or two I take to work and see how I think after writing with them.

This is my current vintage "stash". From Left to Right: Waterman Thorobred, Lakeside montgomery ward (red/black grain), Waterman 52V (red wood grain though it's much more orange in person) .

Edited because i put the working for the pic in the wrong direction haha

Edited December 17, 2017 by RockingLR

[MercianScribe]

One cure for worrying about expensive vintage pens is to buy more expensive modern pens.

 

And yet another is, to get rid of your worries by PIFfing your vintage pens to FPN users...

[TheRealMikeDr]

What you're experiencing is normal in my opinion. When we're new we research as much as we can and we run across people who claim that vintage pens are far superior to any new pen on the market! Or that true vintage flex nibs are the only way to go! Or that they've tried them all and "FILL IN THE BLANK" pen is the only one that they keep inked! Etc. Etc. All of that is interesting and fun to read about (if you're like us) however that doesn't mean that you're going to enjoy the same writing experience that they do. The fun of the adventure, more-so early on, is trying many different pens and inks and papers and finding the combinations that fit your style.

 

I own maybe 15 vintage pens that I like and that I ink up every once in a while. I enjoy them mainly for the historical significance as opposed to the writing experience. As such I don't consider them often for my daily tasks that involve writing although most of them write pretty well. I also don't care much for flex nibs - not my style. I do like a little spring/bounce to a nib but for the most part a stiff nail is great for me and a steel nib works just as well as a gold one IMO.

 

So continue to enjoy trying different pens and have fun learning about what exists and what *you* like!

[sidthecat]

All my carry pens are vintage because there are no modern ringtops. If they did I might.

That said, I’ll observe that quite a few aspirational types carry Mont Blanc pens because they ARE expensive and they want everyone to know how much money they’ve put into signing their names. There’s some pieces on eBay that look like coronation regalia and are priced at many thousands of dollars.

 I’d stop worrying about your modest bit of plastic and simply enjoy its superiority as a writing instrument.

[inkstainedruth]

I had four pens with me yesterday when I was out. *All* of them were vintage: three Parker Vacumatics and the Plum 51 Demi. Admittedly, I think I only ended up using the (lower tier) Vac Red Shadow Wave -- but I had the other pens with me just in case..... And that pen is also the the one I paid the most for of the four initially (although the Azure Blue Pearl Speedline filler was only a couple of bucks cheaper, and I've had to have the Azure Blue Pearl Sub-Debutante repaired a couple of times).

Wow.... I just realized that the cheapest pen of the four was actually the Plummer! Got lucky on an eBay auction a couple of years ago, because I had totally expected to be outbid on the pen... and I didn't even hit my intermediate maximum price, even with the shipping; go figure....

The Vacs, I'm a little more careful about what ink I use in them (nothing overly saturated, because they're a PITA to flush). The Plummer? Ehhh -- I've put Noodler's and Private Reserve inks in that without blinking twice -- and PURPLE inks at that, and right now it's got De Atramentis Aubergine (yup, another purple ink... ).

Seriously. They're pens. Use them. I don't know from vintage Watermans although I gather if you get one with a flex nib they're pretty sweet to write with.

Oh, and I took my MOST expensive pen -- by far -- with me when I went camping in August: the Pelikan M405 Anthracite Stresemann, which I'd only owned for about 4 months at that point. Lost it but it got turned in to Lost & Found at the campground (whew!). I was less worried about it getting stolen than I was about it getting run over by some fully loaded vehicle pulling a fully loaded trailer.... I did go report it to L&F as soon as I realized it was missing (and had a nice chat about FPs with the woman working at it at the time ). And it did get turned in so I was able to get it back after a couple of days.

The only pen that I absolutely will not take out of the house any more is a gold-filigree overlay Morrison ring top, because I've lost the business end of it several times (it likes to unscrew itself from the cap when I'm wearing it on the lanyard I made). Come to think, that pen ALSO cost more than the Plummer....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[sandy101]

It sounds like, perhaps there is a worry when it comes to carrying these pens and using them.

 

Maybe the solution is to take the cheaper pens out and about with you, and put the vintage pens in a nice pencil box and use them at home - or put one in your desk at work.

 

I have some vintage pens, and they are not as easy to carry as new ones - I get more nib creep, and flexible and stub nibs need a decent writing surface to get the best out of them. When writing in your lap on public transport, or hunched over the corner of a coffee table with no blotting paper in sight, it is an issue. My vintage pens give heavier and wetter lines than their modern equivalent, so I find blotting paper very useful.

 

Keep the vintage pens for where you have a proper desk, and use them when writing your personal correspondence and journaling where you have a flat surface, blotting paper and decent paper to hand. That's what I do, and it works for me.

[Dickkooty2]

Re: Every-Day Carry ... an example and advice from the top:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58gYnF_lQLQ

 

"you never can tell when you'll have to do a little bit of writing".

[ParkerDuofold]

Re: Every-Day Carry ... an example and advice from the top:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58gYnF_lQLQ

 

"you never can tell when you'll have to do a little bit of writing".

 

- Anthony

[Sasha Royale]

You understand, fully, the problem. Eventually, you will adjust the nut that holds the pen barrel.

Relax ! Enjoy your Pilot Metropolitan. Learn to use it. Develop a "light touch", in writing, wo you won't damage your pens. Remember that a fountain pen is NOT a ballpoint pen. The "death-clutch" grip is not necessary, and it is not necessary to press hard to get the ink to flow. When you get more comfortable, ease into the vintage pen, with the knowledge that it was once an everyday item, intended

to be used.

 

Don't do anything that makes you uncomfortable, No hurry ! Write with joy.