Pensees: Fountain Pen

You can read a bit about fountain pens at this blog: http://www.kingsmeadow.com/2007_02_01_blog_archive.html
Keith

I think you have to suck the nib while you dance a jig. Don’t stop as soon as you taste ink, though. You have to keep going for a bit…like priming a pump or siphoning gasoline. The vacuum effect doesn’t “take” until you’ve swallowed two or three times.

Let me know how that works out for you.

Bob,

I think the trick is to leave the cap on and use your keyboard… at least it works for me. :D

Bob,
Stick with a rollerball. I use Waterman. Rollers work well, look nice, and write like butter. You’ll never use a ballpoint again. No mess.

Anyway, you must’ve missed that class at NBBC, but we just don’t do fountain pens. Even the Mr. and Ms. Northland award only gets you a $15 Cross ballpoint.

Wow a fountain pen. Last time I used one was in High School (and I graduated in 1967!). It is OLD TECHNOLOGY.

My experiences: ink stained pockets, ink stained hands, blots on the paper.

Do yourself a favor and give it to a friend. And get yourself a good cross ball point

I love my fountain pen! I have a Cross pen myself, but I am not an expert. If you haven’t solved this problem yet, email me, and I will pass on the email of someone who can probably help.

Good morning,
You shouldn’t be having this hard a time getting flow started in your pen. A few questions may help diagnose the problem. What kind of ink source did you use: cartridge or bottle? If it’s a cartridge push to make sure it’s seated all the way down. If that still doesn’t work go to a sink, hold the pen nib [the pointy thing :^)]down and very gently squeeze until you see a drop of ink come out. If you have a converter which uses bottled ink empty the pen of ink and flush it with water several times, and then refill.
You would think that pen manufacturers would test their pens before shipping but they don’t.

And no, you shouldn’t have to push hard, and no, gaps in one’s writing isn’t cool. The smooth flow of ink on paper without the brutish force required of a barbaric ball pen is part of the charm of a fountain pen.

Please feel free to drop me a line directly about pens.

Thank you for the advice. I have even received private emails! When I replaced the cartridge with the piston-converter the ink seemed to flow much better. I think I could get used to it except that my fingers are stained now.

Fountain pens are nice, but if not used properly can be a mess. I know from experience. I have a Mont Blanc pen (not a fountain, but the larger rollerball pen) it was a splurge five years ago.

If you want to know more about fountain pens, send an email to Don Whitney. He collects pens and would probably enjoy the discussion. His website is http://www.spiritualdisciplines.org

tlange,
Montblancs are superb fountain pens, but I’d say they’re pricey… Pelikan to my mind is more affordable for newbie collectors, and as enjoyable as Mont Blanc writing instruments. But the trademark of MB means a lot to some people, it’s like owing a Maybach car.
Recently I understood why writing with a fountain pen is good for training brains. This is the only way I make myself think thrice before putting letters to paper! You see, with emails it’s very different - there’s CTRL+Z combination, there’s copy and paste, and everything… emails make people lazy, indeed. And with ballpoint pens, there are all kinds of correctors, whiteners, etc, to hide the errors… so writing with a fountain pen makes one cleverer and more attentive to detail. Just my two cents worth.
BTW, I enjoy reading posts here. Awesome blog!