How often do you see people using fountain pens?

[hermanlab]

On the topic of lending a fountain pen to a fountainpen non-believer: My mother taught us if you have nice things - use them. If you lose them or they get broken, have a good cry and then get over it. At least you'd have had some pleasure from them until then. Accordingly I don't hesitate to lend my pens as long as they are used under my watchful eye. The reactions are often amusing and I try to remember them:

 

Some will squint at the nib with irritation and mumble: "I can't write with this thing. Is there anything else here I can can use?"

 

Another response was: "Oh noooooh! I'm too scared I'll break it!"

 

A friend of mine (middle 20's) twice declined to use mine because he insisted that being a left-handed he would spoil the slanted wear that he believes must exist on my nib. (?!) .

 

Some don't say much but then alternate between carefully trying to write with the nib right-side up and upside-down.

 

Occasionally the older middle-to genuinely older generation would take and write perfectly as if they do so every day.

 

The most unusual case ever was a particularly rough-looking beef-fisted man who borrowed my pen once to fill in a form. I cringed when i imagined him crushing the tines. He surprised me, however, by writing most delicately in an unusually beautiful, flowing script. He was probably my parents' age, so old enough to have had to use dip pens at school.

 

In all these years, nobody has ever lost, damaged or abused a pen of mine.

[LWJ2]

Hermanlab:

 

That really does happen. When I worked in graphic arts, my boss (a leftie) and I (a quasi-abmi rightie) discovered that we could not swap ruling pens or techinical pens because of wear patterns. Mind, those are made of steel. Irridium probably eliminates a good deal of it except on older pens inherited or purchased second-hand.

I've noticed it on dip pen nibs that I've purchased second hand, some need to be re-adjusted before they'll work for me.

 

LWJ2

A friend of mine (middle 20's) twice declined to use mine because he insisted that being a left-handed he would spoil the slanted wear that he believes must exist on my nib. (?!) .

 

 

 

[shudaizi]

Not often when the college isn't in session, but during the semester it's nearly every day: the professor whose office is next door to mine is a FP nut too and we both carry our pens at work daily.

Edited January 14, 2014 by shudaizi

[BT-7274]

Somewhat often because of two of my friends specifically. Both got into using them after I exposed them to what FP's are like. One currently has a Lamy Logo I passed on, while the other has a white Safari.

[highlander1307]

Seems I am fortunate to run in several different groups that have a several users of fountain pens. Living in a university town (now a thrice football champion), the law school graduates have a tradition of buying Montblancs. Working with clients, fountain pens seem to impress them and they will comment that the founder/owner/patriarch/grandfather used a fountain pen. I use a gold fountain pen (to differentiate me from the law school graduates) and if I call the Executive Assistant for the meeting she typically will ask if I was the one with the gold fountain pen. Some of the institutions I am associated with are the oldest in the state so I use brown inks to approximate the oxidation of the old records. Again, noticed by fountain pen users and non users. The typical comment I hear "Old School is good!".

[proton007]

Just recently. A colleague of mine got a Parker after seeing me using a metropolitan.

The first sighting in many years.

Edited January 15, 2014 by proton007

[Dr_P]

In this @#$#$@# town I guess I'm the only one writing with a FP. Even my colleagues at the University use cheap plastic BICs.

 

To further illustrate the point, Staples has on the shelves four bottles of Parker Quink (yes, four). Today I went to Lowerys. They also carry Parker Quink, but they don't have in stock. It's a special order

 

Dr_P

[Dr_P]

... the law school graduates have a tradition of buying Montblancs ...

Wow!

 

Our students (the ones that actually take handwriting notes, not the ones that type in an Apple) use a plastic BIC or a wooden pencil, not even a "decent" BP

 

Sure you don't have an opening for a Business Lecturer?

 

Dr_P

[pajaro]

I have never, in real life, seen anyone else using a fountain pen -- except at a pen show! Kind of odd, as SOMEONE is buying all these fountain pens on ebay...

 

Petra

 

Plus one.

[hollydonut]

i have never seen anyone use fo here in jakarta, but i heard some of my BOD use one, but they are much older than me.

[Just I]

I have never seen anyone in the wilds of Edmonton using a fountain pen.... but we have a great local store that has been in business for 5 years so there has to others.

 

For my job, I work in a very small office and rarely interact with other people in person. I live alone and when I am with friends and family we aren't usually writing. When I sketch in public I try to stay out of the way (and am just as likely to use a pencil, charcoal, copic or brush pen as a fountain pen) and not be noticed so I am wondering how many people have seen me write with a fountain pen? Maybe a dozen or so and most of those are people who regularly see me write.

 

I think I may need to start getting out more!

[Charles Rice]

My brother, a friend who I converted, and about 10 years ago at an auto parts show in Vegas.

 

I get lots of comments, too.

[halpen9950]

Unfortunately not often. I frequently get asked "What is that or why do you use that old thing".

That's why we need to keep the idea alive. My thought is some things are always going to be good.

The pencil hasn't been improved upon in a long time and I've always enjoyed (and so have most of the recipients) a

thoughtful hand written note or letter penned in blue ink.. I've managed to get several people interested but some will

always be scoffers. I'm just going to keep up the good work and buy some ink and pens

Hal

[Dr_P]

I have never seen anyone in the wilds of Edmonton using a fountain pen.... but we have a great local store that has been in business for 5 years ...

Hummm .... money laundering in Edmonton ??

[perth]

I've seen 7 people in total at my school use fountain pen. That isn't factoring the three separate incidents of me finding a Lamy Safari tossed away in either the rubbish bin, stashed under a desk, or just on the ground.

[Adrianc]

Thus far, not a single sighting. But I probably wouldn't have noticed before this fall when I "discovered" fountain pens myself.

[Anirban4u]

Saw one of my colleague pull out a parker frontier today.
We chatted a little bit and I let him write with my Sheaffer 300 that is on rotation currently.

If he carries on, maybe I'll introduce him to FPN

[a.lachlan]

I've seen a few people write with Parkers, and one with a Lamy Al Star, but never anyone with a pen you can't just get at a WHSmith...

[riccardodebole]

Only in Pen Show, and in some movies.

[randomthinks]

Every member of my graduate research committee had one, but only used it for signing dissertations. That was forever ago. My grad advisor had a beautiful antique Montblanc that he kept in his breat pocket, but again, only used for his signature. He did regularly use a Pilot Varsity for everyday.

 

A former colleauge very prissily kept a FP wrapped in a chamois cloth, in a case with her reading glasses. It was theater for her to conspicuously open the case, perch the readers on the end of her nose, and unscrew the cap whenever she was in a meeting. More show than substance. She didn't make it.

 

These days, nope.