Most used keepers

[Lloyd]

For those that have been amassing FPs for several years, what pen that you've had for over 1 year (and not had adjusted over the past year) do you use the most these days?
Also, same question but regarding ink.

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[silverlifter]

The one pen that has constantly been inked (of the 20 I own) since I bought it four years ago, and that gets used most days, is my Lamy 2K with a Bacas MCI grind. It is currently inked with Sei-boku.

The one ink that is always in one of my pens is KWZ IG Blue #3.

I also have three or four other pens that are permanently inked scattered around the house and garage, in much the same way that most people have biros lying around. These don't really count, right? :p

[rickap]

Mine is my Pelikan M1000, black, fine nib (writes like a wide medium).

The ink is Diamine Burgundy Royale.

[mizgeorge]

I have pens I've been using certainly weekly, if not daily, for over 50 years - a couple of old Pelikan 140s and a Parker 51. I also have a 149 that I've used constantly for over 30 years.

Inks are more difficult thanks to availability and changing taste, but I the MB is always inked with vintage MB Emerald (and I should have enough stored to see me out!). I suppose my other most used ink is probably Waterman Serenity Blue, as it's my go-to testing ink for new pens or repairs, with Pelikan 4001 Konigsblau running it a very close second.

[christof]

It's my black Parker "51" Special since years:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51162886819_84b17c36db_k.jpg

Ink is just as black, from Pelikan or Parker.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49918467878_60a5719d71_k.jpg

[adhoc]

Pilot Custom 823 FA nib inked with Pilot Iroshizuku Tsuki-Yo. In the 3 or so years that I've had it, possibly more, it's been uninked for a total of maybe 2 weeks. I put in Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-Budo once and Kon-Peki twice in it, rest of the time it's been Tsuki-Yo always. It would be the perfect pen for me, if it would be slightly larger in diameter at the grip section.

[Jon Szanto]

I have a lot that see pretty regular action, but if somehow use could be tracked, I bet it would be a pair of Sailor Pro Gears. One is a Realo model that was for the Nibs.com 20th anniversary and Mottishaw customized the medium nib; this always has Namiki Blue in it. The other is a standard model with Rhodium trim/nib in fine that I actually purchased from someone on FPG, and is always filled with Sailor Kiwa-guro.

They life in a Nock Hightower 3-pen case, the wildcard slot always switches up, but the reason I single out these two is that both inks are waterproof, and I use them constantly for postcards and addressing. The Fine is perfect for postcards as I can write small but clearly with the black ink, and the other is great for addresses as well as a very comfortable pen to compose letters. They never dry out, they get re-inked with the exact same stuff and flushed maybe once a year. Really reliable, always perform well. Nothing over-the-top but I love those two pens.

[Jon Szanto]

..what pen that you've had for over 1 year (and not had adjusted over the past year) do you use the most these days? Also, same question but regarding ink.

And you?

[Chrissy]

I tend to swap and change pens and inks regularly but out of those I currently have inked I regularly use a Sheaffer Legacy mk1 with L'Artisan Pastellier Equinoxe 6 ink and a Mb silver Solitaire with Mb Meisterstück Blue Diamond ink because the former has a stub nib and the latter has a broad oblique nib that I love writing with.

[Lloyd]

..what pen that you've had for over 1 year (and not had adjusted over the past year) do you use the most these days? Also, same question but regarding ink.

And you?
Despite having several pens that sell for over 10x more, my matte black ebonite Ranga #5 that's customized to be roughly MB149 size in length and girth. It has a great steel Bock EF nib and always holds Noodlers Bulletproof Black ink (filled via eyedropper). Ergonomically, it's perfection for me.

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[Malcolm]

I have two permanently inked pens.

Nakaya. Inked since I got it just over five years ago.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50529782407_897dd2695f_b.jpg

Kaweco.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50536076056_931e57cecf_b.jpg

My most used ink is Noodlers Heart of Darkness.

[eachan]

https://images20.fotki.com/v1666/photos/2/3815032/14358355/IMGP1713-vi.gif (https://private.fotki.com/sempilch/private/imgp1713.html)

I have many great writers but the one that is always in use is my Swan Levereless 1060

https://images46.fotki.com/v1645/photos/2/3815032/14358355/IMGP1715-vi.gif (https://private.fotki.com/sempilch/private/imgp1715.html)

The nib has lots of flex (which I rarely invoke) and is a fine/medium without pressure.

https://images20.fotki.com/v1672/photos/2/3815032/14358355/IMGP1716-vi.gif (https://private.fotki.com/sempilch/private/imgp1716.html)

The pen was made during World War II and that was the only time this barrel imprint was used.

[jar]

My Aurora 888P with Platinum cartridges.

[FredRydr]

For over a year, this Sheaffer Sentinel DeLuxe VacFill has been filled and ready to write on my desk.

62778

[penwash]

Good thread, Lloyd. It's fun to see everyone's "real" favorites :)

For me, most of the time I'm testing the pens that I restore, which change regularly.
So not counting those, I find myself always coming back to my Montblanc 344G

https://live.staticflickr.com/881/26530311167_a12636f84f_z.jpg

[Sailor Kenshin]

Hard to pick, but my Platinum 3776 M in Bourgogne hasn't been de-inked since I got it many years ago. And I hated it with the black Platinum cart. I just fill it with a few differing shades of red that more or less match the barrel, and call it Century Red.

[BayesianPrior]

Not quite a year, because both were acquired in the first quarter, but both have been inked constantly and I love them above all others:

Cleo Skribent Classic Piston (steel fine) with Visconti Blue
Ranga 3C (titanium fine) with Stipula Verde Muschiato

[fountainpenkid]

For over a year, this Sheaffer Sentinel DeLuxe VacFill has been filled and ready to write on my desk.

62778

I was given that exact model and color of Triumph at my very first pen show in LI in 2011: I was a highschool freshman, and the vendor (I think it was John Danza) saw me inspecting it admiringly, and probably with the hope of nurturing a young person's interest in the hobby, said, "take it." I was a bit surprised, but I took him up on it and had it restored by Ron Zorn, whose booth was down the aisle at the show. It really opened my mind to fountain pens as objects of practical design and engineering, and took me down the rabbit hole of celluloid. I'm very grateful for that, even if I didn't end up loving the pen as a user.
To answer Lloyd's question, I've only had one pen in my arsenal for more than a year at this point (though all but one of my current pens I intend to keep indefinitely): my OMAS Extra vest pocket, which I especially love to write lyrics with. It's a very wet, expressive and flexible nib, but usually feels the most 'at the ready' on a daily basis, apart from my "51". Similar to the green striated Triumph, it was a transition point in my pen journey: my first collector-grade vintage Italian pen, the one that has inspired me to (somewhat) focus on them. When I bought it my sophomore fall of college, it was the most I'd ever spent on a pen. I subsequently bought a 1950's 557/f and grey-pearl 556/f, a modern 556/f, and of course the Lucens and Extra lucens I have now. I've bought and sold many pens in the 4 years since I got my Extra vest pocket...but I have never had the heart or desire to sell it.

[Radonactionservices]

I have a number of favorites, but I keep going back to my yellow Bexley Poseidon Magnum II with a piston filler and a gold F-C needlepoint. This is still my favorite pen to write with overall. I just wish it had an ink window. But other than that it is true pen peace for me. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210820/b942f7865d0f1032f0976982366d51fc.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210820/e67f4f6ec42450a1327f42560a62a11b.jpg


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[Radonactionservices]

For over a year, this Sheaffer Sentinel DeLuxe VacFill has been filled and ready to write on my desk.

62778

I was given that exact model and color of Triumph at my very first pen show in LI in 2011: I was a highschool freshman, and the vendor (I think it was John Danza) saw me inspecting it admiringly, and probably with the hope of nurturing a young person's interest in the hobby, said, "take it." I was a bit surprised, but I took him up on it and had it restored by Ron Zorn, whose booth was down the aisle at the show. It really opened my mind to fountain pens as objects of practical design and engineering, and took me down the rabbit hole of celluloid. I'm very grateful for that, even if I didn't end up loving the pen as a user.
To answer Lloyd's question, I've only had one pen in my arsenal for more than a year at this point (though all but one of my current pens I intend to keep indefinitely): my OMAS Extra vest pocket, which I especially love to write lyrics with. It's a very wet, expressive and flexible nib, but usually feels the most 'at the ready' on a daily basis, apart from my "51". Similar to the green striated Triumph, it was a transition point in my pen journey: my first collector-grade vintage Italian pen, the one that has inspired me to (somewhat) focus on them. When I bought it my sophomore fall of college, it was the most I'd ever spent on a pen. I subsequently bought a 1950's 557/f and grey-pearl 556/f, a modern 556/f, and of course the Lucens and Extra lucens I have now. I've bought and sold many pens in the 4 years since I got my Extra vest pocket...but I have never had the heart or desire to sell it.

Is the “Vest Pocket” like a 555 or Dama? Or is it a wider diameter pen?


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[fqgouvea]

I rotate my pens a lot, but lately these six have insisted on being used:

62779

From left to right: an Aurora Magellano with an Aurora Black cartridge, a Montblanc Noblesse that used to belong to my father, with Montblanc Shakespeare, an Aurora Optima, a Pelikan M800 Stresemann with Omas Green, a vintage Aurora with Waterman Blue, and a Montegrappa Elmo with Salix.

Two of the Auroras and the Pelikan were bought right here on FPG. The Magellano was an eBay purchase; its firm fine nib has become a favorite with my wife so it's always ready to serve. The Elmo came from the Nibsmith, and sees use mostly because of his cursive italic nib. The Pelikan has the most boring nib of the bunch, alas, but I like the size and appearance.

All but the vintage Aurora have been around for quite a while. The vintage Aurora was bought more recently and has not been put to rest yet.

[Sandy]

Cross Century II - used for 20+ years.

Parker Sonnet (SE 2018) Everyday carry - used with Parker Quink cartridges. They last a while and I keep a spare in my wallet. The 2018 + Sonnets seem to not suffer drying out as previous incarnations.

MB146 & MB William Shakespeare - used for long, novel drafting sessions. They have different inks - MB Leo Tolstoy & MB Royal Blue are favourites.

Lamy 2K with Diamine Velvet Blue - a nicely decadent colour which works well for correspondence - particularly when elaborating in detail about those kind of parties

Cross Townsend - Diamine Marine or Blackbird Kingfisher blue - a pen that just writes with no fuss. It's taken any ink I can throw at it.

Cross Peerless & Diplomat Excellence A - Pelikan blue black or Brilliant black - general note taking.

Parker 51's - general use for notetaking, shopping lists whatever.

I've surprised myself by listing Cross pens so much. They're reliability as writers seems to trump the most exciting nibs in my collection. I guess when I want to put something down on paper - I want to put it down and not fiddle about with a dried up feed or worrying about springing the nib.

I've probably got some pens I need to sell.

Lamy Aion with Diplomat Royal Blue - lives in my desk at work. Nice general writier - the adonised grip makes it slip free and its size means no-one is going to walk off with it easily.

[Jaguarish]

Pilot custom 74 with SFM (soft fine medium) nib. I don't love the basic black body, but the nib is totally perfect for me.

Also weirdly the Noodler's Konrad, which I struggled with for a year when I first got it. One day it just clicked with me. I don't make it flex and just enjoy it as a semi crisp stub nib.

Inks I keep coming back to: Herbin Stormy Grey, Poussiere de Lune, Monteverde Rose Noir, Taccia Clear Navy Jeans

[rkesey]

Good question!

I need to slim down the collection, but of the ones at the top (not counting two new ones) are:

5. Omas Colombo II, with a Bacas-tuned M
4. Visconti Van Gogh, 1.5mm stub
3. Sailor 1911L maki-e, with a Bacas-tuned music nib
2. Italix Parson's Essential, 1.1mm stub

And the one that I use more than any other...

Opus 88 Demonstrator, Jowo F

Inkwise, I'm constantly switching stuff in and out, but I'd say:
- Waterman Serenity Blue (for testing, mostly)
- Iroshizuku Kon-Peki
- Rohrer & Klingner Alt-Goldgrün
- Diamine Oxblood

62809

[Lloyd]

Good question!

I need to slim down the collection, but of the ones at the top (not counting two new ones) are:

5. Omas Colombo II, with a Bacas-tuned M
4. Visconti Van Gogh, 1.5mm stub
3. Sailor 1911L maki-e, with a Bacas-tuned music nib
2. Italix Parson's Essential, 1.1mm stub

And the one that I use more than any other...

Opus 88 Demonstrator, Jowo F

Inkwise, I'm constantly switching stuff in and out, but I'd say:
- Waterman Serenity Blue (for testing, mostly)
- Iroshizuku Kon-Peki
- Rohrer & Klingner Alt-Goldgrün
- Diamine Oxblood

62809
I recently got that same Opus88 with an XF nib and think it's fantastic.

I other permanently used pen, Newton custom pen that I got back when Shawn had no wait time.i was his one and only needlepoint grind and it's amazing. It's an eyedropper filler. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210821/e2d2712dbf2090e20896f85174c40ce0.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210821/af5c54cbc524779ff65b1e18c587d694.jpgI carry it in my pocket virtual every day. Two quick shots that make the drop blue look black.

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[fountainpenkid]

For over a year, this Sheaffer Sentinel DeLuxe VacFill has been filled and ready to write on my desk.



I was given that exact model and color of Triumph at my very first pen show in LI in 2011: I was a highschool freshman, and the vendor (I think it was John Danza) saw me inspecting it admiringly, and probably with the hope of nurturing a young person's interest in the hobby, said, "take it." I was a bit surprised, but I took him up on it and had it restored by Ron Zorn, whose booth was down the aisle at the show. It really opened my mind to fountain pens as objects of practical design and engineering, and took me down the rabbit hole of celluloid. I'm very grateful for that, even if I didn't end up loving the pen as a user.
To answer Lloyd's question, I've only had one pen in my arsenal for more than a year at this point (though all but one of my current pens I intend to keep indefinitely): my OMAS Extra vest pocket, which I especially love to write lyrics with. It's a very wet, expressive and flexible nib, but usually feels the most 'at the ready' on a daily basis, apart from my "51". Similar to the green striated Triumph, it was a transition point in my pen journey: my first collector-grade vintage Italian pen, the one that has inspired me to (somewhat) focus on them. When I bought it my sophomore fall of college, it was the most I'd ever spent on a pen. I subsequently bought a 1950's 557/f and grey-pearl 556/f, a modern 556/f, and of course the Lucens and Extra lucens I have now. I've bought and sold many pens in the 4 years since I got my Extra vest pocket...but I have never had the heart or desire to sell it.

Is the “Vest Pocket” like a 555 or Dama? Or is it a wider diameter pen?


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I believe the 555/f and 555/s and (later but equally-sized) Dama are similar in diameter and/or* slightly slimmer but longer-barreled, with less chunky proportions. See picture below--pen no. 77 is a 555/s, no. 73 is (possibly later?) 555/f, and of course no. 71 is an adorable Extra Lucens vest pocket:
https://gopens.com/images/Catalog44/wc44g.jpg

*when I first looked at this picture, I assumed pen 75 to be the 555, as it was equally long and slim to the 555 in slot 73...apparently 555/s models were thicker than 556/s models, at least sometimes? I would greatly appreciate clarification from a more experienced OMAS collector.

[FredRydr]

For over a year, this Sheaffer Sentinel DeLuxe VacFill has been filled and ready to write on my desk.
62778
I was given that exact model and color of Triumph...
Is the “Vest Pocket” like a 555 or Dama? Or is it a wider diameter pen?
The Sentinel DeLuxe and the celluloid-capped Valiant have virtually the same dimensions, and were Sheaffer's largest pens from the 1942-48 era of "Triumph-style" Vac-Fill fountain pens. Capped, this one is 12.8mm diameter at the cap band and 130mm long.

[ChrisJ]

I have too many pens of many flavours and cant do them all justice

But the one pen always inked and in use is a Pilot Custom Heritage 92 with a Fine Medium nib, normally inked with L’artisan Pastellier Baikal


It was probably one of the first pens I bought and is stayed in use ever since


I have other pens i prefer or rate as better but there is something special about this one which always draws me back - a lovely smooth nib which always starts well

[FredRydr]

I neglected to mention the almost 50-years-old MB 149 EF that's always filled with MB blue-black and ready to write, but how boring can you get? (It's a marvelous, reliable and satisfying thing, that pen!)

[guyy]

I neglected to mention the almost 50-years-old MB 149 EF that's always filled with MB blue-black and ready to write, but how boring can you get? (It's a marvelous, reliable and satisfying thing, that pen!)

I have a 1970s 149 EF and that is indeed a great pen. I don’t think mine is my most inked pen, but it does see a lot of use. This despite my being totally not an EF kind of guy.

[guyy]

I have too many pens of many flavours and cant do them all justice

But the one pen always inked and in use is a Pilot Custom Heritage 92 with a Fine Medium nib, normally inked with L’artisan Pastellier Baikal.

I like your ink choice

[Empty_of_Clouds]

I don't have a large number of pens, relative to many members here - something in the region of 30. Roughly half of these are vintage and the rest are modern (production and custom made). I've noticed, since reading this thread, that none of my vintage pens are inked up, so wonder if this is telling me something, though not sure what. Go figure.

A Pilot 823, L2K and Pilot Decimo have all been inked since their arrival. Other modern pens move into and out of rotation.

[TSherbs]

I returned to fountain pen use in 2012 after a 20-yr hiatus (and I only owned one Sheaffer school pen then). Truly, I have only had one pen inked up continuously for the last 9 years: Platinum Preppy, with one form of Noodler's permanent black or another. All other pens and inks come and go.

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[Detman101]

For those that have been amassing FPs for several years, what pen that you've had for over 1 year (and not had adjusted over the past year) do you use the most these days?
Also, same question but regarding ink.

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

My constant companion...My Opus-88 Demo with SODF nib.

And for ink...I'm a green kinda guy. My favorite being "Yoseka - Origin .01"
However, I've been hooked on "Sailor - Manyo Nadeshiko" for weeks straight now!
I never thought I'd find a blue that I absolutely loved...yet here I stand, blue ink in-hand.

62874

[guyy]

It’s difficult to say what my most oft inked pen is now that Covid has changed the way i work. In the old days, my Lamys were my most inked pens. They were the Al-Stars and 2000 B that i used at work. They were also the pens that i took with me when i wrote in cafés and libraries.

Now that my pens are more for personal use, the occasional letter or card or scribbling at the kitchen table, the pens i use are harder to replace and/or more delicate. I have had my 149 Calligraphy continuously inked since it came to me, but i haven’t had it for a year yet. By this time next year, it may very well be my most used keeper. Over the past 5 years, i’d say my most often inked pen is a Pelikan 400nn tortoise with a script BB nib. The 400nn is a great form factor — not too big, not too small, but light — and since it holds about 2mL, it stays inked for long stretches.

https://i.imgur.com/s1FzSz0.jpg

[An old bloke]

For those that have been amassing FPs for several years, what pen that you've had for over 1 year (and not had adjusted over the past year) do you use the most these days?
Also, same question but regarding ink.

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

My constant companion...My Opus-88 Demo with SODF nib.

And for ink...I'm a green kinda guy. My favorite being "Yoseka - Origin .01"
However, I've been hooked on "Sailor - Manyo Nadeshiko" for weeks straight now!
I never thought I'd find a blue that I absolutely loved...yet here I stand, blue ink in-hand.

62874

The quote of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Is an excellent choice. I find myself wondering each time I see him quoted how different our world would be if he had not been assassinated 53 years ago.

[BlkWhiteFilmPix]

A Montblanc 145, broad nib, using Éclat de Saphir ink (https://www.bobsoltys.net/musings/2021/8/24/paris-notebook).

A MB 146 90th Anniversary of Meisterstück edition bought used on this forum, Broad nib, filled with MB Lucky Orange ink, in tribute to my late dog Lucky the Jack Russell Terrier (https://www.bobsoltys.net/musings/2020/9/30/remembering-lucky-93ge7).

[Detman101]

For those that have been amassing FPs for several years, what pen that you've had for over 1 year (and not had adjusted over the past year) do you use the most these days?
Also, same question but regarding ink.

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

My constant companion...My Opus-88 Demo with SODF nib.

And for ink...I'm a green kinda guy. My favorite being "Yoseka - Origin .01"
However, I've been hooked on "Sailor - Manyo Nadeshiko" for weeks straight now!
I never thought I'd find a blue that I absolutely loved...yet here I stand, blue ink in-hand.

62874

The quote of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Is an excellent choice. I find myself wondering each time I see him quoted how different our world would be if he had not been assassinated 53 years ago.

Yeah, that evil little cross-dressing demon Hoover had all the important people of that time assassinated...
One rotten person single-handedly made this country...and the world...a much worse place.

[Radonactionservices]

For over a year, this Sheaffer Sentinel DeLuxe VacFill has been filled and ready to write on my desk.

62778

I was given that exact model and color of Triumph at my very first pen show in LI in 2011: I was a highschool freshman, and the vendor (I think it was John Danza) saw me inspecting it admiringly, and probably with the hope of nurturing a young person's interest in the hobby, said, "take it." I was a bit surprised, but I took him up on it and had it restored by Ron Zorn, whose booth was down the aisle at the show. It really opened my mind to fountain pens as objects of practical design and engineering, and took me down the rabbit hole of celluloid. I'm very grateful for that, even if I didn't end up loving the pen as a user.
To answer Lloyd's question, I've only had one pen in my arsenal for more than a year at this point (though all but one of my current pens I intend to keep indefinitely): my OMAS Extra vest pocket, which I especially love to write lyrics with. It's a very wet, expressive and flexible nib, but usually feels the most 'at the ready' on a daily basis, apart from my "51". Similar to the green striated Triumph, it was a transition point in my pen journey: my first collector-grade vintage Italian pen, the one that has inspired me to (somewhat) focus on them. When I bought it my sophomore fall of college, it was the most I'd ever spent on a pen. I subsequently bought a 1950's 557/f and grey-pearl 556/f, a modern 556/f, and of course the Lucens and Extra lucens I have now. I've bought and sold many pens in the 4 years since I got my Extra vest pocket...but I have never had the heart or desire to sell it.

I decided to pull out and fill up this Sheaffer. I don’t know what model it is, whether a Sentinel or something else, but it has the conical nib and doesn’t have a Snorkel but rather a rod type vacuum filler.

It is strange because instead of having a dot on the cap, it’s on the end knob.

The pen is marked W. A. Sheaffer Pen Co. and has the number 1500 underneath it.

It fills easily and holds a bunch of ink. Right now it is filled with Diamine Imperial Blue.

Any ideas on which Sheaffer this is and when it might have been made?

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210827/5c1b0e4bb4cee41b84f9b8c159fae382.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210827/a053aea51bbf0588ed5c1f1ded157f06.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210827/f831a37477992fdcacb8df8fa1efed6c.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210827/bfcd3f04bf6f62295f119fe26c1f77ac.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210827/dbb85c027b6e9934554ec8d3b168a588.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210827/5f969be0dee6dfdb4b6a9cb070dd18c9.jpg

The nib is incredible, by the way, although does not flex at all.

Thanks!


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[FredRydr]

You have a Sentinel. See: http://dirck.delint.ca/beta/?page_id=2998

[Radonactionservices]

You have a Sentinel. See: http://dirck.delint.ca/beta/?page_id=2998

Thanks! Was your version an earlier one? Also, was this the largest of the Sentinel pens? It is bigger than a Snorkel.


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[Ron Z]

Pens see rapid changes, but a couple of nibs stand out, and have been reincarnated so to speak. I've been using them for about a year now.

I have a couple of Esterbrook nibs, 9461 to be precise, that write like no other nibs, no matter how expensive. Nothing comes even close. But the I have occasional problems with carpal tunnel, and the Esterbrook pens feel a bit small. I had a couple of broken Pelikan 600 pens with snapped off sections, so I repaired them, found a couple of caps, then gold plated the Esterbrook nibs and made collars to mount them (Esterbrook feeds) in the Pelikans. Fankenpen? I guess so. Comfortable pens that I enjoy using? Yes.

Ink? Always Pelikan 4001 Royal Blue.

https://www.mainstreetpens.com/pix/Pesterbrook.jpg
https://www.mainstreetpens.com/pix/pelikan-nib-ring.jpg

[Lloyd]

That's awesome, Ron, but that's a 9550 (my favorite Estie nib). How much was replating?

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[blopplop]

I really love these kind of threads, and also seeing what others are using.

These are the pens that are my daily writers. 3 Conid's with different colors, because I like variety. And a Pilot 823 which is my EDC.

I have other pens too, but none that I use like these. These have been my mainstay for at least 3 years.


62932

[Ron Z]

How much was replating?


I do it myself. I found a plating solution that is designed to go directly on top of stainless and chrome in one step - and it sticks very well. No signs of wear on the nibs and trim I've used it on. It gives me a real life use test. The few clients nibs that I've used it on have worked well.

That was the first nib I did it to and the picture that I had at hand. Then I did the 9461 shortly after, which then went into the red Pelikan. That 9550 is in another Pelikan.

[penwash]

How much was replating?


I do it myself. I found a plating solution that is designed to go directly on top of stainless and chrome in one step - and it sticks very well. No signs of war on the nibs and trim I've used it on. It gives me a real life use test. The few clients nibs that I've used it on have worked well.

That was the first nib I did it to and the picture that I had at hand. Then I did the 9461 shortly after, which then went into the red Pelikan. That 9550 is in another Pelikan.

I assume you also plate the tip of the tines. Does the plating wear off with ink/paper contact after a period of time?

It does make the nib looks nicer. Learned something new today, glad you share it with us.

[Ron Z]

I assume you also plate the tip of the tines. Does the plating wear off with ink/paper contact after a period of time?

It does make the nib looks nicer. Learned something new today, glad you share it with us.

I plate them before I put them in the mount, so do the entire underside, and then the top. Yes, I do the tip, but I've also done a little tweaking after everything is assembled. I would assume that the paper being abrasive would wear the plating off of the tip like it does any other gold plated nib. The plating is not heavy, but it seems to be holding up well - at least as well as Pelikan plating does, and better than other gold plating solutions I've used.

[Chrissy]

Is it brush on electro plating like I've seen used in the Repair Shop? I've wanted to try that ever since I first saw it done. :)

[Kaputnik]

Probably my most consistently used pens are a Pilot Custom Heritage 91 and a Custom Heritage 92. Basically indistinguishable, apart from looks, when you're writing with them, but the 91 uses a CON-70 converter, while the 92 has a built in piston filler. Both have FM nibs, and I'm not really sure which I use more often. Right now it's the 91.

For inks, my workhorse for some time has been ordinary Namiki (Pilot) blue. It may have gotten itself shouldered aside by De Atramentis Bllue Document Ink over the past year, a somewhat richer color.

I almost always have some other pen or pens inked, and I use other inks, of course. But the Custom Heritage pens and those two inks are my favorites.

[comixfan]

The following pens have been permanently inked and in use since I acquired them over the last several years:

Lamy 2k, CI EF nib (w/ Lamy black ink-- I love how the Lamy bottles come with the paper to wipe the section off). My EDC pen. Oddly enough, it wasn't my favorite until I let someone use it at work and they nearly destroyed the tines. Took me an afternoon of repair and now it writes better than it ever did before (though it resembles an EF cursive italic now).

Sailor Pro Gear Lighthouse, M nib (usually with Waterman Mysterious Blue or Pelikan blue-black ink). Own a handful of Sailors, all write nicely, but this is the best stock nib I have ever used and I always smile when I write with it. Perfect amount of feedback-- like writing with the smoothest pencil.

Pilot 823 Amber, Masuyama needlepoint (w/ Iroshizuku "Horsetail Brown" Tsukushi ink). The perfect journaling pen. Small script and carries a TON of ink-- writes forever.

TWSBI Eco Black, 1.1 stub (w/ Robert Oster's "Lake of Fire"). Such a simple pen, but I love using it. Piston filler holds a lot of ink. This is my primary greeting card/signature pen.

Herbert Pen Co. 2017 LE, 18k Jowo BLS (w/ Diamine Ancient Copper). My other greeting card / signature pen. Was going to gift this pen years ago, but it wasn't "sparkly" enough, so I wound up keeping it. Glad I did, because the material (celluloid?) is so warm and the design so understatedly beautiful that I find myself looking for excuses to use it.

I will say, too, that I keep several vintage pens in rotation (usually Sheaffers and Parker 51s), and nearly all of them are inked with Waterman Mysterious Blue. It's just a nearly perfect ink, IMHO, and I trust it in my older pens.

[ethernautrix]

The only pen currently inked that qualifies is the Moonman C2 with a Pilot PO nib (that has seen consistent use since August 2015).

The Nakaya Piccolo Cigar (EF) has been inked and in use consistently since its arrival last December, so not yet a full year.

The ink - surprise, surprise -- is Noodler's Black. Except... lately I've been using Platinum Carbon Black in the Nakaya.

I've mostly rotated in and out Pilots - Falcon (SEF), CH91 (F), and CH92 (EF). The F nib came with the 92, and the EF with the 91, but I switched them, so the 92 (EF) has been inked since the EF's arrival a few months ago, currently with Pilot Blue ink. The red Falcon body is a beater cos it'd been inked for a few years before I transferred its SEF nib to a Danitrio, so the SEF nib in it today is from a more recent Falcon (black body) purchase from...I don't remember, cos I hardly used the pen, as it was a back-up. But I wanted to use the SEF nib, so I put it in the beater red body, currently inked with Sailor Shikiori Sakura-mori.

So there's been a bit of swapping in and out within the rotation thing. But consistent has been that Pilot PO nib and a Nakaya Piccolo Cigar. (Still unable to merge the two and sell of the rest of my pens forever!)

(Kidding. Even if I were able to use the Pilot PO in a Nakaya Piccolo, I'd probably want to use the Pilot EF and F and SEF in the other PIccolos, so... it would never be just ONE. Probably.)

[catbert]

Mine would be an early 70s sterling silver ciselé Parker 75. Almost always in rotation, almost always inked with Parker Quink black.

A while back I swapped the original 14K XF for a French 18K fine italic and replaced the section, trim ring and converter, so in some ways it’s not the pen I used before.

[grainweevil]

Mine would be an early 70s sterling silver ciselé Parker 75. Almost always in rotation, almost always inked with Parker Quink black.

A while back I swapped the original 14K XF for a French 18K fine italic and replaced the section, trim ring and converter, so in some ways it’s not the pen I used before.

Getting on to be Trigger's Broom. :D

My answer is deathly boring, but it's a Platinum Carbon Desk Pen (medium nib) with Carbon Black. Once a week I write a postcard to a li'l ol' widda woman and it's just the practical solution to the problem. Throw in the other odd demands for something absolutely waterproof (new entries into my recipe book, for instance) and it simply sees a lot of continuous use.

More of a choice of style over workaday consideration would be the Pilot CH 912 with FA nib and Pilot Blue. It has probably slipped (or been pushed) out of rotation within the designated year but always makes its way back in quite quickly, which is no mean feat given the wealth of competition. No idea what may have happened to it in its pre-loved life, but it doesn't seem to suffer any of the railroading and wotnot so often spoken of. And apparently it absolutely loves to drink Pilot Blue.

You know, it's funny, because they're both Japanese, and yet if you looked at my accumulation you'd assume my answer would be a Pelikan. Huh.

[dneal]

Great topic/thread.

I'm kind of surprised, but it's an 80's, gray-window, split-ebonite feed, W Germany Montblanc 146. It's always inked up with MB Royal Blue and is indeed used the most.

It came with a 14k monotone nib, but the tipping was all but gone. I had a bi-tone nib I put in it instead, but the bouncy feel and slight variation of the original nib was a better experience. I had Greg Minuskin retip the original nib a few years ago, and it has been the daily-driver ever since.

A not-a-big-fan of MB, who now uses one everyday. Who woulda thunk it?

[ethernautrix]

A not-a-big-fan of MB, who now uses one everyday. Who woulda thunk it?

I'm a big fan of the surprise. (The pleasant or benign surprise, I should specify.)

Here's my pen peace (I'm giggling a little, not out loud):63273

Seriously, this is what I've wanted for a few years now: my favorite Nakaya Piccolo Cigar with a Pilot PO nib (the pleasant surprise is that the #15 nib and feed fit!). Cue: Cartoon dog who jumps to catch a tasty treat and then floats supine, gently swinging, back to earth. That's me every time I write with this pen, which is often.





Aaaand, I'm not in the Pen Peace thread. Hahaha. All these open windows -- gets confusing in here.