Does the writing experience become even better?

[UpadhyayAbhinav]

To all the users who have huge personal experience in writing with fountain pens:

As time passes and one uses a pen regularly for many years (like a decade) do the nibs become smoother? Does the pen 'adapt' to one's writing style, in the sense that tipping gets polished uniquely for different writings? Do gold vs steel nibs age differently? I am supposing that as one writes on and on, the friction with paper will continue scraping off the tipping very slowly, but is that change noticeable after years of usage? Probably the change would be so slow for one to even notice, but does anyone remember how any of their pen used to write many years ago vs now, and still be able to compare both cases in their minds? (All this without any external nib tuning done with abrasives, of course)

My own journey with fountain pens started six years ago, so I have not spent a considerable time to have a good idea of this.

Please share your experiences, I am very curious to know!

[nm4]

Personally I don’t think the pens change much but my ability to use them has evolved.  Many have slight nuances to them: the ink used, how they are held, etc.  

 

N

[Driften]

With vintage pens I think the tipping was softer and many steel nibs of the era were untipped. Those pens might change from how abrasive the paper was over many years. I think in a modern pen it isn't going to change much in normal use.

[langere]

My opinion is that it is the human who adjusts to the pen.  The pen doesn't really change.  Iridium tips (or whatever they use) are incredibly tough and hard.  

 

Fountain pens are not like shoes, where the shoe can at times mold itself to the foot.  

 

Erick

[chromantic]

I joined here in March 2016 so I've been using FPs going on 9 years. I started with budget new and cheap pre-owned and after a couple years moved up to "nice" pens, M150 and M200 mostly. though the first pen that cost me more than $100 was a used Parker Falcon 50. Then, as my income increased, I moved up to even nicer pens, Souverans and, more recently, Optimas.

 

I haven't used my pens for a great length of time (most of the ones I was using when I was working are less than 5 years old) and can't address whether they might change over time; I certainly haven't noticed any changes so far. But I also have vintage pens from the 50's that write as nicely, in my estimation, as they likely did when they were new.

[SpencerianDream]

How about budget Chinese pens? I read recently that their tipping is deliberately designed to wear in a bit.

 

 

Personally I notice my pens write differently from each other (different feed, nib, section, weight all play a role) but I don’t notice any difference in the wearing, per se. I notice a great deal of change in that my handwriting has gotten better, or a pen I used to like feels less natural for me now because I’ve grown used to a different style, or I can unconsciously adapt to a pen ….so my writing with a pen may well look and feel different than an older sample but it’s very hard to say how or why. Different ink or different place to write or even mood that day can play a role. 

[inkstainedruth]

I find that my handwriting changes not just with the pen size and the ink and paper, but also can change depending on the day -- and even (in the case of morning pages entries) within the same day's entry.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[IThinkIHaveAProblem]

My first vintage pen was a teal “51” Aero. User grade. Engraved. 
i still have and love writing with that pen. 
 

It has a well worn Medium nib. William (name is engraved in the pen) put a LOT of miles on that one, and in this case, yes the nib very much wore into his way of writing. But the majority of my pens? Almost all of which are vintage?  No. Not really. 

[UpadhyayAbhinav]

6 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

I find that my handwriting changes not just with the pen size and the ink and paper, but also can change depending on the day -- and even (in the case of morning pages entries) within the same day's entry.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

Ditto, I have experienced exactly the same, it even depends on my mood, my hand placement, elbow resting position etc.

[UpadhyayAbhinav]

6 hours ago, IThinkIHaveAProblem said:

My first vintage pen was a teal “51” Aero. User grade. Engraved. 
i still have and love writing with that pen. 
 

It has a well worn Medium nib. William (name is engraved in the pen) put a LOT of miles on that one, and in this case, yes the nib very much wore into his way of writing. But the majority of my pens? Almost all of which are vintage?  No. Not really. 

 

How does it feel to write with the Aero now? After all those years?

[UpadhyayAbhinav]

6 hours ago, SpencerianDream said:

How about budget Chinese pens? I read recently that their tipping is deliberately designed to wear in a bit.

 

 

Personally I notice my pens write differently from each other (different feed, nib, section, weight all play a role) but I don’t notice any difference in the wearing, per se. I notice a great deal of change in that my handwriting has gotten better, or a pen I used to like feels less natural for me now because I’ve grown used to a different style, or I can unconsciously adapt to a pen ….so my writing with a pen may well look and feel different than an older sample but it’s very hard to say how or why. Different ink or different place to write or even mood that day can play a role. 

 

Thanks for your insight!

[Estycollector]

For me, using an FP requires me to pay attention to the angle so that the nib is able to release the ink on the paper unlike a roller ball or pencil where it doesn't matter. 

 

Most of my pens came from eBay and are mostly near 70 years old with many users. I suspect that most vintage pens stopped working and were put in a junk drawer until the owner died and his estate was parceled out. I say this because of the dried ink inside the unit when I disassembled in order to restore. If these pens were used for 10 years in the 1950's, when I got them, the nib would have undergone change if they were going to. Since every nib works well now that the pen in with me, I do not think any changes were a degradation. 

[IThinkIHaveAProblem]

1 hour ago, UpadhyayAbhinav said:

 

How does it feel to write with the Aero now? After all those years?

If you hold it just right; really nice

if you hold it at any other angle?  Not so much

[sandy101]

Yes - pens can improve over time. 

 

The steel nibbed Tombow object pen that I've had for 20 years became a smoother writer after 5 years or so. 

 

The ink flow on some of my pens improved greatly after two or three weeks of constant use. I'm nit sure if my grip adapted to the pen over time, or if the ink flow improved because manufacturing oils and what have you was flushed out over time.

 

Not all pens improve - it's down to the tipping and how often you use it. 

 

But pens that get used every day - not once a month can get better with use. 

[Bo Bo Olson]

Once Back in the Day, of One Man, One Pen, and some writing with it many hours a day for a whole decade. It was time to get stylish with one's once in a decade bought pen....and get back to One's F from the M then nib had worn to.

 

In today's  so many pen ownership, even Esterbrook 2XXX nib will last you decades.

 

In the old days of writing in the office, an Esterbrook 1XXX rolled tipped steel nibs lasted near a year. The better 2XXX rolled steel lasted 1 1/2 years back in the 8 hour of writing day. They did have fancy 'iridium' 8XXX and plainer iridium tipped 9xxx; for those being able to afford a decade's worth of writing.

 

A good poster showed that before tipping was perfected in WW2, tipping was sometimes lumpy and chunks fell out of the nib tip. They changed rare earth formulas every year, looking for more durable and cheaper.

Real iridium was from the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs. Deposits of an inch or so thick, was mined in open pit mines in Italy and later Turkey. It was much more expensive than gold. So rare earths came to the rescue.

 

What old pens that survived were the perfect nibs of that era. The scratchy not repaired nibs were melted in the $800 dollars an oz gold prices of the '80's, or the $2,000 an oz of today. The selling of a gold nib, will get you a 2 pack of good beer...a 4 pack of cheap beer. Lots of ball point users were sure they'd get a Cadillac for one. Then the ruined pen is attempted to be sold.

 

Yep, the fool was right, them old leaky pens were worthless but for the gold nib. As they found out.

 

A real good reason to tell someone that myth...it took me years to wear the nib into my hand so it writes exactly how I want it to, and seconds in your hand will ruin that...........

Well, There has always been heavy-handed Ham Fisted Pretzel makers. Always, keep a ball point for the ball point barbarians to use....and save your nib from becoming a pretzel.

 

There were and will be so many horrible stories of seconds not paying attention, when a ball point barbarian grabs one's fountain pen, and pretzels the nib and won't replace it.

That has been done by 120 weakling ball point users.... Or, the ones that pull apart a screw cap pen.

 

My advice is LIE!!!!.

Fountain pen nibs are so delicate (they are), it took me months to get it broken in. Seconds of your use will ruin that. (Thinking rightfully....You Ham Fisted Ball Point Barbarian, You!!!)

 

[Bo Bo Olson]

Actually, the first thing to do with comfort in writing is to hold a fountain pen like a fountain pen behind the big index knuckle and not like a ball point before it.

 

A fountain pen should find its own level, be that 45 degrees just behind the big knuckle, or 40 degrees just at the start of the web of one's thumb.

If the pen is very heavy, or long, it could rest in the pit of the thumb at 35 degrees.

 

Don't try to force a pen to be held at just 45 degrees. Let the pen sag its weight. If it wants to be at 45 degrees great, if at the start of the web of the thumb at 40 degrees ...also great.

And if the pen is heavy or long it will migrate to resting at the pit of the thumb at 35 degrees....which will make the top of the nib ride lightly on the paper.

Let a pen rest where it will...........because trying to force a pen to be at 45 degrees when it's lighter...more nimble at a deeper hold, you won't be fighting the pen.