Hello From Germany

[AldusPageMaker]

Hello to all of you and thanks to the administrator(s) for having me,

I presently live in Bochum, a city some 100 kms northeast of Cologne in Germany.

My age is pretty much the same as that of the Pelikan 140, so you get the idea ;-)

As all school kids in Germany I was introduced to fountain pen writing at an early age. For me, that was an era before the Lamy Safari invasion. Basically, we had a Pelikano majority and a Geha minority in each class and each school. I was part of the latter – even in later school years when I switched from a Geha cartridge school pen to a Geha piston filler. I do not recall the exact model – but is was one of those with a “spare tank,” activated by pushing-in a tiny longish knob under the ink feed. That was so cool.

Fast forward to the early 1970ties:

After 2-3 years without a fountain pen and just equipped with an all stainless steel Parker Jotter ballpoint, I started to miss writing with a fountain pen. Budget was limited – however I was fixed on piston filling and I wanted a gold nib. The Pelikan M250 fit the bill.

That pen was just perfect for me in all respects.

So why did I look for one more pen when some unexpected extra cash came my way? I guess, it is the hard to define passion for fountain pens and the fact that I grew up in the city of Hamburg, the home of Montblanc.

So, I went for the 149 “Meisterstück.” Might as well go for the big one, so I thought. And what a gorgeous pen it was, the 149 made in the 1970ies. By the way, as most of you know, Montblanc was an entirely different brand from what it is today. In fact, you could just walk in to the Montblanc headquarter building in Hamburg with a beaten-up, hopelessly clogged, and stuck piston “Meisterstück” 149 or 146 that you got for song in a pawnshop – and the lady at the counter at Montblanc would give you a brand-new one – on lifetime warranty! I imagine that the Montblanc headquarters at the time were in many ways similar to Sheaffer’s at Fort Madison – it was all about quality writing instruments that work and often look nice too. And employees who took pride in the tools they were producing and supporting.

But I digress.

Again fast forward – to the mid 1990ties. Although I was quite a happy one-pen-man for about 20 years with the Montblanc 149, something was not quite right. In particular with longer writing tasks. Finally I realised that the 149 is, indeed, an over-sized pen. For me personally, that is.

Long story short, I tried several Pelikans and found the (new) M600 just perfect for me. Except for one thing – I was not very lucky with the nibs of the M600 size. I had much better experience with the M800 and M400 nibs. (I very much prefer true European F and EF nibs and they must have a generous, if not copious flow.

What followed were 10 years of buying pens, putting them through the paces, and selling them again. I only bought pens that were brutally reduced in price and I was able to sell them again at a profit. So, no regrets there and I gathered a lot of experience that way. A tremendous lot of brands and models went through my hands.

Did I find my grail pen? No. However, I found out that there is no such thing as a grail pen, not for me. I think, though, you could be satisfied with 3 favourite pens.

The present: Believe it or not, I only have one fountain pen at present. A Pelikan 140, EF gold nib, most of the time filled with Herbin Perle Noire. I am more than happy, except the 140 is just a bit too small for me. So, what will I get in addition to this amazing workhorse Pelikan? That will depend on what is available at the next Hamburg pen show. Most likely candidates: an Aurora Optima, F-Nib, solid colour such as burgundy or hunter’s green. And my almost grail pen, the Sheaffer Nostalgia. That, of course, will depend on budget and availability. It might turn out to be a nice Targa with F or Stub-nib instead.

Edited May 11, 2019 by AldusPageMaker

[senzen]

Welcome! I found your journey very interesting, and hope you find the right pen. While my two m205 and one m600 (old style, hence same size) are small pens for my hands, they make writing comfortable.

[AldusPageMaker]

Hey thanks for the welcome!
Absolutely, very comfortable writing with the Pelikans you mentioned.

[Wahl]

[PAKMAN]

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

I'll be in your lovely country next Monday for a week! Hope to find a pen store around Frankfurt.

[northstar]

Hello and welcome to FPN.

[1nkulus]

You have successfully entered a rabbit hole, who knows what it'll yield and where it'll lead.

Enjoy the fascinating journey and feel free to ask/share...

 

[AldusPageMaker]

Thanks to everyone for the warm welcome!

[1nkulus]

Thanks to everyone for the warm welcome!

 

 

Keep checking the 'Classifieds' section, you never know.

After 30 days of membership and 30+ posts, you can also create a 'Want to Buy' listing in the 'Classifieds'.

[jar]

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[ThomasB]

Hello and welcome from Baton Rouge, Louisiana...Enjoy your time here

[Henricum_Tropen]

Hello and welcome to FPN, from Cape Town, South Africa.

[mitto]

Greetings and welcome to FPN.