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Pen Ffynnon

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21 hours ago, Karmachanic said:

 

Rubbish! Don't take a pen you own but can't afford out of the house.

Fixed it!

Nailed it!

But what if your house burns down? What would you save first? The spouse or the bird?

What is this money pit obsession hole I have fallen into? 

 

My other passion

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This thread is like a breath of fresh 'unmasked' air! I'm amazed every time we members organise and align ourselves as we reveal our penchants and peccadilloes!! Ooo! Pun? I think I have stumbled on the perfect FPN user name for myself!!

I may have to quit and rejoin😄

I also try not to miss an opportunity to be thankful and I am enjoying this chat immensely.

Thanks everyone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

πTom

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To pen, or not to pen?

What sort of question is that?

 

At long range one can snipe with a pen making it mighty, but in close I'll take the Dutch 1900 cutlass.

 

Swords are much lighter than you'd expect from the muscle men swinging Hollywood contraptions. Most even the huge looking two handed longswords come in at 3 pounds or less.

G4jYChX.jpg

Or one can be dainty and  poke little holes in the pen welder. A mid to late 19th century, perhaps Portuguese Court short sword....

Short swords and cutlass's killed more than the rapiers.

Clumsy long rapiers (some early ones with a five foot blade (not shown in Hollywood); folks stopped carrying them, in they banged the people behind them any time they turned to make conversation, making dueling often.

The short sword was so much faster if one could get in. This is a left hander's sword, half the guard folds up so it rests flatter at one's side. wAnjOVo.jpg

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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53 minutes ago, Gaudi95 said:

This thread is like a breath of fresh 'unmasked' air! I'm amazed every time we members organise and align ourselves as we reveal our penchants and peccadilloes!! Ooo! Pun? I think I have stumbled on the perfect FPN user name for myself!!

I may have to quit and rejoin😄

I also try not to miss an opportunity to be thankful and I am enjoying this chat immensely.

Thanks everyone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the former version of FPN, I know of two users who changed their names. Maybe see if you can edit it, if you really want to change your user name. 

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20 hours ago, Gaudi95 said:

Thanks for your topic question Pen Ffynnon. It's been very enjoyable reading the range of responses and such wisdom!

This therapy may work for me because my dilemma is spending enough time with each pen to learn about it.

For an average sized collection of, say, 50 pens? They can't all be inked at once! Some will. How many? But how to choose?

Do the experienced collectors have their own self imposed rules and systems of use?

I would suggest that many of them are highly organised and have catalogues, maintanance timetables and rotations for groups and individual pens.

Or is it merely following the next urge or whim?

The Ruby is sold out in my country but there is a chance for a new Moonstone set with the Edelstein ink!

I bought the only Pelikan I've ever seen come up on my local trading site!

My Pelikan will be flying solo for a while I guess...(or share the nest with an elderly 'Swan')!

 

 

 

There's a recent thread on how and when to use pens in your collection.

When you have a large number there will never be enough uses to account for them all, it's clear that owning many also has to do with collecting, but owning a certain number does allow you choice in use, of different nibs, of pen sizes, weights, etc.

There are no strict rules, often the pen with a certain nib depends on the task (typical example, fine nibs are good for quick notes on small notebooks, but every user has own preferences), and there is a lot of enjoyment of course also in the rotation depending a lot what you fancy on that particular day (Ink included). There's no shame in taking pleasure from that.

I'm not that organized either, but one thing I do when I ink up a pen is fill it and then use it to note down the pen, the nib, the ink, the date in a notebook. That's very useful in case you later forget what ink is in it and when you last filled it.

 

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On 2/25/2021 at 12:27 AM, maclink said:

 

I think there's some perpetuated bad press about 400/5 nibs.  My experience has been a jump sideways.  It's different, but not inferior in my experience.  I expected a nail and it wasn't.  I expected a boring write and it wasn't.  It was MORE springy than the steel.  It's one thing to be lucky with the grind on my particular nib.  However, a nib attribute such as softness is different.  This is the 405 nib on my Stresemann.   I don't know if they made any changes recently.

 

OTOH, the M600 nib I experienced, I disliked.  That one had no flex and with a boring grind.

 

I didn't mean to say that. I own M400s and enjoy them, although admittedly I prefer the vintage gold nibs if I must choose.

I'm just saying, and that in a way is a good thing, that an M200 has nothing to envy from a M400, in fact they are very different pens (despite being same size) and there are good reasons to own both...

The M200 steel nibs are really good, that's just it, and if you compare with other pens on the market with steel nibs, there aren't many modern pens around with a steel nib that have the same peculiar bounciness of a Pelikan M200 nib.

It then depends if that is a plus for you, some actually dislike that and prefer stiff nibs. Another interesting reason is (as Bo Bo has frequently mentioned) that the M200 nibs run slightly thinner than the modern gold nibs. If you prefer a finer line that can be another plus to consider.

 

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:bunny01:

55 minutes ago, sansenri said:

peculiar bounciness of a Pelikan M200 nib.

Once when Virginia was sitting on her Pa's knee learning about Christmas, many nibs were such; called regular flex, in they were regular issue. The gold nibs of the Pelikans from '82-97 were also regular flex. The W.Germany nibs, be it the steel 200's or the 400/600's of that era are also regular flex.

Some Esterbrook nibs are regular flex, as are some Wearevers and old Shaffer's or it's sub brands. Living in Germany and with the horrendous USPS prices for overseas mail; stayed mostly away from old vintage US pens.

But if you go to the Shaffer subsection you can ask. Shaffer also had some rare semi-flex nibs in the early '50's.

 

I have a Waterman 200 from @ 1988, that I've not yet inked, that is also regular flex. (Just got it last month), and in I'm trying to get down to 5 pens inked to use up more ink, it had to wait it's turn; which is next.

 

So it's only lack of regular flex being available often today that makes a nice springy soft riding 200's regular flex peculiar. (The first time I've heard it so expressed, but there was 6 years back when TV was still mostly B&W, that regular flex, was regular issue............but we were ignorant, of everything, even 'gasp' cleaning of fountain pens. :o

Writes with a nice clean line also.

 

Having a '91-96 ('96 not '97 was the last year Tortoise was made in semi-vintage, green stripped was made the last year in '97. '83-96 for tortoise of that era) Tortoise 400 with a nice regular flex gold nib, was late in jumping on the 200's bandwagon (chased vintage semi-flex first).......made up for it by telling everyone I could corner. :bunny01:

 

Sill a bit snobby then, got a 215 instead of a regular 200, for the 200's nib.

A 200 is an affordable pen with a great nib....the LE's are worth the extra money for the 'pretty' of it.....well, almost, but that is normal when one wants extra.

 

I don't have any Japanese pens, but understand that the Japanese 'soft' nib is close too, or similar to regular flex.

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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On 2/25/2021 at 6:30 AM, Bikerchick said:

In the cycling world--where I used to reside before I went online to buy ink cartridges for my Sheaffer and somehow ended up with 4 Pelikans in my shopping basket (and no, I'm not even kidding)--the common knowledge is that the ideal number of bikes in one's possession is N+1. N, just to be clear, standing for the number currently owned.

In the fountain pen world, the ideal number of pens seems to be N+3. When it comes to Pelikans, N+7. Or maybe it's just me. 

It's ALL PELIKAN'S FAULT! Why do they have to make their pens so pretty and so awesome to use? WHYYYYYYYYYYY? 

 

🤪😂

if you think Pelikan is at fault do yourself a favor and never buy a Nakaya.  I thought my flock included some of the best pens made until the day I got my first Nakaya.  (FYI... at that price point the ideal number is closer to N+1 tho!  :))

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1 hour ago, MHBru said:

if you think Pelikan is at fault do yourself a favor and never buy a Nakaya.  I thought my flock included some of the best pens made until the day I got my first Nakaya.  (FYI... at that price point the ideal number is closer to N+1 tho!  :))

 I've had the pleasure of holding one of their "Dorsal Fin 2" pens.  Glorious urushi. I know exactly what they cost. At those prices, my ideal number is N minus 2. 

What is this money pit obsession hole I have fallen into? 

 

My other passion

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On 2/26/2021 at 2:59 AM, Bo Bo Olson said:

:bunny01:

Once when Virginia was sitting on her Pa's knee learning about Christmas, many nibs were such; called regular flex, in they were regular issue. The gold nibs of the Pelikans from '82-97 were also regular flex. The W.Germany nibs, be it the steel 200's or the 400/600's of that era are also regular flex.

Some Esterbrook nibs are regular flex, as are some Wearevers and old Shaffer's or it's sub brands. Living in Germany and with the horrendous USPS prices for overseas mail; stayed mostly away from old vintage US pens.

But if you go to the Shaffer subsection you can ask. Shaffer also had some rare semi-flex nibs in the early '50's.

 

I have a Waterman 200 from @ 1988, that I've not yet inked, that is also regular flex. (Just got it last month), and in I'm trying to get down to 5 pens inked to use up more ink, it had to wait it's turn; which is next.

 

So it's only lack of regular flex being available often today that makes a nice springy soft riding 200's regular flex peculiar. (The first time I've heard it so expressed, but there was 6 years back when TV was still mostly B&W, that regular flex, was regular issue............but we were ignorant, of everything, even 'gasp' cleaning of fountain pens. :o

Writes with a nice clean line also.

 

Having a '91-96 ('96 not '97 was the last year Tortoise was made in semi-vintage, green stripped was made the last year in '97. '83-96 for tortoise of that era) Tortoise 400 with a nice regular flex gold nib, was late in jumping on the 200's bandwagon (chased vintage semi-flex first).......made up for it by telling everyone I could corner. :bunny01:

 

Sill a bit snobby then, got a 215 instead of a regular 200, for the 200's nib.

A 200 is an affordable pen with a great nib....the LE's are worth the extra money for the 'pretty' of it.....well, almost, but that is normal when one wants extra.

 

I don't have any Japanese pens, but understand that the Japanese 'soft' nib is close too, or similar to regular flex.

 

Perfectly right Bo Bo, but you miss my point slightly on the definition of "puculiar".

I'm not talking of gold nibs with "regular flex", there were plenty of those back then, I'm talking of steel nibs with "regular flex" or more.

I know that in the old days there we also other steel nibs that were "regular flex" although I'm not quite sure how many (two I own come to my mind, a nice "regular flex" steel nib on a Reform P25, and a "more than regular flex" (semi flex? by your definition?) on an Osmia! But not so many other steel nibs come to my mind...
 

Even more rare, at least in my experience, a steel nib with "regular flex" but not as an EF or F, as a B!

 

If you do know of others I'd be genuinely curious.

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My 1745, and P20 & P-25, all three ended up with my godson, were regular flex; F's.  I was a bit more than PO'ed when I found out how little difference there was in size.

My other 1745 was unusual in it eyeballed to EF instead of the then semi-vintage 'narrow' F's. I used it as my editing pen for a few years........my semi/maxi-semi-flex EF's tend to write wider, in I'm still a tad heavy handed. 

I replaced it with a 200 marbled brown EF, also wider, more comfortable.

 

When one 'hook's someone into fountain pens, I hope I did it well.

I gave him that EF 1745, that then cost me 5 euro for two, for Free, in one does need a EF. Charged him minimum for a F semi-flex (rare) semi-flex Geha F.........So I gave up a good bottle of single malt....I can wait to Christmas, when one can always find a good bargain of 22-28 year old stuff. Not even the beginning of the end of the world.

(Most Geha School pens have a very nice....nicer than the 120 regular flex. However I have Osmia semi-flex EF and a Geha 790 EF in maxi-semi-flex; so I could open my grasping sticky hand and let it go. )

 

Geha had Degussa nibs, which are a tad springier than Pelikan; like the Osmia they took their nib factory for debt in 1932, and kept up the quality.

Two guys I respect reported that, so I dug out that era's Geha and Pelikans to confirm their tests.

 

He had a Parker nail M; he no longer uses. Gave him a bargain on the '90's 200 M in regular flex, I'd gotten two , same blueish body at a live auction with different finials of each's era. It took me a while to find I didn't need two matching bodies...(the smoke alarm in my room only went off 8 times),...and he needed a good regular flex M....at a fair price, that might have seemed a bit much to a three pen noobie, from India where pens are cheaper.

 

His wife wanted a birthday present for him. The 140 OB semi-flex I took a fair price, as much as he could find with luck on German Ebay. It is a very needed nib. 1/2 or more a width narrower than modern, writes more like a modern M; it is a writing nib, not a signature nib like modern.

All but the 1745 were very well balanced pens, and the 1745 is not bad for a skinny pen.

 

Seeing he has a child and just bought his apartment (after renting a smaller one)  in our building, left him enough money so I can go up and drink his whiskey. :rolleyes:

 

Often a good deal is yesterday when bought's fair price.  I set him up with all the nibs he needs. Any pen he buys now, is his own fault.:angry:

As soon as he gets done with my 'beer book', I'll lend him my whiskey book; both by The Micheal Jackson.............the guy with two gloves and a mustache. 

 

Gave him a start in inks and paper..........wow, he can go through life as a five pen man...........how odd..........:ninja:....but he's newer than noobie.

I have a vision once the lock downs are over of him drifting over to the pen counter in Galeria Kaufhaus, or finding out where the B&M is......then all bets are off.

Misery loves company.B)

 

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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Thanks for reply Bo Bo, but although you stared off so that I can follow you, then you strayed off to much (but my fault for not having all the knowledge to follow...)

I'm talking ONLY of steel nibs here.

 

The nibs on the 1745 and the P20 and p25 Reform are steel, so ok, I'm following you.

I agree these pens are very thin, not comfortable to hold, but the nibs are really nice, I find them to be comparable in behaviour to Pelikan M200s nibs.

 

Geha school pens: I assume they also have steel nibs? and regular flex.

Osmia: depends which pen and nib, as I mentioned I have an Osmia 61 BL with steel nib and it's semi flex! But I also have a 14k nib for it...

Geha 790: most of the time I see 14k nibs on the 790, but yes! I've seen one with a steel nib on Penboard!

(edit, no, let me correct myself it's not a 790, it's a Geha school pen with a steel nib, but the 790 has a gold nib)

140 OB: no, this is 14k not steel! I have this too.

 

anyway, I just wanted to clarify what I was finding "peculiar" (springy STEEL nibs)

 

(@OP: sorry for hijacking the thread! :blush:)

 

 

 

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59 minutes ago, sansenri said:

n Osmia 61 BL with steel nib and it's semi flex! But I also have a 14k nib for it...

Geha 790: most of the time I see 14k nibs on the 790, but yes! I've seen one with a steel nib on Penboard!

140 OB: no, this is 14k not steel! I have this too.

Retired so gave up tasks, as my wife B*****s at me; eventually I surrender.

If I was task orientated or short winded, I'd not be on here so much........hell, I even take breaks from playing solitaire to drift around here.

 

 

BL= Oblique left foot. Osmia is the only company I know that told you what side of the 'foot' the oblique was BL or BR.

I find my Osmia grand steel nibs to be just as good their grand gold nibs.

So use your great Osmia steel nib in another pen, not something to put away for later....and never used.

 

 

I don't know how many fine Osmia pens, got away because I was a stupid gold snob............10-20% cheaper and perhaps prettier.

All my 790's and my 760 have gold nibs, but I had a steel semi-flex OB bare nib, I ended up putting in a swap bundle to a passed pal in England. It was as good as the gold Geha....well it was also made by Degussa off the Osmia pattern, materials and tipping.

Something to :puddle: over....but I'd not had a pen to put it in.

I hope you do....in it would be a shame to waste such a nib in a parts drawer.

 

59 minutes ago, sansenri said:

I just wanted to clarify what I was finding "peculiar" (springy STEEL nibs)

I am lucky living in Geranny, where there are/were good nibs like that still available...........I can see where you are coming from but never heard regular flex so described. ... even if steel.

But to most  regular flex is peculiar.

 

It is a good use of the word.....someone wearing a Top Hat is now such..........and regular flex outside the 200 and the Japanese 'soft' nibs rather old fashioned or peculiar, to most.

 

There have been posters over the years, who thought regular flex was semi-flex, in the nib bent and the tines spread........of course some heavy handed folk notice that before those with a lighter Hand.

I have disappointed them, sending them further on the voyage of discovery.

There is the matter of degree between regular flex soft +, semi-flex ++ or maxi-semi-flex +++.

 

""""Geha school pens: I assume they also have steel nibs? and regular flex.""""

.....

Yes steel nibs, with a bit of the American Bump Under tipping, like the 120 and in I'd only found them in F.

I had won 5 School nibs on German Ebay, and picked the best, when my pal in England sent me a School Pen. It didn't fit, so he sent me the nib that had been on it and it was the semi-flex.

 

School pen nibs do not fit the 790/760.

 

And there are two school pens, one a tad thinner and longer than the other and neither took each other's nib. At least by me.

How they managed to make the the 760/790 and the two slightly different school pens, with no swap in the type of nib I don't know.

"Regular" school nibs were expected to be screwed out like the rest of them.

 

I still have the regular almost clone of the 790 school pen in regular flex F. The other was a tad longer and thinner.

It had been totally unexpected, but that semi-flex actually maxi-semi-flex nib was very, very unexpected.

 

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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Thanks Bo Bo, I think the Osmia BL steel nib is really nice and I need to fin another pen for it (Or swap it back in it's original place!)

 

I'll keep an eye on those German steel nibs...

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Either way, you have a nib needing a pen.

 

I'm glad, such grand nibs in steel are hard to find.......

I have some 35 or so semi-flex and 15 maxie's and some of both are grand Osmia nibs be it gold or steel.

I do have others that are not Osmia, more than likely made by Degussa for a very small manufacturer. Like this no-name.

The MB Orange ink didn't do the nib justice. Paper was OK....90g.

GbcEtXI.jpg

 

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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