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View Full Version : Your most embarassing pen moment?



jfsisler
June 10th, 2012, 08:12 PM
I know this sounds like a wierd question, but what's your most embarassing pen moment? I just need to know I'm not alone:D

I was recently at my favorite stationery shop and once I finally got the girl behind the counter talking about pens, I pulled out my Esterbrook. Admittedly, I hadn't used it in a while but when I pulled the cap off to show her the nib, it puked J. Herbin Lierre Sauvage all over the counter. Not sure what happened there, but I was so embarassed.:faint:

At least I bought a Tombow Object roller ball for my husband to make up for the mess.:rockon:

fountainpenkid
June 10th, 2012, 08:32 PM
It used to be when people would ask me about my pens. I don't know why, but I would always get red in the face. Going to a pen show changed all that :)

Now, I try to stay off the topic of price when taliking to friends about pens--they would be aghast to think I pay more than $20 for them....I was once asked how much my m400 cost....I said $40, and the kid was still very suprised. I guess people think you are crazy if you spend $100 or more on a pen. Especially High Schoolers for that matter. But I do love their interest in them--I taught one of my friends how to dissasemble and repair a parker duofold. My WORST pen moment would be losing my Grandpa's early 14k nib Sonnet in the locker room :( I looked every day for many weeks after....never found it. He never uses his pens, so he forgot about the whole thing...but he is a very nice person anyway, so I would not expect wrath if I told him.

Will

KrazyIvan
June 10th, 2012, 09:01 PM
Speaking of burping Esterbrooks. I bought a blue Esterbrook J from an FPN member and when it arrived (at the office) I hurriedly opened the package. I unscrewed the cap and it burped black ink right on my brand new khakis. A very strategic point on my khakis. I wore my shirt un-tucked the rest of the day. Who on earth ships inked fountain pens? Especially an FPN member. Someone that should have known better. I never did get that ink stain out. :rant:

melissa59
June 10th, 2012, 10:40 PM
Having had a fountain pen for less than six weeks and already had an embarrassing moment. I hope I don't have anymore.

1) I was signing a form and my Noodler's Konrad refused to write. I got it started by running it in circles on a scrap of paper in my purse, then went back to sign the form. It left a REALLY wet signature that the gal smeared when she snatched my freshly signed form off the counter. And she ended up with Noodler's BP Black ink all over her thumb. That's when I realized my Konrad would not work well as an everyday pen.

writingrav
June 11th, 2012, 04:59 AM
There can be a big difference between the pens we love and have fun with and a daily writer. I find that my Kaweco Sport filled with a relatively dry black ink works almost as seamlessly in everyday situations as a ballpoint would. Easy to carry in my pocket.

goldiesdad
June 11th, 2012, 06:55 AM
Mine still is walking around with ink stains on my fingers ....

inky
June 11th, 2012, 07:30 AM
I'd have to say that Price is usually what causes embarresment for me. It might just be my reaction when someone grabs a pen off my desk and trys to pull the cap off instead of unscrewing it. I'm fine if they try that on my Kaweco but it's when they start doing it with my Edison's or Esterbrooks that I cringe. As a result I put out a few ballpoints that seem to get grabbed up more then the fountain pens. Strange thing is that until I started using fountain pens a year or so ago, NO ONE ever borrowed a pen from me!

etoyoc
June 11th, 2012, 08:21 AM
a few years ago... I was busy, we were in the middle of a review session, and several students had questions. I had a call from the office. I jotted down a note and shoved an uncapped Hero 616 in my white shirt pocket, nib down. Several students looked at me and got weird looks on their faces and one started to get panicky. Finally, I felt that my shirt was wet and looked down. I had Noodlers nikita saturating a good part of my white shirt and to the 7th graders it looked like blood. So I spent the day with a lab coat on over my undershirt.

writingrav
June 11th, 2012, 09:35 AM
Last year on an airplane. Was happily writing away with a Twsbi 540, airplane proof, when I decided for no good reason to take my Ahab out of the case. Took the cap off and was covered with ink. The flight crew was extremely helpful and no one else was hit. Thankfully.

rapid_butterfly
June 11th, 2012, 01:04 PM
When a pilot 78 G puked Cape Cod Cranberry all over an airplane tray table....I spent the rest of the flight covering it up and felt like a guilty schoolgirl....but the flight attendants were very nice when I told them about it after we'd landed and everyone had de-planed. I do hope it came off okay....that stuff is tenacious.

fountainpenkid
June 11th, 2012, 02:40 PM
a few years ago... I was busy, we were in the middle of a review session, and several students had questions. I had a call from the office. I jotted down a note and shoved an uncapped Hero 616 in my white shirt pocket, nib down. Several students looked at me and got weird looks on their faces and one started to get panicky. Finally, I felt that my shirt was wet and looked down. I had Noodlers nikita saturating a good part of my white shirt and to the 7th graders it looked like blood. So I spent the day with a lab coat on over my undershirt.
good one!

jfsisler
June 12th, 2012, 07:41 AM
a few years ago... I was busy, we were in the middle of a review session, and several students had questions. I had a call from the office. I jotted down a note and shoved an uncapped Hero 616 in my white shirt pocket, nib down. Several students looked at me and got weird looks on their faces and one started to get panicky. Finally, I felt that my shirt was wet and looked down. I had Noodlers nikita saturating a good part of my white shirt and to the 7th graders it looked like blood. So I spent the day with a lab coat on over my undershirt.

Wow, I bet you did look like you'd gotten shot! Poor kids must have wondered what was going on.

jfsisler
June 12th, 2012, 07:42 AM
Speaking of burping Esterbrooks. I bought a blue Esterbrook J from an FPN member and when it arrived (at the office) I hurriedly opened the package. I unscrewed the cap and it burped black ink right on my brand new khakis. A very strategic point on my khakis. I wore my shirt un-tucked the rest of the day. Who on earth ships inked fountain pens? Especially an FPN member. Someone that should have known better. I never did get that ink stain out. :rant:

I'm with you, who sends a fountain pen through the mail with ink already in it? Sounds like a recipe for disaster to me

rbadger332
June 19th, 2012, 12:00 PM
My sister was looking at my bottle of BSB and forgot that I told her the cap was loose because I had just finished filling my TWSBI 540. She tipped it sideways, and her hands and my counter top were instantly blue. Whoops.

etoyoc
June 19th, 2012, 12:08 PM
speaking of BSB... I had an eye dropper pen filled with BSB. My wife grabbed it to write a check. She doesn't know much about fountain pens, but knew I kept bullet proof ink in the pens on my desk for writing checks and what not. She unscrewed the wrong part of the pen trying to take the cap off... She stopped before there was a complete disaster, but as it was, she went to work with smurf hands....

KrazyIvan
June 19th, 2012, 01:20 PM
I forgot one, now that you mention the wife. My wife pulled on a threaded cap to uncap a pen of mine. She is rather strong for her size and she ripped the section out of the barrel. Luckily there was no damage and I just slipped the section back in it's place. I need to shellac it in place though. It can spin in the barrel if I twist it hard enough. This was on my first semi custom pen from drgoretex. Anyone know where I can get some shellac?

Here is the pen:

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5304/5666119757_ef321542db_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ivan_romero/5666119757/)
El Grande- Uncapped (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ivan_romero/5666119757/) by IvanRomero (http://www.flickr.com/people/ivan_romero/), on Flickr

fountainpenkid
June 19th, 2012, 03:57 PM
Try a hardwear store..most have it for wood varnishing...which also works for fountain pens.

cmmosley
June 20th, 2012, 11:12 AM
Thanks for the laugh; you made me cry! I wondered why no one spoke up...red ink makes all the difference. Poor kids!

TNDent
July 1st, 2012, 01:04 PM
Though being relatively new to fountain pens I made a mistake that was completely idiotic in any case. I needed to replace my work shirts and a local upscale store was having a huge sale (no, I didn't decorate the shirts with ink - thank goodness). As stores do, they offered more off with a credit app. I was carrying an untried pen I was excited to use. It bled all over the application. At least it fit in with the blue-blood pretensions of the store.

dgator
July 1st, 2012, 01:37 PM
My Parker Duofold Jr. "burped" blue ink on my hands during a meeting with my manager...I covered pretty well, however I looked like a Smurf

fountainpenkid
July 1st, 2012, 07:41 PM
YEah...those blue inks ;) What type of blue was it?

dgator
July 1st, 2012, 07:48 PM
YEah...those blue inks ;) What type of blue was it?

J. Herbin Éclat de Saphir

fountainpenkid
July 2nd, 2012, 11:50 AM
is that a particularly staining ink?

jotterius
July 2nd, 2012, 03:50 PM
from what I remember it is not a staining ink

etoyoc
July 2nd, 2012, 04:41 PM
Can't say I have had any issues with J. Herbin Éclat de Saphir staining anything too badly. I am out at the moment, I have some left over at work and can try it in August. It would stain your hands for a while, but it would be gone by the next day easily enough.