A greeting, introduction, and a confession or two

[KB3K]

Greetings Fountain Pen Network members! Thank you for sharing your knowledge, experience, and ideas with the world. I hope I can make a positive contribution here as a small measure of thanks for all I have learned.

 

Fountain pens have been my preferred writing instrument for a few years, but in another (less accurate) sense they have always been my preference, I just didn’t know it for most of my life. I love how they write smoothly without any downward pressure and that they work well when held at a low angle to the page. I do a lot of writing (sometimes an insane amount) and I regret spending so many years under the impression fountain pens were outdated and temperamental.

 

Despite having plenty of fountain pens I continue to browse for pens online, read reviews, and buy pens I don’t need. I guess that means acquiring pens has become a hobby, otherwise I’m prepping for some bizarre apocalypse where fountain pens become the de facto form of currency. My fountain pen “collection” isn’t going to impress too many people though. After starting with a few pens highly recommended for first-time users, I decided to try out a couple of dirt-cheap fountain pens. I thought there was a serious chance I was going to end up with unusable junk, but they ended up being pretty good pens. After trying various models and brands I have to admit that I’m a Jinhao fan (shocking confession #1), and I’m not even talking about their more expensive models, I mean models like their Shark pen that you can find on some sites for fifty cents. There are some expensive pens on my “someday, maybe, perhaps” list, but I’ll always like having pens that I would lend to a stranger without hesitation, and let them keep it if they realized fountain pens are amazing.

 

Qualities for my ideal pen include being light, the lighter the better. When I’m going to be writing a lot in a day, which might mean twenty to thirty pages, a pen with a nice heft to it becomes less appealing. I don’t like pens with a large “step” above the grip (the kind you see when a capped pen is nice and sleek). I grip pens a bit further back than a lot of people and a step usually requires me to adjust my grip to accommodate the pen. A subtle bit of indexing on the grip is nice, just enough to feel if the pen is a bit twisted is all that is needed, but more aggressive indexing is fine (I’ll consider this to be optional, but nice). I prefer fine and extra-fine nibs as long as they aren’t scratchy on regular notebook paper. If you have a pen you love that hits these points please let me know.
 

I love learning about fountain pens (or just about anything else), and the Fountain Pen Network is a great resource. I don’t usually join forums, but FPN seems genuinely focused on sharing ideas and information in an open and courteous manner (which is surprisingly rare amongst forums).

 

Some of my other interests include music (playing and listening), physics and astronomy (I taught both), crafting things by hand (for example; wood carving, origami and amigurumi), art, and - what may be the nerdiest hobby of all time - collecting slide rules (confession #2). Many members here probably used a slide rule in school, others probably have no idea what a slide rule even is (and for good reason, my “newest” slide rule is a 1984 Soviet Darmstadt. The last American rule was made in 1976 - and resides at the Smithsonian).

 

To those of you who made it this far, I’m impressed, but thank you. That’s enough about me though, let me know if there is anything I should know about you, or just say hi if you feel like it. (I promise my typical posts won’t ramble on like this).

 

Yours truly, Random Guy on Internet With a Seemingly Nonsensical Username. (Not my actual name… in case you were wondering)

[sansenri]

welcome to FPN!

 

your experience is not rare, many of us started on fountain pens when young, have experienced the use of ballpoints as an enforced necessity at some point, have almost abandoned pens because of computers and then have come back to fountain pens with great relief, and a sudden wish to use and own more!

 

Exploring the low end of available pens is not unusual either, it allows you to define the acceptable limit between a usable pen and useless junk. I do understand your interest in Jinhaos, among the cheap pens there is a clear knowledge of the industry which they hold, which makes some of their pens rather good.

It's when you start comparing with "better" pens that you discover the limits.

 

I share your ideal of a light pen and without step downs (as I hold the pen exactly as you describe, somewhat far up).

You may wish to check out ebonite pens, especially classic design (cap over barrel) as they deliver both of your desiderata.

 

Regarding fine nibs, this is another point to explore. With due exceptions which sometimes can be found, fine and extra fine nibs of high quality (and that do not scratch at all) do exist, are usually of the gold and vintage type, but even modern, and you may bump into one as you explore, which will then make you neglect cheaper pens....

 

btw, you just made me wonder where my slide rule ended up...

 

[mizgeorge]

Hello Random Guy and welcome

[KB3K]

2 hours ago, sansenri said:

welcome to FPN!

 

your experience is not rare, many of us started on fountain pens when young, have experienced the use of ballpoints as an enforced necessity at some point, have almost abandoned pens because of computers and then have come back to fountain pens with great relief, and a sudden wish to use and own more!

 

Exploring the low end of available pens is not unusual either, it allows you to define the acceptable limit between a usable pen and useless junk. I do understand your interest in Jinhaos, among the cheap pens there is a clear knowledge of the industry which they hold, which makes some of their pens rather good.

It's when you start comparing with "better" pens that you discover the limits.

 

I share your ideal of a light pen and without step downs (as I hold the pen exactly as you describe, somewhat far up).

You may wish to check out ebonite pens, especially classic design (cap over barrel) as they deliver both of your desiderata.

 

Regarding fine nibs, this is another point to explore. With due exceptions which sometimes can be found, fine and extra fine nibs of high quality (and that do not scratch at all) do exist, are usually of the gold and vintage type, but even modern, and you may bump into one as you explore, which will then make you neglect cheaper pens....

 

btw, you just made me wonder where my slide rule ended up...

 

Thanks for the welcome and the suggestion of ebonite pens. I’ve never handled one but the material seems fascinating. If I found the right pen I could combine a few appealing features; an ebonite body, a vintage nib, and a lever-filling mechanism. I know that other filling systems have their advantages, but a lever filler holds a bit of nostalgia for me. I’ve obviously never used one, but I remember them being used as “weapons” in cartoons (back when a pen company and animation studio wouldn’t face legal action after a kid was partially blinded by fountain pen ink). That was probably my first exposure to fountain pens. I was a bit disappointed when I started writing and only encountered boring pens.

 

Learning how good a higher end pen can be could set a dangerous precedent. I’d need one for every ink I commonly use, and rover or two for occasional-use inks. I’ve already had my eye on a Visconti Van Gogh (Wheatfield with Crows) and a Pilot Custom 823 for years. Either of which is easily worth more than the entirety of my accumulated pens. In fact the nib of the Pilot could probably give my pens a good run for their money. Both pens can be bought at the last real stationary store in my city (and the only one within a few hundred kilometers). I would like to buy local as well as buy pens made by someone who gets paid what I would expect to be paid for their labor.

 

2 hours ago, mizgeorge said:

Hello Random Guy and welcome

Thanks for the welcome.

[Hbanger]

Good morning, try a Parker 21 they are can be found for about 20 and up, somewhere around 20 or 30 should get you a really nice writer, both the fine and medium I use regularly write smooth like butter, actually if you want to try a Parker 21 I have a green one, it’s nor perfect but it’s not a beater on its last leg either, it’s in good + user condition. PM me your address and I’ll send it to you, if you like it and want to keep it send me something in return 

[northstar]

Hello and welcome to FPN.

[Bristol24]

Welcome to FPN!

 

Cliff

[Sailor Kenshin]

I love inexpensive, dare I say, cheap, pens.  Especially that Jinhao Shark!  

 

Truly am I happy when playing Alchemist with inks and cheap pens.

 

🥃

 

Welcome aboard.

[PAKMAN]

Hello and Welcome to FPN!! So glad to have you as a member!!

[KB3K]

Thanks for the advice and welcome Hbanger. The Parker 21 seems to check all the right boxes.

 

Thanks for the welcomes northstar, Bristol24, Sailor Kenshin, and Pakman. 
 

 

[Wahl]

[NgunnawalJack]

 Greetings from an Aussie expat in Finland! 

 

Like you I’ve returned to fountain pens after 50+ years in the ballpoint wilderness when I found a mint MB in a flea market for 2€ and decided to restore the Parker 45 my parents gave me in 1968 when I started high school.  Since then I’ve been collecting at the bottom of the price range mostly - Jinhao, WingSung and Platinum Preppys - with a couple of Safaris.

Enjoy the fun here.

JohnD

[KB3K]

Thanks for the greeting Wahl.

 

7 hours ago, NgunnawalJack said:

 Greetings from an Aussie expat in Finland! 

 

Like you I’ve returned to fountain pens after 50+ years in the ballpoint wilderness when I found a mint MB in a flea market for 2€ and decided to restore the Parker 45 my parents gave me in 1968 when I started high school.  Since then I’ve been collecting at the bottom of the price range mostly - Jinhao, WingSung and Platinum Preppys - with a couple of Safaris.

Enjoy the fun here.

JohnD

Thanks for the greeting NgunnawalJack! How do you pronounce your username? There are a lot of people named Nguyen (pronounced a bit like “n’Wen” with a very soft ‘n’) around where I live (mostly as a family name, as a given name in a couple of cases).

[NgunnawalJack]

13 hours ago, KB3K said:

How do you pronounce your username?

There are 2 “official” pronunciations depending on which side of the mountain you come from.  One of the traditional ways is best approximated as “Noonawal” in English, where as the more modern, since settlement by the Europeans, and more common,  is “Nunawal”

[Bisquitlips]

So very glad you are with us!

 

My compliments!

 

Richard