Help for picking fountain pens

[binkmeisterRick]

I guess I'll just have to be a substandard gentleman with my vintage Parkers, Eversharps, Shaeffers and Esterbrooks. I'm okay with that.

I know MacArthur used a 1920's Parker Duofold to sign his part of the end of WWII.

No offense, but I guess I've been around enough people (and snobs) in pen shops who have complained about their newer Mont Blancs having problems or breaking. Sure, Mont Blanc always repairs them for free, but I'd rather have a pen (especially for that much money) which didn't need to go back to the manufacturer at all. My understanding is that vintage Mont Blanc pens are incredible pens that are very well made with exceptional materials, but I've been given the general impression that new vs. old Mont Blanc pens is sort of like new vs. old Stetsons: there is a noticeable difference. Now, if someone gave me a Mont Blanc, would I turn away from it? Not at all, but if I was presented with the choice of buying either a vintage Parker "Big Red" Duofold vs. a newer Mont Blanc, I'd choose the Parker hands down.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not intentionally trying to bash Mont Blanc (I love the looks of the Greta Garbo pen they make) but when you're exposed to a number of very seasoned and serious pen collectors who give you their honest opinions, you can't help but take some of this into consideration. But each pen to his or her own. What the heck do I know, anyway? Despite the love I have for my few vintage Parkers, you'll almost always find an Esterbrook keeping them company in my shirt pocket. And though I love the vintage Parkers, I haven't been as attracted to their newer offerings, even in the Duofold line. Just my two pennies worth.

Nevermind what I say, if your pens bring you writing pleasure, what else matters?

 

[Hemingway Jones]

I would like to have those pens that signed the treaties, but as for the modern Mont Blanc, I would rather pay for quality that for a company's advertising budget. Mont Blancs are fine pens, but they do not warrant their price tags. Some things do.

All those aseembled here are learned gentlemen and ladies with educated tastes and individualist streaks, and their choice of pen is as varied as their backgrounds. They are wise enought to choose what is best for them. I value their opinions over any advertising hype.

 

[Matt Deckard]

I prefer old sheaffer's

I was supposed to get a Mont Blanc from the boss of where I used to work. Saddly he passed on before I got the pen.

The old Sheaffer's just look like the classic guy pen you'd see used by Joe Blow 1920s.

 

[binkmeisterRick]

All those aseembled here are learned gentlemen and ladies with educated tastes and individualist streaks, and their choice of pen is as varied as their backgrounds. They are wise enought to choose what is best for them. I value their opinions over any advertising hype.

Well put. But you have to admit, Parker had a cool hype going when they used to advertise their pens being tossed out of a bi-plane at 3000 feet and surviving the fall. Any takers today?lol Mark Twain favored a Conlkin crescent-filler simply because the pen couldn't roll off a table. My favorite pens are the ones with good stories behind them.

The reason I favor my Parkers and Esterbrooks is simply because they write perfectly for me and my writing style, especially being a lefty. I've picked up plenty of pens I've liked that just didn't work well for me personally. Didn't mean they weren't nice pens though... Bic anyone?

 

[Hemingway Jones]

Well put...The reason I favor my Parkers and Esterbrooks is simply because they write perfectly for me and my writing style, especially being a lefty. I've picked up plenty of pens I've liked that just didn't work well for me personally. Didn't mean they weren't nice pens though... Bic anyone?

Thanks, this is precisely my point. We all love a good story, but we buy the pen, not the story :eusa_doh: .

 

[John in Covina]

Ink Flow

It is so smooth, the ink flow is just perfect; not too much to make writing look thick, not too little to cause breaks in my scribble that I call writing. I opted for the medium nib, for the ink flow, from what I read about it, is supposed to be a little better than the fine.

Fine / Medium / Bold is mostly relative today. Each Manufacturer has established what thickness / thinness is for their pens. If you took a selection of pens from the current crop of fountain pens you will find a wide variety for these suggested line thicknesses. In a recent article in one of the pen tomes (Stylus or Pen World or the Pennant maybe) the comparison to the classic and golden ages of fountain pen show that the relative line thickness has gotten thicker.

So, todays fine is yesteryears' medium. To get that 30's fine you need an extra fine today. THe asian pens are supposed to be finer, than the Euro pens or our US ones.

AS to the right flow, pretty much any good pen is adjustable by a good nib man. The relationship of the tines to each other and then the space of the nib to the feed regulates the ink flow from miserly dry to deliciously wet, in most cases.

I have a Stipula Ventidue (22) that was so dry! After some research on line it turned out to be endemic to the model. I had Fred at the Fountain Pen Shop work a little magic, by filtting an old hard rubber feed to the assembly and "PRESTO!" much improved flow.

So if the flow is not as it should be do the formula 409 trick of 1/3rd 409 to 2/3rds COLD water and flush it out thoroughly, followed with a ton of plain old cold water to get the 409 out. If that doesn't help, then talk to the fountain pen repair guy for a little nib-meister fixin!

Happy writing!

 

[binkmeisterRick]

Bert at Pen Haven always jokes that when I bring a pen in for repair, he purposely aligns the tines out of whack on me. I always have him tweaking nibs until they write perfectly for me and enjoy giving him a hard time in the process. I think he likes the attention.

 

[riflegunbuilder]

I just wish I had not read this post. I was bitten by the bug! I have bought 15 in the last month.:eusa_doh:

 

[binkmeisterRick]

There are worse things to be addicted to, my friend. So... what'd'ya get?

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

I just wish I had not read this post. I was bitten by the bug! I have bought 15 in the last month.:eusa_doh:

I gues I'm lucky, my penmanship is so atrocious I can't justify buying a nice pen, even though I want to. lol

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

Then all you gentlemen must be rich!

Can I please borrow your pen for a moment? *flutters eyelashes*

I agree, you all must have mounds of money. I guess it's a guy thing for I've been known to spend entirely too much for Louis Vuitton and Gucci handbags, I guess the Mont Blanc is the equivalent purchase for men. But still, I can't justify the purchase. I might as well only have one unjustifiable vice! Besides I'm very happy with my cheaper fountain pens. If I could find cheaper Louis Vuitton, I'd buy it, but that's just not an option....

 

[Hemingway Jones]

I was in one of my attorney's offices today and he had this fountain pen by Shaeffer. It was gold with a grid of lines on it; it was thick and tapered; the pointy medium nib tapered back directly into the body; and it used a plunger to suck ink up into it.

All in all, a very nice pen, absolutely beautiful and perfectly styled with an Art Deco design.

Though I prefer my nifty yellow Waterman, probably because I am used to it.

 

[binkmeisterRick]

I agree, you all must have mounds of money. I guess it's a guy thing for I've been known to spend entirely too much for Louis Vuitton and Gucci handbags, I guess the Mont Blanc is the equivalent purchase for men. But still, I can't justify the purchase.

You're not alone in that, though I think when you get used to a reeeeeaaalllly nice pen, it's easy to justify spending a little more for another pen. Still, it's too pricey for me. I just saw Mont Blanc came out with a Virginia Woolf pen (they've been doing a writers series of pens) which looks very nice, but again, 700 bucks is still too steep for me.

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

You're not alone in that, though I think when you get used to a reeeeeaaalllly nice pen, it's easy to justify spending a little more for another pen. Still, it's too pricey for me. I just saw Mont Blanc came out with a Virginia Woolf pen (they've been doing a writers series of pens) which looks very nice, but again, 700 bucks is still too steep for me.

I saw that collection too, what a beautiful pen. I found the Greta Garbo pen at Levenger for 40% off, but still couldn't justify spending the money on it..Maybe I'll find a cool fountain pen on my trip to Italy, ooohh or a new Gucci bag. Priorities!!
Anyway, I was at a store the other day and found a fountain pen for the Breast Cancer Society. I thought I could find it cheaper on line, so I didn't buy it. I'm kicking myself now, for I can't find it on line anywhere. I did find it in the ball point version. $5 of each purchase goes to the Susan B. Koman breast cancer foundation. So, I know a pink pen isn't really what you guys want. But, for the ladies, or for those of you who need to buy your lady friends a gift, this one wouldn't be bad at all. I just wish it was a fountain pen.

Here's another one that is similar to the fountain pen I saw. This place has more options for ladies pens, sorry to bore you guys, I really like the idea of having a pink fountain pen. Especially one that gives proceeds to a good cause. They also come in a wide array of prices. If anyone comes across the pink fountain pen, I know you guys want one too , please let me know where you found it...

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

Sorry to you men, for innundating you with my search for a pink fountain pen. I should have bought the one that I saw the other day. The sad thing is, I don't even remember where I saw it. I know this info isn't really that helpful to you. But, if you have a special lady in your life, she might just like this. It's not a fountain pen. It is a cross rollerball. It's very frustrating to me that most of the fountain pens out there aren't marketed towards woman. Most of the pens that are marketed towards us, come with little note pads for grocery writing, and they are never fountain pens. I know there are some pretty colors and smaller pens out there that are fountain pens, but even the pretty colors are more masculine, like burgundy or hunter green. Colors that would be fine for a man to use. I guess there just isn't a large enough female market to make prettier fountain pens. I'm very happy with the Parker and watermans that I have. But, I got that pink pen idea in my head, and I just can't let go. And, the Greta Garbo pen is exquisite, just way too expensive.
Here's one that cross makes, once again not a fountain pen. The pens on the page I have linked are all beautiful and ladylike, why aren't they fountain pens??? Then, when I do finally find one, it probablly won't be vintage-y enough!! I know someone told me to check out the Scheaffer, I should do that. I have an idea in my head of how a pen should look. I don't want to go so far that it is made of a feather, I would just like it to have a certain femininity about it, so I don't look like I'm borrowing my dad's or boyfriends (if I had one) when I use it.

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

Wow, here I am posting again.
Just wanted to say I'm finally using ink from the well instead of pre filled ink (sorry, I'm not knowledeable enough about fountain pens to know the proper terms), and it is wonderful. Both the Phileas and The Sonnet are writing so fine and nicely, and ink flow is so much more controlled. I originally bought it because there is a certain romance to using the ink from a well. Now I know what I have been missing. I am getting exceptional performance from both instruments, and am even happier with them. I find myself writing in my journal so much more now, any chance I can get to uset either of these pens, I'm taking. I think my handwriting is even better, possibly from the better control of the ink flow.
Well, thank you all for all the great info on this thread. Because of all of your knowledge I was able to find a pen that suits me, and I am incredibly happy with it. I was always happy with the fine nib Phileas, but thought that even for a fine nib, it wrote a little too thick. Now with the well in I get a smooth, unbroken, thin line and it's not as scratchy as it used to be.
I am going back to Levenger tomorrow. I'm not a big fan of Mont Blanc, but the Greta Garbo pen is quite exceptional and writes like nothing I've ever written with. They have it on sale for quite a big discount. I figure, it's a limited edition pen that I will never find again with a big discount. Before I know it, it might not be offered any longer. So, I might just have to splurge. Buy myself an early birthday present. If I remember correctly, it was 40% off. I don't know if I can pass up a deal like that, and I don't want to have any regrets, which I know will outweigh any buyers remorse I might have. Besides its got a real pearl on it, ooohhhh lol
Well, thanks again for all of your great knowledge, it has been incredibly helpful. Again I'm still incredibly happy with my Phileas. It is a wonderful everyday cheap pen that I don't have to worry about. I recommend it highly. But now, you all have got me hooked!!

 

[Matt Deckard]

Well First off, welcome back into the fold of Fountain pen users Fedora Gent. And Phil, that was a touching story.

I was given a Waterman Philius as a gift in High school. That was my first return to the interest of the fountain pen. It was green. I kept wanting a black one hopefully to mimic the look of the Mont Blanc (I was a kid and no kid should be touting a Mont Blanc). I couldn't find one at the time, they didn't produce them in black. I used the pen and used the pen then i lost the pen... perhaps it was stolen, I don't recall. I do recall that I immediately wanted it replaced. By now the green ones were scarce (they phased out the green) and black was available. I took a look at the black and it didn't strike me as powerfull or manly as I was expecting, it struck me as boring as all get out. So I kept searching for a replacement in that beautiful jade green color I had originally. I found it and I bought 2. One I later gave to a cooworker as a gift and I still have the other. It's a great starter pen for the person wanting to enter into the world of fountain pens. Tough nib and unyielding style. Looks good in a board meeting, at a cafe or writing a letter.

I was taught caligraphy when I was around 8 or 10 years old. My hand isn't as patient with the pages as it once was... and I go for the keyboard whenever I have one handy, though the pen has always been a staple in my pocket. I used to use my fountain pen at work, thoguh being a Broker and writing up trade tickets with several layers of carbon I learned quickly that a fountain pen wasn't meant for pressing through sheets of legally binding pages. I switched to putting a ballpoint in my pocket. It later turned into too much of a habit and I let the fountain pen hang out in a toothbrush holder that I used for pens on my desk.

When i saw Sheaffer was coming out with a reproduction of their Balance pen I decided to buy one for my girlfriend at the time. Cobalt Blue. I bought myself the basic black model. Oh how boring was the black. I worked in a sea coworkers using Mont Blanc rollar ball pens and I had my boring modern black sheaffer, So I started using my Waterman again durring meetings and it stood out. I went to the Local Pen shop in Monrovia and picked up a couple vintage Sheaffers (I don't know... I think I just like that Sheaffer is the general use everyday workhorse Ford of pens) One was a vintage Balance similar to the repro, and one a smaller easier to handle pen.

Today when I pick up a fountain pen or carry one it's the narrower vintage Sheaffer's of which I currently have two. One in a green striped design and one in solid black. I haven't gotten around to getting the Mont Blanc (I'll wait 'til I get one as a gift if it ever happens) thugh I do enjoy my vintage pens.

The modern sheaffer Balance II in black was 1: boring 2: the cap can't easily be left on the back of the pen... it just seems to float 3: boring 4: the plastic they use isn't as black as the material they were using back in the good old days. It's just a dark dark grey when sitting next to it's vintage counterparts.

The Philius to me currently is too big in the grip. I prefer the narrower.

I do like the new Cross Century II fountain pens, and yes they do move slow across a page as mentioned in a previous post, though I like the thin design... it's just classy and stands out in a sea of black and gold pens.

For those of you considering getting vintage pens and you see a lever and think... uh oh, I want you to know that replacing the sack inside and the other gear isn't a hard process... Pen repair shops do it all the time. I like the lever on the side of the pen, it ads a bit of history and takes away that plain jane of a body I see on so many pens nowadays.

My newest vintage Sheaffer has a piston fill... I'll post pics after i take some...

That's my vintage lever fill Sheaffer next to the steak. I prefer blue ink in general. I'd use green if I could. If it's not blue or black, it's just not business.
So keep writing.

 

[panamag8or]

What a great thread for my first post!

Hello, all, I just want to say I love this forum.
I never thought too much about fountain pens, I always thought they were a big pain. It wasn't until my Grandfather passed that I learned the joy of writing with them.

For about 50 years, he owned an office supply store in Gainesville, FL, located in an old downtown Sears location. If I knew then what I know now, I would have nabbed the deco signs and cool displays that Sears left behind.

Anyway, while we were going through his things, we came across a box of fountain pens, still in their original boxes. Sheaffers, Parkers, Watermans and even a couple of Miesterstucks, all vintage and original. I ended up selling about 75 pens on eBay for a pretty penny. I also found a cabinet full of Sheaffer parts from when he offered repair services at the store. There is a pen repair guy out there who is very happy about that now.

I was testing one of the pens, and it wrote so nice that I decided I would keep it. That was a ca. 1955 parker 51, gold filled, medium nib. I used that as my daily writer until I recieved a hand-built Sheaffer triumph sentinel from the aforementioned pen guy. It is black plastic, with a chrome cap and gold clip. He built it out of some of the parts he bought from me. The parts are 50 years old, but the pen is less than a year old. Now, I alternate between the two, depending on which tie bar or chain I am wearing that day.

On my desk at work, I have a counter display Sheaffer White Dot touchdown in a base with my Grandfather's store name stamped in it.

I still have about a dozen pens in my stash, some Parker 45's and a nice Sheaffer Lifetime set among them. I also have a couple dozen ballpoint/pencil sets from Parker and Cross, but most of those are from the 80's.

If anyone with a vintage pen needs instruction booklets or other papers, let me know. I have a stack of extras for various Parkers and Sheaffers, most from the 50's.

Well, now I'm off to the "What's on your wrist" thread.

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

Wow, I've got the pen bug, bad!

OK, this is getting out of hand. Hem dragged me back to the Levenger store to look at pens for himself, and I ended up buying two more fountain pens.
I got the Cartier Diablo Mini in black with a fine nib

And, after writing with Hem's Waterman Charleston with the fine nib, I just fell in love with it and couldn't pass up purchasing one on sale. I really wanted it in the cream color, but they were all sold out, so I settled for Royal Blue. I really didn't think I'd like writing with such a big instrument, however, it is lighter than the smaller Parker Sonnet. I'm not sure what the Sonnet is made of, but it feels like metal, instead of the plastic of the Waterman.
I still enjoy the Sonnet a lot, but the Charleston has a much finer line, even though the Sonnet is a fine point. They are both rather smooth, although not as smooth as the Cartier Diablo fine nip. The only negative about the Cartier is, since it is a smaller pen, it is not long enough for a converter. So, I don't have that romance of filling it from an ink well. But, I now have so many pens, that one without well ink isn't too big a deal for me. I had to order the Cartier, for they didn't have a fine nib in stock. I am anxiously waiting it's arrival. I did write with the Cartier Diablo in fine point, and have been told that the mini has the same nib, and will write just as nicely. I am hoping this is true, for the Diablo that Hem purchased writes like a dream.

I did look at the Mont Blanc Greta Garbo. It is nice looking, and will be a collectors item. However, I didn't like the way it wrote and they no longer had any fine points left. It was very thick and smudgy, not impressed at all. I also tried another, for which I can't remember the name, by Mont Blanc. It was definitely a great looking pen, small and compact with a simulated ruby. It had a retractable nib. So, when the cap is on the back end of the pen you would twist it counter-clockwise, and the nip retracted back into the pen. This helped with it's very compact size. It was only about 4 inches long when closed with the cap on. But, this one, as well as the others could not be found in a fine point, and the medium was very thick. Overall, I think the Mont Blancs are beautiful to look at, they are like pieces of art. But, I wasn't impressed by the quality of writing. The medium nibs I used wrote like bold, so even if they could have found a fine nib, it might have written like a medium, and I just prefer a fine line. With the nib that was on the three I tried, I had to increase the size of my script, anything written on the small side was illegible. So, and this is just my opinion, I wasn't overly impressed by the Mont Blanc. Maybe if I was able to try one in a fine nib, I would have liked it more. But, the medium nib was very very thick, so I'm assuming the fine would not be as fine as I like it to be.

I'm really looking forward to getting the Cartier and breaking it in. It's as pretty as the Mont Blanc's, but I was just happier with the fineness of the nib. And, there is no scratch, which is hard to acheive even in the finest of pens when using a fine nib.

Well, as you can tell, I have got the bug bad. I'm having way too much fun picking out pens and playing with different ink colors. I really like Waterman Blue. I thought I'd like the blue-black, but the Waterman blue is so bright, it just pops. The blue-black is a bit too dull. OK, enough from me! Thanks to all you guys for giving me such great fountain pen information. I may be purchasing too many, but at least I feel like an informed consumer. Oh, and also, I was once again impressed by the sales girl at Levenger. She was very knowledgeable and helpful. Yesterday, I had a terrible experience at a pen shop. Hem and I were going to spend nearly 1,000 dollars in the store too, but the sales girl lost the sale because she had a major attitude problem. I left Levenger a much happier customer, and we ended up buying three pens, instead of the two we were planning on buying at the other store. It definitely helps to have a great person helping you out, especially when they understand your needs, and realize that you are purchasing something that you plan on passing down to your grandchildren. I will never go to the other pen shoppe again, even if they did have a great selection........

 

[binkmeisterRick]

Daisy, welcome to the Pen Ward! Here, you'll find all sorts of patients with the same problem as you: the love of fountain pens. It's nothing to be afraid of. Many patients still manage to lead fairly normal lives.

Once you get bitten by the pen bug, it's hard to stop! And it looks like you've already started progressing to nicer pens outside the beloved Phileas. I told you it wouldn't take long.