Snargle
January 24th, 2014, 12:54 PM
Just wanted to say hello and introduce myself. I'm Larry and I'm a fountain pen addict!
My initial interest in fountain pens began as a member of the Badger & Blade online traditional shaving forum. B&B has a pretty active pen sub-forum and I found the idea of writing with an older technology compatible with my interest in old-school razors and shaving brushes. I started out about two years ago with a couple of cheap, no-name Chinese pens (which are now buried somewhere deep in my junk drawer). Within a few months, I began hunting down bargain vintage pens on eBay and at the local antique malls and junk shops. Of course, the vintage pens usually required some repair work, so I taught myself some basic restoration skills (mostly just replacing sacs and general clean-up at this point).
Currently, my collection consists of about 65 pens, with about 80% of them being vintage. I do have some very nice modern pens which I also enjoy using, so I'm not strictly limited to the old timers! My oldest pen is a Paul Wirt BCHR eyedropper with a 1903 patent date.
If I have any special interests, it's probably with the Sheaffer sub-brands, of which I have 10 Wasp and Vacuum-Fil pens. I particularly enjoy their colorful, strongly-patterned celluloid bodies. All of my pens are for use...I don't collect just to keep them in the case and look at them. I keep five or six inked up at any one time, and rotate them fairly regularly.
I'm looking forward to the conversation and exchange of information here at FPGeeks!
My initial interest in fountain pens began as a member of the Badger & Blade online traditional shaving forum. B&B has a pretty active pen sub-forum and I found the idea of writing with an older technology compatible with my interest in old-school razors and shaving brushes. I started out about two years ago with a couple of cheap, no-name Chinese pens (which are now buried somewhere deep in my junk drawer). Within a few months, I began hunting down bargain vintage pens on eBay and at the local antique malls and junk shops. Of course, the vintage pens usually required some repair work, so I taught myself some basic restoration skills (mostly just replacing sacs and general clean-up at this point).
Currently, my collection consists of about 65 pens, with about 80% of them being vintage. I do have some very nice modern pens which I also enjoy using, so I'm not strictly limited to the old timers! My oldest pen is a Paul Wirt BCHR eyedropper with a 1903 patent date.
If I have any special interests, it's probably with the Sheaffer sub-brands, of which I have 10 Wasp and Vacuum-Fil pens. I particularly enjoy their colorful, strongly-patterned celluloid bodies. All of my pens are for use...I don't collect just to keep them in the case and look at them. I keep five or six inked up at any one time, and rotate them fairly regularly.
I'm looking forward to the conversation and exchange of information here at FPGeeks!