I’ve been a bit silly

[finzi]

What the ever-loving SNECK did I think I as going to do with fourteen new pens? I have bought fourteen pens this year. For anyone who doesn’t know me (rude, by the way) I have very temperamental arms, they’ve been in very bad shape for about eight years now and I am still only able to write about half a side of A5 before I have to stop and rest my arm for a few hours. This isn’t because of death-grip or anything like that, my arms freak out if I try to life a half-full kettle. It’s an ongoing health thing, you don’t need a story *that* long, so just trust me when I say that, after years of medical investigations, this is as good as it’s likely to get. This should make it very clear that I am in no way in need of any more pens. I can barely use the ones I have. Yes, I’m dealing with some emotional stuff (aren’t we all), but this is a really perverse way for me to seek comfort - acquiring things I can’t use for more than a few minutes at a time. 
 

So now the oft asked “how many ways are there for me to use my pens and inks” becomes absurd. 
 

Seriously, all joking aside (because we do often joke about having more pens/ink/paper than we need, that we all have a problem and are all enabled by other addicts) WHAT have I done and what do I do with these beautiful instruments?

 

Is this how it feels to wake up the day after a wedding wondering whose shoe you are using as a pillow, why your left ankle is in plaster and HOW DID THAT SHEEP GET IN HERE?

 

😔🙄

[Mark from Yorkshire]

1 minute ago, finzi said:

 

Is this how it feels to wake up the day after a wedding wondering whose shoe you are using as a pillow, why your left ankle is in plaster and HOW DID THAT SHEEP GET IN HERE?

 

😔🙄

I wouldn’t know, I’m happily single and a free agent. That and quite introverted till I get to know people. So that would never happen to me 🤣😜

[Mark from Yorkshire]

Use the nice instruments as and when you feel able. Just enjoy them.

[finzi]

1 minute ago, Mark from Yorkshire said:

I wouldn’t know, I’m happily single and a free agent. That and quite introverted till I get to know people. So that would never happen to me 🤣😜

Don’t fret, your time will come, you’ll look askance at a sheep and wonder if you’ll ever know. You’re in my club now. 🤪

[LizEF]

39 minutes ago, finzi said:

what do I do with these beautiful instruments?

Use them. I started to rotate through mine somewhat systematically so that I could enjoy their differences.

 

Put them on display in the meantime, so you can enjoy their beauty.

 

Penable others!  😈

 

I'm sorry about the struggle with your arms.   I'm sure I'm not the only one here to whom that sounds like a nightmare.  I wish you all the best and hope you're able to enjoy your pens, even if only in short spurts. 🙏

[AmandaW]

They're jewellery. Their purpose is to look pretty and make you happy. If they take turns to be filled with lovely inks and write a little that's something extra.

 

Ok. So you can also give some of them different jobs to do. A handbag pen. One near the phone. One that always has waterproof ink.

 

Really though... they're a collection. A creatively curated collection. No one asks a stamp collector why they need so many stamps... used stamps...

 

Do get a display case for them  or a pen case, with extra space... 24 or 36 slots.

 

I'm sorry to hear of your struggles with your arms. That's tough. I have arthritis in my hands which started when I was young after contracting Ross River Virus - mosquitos carry it - and mine never really cleared up. (On bad days I use a big pen.)

 

If your collection of pens makes you smile I think they're doing what they're meant to. Enjoy them!

[A Smug Dill]

4 hours ago, finzi said:

What the ever-loving SNECK did I think I as going to do with fourteen new pens?

 

The type of question we all ponder from time to time! I can relate.

 

 

“There's somethin' due any day
I will know right away, soon as it shows”

[Penguincollector]

  This may not solve everything, but I find sometimes that just dipping the nib into a bottle and scribbling a line or two is enough. Easy enough to rinse off, and you should let the feed dry out so you don’t have to put it away right away. 

[kestrel]

Concur with previous comments.  Like most of the people at FPN I have too many pens.  Sometimes writing is painful and I just sit and look at them.  They are functional works of art and most of mine are older than me, a child of the "I Like Ike" era.  You chose each pen in your collection carefully and I assume aesthetic appeal was part of the decision process.  Looking at and using a fountain pen produces endorphins in your brain that make you feel good.  Put your pens that aren't in use on display where you can see them between writing sessions.

For a long time I kept my favorites in a pen case on my desk like the one in the link below.  Perhaps you can find something a little more reasonably priced.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/205396089062?_skw=levenger+pen+display+case&itmmeta=01JV67AF4PD6SDC5SJXNSH90E3&hash=item2fd28f98e6:g:2B0AAeSwY7Nn71Ld&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAAA4FkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1eIwt5tce%2BLIIzgEFfQtovIKJ2mdAujYhlrXR0RTBMMhc7QDkUH6HJ7%2FMjhOMSv9CajqYv%2BrC8BW4cmLNRcLzJ3U9NO07zG3pVvnx%2BZdCV2lziY0kSiVhX7io9nCOuIen9rCP%2BjjdwNydccuWPHXMKqDbaVY%2FSp2dPrb7ElSnYpj4ZxJBWlwixTS%2Fo7DR9K66vBHhccjQEOwmUy3zcPWAmyaEjKXdaKWlAsxYFxrKm6Oh8pktThGyG2IUVamE2cWBKnF9RmzCz63YXgHHuW5u%2Fj|tkp%3ABk9SR8DyqcfZZQ

 

 

 

[inkstainedruth]

2 hours ago, AmandaW said:

Really though... they're a collection. A creatively curated collection. No one asks a stamp collector why they need so many stamps... used stamps...

That's a good point.  (I collected stamps when I was a kid).

@finzi -- Use them as you're able to.  Enjoy looking at them when you can't.  

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Baggins]

Please, if possible watch the film:

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

It’s French, but there is a English version, if not dubbed, with subtitles.

please be as well as possible.

Zé.

[mhguda]

Not silly at all! Your pens are yours, aren't they, to enjoy in whichever way you choose.

Others have given sound advice; I'll just add this: sometimes even just thinking about my pens, how and from whom I got them, without even actually handling or for that matter even seeing them, is a joy. And I learned so much here, on how to make the joy greater.with all kinds of smart tricks... Enjoy the journey!

[finzi]

26 minutes ago, Baggins said:

Please, if possible watch the film:

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

It’s French, but there is a English version, if not dubbed, with subtitles.

please be as well as possible.

Zé.

Always happy to follow a film recommendation, thank you @Baggins I’ll look for a subtitled version, ones that have been dubbed never feel right… Looking forward to the experience. 

 

17 hours ago, LizEF said:

Put them on display in the meantime, so you can enjoy their beauty.

 

Penable others!  😈

 

I'm sorry about the struggle with your arms.   I'm sure I'm not the only one here to whom that sounds like a nightmare.  I wish you all the best and hope you're able to enjoy your pens, even if only in short spurts. 🙏

Thank you @LizEF (and everyone) for your empathy. ❤️ Yes, sometimes I open the pen case and just touch them. A bit creepy really… 😂

 

14 hours ago, AmandaW said:

They're jewellery. Their purpose is to look pretty and make you happy. If they take turns to be filled with lovely inks and write a little that's something extra.

 
Really though... they're a collection. A creatively curated collection. No one asks a stamp collector why they need so many stamps... used stamps...

 

I'm sorry to hear of your struggles with your arms. That's tough. I have arthritis in my hands which started when I was young after contracting Ross River Virus - mosquitos carry it - and mine never really cleared up. (On bad days I use a big pen.)

 

 

Oh my goodness, poor you! For the arthritis to have started at such a young age. 😔 I’m glad that you have a workaround on the worse days @AmandaW

 

13 hours ago, A Smug Dill said:

The type of question we all ponder from time to time! I can relate.

 

 

 

Thank you @A Smug Dill, your monumental collections are very impressive, jaw-dropping, and they have reassured me many times, they’ve reminded me that there are far more serious collectors out there. I am constantly impressed by your ability to source new inks/papers/pens. True dedication. 
 

12 hours ago, Penguincollector said:

  This may not solve everything, but I find sometimes that just dipping the nib into a bottle and scribbling a line or two is enough. Easy enough to rinse off, and you should let the feed dry out so you don’t have to put it away right away. 

Thank you @Penguincollector I think I will start keeping a very short, simple journal. It won’t amount to much more than the length of entry one would write in a five-year diary, but it will be a little pen treat every day. If I only partially fill each cartridge, maybe I can get away with leaving them inked: less ink in the tank will remind me to clean them more often, every time a cartridge is empty. 

 

12 hours ago, kestrel said:

You chose each pen in your collection carefully and I assume aesthetic appeal was part of the decision process.  Looking at and using a fountain pen produces endorphins in your brain that make you feel good.  Put your pens that aren't in use on display where you can see them between writing sessions.

Yes, true @kestrel, the aesthetics of the pen are very important to me. I wouldn’t buy a pen with a nib I dislike just because it’s pretty, but I have passed over many pens with beautiful nibs because the aesthetic didn’t appeal to me, Pelikan being a prime example. I love their gold EF nibs as long as I pair it with a dry-ish to make sure that the wet nib doesn’t result in an excessively broad line relative to the size of my script, although I do currently have an M605 EF inked with Iroshizuku Yu-Yake which is perfection in my Rhodia Dotbook , Crown Mill 100% cotton correspondence paper and Zeta 120gsm Linen finish. The Crown 100% does seem to need a good steady flow of ink, dry combos aren’t well suited to that paper. 

[finzi]

Thanks again everyone for your empathy  , and lack of impatient sighs, reproachful looks and variations upon the theme of “you did this to yourself, you are a grown adult, make better choices instead of complaining”. 😂

 

As I mentioned to Penguin Collector, I will start to keep a daily journal (nothing too formal or structured, because then I would feel like I’m putting myself under pressure to perform every day), so that I can use the inks and pens I have chosen. I would really like to improve my handwriting and I am trying to experiment with the “forefinger up” (is that the term?) grip gentle caress. Even if I only do a minute or so each day, it gives me space to focus entirely on my physical relationship with the pen. Not convinced I’ll make much progress with it, but I can enjoy the process. 
 

I have shifted from comfort buying to comfort eating. Not going overboard, fortunately my habits are generally pretty healthy, so my idea of a blowout is a quarter of a tub of Haagen-Dazs, not a 15” pizza and two litres of Fanta. 😂

 

Thanks again for giving me space to vent about this, especially considering that is very much a privileged problem. 🫣

[Estycollector]

Enjoy them and stay in the moment/present. 

[Penguincollector]

1 hour ago, finzi said:

I wouldn’t buy a pen with a nib I dislike just because it’s pretty, but I have passed over many pens with beautiful nibs because the aesthetic didn’t appeal to me

  
 

   I think you would like Thomas Ang’s approach. When he was here, he showed me a his personal collection, and many were what people call “Frankenpens,” pens that he thought were aesthetically appealing, but the nibs were changed to suit his tastes. There were modern pens with vintage flex nibs, or Western pens with Japanese nibs and vice versa. Some folks feel this is verboten, but I think it’s practical. 
 

    As someone with a genetic condition that will never get better, I hope you find ways of managing your issues that work for you. I write with fountain pens because of my connective tissue disorder, and they’ve been a constant companion-even when I can’t use them. I look at them, or find other ways of manipulating ink that don’t require writing (look up gourmet pens’ “inky messes”) and generally try and find ways to use them daily that don’t require long writing sessions, like chore (checking things off is so cathartic) or grocery lists, or my engagement calendar. I  have a similar journaling system to the one you’re starting, and it works well. 

[Mercian]

On 5/14/2025 at 2:56 PM, finzi said:

I will start to keep a daily journal (nothing too formal or structured, because then I would feel like I’m putting myself under pressure to perform every day), so that I can use the inks and pens I have chosen. I would really like to improve my handwriting and I am trying to experiment with the “forefinger up” (is that the term?) grip gentle caress. Even if I only do a minute or so each day, it gives me space to focus entirely on my physical relationship with the pen. Not convinced I’ll make much progress with it, but I can enjoy the process. 

 

This is a very good way to use one's pens.

 

But, if you are anything like me, I do advocate the only-partial filling of one's pens prior to use.

 

This is because I am a flibbertigibbet who has a short attention span, and likes to switch between the different shiny pens in his accumulated collection, and between different shiny colours of ink.

As I am not labouring under any physical impairment, and am cursed blessed with a natural degree of prolixity that would shame a filibustering MP, I am usually able to restrict myself to only having two pens inked at any one time, but am still able to cycle through my pens as my whims dictate.

 

But, if you find that you have difficulty writing Jeremiads without tiring, you may wish to employ only partial fills as a means of avoiding having ink dry-out in any of your pens.

It also allows for rapid cycling-through of one's pens and inks, meaning that you don't ever become bored with a 'current' pen/ink, or anxious to move on to the next shiny pen/ink.

 

I also recommend - very strongly - developing the 'hobby' of switching between one's pens and inks over that of 'comfort eating'.
We humans have evolved to NOT lose weight once we have stored it in our bodies as fat, and the necessity of buying many new clothes as one's existing ones mysteriously 'shrink' inside one's wardrobe entails annoyingly-large amounts of unnecessary expenditure.
Ask me how I know!  

 

If you ever are at a loss for things that you might write about, I urge you to have a look at the following old thread.
It is an inspiring use of pens & inks!

Edit to Add:
Anyone who reads through all of ↑ that thread will reach a point beyond which the posts contain 'broken' 'http://' links to images, rather than the images themselves.
But fret-ye not! One need only right-click on each of said links, and then select 'Open Link in New Tab' in order to see the images of @plistumi's inspiring work.

 

I wish you good luck, and lots of fun!  

 

Slàinte,
M.

[inkstainedruth]

I used to really enjoy Plistumi's posts with her updates and illustrations from that.  And got to actually meet her a number of years ago at DCSS, when it was in the old site in Tyson's Corner.  Turned out she was sitting next to me at the ink testing table, and it wasn't until a woman I'd met at one of the tables came over I realized who she was (sadly, I don't remember the other woman's name, or whose table she was working at, since it's been a number of years at this point).  And she wanted to have the three of us do selfies, and I DO remember kinda going, "O-kay... but who cares about ME?  Plistumi, OTOH?  Oh heck yeah!"

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[finzi]

Finzi household, lunchtime today. 
 

Mr Finzi: Thanks arranging the sale of that coin, I’ve sent you 10% as a commission.  
Me: Thank you darling, I’ll tuck that away in my rainy day fund. 
Mr. Finzi: Aren’t there some pens or inks that you would like?

😐

 

Seriously folks, the restraint I displayed. To be fair to Mr Finzi, I have not confessed my litany of follies to him, so he doesn’t have as much information as he might need when deciding whether or not to encourage me to buy pens and ink. 

 

Instead of adding my wishlist to my cart I spent some time this afternoon with my correspondence papers and made a point of matching some of the slightly tricky papers with specific nibs and inks. Well perhaps “tricky“ is too strong a term, but for my preferences the Tomoe River needs a nib 1-2 sizes broader than I would usually use, and the Crown 100% cotton needs a very wet nib and ink.

 

In my notebook cover I keep one sheet of each of my correspondence and notebook papers, and every time I pair a nib with an ink for the first time, I write a line on each sheet so that I can see how that nib and ink combination works on each paper. I keep a reference sheet in my pen case, and every time I fill a pen I write down the pen, nib and ink so that I can immediately see what I have ready to go.
 

I love my notebook cover. I got it from Elrohir Leather earlier this year and it currently holds six A5 Rhodia dotbooks, a Moleskine Classic hardback (for pencils only, I don’t like it for FPs) and two wads of loose notes and paper tucked into the two pockets. Epic. 

 

 

[Black16]

Even tho I always preferred fountain pens I started to actually collect (ok, hoard) them only this year's spring. And I already have around 20 of them. I'm an impulsive-compulsive person about it. And even tho I write stuff from time to time (not a writer so just field notes, thoughts, plans, logs) I'm still not using them all of course. And some of them I don't even plan to use. I'm actually buying mostly used pens that I liked or was able to afford, and it looks kinda like a fp shelter. I found some joy in this world in slowly restoring and babying those poor things, enjoying their company when I need some help with writing something down. I guess everyone has their own philosophy behind their collection, so what is yours? It is a question you might find an answer yourself and for yourself Some of the pens I own are literally with the nibs that are too fine or too broad for me for example, but  I don't plan to regrind them because they do not need to be fixed and maybe one day I will need exactly some help from that kind of nib. So, I suggest to just enjoy your pens, even if it's even plain about looking at them in the mornings.