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Hello everybody! I am new to this forum and to fountain pens, and just ordered an Opus 88 Demonstrator after long research. I bought it in Italy online shop, it is cheaper than German. It will arrive next week, hopefully Main selling point (next to the appealing to me design) was it has #6 JoWo nibs, which apperently can be exchanged. Which #6 nib can I choose with line variations to write German shorthand (Steno system "DEK")? It uses thicker lines on downstrokes to indicate vowels, which are done by applying pressure on the downstrokes and dots. But just on selected downstrokes and dots, not on every like the calligraphy nibs. In official court rooms and German parliament they usually write it with softer pencils (making thicker lines by more pressure on the pencil), but I don't like pencils and look for a work-around to be done using fountain pens. Example please refer to the added image, thank you. I know there are like 30 year old dedicated Pelikan Steno pens, but they are too small for me and use cartridges/converter, so out of the choice for me (also, I think they are ugly, sorry Pelikan 😔, your other pens are great however and beautiful) Thank you for your recommendations!

Hello, I am new to the fountain pen world, but have just learned shorthand am tired of problems with ball point pens. I bought me a Noodlers Ahab Pearl and now must get ink. I want something waterproof, a friendly black, something to dry fast, something that wont feather and penetrate too deep, but very readable. What are some recommendations for me? I know nothing about ink. Thanks in advance! -Heber

I realize this is probably an esoteric subject, but I was wondering if anyone knew of good online Teeline shorthand resources or classes that they have used, or any tricks they've used for learning Teeline? I'm just starting out with Teeline. In the states, Gregg is more common but I just can't master the loops and can't read it after I wrote it - far better luck with Teeline, but my speed is atrocious. Maybe that's ok since I'm just starting. I've been using the Teeline Gold Coursebook and Teeline Shorthand Made Simple books. For what it's worth I've been using Fine to Extra Fine nibs for the shorthand, and just got a needlepoint from Franklin Christoph at the Philly Pen Show... I find that the broader nibs don't work so well, as the subtle differences between letters might be masked... a "S" might just appear as a blob - same for "A" or "E" or "I". One weakness I know I have is a tendency to write small and use section or narrow rule - that may be my worst enemy here. Whatever help you can provide is appreciated!

I found the coolest notebook holder. I got back into doing shorthand again this year after a long absence from it, and am now teaching it to my son as a note-taking tool as well. I found these wonderful steno pad holders by Tactical Notebook Covers that are just perfect for note-takers who are always on-the-go. The larger one holds a 6"x9" steno pad and 5 pens, plus it has inner and outer pockets that are perfect for holding whatever else I need, including my pocket shorthand dictionary. It's one of the best practical tools that I've come across in a long time. We just love ours! It's lightweight, and quite frankly, I'd rather carry this around than a purse! Their covers come in different sizes, not just steno pad size. I bought two of their 6"x9" steno pad holders. I haven't had them long enough to comment on durability, but as the company seems to create these holders for military and law enforcement, I think the durability is probably a given. (By the way, I have no affiliation with the company whatsoever... I happened to find them on Amazon originally when I was shopping for fountain pen-friendly steno pads.) Here are photos of mine. Front of the holder, with optional customized removable embroidered name tape (which attaches with velcro): Inside view of the pen holder (which is covered with a velcro flap to keep the pens safely inside -- there are 5 elastic loops inside the pen pocket to hold the pens snug... but there is plenty of extra room in there for additional items, too); also, here's a view of the inner pocket with a clear cover (good for holding reference materials, like shorthand brief forms!): Inside view of the steno pad holder (a zipper closes this section): View of inner pocket: Inside tag of the manufacturer: View of the back outside pocket, which closes with a zipper (perfect for my pocket shorthand dictionary!): This is just perfect for taking along to classes for note-taking... everything is all ready to go and perfectly accessible when I need it. There is plenty of extra room for the usual pen-related goodies (ink cartridges or whatever else you need). I definitely give the product two thumbs up!

I ask this out of idle curiosity. Personally, I don't know any form of shorthand, and don't intend trying to learn. The train of thought was set off by contemplating all the notebooks I've filled with things that have little lasting value, even for me. Then I was reading how Samuel Pepys, whose 17th century diaries are now considered historically significant, kept them in a form of shorthand which was well known in his time, Shelton's Tachygraphy. That saved paper, and gave them a measure of security from people who hadn't learned that form of shorthand. So, does anyone keep their personal journal in shorthand, say Gregg or some other known method? Do you find a fountain pen (or dip pen) better suited for this than a ballpoint or rollerball? Does it save a great deal of paper? Just curious.

I got back into doing shorthand again this year, after 30+ years of neglect! That led me on a search for steno pads that would work with fountain pen ink. Here are two that have worked for me: Ampad Pastel Orchid Steno Pad and Skilcraft Bagasse Steno Book. Both are Gregg-ruled (which means 3 spaces per inch). Ampad Pastel Steno Pad -- Orchid ($13.99 for a 4-pack on Amazon -- free shipping if you have Prime) The sheets are supposed to be orchid in color, but they look more like a light blue to me. The sheets are quite thick and have next to no show-through. The ink does not feather. It looks like this company makes a Dusty Rose pad, too, though I have not tested it. Colored sheets are always a nice option. The writing sample below shows Noodler's Heart of Darkness, written with a Jinhao 599 EF nib (this pen writes more like a medium, though). You can see how much show-through is on the sheet, though in this scan it looks a little more pronounced than it is in reality. I don't have a problem with writing on both sides of the sheet. This product is made in Mexico. Skilcraft Bagasse Steno Book ($15.49 for a 6 pack + free shipping at Paper Clips Etc.) The Skilcraft pad has sugarcane paper, and so far as I know, it is the only steno pad available that has sugarcane paper. The sheets are quite thin (16 lb.) so there is a some show-through. For practicing shorthand I don't find the show-through too bothersome-- I'm not sure I'd want to write someone a letter using both sides, however. The degree of show-through for Skilcraft falls in between what you'll find with Office Depot's Sugar Cane Notebooks (which is basically unfit for fountain pen inks) and Staples Sustainable Earth Notebooks (which has minimal show-through). Some may find Skilcraft to have a little too much show-through for their needs. The ink performs quite well on it otherwise, without feathering. The writing sample below was done with Noodler's Heart of Darkness and Noodler's Bad Blue Heron, with Sheaffer Gregg Writer and Jinhao 599 fountain pens. As an aside for the Skilcraft pad, the sales of this paper benefit the blind, so you can feel good about buying this American product for not only helping the Arkansas LIghthouse for the Blind, but also for saving trees. So of all the steno pads I have tested, these two perform the best with fountain pen ink and I would gladly buy both products again. I've also tested the Staples Steno Book, Staples Graph Ruled Steno Book, and Tops Docket with blue paper, and they all show through far too heavily on the back side of the sheet for fountain pen ink. But they're perfectly fine for ballpoint pens.

Below is a video showing Pitman 2000 with a Noodler’s Flex pen. Please watch it before replying so you get a sense of what the shorthand system looks like. ààà https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgqimduDWd8 ßßß I bought an Ahab, Konrad, and a Creeper and they only work okay for Pitman shorthand. Part of the issue is the reliability of these DIY pens. I don’t feel comfortable carrying around a Noodler’s flex pen because they are simply not as reliable as the Pilot pens I usually favor. I've had my Ahab/Konrad/Creeper dry out mid-sentence as well as burp up ink randomly when writing/shaken. Pitman 2000 shorthand requires a fine, semi-flexible nib. The Pitman system revolves around differentiating between light and heavy strokes of the same character (e.g. P and B share the same stroke “ \ ” but B is a heavier stroke "\"). You also need to be able to flex/make a heavier line diagonally (an upward stroke like “/”) and in half circles (like the bottom of a U). I’m worried that the Falcon nib and Falcon (pen) are not designed to be flexed diagonally or in half circles –I’ve read that the nibs will cut the paper if you flex in any direction other than DOWN. I currently have a Custom 91 with a soft fine medium nib and it can be challenging to tell the light strokes from the heavy strokes when I am writing. That said, I have no trouble flexing the nib diagonally up and down as well as in half circles. But I would like a pen that can write with a fine line (not needle point) and can be flexed ever so much in every direction so I can tell the difference between a light stroke and a heavier stroke. Which Pilot fountain pen would work better for Pitman 2000 shorthand? · Pilot Custom 91 – Soft Fine nib · Pilot Custom 74 – Falcon Nib · Namiki Falcon – Fine nib · Pilot Justus 95 – Fine nib I’m hoping to stay with a Pilot pen so I can share ink cartridges (refilled with a syringe) with my Vanishing Point At this point, some of you may be thinking I should look at vintage flex pens. After all, they were designed to be flexed. However, I have thought about this and am generally ruling them out. First, I don't need full flex wet noodle or even a true flex pen. All I need to be able to is differentiate between a light and heavier stroke. So I don't NEED a vintage flex pen.Second, I need reliability in an office environment. I gesture a lot when I am talking and I've had pens (the Noodler's ones especially) burp ink randomly/when sharply gestured. I also can't afford to have ink burps or inky hands in the middle of a meeting. I'm not entirely sure if ALL vintage pens burp ink when shaken but I do have an older,quite flexy Pelikan Celebry that reliably burps ink when jolted forward. My Vanishing Point, Safari, Pelikan M205, Parker 51 do not burp ink in similar situations. Third, I want to stick to a cartridge converter system. (I can hear the piston purists crying softly). Again, I work in an office environment and I need to be able to change inks in the middle of a meeting. A TWSBI inkpot might be viable for desk filling but I'm definitely not going to bust one out in a meeting! So I think that also nixes vintage flex pens, as most of them (I think) use a ink sac filling system. If you have a recommendation for another pen, please share why you think it is better suited. I'm open to suggestions. Thanks! (P.S. Check out Pitman 2000 shorthand. It’s pretty neat and uses phonetic spelling versus symbols based Gregg shorthand)

If only it weren't so small. I love writing with this pen.