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What Do People Say To You When You Whip Out That Pen?


GabrielleDuVent

Common perceptions  

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  1. 1. What do people say to you when you get out your FP?

    • "My, that's a weird looking pen."
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    • "That's a cool pen!"
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    • "Is that a fountain pen?"
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    • "Is that a weapon?"
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    • "Can I borrow it?"
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    • "Do you use fountain pens? I do too! (goes off into a monologue)"
      19
    • "That's a very posh pen."
      55
    • Other (write them in the posts!)
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When I whip mine out, people say, "Oh my! I was not expecting that!"

I see what you did there, double entendre. Very crafty. :lol:

 

Gold or SS nib?

"If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special."-Jim Valvano

 

"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem."-Ronald Reagan

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I'm terrified of blue-blacks, because they're usually the iron gall culprits and I generally forget to flush out the barrel after my 2nd or 3rd fill (... to be honest, I never keep count. Run low, fill up is my routine).

 

I've used my Lamy in a local coffee shop before, since which has turned into Hipster Mecca. With my Moleskine. I got really dirty looks from other true-blue hipsters dressed in American Apparel. They must have thought I was journalling or something.

 

I was actually making a grocery list. Apparently writing "pound of beef, chuck" with an FP is a very hip thing to do.

Don't be afraid of iron gall inks, at least the modern formulations. I've used them for years with no ill effects. Including Diamine Registrar's, MB blue-black (when in production) and MB midnight blue in converters and piston fill pens with no problem. You do have to be more diligent with a cleaning routine, but like any other routine it becomes second nature.

 

As for hipsters, why do they have to dressed in "American Apparel?" :D

Edited by thedeacon

"If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special."-Jim Valvano

 

"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem."-Ronald Reagan

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Don't be afraid of iron gall inks, at least the modern formulations. I've used them for years with no ill effects. Including Diamine Registrar's, MB blue-black (when in production) and MB midnight blue in converters and piston fill pens with no problem. You do have to be more diligent with a cleaning routine, but like any other routine it becomes second nature.

 

As for hipsters, why do they have to dressed in "American Apparel?" :D

I'm not sure why they like American Apparel, but apparently it's a very hipster brand. That and Urban Outfitters. Since I just don't shop for clothes unless occasion demands it (and then I generally go online), I've no idea what they stock.

 

I think I have to work on my slobness first to use iron galls. I've heard horror stories of "the innards of the pen exploded with iron gall and the pen had an internal haemorrhage, bleeding on the desk to death". :o

Tes rires retroussés comme à son bord la rose,


Effacent mon dépit de ta métamorphose;


Tu t'éveilles, alors le rêve est oublié.



-Jean Cocteau, from Plaint-Chant, 1923

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Is that a 149 in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?

 

But seriously, I've stopped using FP's outside of the house since my Duofold Junior incident, so I've never received comments from others. The only time anyone has said anything, I was trying to beat a guy down on the price he was asking for a watch, and he noticed the white star and clip of my 161 ballpoint in my shirt pocket and said, "You're beating me up on this watch, but you've got a $500 Mon Blank pen in your pocket!"

:lticaptd:

As for me, I've mostly gotten no response from anyone. The receptionist in the periodontist's office said "Ooh, nice pen!" when I did the standard "No, no, I have a pen here!" for when I get handed a BP. I just said "Thanks!" and let her continue to think that (it was one of my Noodler's Konrads, not one of the much more expensive 51s -- I try to have that pen with me at most times because it's the pen with Kung Te Cheng in it in case I have to sign a credit card slip or something).

My sister-in-law's husband couldn't understand why I would need more than one pen ("You can't use more than one at a time, after all...."). My brother-in-law's wife could only understand it in terms of intrinsic/resale value (she'd be the one to buy a Montblanc, because it's a Montblanc, but never use it, and not understand that my $10 Parker 45 writes as well or better), all while my brother-in-law tried to give me his old Rapidograph set ("Here, you collect pens, right?" "No thanks, I have a set in a desk drawer from college which haven't been used in 30 years -- I don't need any more Rapidographs, plus I probably have all those sizes already anyway...").

I had one older gentleman say he hadn't seen anyone use fountain pens for years (it was that same Konrad). And I got talking to some woman in the car service waiting area last month while I was having the van serviced for a recall notice, and it turned out she used to have a Sheaffer Snorkel. But mostly I don't get any response. But then, I don't really call attention to them unless I'm talking to someone about pens or ink in general and pull out the ones I have on me at the time. If I'm someplace and have to sign something, I may tell the cashier to let the ink dry a bit so it doesn't smudge, but that's about it.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

"It's very nice, but frankly, when I signed that list for a P-51, what I had in mind was a fountain pen."

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I never "whip out" a pen. That applies to something else.

 

I don't care what anybody says or thinks when I ready a fountain pen for use. If they are contemptuous or uncomprehending so much the better. I will have the pen in my left hand and the middle finger of my right hand will be secretly extended.

This totally cracked me up. I must remember that (I'm the sort that will not be so secret about extending that finger when some driver cuts me off or is tailgating).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

"It's very nice, but frankly, when I signed that list for a P-51, what I had in mind was a fountain pen."

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I'm not sure why they like American Apparel, but apparently it's a very hipster brand. That and Urban Outfitters. Since I just don't shop for clothes unless occasion demands it (and then I generally go online), I've no idea what they stock.

 

I think I have to work on my slobness first to use iron galls. I've heard horror stories of "the innards of the pen exploded with iron gall and the pen had an internal haemorrhage, bleeding on the desk to death". :o

BTW, I'm just joking about American Apparel. In reality I couldn't agree more. It always amazes me how far some will go out of their way to appear different when they are actually conforming to a different standard. Sociologically mystifying really.

 

I've also heard the horror stories associated with iron gall inks. Luckily, I never experienced them. I chose them for their archival properties when I was in private practice or doing research. Definitely not for the color variations (although I still gravitate to the colors). Que sera sera.

"If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special."-Jim Valvano

 

"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem."-Ronald Reagan

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For those who don't know how to use it, it can be hand grade. Ink explodes everywhere. Especially if you throw it.

 

I think, for those who are aware of my existence, that I appear to be a very old-fashioned person with quirky habits. Perhaps not quite of this generation. A lot of my interests are quite antiquated, and I do often get "... what on earth is that" kind of a look when I am using my FP in a new environment. Pull out an ink eradicator and I'm pretty much set as being old-fashioned.

 

Then I pull out things like Kindle and they just decide I'm weird.

Brilliant statement. Who says you can't be an "old soul" with regard for tradition AND embrace modernization?

"If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special."-Jim Valvano

 

"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem."-Ronald Reagan

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I chose other, because it changes a lot where I am.

 

Austria (where they still teach kids how to use FPs): No reaction for the fact that it is an FP, maybe for it being/looking expensive. Only exception is in a bank where they insist on using a ballpoint. Valid, as I don't have document proof ink in my FPs.

 

Spain: No reaction either, I think they still use them there a lot too. Had no shiny pen with me when I worked there, so no sample about the blinginess.

 

Denmark: "So you brought that because the chisel and the stone plates were too heavy?"

 

Norway: "Is that ink? For writing?" + confused expression

 

I noticed that except for one elderly teacher in language school, who probably has seen FPs before, Scandinavians never ever would comment on the pen itself. I think they are too reserved for commenting on someone elses personal preferences. Only when I refilled the converter from a bottle they got too curious not to ask.

Edited by xiphias
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Brilliant statement. Who says you can't be an "old soul" with regard for tradition AND embrace modernization?

 

I think you're the third person on here who called me an "old soul". I'm very happy. Souls are like Parmigiana - Reggianos or a good bottle of Sauternes, and the older it gets, better it becomes (usually).

 

Speaking of Parmigiana, I recently encountered a facsimile of the diary of Samuel Pepys, as well as his letters. It made me painfully aware of the importance of legible penmanship. It looks like my notes for Medieval Church History, with bunch of squiggles.

 

800px-PepysLetter.jpg

Tes rires retroussés comme à son bord la rose,


Effacent mon dépit de ta métamorphose;


Tu t'éveilles, alors le rêve est oublié.



-Jean Cocteau, from Plaint-Chant, 1923

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Denmark: "So you brought that because the chisel and the stone plates were too heavy?"

 

I like that.

Iris

My avatar is a painting by Ilya Mashkov (1881-1944): Self-Portrait; 1911, which I photographed in the New Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.

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There's nothing particularly wrong with being old-fashioned. For one thing, it just means that you're more polite than a lot of other people, and that you're generally more easily amused with simpler things.

 

Hmm, I think that didn't come out quite right. Ah well :P

 

 

 

800px-PepysLetter.jpg

 

Despite its being a bit difficult to make out (not that I'm any fluent in French, mind you), it nonetheless looks fairly attractive. Then again, I'm a fan of illegible old world scripts that look as if they're more for ornamentation than anything else, really :rolleyes:

 

 

Denmark: "So you brought that because the chisel and the stone plates were too heavy?"

 

 

Oh, that was just brilliant! I actually wish I'd run into a jibe like that, since it'd be really fun messing around with wise guys like that XD

"The price of an object should not only be what you had to pay for it, but also what you've had to sacrifice in order to obtain it." - <i>The Wisdom of The Internet</i><p class='bbc_center'><center><img src="http://i59.tinypic.com/jr4g43.jpg"/></center>

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Denmark: "So you brought that because the chisel and the stone plates were too heavy?"

 

The proper response is:

 

No this is my portable ink-jet printer. And if they ask: Ink-jet??? you squirt them... :roller1:

 

D.ick

~

KEEP SAFE, WEAR A MASK, KEEP A DISTANCE.

Freedom exists by virtue of self limitation.

~

 

 

 

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US college student here.

 

If people say anything, it's usually, "Wow, how can you write with that? Won't I break it if I try?" or "Geez! What did that cost?"

 

The financial question is particularly weird (in addition to being rude) because I've gotten it on everything from Preppies to JinHaos to Lamys. They just seem to assume that FP=expensive. I love telling them, "Oh, this? $3 in the bookstore."

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When I whip it out, (my pen that is) ladies swoon and gentlemen applaud.

Oh dear, I've been watching too many Carry On films, I've turned into Sid James. :)

Long reign the House of Belmont.

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You gentlemen are having too much debauched fun with the phrase "whip out". I should have used another phrase.

 

Newest response today: "est-ce une plume de Harry Potter?" It was asked by a 7 year old girl.

 

No dearie, it's a pen.

Tes rires retroussés comme à son bord la rose,


Effacent mon dépit de ta métamorphose;


Tu t'éveilles, alors le rêve est oublié.



-Jean Cocteau, from Plaint-Chant, 1923

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You gentlemen are having too much debauched fun with the phrase "whip out". I should have used another phrase.

 

Newest response today: "est-ce une plume de Harry Potter?" It was asked by a 7 year old girl.

 

No dearie, it's a pen.

 

Really? I don't get the problem with that particular phrase. At least, I didn't until I read some of the previous replies in this thread. Jeez, some people nowadays XD

 

And also, about that Harry Potter reference: You have NO idea how often I get that. Bah, I almost expect it every time someone new sees me using a fountain pen. Thankfully, I consider my feather dip pen (one of those pseudo-quills with nib holders tacked on at the end of the calamus) too cumbersome to bring to school :))

"The price of an object should not only be what you had to pay for it, but also what you've had to sacrifice in order to obtain it." - <i>The Wisdom of The Internet</i><p class='bbc_center'><center><img src="http://i59.tinypic.com/jr4g43.jpg"/></center>

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I have heard- "Is that a calligraphy pen?" more than once or twice....

"Celebrating Eight Years of Retail Writing Excellence"

"When, in the course of writing events, in becomes self-evident that not all pens are created equal"

 

Federalist Pens and Paper (Online Pen Store)

 

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Use Forum Code "FPN" at Checkout to Receive an Additional 5% Discount!

 
 
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There is one person I know that refers to my fountain pens as "inkwell pens". Inkwell pen? Wouldn't that term be more appropriate for quill pens? Especially when many fountain pens these days use cartridges...

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There is one person I know that refers to my fountain pens as "inkwell pens". Inkwell pen? Wouldn't that term be more appropriate for quill pens? Especially when many fountain pens these days use cartridges...

 

You may have a point there. Still, I suppose that's something of a regional thing, isn't it? Like how dip pens are still sometimes referred to as "nib pens" or "dip nibs" (I really have no idea) in other parts of the world. To each their own, I suppose.

"The price of an object should not only be what you had to pay for it, but also what you've had to sacrifice in order to obtain it." - <i>The Wisdom of The Internet</i><p class='bbc_center'><center><img src="http://i59.tinypic.com/jr4g43.jpg"/></center>

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Traditionally, bottled ink was not packaged and shipped in the current form now used. Ink was stored in a glass, crystal or similar type container on one's writing desk. The pen was dipped in the ink and you wrote a bit (dip, write, repeat). As technology advanced, so did the filling systems (lever, piston, converter, cartridge etc.) FYI: the first "reservoir pen" dates to 953 AD. Dip pens are the predecessor of the modern FP (aka reservoir pen).

 

The container on the desk (referred to as an inkwell) was still used to hold ink. Many still use them today. Some consider them more presentable than randomly labeled bottles piled about. Granted, you have to transfer from the bottle to an inkwell. If you search google you can still find many manufactures of inkwells. Think of the ink bottle you buy today as an inkwell. How you fill your FP from it now, can also be done from an inkwell. Cartridges are very new compared to the history of the fountain pen. FPs derived from dip pens, hence calling a "modern" FP an "inkwell pen."

"If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special."-Jim Valvano

 

"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem."-Ronald Reagan

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