One Pen One Month Challenge

[sandy101]

There are a lot of one month challenges to do with writing. There's correspondence month (February), Poetry month (April) and Novel writing month (November).

 

So I am suggesting a one pen month challenge. The general idea is that you choose one pen from your collection - and use that pen and that pen only for your ink writing for a month. Now, obviously exclusions would apply - if you need two inks (teacher or accountant) then different inks are allowed - but pencil can also work as a substitute.

 

At the end of the month, you can give us a little report on how you did, and we might see trends or not. Do different filling systems provide a different experience over time, are the pens more reliable if used daily, rather than in a weekly rotation - do modern pens offer the same experience of vintage or not? Carrying the pen is going to be another thing to consider - so if you don't want to be carrying your valuable MB WE around with you - select a different pen.

 

Of course it is a rather light hearted challenge - and data will be anecdotal, and participation is entirely voluntary. We might get an appreciation of the benefits and frustrations of the one person one pen era many of us talk about.

 

The question is, which month should we go for? I was thinking July or August as the summer is when I tend to use my pens more for postcards and such like - Waterman South Seas Blue and summer seem to be made for each other. If we go for August you can time your refills so you don't have pens sitting with ink in them for an entire month.

 

Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions? Maybe suggest a month and which pen you would like to do the challenge with, and see what develops from there.

 

I think August would be good and I'm going to use a MB146.

[chromantic]

Sounds like fun, I'm game. And August gives a long enough lead time to get ready.

[BillH]

That may be a tough one. I'm growing to love broad nibs in large pens with shading ink but on Sunday morning I need a Japanese EF and a dry ink for making sermon notes in the Bible margins... such a dilemma! Can I have the same exception the accountants get? "Please teacher, I promise to only use the big one all the rest of the time."

[thygreyt]

I'm game

Edited April 24, 2017 by Reed_thoughts

[Moonshae]

This sounds neat. I'm going on a fishing trip in August for my dad's 70th birthday, so I'll have to bring something I can either carry on the boat or safely leave in our room.

 

Count me in!

[ManofKent]

I saw the title and thought it was only buy one pen a month, and thought I'd struggle with that

 

It's a great idea - I've done similar things with using a single camera lens.

[TheYellowHobbit]

I saw the title and thought it was only buy one pen a month, and thought I'd struggle with that

 

Me, too!

[BillH]

I saw the title and thought it was only buy one pen a month, and thought I'd struggle with that

 

It's a great idea - I've done similar things with using a single camera lens.

 

 

If I had a buck for every time I pondered only buying one pen per month I'd be able to buy another pen I think I even made noises about trying to go "Pen of the Quarter" this year... that AIN'T happening... sigh

[deepak23]

One pen one ink down from my current 11 pens 10 inks (2 pens have BSB)... Not a chance... I'll pass...

[sandy101]

That may be a tough one. I'm growing to love broad nibs in large pens with shading ink but on Sunday morning I need a Japanese EF and a dry ink for making sermon notes in the Bible margins... such a dilemma! Can I have the same exception the accountants get? "Please teacher, I promise to only use the big one all the rest of the time."

 

We're not going to send the Ball Point Squad around to your house if you use more than 1 pen.

 

If folk needed two pens for a particular job (such as accountants), they had two pens. You can judge for yourself what you need, but the idea is to limit yourself to the minimum and see what happens. For example, do you find yourself using the pen more? Do pencils (which are allowed) become more useful? And living with it for a month might reveal characteristics that you enjoy or hate.

 

You don't have to pick a favourite.

[oregano]

I'm game too. Now just have to pick which pen. I usually use 1-3 pens per month so curious how I'll feel about using just one fountain pen. Not to complicate things, but I'm assuming we can still use other types of pens like rollerballs occasionally, if one uses other pens?!

[DavidHL]

I like this idea. You are right, one will be able to really acknowledge what we like and don't like from the pen.

 

I am game.

[Inksomnia]

This would be super interesting to try. Normally all my fountain pens(20) are inked up and I use them. Recently I have been trying to finish all my fountain pens. This would be fun challenge to try after all are finished.

[sirgilbert357]

This sounds miserable, lol. I like the idea of it, but in reality, I know I couldn't do it. Each pen has a dedicated ink and I can't imagine writing with ONE INK for a whole month across the broad spectrum of things I use all of my pens for. I wish you all luck, but I'll have to pass!

[sharonspens]

I keep one pen inked with the same ink for a year; I always have others inked, too, but this year's combo is a Platinum 3776 Yamanaka, F nib, with Iroshizuku Fuyu-gaki ink. So I would do one of two things - either go with that pen alone for the month, or choose a second pen and ink for the pen designated to this particular month. I'm in a demonstrator mood, so the second choice would probably be my Pilot 92, with a somewhat more conservative ink (currently using BunguBox Ink of the Witch in it).

 

Sharon in Indiana

[Bo Bo Olson]

No. I was at 7 headed for 5...so I can use more ink, when my wife bought me three new inks....then I bought Smokey Quartz and five Kaweco inks....a pen came back from repair and suddenly I have twenty pens with some ink in them.

Two are getting close to empty....leaving 18.

[ac12]

I pass.

Today, I have tooooo many pens inked to do that, and I've got the multi ink/pen as part of my routine.

 

5 years ago, it would have been easy. 1 pen (Parker 51) + 1 ink (Parker Quink black).

[almoore]

I'm in. Now for the hard part - which pen ☺

[Mannyonpil]

i don't know that I could do this. I will take it into consideration.

[Arkanabar]

I suppose I could do this, come August. I do something similar for Lent and Advent. I could do it with my Dad's Parker "51", my M200, my M400, a Hero 616, or even the Noodler's eyedropper. I'd fret about any of the c/c pens running dry before the end of the day.