What pen(s) are you using today?

[DvdRiet]

9 minutes ago, A Smug Dill said:

a toy pen I know I wouldn't be writing with very often at all, given how thin they are

 

Yes, assuming they are the same size as the Diplomat Butterfly given that they take the same cartridges, they are indeed TINY!! Just like a toy pen. I did actually manage to get a multi-page A5 letter out of one converter fill though, which was more than I expected. (Not to make you want one even more now)

[OldTravelingShoe]

4 hours ago, A Smug Dill said:

 

I found PenGallery Malaysia to be a good source for certain products that have long since sold out elsewhere. For example, it was the only place I saw, as recently as last November, to still have new (or NOS) units of Sailor Chalana to sell (but it seems the stock is all gone, when I went to look just now). It also has the 50ml bottles of Sailor Jentle Shikisai inks (in a limited range of colours) — which have been rebranded Sailor Shikiori inks and made far more expensive by Sailor itself a couple of years ago, by only offering them in ‘new’ 20ml bottles with the square footprint, at the same retail price domestically as the old price of the round 50ml bottles — at the old price; most of my stash of those inks were sourced from PGM, and I bought out all of its remaining stock of Doyou, Shigure, and Wakauguisu in the last site-wide discount promotion. I also bought PGM's last unit of the Pelikan M215 for ~€88, at the time when the M205 Demonstrator was offered on clearance, back in November.

 

Oh, and it's the only retail source anywhere for my favourite Diamine ink (and one of my Top 5 favourite inks across all brands), Jalur Gemilang.

I have to dig deeper here, budget- and time-allowing 😄 All the pens you mention here, @A Smug Dill, would make great pens of the day!

 

Off-topic from here on:

This somehow makes me think about things to try... One of the experiences I've yet to have but would love to is to walk into an antiques store, someplace non-mainstreet, and find a good vintage pen (cheaply or not). I got into fountain pens during the ongoing pandemic, so going into any shop considered non-essential has been severely limited, but also I do not even know where to start finding antiques shops that do not have large mainstreet presence.

 

A question for the FPN community, especially those familiar with the Netherlands: Where would you go (in person, physically) to browse antiques and/or ask about fountain pens stashed in the backroom? 

[HauntedMyst]

I received a new Narwal Demonstrator on Saturday.   Unfortunately, it came with a medium nib which is too big for my every day writing needs.  Today a new extra fine nib from Osprey arrived and it transformed the pen!  Perfect ink flow, perfect thin line.  

[mtcn77]

40 minutes ago, HauntedMyst said:

I received a new Narwal Demonstrator on Saturday.   Unfortunately, it came with a medium nib which is too big for my every day writing needs.  Today a new extra fine nib from Osprey arrived and it transformed the pen!  Perfect ink flow, perfect thin line.  

Would you be kind enough to tell if it has line consistency or variation? I'm kind of in the middle of picking it myself.

[DvdRiet]

1 hour ago, OldTravelingShoe said:

A question for the FPN community, especially those familiar with the Netherlands: Where would you go (in person, physically) to browse antiques and/or ask about fountain pens stashed in the backroom? 

 

Don't know where you are located, but I now have Utrecht and Schoonhoven on my list of places to try for finding pens. I recently helped someone on Reddit to identify a vintage pen that they said they found in one of the antique stores in Utrecht and that the shop had others they were thinking of going back for. Utrecht used to have a lot of antique shops but I haven't been in ages. Schoonhoven is more for the Saturday flea market. Someone got a beautiful old German piston fp and pencil set for 10 euros (piston cork needed replacing, otherwise in very good condition). I think that if it's not silver in Schoonhoven, it doesn't get a premium price tag!  

[OldTravelingShoe]

2 hours ago, DvdRiet said:

 

Don't know where you are located, but I now have Utrecht and Schoonhoven on my list of places to try for finding pens. I recently helped someone on Reddit to identify a vintage pen that they said they found in one of the antique stores in Utrecht and that the shop had others they were thinking of going back for. Utrecht used to have a lot of antique shops but I haven't been in ages. Schoonhoven is more for the Saturday flea market. Someone got a beautiful old German piston fp and pencil set for 10 euros (piston cork needed replacing, otherwise in very good condition). I think that if it's not silver in Schoonhoven, it doesn't get a premium price tag!  

Wow, many thanks, @DvdRiet! I live near Delft, so Zuid Holland is already a big enough region, but I'll go anywhere in the Netherlands to see a good, large flea market where it is likely I can buy even one nice pen. I'm in it for the first-hand experience, and perhaps to understand how it works and whether I enjoy doing this some more. (I know I'm likely asking for too much.)

 

Next after the flea market: the pen show done in person. Then: the auction done in person.

 

I'd simply like to experience, and hopefully to even understand all these things 😄

Edited February 23, 2022 by OldTravelingShoe
Edited for clarity and typos.

[DvdRiet]

5 minutes ago, OldTravelingShoe said:

Wow, many thanks, @DvdRiet! I live near Delft, so Zuid Holland is already a big enough region, but I'll go anywhere in the Netherlands to see a good, large flea market where it is likely I can buy even one nice pen. I'm in it for the first-hand experience, and perhaps to understand how it works and whether I enjoy doing this soem more. (I know I'm likely asking for too much.)

 

Next after the flea market: the pen show done in person. Then: the auction done in person.

 

I'd simply like to experience, and hopefully to even understand all these things 😄

 

Oh, if you're close to Delft then I think the big flea markets in Den Haag would be a good location that's relatively close by. May be slightly pricier but better chances of getting some high quality pens. Come to think of it, I think I'll put that at the top of my list as well. I live just a bit south of Zwolle, but I just remembered I was also thinking of the big book fair in Deventer... I wonder if the city of Anton Pieck would be a good place to find the odd "highly interesting" pen? I've never been but it's supposed to be huge. 🤔

[OldTravelingShoe]

19 minutes ago, DvdRiet said:

I was also thinking of the big book fair in Deventer

I actually remember seeing this one! I published a book that opened in Deventer (they held a special event at the large town library, iirc), and I remember this huge book-related flea market that snaked around the town hall, the cathedral, and every route leading to the water. It was very impressive indeed!

 

I did not look for fountain pens at the time, so I don't know how this would work. It was books everywhere, which I like very much 😄

[OldTravelingShoe]

31 minutes ago, DvdRiet said:

the big flea markets in Den Haag would be a good location that's relatively close by

Many thanks, @DvdRiet! Now I have to locate them. 

1. They're not listed in this calendar: https://vlooienmarktenkalender.nl/ (But something called Flea markets IJ-Hallen Amsterdam is and seems very large.) 
2. I found one for Sat, Mar 5: https://www.meukisleuk.nl/76206/rommelmarkt.html
3. I found another one every Tuesday, focusing on antiques and books, but very small: https://allekringloopwinkels.nl/agenda/de-haagse-antiek-en-boekenmarkt-plein-den-haag

 

Bit confusing... I may take my time to first understand better how these flea markets work. 

[DvdRiet]

2 hours ago, OldTravelingShoe said:

Many thanks, @DvdRiet! Now I have to locate them. 

The one in Den Haag that I'm thinking about is on the Lange Voorhout. (Haagse antiek- en boekenmarkt Lange Voorhout | DenHaag.com) It's been quite a few years since I was there but it was a very good one at the time.

[flodoc]

Two Pelikan M250s.

Burgundy w/14K medium nib and

Brown tortoise w/14K medium nib.

The nib in the tortoise pen is softer and the tines more elongated than the nib in the burgundy pen. Both pens are from the same time period. I don't know if the nibs are original to their respective pens as Pelikan nibs are easy to swap.

[OldTravelingShoe]

10 hours ago, DvdRiet said:

The one in Den Haag that I'm thinking about is on the Lange Voorhout. (Haagse antiek- en boekenmarkt Lange Voorhout | DenHaag.com) It's been quite a few years since I was there but it was a very good one at the time.

Many thanks, @DvdRiet. Let's see how this pans out. 

[OldTravelingShoe]

4 hours ago, flodoc said:

Two Pelikan M250s.

Burgundy w/14K medium nib and

Brown tortoise w/14K medium nib

Thanks for sharing, @flodoc.

 

I was looking to acquire an M250 in burgundy, but got deterred by the prices I've seen (and also by not having worked enough with the pens I already have.) Now that I've seen this pen in your practice, I may enjoy it vicariously. 

[AmandaW]

Just one pen today: a Lamy Lx Ruthenium EF filled with Van Dieman's Cradle Mountain Grey.

 

[thx1138]

The medium Exception is one of the few really likeable mediums i have.

Included my latest 105 acquisition.

The oblique 105 is very smooth and a surprising amount of line variation. When I can get it at just the right angle it writes beautifully. 

Apologies for the scrappy handwiting. I am reluctant to even show it after seeing some of the incredibly neat writers on here.

Paper is rhodia number 16 80gsm A5 notepad.

 

On 2/21/2022 at 11:03 PM, OldTravelingShoe said:

@thx1138, if you could also share a photo to go with this nice description, I would find it very nice! 

[OldTravelingShoe]

3 hours ago, thx1138 said:

The medium Exception is one of the few really likeable mediums i have.

Included my latest 105 acquisition.

The oblique 105 is very smooth and a surprising amount of line variation. When I can get it at just the right angle it writes beautifully. 

Apologies for the scrappy handwiting. I am reluctant to even show it after seeing some of the incredibly neat writers on here.

Paper is rhodia number 16 80gsm A5 notepad.

 

Picture with a bonus! Thank you for sharing, @thx1138! 😄

[HauntedMyst]

Today’s pen ink combo.  Forgive my crappy writing. Not only do I have essential tremors and I am recovering from shoulder surgery, I have crappy writing!
 

[essayfaire]

I am attempting to use my Narwhal Nautilus - I tried to change out the ink as it was running on almost empty and fading fast.  I have filled it with one of @TheMustard 's mystery MB brown inks, but I can't get the pen to start up.  I may zig to a tuned and smoothed Pilot Metro, assisted by a Diplomat Aero with a contrasting ink color( I need two colors at the moment).

 

I hate pen flush.  I have a hyper-sensitive sense of smell and the ammonia odors of all the brands I've tried leave my reeling. I am open to any more sensorily harmonious cleaning suggestions other FPNs may have.  

[essayfaire]

1 hour ago, HauntedMyst said:

Today’s pen ink combo.  Forgive my crappy writing. Not only do I have essential tremors and I am recovering from shoulder surgery, I have crappy writing!
 

It's better than mine!

[Helen350]

Majohn A1 (Mustard yellow) - B. Pilot nib unit.  Ink:  Diamine Aurora Borealis