Losing interest in pens

[Silvermink]

I just received in the mail a package from Rotomobees (aka Rob), and when i opened the package i found the following: a pilot 2a fountain pen and a...yes...Pelikan 1931 LE Originals of Their Time fountain peN!!!!! WOW!!!!!!!!!! OMg....i will post pictures ASAP (give me a day or two). It's beautiful, gold, and, best of all, i found a pen design that i really like. So much so, in fact, that i will save up for either a pelikan 100 or bexley tea time (the Poseidon eventually). it is so beautiful, and it means so much to me.

 

Wow. That's quite a gift!

 

I realize I'm a little on the late side, but I sent a PM. I've been pondering sharing some of my own stuff - probably one of my Lamy AL-stars - with a friend who's getting into pens and was eyeing them.

 

...no, not the one I accidentally melted the feed on. :embarrassed_smile:

Edited August 20, 2009 by Silvermink

[Inka]

@ jniforat;

I'll be waiting to see your pictures and reviews of you new gifted pens!

I'd really like to see it all, your impressions, your pictures, maybe some hand-writing samples too.

Enjoy!!!

It sounds like you're as excited as I was, to get my first, my only, my NOS & unused VP Mustard.

I've been using it daily, from the time I wake up until the time I go to bed and each time it brings a big smile to my face.

When I'd first received it, opened it and saw it for the first time, this grown man of half-a-century+ was literally choking back tears of pure joy!

 

I took it with me today when my wife and I had gone to Children & Families, to try and get my Medicare/Medicaid assistance.

I need the help, was hard to humble myself enough to even ask for assistance of help for my incurable illness, so I can continue going to my doctor each month to help pay the visits, and to help pay for the meds I need to take daily.

I used it to fill out the forms they'd needed, the VP still filled with Noodler's Habanero, but I had to use a black ink pen my wife happened to have with her [a cheap, Bic "stick-pen" I call them] to sign one of them.

Now that I have my first & only VP, I will NEVER, EVER, part with it, not at any price!

I'll be carrying it with me everywhere, tucked safely inside my Pocket Jotter, that also protects the pen just like a nice leather pen case would do!

 

I feel your excitement!!!

Congrats on getting such a fine pen and then some!

[Rotomobees]

sorry for the fast reply, i'll write more in the next day or two (school is starting monday, so prepping for that).

 

I just received in the mail a package from Rotomobees (aka Rob), and when i opened the package i found the following: a pilot 2a fountain pen and a...yes...Pelikan 1931 LE Originals of Their Time fountain peN!!!!! WOW!!!!!!!!!! OMg....i will post pictures ASAP (give me a day or two). It's beautiful, gold, and, best of all, i found a pen design that i really like. So much so, in fact, that i will save up for either a pelikan 100 or bexley tea time (the Poseidon eventually). it is so beautiful, and it means so much to me.

 

i will write much, much more about my experience getting this pen, what the pen is like, and what it means to me.

 

this is the first time in a number a years (since i can remember) i have received something so nice....wow *speechless*

 

I had three of the Originals of Their Time -- I gave away a blue and the gold but kept the green. Green is my favorite color, and the pen is pretty. I'm well aware that these are expensive pens, and I was a little apprehensive giving them away not knowing if the person would appreciate their special character. I'm so glad that both recipients will enjoy their pens. My one piece of advice is to enjoy the pens you have. I don't think pens were ever supposed to be collected, even though the pen manufacturers would beg to differ and I bought into that idea for a long time. So I don't care how precious a pen might be -- they are meant to be writers, not investments. And if you lose it, break it, wear it out -- that's life and it's time to look for a new pen.

[Inka]

You should see my stuff, Rotombees, only a couple of fountain pens but a few Space Pens, many non-pen items too like vintage cameras, rare knives, other things I need to part with just as you've been doing.

Even a couple of mint-condition & vintage [click on Minox to see what I mean, "Spy Cameras", they're usually called, as seen in many James Bond movies and many others].

I take exceptional care of my "stuff", even use them all and if you ever get the chance to visit me in Florida I'll show you what I have.

The friends I've had for decades know my interest in "gadgets" and cool-stuff, they also know if they come by and see things I've had for 20-30 years they'll look good as new or close to it.

My father always taught me if I take care of the things I use, keep them clean, never lend them out [especially my tools, my knives, my firearms, or my vehicle], they could last me a lifetime and then some.

That was good advice he gave me, and has served me well since I was very, very young.

 

One of these days, should you ever get a chance to come to Florida, drop me a line first and let's do a get-together!

I'll give you a tour of my "stuff", as I would one day really like to see your "stuff" as well, that if I ever get the opportunity [and the money to get there, of course] to get out that way.

[Sailor Kenshin]

I have never fished for trout; have wanted to for years, Rainbows being especially tasty but catch-&-release would be fun too.

I had an offer @ 20+ years ago to go to Canada, to a place where even the use of barbed hooks was outlawed, strictly catch-&-release.

I really wish I had gone now, as the times I've gone fishing are among the most lasting memories [and the best] I have.

While I’ve done similar and enjoy fishing, I also like to catch, clean and eat my catch while they’re still fresh [Mmmm, tasty!].

Not much better than returning to a camp and having a fresh-catch meal at the end of a long day of fishing, it’s icing on the cake.

Thank you for sharing your stories and methodology.

 

 

I fished as a kid off the docks near my aunt's lakeside cabin and caught dozens of sunfish. Threw them all back. It was fun.

 

Not long ago I watched a couple fish off a seaside dock and catch what was probably the same fish over and over.

 

Now I need to learn how to clean and prep fish for eating. Any advice?

[Inka]

Now I need to learn how to clean and prep fish for eating. Any advice?

I could almost do this in my sleep, done it so many times.

Rather than me typing out a step-by-step How-To, I found a few useful Links by just doing a "How to clean a fish".

Here's one of many, pretty basic but it's a start...

 

http://www.ehow.com/how_2080_clean-fish.html

 

The best way for me to teach this is to be there with you.

Since that's probably not possible, YouTube is probably the best alternative, many videos on how it's done.

[Ghost Plane]

I want to hear more about the trout fishing. I'm over on the deep water side of things and it sounds like fun. So tell us, what do you use for bait, what sort of water are they found in, etc?

 

At the Gorge we use Rapala lures for the rainbows and bass, but I really don't like to catch bass. We jig for the lake trout, which are the truly big fish, some over 30 pounds. Then there are the the kokanee, which use a special lure that resembles a school of fish. All this is done in 40-200 feet of water, so we use downriggers attached to the boat to establish the right depth. Of course, we have fish finders to locate the fish and determine the right depth to troll. Sometimes we use a little bait (night crawlers or minnows), but since it interferes with action of the lure, it usually is ineffective. Finally, just below the Flaming Gorge dam is the Green River, which is a world class trout fishery. Bait is prohibited on the initial stretch of the river, so the best alternative is fly fishing using little nymph and egg patterns. This is not the elegant kind of fly fishing you see pictured with the angler gently arcing yards of line over his back, but a style called nymphing which involves dragging the flies through holes created by the action of the river's current. You have the be on a lake or a big river to that really classy stuff; I'm more of a "blue collar" fisherman.

That's fascinating in the difference from what I'm used to. The only freshwater I've really done is ticklish, being as it's for mullet, and involves the local tributaries of the St Johns, which is brackish in places since the tide runs backwards well up the river twice daily.

 

First we chum the water with bread to attract the mullet. Then you take a really fine hook, because they have small mouths, roll up a bread ball as bait, and swing it out using a bobber and cane pole so that the hook is dangling about 2 feet below the bobber.

 

When the mullet hit, you have to ease them out of the water, rather than jerking, or you lose them off those tiny hooks. A lot of folks locally split and smoke the fish, but it never lasts long enough around my house to get that far.

 

The rest is off the pier or the drift boats. Deep sea fishing rods and reels, which are heavy duty and stubbier than you're probably used to. It's bottom fishing with a heavy sinker and a rig with 2-3 hooks swinging off the line. Shrimp or chicken that's going off make great bait. Mom used to save the necks off the chicken just for this and crabbing. Sheepshead and whiting mostly. The king mackeral contest is big locally, but they're not my idea of prime eating.

 

I'm catch and release with grouper. Big, friendly puppies of fish that grow up to play with divers, so I can't face eating a friend. We've got a ban lately on snapper to let the fisheries refresh.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Now I need to learn how to clean and prep fish for eating. Any advice?

I could almost do this in my sleep, done it so many times.

Rather than me typing out a step-by-step How-To, I found a few useful Links by just doing a "How to clean a fish".

Here's one of many, pretty basic but it's a start...

 

http://www.ehow.com/how_2080_clean-fish.html

 

The best way for me to teach this is to be there with you.

Since that's probably not possible, YouTube is probably the best alternative, many videos on how it's done.

 

 

YouTube, really? Cool! Many thanks.

 

And to further threadjack, just a teeny bit, back then I caught ALL the fish. My cousins got mad at me and made me switch positions on the dock with them. I still caught all the fish. Same bait, same dinky fishin' gear, same everything. :roflmho:

[Inka]

...I caught ALL the fish. My cousins got mad at me and made me switch positions on the dock with them. I still caught all the fish. Same bait, same dinky fishin' gear, same everything. :roflmho:

Hehehe, been there.

I used to go to golf courses after midnight, fishing for large mouth bass with friends.

Using just rubber worms on jig-heads I'd catch and release some whoppers, my friends would come screaming to where I was fishing to try and hit the sweet-spots without success.

It's semi-annoying when you find a nice spot, someone sees you catching fish, and then they crowded around trying to take over your spot.

It's somewhat a relief when they do so and catch nothing, not being selfish as I have no problems sharing; it's just that a hot fishing spot being over taken by others disturbs the peace of the moment.

I can relate, wanting them to be successful too but hey, taking over and/or invading my personal space just felt downright rude.

They got their come-upins, I reckon, since had they just remained where they were the fish would have most likely come right to them, hehehe...

[Ghost Plane]

Ah, but that's part of the zen of fishing. Those of us who catch the whoppers when no one else is, do so because we're enjoying the moment. What radiates down the line from us is calm and serenity, leading the fish to bite. The people who are "determined" are impatient and that translates to the other end of the line.

[mel1j]

I once was a rabid collector of fountain pens. And I mean rabid -- I have well over a thousand pens: hundreds of Pilots, Sailors, Platinums, Viscontis, Kawecos, Pelikans, and other high-end pens. I probably have one of the largest collections of Vanishing Points in the country -- well over a 150. I once got on a kick of collecting Esterbrook desk sets. I have them in every color and shape. But I've suddenly lost interest in my pens and pen collecting. I cannot understand why my interests have changed. Maybe I have too many pens. Perhaps I should sell them and focus on one brand. Even though fountain pens have lost their sparkle, I have yet to bring myself to part with any. So, have any other pen collectors had a similar experience?

 

 

Hi, I am a new memeber in the UK, and a new collector to fountain pens. I get very excited when I am able to get a new pen and take a great deal of pleasure in every one. I think it is amazing what you are doing and someday I hope to have a collection as vast and huge as yours!

[McPete]

I've been quietly lurking in the background here, watching this thread, and I must say, I'm amazed. A lot of the pens you're giving away are just so "up there" that I can't even fathom buying them myself!

 

I do know the feeling of just "loosing" a hobby... It happened to me with model aircraft. On shelves directly above my head, there are nine aircraft, all electrically powered or gliders in various states of assembly, from ready to fly to still in the box... Some of which are no longer available. My Zaggi F-22 Raptor slope soarer, for example. All really great planes, but... I don't know, I just don't care much for it anymore. I really don't know what do do with all these planes. Unfortunately, model airplanes are a little bit more awkward to mail than fountain pens! Especially the 1.8 metre wingspan .40 glow-conversion... It's huge!

The drop from that hobby was sudden- between me starting and finishing the final part of my high school education, I stopped flying the planes. Since then, riding bicycles, and since last Christmas, fountain pens and mechanical pencils have filled the gap it's left.

 

I'm with you on the giving being better than receiving- Just a few days ago, I gave a friend a bottle of Skrip King's Gold- He's just getting into pens, with his heart set on a Lamy Al-Star.

I'd been sending him links to various ink reviews on this very website, and he took a real shine to King's Gold. I found two bottles of the stuff in a newsagent in central Wollongong, and seeing as I'm not likely to ever use the stuff at any great length, I thought I might as well share it around!

 

Sorry for the long and rambling post!

Peter

[harun]

I still can't believe the quality of pens people have been lucky enough to receive. Although you may find them somewhere a little cheap, the postage always just offsets any gain. It's like the books I buy online, a dollar maybe for the book, but 12.95 p&h. But I always capitulate and just get it. I have been using a fountain pen that I bought after so much agonising, Inoxcrom that was $45. It's beautifully made, but the writing experience hasn't been that good, the line feels thick and although it is my first fountain pen, maybe im imagining it, it seems scratchy. Yes I know I can be oevercritical ....So I've been hunting for something better, but it's scary business, I don't want to spend my hard-saved dollars and have a massive let down. I haven't had much experience with fountains pens. But I have been doing a lot of research and reading on the forum, i decided to order a Hero pen. I know I know, I should have just taken a risk with something like a Pilot or Lamy.....or something bigger and better....but one is always afraid of losing.....Anyway it's good that people are so genorous, it's a brilliant way to be the recipient of something good, that way you don't have to go through a lot of pain to figuring things out, someone who has bought a few pens knows them well and can tell you what will work well. Hope this carries on....

 

p.s. if anyone finds any giveways can you drop a pm :embarrassed_smile:

[McPete]

Harun;

 

I found with my Inoxcroms that the nibs can be a little mis-aligned when you first get them, straighten them out (duck over to the repair forum for more in-depth information on that) and a bit of writing will sort them out- mine produce what I'd describe the stroke width as a Parker/Sheaffer Fine or Lamy Extra-fine line.

 

Stick with them, they're good pens!

Peter

[Lachesis]

+1 on the Inoxcroms. they handle abuse quite well, for day-to-day writing. I used to have one before I gave it to a friend who was a FP convert.

 

Lachesis

[harun]

Is the inoxcrom your main pen? What other ones do you use? Which one is your favorite? What kind of paper do you use? I think my paper is not good, I just use ordinary notebooks, and Quink. Does the ink make significant difference?

[Ghost Plane]

Is the inoxcrom your main pen? What other ones do you use? Which one is your favorite? What kind of paper do you use? I think my paper is not good, I just use ordinary notebooks, and Quink. Does the ink make significant difference?

Ink can make a huge difference. For example, Noodler's Apache Sunset is incredible in its shading, yet it will make many pens feel as if they're dragging dry across paper. Private Reserve's Tanzanite is a lovely shade, but gushes freely, to the point dry pens act like wet writers.

 

The same goes for papers. Some are so absorbent, it's like writing on toilet paper. Others float the ink on top so that it never dries. And others, the brands you see raved about on her, are pretty much perfect for almost all nibs and inks.

[harun]

What's a good all-rounder? What would you recommend? I am ebarrased to say this but my disposable fountain pilot writes smoother than my fountain pen, it just seems to glide...

[Sailor Kenshin]

What's a good all-rounder? What would you recommend? I am ebarrased to say this but my disposable fountain pilot writes smoother than my fountain pen, it just seems to glide...

 

 

You're not alone in this. I love the disposable pilots and forays....

[Ghost Plane]

What's a good all-rounder? What would you recommend? I am ebarrased to say this but my disposable fountain pilot writes smoother than my fountain pen, it just seems to glide...

My usual favorites for start pens would be the Waterman Phileas for a traditional nib and a good, user-grade Waterman Carene for an inlaid nib and glorious writing experience.