The Irreverent Rebelliousness Of Fountain Pens:

[maukapens]

I wouldnt consider myself fancy by any stretch, but theres a certain irreverent rebelliousness that comes from knowing your ink is meeting paper with 14 karat gold (or 18 karat gold, in this case) instead of through disposable and mass produced ballpoint and rollerball pens.

[silverlifter]

What for you is rebellious, is for me died-in-the-wool traditionalism. I've always used fountain pens and, while I was at university, was regarded as old fashioned (and somewhat curmudgeonly) for doing so.

[Parker51]

It is a rebellion against the mediocre uninspiring writing tools currently in fashion.

[ISW_Kaputnik]

Not so much rebelliousness for me as simply I like what I like.

[Honeybadgers]

You misspelled "Irrelevant"

[TheRealMikeDr]

I agree - although to pick a nit - the part of the nib that touches the paper isn't actually gold.

 

Personally I don't feel gold nibs write any better than steel nibs - I like to use them simply because of the hoity toity (snob) factor. Off with their heads and let them eat cake and all that!!

[pajaro]

I was a mainframe computer and a Unix guy for years. Somehow the PC and network guys felt themselves to be in opposition. They harped on my use of fountain pens, claiming I was just out of touch. I always had a ballpoint to match my fountain pen, though. They made it out to be PC versus mainframe and ballpoint versus fountain pen, though. Crazy.

[ENewton]

For me the use of fountain pens is far more reverent than irreverent. The pens that I use enhance the aesthetic experience of writing.

[ParramattaPaul]

While I most certainly do not live in the past, I thoroughly appreciate history and my place in the historical continuum we call 'time'. Having and using fountain pens is a tangible connection to the generations that preceded. Passing those same pens on to my children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren allows that same tangible connection to their and future generations.

 

But then, I was dropped on my head as a child so I'm a little 'weird' any way.

[UDog]

You misspelled "Irrelevant"

 

Chicolini: Now I ask you one...What is it has a trunk but no key, weighs two thousand pounds, and lives in a circus?

Prosecutor: That's irrelevant!

Chicolini: A relaphant? Hey! That's the answer...There's a whole lotta relephants in the circus.

[Zendawn123]

It use to be that my favorite fancy pen was a Montblanc Ballpoint, but I have since fallen in love with the usage of fountain pens. One day I hope to buy the Fountain Pen version of my Montblanc.

[samasry]

 

 

 

 

 

Firefly: My friends...This case moves me deeply. Look at Chicolini...He sits there alone...An abject figure.

Chicolini: I abject!

Firefly: I say, look at Chicolini...He sits there alone...a pitiable object! Let's see you get outta that one.

Edited September 20, 2019 by salmasry

[BDarchitect]

You misspelled "Irrelevant"

pretty sure he meant irreverent.

[silverlifter]

You misspelled "Irrelevant"

 

 

pretty sure he meant irreverent.

 

*whoosh*

 

[samasry]

There is no inherent contradiction in describing the rebelliousness of FPN as being ir/reverent as well as irrelevant

 

Some FPN users or others might see it as irreverent, to others it could be reverent.

 

For the rest of the non-FPN world, I would say, what it is, and how u describe it, are both irrelevant.

Edited September 20, 2019 by salmasry

[Bo Bo Olson]

A gold nail is just as good and much more expensive than a steel nail. My 18 K Lamy Persona nail, is just as hard as my steel Cross Townsend nail......well I do have a nail's-nail in gold, the famed Pelikan D nib....... Something to have with you when climbing the North Face of the Eiger or opening up a main battle tank.

 

IMO same for semi-nials like a P-75 or Pelikan 400/600........if you can find one in steel.

A nail is a nail, there is no 'soft' gold nail......I suspect that someone has a semi-gold-nail and is comparing to a steel nail.

 

The regular flex like an Esterbrook, some early '50-70's Sheaffer and sub brand, or the Pelikan 200 and semi-vintage '82-97 Pelikan are equal be they gold or steel.

 

There is a no difference IMO between the 'good' vintage German pens with semi-flex nibs; be they gold or steel if the steel was made by Degussa, like with some Geha 790 nibs, Osmia and the latter days of Soennecken. Great steel nibs, to match great gold nibs.

Some Pelikan War CN nibs were semi-flex, the one I have was 'just' regular flex. about as good as the later 120 or even later 200's nibs.

 

Nails are great for making stubs and CI's out of.......if some day you want a bit of character and a clean line, in your nail nib.

 

As you can guess, I'm not much into nails..........regular flex gives a nice springy ride, semi-flex is that ++.

Edited September 20, 2019 by Bo Bo Olson

[ISW_Kaputnik]

How I would have answered the first time if I'd thought of it.

 

Take the proportion of regular ballpoint users to regular fountain pen users. I won't throw around numbers based on guesswork, but looking for fountain pen users in the wild has convinced most of us that we are a tiny minority.

 

Now imagine that those numbers are turned around. Fountain pen users now greatly outnumber the ballpointers. If that were the case, would you use a ballpoint out of rebelliousness? Or would you continue to use fountain pens because you prefer them?

[Karmachanic]

You misspelled "Irrelevant"

 

pretty sure he meant irreverent.

 

Pretty sure HB meant what he wrote.

[Addertooth]

If we are going to banter and mangle a tortured metaphor, why not say, as it applies to fountain pens, "Revenant"..... something which will not simply die and go away, something archaic, wondrous, and living well past its expected time on this plane. Derived from the French... to return. And like some vintage pens.... periodically spiteful, or vengeful at being disturbed from its slumber.

Edited September 20, 2019 by Addertooth

[bemon]

I wouldnt consider myself fancy by any stretch, but theres a certain irreverent rebelliousness that comes from knowing your ink is meeting paper with 14 karat gold (or 18 karat gold, in this case) instead of through disposable and mass produced ballpoint and rollerball pens.

All hail the mighty Vanishing Point! To be fair neither my EDC ballpoint or roller ball are disposable, but I agree.

"Hold on- let me get my pen".

"Oh- here. I have one."

"Uh.. no thanks. My entire stationery experience is a rebellion against the office supply drawer."

Edited September 20, 2019 by bemon