My Writing Has Degenerated

[lindamarie]

Hello! I'm lindamarie from Kentucky, USA. I promise that I learned to write -- and used a fountain pen years ago. But as I've gotten "older", I think I need to make some adjustments! Glad to be here!

[mhguda]

Hi, and welcome to the network. This, as you've probably guessed, is a place for people who like to talk about things nobody else cares about - their fountainpens, the ink they use in them, the paper they use them on... and the result of all that productivity.

Sometimes we even share. Feel free to wander, and look around... there's lots to look at. Enjoy - we're kindred spirits.

[OCArt]

Welcome to our little corner of the universe from a pen user in San Diego.

[lindamarie]

Hi, and welcome to the network. This, as you've probably guessed, is a place for people who like to talk about things nobody else cares about - their fountainpens, the ink they use in them, the paper they use them on... and the result of all that productivity.

Sometimes we even share. Feel free to wander, and look around... there's lots to look at. Enjoy - we're kindred spirits.

Thank you. I hope I don't sound too goofy. I'm really just thinking I'd like to get acquainted with some quality pens... I've already spent way too much money on pens my grandkids like to use for "artwork""... hahaha

[lindamarie]

Welcome to our little corner of the universe from a pen user in San Diego.

Thank you!

[JotterAddict62]

Welcome and enjoy exploring the site.

 

What pen brand do you favor?

[abstract49]

Kind of like the old question, "How do you get to Carnegie Hall?" to which the answer is , "Practice, practice, practice."

 

Seriously, my handwriting has gone from bad to worse to difficult to illegible. Then I took up fountain pens again and made a conscious effort to improve. It takes practice, and progress is not always apparent (ask some of my pen pals!), but it will be there if you want to work at it.

 

Try different pens, different barrel and section diameters, different weights, different nibs and feeds, different inks, different papers. Each element really does make a difference.

[PAKMAN]

Hello and Welcome to FPN!! Glad to have you as a member!!

[northstar]

Hello and welcome to FPN.

[Chrissy]

Hello and welcome to FPN.

[jar]

Welcome home. Pull up a stump and set a spell.

[ThomasB]

Hello and welcome from Baton Rouge, Louisiana...Enjoy your time here

[mitto]

Greetings and welcome to FPN.

[Henricum_Tropen]

Hello Lindamarie and welcome to FPN, from Cape Town, South Africa.

[Wahl]

[Joe in Seattle]

At 72 my writing isn’t what it was at 12 or 42. I write for at least an hour a day, but my concern is toward enjoying the process and the gathering of thoughts. I’ve seen some penmanship here that’s so precise it looks like a machine did it.

[lindamarie]

Welcome and enjoy exploring the site.

 

What pen brand do you favor?

 

 

Kind of like the old question, "How do you get to Carnegie Hall?" to which the answer is , "Practice, practice, practice."

 

Seriously, my handwriting has gone from bad to worse to difficult to illegible. Then I took up fountain pens again and made a conscious effort to improve. It takes practice, and progress is not always apparent (ask some of my pen pals!), but it will be there if you want to work at it.

 

Try different pens, different barrel and section diameters, different weights, different nibs and feeds, different inks, different papers. Each element really does make a difference.

 

 

 

Hello and Welcome to FPN!! Glad to have you as a member!!

 

 

 

Hello and welcome to FPN.

 

 

Hello and welcome to FPN.

 

 

Welcome home. Pull up a stump and set a spell.

 

 

Hello and welcome from Baton Rouge, Louisiana...Enjoy your time here

 

 

Greetings and welcome to FPN.

 

 

Hello Lindamarie and welcome to FPN, from Cape Town, South Africa.

 

 

 

 

At 72 my writing isn’t what it was at 12 or 42. I write for at least an hour a day, but my concern is toward enjoying the process and the gathering of thoughts. I’ve seen some penmanship here that’s so precise it looks like a machine did it.

Such a great bunch of people!!! I don't have anywhere near the knowledge you all have... I'm just getting started. I have a fountain pen at home, but it's one of those cheapies from Amazon and I haven't even pulled it out to start using. (It has turquoise ink in it -- a throwback to the color ink I used when I was in elementary school!

 

My husband has been using a Cross for years... I think at one point he had better pens, but they were either lost, broken or stolen and he defaulted to a pen someone had given him. He got the pen when Cross was still being manufactured in the USA.

 

I did some shopping at Amazon over the weekend and have saved a Pilot, a Waterman and a Lamy. But I have no idea what the pluses and minuses are. Also, I live in a small town and don't know where to go to actually SEE these pens before I buy. (I see that I can probably check out some Sheaffers at Office Depot.

 

I have small hands (right-handed) and whenever I've used a fountain pen, I end up with ink on my middle finger where the pen has been resting... I should have decent strength if typing and piano playing help with that! LOL

 

Any suggestions would be great!

[knarflj]

Welcome to FPN, lindamarie!

 

"The best" fountain pen is a very subjective article, and brand name alone won't tell you enough.

 

For instance, I have discovered over the years that if a pen is too heavy or too thin, it probably won't be good for me. I have a couple of Pilot Metropolitans, and they're excellent pens, but just a bit too heavy for me for a long writing session. The Pilot Prera, on the other hand (same nib and feed, but shorter and much lighter) is a pen I can write with all day. (The Metro has become my benchmark for weight: if a pen weighs any more than a Metro, I won't even think about buying it. But other people LIKE heavy pens, and find them more comfortable to write with.

 

Likewise, lots of people like broader nibs, because they show off ink so beautifully, and some say they write more neatly when they write larger. But my writing is almost always pretty small, so that if I have anything larger than an extra-fine nib (or a Japanese fine), my writing looks odd. This has not kept me from acquiring a few pens with nibs too broad to be good for my everyday writing.

 

If there's no way for you to get to a pen gathering or pen show to actually try out the pens you're thinking about buying, I'd suggest sticking with inexpensive pens until you start getting a feel for what works best for you. You can also try going into Staples or somewhere and trying out whatever demo pens they have there. It won't tell you anything about nibs, of course, and not much about whether you like weighty pens (because the cheapo models they sell don't usually weigh much!), but it might at least help you figure out whether you like a wide or narrow grip.

 

Jenny

[lindamarie]

Welcome to FPN, lindamarie!

 

"The best" fountain pen is a very subjective article, and brand name alone won't tell you enough.

 

For instance, I have discovered over the years that if a pen is too heavy or too thin, it probably won't be good for me. I have a couple of Pilot Metropolitans, and they're excellent pens, but just a bit too heavy for me for a long writing session. The Pilot Prera, on the other hand (same nib and feed, but shorter and much lighter) is a pen I can write with all day. (The Metro has become my benchmark for weight: if a pen weighs any more than a Metro, I won't even think about buying it. But other people LIKE heavy pens, and find them more comfortable to write with.

 

Likewise, lots of people like broader nibs, because they show off ink so beautifully, and some say they write more neatly when they write larger. But my writing is almost always pretty small, so that if I have anything larger than an extra-fine nib (or a Japanese fine), my writing looks odd. This has not kept me from acquiring a few pens with nibs too broad to be good for my everyday writing.

 

If there's no way for you to get to a pen gathering or pen show to actually try out the pens you're thinking about buying, I'd suggest sticking with inexpensive pens until you start getting a feel for what works best for you. You can also try going into Staples or somewhere and trying out whatever demo pens they have there. It won't tell you anything about nibs, of course, and not much about whether you like weighty pens (because the cheapo models they sell don't usually weigh much!), but it might at least help you figure out whether you like a wide or narrow grip.

 

Jenny

Who even knew there was such a thing as a pen show!?! That sounds so cool.

[Stompie]

Who even knew there was such a thing as a pen show!?! That sounds so cool.

 

Hello and Welcome.

 

If you go to the main forum and then look for Clubs, Meetings and Events you will find various shows and things advertised. I have no idea where Kentucky is in relation to San Francisco or Chicago etc so I can not give you more specifics, sorry, but I am sure someone will come along and answer your questions regarding a show if you ask under the topic Members helping members.

 

Enjoy your stay here, they really are a great and helpful bunch of folk!