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Hello! I have come to all of you for assistance, dear pen friends! I have been on the search for the perfect Blue-Black, one that behaves well on poor paper, one that doesn’t fade(like Salix), one that has a nice, saturated colour, and one that doesn’t make your nib size larger. (like Noodler’s 54th Massachusetts from what I have read) Thank you for all your help in advance! Cheers, Ian

I graduated from college recently and started using fountain pens almost a year ago, and reading between the lines on FPN, I *think* this makes me one of the younger people on this forum. I'm curious to know if your kids, nephews, nieces, grandchildren, etc. also use and hopefully love fountain pens. Alternatively, are there any other people here who are in their twenties or teens?

Hello! I am a student in year 10. My senior years are coming up, and I have had a huge problem with my handwriting speed. So basically, I was researching around for handwriting speed tips or how to write faster or ANYTHING that could help me improve at all and I found that people like Nonsensical can write 'the quick brown fox jumped swiftly over the lazy dog' in 10 - 12 seconds, with very neat and legible writing . All I can write at the moment is at max 24 - 27 words per minute under exam conditions. But to be honest, its not good enough at all. My handwriting is legible, and I've been holding the pen correctly since primary school but I simply cannot write fast enough to finish my exam papers or take down notes in class. We don't use fountain pens in school, only ballpoint pens and that is what I want to stick to at the moment, but I wanted to hit 40 -50 words. When I try to write as fast as I can for 1 minute periods, I can hit 30 words but then my wrist gets all cramped up when I try to maintain it. I think my writing motion may be incorrect as well. Does anyone have any tips, handwriting suggestions or links to other places where I can improve? I'm not really interested in adapting any shorthand techniques or dropping the 'e' while writing because I need to be able to write in English exams with my writing and I can't be accidentally leaving out an 'e' here and there or writing in a language that my teachers cannot understand. I do have till the end of the year to try practice and improve before it will start heavily impacting my grades. And one more thing, I don't mind writing in cursive or print, I'm happy to learn any as long as they will be effective and fast in exams Please help! Thank you

So I just found out that it is more economical to buy Diamine ink than the usual Parker ink I buy. I ordered Eau de Nil based on well reviews and I enjoy the color. Are there any other inks that could suit a student's standards. I am using a Lamy Al-Star with an Extra Fine nib. Paper, well, it's paper. Suggestions?

In the process of browsing the various threads of FPN, I have noticed that there are quite a few active users who are teachers. What are your favorite teaching pens, and what purpose do they each serve? In my middle school math classes I regularly use: - Pilot Frixion 0.5 - Blue Black is my favorite, but I like having a variety of colors to use under the document camera. Explaining a concept can be so much clearer when I have different colors for different parts and have the ability to erase my mistakes cleanly. http://www.jetpens.com/Pilot-FriXion-Ball-Knock-Retractable-Gel-Ink-Pen-0.5-mm-Blue-Black/pd/6798 - Zebra Sharbo LT3 - This multi pen stays with me everywhere I go. As a math teacher I need to have both a pencil and a pen with me at all times. This one gives clean crisp lines in a compact package. Plus, unlike most mechanical pencils, the feed tube on this retracts completely. http://www.jetpens.com/Zebra-Sharbo-X-LT3-Pen-Body-Component-Cobalt-Blue/pd/9828 - Lamy Safari EF - My first non-disposable fountain pen is my go-to grader. The extra fine nib allows me to write in corrections and comments even when the kids forget to skip lines. The inconspicuous colors don't attract sticky fingers and the low cost (as far as fountain pens go) won't turn me into a rage monster if the pen walks away from my desk. http://www.jetpens.com/Lamy-Safari-Fountain-Pen-Extra-Fine-Nib-Charcoal-Black-Body-Black-Clip/pd/1937 Teachers, what are your go-to pens? Thanks, Mr. Gould