Well-done essay on the pen things we learn... and don't!

[Jon Szanto]

For your enjoyment:

13 Hard-learned Lessons From a Veteran Fountain Pen Addict (https://ukfountainpens.com/2019/03/24/13-hard-learned-lessons-from-a-veteran-fountain-pen-addict/)

[fountainpenkid]

The problem of inks is all-too-real for me, and I only have 30 botttles! For the past year or so I have resisted the urge to buy any new inks, and learned a lot about the limited nature of my ink use in the process. There is so much joy to be had just from different ink pairings (in fact I just discovered a wonderful one today: J. Herbin Caroube Chypre with Iroshizuku ku-jaku).

[Robert]

Pithy and . . . so true in so many respects. Thanks for posting the link.

[FredRydr]

Lesson number 6 ebbs and flows with me. It was an ebb tide until recently, but lately I see different pens heading my way. ;-)

[Bold2013]

Thanks

[Empty_of_Clouds]

Pretty much where I stand on things today. Looking at my inks... yes, there are too many, and yes, many will likely not get used (which is why I gave away a full bottle of Lamy Petrol recently). Stationery for me is always going to be problematic due to the cost of shipping reasonable volumes of paper (shipping weight is a killer).

Good article.

[Chrissy]

Thanks Jon. An enjoyable read. :thumb:

[manoeuver]

good read.

I've solved the ink problem, by the way.

I took my unused inks and brought them to my coffee shop, where they formed the core of a publicly-available ink library.
Anybody who shows up can fill a pen with anything in the box.
It's a ready home for neglected bottles in folks' collections.
I keep a stash of inexpensive and donated pens handy in case somebody doesn't have a pen.

it's pretty cool!
I should probably tell more people about it.

[Chrissy]

That is pretty cool. Almost worth specially visiting "near Midwest, US" for. :thumb:

[FredRydr]

...I took my unused inks and brought them to my coffee shop, where they formed the core of a publicly-available ink library.
Anybody who shows up can fill a pen with anything in the box....
Thanks, Tim. I like coffee shops that offer free refills!

[ethernautrix]

Nice maneuver, manoeuver!

I started bringing my too-many inks to Pen Posse and that's the origin story of the Box of (Free) Goodies at Pen Posse.

Interesting read, Jon. Thanks!

[michaeldoleman]

I pretty-much agree with all of the points made. I've found it interesting how quickly my own evolution has unfolded, after having introduced myself to the hobby less than six months ago. What happened for me is that I quickly amassed a sizable clutch of pens in a relatively short time-frame, and there suddenly seemed to be no particular rhyme or reason to the collection. A couple were just flat-out mistakes, while others where simply acquisitions that didn't work-out because I didn't yet really know much about what I liked nor what each brand had to offer.

Now that I have some better ideas about those things, I've shed all but a couple of my favorite pens, and intend to never own more than perhaps a dozen. What I know about myself is that the real joy is in actually using the pens, and continually coming back to one or two favorites that feel good to use on every level. The pens that I really enjoy are the ones that I'd call 'entry-level fine pens' -- pens in the $100 to $200 price range, generally. Those seem to offer just the right balance. They are expensive enough that I won't acquire them willy-nilly, yet not so much that I will ever feel bad about spending the money on something I really love.

I couldn't agree more about ink & paper being a very important part of the overall equation, too. I very quickly became totally unwilling to use anything but the best paper (which for me is Rhodia & Tamoe River). Really fine paper can make all the difference in the writing experience and they are most definitely not all created equal.

What I always want to remember about it all is the simple joy that I experienced the first time I wrote with my very humble Pilot Metropolitan. That's what started it all, for me. I was perfectly well-satisfied with that one pen, at the time, and I don't want to ever lose sight of the fact that a pen is a very simple device that need not be fancy to do its job well. Using that as my continual baseline, I think I can manage to keep my aspirations in check and my collection limited to a small, usable set of beloved pens. :-)

[Sailor Kenshin]

Whew!

And here I just bought two new gray inks, without even asking about them....

Thanks for posting this, JS.

[Eciton]

Thanks for the kind words, folks – the mammoth blog is mine :).

Rather than just writing pen reviews, I do periodically try to dig in to the psychology of the hobby, so if you scroll back through the blog (or look for the tag 'editorial' or 'experiences') you'll find some other analytical essays too.

Ant
UKfountainpens

[Sailor Kenshin]

Thanks for the kind words, folks – the mammoth blog is mine :).

Rather than just writing pen reviews, I do periodically try to dig in to the psychology of the hobby, so if you scroll back through the blog (or look for the tag 'editorial' or 'experiences') you'll find some other analytical essays too.

Ant
UKfountainpens

Which is why I emailed the page to myself! :D

[Eciton]

To save you all some time, you might like to check out these:

Destined to fail: https://ukfountainpens.com/2019/02/11/destined-to-fail/

Are we pen-compatible: https://ukfountainpens.com/2019/02/03/are-we-pen-compatible/

The nib QC post I mentioned in the list: https://ukfountainpens.com/2018/11/26/the-frustrating-pursuit-of-a-functioning-nib-is-it-too-much-to-ask/

My "origin story": https://ukfountainpens.com/2017/12/01/the-origin-story/

An attempt at a scoring methodology for pen reviews: https://ukfountainpens.com/2019/02/28/a-grand-new-methodology-scoring-my-pen-collection/

The emotional rollercoaster of a big purchase: https://ukfountainpens.com/2018/11/12/inside-the-maelstrom/

That should keep you busy at work today ;)

[Ted A]

My downfall is that the most fun for me is selecting a pen and ink and filling it. But my attention span doesn't last all that long and before I know it, I'm ready to do it all over again. Which can easily lead me to buy more ink and more pens so I have more fun selecting from my pens and inks.

I have managed, mostly, to stay off the limited ink bandwagon. Mostly

[pajaro]

Usually I lack the energy to select and fill the pen. Let alone write anything.

[sharmon202]

Thanks for the read, well done

[Kulprit]

Excellent!

I concur on each point but #4 is particularly apropos. Last year I bought a MB 149 and waited with nervous anticipation for its arrival. After fighting with customs it finally arrived at my office and I immediately inked it up. Within 30 seconds I decided I hated it.

My dislike for the nib so colored my opinion of the pen that I came to loathe that 149 and tried desperately to unload it on any unsuspecting coworker who wandered past my office. I could see no redeeming qualities in it. The nib wasn’t objectively bad, I just didn’t like it.

Eventually I was fortunate enough to find another member here who wanted the nib I had and had a nib I might want and we worked out a trade. Once received, the nib was sent off to Mark Bacas for a touch up and returned to me. I quickly discovered not only that my 149 wasn’t a bad pen, but that it was in fact quickly to become one of my favorite pens. All of those wonderful attributes that I was blind to because of my dislike for the original nib suddenly became glaringly apparent.




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