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It all started with the fountain pen shown in the image I have uploaded to this post. It's a Parker VP with a solid 24 Carat Gold fine nib, circa 1960s. When it came into my possession it had a cracked section and the nib tines were out of alignment. The reservoir had dry ink in it dating back to the 1970s! I had my work cut out for me in terms of getting it back in to working order. I knew little about restoring fountain pens. What I did know was that this pen had a history; it had belonged to my grandfather, and then pasted down to my father. Both were now deceased and so this beautiful writing instrument now held special sentimental value to me. Having practiced calligraphy (with a special interest in Copperplate), studied art and photography and been an advertising photographer, I love any tools that are creative and artistic by their very nature. The fountain pen is such a tool, plus it has a certain nostalgia to it too! I had set my mind to repairing and servicing the pen to its original condition. I owed it to my grandfather! So, I learnt all I could about servicing and adjusting a fountain pen nib, as well as cleaning a fountain pen. I was able to track down a new section, and after some careful tweaking of the tines, VOILA the pen was writing oh so beautifully. The nib just glided across the page with a silky smoothness. The experience was almost religious. I could imagine my grandfather sitting in his clothing factory penning a new contract for the shipment of beautiful designer women's eveningwear, or my father carefully writing down reams of numbers and sums as he went about the business of a chartered accountant. It was another era, a time of style, class, and refinement. A time where a Gentleman ordered a distinctive fountain pen that spoke to his personality and station in life. It was a treasured item, always there in his jacket or shirt pocket. This is how my journey into the world of fountain pens began. My goal is to buy a new pen every 6 months or so. I also want to start buying vintage pens and restoring them. I'm quite excited at the prospect. My only speed bumps in this journey will be the awful exchange rates (I am in South Africa and the current $:ZAR rate is ZAR1 to $20!) and the lack of reliable purchasing channels. I look forward to connecting with like-minded aficionados and collectors and learning from all of you. Regards K.V.L. The Scribe

Hello! I’m new to the forum. I was interested in looking into local (or Chicago) based clubs I could start attending to talk about pens. I’m a computer scientist with a deep interest in networking in my day to day. Since graduating college, my friends and I have used letters to stay in touch, send photos, and generally enjoy not having to track social media all the time for all our important parts of life. There’s something so nice and intimate about not having an instant form of communication. An old teacher used to have us write instead of type our answers to practice standardized tests. She said, “You think differently when you have to make your words exist.” I’m honored my friends share that side of themselves with me. So I like to put a lot of effort and care into my letters. I’ve recently started to improve my penmanship and got a vintage Sheaffer off eBay for a few bucks. It was in a bad state, so I repaired it. That was such a fun experience that I’m solidly into fountain pens now! Nice to meet you! I’ll probably spend way more time lurking than talking, but please let me know if you have any advice or favorite haunts. Or if you know which clubs are active in my area (the ones I found seem to be defunct since the Pandemic).

Hello members, Newbie to the forum as a registered user but have been lurking around to the wealth of information available here from the members. Now I have the profile built up here and managed to make the first post with my introduction. I have have been active on reddit as u/oldfashioned_aj since i rediscovered fountain pens and got back to using them. Born and grown up in India, I am based in a small town called Ras Al Khaimah in United Arab Emirates for the past 11 years. Most people may not be familiar with the place but its close to the popular destination Dubai. Back in India during my school days fountain pens were the compulsory tool for all the notes but after school I didn't really used them. I went to art college and did have my fare share of using rotring isograph, paint brushes and diy stub calligraphy during college days. After college I took up graphic design as a career and for the past few years have also upgraded my love for photography into my career by managing a design and product photography studio for the firm i work in. After moving to UAE, I got the Parker Vector as my first fountain pen (technically not the first as I had many during school time but have no memory of those) and couple of bottles of iroshizuku inks (kon-peki & ina-ho) but did not use it that much as it was a mess writing on notepads that were available in my office as well as some notebooks that i got loving the fancy covers, but (bleep) paper. Had absolutely no idea about the synchronization of pen, nib, ink & paper and the part they all play in harmony for a pleasurable writing experience. Doing some google search, I ended up on the fountain pen community on reddit and did some random post of a cheap lamy copy chinese pen I picked up on that day and from there I started digging the rabbithole for myself. 6 months back I had 1 fountain pen and 2 bottles of ink and as of now I have managed to hoard 20 something fountain pens (still staying mostly on the budget side) and 30+ inks. I do manage to take decent pics of pens and inks that people have enjoyed whenever I have posted on reddit. Also blessed with good handwriting and been doing regular writing and calligraphy practice with fountain pens for the past 6 months. Nothing much to say and hope it's not a long intro, but I am glad to be a part of this wonderful forum. Cheers, AJ

Hello to all, This is my very first post on any kind of forum. I always found it intimidating. Hope I'm doing this right. When the pandemic hit, like most of us; I had some time on my hands. During this time, I came to realize that I missed cursive writing. You know, the actual act of pen to paper - for something more than your signature or to-do lists. I'd always loved any kind of stationery. I could spend hours in a shop. So, I was familiar with fountain pens; meaning I had seen them inside cabinets, in those stores. I had never actually wrote with one. Bought my first pen, online at Chapters in 2020... a Lamy Safari, with a fine nib. I admit it seemed pretty light and insubstantial. All my reservations about it changed, once I wrote with it. I was hooked. There's a bit of a learning curve & a whole new language; but I had time. Now, in 2023, my collection has grown to 13 various pens, and over 24 bottles of ink. I admit I am a bit obsessed. My collection started to grow with 4 or 5 TWSBIs, and a Kaweco Sport. Then I found Pilot pens and gold nibs! I now have 3 Pilots, a Pineider, a Leonardo, and my latest is a Scribo Piuma with a fine, gold flex nib. Along the way, I figured out what I liked and wanted in a fountain pen: juicy, smooth with some flex in the nib. I didn't think I'd be able to top my Pilot Custom 912, with a FA nib. Until I got my Scribo. I think I can probably stop my search for the perfect pen....but I know I won't. Sorry, if this post is a little long; especially being an intro. I'm just happy I finally jumped into this forum. I'm looking forward, to learning so much more, from more experienced pen aficionados, than myself. Thanks. Have a good night.

Hello! I'm a Singaporean studying in the UK, and I've been using a Platinum Plasir as my trusty daily writing implement for quite some time. Recently got interested in exploring the wider world of pens, especially in terms of vintage pen collection and restoration. My current collection includes the aforementioned Platinum, a vintage Wyvern with an engraved flexi gold nib, a marbled extra-fine Osmiroid, and a few cheaper plastic pens I got when starting out. Looking forward to learning more and making new friends on this forum? :D

Hello fellow pen friends, I am Andrew from Austria and I will do my best to write acceptable English. I wrote with fountain pens in primary and secondary school and switched to ballpoints at work. Fountain pens aroused my interest 15 years later in 2015. A small collection formed since then including a Pelikan M805 Ocean Swirl, M400 brown tortoise shell, Kaweco Liliput fire blue and a Graf von Faber Castell Classic Macassar. But my new love is an Opus 88 Demonstrator with a 1.5 stub nib. I really love this wide and soft nib and it looks like I found my preference for big pens and wide nibs. Additionally I prefer journals in A4 with blank paper also my planner is A4 and I carry it every day with me. I would love to use big books like folios (?) Beside fountain pens and other stationery I am a big fan of works by Tolkien and I play guitar and bass in my spare time. This spare time is reduced to a minimum since a little bit over a year because of my little daughter. She means everything to me and takes all the love and time I can give. Kind regards, Andrew

Hi, I have been on this fountain pen journey for about two years, and have been on the this form for a while but I never introduced myself. I am Mark from Custer, South Dakota and I enjoy the art and style of fountain pens, and fine pens in general. Right now I am chasing down the Cross Townsend models, as well as the Cross Peerless, and Cross Year of Zodiac Collections. I have many other pens besides the Cross, but they are the ones I seem to want to collect. Thanks for all the info I have gained from this forum already! Mark

Hi, everyone! I wanted to introduce myself to this network. I have been a long-time pen enthusiast, and am the owner of luxury pen retailer Truphae, Inc. We specialize in high-end luxury pens from companies like Aurora, Montegrappa, ST Dupont, Visconti, etc...and have great relationships with them as well. We also carry brands such as Pelikan, Cartier, and many others. Our goal is to find the coolest pens around, particularly rare ones that many other people would have a hard time sourcing. We not only sell, but buy and consign as well. Looking forward to getting to know you all better! ~Chris

Hello friends, I have come to check joining this site off of my To Do list. On the net I go by Nix, so you can call me that--and I use gender-neutral pronouns, preferably xe/xem or they/them. I hail from west coast USA and I miss old-internet-style forums, so FPN was a lovely find for me. I tend to do an excessive amount of research when getting new things, and detailed searches to determine the best pen/ink for marginalia in cheap paperbacks led me repeatedly here, and I decided I had to join in on the enthusiasm. Started using fountain pens one for the vibes and two because I like to write longform, but I have small handwriting and my hand will cramp and ache. When I looked into how to use pens in a less strenuous way, fountain pens were one of the options suggested, and I became enamored with the idea and set out to acquire some. Honestly, I probably should have predicted the interest, given that I spent a great deal of my childhood collecting turkey feathers and carving them for use as quills, and carrying around dip nib pens with pigment ink from Aaron Brothers rather than just using fineliners for my (bleep) art in adolescence. I'm still honing my precise preferences and routine, but I so far own a Pilot Falcon/Elabo, Pilot Metropolitan, Lamy Safari, Lamy Joy, Jinhao Shark, some calligraphy Speedballs, a couple no-name cheaper pens from random stores, a Pilot Penmanship, Kaweco Skyline Sport... I think that's it right now. I primarily started with cartridges and am now branching out into cartridge converters so I can experiment with inks. I've only dallied somewhat with FP-friendly papers as well, though I've found so far that Rhodia notebooks appeal to me. Anyway, delighted to be here; reach out if you like! Obligatory attached handwriting pics in a few of my pens--

Hello, Just wanted to stop in and say hello 👋 I've been a pen nut for awhile, but just recently discovered fountain pens. I guess it was the next logical step in my writing delusion 😀 I love everything about the fountain pens. The inks, nibs, and even the maintenence. Anywhere, I'll see ya'll around the forums. XTurtleToex

Hi! I stumbled over here looking for some troubleshooting help. I looked around a bit and decided this is a good place to learn a lot about fountain pens and the related accoutrements. I saw one troubleshooting post that gives me a starting point to work on my brand new Jinhao 992 that I filled with the converter. The ink flows through the feed but not out the nib. I emptied the converter back into the ink jar and have it and the nib/feed grip section soaking in water. I'll wash it next. I assume at this stage of the learning process it's normal to have ink stains on my fingers. 😁 I have filled out my profile with some basic information about myself. I look forward to learning more about fountain pens, inks, paper, and the people who use them.

Hi, just thought I would swing by and introduce myself. My name is Fiona and I am the wrong side of 45. I have 4 kids and 6 grandkids, 1 husband and 1 dog. I am looking to expand my knowledge of all things fountain pen and make some new friends along the way.

Hi Everyone, My new found love for fountain pen arose when I had used Hero's fountain pen recently. I didn't think I would need another fountain pen, but when I searched whether the one I was using has been known to the world, I discovered the community, reviews, blogs, whole websites dedicated to FP markets. It's as if I have found a new land, opened a new door for enriching my life. To introduce myself, I am Neha from a small town in India, a software engineer by profession who has no interest in typing items on To Do List apps, whose productivity gets better with writing. When I started to know about fountain pens, I was astonished to know that it's not a pen, it's a whole system, a functional - technical system. Can't describe how much I am obsessed with creamy colored notebooks esp. grid ones and writing on them. I read a book `The Little book of hygge` and the one thing which I try to implement from that book is in order for encouraging "hygge" into life, it very much depends on how your surroundings are. You may ask what is "hygge" Quotes from that book which struck me : And if we think about it, our surroundings are not just limited to our room, desk, chair and balcony or work life etc. That is a high level of thinking, a zoomed out view. How about zooming in! I took it to another level. What if I improve my surroundings with respect to doing one activity and what equipments I use. And this is where I started to look into : the kind of tools I am using and if I love them. I got to know that I didn't love everything which is surrounding my writing domain. I don't pay attention to the pen I used, the notebook I used, the ink I am using. Never paid attention. And this is where I started to surround myself with the most liked things. Here is where I brought fountain pen with INTENTION in my life. And paying attention it deserved. I love filling ink to pen, cleaning its periphery, placing the pen properly and having dedicated pen case for them. The more I improved this area of my life, the more I started to care for everything. It has changed my whole outlook for my life. Now, I only want to bring things into my life if I absolutely love them. Because only then I will care of them and by caring for them, that item would get the respect it deserves for serving us. Enough rambling! My first fountain pen was obviously a Hero fountain pen ,which is great! I love how crisp my handwriting comes out. My next fountain pen which I absolutely love is Kanwrite Desire. And I splurged a little on one ASA Galactic pen as well. Can't stress enough, but I love all of them. There is something about the line `MADE IN INDIA` which makes me to respect & wow the effort! I have not reached to a point where I can differentiate what I like and not like about them. To me they are a treasure. Ink wise, I am a noob right now. For my blue ink I am using Pelikan I would want to have at least one Japanese pen. I am obsessed with everything Japan has to offer. Be it their notebooks or pens or inks. I also want to use their signature Iroshizuku inks. I am so interested to know how others keep their pens organised, what is their routine for keeping them functional, how do they care for them and what do others write with them, where are the places people use fountain pens and how often expensive pens are being used in daily life and everything surrounding maintenance as all beautiful things remain beautiful if maintained well. And I am still improving in that area. Looking forward to learning more from this community!

Hi, I am a FP lover living between Dublin (Ireland) and Johannesburg (South Africa). I am a management consultant and executive coach with a particular interest in working with C-suite executives and board directors. I mountain bike and love getting out in nature as an avid backpacker and experienced hike leader.😎 This year I decided to go back to school and am now (in mid-life🤔) studying for a MA in Catholic theology. (I received my PhD in business 17 years ago). And although things are much more digital now then when I first went to graduate school, I'm finding myself doing a ton of writing😊.

Hello, I got hooked on fountain pens when I started drawing again. I did a few urban sketchers meetups, kept up with the community online and noticed an enthusiasm for fountain pens. I made the jump and now use a fountain pen throughout my day, every day. I’m most fond of Pilot pens and Tomoe River paper. I learned of this forum while researching pens and then via Reddit's fountain pen subreddit. Happy to be here!

I have been a lurker for many years and finally decided to sign up. I have always loved the feel of fine pens. Decades ago I had a Parker (long lost) and an ST DuPont (still). In 2007 I wrote a book and just before it went on sale I was struck with the idea that I should get a special pen to autograph copies. I was in New York and I went to the Montblanc store where there was a huge variety to choose from. I bought a pen and the very next day I put it to work signing books. I quickly learned that fountain pens are harder to use for this purpose than roller balls, and I got one if then in matching style. Yet I realized some people really appreciate having a book signed in fountain pen and I persisted in mastering their use. Over time I found different editions and paperback versus hardcover all used different paper and the fountain pen would write differently and sometimes quite poorly. Back to the store and the realization that a nib that is optimum for porous paperback paper will lay down too much ink when signing a hardcover with better paper. From that beginning I was drawn in and I’ve treated myself to a new pen or set with every major new thing to be signed. Sort of like “lucky pens” I guess. Since the pandemic I’ve rediscovered longhand writing in a journal Ive learned a lot reading the forums and hope to have something to contribute.

Hello to the FPN from just-off-centre-of-anywhere! Udny is a parish of Aberdeenshire and, at 57 degrees N, is ridiculously far north for an inhabited area. In fact if we were somewhere else in the world we might be half way between Moscow and St Petersburg, or sinking slowly into the middle of Hudson Bay. I’m a farmer eking a living from a hillful of prime Aberdeenshire land, (by which I mean stones and water) and I collect fountain pens to take my mind off it. In particular, I’d like to thank the moderator for letting me in here. I hadn’t expected that.

Hello, everyone! Turns out I've been a member of this forum since 2009, back when my father gave me a red and gold Parker Sonnet. Forgot my password, but now I'm back! Since then a few pens have been through my hands (and was fortunate to have a few degrees have been added to my name), with the most recent acquisition being a Montblanc Classique 145 Platinum. 👌🏻 Have been using fountain pens since I was 10 years old, eventually it became part of my character. Nothing much to say for now, aside from I'm also a forum moderator at Windows Central. ✌🏻 Here are some photos of a Montblanc Meisterstück Solitaire Tribute To The Montblanc Hommage À W. A. Mozart, which I handed over to my mother, and my Montblanc Meisterstuck Classique Platinum 145, featuring a few entries from my journal. Glad to be back, and I won't forget my password this time! Cheers! 😁

Hi all, I'm so excited to be a member of this amazing community! I've lingered as a guest for a while, awaiting approval to join, and today finally came! My fountain pen story in brief: I was growing increasingly tired of my chicken scratch, and simultaneously weary of limiting my written communication to the keyboard. I joined a FB group focused on handwriting, and saw immediate improvement. Someone there suggested I might enjoy writing with a fountain pen, so I brought 1 (um, 2 -- um, 3). My first pens were a Sheaffer VPN, a Nemosine Singularity, and a Black Knox. I was encouraged to join the FB group Fountain Pen Facebook, which blew me away. Someone in that group "penabled" me by gifting me over half a dozen Jinhaos, and a couple of others. Soon I bought a Lamy Safari and Pilot Metropolitan to compare/contrast the two - and discovered I like them both for different reasons. I picture myself slowly building a collection, as well as passing some along to others who are just coming into the rabbit hole. Then I was recommended another FB group called Stationery Nerds, because I was now becoming interested in not just improving my handwriting, but exploring writing actual letters to people, perhaps journaling, etc. All the while I was hoping for the chance to join this FPNetwork. The wealth of information and community here is simply astonishing. I'm thrilled to be aboard. (Now, if I can only figure out how to upload a profile picture!) I'm semi-retired as a management coach, leadership workshop leader, and author with about half-a-dozen or so published books to my credit. Focus mostly on book writing these days. Grew up in northeast Ohio, spent 37 years in San Diego, and now call Reno, NV my home. So glad to be here!

Hi everyone, Just wanted to introduce myself now that I’ve finally decided to join rather than just scrolling through ink reviews. My favorite pen right now is my Lamy 2000 (slight preference for the makrolon although I have stainless steel too), currently sporting Lamy Azurite ink. Glad to be a part of the community!

Namaste _/\_ from Fremont, CA. Greetings, salam, howdy, hello! :-) My name is Amarendra, and I have been flirting with fountain pens on-and-off -- I guess it all started in school (back in India), where fountain pens were mandatory till grade 10th. My grandpa had a collection of esoteric pens, including inks, from all part of the world and at some point he also was an ink dealer (Lotus Inks, don't think that brand exists anymore in India). Some of it rubbed off on me. I again discovered my love for fountain pens a few months ago, and have about a dozen of 'em now (Pelikan, Karas Kustoms, Noodlers, Ranga, Kaweko, Opus 88, to name a few) . Finally, I made it to FPN! Hope to broaden my experience on this forum, and looking forward to an enjoyable time. Thanks for having me!

Hello Everyone, I am so excited to be a part of the network finally! My name is Emerson, and im an admirerer of the community first and second I've started a blog about writing instruments. I look forward to meeting you all and picking your brains about expertise and some things I just do not know. You can message me whenever you want as well. heres to new friendships!

Thanks for accepting me. Newbie trying to find my way around. Picked up some cheap pens from China. Pen shop about 50 miles away, if it is still in operation. Will have to try and visit one day. Haven't noticed anything in flea markets or antique stores.

Hi everybody! I'm just one more user and enthusiast of fountain pens! I started using them when I was a child but stopped because teachers didn't think they wouldn't be the best writing tool for me! Can you imagine?! Then, during adolescence, I rarely used them. Restarted using them at university. Stopped again when I graduated and restarted 5 years ago. And never stopped... I'm an EFL teacher, married and father of two lovely ladies. I've joined Fountain Pen Network to learn a bit more about these great writing tools. Happy writing!

Hello everyone! I am from NJ, in the USA and I've been in this hobby since 2017. I currently own 7 (6 working) pens: Lamy Al-Star (F & M nibs) Pilot Metropolitan (1.0 mm stub) Parker Vector (M, broken converter) Camlin Elegante (F) from India Jinhao X750 (M, but replaced with Goulet TWSBI Eco (EF), and Conklin Duraflex (Flex nib)I'm new to FPN and hope to have a great time on here! I have a growing ink collection and hope to expand into gold nibs soon. I'm looking at either Pilot Custom 74, Vanishing Point, or Lamy 2000. I don't know which. Maybe this forum will help me decide? Thanks for reading, cheers, and Happy Holidays!!