fountain pen taboos - don't enter if you're easily offended

[Vladimir]

Why all these elaborate Sheaffer filling systems more mortals cannot repair?

 

When Parker ditched the vacumatic system and introduced the beautiful and simple aerometric, Sheaffer released Touchdown, Snorkels, and other overengineered monstrosities. Today at least nine out of ten aeromatic P51-s still work flawlessly.

 

 

Why all these elaborate Sheaffer filling systems more mortals cannot repair?

 

When Parker ditched the vacumatic system and introduced the beautiful and simple aerometric, Sheaffer released Touchdown, Snorkels, and other overengineered monstrosities. Today at least nine out of ten aeromatic P51-s still work flawlessly.

 

 

I must confess that I do not like snorkels. They are ugly and over complicated.

 

 

 

 

Can someone please, for the love of all that anyone has ever held dear, explain to me what is a snorkel, vacumatic, aeromatic, etc, etc, etc???

 

So far I have only ever used cartridges and EDs...

[Mille]

Why all these elaborate Sheaffer filling systems more mortals cannot repair?

 

When Parker ditched the vacumatic system and introduced the beautiful and simple aerometric, Sheaffer released Touchdown, Snorkels, and other overengineered monstrosities. Today at least nine out of ten aeromatic P51-s still work flawlessly.

 

 

Why all these elaborate Sheaffer filling systems more mortals cannot repair?

 

When Parker ditched the vacumatic system and introduced the beautiful and simple aerometric, Sheaffer released Touchdown, Snorkels, and other overengineered monstrosities. Today at least nine out of ten aeromatic P51-s still work flawlessly.

 

 

I must confess that I do not like snorkels. They are ugly and over complicated.

 

 

 

 

Can someone please, for the love of all that anyone has ever held dear, explain to me what is a snorkel, vacumatic, aeromatic, etc, etc, etc???

 

So far I have only ever used cartridges and EDs...

 

Ah! And what about these people who cannot learn the basics of the filling mechanisms?

 

No, seriously, your question is very valid. They are build in ways of filling and storing the ink in the pen. To do this the manufacturs have invented different way to accomplish this, mechanically or magimechanically they have used underpressure, over pressure, or a simple screw mechanism. The question is simply to complex to answer in this thread as it would be OffT, and by me as I am OffC.

 

What is an ED?

 

I suggest you start a thread asking this question!

Edited March 17, 2010 by Mille

[Sharkle]

I needed to jot a quick note and reached past a shaefer with a leaking sac, a Parker with a displaced feed, and a waterman that drips and plucked a pilot varsity from the coffee cup on my desk. It had been there unused for over a year but smoothly put ink to paper.

 

If only all my pens could duplicate the quality and reliability of my $2 varsity.

 

 

:embarrassed_smile: Just one of the reasons I hate it when people ask me how much my pen cost . . .

 

But thank goodness for any pen that delivers out-of-the-box greatness, right? What a variable experience that is around here!

 

 

 

Edited because I can't resist doing it (There really was a typo)

Edited March 17, 2010 by Sharkle

[falika]

Vanishing Points! I can't use them, hate the clip, my hand just won't allow me to write properly with them and I can't understand how anyone else can. And I really want to, I do, I love the Pilot fine nib, love the convenience of an open close button, but I just can't write with one.

[Vladimir]

Why all these elaborate Sheaffer filling systems more mortals cannot repair?

 

When Parker ditched the vacumatic system and introduced the beautiful and simple aerometric, Sheaffer released Touchdown, Snorkels, and other overengineered monstrosities. Today at least nine out of ten aeromatic P51-s still work flawlessly.

 

 

Why all these elaborate Sheaffer filling systems more mortals cannot repair?

 

When Parker ditched the vacumatic system and introduced the beautiful and simple aerometric, Sheaffer released Touchdown, Snorkels, and other overengineered monstrosities. Today at least nine out of ten aeromatic P51-s still work flawlessly.

 

 

I must confess that I do not like snorkels. They are ugly and over complicated.

 

 

 

 

Can someone please, for the love of all that anyone has ever held dear, explain to me what is a snorkel, vacumatic, aeromatic, etc, etc, etc???

 

So far I have only ever used cartridges and EDs...

 

Ah! And what about these people who cannot learn the basics of the filling mechanisms?

 

No, seriously, your question is very valid. They are build in ways of filling and storing the ink in the pen. To do this the manufacturs have invented different way to accomplish this, mechanically or magimechanically they have used underpressure, over pressure, or a simple screw mechanism. The question is simply to complex to answer in this thread as it would be OffT, and by me as I am OffC.

 

What is an ED?

 

I suggest you start a thread asking this question!

 

Yes I think I will start a thread asking that question! Will you comment on that? LOL

 

An ED is an eyedropper filler, where the barrel of the pen is used as the ink reservoir. A free ED filler pen comes with certain bottles of Noodler's ink (a converted Platinum Preppy). It's quite a cool pen in my mind, and since using the free one that came with Noodler's Legal Lapis, I have bought and converted 6 Preppys to ED fillers.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Is like in the first times of mobile phones when the few people affluent enough to have one, placed them first thing on the table at a restaurant and made some calls to be sure that everybody around notice them.

 

 

I once had a meeting with a guy like that.

 

 

:ltcapd:

[bushido]

the fact you're using a fountain pen instead of a gel pen or a felt tip pen speaks volumes about how much care and thought you put into a writing instrument. you want to be different from the masses. don't tell me you're only thinking about function. there's beauty and elegance to the fountain pen----and there's beauty and elegance to a work of art fountain pen (such as a maki-e), only doubly so. guess what, these beautiful pens because of the workmanship that goes into them will be expensive. nothing to do with status. everything to do with happiness.

[WendyNC]

 

- ever since they started showing up adorning folks who wouldn't know a fountain pen from a pig pen.

 

 

 

This is such a great line.

 

I'd really like the "shipped in a piece of PVC pipe" option with a concomitant savings on packaging and shipping costs. I have no quibble with those who like the boxes, but I'm not one of them.

[Sailor Kenshin]

the fact you're using a fountain pen instead of a gel pen or a felt tip pen speaks volumes about how much care and thought you put into a writing instrument. you want to be different from the masses. don't tell me you're only thinking about function. there's beauty and elegance to the fountain pen----and there's beauty and elegance to a work of art fountain pen (such as a maki-e), only doubly so. guess what, these beautiful pens because of the workmanship that goes into them will be expensive. nothing to do with status. everything to do with happiness.

 

 

I really care nothing about being different from 'the masses.' I AM one of 'the masses.'

 

My love for fountain pens probably stems from my history as an artist and my search for the perfect drawing medium. Then later, writing medium.

 

AND I also use gel and felt tips. No fountain pens for me on the road, unless it's something like a Varsity.

[Feanor]

Can someone please, for the love of all that anyone has ever held dear, explain to me what is a snorkel, vacumatic, aeromatic, etc, etc, etc???

 

So far I have only ever used cartridges and EDs...

 

Richard binder has a very useful and comprehensive list of filling systems on his website.

[duofoldguy]

Where do you buy an Edison nib and feed "OFF THE SHELF".!???????!!!!!!!!.also, there is much speak of not commenting on pens that people don't own or have never used??????????

Thanks

I've written with a Edison nib at the NY Pen show. It wrote nicely, but nothing spectacular. Off the shelf as in it bears the dreaded IPG markings.

I had 4 Hero 329s. Two had bad nibs. One had a great nib, but the filler guard detached leaving the pen as a bulb filler. The 4th one had funky nib hood alignment

 

When you tried the Edison, was there any scratchiness or teeth?

[eric47]

the fact you're using a fountain pen instead of a gel pen or a felt tip pen speaks volumes about how much care and thought you put into a writing instrument. you want to be different from the masses. don't tell me you're only thinking about function. there's beauty and elegance to the fountain pen----and there's beauty and elegance to a work of art fountain pen (such as a maki-e), only doubly so. guess what, these beautiful pens because of the workmanship that goes into them will be expensive. nothing to do with status. everything to do with happiness.

 

I use various "writing instruments", usually whichever I find best suits the task at hand without much fuss. So I use along with fountain pens, rollerballs, ballpoint pens, mechanical pens, etc. I have don't have a problem with using any of them, I haven't drunk the FP kool-aid and haven't gone militant against any of the others.

[Mille]

the fact you're using a fountain pen instead of a gel pen or a felt tip pen speaks volumes about how much care and thought you put into a writing instrument. you want to be different from the masses. don't tell me you're only thinking about function. there's beauty and elegance to the fountain pen----and there's beauty and elegance to a work of art fountain pen (such as a maki-e), only doubly so. guess what, these beautiful pens because of the workmanship that goes into them will be expensive. nothing to do with status. everything to do with happiness.

 

I do not care a s--t about being different from other people. I use them because I like them, and if other people like them too it is good.

[Bill]

I've written with a Edison nib at the NY Pen show. It wrote nicely, but nothing spectacular. Off the shelf as in it bears the dreaded IPG markings.

 

 

Okay, I'm looking for those dreaded IPG markings...

 

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm82/spanielgang/pens/brocktonnib4378.jpg

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm82/spanielgang/pens/pearl_2_3993.jpg

[Garageboy]

http://pencraftonline.com/page.cfm/Fountain-Nibs Right here on the steel ones?

For the record they're nice smooth nibs

[bushido]

how some people see montblancs as mere status symbols. they claim expertise over novices who indeed view it that way, but in fact they are also uninitiated. mb pens are superlative writing instruments. can you buy cheaper pens that do a lot of what they can do? sure. but can you buy cheaper pens and expect the same writing experience? heck no.

[georges zaslavsky]

I seriously dislike Waterman of the post 1995 years, the nib are as hard as nails and the customer service very poor.

Parker is not what it used to be, the customer service is really poor and the nibs are horribly stiff.

Delta their nibs are stiff and their reliability is very average.

Ferrari Da Varese horribly overpriced pens with no soul.

[georges zaslavsky]

how some people see montblancs as mere status symbols. they claim expertise over novices who indeed view it that way, but in fact they are also uninitiated. mb pens are superlative writing instruments. can you buy cheaper pens that do a lot of what they can do? sure. but can you buy cheaper pens and expect the same writing experience? heck no.

I agree and buying a mb is like buying a rolex, people who are knowledgeable about watches know what they are buying.

[lovemy51]

http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n419/peterpaul_rguez/montblanc-meisterstuck-pen.jpg

http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n419/peterpaul_rguez/image.jpg

[docsamson]

1) Don't like stiff nibs. It's not a fountain pen unless it flexes.

 

2) Japanese pens are superior to European.