How Often Do Your Pens Stretch Their Nibs?

[ardene]

I am probably not the first to ask such a question, but how often do you write with particular pens? I have a small number of pens, intending (I think) to keep it that way (author praying at this time), most of which are inked at any given time. I will try to give them their exercise often, that is dedicate some time to write with three or four daily, even briefly. I do that as I have noticed that most pens generally are designed to be inked and used on a relatively regular basis. What do you do?

Edited October 18, 2019 by ardene

[Bo Bo Olson]

Often having 17 pens inked, I use either a shot glass 1/3 filled with water or a (new) German rubber sponge filled stamp licker cup.....stick and go.

Germany is behind the US in they still have the lickum stamps.

 

I grew up in the One Man, One Pen era, so writing with One, was no problem.

We were rather ignorant.....Clean a Pen????? Why?

To the early '70's was the Golden Age of Pens.

The Middle '80's the Golden age of paper died.....and no one told us.

We are now living in the Golden Age of Inks.

 

So get more pens to ink...........................I have to admit, I have tried to get down to 5 inked pens....so I can use more inks.............but then make the major mistake and go look in the Ink section.

That is why I so often have 17 pens inked.

[Addertooth]

Out of my collection of pens, I keep about 5 to 7 inked at any one time. I have favorites that are on perpetual fill, and others, which I run accross in my cases that I pull out and ink. I find my tastes in a pen drift with time, or I have learned a few things since I last used them, and wish to try a technique out with a previously disregarded pen. Some of the highly collectable, and very rare pens never get inked. For those latter pens, I am too concerned they could become scratched or in someway marred.

[countrydirt]

I have a goal to only have 3-4 pens inked at any time. If I hold to that, I am able to write with each of them for at least a bit each day. However, I often overshoot that goal (today I have 7), so some pens are not used each day. It seems that every time I get myself down to 2-4 pens with ink, I am gripped by an overwhelming desire to fill something up and give it a try.

[sirgilbert357]

I have 11 "nice" pens and 3 "cheap beater" pens. Typically, I keep all 11 nice pens inked and use them all frequently, sometimes all of them in a single day. The other 3 only get occasional use. Here lately, I have grown weary of feeling the "obligation", if one can even call it that, of using all 11 pens frequently and switching off during a writing session. Sometimes I just want to sit and write, pages at a time, without switching pens at all. I get into a better rhythm that way and my handwriting improves when I'm in "the zone".

 

Having so many inked makes me feel the need to rotate through them during a writing session though. So, I have been de-inking pens as I write them dry lately and I'm down to only 7 inked, with 3 about to run dry.

 

Maybe I'll just let them all run dry but one and see how things go...never thought I'd feel like trying that...

Edited October 18, 2019 by sirgilbert357

[A Smug Dill]

I have over ten dozen of my (not counting my fiancée's) fountain pens inked. Some days I barely scribble fifty words in total on paper. Some pens don't see any use for months on end while staying inked.

[ENewton]

For a number of years I kept eight to ten pens inked and made a point of writing something with each of them every day, but then I decided that I was doing too much writing and switching of inks just to have used the pens. One of my cats kept reminding me, with an imperious paw, that I should be paying attention to him instead of scribbling meaningless notes for the purpose of exercising my pens!

 

Now I usually keep only two pens inked, or two pens containing purple ink, for my usual writing tasks, and one to have a contrasting color for markup, and I write when I have thoughts to put to paper, rather than explicitly to exercise my pens.

 

On the question of how often my pens tend to get used, I think about half of my pens are in use for at least a month out of the year. The other half are used on an occasional basis. There is almost a perfect correlation with nib material: I use my gold-nibbed pens on a regular basis and occasionally use a pen with a steel nib. The one exception to this phenomenon is that I have a Peyton Street Pen Works pen with a cursive italic nib in steel; that one I use as much as I do my gold-nibbed pens.

Edited October 18, 2019 by ENewton

[Mech-for-i]

I keep them rotated, those that I had run through all the check tune up etc ... I had to admit I had more in the cache that's still awaiting the proper CLA but for those others that had everything checked out, I keep roughly 5 to 6 inked up at any time ... one stay on the home desk as the work pen, then usually its 4 with me all the time as EDC, and another stay at office ( usually inked up for proper official document need )

 

I usually had 1 or 2 pen that's inked for a short period for special need, like calligraphy / handwriting practice , writing something special , testing nibs, inks etc ... those got inked, and usually had its fill used up in fairly short period

[praxim]

Four continues to work as an optimal number for my use: a little variety of pens and of inks, allowing regular enjoyment of each. Fewer leaves me wanting more options; more can lead to neglect. I have none in regular rotation, always a change to replace a pen which runs out.

[Bibliophage]

I average about 4 inked at a time. I tend to switch between two different colours; no consistency in colours.

 

I tend to focus on one pretty much exclusively, use it up, switch to another, until I'm down to one or two, then refill a couple.

[langere]

I usually have three pens inked, usually all of different color, place of manufacture, and ink. Sometimes it goes up as high as five, but given that I do most of my writing on the computer, three is about enough and usually lasts me a few weeks. Then I am ready to try another pen and ink.

 

I always look forward to changing pens and thinking ahead of what pens and ink combinations I should try. It's weirdly satisfying - true fountain pen geekdom!

 

Erick

[miwishi63]

I have two or three pens that I write with daily, along with another five or six that I utilize when I'm writing letters. I have a wooden test tube rack that holds fifteen pens, so I try not to have more pens inked than it will hold. I try to have pens inked with black, blue, green, brown, red, and various shades in between.

[Arkanabar]

I currently have three inked.

First, my Pelikan M205 Aqua (F) inked with Iro Ku-Jaku, used to write billets-doux to the lovely woman who gave it to me for Christmas after she bamboozled her family into helping her buy it for me.

Second, a jade acrylic FPR Himalaya with the 1.0M stub, inked with Bad Black Moccasin diluted 1:1, used for most writing tasks. I SO want to be done with that ink. I will only ever put it into a pen that can be knocked completely down and scrubbed with a toothbrush. Speaking of which, I should go do that now.

Third, a Hero 616 loaded with the last bit of "I Can't Believe It's Waterman Florida Blue!" I use this at work for jotting notes (meal intakes, vital signs, etc) at work. When I know I have a lot of stop and go writing to do, it is clipped to the outside of my scrub pocket (or collar). As I have given away the ink (to go with a Jinhao X750 "Checkers" pen), it will next be filled from my Noodler's Red-Black.

[farmkiti]

I can't even count how many fountain pens I have inked. Probably about 50 or so. But I do a LOT of writing. So I get to most of them while they're still nice and wet.

[DrDebG]

I generally have 13 inked at a time. Each pen gets used at least every other day.

[tinta]

Usually two pens, one that has a cart (today it's a Kaweco Special FP with a Visconti Blue cart) ,a second Kaweco Special with Platinum b/b filled in a converter.

 

My satchel always holds a stainless Lilliput loaded with Visconti Sepia. This tiny pen rarely comes into play. A short note, a cheque, a signature is all that it's usually used for.

 

I also have a Sailor 1911 Standard ready to print permanenet titles & labels, loaded with Kiwa-Guro nano particle black.

I used to slavishly complete daily journal entries. Now I only write if something grabs my interest. It's funny how things change once one ages.

[MadAsAHatter]

I have right at a dozen pens and keep them all inked. I have a desk stand that holds 5 pens. My 2 favorites stay out all the time and I rotate the rest about biweekly with the other 3 spaces. From there I pick at random which pen I write with at that given time. For the most part they all get about equal use.