Happy to join - looking forward to the connections & learning

[JasonR]

I received my first fountain pen (Kaweco Sport - Black, M) about 10 years ago as part of some subscription box.  Over the years I used it somewhat infrequently, but they're bulletproof, so it made a great pen to keep in my bag.    Fast forward and this year my wife complained that I'm incredibly difficult to buy presents for.  I enjoy playing Magic the Gathering with my kids, running, hiking, reading, and watching football.  I don't like watches and tend to buy what I want when I want it.  Frustrating for her when Father's Day and my birthday are within a couple weeks of each other.  I spoil her - she wants to return the favor.  I know, that seems all unimportant - but - I figured I could start a new hobby that could effectively "compete" with gifts like jewelry.   I have a love of history, specifically Winston Churchill, and I recalled seeing one of his fountain pens on display (probably not actually his) at the Churchill War Rooms in London - which is one of my favorite museums to tour.    Bingo, I'll combine my interest in WWII with Fountain Pens, and start to collect.  I returned a nice jacket she bought me from Canada Goose (I just couldn't justify that kind of money on a jacket I'll wear a few times a year) and put some of that money into starting my collection. 

 

Fast forward 5 months and my collection is starting to take shape.  I've sampled the Pilot, Platinum, Kaweco, TWSBI, Lamy and a few others, but I came back to what got me interested in the first place - pens with a tie back into British history.  First, not really knowing what I was buying, (rare as I tend to do too much research before buying most things), I purchased a "Conway Stewart" 100 style pen from pen_swap on Reddit, it was a gorgeous pen, but a terrible writer and I didn't like the nib.  As I knew it was a modern CS, I reached out to Conway Stewart directly and they informed me that what I had was not "genuine" but an American made pen from The Pen Family.  I sent it off to Mark Bacas to tune the nib, so I can at least have a nice looking pen that writes well. 

 

A little sour from that, I researched a bit more and bought a Conway Stewart 15 and 388 off of eBay.  The pens were not in working condition, both needing sac replacement.  I sent them in to Vanness for Mike to replace the sacs and reattach a pressure bar - he turned them around in a week.  I've absolutely fallen in love with Conway Stewart.  The 15 is my preferred daily driver - it's not fancy, it's well worn, but it writes like an absolute dream - a hint of tooth and I feel every stroke, without being rough.   The 388 is nice looking in a marbled green, but it is much stiffer, so it's not currently in my rotation.   Then I decided to take a chance on a couple of Onoto pens, a Model O from the early 1900s, and an Onoto Junior in a blue marble that has almost a needlepoint flex that is lovely to write with.  When I write with these pens I feel a connection to a different era - journaling is pleasurable, and it makes even dull meetings just a little more enjoyable.    I'm super excited about my next delivery which arrives today, a vintage Conway Stewart 100 in black that looks to be in great condition, recently restored.  

 

I'm still clearly in the exploration phase of building a collection, but trying to ensure that I'm not just buying for volume (my Lamy AL-Stars disagree).  Along the way, I've penabled several folks.  I used to write notes on some custom stationery to new team members, or when folks deserved special recognition, or just if I felt like brightening someone's day.  Who doesn't love a thoughtful handwritten note? Now instead of just a notecard, they also get a nice notebook (Maruman or Rhodia) and a pen chosen for them from my early exploration phase (think Kaweco Sport or Pilot Prera).  

 

Alright, that's enough rambling - looking forward to engaging with this community!

[A Smug Dill]

Welcome to FPN!

[Mark from Yorkshire]

from the uk

[OCArt]

[JasonR]

@OCArt thank you for the welcome from sunny San Diego where it's always 78 and sunny

[PAKMAN]

Hello and Welcome to FPN! Glad to have you join in!

[RedPie]

Welcome to FPN!☺️

[Wahl]

[AkitaMom]

Adding my Welcome to our happy Fountain pen place.

 

[stylographile]

Thank you for sharing and welcome ! It's great to have a theme to one's purchases!