How often do you see people using fountain pens?

[Blade Runner]

Rarely, but my last was memorable. I was at the FEDEX office on a blustery wet night a few months ago to claim a pen from Italy, and I noticed that the guy behind had 6 or 7 black Meisterstuck Montblanc pens of varying caliber in his shirt pocket! We started talking pens, and he turned out to be a big fp collector, mostly vintage. I told him I was picking up a new Aurora, and he knew which one I was talking about. He looked busy so I bid him farewell and jumped into my car. As I was pulling out he waved me down to get my name and contact #, handing me his petite MB ballpoint and paper. He must have lost the paper, because he never got in touch. If you're the one I met, pm me!

Edited March 7, 2008 by jeen

[Shangas]

One of my superiors came over to ask for my help with teaching an Excel class. He noticed me using my FP (No one else in the office does) and said we needed to find a more efficient way for me to write.

 

I can assure you he has NO IDEA what he's talking about (obviously). I've lived long enough and have used both writing instruments long enough to know that I write faster and neater with a fountain pen than a ballpoint pen.

 

[asexton]

I recently bought my Visconti Opera Club pen from a private dealer here in Roanoke. When I bought the pen, she told me her name. She is the wife of a prominent judge in town, and she told me that he uses his Visconti fountain pens while sitting at the bench. Thankfully, I have never been before him in court, but if I ever am (once again, hopefully not), I will try to notice his fountain pen. As far as actually seeing someone write with one, I have never seen someone else using one. It is funny, though, to watch people write with one who have no idea how they work. Sometimes a person will borrow mine, and they proceed to write with the nib upside down. I will certainly be happy when I do see someone else using a fountain pen.

 

Also, not only do I look for people using fountain pens, I also want people to notice me using them. I want people to ask me about them, and then I can possibly convert them. My grandfather uses a white with black cap disposable Bic ballpoint, so I try to use my fountain pens around him as much as possible.

 

-Cody

Edited March 8, 2008 by asexton

[yiams]

Two other members of our local camera club use fountain pens. One is a retired banker the other works with Bible translations while I am a medical technologist. I can only use my fountain pens at work on those rare days when I'm off the bench doing administrative work. An ink that won't run when wet or smudge is required for our paper records.

 

Conversely, I had to go to our hospital's print shop last month on one of my desk days. The designer with whom I was working had not seen a fountain pen before. I was using a Waterman Charleston.

[fountainpenjunkie]

An ink that won't run when wet or smudge is required for our paper records.

Have you tried Legal Lapis?

[georges zaslavsky]

Noticed an old man using some old waterman probably a 52v in red ebonite at the library, otherwise saw a lady in her 50's at the bank who was using a Marlene Dietrich Mb and who congratulated me on my 1977 MB 149.

[CraigR]

I just don't see too many people using fountain pens in public. Then last night I attended a large meeting and, low and behold, there were three others besides me taking notes with fountain pens. I had my Sailor 1911 and I saw a Waterman, a Lamy and a Mont Blanc (146 I think) in use. /Craig

[Artful Lounger]

Hmm. To be really honest, the only people I've seen using FPs are senior consultants/heads of depts at my former workplace. They also tend to be older - probably reflecting the generatonal use of FPs and partly because of the prestige associated with owning a Mont Blanc ^^

 

I've yet to see anybody my age use a FP regularly.

[bhtooefr]

I wouldn't be surprised if I just haven't noticed, but the only fountain pens I've seen in person that actually get used are the Varsities that I just got. (Second post, I'm new to fountain pens.)

 

Of course, the fact that I work at a K-12 doesn't help. (In a K-12, you don't have nice pens. You have a huge cache of ballpoints, usually either vendor swag or the cheapest Bics/Papermates you can buy. That way, if a student (or a teacher, many of which have the same mentality as the students here) steals a pen, it's no big deal.

[Fountainbass]

A few days ago, one of the higher-ups in my company came to visit for a couple of days. In a meeting, she pulled out a yellow FP. When I asked her about it later, I found out that it's an Aurora Ipsilon. I showed her my Duofold & we chatted about FPs for a minute or two. Pretty cool!

[langere]

A colleague of mine in the History Department always has his Levengers Blue Seas FP with him. It's great to know that a colleague shares my fascination with fountain pens!

 

Erick

[amper]

Even less often than I run into other Amateur Radio operators, which is to say practically never.

 

 

73 de K2TIV

[MYU]

Never in open public, except at a pen show of course. I introduced someone at my company to fountain pens, obtaining one but never using it at work. A lot of our staff is from India, and they're all familiar with fountain pens. I've gotten a lot of "hey, haven't seen one of those in a while!" remarks from them, but alas they mostly stick to ball points and mechanical pencils. One guy wears one in his shirt, but it doesn't have ink loaded and he's clueless about fountain pens, so that doesn't count.

 

A few times I've gotten compliments on my black stripe MYU when I whip it out to sign a store receipt. Still hoping one day for someone to notice my pen and then show me theirs.

Edited March 31, 2008 by MYU

[fountainpenjunkie]

Never in open public, except at a pen show of course. I introduced someone at my company to fountain pens, obtaining one but never using it at work. A lot of our staff is from India, and they're all familiar with fountain pens. I've gotten a lot of "hey, haven't seen one of those in a while!" remarks from them, but alas they mostly stick to ball points and mechanical pencils.

 

Are fountain pens used a lot in India or are they used in school?

 

A few times I've gotten compliments on my black stripe MYU when I whip it out to sign a store receipt. Still hoping one day for someone to notice my pen and then show me theirs.

 

It will happen!

[Atlanta]

My boyfriend has been singled out during a class for using a fountain pen. The professor said "What are you using, a QUILL??"

 

At least WE'RE not the reason the administration wants to ban using the internet in the classroom.

 

 

We don't see many of them in day-to-day life, except those in our home.

[NABodie]

I can't ever recall seeing one in use. Most of the folks at the office are using rollerballs.

[Ducttapeearth]

I have a teacher who uses them, but he's Irish and I understand that fountain pens are much more common there.

[Philip1209]

Other than immediate family, I haven't seen anyone use a fountain pen in public. Than again, I am stranded in this godforsaken farming town for the time being.

But one interesting story about using my fountain pen in school- My English teacher spotted me using it, and announced to the whole class that fountain pens were contraband where he went to high school. He said that homework there was required to be done in fountain pen, ergo fountain pens were banned from the school to stop anyone from doing homework there.

I found this interesting, but also somewhat oppressive of fountain pens. At least he knew what a fountain pen was!

[MYU]

Are fountain pens used a lot in India or are they used in school?

They were used in school a lot longer than in the USA, even as recent as the 1990's. Apparently good penmanship was one of the skills taught and they had to use fountain pens for class. But I've been told that they've been phased out. So, our staff members who are in their early 30's and above are the ones who have used fountain pens before.

 

One Indian co-worker of mine who I encouraged to revive her fountain pen and put it to use is very much enjoying it. She had been lamenting how her handwriting quality had gone down and paled in comparison to her mother's handwriting (she still uses a fountain pen for her letters). And I have to say I went through the same thing--my hand writing had degenerated quite a bit. But now it's actually not too bad after putting fountain pens in my hand again.

[Hélène]

other than my friends that I gave Varsities to, one of whom I have also lent some of my pens to, and my mum who got a Bic Easy Clic, no one