What's your Fountain Pen History?

[Senecabud]

In my early teens (back in the Dark Ages) I discovered and bought two Sheaffer Targa's. Naturally my classmates thought I was weird (but classy!) I don't recall how I discovered those pens, but I'm sure I was attracted to their beauty. Both pens were filled with Sheaffer's Turquoise ink and I used them through Junior High and High School.

Yep, really dating myself now, lol.

[orfew]

My fountain pen habit started about 15 years ago. My wife bought me a Montblanc 147 and I used it for a while and lost interest. A few years ago I located the 147 and was intrigued so I began using it. I loved it and my obsession truly started to grow. In the last 2-3 years I have added more than 30 Montblanc pens to my collection and I enjoy all of them. I am generally very picky about what pens I add to the collection. In the last year my focus has changed and I am actively pursuing vintage Montblanc FPs. I find the nibs to have more character than the modern versions. I still use and love my modern MBs as well. I highly doubt that I will ever get rid of any of them.

[KrazyIvan]

The whole story is at http://inktronics.wordpress.com/about/

My very first fountain pen was a Sheaffer school pen that I bought when I was 10 or 12. It was lost and I had no idea what I was doing but it looked cool. I ended up with very inky hands. Fast forward 20 years or so and that is when I purchased a Sensa Meridian.


Sensa Meridian Carbon Fountain Pen by IvanRomero, on Flickr

I used it for a bit, did not like the fat “fine” line and left it on my desk where the cartridge dried out. Searching for info on how to clean it and use the converter with bottled ink in 2010 was when I had my epiphany moment. The Goulet blog and Brian Goulet himself helped me quite a bit. One thing lead to another and next thing I knew, I was grinding my own nibs just for the fun of it.


I have never ground a nib this fast. 5 mins flat. Writing sample next. by IvanRomero, on Flickr

[Frank]

I have always been into pens, just only in the last few years or so in Fountain Pens. My dad has always liked pens, and he bought pens for me (and my brother) growing up. My first pen was a Cross set for my Confirmation (Catholic Ceremony) when I was 10. Up until about ten years ago, I had about 20 or so pens in my collection, that were all RB/BP type. My dad was never into FP's, and I actually have the only FP he ever bought in my collection (a Wearever Pennant that he bought new around 1960). I think this had a lot to do with my reluctance in getting them when I was younger.

I knew about FP's, and had always looked at them through Fahrney's catalogs that I have been getting for a good 20+ years now. I teach, and like having a good pen to write with on a daily basis. About 2005, the high school I taught at hired a new vice-principal. I was in his office early on when he started, and I saw him writing with something I recognized from those catalogs! I said "That's a Lamy Safari!", and he was like "Yeah, you know what this is?" (It was actually and Al-Star in Grey- not important).
So we started talking pens- I told him about my RB/BP collection (including my Lamy Swift RB that I have had since college). It was he (Don) who gave me leads/links/info about places to look for pens! He let me borrow some of his pens to use/etc..

Don also told me about the Philly Pen show. I attended my first pen show in 2007 there in town. I had already bout some FP's the year prior. I bought Laban Wood Pen at the show, and discovered www.isellpens.com when I was looking for refills/supplies. It was Todd's site that led me to both "The Big Board", and the forum that I now own and moderate- The Fountain Pen Community (TFPC -See my signature for a link).

Over the past eight years, my own collection has grown to @100 pens, of which 70 or so are fountain pens! I have grown my hobby to the point of repairing and selling pens to offset my expenses. I have not done much of this in the past year or so, as both "big Board" restrictions and a new job teaching adults have taken up a lot of free time! "Old Timers" on the forums will recall that I was very active selling Esties and such! I hope to be more active in that regard here and there in the coming year (again!) ;-)

As for Dad (and my brother), I have infected them with the FP bug to some degree! They both have a handful of FP's now, many of which were lent/ never returned! (LOL)
Don has retired from the place we both worked before. He is in my email pipeline, and we talk pens frequently! I now go to two/three shows per year, and contribute to four pen forums (including here!).

Thanks!
Regards,
Frank

[Runnin_Ute]

My first fountain pen was in grade school in the 1960's. It was a Sheaffer cartridge pen I bought at a 7-11 store not far from home. My friends and I would ride there on our bicycles regularly. I remember getting ink on my hands and my parents made me toss it. My grandma wrote me letters on air mail stationary while I was doing church service hundreds of miles from home during the 1979-1981 time period when I was in my early 20's.

I was a little bit of a pen/pencil geek for a time although they were ballpoints. Particularly Parker pens. First a jotter- plastic barrel, stainless cap. After breaking a couple at the threads I bought an all stainless Jotter. I still have at least one, I bought my first in about 1980. My favorite Parker bp was a Made in the UK Parker 45 Flighter. I was so bummed when I lost it a few years ago.

I bought my first decent fountain pen in the late 1990's if my memory serves me correctly. A Lamy Al Star in the aluminum finish. I am not sure, but it may have had a M nib. I bought it from Levenger as well as a bottle of Raven Black and a bottle of Cobalt Blue ink. Finished the blue off years ago, but finished the Raven Black off earlier this year (2013). My second pen was a red marbled Waterman Phileas with F nib shortly thereafter. I kept one inked with Raven Black, the other with Cobalt Blue. My next bottle of ink was a bottle of Pelikan 4001 Blue Black and when I went to get another, it was after it was no longer being imported to the US. A FPN member had a bottle she was willing to part with. That was December 2012. Since then I have purchased the following pens:
the Al Star has since had a F as I had to replace the section and bought one with a F and now has a 1.1 mm nib.
Waterman Phileas M black
3 pack Pilot Varsity (black, blue, purple) - gave them all away....
True Writer Silver Anniversary F
Noodler's Konrad nib is now a Goulet B
Esterbrook J 9550 EF - now has a Venus F
Pelikan 120 EF (M & K) as NOS
Pelikan M205 M Mint condition Toledo Red
Jinhao 159 stubbed

Got the last 3 from Murfie. (thanks,Murf!)
The inks ..... (post Pelikan blue black)
Diamine Blue Black
Noodler's 54th Massachusetts
Diamine Sherwood Green
Diamine Classic Red
Noodler's Sunset Apache
plus my sample collection and a variety of papers.

Next ink: Diamine Steel Blue. Have gone through most of 2 Goulet samples of it. Have it in my M205.

[85AKbN]

When I stop, then it'll be history.

[shudaizi]

My fountain pen history: on again, off again. Currently on ... again.

[Llewellyn]

My dad had always used fountain pens and always said that they make you write better. I inherited his Montblanc after he died but only used it sporadically. Then in late 2012 my wife asked what I would like for Xmas and I thought a fountain pen would be a nice idea. So we went to the only place in Perth that I know sells fountain pens and I chose a Visconti Starry Night. And that was that, I was hooked. That was soon followed by a Portrait Blu and over the course of 2013 I added five more.

By then I thought I should start using them more to justify the investment so I started keeping a journal and trying different inks. No going back now!!

[jar]

I came to fountain pens late in life. As a child starting school we had to bring our own stones to scratch lines into the cave wall. For art we had to chew charcoal and ocher to spit over our hands leaving shadow paintings. Later we learned to sharpen sticks and make better drawings of the bison that almost killed us yesterday and the mastodon that used to chase us on our way to school.

Later we learned to search for the GREAT Fire bird and steal feathers. We went down to the stream and found rocks that we could split giving us sharp edges that could be used to shape the end of the feather into a nib. We would chew up the charcoal or ocher and mix it with water and fat to get lovely inks, red and black, purple and brown. But we had no paper and so tried to write on the hide of the antelope. Unfortunately they refused to stand still so writing became a challenge and often left us gasping for breath.

[KrazyIvan]

I came to fountain pens late in life. As a child starting school we had to bring our own stones to scratch lines into the cave wall. For art we had to chew charcoal and ocher to spit over our hands leaving shadow paintings. Later we learned to sharpen sticks and make better drawings of the bison that almost killed us yesterday and the mastodon that used to chase us on our way to school.

Later we learned to search for the GREAT Fire bird and steal feathers. We went down to the stream and found rocks that we could split giving us sharp edges that could be used to shape the end of the feather into a nib. We would chew up the charcoal or ocher and mix it with water and fat to get lovely inks, red and black, purple and brown. But we had no paper and so tried to write on the hide of the antelope. Unfortunately they refused to stand still so writing became a challenge and often left us gasping for breath.

I enjoyed that entirely too much.

[cwent2]

I came to fountain pens late in life. As a child starting school we had to bring our own stones to scratch lines into the cave wall. For art we had to chew charcoal and ocher to spit over our hands leaving shadow paintings. Later we learned to sharpen sticks and make better drawings of the bison that almost killed us yesterday and the mastodon that used to chase us on our way to school.

Later we learned to search for the GREAT Fire bird and steal feathers. We went down to the stream and found rocks that we could split giving us sharp edges that could be used to shape the end of the feather into a nib. We would chew up the charcoal or ocher and mix it with water and fat to get lovely inks, red and black, purple and brown. But we had no paper and so tried to write on the hide of the antelope. Unfortunately they refused to stand still so writing became a challenge and often left us gasping for breath.

I enjoyed that entirely too much.

Me too

[Avalona]

My mom had a calligraphy set when I was a child. I was never allowed to use it (because I'd probably break it or make a mess. Both were things that I tended to do to writing instruments at that age), but I wanted to so. bad - there was something magical about the way the pen glided across the paper. Most of my life, I've always been really into writing instruments and stationery, with a pretty massive collection of both, but my thing was always rollerballs and gel pens. Many years passed, and I had nearly forgotten about it, until I saw a post on Tumblr about the GouletPens Ink Drop, of all things. I was curious. I looked at the site, and it took me some time to realise that these were like the pens that my mom used to use. Out of curiosity, I ordered one month's (I think it was a February) sampler set and a kid's fountain pen (the Pelikan Pelikano Junior), because it was cheap and what happened if I just made a mess with it? When it arrived, I still made a bit of a mess with it, but I found that I loved writing with fountain pens. No more hand cramps after many pages of writing! My wrist used to ache and my fingers would cramp a little after two pages with a ballpoint. The discovery of fountain pens gave me back my love of handwriting, which in turn, helps me be more creative.

I also recently figured out that my mom's calligraphy set, which has since disappeared (I've replaced it with a pair of Pilot Parallels), was one of those Sheaffer No Nonsense calligraphy sets (I realised that once I got my own No Nonsense and noted how familiar it looked, just a different colour. I think hers was black. Mine's green). So in a way, it went a bit full circle with me getting a near identical pen to the one that I wanted to use so badly as a kid. After my own collection started to grow, my dad mentioned that he used to use FPs a lot and I've told him that if he ever finds what he did with his, to give them to me so I can bring them back to life. Actually, I've said variations of that to many relatives, especially ones that might be cleaning out an older house. He might still find them at some point. Maybe I should get some pen cleaner just in case.

[JFB]

Way back in the dim dark ages before the internet or cable T.V. when I was in parochial school we were taught Palmer Method—I stunk! My writing was atrocious so one of the sisters had me get a cheap Sheaffer cartridge fountain pen. My writing was much improved, although nothing to write home about I used the Sheaffers for years, then fell out of the fountain pen habit. Years later my parents gave me a beautiful Waterman Laureat which has sadly never written well. Sometime around then I got myself a Waterman (I think it was a..) Graduate; a really nice, basic pen that never failed me until some fool lent it to a non FP person who promptly dropped it, nib first, onto a concrete floor. I fell out of the habit for a few years until I found myself with another cheapie-a brass, generic cigar shaped number that I used it for years as the painted finish wore off until the threaded part of the section cracked. I tried resuscitating the Waterman Laureat, but it still dried out. I bought a vintage Wearever lever filler but back then I was never able to figure out how to properly fill it. Out I fell again until I stumbled across Jinhao on the 'Bay. I bought much of their line, including the infamous 992, and a number of other Asian brands. Now I've moved up to some vintage pens like Esterbrooks and a nice vintage Waterman 92A-V. It just never stops...

Finding this forum and another one has been a boon for me.



Pax,
John

[urushi4u]

I started with a Parker 45 at junior school age 9 or so, this was back in 1986. Even at school I loved pens and would often trade things with kids whose parents were doctors and got a whole plethora of parker vectors and the like, branded with drug company logos, off their reps. I traded my way to a Parker 25 which by age 12 was my 'grail pen'.

After I progressed past junior school it was no longer compulsory to use a fountain pen (times were changing), and I got out of the habit until I was in my 30s and one day for some reason reflected back on how much I used to enjoy using fountain pens... Started looking and buying a few (started small, as you do), then I discovered that inks had changed, like REALLY changed - no more were there only 3 ink colours to choose from. This blew my mind.

Now I spend way too much time obsessing over, and using fountain pens. I could never go back.

Edit: I should add, I picked up some of the original models of Parkers I used to love so much, and they were *awful* to write with. Now I pretty much hate Parker and wouldn't ever own one again.

[Kaputnik]

Admittedly nobody will beat jar's answer above, but since the thread has been revived, I'll reminisce.

I was born in 1957, and might well have grown up using fountain pens, but in fact didn't. My parents didn't use them, and told me that they would leak if you weren't careful; ballpoints seemed perfectly adequate, even though I did a lot of writing. It seems probable that I must have seen someone using a fountain pen at some point, but have no memory of it, from grade school through college, and the professional world.

Fountain pens have been an enthusiasm of late middle age for me, starting with a Parker IM around 2010. It dried up when capped, which I eventually realized was a defect and not operator error, but when coaxed into starting, it was a new experience. The purchases multiplied, and although I wrote quite a bit before, I write more now. The number of my fountain pens is...large. That was predictable, as I'd always liked and taken good care of my ballpoints before, and kept more than I needed. I still have more ballpoints than I need, actually, and I need fewer of them now.

As far as the fountain pen agglomeration goes, I wonder if I would actually have fewer now if I had used them from childhood and taken them more for granted. I suspect that I would.

[Wuddus]

We were forced to use fountain pens at school. I abandoned them in favour of ballpoints as soon as I got the chance. Ballpoints drew a line without being sick on the page, or scratching, or skipping... or at least not as much...

I revisited them later in my teens, but it was little more than a bit of dabbling. We had to use ballpoints at work to write on duplicate and triplicate forms, so the fountain pens stayed home. However, being a teenager, I didn't stay home much at all, so the fountain pens still didn't get used. One day I picked up the pen to write, and it didn't, despite having a half full cartridge. I tried another cartridge, but still no luck. I hurled it in the bin and picked up a ballpoint.

A few decades later, I'm trying again, but with more success. Now I have the patience to fix things that don't work properly. The pens aren't vomiting ink, I'm not getting frustrated, and my handwriting is slightly less atrocious. The fountain pens are now getting used more than the ballpoints, and I'm actually enjoying using them. It's still early days though, and my pens haven't vomited on anything important yet....

[azkid]

I graduated high school in the latter half of the 80s. Never used a fountain pen, except a calligraphy pen with cartridges. I wonder what ever happened to that pen...

Anyway my next FP I got with a journal to write down project ideas. It was a pain. I stopped using it.

Years later, I let my daughter try that pen when she got interested from a book we read.

That pen sucked. So I researched and got a Metropolitan. Now I am hooked.

[sharmon202]

Growing up, ballpoints and any other pen type was too "fat" of a line. I am a light handed writer and I write small. I always had a hand ache when I had to write any length of time. About 6 years ago I began a search to see if there were any pens that would write with a finer line. I found many gel pens, Hi-Tech C and along the research I found fountain pens. I bought a Pilot Cavalier, small,smooth nib and a bottle of R & K Verdigris. Still love that ink. As I searched, and bought more, I discovered pens that would glide across paper and did not need pressure to make a line. Paper, I quickly realized, was an equal part of the equation. I found forums, other reference places to learn from. I am still on a voyage of discovery, never ending.

[landrover]

When I was about 30 I started having cramps in my hand so I bought a Shaffer FP and have been using various FP for 40 years now.

[titrisol]

3rd grade in school meant writing with FP. My dad had an old Esterbrook but my mom bought me an olive green Parker 45 which became my pen for many years. These pens were normally matched with Pelikan Koningsblau and Pelikan Red for school and for special ocassions Parker Blue-black and Skrip black.

Through the years I received several pens as present, Parkers mostly, and a Caran D'Ache Geneva which was a college graduation present
I also inherited a few after my father passed, the one I miss greatly is his Targa.
In the last few years I began exploring ink colors besides blue and black and bright colored pens.