skywatcher wrote:

Greetings All

Many of your stories sound familiar as I had to use a fountain pen in high school and just continued using them through technical collage. I was the only apprentice heavy duty mechanic who used a fountain pen for his noted. Actually had 4 fountain pens. 3 Shaeffer's, blue, black and red with corresponding color of ink and a Shaeffer Slim Line loaded with Peacock Blue for writing to my girlfriend and the occasional letter to family.

I'll see if I can gather up my old fountain pens and take a picture or two. Meanwhile, take care and all the best,

Sky

Yes, hope you can find them and post.  No fun without "show & tell." ; )

Here are a couple that aren't fancy, but I can't bring myself to part with them.



So I guess enjoy typewriters and pens. Have fun!

Brian

Some pens from my collection. Apologies for the out-of-focus pictures. All of my modern camera lenses have ended up sold or broken, so I'm stuck using a vintage CCTV lens with adapter. Just goes to show, older can be more reliable.

Parker Urban


Lamy CP-1


Waterman Perspective


And some non-fountain pens that I love nonetheless:

Cross Century Classic rollerball


Mark's "French Days" Tous les Jours mechanical pencil, designed to look like a regular pencil.


Incidentally, I'm looking for a budget fountain pen with 1.1mm stub or italic nib. Any recommendations? I'm considering the Monteverde Invincia Stealth Black (the design of which reminds me of one of my favourite writers, Edgar Allan Poe), or simply getting a new nib for my Lamy pictured above. Thanks

Reviving an older post.
I find it interesting that so many of us that enjoy typewriters also enjoy fountain pens ( and I would hazard a guess at gel ink pens as well?)
When I started writing a few years ago I found that using a cheap roller ball ink pen was actually tiring and distracting.
I switched to a .7mm mechanical pencil and found that was better but too messy with out using a cover sheet to rest my writing hand on.
By chance someone gave me a Pilot G2 .7 to try and I was smitten !
I enjoyed the quiet 'scratch' of the G2 on the notebook paper I was using ( just as the sound of typewriter slugs clacking ) so much I figured an actual fountain pen would be that much better.
I should mention here that I am left handed and as I explored the use of the 'fp' more and more, I decided to look at the proper method of writing in script to try to counteract the fumbles and stubbing I would get from the wrong orientation of the pen/nib.
After some research I realized it was the pen and not me that was out of order.
Another case of left handed desire in a right handed world.
I did not care to try a left hand conversion nib as I only wanted to write not learn calligraphy.
After some more asking around of folks that worked with nib pens and quill and feather pens, I tried re-orienting the paper to something like 10-15 deg. from vertical and then write from top down to the bottom.
This is rather satisfactory even though it may seem odd to write this way. I even recall another couple of school mates doing this way back in grade school.
While I have no great investment in pens or ink, I do have several that I have purchased just for the balance or feel of the nib on a certain paper. Again, nothing over $20-$40 and nothing new.
The real problem for me and writing with an actual fp (vs. a gel pen ) is just the interruption  of refilling or dipping.
I guess I'm more into writing, getting it down on paper, than the act of writing.
So for me it's the Pilot G2 .7
Just the correct and comfortable diameter at the barrel, not at all top heavy and yet enough presence to be an influence to each stroke.
The G2 .5 (.5 mm ball vs. a .7mm ) is too fine fore me as it is prone to stubbing in the paper thus creating a distraction or, an illegible jumble of my hand writing.
Unless they are purchased in quantity, ( about  $1.50 ea. by the dozen package ) they run close to  $2.40-$2.50 ea. in single or double packs and I would call that expensive for a throw-a -way pen.
But, you do get what you pay for .  

Well, I guess what I have discovered about my writing efforts is that each of the modes or maybe methods I use have their issues.
For some reason, since I started to use the manual typewriter in the last couple of years, I have had a tough time going back to the computer keyboard.
I don't know just what it is but I do struggle when at the computer.
One would think the fountain pen and manual typewriter using single sheets of paper would run about the same for process involvement but, here again the pen wins out because it also provides that gentle scratching on the paper that helps to produce the words in my head. The typewriter does help too in its own way but, the newness of typing to write is still very distracting. I'll surely get used to it the more I use the typewriter but for now the pen is the 'go to'.
I did try the 'roll-o-paper' in an electronic typewriter but the noise of the machine lost out to the pleasant clack of the manual. Too much like work.
So, down to the pens. I prefer the fountain pen and I have a couple with a nicely polished medium nib that is very encouraging of words on the right paper. The refilling is not as big of a problem as the bleed through I'll get if I use a note book. I like the note book because of the regimentation of the lines rather than the free range effect of plain paper but, it is not a deal breaker. There are probably different inks I could try but, I don't want to go deep into the FP world to find that perfect combination of body, nib, ink, and paper that will enable me to write when I am well able to use the previously mentioned Pilot G2.
The only qualms I have about the Pilot is that being a ball roller they tend to get worn down and start to leave trails of excess ink on the sides of the ink lines.
I'm not sure that the gel ink would work in a fountain pen unless maybe it had some pressure behind it to deliver ink to the nib consistently. It would be fun to try.
Actually, a friend of mine and I were working on a FP design that was self pressurizing as the pen was used. Unfortunately we had a disagreement as to how it would be made and the project was put on indefinite hold.
I can say that the crux of the design is a body within a body that slide together to apply a slight pressure to the ink res as one writes and, lets off instantly as the pen is picked up from the page.
I think it shows promise but, I don't have a spare moment to work on it at this time so, it waits.
So, pens are good but, I like better the idea of the roll-o-paper loaded on my (yet to be determined ) favorite typewriter, with a good, stout cup of coffee at my elbow to bring the words forth. 

My very first pen was a pilot parallel in  2.4 millimetres, quite fun for blackletter handwriting.
Then I got a Pilot Kakuno medium nib, which I use as my daily pen at the college.
At home I use a black Lamy Al-Star with extra fine nib.
Then my father gave me his Parker 45 in brushed steel, however I still have to repair it since the ink doesn't flow.

I use blue Parker Quink for the Kakuno and black for the Al-Star, as is the only I was could find for the moment. Eventually I hope to get a 100 millimetres bottle of J.Herbin Perle noire (I don't like to have shading in my black ink).

I hope to continue expanding my collection but still remaining utilitarian, maybe a J. Herbin Pen and some other colours.