Help for picking fountain pens

[Daisy Buchanan]

Wow John, thanks for all of that great information.
I thought the pen was special because it was a token from my trip to Venice. But now I see that it's a lot more than that. Very excited. I do love the way it writes and really like that it is a piston filler, something very vintage about it.
Thanks again. Your information is appreciated.
And a thank you to Moustache. I have been looking for a pink fountain pen for a while. The last night I was in Rome I saw a beauty in the window of a small pen shoppe, but they were closed. We were leaving for Venice the next morning, so I had to sadly walk away from it. I can still see it in my head it was perfect. But then, I found this one at Cross. I'm still looking for one that looks like the one I saw in Rome, but I am very happy with the Cross. It is a good sturdy pen and not so expensive that I have to worry about scratches.

 

[moustache]

Nice

Wow John, thanks for all of that great information.
I thought the pen was special because it was a token from my trip to Venice. But now I see that it's a lot more than that. Very excited. I do love the way it writes and really like that it is a piston filler, something very vintage about it.
Thanks again. Your information is appreciated.
And a thank you to Moustache. I have been looking for a pink fountain pen for a while. The last night I was in Rome I saw a beauty in the window of a small pen shoppe, but they were closed. We were leaving for Venice the next morning, so I had to sadly walk away from it. I can still see it in my head it was perfect. But then, I found this one at Cross. I'm still looking for one that looks like the one I saw in Rome, but I am very happy with the Cross. It is a good sturdy pen and not so expensive that I have to worry about scratches.

I have a Cross ATX pen as well.Very nice and not so expensive that crying would be necessary if it were lost or stolen.
I have been into FP's for about 20 years but more so over the last 5 years.
They are something i use everyday at work. WHat a connection to the past.ANd the ink possibilities are endless!!
Mont Blanc even has chocolate scented ink!!Expensive but worth a sniff!!
Piston fillers can be nice.But i like being able to exchange a bad or crummy filling piston without sending the pen to a repairman. So i tend to stick to converer style.
So many pens and so little money!!!

JD

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

I have a Cross ATX pen as well.Very nice and not so expensive that crying would be necessary if it were lost or stolen.
I have been into FP's for about 20 years but more so over the last 5 years.
They are something i use everyday at work. WHat a connection to the past.ANd the ink possibilities are endless!!
Mont Blanc even has chocolate scented ink!!Expensive but worth a sniff!!
Piston fillers can be nice.But i like being able to exchange a bad or crummy filling piston without sending the pen to a repairman. So i tend to stick to converer style.
So many pens and so little money!!!

JD

I just started my collection about 5 months ago, and it really has grown. I have carried a Waterman Phileas for a few years, but never thought of going higher end or looking for another brand in the same price range, until you fellas here started talking about them.
I'm very happy with the Pelikan, but I do see what you mean about not having a converter option. But, it's a pen that I'm not going to use everyday. One of the first FP's I purchased was a Parker Sonnet in a cranberry red color. I still like it a lot, between that and the Cross, I'm set for daily use. I'm gonna reserve the Pelikan, Mont Blanc and Cartier for letter writing and quick jots.
I really do have to stop buying them for now. Between the pens and the dresses(4 today!), I'm gonna get myself in a boatload of trouble!

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

Fantasitc pens! I have to get a Pelikan....

Thanks Mr. Scotrace!! Yes, you must join the club. I am very impressed with how smooth this pen is. No scratch at all, so skips, wide array of lines from just one small nib. Very happy with it.

 

[moustache]

I really do have to stop buying them for now. Between the pens and the dresses(4 today!), I'm gonna get myself in a boatload of trouble!

I'm the same way with shoes!!!
I feel like Imelda Marcos!!! Too many shoes!!(Is that possible??)lol lol lol

JD

 

[max the cat]

fountain pens

what great posts-a wealth of info-

My fav fountain is a Sheaffer black (their largest) from c 1937 had it restored by Berliner-have owned modrn day Waterman Phileas-a great pen for the price

Tried some vintage Pelikans from 40s maybe 15 - years ago- I recolllect rather flexible nib--should have bought then! Mont Blanc fountain c 1990 was a leaker -returned the gift-I have heard they have improved....
I have a duofold jr-needs repair but am hoping to find a small later Vacumatic era flexible nib.

I was impressed by flexible bib on vacumatic 30's era Parkers, the Parker sonnet-if they can still be had, and a Bexley-
.
w/ all great advice I am going to try some of these inks mentioned on forum

max

 

[John in Covina]

Piston fillers, it's a good thing!

Piston fillers can be nice. But i like being able to exchange a bad or crummy filling piston without sending the pen to a repairman. So i tend to stick to converer style. So many pens and so little money!!! JD

Piston fillers tend to last a long long time, the way to break them is to leave a pen filled with ink and not use it for a long long time. The ink can glue the piston in place and or hurt the seal, but this is fixable and usually for a nominal charge.

One of the guys just sent in an ancient montblanc 149 that had this problem to montblanc's repair station and they fixed it, cleaned, and polished the pen for about $50, so these repairs wont break the bank.

ANd it actually need not happen! I know a clubs worth of people that have well used Montblancs and Pelikans that are old 50/60 years that haven't had so much as a burp from their pens. It is a reliable system.

And for those that worry any way, Noodler's came out with a line of EEL inks for piston fillers, where it lubes the seal. (Eels are very slippery, they actually can exuded a slime to slip out of tight squeezes, hence the EEL lube connection.)

A plus is most piston filler holds a heck of a lot more ink than the converters do.

Fear not the piston filler.

 

[Barry]

In another thread I mentioned to Rick that I asked my grandmother if my grandfather ever collected fountain pens. My grandmother went to a drawer and pulled out the pen (a green Parker 51 and pencil set). She told me I could keep it if I wanted it. Today I took it to Pen Haven and asked if they could clean it up and restore it to working order.

Both Louis and Bert were pretty excited to see the pen.

It turns out it's a Nassau Green pen and pencil set. Both the pen and pencil have Empire caps. This combination makes it highly collectible and they thought once it was cleaned up and restored I could sell the set for.... $1800 ($2000 if it had no dents).

I don't plan on selling it but I was totally stunned to hear that figure. That pen and pencil set was probably sitting in a drawer since the early 1950's.

Barry

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

In another thread I mentioned to Rick that I asked my grandmother if my grandfather ever collected fountain pens. My grandmother went to a drawer and pulled out the pen (a green Parker 51 and pencil set). She told me I could keep it if I wanted it. Today I took it to Pen Haven and asked if they could clean it up and restore it to working order.

Both Louis and Bert were pretty excited to see the pen.

It turns out it's a Nassau Green pen and pencil set. Both the pen and pencil have Empire caps. This combination makes it highly collectible and they thought once it was cleaned up and restored I could sell the set for.... $1800 ($2000 if it had no dents).

I don't plan on selling it but I was totally stunned to hear that figure. That pen and pencil set was probably sitting in a drawer since the early 1950's.

Barry

Wow, that's great Barry! Hold tight to that, not just for what it's worth monetarily, but because it's quite sentimental!

 

[John in Covina]

Collector pens!

There are a number of pens that can really be worth a lot, like the original Duofolds in Mandarin Yellow from 1927 or so. In pristine condition they can fetch $1800-2000.

That is a lot of Samolians!

 

[binkmeisterRick]

In another thread I mentioned to Rick that I asked my grandmother if my grandfather ever collected fountain pens. My grandmother went to a drawer and pulled out the pen (a green Parker 51 and pencil set). She told me I could keep it if I wanted it. Today I took it to Pen Haven and asked if they could clean it up and restore it to working order.

Both Louis and Bert were pretty excited to see the pen.

It turns out it's a Nassau Green pen and pencil set. Both the pen and pencil have Empire caps. This combination makes it highly collectible and they thought once it was cleaned up and restored I could sell the set for.... $1800 ($2000 if it had no dents).

I don't plan on selling it but I was totally stunned to hear that figure. That pen and pencil set was probably sitting in a drawer since the early 1950's.

Barry

Barry! I missed you again by a day! What do I have to do to cross paths with you, go to the QM? I just came back from Pen Haven and they were telling me about your set. I TOLD you it was special. I'll buy it off you for twenty bucks.lol I'm glad you're not going to sell them. Things like that should stay in the familiy. Use it, care for it, but I'd personally keep that set at home. On a side note, Bert took that set home for safe keepimg instead of leaving it in the shop.

What's funny is a guy who would buy the set from you in a heartbeat came in while I was there. They were pulling his leg by telling him about the pen they "bought" from you for only $250. This customer also knows the worth of your set. They had him going for a bit. It was really quite amusing.

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

Jackpot! Finally...The Pink Auraura

Well, today I finally found that pink fountain pen that I've been looking for. As I said in an earlier post, I saw one in the window of a shoppe in Rome, but the shoppe was closed, and I never got to buy it.
Well today Hem and I went to Harvard Square for brunch, and decided to stop in at a tobacco store that sells a lot of interesting things. Right there on display in the first case one sees as you walk into the store was the exact fountain pen that I couldn't get in Italy. So, although I promised I was done for a while I had to have it. I didn't remember the brand name when I came back from Italy, but when I saw it in the store today, it all came back to me. If only I had remembered it was an Aurora, I could have just searched for it online, and gotten it quite easily!
It is an Aurora Talentum Finesse, in a pretty shade of almost pale pink with a 14K medium point nib. I immediately filled it with Pelikan blue ink and tested it out in my journal. Wow, not only is it pretty, but it writes beautifully as well. I came home and did some research. Found out that it is a more slender model than the larger sized Talentum, although to me it is still a good sized pen. It comes in both pink and black. It is so smooth, doesn't skip at all, and has a very nice line. Even though it is a medium nib, it writes fine, which is good for my heavy hand. It is a lot heavier than the Pelikan, so it will take my small hand some getting used to. But, so far, so great. I like that, because it is a medium nib, it easily goes from thin to thick. So, as opposed to the fine point Pelikan, my writing looks a little more creative. However, the two are incredibly similar.
I'm very happy that I finally found the exact pen I was looking for. Now maybe I'll stop buying them. Or, maybe not! I just am so happy that I finally found a pink pen, and even happier that I came across the exact one that I had to pass by in Italy. I've never written with an Aurora before, but I'm am incredibly impressed with it. It seems like a very well made, very solid and sturdy writing instrument.
Sorry to all you men who have to hear my tale of woe and the pink pen! I'm sure all this information on pink pen purchasing is really what you need. But hey, you might have that special lady in your life who likes fountain pens, or you may want to introduce to fountain pens. This is the perfect pen for that. A lot of the FP's that I have found aren't all that lady like. I know that they come in many different sizes, the smaller of which I find to be better for a gal. But, many of the designs cater more to men. There are a few out there that are "pretty", but this is the ultimate girl pen. It's just an added bonus that it writes so well (hehe). So, run out and get your lady one!
Thanks for letting me ramble, the excitement just went to my fingers. You should see my journal entry for today, between the Pelikan and the Aurora, I can't stop writing. I even wrote a letter to my parents, which is just silly because I speak to them every day on the phone! I'm hooked, buying pens is fun, writing with them and experimenting with ink colors, now that's a blast!!!! I'll make sure to bring the pink one to the next event, I know all you men are just dying to use it!

 

[moustache]

Hmmmm

I'm very happy that I finally found the exact pen I was looking for. Now maybe I'll stop buying them. Or, maybe not!

Hehe. Have i said that before,Daisy!!I admit i have not purchased a pen in awhile.But never say never!!

Glad you found the pen you wanted.
My wife and i loved Harvard Square.

JD

 

[max the cat]

pink pen-

glad you found the holy grail of pink pens-actually I was hoping to get one for my daughter-a mission which also requires pink ink- any ideas Daisy???
max

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

I'm very happy that I finally found the exact pen I was looking for. Now maybe I'll stop buying them. Or, maybe not!

Hehe. Have i said that before,Daisy!!I admit i have not purchased a pen in awhile.But never say never!!

Glad you found the pen you wanted.
My wife and i loved Harvard Square.

JD

Yes, it's a saying that is said way to often in my house!!! Now that I've found my perfect pink pen, I'm sure I'll start obsessing over something else!

glad you found the holy grail of pink pens-actually I was hoping to get one for my daughter-a mission which also requires pink ink- any ideas Daisy???
max

Oohh, I hope you find a pink pen for her. I edited my post to add, that after researching the brand I bought, they are pretty easy to find on line. I'm not sure how old your daughter is, and if she would use a fountain pen or if you are looking for a ball point. But, I'm assuming that if you want pink ink you would be looking for a fountain pen. Inks come in a wide array of colors, you'd be surprised what you can find. I like the pink made by India company, I'm pretty sure that's the name, I don't actually have any but have seen and used samples in the pen shoppe.
As for a pink fountain pen, I'm not sure what your price range is, but the Cross pen that I bought a few weeks ago is also pink. It is not as pink as the Aurora, has a peach tone to it, but it is a great pen, writes beautifully, and is half the price of the Aurora. I'm just assuming that your daughter is young, sorry if I'm wrong, and you might want to get her a pen that is sturdy and she wouldn't have to worry about. Cross, IMO, is a very reliable pen, and I really like the company too. I have always gotten great service from them. But, I am a bit biased. I went to middle and upper school with the son of the owner of the company. So, I got a lot of free-bees from the company, including a beautiful gold ball point with my name, school name and date of graduation, for a graduation present. They supplied these every year for all graduates while there son's were in attendance at the school. The company has since been bought out, but Pete and his brothers still work for them, so it is still in a way a small family owned operation. Just based in China instead of little ol' Rhode Island. Anyway, both Hem and I have Cross fountain pens that we really like. And they are affordable enough, so you don't have to worry about something happening to them.
When I got home I did find the Aurora Fountain pen I bought at quite a few places. Bad for me, on line is about fifty dollars cheaper than what I paid. Since I left Rome, I remembered the pen, but because I just saw it sitting in a window I didn't know it was an Aurora. I should have known, considering that Aurora is an Italian made, top selling pen. When I saw it in the store today, I really should have taken down the name and model number and tried to find it on line. I was just so excited to find it, that I thought if I didn't buy it then and there, I'd never see it again. In comparison to the other Aurora's that I found on-line, the price of this particular pen is lower, but the quality is not any less. It is a fine resin and 14K gold nib. The only difference between the one I got and the next degree up is mine is a bit narrower, and instead of having a screw on cap, the cap clips on. To me, this is actually better, but that's really a personal opinion.
Well, I hope you find your daughter her pink pen and ink. There really are a lot of ink brands, with many different colors. If I'm not mistaken, I think Waterman makes a light pink as well as India Ink. I wish I could remember the other brands that I saw today in the pen shoppe. I bought some pretty stationary that has a turquoise and silver border, so I bought turquoise ink. Another set has burgundy in it so I bought Mont Blanc Bordouxe, which is a deep red. Now I just need more pen pals!! I can't stop writing with these pens. Grocery lists are now even fun!!
Well, if you are interested, here's a link to a store that has it in pink and on sale. There were a few places that I came across that had it for this price. Bittners is a nice site as well, with a large selection of fountain pens. And here's a picture, I know you guys are all just dying to see my pink pen, so jealous you all must be!!

 

[John in Covina]

Pink for women is classic. I talked the Laban guys into doing some pink pens, they made prototypes and went to production. So they will be available soon. I hope that they can put some pictures up on their web site soon.
It is a pink (Pink Lady is the color name) version of the Pinto series.

Aurora is a fine pen maker in Italy and they still make Italic nibs for very classy writing!

Last summer I wrote my High School buddies.

I have a big supply of Crane cards and write Thank You notes a lot more than I did before. I also have a bunch of old unused postcards with different subjects / pictures which I write and send every once in a while too.

I sent out some 1100 resumes and each envelope was hand addresed by fountain pen.

Now that it's Christmas i will be sending out cards and will be using some of the specialty nibs like the double broad oblique and using some red and green ink for the season. So I will be picking those shortly too.
It is much more fun with a good pen.

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

Thanks for the info on the pink pen! I saved the links that you sent me of the prototype. You must let me know when they will be for sale. Or if for some reason they don't come to market, if there is any way i would be able to get my hand on one of the prototypes! It does sound like a lovely pen.
Hhmm, didn't I just say that now that I found my Italian pink fountain pen, that I would stop buying for a while? Well, pink FP's are so hard to come by, that is I come across one, it might be to my benefit to buy one!
OK fellas, sorry about all of this pink talk, it must be making you all ill!!!
John, looking forward to testing out that new pen.

 

[binkmeisterRick]

Daisy (nice to meet you, btw ) now that you've found your pink pen, you WILL find another pen you must add to your collection. It's not a matter of IF but WHEN. Even if you don't buy another pen for a while, it'll eventually happen. Though I'm currently on a self-imposed spending freeze (except for necessities) I have a small but growing list of pens to add to my collection. Bert at Pen Haven is putting together a vintage Conklin crescent filler for me. But after that, there's always a Pelikan to add, more Parkers, a Waterman...

You know, Daisy, some collectors have specific pen collections. Sounds like maybe you could build a collection of pink fountain pens! Seriously! I know someone who collects red pens. Wy not pink?

 

[kiltedjeeper]

found this site by way of doing research on fountain pens, which I've recently become fascinated with-- have bought 8 in the last two weeks!

great place you have here, and Daisy, I'll be ordring from your uncle shortly- a Junior Gentleman is most appealing, I just have to figure out which wood and finish I want.

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

found this site by way of doing research on fountain pens, which I've recently become fascinated with-- have bought 8 in the last two weeks!

great place you have here, and Daisy, I'll be ordring from your uncle shortly- a Junior Gentleman is most appealing, I just have to figure out which wood and finish I want.

That's wonderful news that you will be ordering from Uncle El. He put's a light of time and energy into everything he does. I have a pen from him that is 15 years old, and still writes beautifully. Let us know which one you decide on and how you like it.