Pens when stony broke! - anyone else?

[heavyhorses]

I feel a bit awkward making this post, - especially as it's rather the opposite of the "expensive pens" thread - but here goes....

I'm in the situation of being really rather poor (I'm not able to work due to severe disability, which also keeps me from leaving the house and mostly my bed). Getting properly into fountain pens (rather than just using the handful I've amassed over the years) has given me a new lease of life, but since my only income is from government disability benefits, I have verrry little money to spend while still being able to do things like eat and pay bills. By which I don't mean "it's been reduced from £200 to £100", but "can I afford to buy two inc sacs". Obviously in the fp world this is quite a hinderance! I'm particularly interested in restoring vintage fountain pens (for my own use, not as a dealer) and am managing to learn to do this in a limited way, but again, it's an expensive process - and even the "cheap alternatives for tools" posts assume that you have a workshop full of comparatively expensive tools!

I did manage to buy myself a couple of "expensive" (for me) pens with some money I was gifted with the express purpose of it being "mad money" that I wasn't to spend on the housekeeping (which is how I ended up with my beloved Italix Parson's Essential), but mostly I am using bottom-end vintage pens and a few slightly-better vintage pens that I've repaired, from charity shop finds by friends and risky purchases on eBay, having gradually amassed the necessary tools largely through borrowing. (I don't even have a hairdryer right now for softening shellac!)

Is there anyone else in this situation or who's been in it in the past, and how do you manage? Every day I see gorgeous new pens released that I would LOVE to buy, or beautifully restored vintage ones for sale online, and could almost weep XD My interest in pens comes from my lifelong love of using them and their history.

[ChrisC]

I think a possible solution is to focus on the high quality, yet affordable pens. For example Esterbrook, Parker 21/51, Pelikan M100/120, the smaller Conway Stewarts, etc.

A lot of the writing experiences is simply in tuning a nib to your own tastes, and this out-weighs other factors like nib material, brand, etc. My humble Esterbrook J has a better fine nib than many Montblancs, Viscontis, and Pelikans I've used. Go figure.

[sharmon202]

I apologize if I am way off base but this smells funny to me.

[gbryal]

Enjoy the pens you have. If you are getting good at restoring them, maybe you can restore pens for others. Then you get to look at other pens up close, and that might be satisfying. When you see a pen you want to have, write it down. Maybe if your situation changes (don't know if that is possible) you can get a few.

Meanwhile, there are other things you can do, like write letters, practice your handwriting, etc. to enjoy what you have.

[pajaro]

I have found that collecting a lot of things leaves me with a lot of junk.

Scores of pens. Years ago I had three models of pens. Every other model of pen bought since has been found inferior functionally. So, I could have saved myself the trouble. Well, now I know it.

[Laura N]

I agree with gbryal. That's what I did during the many years when money was tight. I just enjoyed the (two) pens I had.

As for repairing pens, yeah, if you can't afford all the tools, then maybe it's not the best time to try to do complex repairs. But some things don't require a lot of tools, and repairing a sac pen is one. And if you get good at it, then you can either resell the pens, for a modest profit, or put out your shingle and start doing the work for other people. You could maybe earn some money for more equipment and pens that way.

Very good luck to you!

[Waski_the_Squirrel]

One way to enjoy the pens is to use the ones you have. Writing is cheap. Maybe you could try poetry, novel writing, or letter writing. Perhaps you could share something to express your feelings about your current condition that brings hope or empathy to others.

[ChrisC]

If the pen is comfortable to use, use it lots (:

The most important thing is to enjoy. It doesn't matter if x pen isn't as rare or collectible as y pen.

[stub]

You could easily slowly acquire any number of great pens, keep your eyes open, work smart trades, do a little homework first. Bargain hunt and in the meantime use what great pens you can get on the cheap. A Pilot Metropolitan and a bottle of Diamine would be a fantastic workhorse set up.

Then save your pennies, find a user grade personalized Sheaffer Admiral Snorkel here ($35), Waterman 503 bookkeeper there (I got one unrestored for like $17), oh hey, Parker 51 Special? Esterbrook LJ, yeah etc. Come into a little cash? Splurge on a Lamy 2k used or a 3776 Century... Some Waterman Fl. Blue, some Sheaffer Blue-black.. etc... suddenly you have a pretty nice stash of writers....

Don't do it all over night.

Be willing to let things go if they don't look right or exceed what you can spend (eBay).

Check classifieds here and FPN.

Work trades.

[stub]

Every day I see gorgeous new pens released that I would LOVE to buy, or beautifully restored vintage ones for sale online, and could almost weep XD

Also, you could stop looking. heh.

You know. Just saying.

(in other words, ink up and use what you have, stay off the internets.)

[heavyhorses]

Thank you for your responses, everyone! Sorry I haven't been around - I've been recovering from a bout of rough surgery with complications. And stub, that's exactly what I've been doing XD though it does mean not participating in forums like this a lot of the time, or doing the rest of what you said (hunting for bargains - especially on ebay and forums, which is where a lot of the temptation was coming from!)

I've been learning copperplate calligraphy using dip pens, as they're a lot cheaper, and enjoying it a lot - I can do short sessions of it even from bed with a slanting lap desk. It's really improving my general handwriting too, and teaching me a lot about just *using* a pen for more than taking notes in class (I grew up using fountain pens in school). I'm getting back into creative writing more too, as I'd pretty much stopped due to rarely being in little enough pain to handle using a computer - my writing is now legible enough to read what I've written!

I'm also fortunate(!) that as my condition has worsened I've become eligible for more disability benefits, so I've bought some nice ink, and have done a couple of sac repairs. I've got more surgery coming up at the end of October and am *still* hoping that I'll get mobile enough to at least use a wheelchair and get to one of the London meets.

Sharmon202, I'm curious as to why you thought this "smelled funny"? Disabled people do use fountain pens too, and a lot of us have *very* little money, especially with all the cuts that are targeting disabled people here in the UK!!

[heavyhorses]

Thank you for this advice, Waski_the_Squirrel :) I'd let my writing lapse a lot due to pain and struggling to use a computer, but I've been getting back into it - especially now that I can read my own handwriting XD - and actually have a reprint of some of my work from before I became ill coming out in a book in December! Thanks for the encouragement :)

[Deb]

I apologize if I am way off base but this smells funny to me.


Why?

[VertOlive]

Just a thought: forum members put up wonderful and generous PIFs here. Maybe take a look at that thread.

Also, if you're able to correspond, we pen pals have a way of passing pens and ink between us...

[Chuasam]

It's a HOBBY not a necessity.
If you're that skint, just use a cheap Bic.

[Sandy Fry]

Again, a pen is a pen is a pen. It doesn't have to be expensive to function as it should. I have pens from $3.00 to $3200.00 and they all do the same thing...put ink on paper.

David

[penwash]

Again, a pen is a pen is a pen. It doesn't have to be expensive to function as it should. I have pens from $3.00 to $3200.00 and they all do the same thing...put ink on paper.

David

If a pen is a pen is a pen, then why would you have pens from $3 to $3200? :)
Speaking of which, do you have a photo of the 3200 by any chance?