From out of the shadows

**DumDum** · December 31st, 2019, 07:34 PM

Hey there!

Been lurking for a while, but...

New year, decided to join up. Name is Simon. Significant other calls me dum dum, so it's me forum name! Why dum dum? Cos I remind her of the Easter Island statue on the film A Night at the Museum. [she may be onto something there!] Learned to write with fountain pens as a child, coming back to them now. Current pens are a WingSung 698 - very smooth fine tip - and a Reform 17..something or other that doesn't work. So, prolly in the market for an upgrade or similar.

Prolly take a while to figure out the forum tools, but in the meantime is there anything pressing/important that I need to know?

ta muchly,

Simon

**DumDum** · December 31st, 2019, 07:58 PM

OK, have done this. It didn't look like a requirement on the sign-up page.

Simon

**Chrissy** · December 31st, 2019, 08:58 PM

Hello and welcome.

**countrydirt** · December 31st, 2019, 10:13 PM

Hi Simon. I'm glad you are here!!

**jbb** · January 1st, 2020, 10:08 AM

Welcome!

**Morgaine** · January 1st, 2020, 11:37 AM

Hello and welcome.

**Deb** · January 1st, 2020, 11:38 AM

Welcome to FPG, Simon.

**Anne** · January 1st, 2020, 04:46 PM

Welcome

**DumDum** · January 1st, 2020, 09:13 PM

That's likely a Reform 1745, a German school pen. If it doesn't work, it's a great pen to learn the basics of repairing a piston-filler.

Is it worth doing? The piston moves freely back and forth, but does not suck up ink. The nib writes okay when dipped in ink.

**jar** · January 2nd, 2020, 06:40 AM

Originally Posted by DumDum

That's likely a Reform 1745, a German school pen. If it doesn't work, it's a great pen to learn the basics of repairing a piston-filler.

Is it worth doing? The piston moves freely back and forth, but does not suck up ink. The nib writes okay when dipped in ink.

That could be a big or really tiny issue. The most likely cause is dried ink in the feed channel so start by letting the pen sit overnight in a glass of water with a couple drops of detergent in it. If it is dried ink it may well take several days of soaking to dissolve the clog. That much is certainly worth a try.

Other causes get more complicated and in somewhat the likely order:

a crack in the body
the seal around the piston shaft
the piston head damaged

**VertOlive** · January 2nd, 2020, 06:43 PM

Welcome to geekdom!

**Wahl** · January 8th, 2020, 10:50 AM

Hi Simon

**DumDum** · February 3rd, 2020, 12:08 PM

This is an update and in response to a rather unpleasant notification I received from another member.

Introduction.

My name is Simon, and I live with my wife of 29 years (30th anniversary next year) in Nuneaton, Warwickshire (the second "w" is silent, for the American members who may not be familiar with the convention). That's all the location details I'm prepared to divulge as it is not recommended to put full addresses on the internet.

I've been retired for 11 years now. While I may have been a piddling little drone in the great machine that is the British Civil Service, I am neither mild or meek.

At 76 years of age I don't get about much these days. In 1971 I went to Boulogne, France on the hovercraft from Dover. It was the first and last time I went to another country. I don't fly because the mere thought scares me deeply, and other forms of transport take more time than I can afford to give them. So, I've pretty much spent my entire life here in Britland, most of it in this county.

As of last year I no longer have a driving licence due to my limited peripheral vision. My wife doesn't drive either. The bus and train services are okay, tho' we don't need to use them that often.

Physically restricted from travel tho' does not mean that I cannot interact with the wider world via the world wide web. Which is how I choose to amuse myself some of the time.

Well, that's me.

EDIT: To add, that that the member who sent me the unpleasant message has (as far as I can tell) imediately blocked me from responding to it through the messaging system.