# Does anyone use a Fountain Pen



## GP Punto

Following on from this popular thread on Pistonheads, just wondering if anyone is using a fountain pen at home or work.


----------



## muzzer

Not for a long time but i do keep looking at Mont Blan fountain pens


----------



## Fentum

GP Punto,

I was required to use them at school - no funny inks or biro ever(!), even though I am a left-hooker, and thus dragged the ink over the page after me. Writing legible essays was torture and it slowed me down in tests (that was my excuse anyway). So I love the idea of them, as I do any well-made thing, but hate using them. 

I have a couple, one that my wife gave me (a rather chunky Dunhill in a nice tortoiseshell) and one I inherited from my father (a steel Sheaffer). When I was a civil servant, I'd initial minutes and file covers etc with one but never used one for extended writing. They now only get used for major things like signing contracts etc.

I don't wear a watch or wedding ring either, although I have both. 

Quite a lot of bling opportunities forsaken altogether!

Peter


----------



## GP Punto

Hi Peter

A fountain pen was required at my school also, and also that we achieved a certain level of neatness and legibility to our writing, I am not sure that this was a bad thing and some handwriting today is just shockingly bad, perhaps neat handwriting is no longer needed.

I understand that being allowed to use a fountain pen in schools is now a badge of honour with many school children looking to earn their Pen Licence, they often go out an buy a Lamy cartridge pen and use it with pride.

The Dunhill sounds a delight, Dunhill have been making high quality pens for almost 100 years, always of the best quality and very desireable amongst users and collectors.


----------



## slim_boy_fat

I occasionally use a 14ct gold Sheaffer which was a present from my ex.

Being a leftie like Peter, I had a l/h nib fitted and it did help a little, but I still have to offset the page to avoid smudging what I've written. I even have most of a ream of blotting paper in cupboard - how old-fashioned is that.....!?


----------



## GP Punto

For those that dont know, a nib for a left handed person slants to the right, shaped like a right foot and sometimes called a right oblique.

Some inks are notorious for drying slowly, Diamine in particular. Parker inks are much better and suit left handed writers a little better.


----------



## James_R

Yep, I use a Sheaffer fountain pen.

Not very often. I find they write very easily, but if you use cheap/thin paper you get issues with bleeding through so when you turn the page over it makes it difficult to write on that page.

Bit of an old fashioned thing, but still quite a nice thing to write with.


----------



## Rundie

I'm a heavy writer so usually end up tearing through paper and table underneath, I think I have anger issues


----------



## todds

I use a Mont Blanc fountain pen on a daily basis for the last 35 years with their own ink that comes in an exquisite bottle with a refilling chamber.It is a beautiful writer and can be got with nibs for left-handed writers.
regards
todds


----------



## GP Punto

Montblanc make some lovely pens and I think that you are very wise to keep to MB inks, they work very well together.

To pick up on paper problems, some papers are terrible with fountain pens, the Moleskine notebooks in particular. If you want a specific notebook for your fountain pen look out for Rhodia/Clairefontaine (same maker) They work very well with ink.


----------



## Fentum

Hmm, perhaps I'll see what kind of nib I can get for either of mine.

What's really frustrating was that I went to school two hundred yards from a most excellent pen shop in Oxford :wall: (which I saw was still there forty years or so later only a couple of weeks ago). Why did nobody ever tell me about left hand nibs?! It could have saved me years of bother. 

Mods - feel free to transfer this post to the "Grumpy" thread

Peter


----------



## sshooie

My 18 year old son has used (and will only use) a fountain pen for the last 5 or 6 years.

I find it a bit of a faff but he likes it and takes care of the couple he has, we bought him a nice one a few years back, I can't remember the name but it was around £100 iirc.


----------



## GP Punto

sshooie said:


> My 18 year old son has used (and will only use) a fountain pen for the last 5 or 6 years.
> 
> I find it a bit of a faff but he likes it and takes care of the couple he has, we bought him a nice one a few years back, I can't remember the name but it was around £100 iirc.


He is not alone by any means, young people are becoming interested in fountain pens, not just the use of them but also collecting and restoration, I have seen new people to the hobby develop some great skills in restoring 1920s plastics and turning a old pen into something that looks like it was made yesterday.

There are are some skills that are connected to detailing, in the sense of wanting to take care and to do the best you can to keep something looking good, the scale of the object also helps, gives you something to do on wet and cold days!

Old pens also appreciate in value, 10 years ago a Parker 51 could be bought for £20, at least £50 today. And this is for an object that you can use every day and enjoy.


----------



## stealthwolf

I used to use fountain pens at secondary school. In primary school, it wasn't until the last year that those with good handwriting were allowed to upgrade from pencils to Berol handwriting pens.

It wasn't until secondary school that we had fountain pens (it was mandatory). I remember having my first Parker fountain pen, with replaceable cartridges. It wasn't until I was 15 or 16 when I got a metal parker fountain pen with gold trim, and a cartridge that allowed you to use Parker Quink from a bottle. Made me feel grown up!

Sadly, that was all abandoned at university where speed in note-taking was important in lectures. Biros allowed me to write much faster. And messier. Fountain pens forced me to slow down so my handwriting was much more presentable.


----------



## GP Punto

If anyone wants to rekindle the use of fountain pens a very good modern alternative is available for very little money, cup of coffee money.

I suggest that you look at Jinhao pens, especially the X750 model. These are available for less than £3 delivered from China. You will need a bottle of ink which will cost around £5 on the High street, or cartridges - the type to buy are called 'international' cartridges.

The Jinhao range are well made, durable and good to use.

If you have younger children or grandchildren around then it may worth buying 2 pens, almost certainly they will want to be involved.


----------



## NornIron

I have always written with fountain pens... for the past 16 years with a 2002 Viscont Van Gogh Maxi... This is the original Van Gogh model, so much better than the current Van Gogh range :thumb:


----------



## Caledoniandream

Haven’t done for donkey years, but being left handed is was not as easy.
Learned to write under an angle.
Use to have Parker fountain pens, and used the cartridges, they had a very smart “reserve “ bit in the top, if you tapped the cartridge at the top, you had a little more ink, don’t know if they still make them.
I learned to write when I was 6 years old with a “nib” or dip pen, you had a little ink pot sunk in your desk with a sliding lid on top.
When the teacher gave you a new nib, you had to keep it in your mouth for several minutes to degrease it so the ink would take (health and safety would get a fit nowadays, 6 years old with a very sharp piece of metal in their mouth) 
As the ink was very slow drying you needed to use blotting paper.

The biggest fun was to soak some piece of paper with ink and paint your neighbors ears blue.


----------



## Fentum

Caledoniandream said:


> The biggest fun was to soak some piece of paper with ink and paint your neighbors ears blue.


Ha Ha!

That brought back great memories of flicking ink pellets at the people in front of you when the teacher's back was turned:lol:.

Peter


----------



## Mr K

I did a bit of calligraphy back in the day, wedding albums etc and used an Osmiroid broad straight, it was a maroon colour, blimey that is frightening as it is probably 55 years ago.

Cant find it now lol


----------



## Cookies

Fentum said:


> Ha Ha!
> 
> That brought back great memories of flicking ink pellets at the people in front of you when the teacher's back was turned.
> 
> Peter


LMAO I remember hitting my English Lit teacher on the back of the head. Minor trouble ensued lol.

I have a Cross fountain pen, and it has been in it's box in a drawer for many years. This thread has just encouraged me to dig it out again!!

Cooks

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk


----------



## GP Punto

For those that are digging out their old pens, bringing them back to life is usually straight forward.

For cartridge pens, remove the old cartridge and hold the nib section under a cold tap until it runs clear, blow through it and then a new cartridge.

For pens that are filled with a lever, little more difficult. Inside the pen will be a rubber sac which will have ossified over the years. Whatever you do, dont force the lever, you will ruin it. It can be fixed yourself but for £20 a pen repair person will fix it.

Piston filled pens, not too many of these around, usually German. you might be lucky, turn the filling knob very gently in lukewarm water and see if the pen fills, dont turn the knob if there is too much resistance, you risk breaking it and making a very expensive repair, again, it is usually worth sending away to an expert.

Most people really enjoy using their pens after so many years, you forget what a pleasure it is to write with a good pen.


----------



## sshooie

Mr K said:


> I did a bit of calligraphy back in the day, wedding albums etc and used an Osmiroid broad straight, it was a maroon colour, blimey that is frightening as it is probably 55 years ago.
> 
> Cant find it now lol


Have you looked under the sofa cushions...


----------



## stealthwolf

GP Punto said:


> remove the old cartridge and hold the nib section under a cold tap until it runs clear


That's a little different to what I used to do, which was to use water from the hot tap. I would then "prime" the nib by adding a new cartridge, gently squeezing it to encourage it to flow and then using a kitchen paper on the nib to help draw it through. Sometimes I'd turn the nib upside and stick the end of the cartridge on top to encourage it flow through to the other side as well.


----------



## GP Punto

stealthwolf said:


> That's a little different to what I used to do, which was to use water from the hot tap. I would then "prime" the nib by adding a new cartridge, gently squeezing it to encourage it to flow and then using a kitchen paper on the nib to help draw it through. Sometimes I'd turn the nib upside and stick the end of the cartridge on top to encourage it flow through to the other side as well.


The reason that I have suggested cold water is that hot water can cause damage, some pens have feeds (the black thing under the nib) which can distort with hot water. Cold water will still do the job and is less risky.

Some cartridges will simply not squeeze, Parker cartridges are quite stiff for example. Other cartridges are at risk of cracking and then leaking. Must admit that I do the same as you although you are supposed to let the ink find its own way to the nib by capillary action.

The feed is meant to be a reservoir or spare capacity to store the ink nearby for the nib as it needs it.

It sounds like you developed your own useful ideas, any chance you could get back into using a fountain pen?

They are not for everyone, a mechanic at a local garage saw me using one and said he would like to use one at work, his hands are constantly greasy and I didnt think a pen would last two minutes, nor do i think there would be much advantage over a regular Bic.


----------



## stealthwolf

Wow. Didn't know about hot water causing damage. With Parker Quink cartridges (like >this one<), I would squeeze hard enough to allow the ink to flow out. Sometimes I'd sit the cartridge on the nib so gravity and capillary action would help draw the ink into the pen.

Well aware of the feed having a small reservoir - even if you removed the cartridge, you could write for ages. Alas, it also meant more ink to leak if the pen started leaking. I never had leaking problems with Parker pens but did with some of the cheaper ones I used get given (or found as was often the case in secondary school).

I would love to restart using a fountain pen but I hardly use a pen for formal work these days. I had a fancy parker jotter pen which wrote smoothly like a fountain pen but it got nicked at work whilst on night shifts. I tend to use a cheap bic biro (I have a box of them) so if one goes missing, it doesn't matter. I should look into it as I enjoyed my Parker fountain pens. I know there's one in my stationery box when I moved house but it's still there in the garage somewhere.


----------



## stealthwolf

I've been having a look for the past hour on Parker pens. I can't find details of the first one I ever had which was my first ever fountain pen.

It was had a blue plastic barrel slightly cigar shaped, black plastic section and metal nib. The lid was metal tool. Sadly, I lost this in the playground in secondary school. 

This was later replaced by I think a Parker Vector Flighter by the looks of things. Straight metal barrel with black plastic tip. Metal section with a plastic ring before the metal nib. That was my fountain pen throughout secondary school. It took Quink cartridges.

When I was 20, I treated myself to a Parker 45 Flighter Deluxe that I picked up in duty-free. Cigar shaped metal barrel. Gold ring (where barrel meets section), gold arrow and gold nib. Black section. It had a sliding mechanism to fill with ink and hence was the first time I'd used a pot of ink! Incredibly comfortable to write with. My favourite pen in my life to date.


----------



## GP Punto

stealthwolf said:


> Wow. Didn't know about hot water causing damage. With Parker Quink cartridges (like >this one<),
> 
> I know there's one in my stationery box when I moved house but it's still there in the garage somewhere.


If you need any help in getting it going please let me, glad to help.

With most modern cartridge pens an overnight soak of the nib section usually does the trick.


----------



## GP Punto

stealthwolf said:


> I've been having a look for the past hour on Parker pens. I can't find details of the first one I ever had which was my first ever fountain pen.
> 
> It was had a blue plastic barrel slightly cigar shaped, black plastic section and metal nib. The lid was metal tool. Sadly, I lost this in the playground in secondary school.
> 
> This was later replaced by I think a Parker Vector Flighter by the looks of things. Straight metal barrel with black plastic tip. Metal section with a plastic ring before the metal nib. That was my fountain pen throughout secondary school. It took Quink cartridges.
> 
> When I was 20, I treated myself to a Parker 45 Flighter Deluxe that I picked up in duty-free. Cigar shaped metal barrel. Gold ring (where barrel meets section), gold arrow and gold nib. Black section. It had a sliding mechanism to fill with ink and hence was the first time I'd used a pot of ink! Incredibly comfortable to write with. My favourite pen in my life to date.


Trying to think what your first parker might have been, it would be unusual to have the section a different colour from the barrel.

The most popular pen for school was the Parker 45, and still a very good pen today, yours might have looked like this one:


----------



## Jack R

I had a Parker 45 when I was at school, although not used since then I did still have it (I think) somewhere might have to give it another go now I’m more office based.


----------



## stealthwolf

GP Punto said:


> Trying to think what your first parker might have been, it would be unusual to have the section a different colour from the barrel.
> 
> The most popular pen for school was the Parker 45, and still a very good pen today, yours might have looked like this one:


Definitely not that. Way too fancy and I would have remembered because of the gold trimmed version i had later in life. I went to secondary school in 1993 and it was mandatory to have a fountain pen to write with. I remember getting it in the summer of 1993, just before term started.

Standard metal nib similar to Parker Vector. 
Black plastic section. 
Dark blue/navy blue plastic barrel. 
Metal lid. 
it wasn't straight like a Vector but gently curved. The Parker 45 is more cogar shaped. This was in between.


----------



## stealthwolf

Righty-o. 
I think I've found it:

Parker Jotter. This pic looks about right.


----------



## Mr Ben

Lovely to see that there are some other fountain pen fans on DW. 

The pen I use most is my Lamy 2000. Lovely writer and it looks and feels great. I usually carry a Kaweco AL Sport in my pocket too. 

If you fancy a step up from a starter pen take a look at the Twsbi Eco - its a piston filler, so you can use any bottled ink you fancy - and there are loads of options out there what ever colour you fancy.


----------



## Kerr

Who else has forgotten the art of handwriting? :lol:

I'm like a cow with a gun when holding a pen now. My handwriting is also awful now. 

I must have boxes worth of pens stolen every year at work. Not a chance I'd invest in a serious pen.


----------



## GP Punto

Mr Ben said:


> Lovely to see that there are some other fountain pen fans on DW.
> 
> The pen I use most is my Lamy 2000. Lovely writer and it looks and feels great. I usually carry a Kaweco AL Sport in my pocket too.
> 
> If you fancy a step up from a starter pen take a look at the Twsbi Eco - its a piston filler, so you can use any bottled ink you fancy - and there are loads of options out there what ever colour you fancy.


Not too expensive either at under £30, feels like a well made product.


----------



## BigJimmyBovine

I have a Waterman Phileas in green I was bought 18 years ago for my 18th by my Uncle, unfortunately I stubbed the nib on the bottom of an ink bottle and it can't be replaced by itself.

I also have to write in ballpoint artwork and rarely write at home so it would hardly get used


----------



## GP Punto

BigJimmyBovine said:


> I have a Waterman Phileas in green I was bought 18 years ago for my 18th by my Uncle, unfortunately I stubbed the nib on the bottom of an ink bottle and it can't be replaced by itself.
> 
> I also have to write in ballpoint artwork and rarely write at home so it would hardly get used


These pens have soared in value. At the end of production they were on sale at less than £20, I have seen new old stock models go for £80+

The pen nib can usually be fixed, if it is just bent a little you can have a go yourself, if you can remove the nib yourself. If its too badly damaged then I can put a spare in the mail.

For the benefit of others, this is what the Waterman Phileas looks like


----------



## BigJimmyBovine

Thank You.

I've just had a look at it now and it's nowhere near as bad as I remember! I do remember trying to pull it and the well out as described on a forum, it said that there was a 50/50 split of whether it would pull out but mine didn't budge.

EDIT: Nib has literally just pulled out as this post was uploading, I was giving it a gentle twist to align it with the logo on the barrel and it popped out...

The last photo you can just see the bend, it's actually the side nearest the camera that is lower but it looks opposite. Tempted to give it a thorough clean and try that cartridge in it now.


----------



## GP Punto

It doesnt look too bad at all, the two sides of the nib are called tines, it is common for one of the two tines to move out of alignment, and an easy fix.

You may may need a loupe or some strong reading glasses, have the nib pointing towards you and your goal is to have the two ends poing and in line like 00. Use your thumb nail to push on one side so that they sit togather, you should probably only need to push a maximum of 2mm, eventually they will sit together.

You could crack on from there, flush the pen through under the tap to clear the old dried ink and everything should be good.

You may find that the nib could be a little smoother, again an easy fix using something like a piece of polsihed aluminium or copper, even a shiny stone like flint or ground glass. Do some gentle 8888s and you will feel any rough spots in on the nib disappear, should only take around 20 seconds or so.

The Phileas is a nice pen and sought after, I think you will enjoy using it again.

If you have a cartridge converter with the pen I would use that rather than the Waterman cartridges that you have with the pen. I would use almost any ink that you can buy on the High street, Parker is the safest bet and a good all rounder. If you want to have a broader choice of colour there are many specialist ink sellers, one of the best is called the Writing Desk in Bury st Edmonds, they have an excellent online site. the only brand I would avoid is Diamine which can stain plastics and also cause blockages in my experience.

The reason I say to keep the Waterman cartridges as they are is because they are long out of production and there are certain types of pen that can only use Waterman cartridges. If ever you come to sell the Phileas, you will obtain a much higher price if you sell it with the box and unused Waterman cartridges.

Happy to help if I can.


----------



## BigJimmyBovine

I'd managed to bend it back into line almost as soon as it came apart after my last post, it's not quite perfect as i can see the distortion in the metal at the bend site but most people wouldn't notice. Unfortunately I put it together to test before I'd seen your post about not using the cartridge, oops... 

Positives are it writes really nicely again, negatives are my handwriting is terrible.

I do have a pump and bottle of Quink somewhere in the house, unfortunately the wife's idea of tidying is to put it somewhere out of sight where I'll never find it again.


----------



## GP Punto

I am sure your handwriting will soon improve, and if there are any young children around they will enjoy being part of the experience, aparently fountain pens are becoming popular with the under 10s as soon as they earn their Pen License from school, a badge of honour.

My wife does something similar in terms of tidying up so that I cannot find things, unfortunately just money.


----------



## Titanium Htail

I have a few Cross pens found some beautiful ones recently a Sheaffer ink pen which is fantastic...love pens..


----------



## ollienoclue

I have used fountain pens virtually all my life, even in school, at the suggestion of my English teacher as my handwriting is just plain awful.

Got a sheaffer and a couple of cheapo parker fountain pens but my favourite are left handed Lamy ones.


----------



## andy__d

i have always used fountain pens for "important" things, used ball points while needing to take notes for speed, but the notes taken during lectures always were wrote up properly with a fountain after,
nothing flash or fancy, just parker run of the mill 1980s type 
usually "vector" as they came with a matching ball point 









does the job, no need for "££££" things


----------



## AndyN01

I have a Parker 51.

Handed down from my Uncle who was a Captain in the Royal Army Pay Corps so a bit of a family heirloom.

Lovely pen. Was in daily use until about a year ago. Now just for special occasions.

Great to hear that youngsters are using fountain pens. They do force you to slow down and have pride in the results.

Fascinating thread - thanks.

Andy.


----------



## GP Punto

AndyN01 said:


> I have a Parker 51.
> 
> Handed down from my Uncle who was a Captain in the Royal Army Pay Corps so a bit of a family heirloom.
> 
> Lovely pen. Was in daily use until about a year ago. Now just for special occasions.
> 
> Great to hear that youngsters are using fountain pens. They do force you to slow down and have pride in the results.
> 
> Fascinating thread - thanks.
> 
> Andy.


The Parker 51 remains the most sought after of all pens by collectors. It just works so well, a brilliant design. Being a family heirloom you wont be interested too much in value but they are going up well ahead of inflation.

If you dont use the pen every day it is worth giving it a rinse through with clean cold water after use, they can block up with dried ink.

If any of you are looking for a pen then Lidl are selling a Pelikan Twist for £5, this pen is intended for children but is superbly made and has a very clever twist to the shape which helps control how you should hold the pen and also stops the pen rolling off the desk.

Pelikan are a top German maker and provide excellent quality even at this low price.


----------



## Jack R

My wife notice I was watching a few pens on eBay, and asked a few questions as to why.

Came home tonight to find this....





Nice new Parker vector, on offer in Sainsbury's which I'm well happy with and just feels right when holding 
:thumb:


----------



## GP Punto

The Parker Vector is bulletproof, very reliable and easy to use, how Parker make their cheaper pens so well and their expensive pens so badly is a mystery.


----------



## Jack R

Used it loads this week, much more than I thought I would. So easy to use and write with, very pleased with especially as this cost just £3.45 with store discount as they wanted rid then we get a further 15% on top of that with my wife’s staff discount


----------



## willywonker

Also had to write with a fountain pen at school, usually a Parker Vector with a bent clip! Now have a few fountain pens, my current daily driver is a Karas Kustom Ink, which is such a solid bit of engineering. Usually carry a Kaweco sport for quick notes too.


----------



## tommyboy40

We had inkwells in our desks and someone had to fill these each morning. Being left handed was a nightmare, having to blot each word as it was written. I was however, cracked across the knuckle with a ruler each time I used my left hand. If I ever end up on a tall building with a snipers rifle, I’ll at least have an excuse. This thread has made me want to back to my old Parker.


----------



## Jack R

Still using mine 5 days a week since I got it :thumb:


----------



## GP Punto

JR1982 said:


> Still using mine 5 days a week since I got it :thumb:


The Parker Vector may be one of the lowest priced pens you can buy but that doesnt take away any of its qualities, strong pen that always writes and writes very well.

If there is a problem it is that you have to spend a lot more money to buy anything significantly better. In additiona, Parker cartridges are just so convenient.

If you are looking to buy a pen as a low priced treat take a look at the Jinhao range on ebay, especially the 450, 750 or 159. The most you will pay is under £5 including delivery, not bad for something that will last 100+ years. Just a bottle of ink to buy which should last at least a year.


----------



## DavieB

I think a fountain pen is a very personal thing. I have a mont blanc marc newson and use it daily and it makes me enjoy writing with it, the price of it was ridiculous especially as I have to use a cheap Chinese ink convertor as mont blanc don't make one for it, lol. It also went back serveral times due to faults and was eventually replaced and so far no issues with the replacement. I have had a lot of pens over the years but I have to say I really don't like the Parker vector, it's too light and thin for me... Not to say it's a bad pen though.
I think I have a jinhao or whatever they are called it's like a copy of a lamy it writes ok but it looks and feels like it cost a fiver.
I think fountain pens are a bit like waxes they all do the same thing but give the user a different experience.


----------

