New or Old

[thisteensy]

On the daily, are you folks using your vintage pens or your modern pens? Lately I can't stop using the vintage ones. Granted, they are the nicest pens I have. I don't have any high end or even intermediate modern pens. They're all cheap steel nibs I started trying out just for drawing with permanent black ink, kindling for the fever that now consumes me. Tell me what you love about both.

[inkstainedruth]

I alternate.  Some recent acquisitions have been modern pens for the most part -- but a month ago it was all vintage ones -- mostly picked up for super cheap at estate sales (the repairs tend to cost more than the pens themselves did, but even then they're still affordable).

So, yesterday's pen in use was a Noodler's Konrad (modern) with diluted Noodler's 54th Massachusetts, for the journal entry and to write checks paying a few bills; this morning's journal entry was with the Parker Silver Pearl Vac Major (vintage), with diluted vintage Quink Lavender.  And later (once I decide what ink to use) will be the new Monteverde Strata, with the Omniflex nib (might try one of the recent ink sample acquisitions).  But also a Sheaffer school pen to finish up the review/testing of Monteverde Ocean Noir (now that I've FINALLY found the sample vial again -- and put it where I wouldn't misplace it... ).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

 

[thisteensy]

Okay, now I have more questions. Why dilute the ink? What do you dilute it with?

I had a Monteverde Mega. I am glad to hear that they make other pens worth using. The one I had was so terrible I actually threw it away. It wasn't super expensive, but I expected a lot more for $60. Maybe it was a bad copy? It made me think I needed to learn a lot more about the market before spending any real money. Lollll, now I'm sending money to strangers with very dodgy websites, the dodgier the better, for vintage pens.

[inkstainedruth]

In the case of 54th Massachusetts, I diluted it because it was getting clog.  Basically I refilled the pen (a piston filler) with distilled water.  

Sometimes though, I will refill with distilled water when I'm too lazy to flush a pen out entirely (as in the case of the Silver Pearl Vac Major).  

I don't have any experience with a Mega.  I did buy the Strata because I wanted to try the nib, and a Strata was a lot less expensive than some other Conklin and Monteverde models, and because, while a little heavier a pen than many I own, I was familiar with the heft because a friend had given me a Strata (and my husband some cheap Chinese Hondian pen -- forget the model of that offhand) as a thank you for when we helped her move a big wall unit that she bought out of the previous owners' apartment and into her house (she buys the monthly "surprise package" from Truphae and then resells the pens and ink).  And I could find a color I liked that was in stock (the one I had was turquoise, and the new one is blue).  I still keep lusting after the Conklin Purple Nights, but the Strata was a lot less expensive and the place I got it from had one in stock with the Omniflex nib, whereas was OOS on the Conklin.  And given that I was dropping a whole lot more money on what I think was a NOS Pelikan M200 Café Crème (especially having LOST the original one I had, and then losing the replacement one as well), I wasn't sure I could justify the price on the Conklin on top of the price of the M200 (which was a LOT more expensive than the original one had been).

I was looking at a Monteverde Ritma, but then read up on that model -- and those are a LOT heavier than the the Strata model pens are.....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[gone]

I use all my pens regularly and don't directly consider whether they are vintage or not (whatever your definition of vintage might be).

 

What I do consider is how suitable they are for the task at hand and, as a result, my more fragile pens and my harder to replace pens normally only get used at home. Most of the pens that fall into those categories are older. 

[welch]

I use Parker 51s and P-61s every day. I have a few bought-new pens, and they are pretty "high class" -- a Montblanc 146, a Sailor 1911, a Waterman Carene, a couple of Pelikan 600s -- but the Parker 51 just feels right. Or my P-75, my P-45, or a newly-acquired Parker 65. Only the MB calls my curiosity, and then only about once a month.

 

(And, yes, it is probably time to clear out some pens. Over the summer, I gave away a couple of P-51s, a Pilot Falcon, and another c/c pen. The 51s went to a friend who writes with a MB-146, and the cartridge pens went to a friend who grew up writing with fountain pens but who lost her way years ago)

[Estycollector]

I've been using a '42 Parker 51 that just feels nice in the hand. I use it for journalling mostly and taking notes. Before using the Parker I used a Venus from the '60's I had restored a few years back. Lately I've thought of inking up the 2017 Lamy Al-Star. What I enjoy is having a nice pen to use. 

[Runnin_Ute]

Today has mostly been a Parker 51 Special (early 50's), a 45 from the 60's (I think) and a Pelikan M100 so far.

 

I also have four other Pelikans (140, 400NN, M400 White Tortoise and M600 old style (18k OB nib)), as well as a Waterman Phileas and a vintage no name pen with a 14k Waterman nib inked.  So a nice mix. 

[kestrel]

At any given time I keep a mix of newer and vintage inked, usually two of the former and three or four of the latter.  My 23 year old Pelikan M800 with the Binder Italifine nib has the bulletproof ink I use for official correspondence and it is always inked.  The other five rotate as I feel the urge.  Currently, a twenty something year old Aurora Optima, a vintage Conklin Crescent 50, a vintage Sheaffer's Rose Glow full-sized Balance, an early 1920's Harris flattop in green ebonite, and a 1950ish Pelikan 400 Tortoise.  All newly restored pens go into the rotation for at least one fill.  The nicer ones like the Conklin 50 (currently on its fourth fill) stay until I need to move them out for something else. 

My definition of "new" is flexible but the Pelikan and Aurora qualify.

[thisteensy]

13 hours ago, Runnin_Ute said:

Today has mostly been a Parker 51 Special (early 50's), a 45 from the 60's (I think) and a Pelikan M100 so far.

 

I also have four other Pelikans (140, 400NN, M400 White Tortoise and M600 old style (18k OB nib)), as well as a Waterman Phileas and a vintage no name pen with a 14k Waterman nib inked.  So a nice mix. 

I only have the Pelikan 400NN, and it is my favorite in my small collection. I have had my eye on that M400 white tortoise. A lot of people seem to like it.

[thisteensy]

11 hours ago, kestrel said:

At any given time I keep a mix of newer and vintage inked, usually two of the former and three or four of the latter.  My 23 year old Pelikan M800 with the Binder Italifine nib has the bulletproof ink I use for official correspondence and it is always inked.  The other five rotate as I feel the urge.  Currently, a twenty something year old Aurora Optima, a vintage Conklin Crescent 50, a vintage Sheaffer's Rose Glow full-sized Balance, an early 1920's Harris flattop in green ebonite, and a 1950ish Pelikan 400 Tortoise.  All newly restored pens go into the rotation for at least one fill.  The nicer ones like the Conklin 50 (currently on its fourth fill) stay until I need to move them out for something else. 

My definition of "new" is flexible but the Pelikan and Aurora qualify.

What do you love about the Crescent? I've been looking at them.

[Checklist]

23 hours ago, thisteensy said:

On the daily, are you folks using your vintage pens or your modern pens? Lately I can't stop using the vintage ones. Granted, they are the nicest pens I have. I don't have any high end or even intermediate modern pens. They're all cheap steel nibs I started trying out just for drawing with permanent black ink, kindling for the fever that now consumes me. Tell me what you love about both.

I cycle through all my pens, but, lately, I have tended toward vintage pens; most of my modern pens I sold off to make room for my vintage pens.  I like the styling better, the filling systems are more interesting, and they are primarily made to write, not just be status symbols.  (Esterbrook Js are a perfect example.)  However, my favorite is my Lamy 2000 that I bought brand new a few years ago, which is so much smoother and pleasant to write with than just about anything I have tried.  If you move up to the higher/intermediate range for modern pens, you might find a lot of writing pleasure, but you'll pay a premium for the assurance that your new pen actually works.

[thisteensy]

22 minutes ago, Checklist said:

I cycle through all my pens, but, lately, I have tended toward vintage pens; most of my modern pens I sold off to make room for my vintage pens.  I like the styling better, the filling systems are more interesting, and they are primarily made to write, not just be status symbols.  (Esterbrook Js are a perfect example.)  However, my favorite is my Lamy 2000 that I bought brand new a few years ago, which is so much smoother and pleasant to write with than just about anything I have tried.  If you move up to the higher/intermediate range for modern pens, you might find a lot of writing pleasure, but you'll pay a premium for the assurance that your new pen actually works.

Yes, this is my impression, too. There is so much status in the new pens, and that is kind of a weird vibe. I've never been into corporate status symbols for their own sake. There are some Italian pens that I am lusting for, because they are so beautiful, but for the money, I want some idea what the writing experience is like.

I also love the style of the old pens. They are little works of art and engineering. Those old nibs, though. The minute I touched the paper I was like, "ah, okay, this is what it's all about." If I were to pay good money for a modern pen it would have to be at least this fun to write with. I'm afraid I will pay hundreds of dollars for a beautiful pen that writes like a Twsbi Eco, which is perfectly nice and smooth, don't get me wrong, but not "wow." Each of those vintage pen manufacturers had a unique opinion about how a pen should write. I don't want uniformity. I want opinionated.

[inkstainedruth]

4 minutes ago, thisteensy said:

I also love the style of the old pens. They are little works of art and engineering. Those old nibs, though. The minute I touched the paper I was like, "ah, okay, this is what it's all about." If I were to pay good money for a modern pen it would have to be at least this fun to write with. I'm afraid I will pay hundreds of dollars for a beautiful pen that writes like a Twsbi Eco, which is perfectly nice and smooth, don't get me wrong, but not "wow." Each of those vintage pen manufacturers had a unique opinion about how a pen should write. I don't want uniformity. I want opinionated.

Yeah, that.  That's what sent me diving head-first down the vintage pen rabbit hole....

Back then, fountain pens were TOOLS.  Not status symbols.  This is not to say that modern pens can't be good writers as well (I've loved every Pilot FP I've bought, from the low end Metropolitan to the Decimos -- the full size VPs being a little heavy and awkward for my hand).  And my two most expensive pens were modern Pelikan M405s and they are also great writing instruments.  But if I was to clear out the entire stash?  I'd keep the Plum Demi 51 Aero (they'll have to pry that one out of my cold dead fingers) and one of the the Cedar Blue 51 Vacs (the one with the EF nib -- because that's the pen I ink up if I have to do a lot of research and take copious notes...).  Because those two pens just WORK....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Mangrove Jack]

Almost all my fountain pens are over 30 years old. My most frequently used ones are Pelikan M200, Parker 51, 75, 45, Sheaffer Targa and Sheaffer Imperials.

So, I guess I am a vintage pen user.

 

[thisteensy]

People love those 51s. I don't have one yet. I haven't found the right one.

[Runnin_Ute]

On 12/14/2023 at 7:56 AM, thisteensy said:

I only have the Pelikan 400NN, and it is my favorite in my small collection. I have had my eye on that M400 white tortoise. A lot of people seem to like it.

It's one of the few that is always or most always inked. Right now, with KWZI El Dorado, last fill was KWZI Pine Green for Christmas cards. Edelstein Olivine is common. 

[Penguincollector]

10 minutes ago, thisteensy said:

People love those 51s. I don't have one yet. I haven't found the right one.

    I’m a firm believer that the right one will find you. All of mine were found in the wild, for very little money, and as Ruth says, just work. I did have one with misaligned tines, but had Kirk Speer look at it and it writes a treat now. 
  As for ratios of new to vintage, right now I have 22 pens inked, and coincidentally, they’re at 10 vintage, 12 modern. They run the gamut from premium to less than $1 school pens.

[Mangrove Jack]

1 hour ago, thisteensy said:

People love those 51s. I don't have one yet. I haven't found the right one.

There's no such thing as the wrong one 😊

[thisteensy]

27 minutes ago, Mangrove Jack said:

There's no such thing as the wrong one 😊

So it seems. From what I can tell people don't even care whether they're vacumatic or aerometric. I'm definitely curious.