Empty_of_Clouds (October 11th, 2020)
Neither an ascetic
nor a voluptuary be.
"When Men differ in Opinion, both Sides ought equally to have the Advantage of being heard by the Publick;
and that when Truth and Error have fair Play, the former is always an overmatch for the latter."
~ Benjamin Franklin
I'm not at the end of the road, but I do seem to be at a turning point, or pit stop, or traffic light. Or something. I've accumulated enough pens that I find that there are some that I just don't use any more. There's nothing wrong with them; they are all excellent writers (except for one eyedropper that seems to suffer from gastric reflux), attractive, undamaged save for very light micro-scratches from use, and I should probably sell them and set the money aside for when I find a killer deal on a pen that talks to me, or perhaps have nib work done on one I already own that I really like a lot except that I wish its broad nib were a stub, for example. Thing is, I have to be entirely clear on which pens to sell. I once almost put one up for sale that I later started using more and more often, until it became (and remains) my daily go-to pen. I would still be kicking myself if I'd sold it. As for already owning every pen I could ever desire -- HA!
Quid rides? Mutato nomine de te fabula narratur. — Horace
(What are you laughing at? Just change the name and the joke’s on you.)
I would suggest you join postcrossing.
Then you can use you pens and send and receive postcards from all over the world.
I've had some fascinating cards, and beautiful stamps over the last 5 years.
Don't worry about buying more pens. Youy've stil got to find the perect paper to match the ones you have - and a lifetime of blue inks to explore. 50 Shades of Grey - I see you and raise you 500 shades of Blue.
The hobby isn't just about acquiring pens, but using them.
NaNoWriMo starts on Sunday - 50,000 words to write in November.
cj2020 (October 31st, 2020)
I have a stamp collectiion. What I like to do most is peruse old Scott's Standard Postage Stamp Catalogs. Just to read and look at pictures. The stamp collection, mainly Spanish stamps, was something I mainly built in my teens and twenties. Colorful little things.
I don't quite agree that this hobby is *only* about using the pens.
A legitimate part of this same hobby is the appreciation and celebration of vintage fountain pens.
There is nothing wrong for some of these vintage pens to not be used, or used only sparingly.
As an analogy, are antique cars in a museum collection supposed to be used all the time?
They will cease to exist if they were because there will be no spare parts to replace broken ones from being used.
I agree with that. Most of my customers buy the pens to write with but I have collectors on my books too. Who is to say whether the writer or the collector gains most pleasure from a pen?
I've had both, and I've always enjoyed the back stories that collectors have as much as the pen or car, whether finding and restoring a vintage pen or the same for an antique car. For example, I get a kick out of the FPGeeks thread about people's desks and in the same vein, I enjoy the description of an owner's garage where his restorations slowly take place. By the way, when there are no more OEM parts for autos (and pens), they will be made if the owner is willing to pay.
azkid (November 1st, 2020), da vinci (December 15th, 2020), eachan (November 1st, 2020), Jon Szanto (December 15th, 2020), SlowMovingTarget (November 2nd, 2020)
I arrived!
nakaya.jpg
Vintage. Cursive italic. Iron gall.
Jon Szanto (December 15th, 2020), manoeuver (December 15th, 2020), SlowMovingTarget (December 15th, 2020)
'I don't quite agree that this hobby is *only* about using the pens.
A legitimate part of this same hobby is the appreciation and celebration of vintage fountain pens.'
Indeed.
Part of the appreciation and celebration of a vintage pen is the unknown history that it has had. The unknowns being who owned and used it previously, and to what ends. Were they a housewife who used her pen to write letters, shopping lists, and for various other frequent purposes; a businessman, whose use involved writing contracts and signing letters; a young servicemember serving king and country, to write letters to his family and friends; or an unknown poet or author who turned thoughts and emotions into words on a page? That is the fascination of a vintage pen. To me at least, the connection to those earlier users and their place in history I experience each time I pick up and use a vintage pen from the 1930s, 1940s, or earlier is the joy and appreciation it offers.
In that sense, I am a collector and a user -- and I believe others are as well.
Last edited by An old bloke; December 15th, 2020 at 03:00 PM. Reason: There was a typographical error, or two or three.
Jon Szanto (December 15th, 2020), silverlifter (December 15th, 2020), TFarnon (December 15th, 2020)
This hobby is "just about" one thing, and one thing only: whatever you want the pen hobby to be.
"When Men differ in Opinion, both Sides ought equally to have the Advantage of being heard by the Publick;
and that when Truth and Error have fair Play, the former is always an overmatch for the latter."
~ Benjamin Franklin
Jon Szanto (December 15th, 2020)
silverlifter (December 15th, 2020)
It is a big pen, much larger than I was anticipating, which is great because it fills the hand but is light. I asked for the nib to be wet, and as a result, it is a delightful writer, with just a hint of feedback.
Hype-worthy? It's still a pen. I love the feel of ebonite and, tangential to comments above about vintage, like the idea of a bunch of really old craftsmen sitting around applying the urushi to these pens. The quality is impeccable. It's a nice pen to complete my lineup and I am sure my daughter, who is a huge fan of Japanese culture, will love it when it is hers.
Vintage. Cursive italic. Iron gall.
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