How often do you see people using fountain pens?

[Henrik]

Well, from Denmark this time. And, yes I’m the only one here too.

I work as a teacher so I mostly see pencils. Both pupils and colleagues use them – and the occasional ball pen.

 

I used to carry a “loaner pen”, but not any more. I often found my loaner somewhere on a table or a shelf, without the cap. (I try to keep the cap when people ask for a pen, figuring that I would get it back – but the concept of a non-disposable pen is so strange, that most people just kept the pen and tossed it somewhere). When I ask why, the most common answer was – “sorry, but it didn’t work anyway.”

Having seen how some of my colleagues (and the parents BTW) handle a fountain pen, I see what they mean: they try with the feed up; they use heavy pressure and are not aware that the angle is important. No patience. Well, in a way you can’t blame them – fountain pens went out of fashion here in ca. 1965 when the Penol facility closed down – and has rarely been seen since then.

 

We still have a pen shop in Copenhagen though – so I can’t be the only one? :hmm1:

 

Regards Henrik

Edited January 27, 2009 by Henrik

[Thornton]

I surprised today in class when I looked over to see one of the adult students in my class use a Cross Century II FP. I wanted to ask her about it, but I didn't have time after class. It's nice to see someone appreciating a fine writing instrument.

[JinhaoMaster]

this is from a 6 grader boy I know: I brought a Jinhao to school and got all my friend into Fp's and now alot of people use FP's

[flodoc]

I know of thre people at my company of roughly 11,000 locally and 13,000 worldwide who use fountains other than myself. One is the Chairman, President and CEO another is an attorney in the Legal department and the third is an engineering manager.

 

Recently an employee of a consulting firm our company retained pulled out a Waterman FP to take notes and I couldn't help but remark on his using a fountain pen. It turns out it is his only one.

 

Sorry, I just can't imagine having only one fountain pen! I'm not trying to be snobbish about it; I just think one would want to have one or two spares at least.

[rfenter]

The only persons I know who have fountain pens are those to whom I have given them. Of those, only my wife uses her with any frequency. Some people see all birds as black or brown; other enjoy knowing their Purple Martins winter in Rio. Some see the desert as endless monotone; others look for endless variation in form and shading (while humbled by creosote bushes that self clone for 10K years). Wonder is all around, even in the flourish of the 'b' in 'bread' in today's grocery list when carved with a favored nib in a recently discovered ink.

[Titivillus]

I can't say that I have ever seen a FP being used 'in the wild' any place outside of a pen store. The only indication that there might be another FP user at one company I worked for was a package of Cross FP cartridges in the supply closet.

 

K

[Crobe]

Other than my children, none.

 

Last Saturday I was driving a van load of girls (10 - 12 years old) to the skating rink for my daughter's birthday (my daughter was in another van.) One of the girls asked if I had a pen, she was going to write something on her hand. I told her I only had a fountain pen and it probably would not work for for that task.

In amazement, they then began discussing among themselves how my daughter had "TWO fountain pens."

 

Mike

Edited January 28, 2009 by TBPI

[fountainpenjunkie]

just saw another departments employee here in our area. I knew he had Visconti, but I was surprised to hear he had regular ol' fountain pens like Lamy. (which I was waving under his nose as he wrote with a ball point). He was surprised to hear I owned vintage pens. He had the impression the old ones were all leaky. He gathered this from the ink-stained hands of a vintage pen lover.

[pen2paper]

just saw another departments employee here in our area. I knew he had Visconti, but I was surprised to hear he had regular ol' fountain pens like Lamy. (which I was waving under his nose as he wrote with a ball point). He was surprised to hear I owned vintage pens. He had the impression the old ones were all leaky. He gathered this from the ink-stained hands of a vintage pen lover.

 

WOWie! please forgivve me for barging in on your comment..don't even recall the subject!

Your Avatar-That ink Blotter! It's a Sailboat!!! where ever did you find It!???

AnyOne know where I might find one of these???

p2p

[fountainpenjunkie]

best shop around:

pendemonium.com

under inkwells

 

WOWie! please forgivve me for barging in on your comment..don't even recall the subject!

Your Avatar-That ink Blotter! It's a Sailboat!!! where ever did you find It!???

AnyOne know where I might find one of these???

p2p

[Easily Amused]

So, I am curious if you folks see a lot of others using or carrying fountain pens?

 

I see one person everyday, very often writing with a fountain pen - it's me!!! Whenever I look down at my right hand, I see the magnificent stylus glide and the vibrant colors flow across the page.

 

OK, smart alec answers aside, pretty much no one. I can't recall the last time I saw a person "in the wild" writing with a fountain pen. (Pen shows, pen stores, and pen club meetings don't count.)

[grr]

So, I am curious if you folks see a lot of others using or carrying fountain pens?

 

I see a few FP users at work, usually among the more senior folks. The most recent was an Ambassador (I work at the U.S. State Department) who was jotting down some notes with a plain old Lamy Safari.

[Pippin60]

None, zero, not a living soul.

[Randorider]

The professor in the patent law class I took a couple years ago used a vanishing point.

[lsmith42]

My boss... he has 3 or 4 MBs... he told me a year after I was hired that the MB I pulled out to take notes during the interview was an unspoken "qualification requirement" for the job. Who says power tools don't work.

 

I try to be subtle, but I get questions about mine in every meeting where I use one, whether it's one of the Phileas or the MB144...

[Defacto]

My husband uses a fountainpen almost everyday too just like myself

 

Some of the doctors I work with use a fountainpen too so pretty much everyday I see a fountainpen being used.

[mackthepen]

My husband uses a fountainpen almost everyday too just like myself

 

Some of the doctors I work with use a fountainpen too so pretty much everyday I see a fountainpen being used.

 

I too see several fountain pens in the healthcare environment - mostly doctors, but a good few nurses too. My Dad has also always used a fountain pen, so I grew up thinking fountain pen use was normal - and we had to use them at school.

 

My wife and children all use fountain pens too.

 

Andrew

[fountainpenjunkie]

I see a few FP users at work, usually among the more senior folks. The most recent was an Ambassador (I work at the U.S. State Department) who was jotting down some notes with a plain old Lamy Safari.

yep - a yellow Lamy Safari was what I was waving under the nose of our visitor.

[blueskies]

Never

[mejdrich]

My first observation (and the genesis for my interest) was a junior year lit professor in high school... MB 144 - medium(?) - black ink... (1986)

 

A fellow classmate in microeconomics (during undergrad) used a MB 144 ball point... (no other rememberances of nice pen sightings at IU other than that one)

 

My father has a MB 149 my mom gave him (at my urging) (F) in the early "90's.

 

My father-in-law used a MB144 (broad, no less!) fp, and has since added an Aurora 88 with the Nikargenta cap (M).

 

No sightings in grad school.

 

A colleague in my asset management days at Morgan ('99) used a MB Solitaire (144 size) Pinstripe (M)....

 

The internal mortgage banker at an old employer (a bank) had a ton of them - Dupont, MB, Pelikan, etc... He has been indicted for embezzlement - no kidding... ('99)

 

My corporate accountant uses 2 51's and has a 61 that has a barrel in need of repair - he has used fps since time began... (One with red ink, one with blue...)

 

And, finally, one of the owners of my firm uses a MB 146 RB - he is Spanish and probably learned with a fountain, but hasn't ever indicated an interest in going back (He is a work in process)...

 

Oh, and a guy who frequented Rom (a coffee shop in Chicago, pronounced Rome), used a MB 146 and at least one Lamy Safari... (Never had a chance to engage him in conversation)

 

Of course, within the context of the huge number of folks who populate our planet, it is not a surprise that FPs are sighted so infrequently, however, assuming there is some truth in the idea of "natural markets", aka "birds of a feather", I am glad to see there are segments of the populace where FPs are still prolific...

 

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL PUSHER!

Edited August 20, 2009 by mejdrich