Writing instruments

I'm new to fountain pens. There are some beautiful ones in this thread. Thanks for posting!

To me, even very inexpensive fountain pens have a very special character.  They may never win best of show but many of them are very decent writers and also have the advantage of not breaking the bank if lost or simply not returned if borrowed.  I purchased a bunch of these PaperMate School fountain pens in Scotland.  As the name implies, these were meant for children to use in school.  Made of cheap plastic and with a child's pattern on them they are, nonetheless, very practical. I have kept these at friends' homes in other parts of the country and Scotland so when I visit I have a favorite writing medium ready.  All I have to bring with me is a fresh ink cartridge.  And the price? These were 50p (79¢) each. They even included an ink cartridge with each pen when originally purchased.

As I said, beautiful? No. Good everyday carries (EDC) for short note jotting? Absolutely.

Freddy... FINALLY!

Freddy... FINALLY!

Brian, I just saw this yesterday on FB. I am so excited.

For my birthday, Pam gave me a gift certificate to the Goulet Pen Co. and the pen was supposed to be coming out so that is what I decided to use the certificate for. I still have the certificate to buy the Eco. Oh, yes, the certificate was given to me for my birthday in December, 2013! TWSBI has done this before by announcing a product too long before it is ready.

As some here know, I have a great love of fountain pens, ink, and paper.  I was just wondering if there is anyone else who likes them, mechanical pencils, particular dip pens, or other writing instruments. Here is one of my favorites, a Sheaffer 100.  They are not too expensive and write very smoothly.

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I'm new to fountain pens. There are some beautiful ones in this thread. Thanks for posting!

I love FPs! My fave is an Aurora Optima I got that was on sale, NOS at Fountain Pen Hospital, a discontinued model. I also really like an old Montegrappa Deco, I think it's called, with a plain sterling cap and barrel that I have, and a Waterman Le Man I got from ebay, and my Waterman Carene is great too. 

One thing I dislike about fountain pen marketing is the manufacturers' tendency to call plastic "precious resin." If a pen is plastic, call it plastic! 

There are so many great vintage pens available for fairly little money. I am hesitant to buy new FPs since I find that so many need a little adjusting from a nib meister. Sort of like a straight you have to have honed.

As some here know, I have a great love of fountain pens, ink, and paper.  I was just wondering if there is anyone else who likes them, mechanical pencils, particular dip pens, or other writing instruments. Here is one of my favorites, a Sheaffer 100.  They are not too expensive and write very smoothly.

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I'm new to fountain pens. There are some beautiful ones in this thread. Thanks for posting!

I love FPs! My fave is an Aurora Optima I got that was on sale, NOS at Fountain Pen Hospital, a discontinued model. I also really like an old Montegrappa Deco, I think it's called, with a plain sterling cap and barrel that I have, and a Waterman Le Man I got from ebay, and my Waterman Carene is great too. 

One thing I dislike about fountain pen marketing is the manufacturers' tendency to call plastic "precious resin." If a pen is plastic, call it plastic! 

There are so many great vintage pens available for fairly little money. I am hesitant to buy new FPs since I find that so many need a little adjusting from a nib meister. Sort of like a straight you have to have honed.

I hope you'll post some photos of your pens.  Eye candy never goes amiss.

[Image: 9e0a8c0343134f32d6cdc61e5bb58508.jpg]

This is my very very modest collection. I still really haven't figured out how to load the vintages/tell if they need any work.

Esterbrook
Parker pen that I got in a set at Office Depot (my first fountain pen)
Parker '51
Lamy Safari
Cheap Parker that I got from Amazon.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Image: 9e0a8c0343134f32d6cdc61e5bb58508.jpg]

This is my very very modest collection. I still really haven't figured out how to load the vintages/tell if they need any work.

Esterbrook
Parker pen that I got in a set at Office Depot (my first fountain pen)
Parker '51
Lamy Safari
Cheap Parker that I got from Amazon.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hey, Brian, that is a nice collection.  The Esterbrook looks like a full size J-series pen.  To load the pen, there should be a metal lever on the side of the barrel.  Place the nib/feed into a bottle of ink as far as a little past where the nib goes into the section (the part you grip when writing).  Gently, pull the lever down and then back up.  Wait a few seconds to make sure the ink is being sucked into the sac and then repeat the process once or twice more.  When done, take a paper towel and clean the section of ink and you should be good to go.  

Richard Binder does a wonderful job of explaining how to change an ink sac.  Be sure to read the footnotes, as well. http://www.richardspens.com/?page=ref/re...cement.htm

[Image: 9e0a8c0343134f32d6cdc61e5bb58508.jpg]

This is my very very modest collection. I still really haven't figured out how to load the vintages/tell if they need any work.

Esterbrook
Parker pen that I got in a set at Office Depot (my first fountain pen)
Parker '51
Lamy Safari
Cheap Parker that I got from Amazon.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hey, Brian, that is a nice collection.  The Esterbrook looks like a full size J-series pen.  To load the pen, there should be a metal lever on the side of the barrel.  Place the nib/feed into a bottle of ink as far as a little past where the nib goes into the section (the part you grip when writing).  Gently, pull the lever down and then back up.  Wait a few seconds to make sure the ink is being sucked into the sac and then repeat the process once or twice more.  When done, take a paper towel and clean the section of ink and you should be good to go.  

Richard Binder does a wonderful job of explaining how to change an ink sac.  Be sure to read the footnotes, as well. http://www.richardspens.com/?page=ref/re...cement.htm

That looks like a great site. Thanks, Freddy! I'm looking forward to adding a few more vintage pens and using them more and more until they're the sole type of pen I use.


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I enjoy using both my modern and my vintage pens. The funny thing is, when I get something like a vintage Esterbrook back into my rotation, I'm reminded why I enjoy using it and it's almost like adding a new pen to my collection.