SlowMovingTarget
August 4th, 2020, 03:20 PM
In the beginning was the Bic Biro. I'd spend my allowance on it, because they didn't give them out as school supplies. My classmates were scratching away with their #2 Ticonderogas, but me? Black ink on my college-rule paper. In elementary school, that was just bizarre. Who would use permanent ink?!? I had a bag of 40 of those things... I used them everywhere.
In Junior High, I again was the oddball, turning in homework written on a mechanical typewriter, with the occasional White-out gracing the pages. Soon I was pecking away at a word processor and using desktop publishing software. In High School, I upgraded my bag full of cheap (one in every room!) Bic Biros to a single Parker Jotter, then two.
I'd heard of fountain pens, but weren't they messy?
My uncle discovered a new disposable "fountain" pen. The nib was plastic, and it had a nice thick all-white plastic barrel. I can't for the life of me recall the brand (Pentel, possibly). My uncle gave me one and I began cartooning and writing with it daily. It had what was essentially a stub italic nib that put a distinctive line on the page. It was great, but it ran out of ink. I didn't think too much about it.
Professional life saw me at a keyboard more often than not. But I was young, and had a little money in my pocket, and I still took notes at meetings... Why not. Google didn't exist back then, but the Levenger catalog did. A Waterman Expert was soon on its way.
It was amazing. Especially the blue ink, it felt and looked wonderful on the page. Maybe I should find another pen like this... but it has to take cartridges. How do you get the ink in those odd converter things? Too much mess! Ick!
A Cross ATX was added, but I dared not insert a cartridge in both at once, for surely they would dry up before I could exhaust them.
Fewer and fewer opportunities with paper and pen at work meant that keeping the ink flowing required handwriting at home. More and more time spent with hands on keyboard meant the pens did dry up. I gave away the Waterman as a gift. I got another with intention of inking it up at some point. The Cross ATX, monogrammed, sat ink free in its box. My fountain pen use had seemingly drawn to a close
Fifteen years or so passed.
I got married. I moved... I moved again. I remembered that fat white disposable fountain-pen-like thing, and I missed it. So I went looking. The Levenger catalog had lost me three addresses back. But Google and Amazon could get you most products if you looked hard enough.
My first box of Pilot V-Pens put me off ballpoints. My Parker Jotter went into a drawer. I had a fine Waterman ballpoint that I'd been given for a service award, that also went into a drawer. For 2 years I used these excellent Pilot disposables, and didn't think much more about it. When someone would admire the one I was using, I'd give them one. But I didn't really think of going any further. I mean this was the bee's knees, right! No mess at all, writes better than a ballpoint, what else did I need?
Then I moved again. While unpacking I had to handle that Waterman Expert, still in its box, and that monogrammed Cross ATX. I had a pack of ink cartridges... maybe.
"They'll dry up."
"No, I'll journal this time."
"No you won't."
"I will."
Alright, the Waterman first. I got the pen out, opened it up, found the cartridges... They were sludge, totally dried up. But there's this converter there. What do I do with that? Google... Brian Goulet's Fountain Pen 101... Play...
I ordered a blunt syringe and a 50ml bottle of Pilot Iroshizuku Asa-Gao. I had a five year old, and feared no mess. And it was so much better than the V-Pen. I was in. Twsbi Eco (F) next, and a 3 oz. bottle of Noodler's Ink Dark Matter.
Last month I graduated to my first gold nib, a Pilot Custom 74. Six bottles of Noodler's Ink, more Pilot inks, and a lone bottle of Diamine (Sherwood Green) share space with a few dozen sample vials on my counter top. This month, I've graduated to signing up to this forum.
Hi there!
~ SMT
In Junior High, I again was the oddball, turning in homework written on a mechanical typewriter, with the occasional White-out gracing the pages. Soon I was pecking away at a word processor and using desktop publishing software. In High School, I upgraded my bag full of cheap (one in every room!) Bic Biros to a single Parker Jotter, then two.
I'd heard of fountain pens, but weren't they messy?
My uncle discovered a new disposable "fountain" pen. The nib was plastic, and it had a nice thick all-white plastic barrel. I can't for the life of me recall the brand (Pentel, possibly). My uncle gave me one and I began cartooning and writing with it daily. It had what was essentially a stub italic nib that put a distinctive line on the page. It was great, but it ran out of ink. I didn't think too much about it.
Professional life saw me at a keyboard more often than not. But I was young, and had a little money in my pocket, and I still took notes at meetings... Why not. Google didn't exist back then, but the Levenger catalog did. A Waterman Expert was soon on its way.
It was amazing. Especially the blue ink, it felt and looked wonderful on the page. Maybe I should find another pen like this... but it has to take cartridges. How do you get the ink in those odd converter things? Too much mess! Ick!
A Cross ATX was added, but I dared not insert a cartridge in both at once, for surely they would dry up before I could exhaust them.
Fewer and fewer opportunities with paper and pen at work meant that keeping the ink flowing required handwriting at home. More and more time spent with hands on keyboard meant the pens did dry up. I gave away the Waterman as a gift. I got another with intention of inking it up at some point. The Cross ATX, monogrammed, sat ink free in its box. My fountain pen use had seemingly drawn to a close
Fifteen years or so passed.
I got married. I moved... I moved again. I remembered that fat white disposable fountain-pen-like thing, and I missed it. So I went looking. The Levenger catalog had lost me three addresses back. But Google and Amazon could get you most products if you looked hard enough.
My first box of Pilot V-Pens put me off ballpoints. My Parker Jotter went into a drawer. I had a fine Waterman ballpoint that I'd been given for a service award, that also went into a drawer. For 2 years I used these excellent Pilot disposables, and didn't think much more about it. When someone would admire the one I was using, I'd give them one. But I didn't really think of going any further. I mean this was the bee's knees, right! No mess at all, writes better than a ballpoint, what else did I need?
Then I moved again. While unpacking I had to handle that Waterman Expert, still in its box, and that monogrammed Cross ATX. I had a pack of ink cartridges... maybe.
"They'll dry up."
"No, I'll journal this time."
"No you won't."
"I will."
Alright, the Waterman first. I got the pen out, opened it up, found the cartridges... They were sludge, totally dried up. But there's this converter there. What do I do with that? Google... Brian Goulet's Fountain Pen 101... Play...
I ordered a blunt syringe and a 50ml bottle of Pilot Iroshizuku Asa-Gao. I had a five year old, and feared no mess. And it was so much better than the V-Pen. I was in. Twsbi Eco (F) next, and a 3 oz. bottle of Noodler's Ink Dark Matter.
Last month I graduated to my first gold nib, a Pilot Custom 74. Six bottles of Noodler's Ink, more Pilot inks, and a lone bottle of Diamine (Sherwood Green) share space with a few dozen sample vials on my counter top. This month, I've graduated to signing up to this forum.
Hi there!
~ SMT