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Thread: NEW YEAR - NEW HOBBY - NEW MEMBER!!

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    Default NEW YEAR - NEW HOBBY - NEW MEMBER!!

    Hello inhabitants!

    My name is Stephen (happy to be called Steve if that's what people prefer to use) and I live near a town called Weston-super-Mare in the English county of Somerset. Not far from Bristol in fact, though many would contend not far enough! Why did I join? Good question and a slightly involved one that I will simplify here. In my younger days I had a quite physical job that I really enjoyed as it kept me moving about and in prime health. At that time, I had no specific interest in writing, or reading anything beyond a daily copy of the Sun newspaper. I know, horrific really. Then came the accident. The injuries required extensive rehab. I had to leave my job knowing that I wouldn't be able to do anything similar again. It was depressing. The rehab was depressing to be honest. During one of the sessions with a counsellor (you get this if there is significant life change expected) she suggested I write down my thoughts each day, outlining progress and frustrations, feelings and self-image, and what the future may hold for me. I was not keen on this, but I tried it, and somewhere along the way it became a habit. I have since read that there is a similar process that people call 'Morning Pages' and is used as a kind of brain dump. The upshot is that I started to enjoy writing, to the extent that I ended up being a freelance contributor for several industry magazines, and eventually a couple of modestly successful novels that have enabled me to live a comfortable if somewhat frugal life. Having a purpose was without doubt the biggest gift though.

    All of my writing has up to now been done using a biro and a word processor. Even though the latter is how I send stuff in for columns I still write the first draft by hand. It never occurred to me to look at the tools I was using in all those years. And then a dear friend casually remarked one day on how fountain pens provided a more pleasant writing experience, so I thought I better check this out. I haven't bought one yet because I don't know anything about them. Instead, I took to the internet for information and stumbled across this site. I did not know that fountain pens represented a hobby to some people, or that there was significant interest to generate whole websites. So, I hope as I become more conversant with this place you will help me navigate the subject of fountain pens.

    I still write personal-thoughts journal every day, and I would like to continue that using a new type of tool if it suits my hand. I see that there is a profile page for members as well as a stack of settings, so it may take me a little while to populate the one and understand the other. Please bear with me (I am old and not that tech savvy).

    Other than that, perhaps a recommendation on where to start should be my first request.

    cheers,
    Stephen

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    Sailor Kenshin (January 7th, 2023)

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    Senior Member blopplop's Avatar
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    Default Re: NEW YEAR - NEW HOBBY - NEW MEMBER!!

    Welcome to the forum.

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    FPG Donor ♕ Chrissy's Avatar
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    Default Re: NEW YEAR - NEW HOBBY - NEW MEMBER!!

    Hello and welcome.
    Regards, Chrissy | My Review Blog: inkyfountainpens

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    Senior Member Wahl's Avatar
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    Default Re: NEW YEAR - NEW HOBBY - NEW MEMBER!!



    To start with, I would recommend a Parker 51. A user pen, where you wont“t spend much, but still get a very good writing experience.

    From then on, just take your time, and explore the universe of fountain pens.

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    Senior Member mizgeorge's Avatar
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    Default Re: NEW YEAR - NEW HOBBY - NEW MEMBER!!

    Hello Stephen from not far away in the Cotswolds.

    Is this going to be your very first fountain pen, or did you use one at school? I ask mainly to establish whether you're used to holding a pen with a lighter grip than you might use for a biro or rollerball, and with your fingers in a good postition. It may be that a school type pen might be a good starting point to see if you enjoy the whole inky experience. WHS can be a good starting point for this (and has the instant gratification factor that you can't get from shopping online). They should also have some demo pens that you can try out.

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    Yazeh (January 8th, 2023)

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    Default Re: NEW YEAR - NEW HOBBY - NEW MEMBER!!

    Welcome!!!

    Sent from my SM-G781V using Tapatalk

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    Default Re: NEW YEAR - NEW HOBBY - NEW MEMBER!!

    Welcome!

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    Senior Member Jon Szanto's Avatar
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    Default Re: NEW YEAR - NEW HOBBY - NEW MEMBER!!

    Welcome to the Fountain Pen Geeks forums! Smaller than the largest pen fora, larger than some, you'll find a community of pen-centric people here, with a body of posts, reviews, and group knowledge. Mostly, you'll find people who are enthusiastic about fountain pens, and fountain pen people.

    Join in!








    Regards,
    Jon
    "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

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    Default Re: NEW YEAR - NEW HOBBY - NEW MEMBER!!

    Thank you everyone. Mizgeorge, from not too far away in the glorious golden Cotswold's, suggested a trip to WHS and of course there is one in the shopping centre here. Will try to get in for a shufti this week, but a glance at their website reveals a veritable plethora of pens ranging from a relatively few quid all the way up to around £600. Yikes! This will be my first fountain pen. I don't think I grip biros that tightly although I have no frame of reference with regard to this. Is it really going to be a case of trying everything in the shop to see what feels okay? Sorry if that is a real beginner's question.

    The website address is - https://www.whsmith.co.uk/stationery...e=most-popular

    Is there a specific focus for me? If it helps any my biro refills say 'F' on the packaging, I just checked. Presumably that means 'fine' but have no idea what the actual measurement is or how it may correlate with a fountain pen tip. And I guess I should say ballpoints now as I can't remember when I last saw an actual biro. I use Parker Jotters most of the time. Have several in a glass jar on my desk.

    Bit of daunting start I feel.

    Cheers,
    Stephen

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    Default Re: NEW YEAR - NEW HOBBY - NEW MEMBER!!

    Sorry to add a bit more. I see on the forum list there is a section called 'Brand focus'. It doesn't have all the brands that my local shop has. Does that mean those brands not on the list here are not worth looking into, or perhaps unpopular for some reason?

    Cheers,
    Stephen

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    Senior Member Sailor Kenshin's Avatar
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    Default Re: NEW YEAR - NEW HOBBY - NEW MEMBER!!

    Quote Originally Posted by Stephen_in_WSM View Post
    Sorry to add a bit more. I see on the forum list there is a section called 'Brand focus'. It doesn't have all the brands that my local shop has. Does that mean those brands not on the list here are not worth looking into, or perhaps unpopular for some reason?

    Cheers,
    Stephen
    It means they just weren't listed. What brands does your local have?

    And welcome aboard!
    My other pen is a Montblanc.

    And my other blog is a tumblr!


    And my latest ebook, for spooky wintery reading:

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CM2NGSSD

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    Senior Member Yazeh's Avatar
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    Default Re: NEW YEAR - NEW HOBBY - NEW MEMBER!!

    Stephen and thanks for sharing your story. Inspiring
    I would say, the most common pen people buy is a Lamy Safari. It's a lightweight pen, simple and effective.
    You can get in Ef, F, M, Broad nibs. I won't suggest the wider nibs as they are not practical for writing articles.
    The best way is to try different pens and see what's comfortable for you, especially for long writing sessions.

    Pens come either with cartridges or convertors (there are many other filling systems, you'll soon discover) but I keep it to the basic.
    https://fpgeeks.com/forum/forumdispl...ens-in-General

    Then there's the world of ink. Inks can change your writing experience. Some inks turn a scratchy nib into a blissful writing experience, while others can turn a smooth nib into a scratchy experience

    If water resistance is important for you, then you might want to look into those type of inks, which a lot of people don't like (Cellulose reactive (ak bulletproof), Iron gall, pigment). These inks are slightly high maintenance.

    If you have questions about inks, just ask on the:
    https://fpgeeks.com/forum/forumdispl...-Inky-Goodness

    All the best...

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    Senior Member dneal's Avatar
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    Default Re: NEW YEAR - NEW HOBBY - NEW MEMBER!!

    Welcome to the forum, and to fountain pens.

    Based on the link you provided, I would suggest a basic pen from a decent maker. The Germans (Stabilo, Faber Castell) make fine entry level pens, and you're looking at around 10 pounds (give or take). They use standard international cartridges, which gives you a very wide variety of ink choices to experiment with later.

    You'll find that nib orientation is key. You'll discover that a lot of papers do not play well with liquid ink. You might find that the whole thing is ridiculous, or that you enjoy the peculiar interaction between nib, ink and paper; and how it feels in your hand.

    Once you get past the "is this even for me" phase, then there is a whole world of things to explore.

    The Parker Vector seems like a good starting place..
    "A truth does not mind being questioned. A lie does not like being challenged."

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    Yazeh (January 8th, 2023)

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    Senior Member OCArt's Avatar
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    Default Re: NEW YEAR - NEW HOBBY - NEW MEMBER!!

    Welcome aboard!

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