What Pen started your life long love of fountain pens?

[futhark]

I also started with a Sheaffer cartridge school pen in the 1960s, but did not really convert until I bought a black and chrome English Parker 61 in the 70s. A lot of ink has flowed through that pen since then.

[Waduino]

Well my life long love didn't start with those scratchy stick pens and ink wells in school. Weren't they terrible? We advanced to those pens with the levers on the side (were they Shaeffers?) and eventually converted to ball points.

 

Then about 12 years or so ago I got a FP. Don't really remember why, or even what it was but I liked that it encouraged me to write legibly and added a little je ne sais quoi to my personal style. A couple of us managers used them, which eventually led others to do the same, but it was just a pen to me. I lost it and oh, around 2000 or so I bought a Waterman Hemisphere. It's my daily writer and I still write with it today. My only FP for all that time! It's great. At about the same time my wife and I tried a pair of Parker Reflexes, just for fun. Mine wrote well, hers poorly. So she put her nice red barrel and cap on my pen and returned the other bits. Guess what. She still uses the Reflex. No kidding. I guess it was right after that experience that I bought the Hemisphere.

 

So the years roll by and nothing interesting happens FP-wise. Then a colleague at a meeting, who uses a fountain pen, awakens my interest late last year. So, long story short I now have a Conklin All American in Orange Spice. So, Conklin might not have that great a reputation but the pen writes like butter. I tried quite a few different pens. And the Coral Red ink (de Atrementis a.k.a. Laywine's) is a really nice change. Now I think I'm hooked.

 

Oh, and my wife picked up some Sky Blue ink for her pen. Today, I discovered the Pelikano Jr. with a left handed nib. Just the ticket for my wife to try, maybe with some fresh colour of ink. And for me? Well, I'm eyeballing Pelikan Souverain series pens. Seriously, maybe it was the Conklin that sparked a nascent life-long love of FPs. Strange but true.

Wad.

[graceaj]

A Parker Jotter that I got after many many looks at the Sanford case at the stationer. Mainly because it was the cheapest one they had. I only used it at home for my personal writing at first, but really got into pens(i.e. bought more than one) when one of my teachers kept on complaining that ballpoints were too light but also told us to use a waterproof ink. Googling that brought me to the Pendemonium page for Noodler's and as they say, the rest is history.

[karcirate]

A Parker Vector back in 96. Saved up the $6 to buy it from the CVS across the street from my school. I loved taking notes with that pen, and my hands were always blue.

 

On a side note I'd like to tell you that as I type this post, I am holding my 10 day old son - my first.

[arbatrmwc]

Congrats on your son!

 

I always had some curiosity about fountain pens, and got a cheap Sailor cartrige pen for 100 yen (about a dollar). Unfortunately it leaked terribly. So it wasn't until I bought a Sheaffer school pen off Ebay that I used a fountain pen for everyday writing. It writes well and, necessarily, has been as tough as nails! Now I have a Parker Frontier and a P51 aerometric as well, and hardly write with ballpoints anymore. Since Noodlers sells some waterproof ink, I can use the pens to write in my lab notebooks, and so there aren't many times I have to use Bics.

[Hélène]

Maped Poivre Blanc, a gift from my French sister, now about a year and a half later I have 12 not counting 5 Varsities, I also have many fibre tips and roller balls

 

edited for typo

Edited January 11, 2008 by Hélène

[jmkeuning]

Lamy Safari.

 

I've been using fountain pens since 2007!

[purpledog]

Lamy Safari.

 

I've been using fountain pens since 2007!

 

2007??

[jmkeuning]

That's right. . .

[dashboi666]

Lamy Safari.

 

I've been using fountain pens since 2007!

 

Same here! Excluding the time i has a parker in primary school..

 

My first fp purchase was a Lamy 2000 in extra fine - i still use it occasionally, but found the nib too big for my liking..

 

handsome minimalistic pen - i love!

[supermitch365]

I bought a safari in 2007 also...and between that and the 45, i am totally hooked

[adyf]

I asked for a fountain pen for my 7th birthday to use at school and my parents gave me a Parker 45. That was almost 35 years ago and I've been using them ever since.

[richardandtracy]

I was given a burgundy Parker 17 Lady in 1973. That's what got me onto fountain pens. Then the one that kept me was a P61 I had as my only pen for 25 years.

 

Regards

 

Richard.

 

[Greg]

While at seconday school we HAD to use fountain pens and I had a few cheap Parkers, Platignums and an Osmiroid, mainly bought from the sweet shop on the way to school to replace a previously lost pen. I liked some of them but had no favourites or opinions as they were mandatory.

 

My first pen as a CHOICE came around 5 years after school as a 'mature' student at university. My sister in law gave me a Parker 15 for my birthday. I didn't like it and took it to WH Smiths and found they had Parker 45s on offer. I added another pound or so and chose a nice maroon colour and Smiths swapped it over (no receipts and sob stories required in those days!).

 

I used it throughout 4 years at university and for another 3-4 years at work after that. I had worn down the nib tip by then to a large flat. Unfortunately I tried to unscrew the nib to clean it and the feed snapped in my fingers. However I was now bitten and so it was replaced by a much larger investment in a black Parker Duofold Centenary.

 

 

Greg

[Queen Moon]

Parker's 45 some 30 years ago and I have been a Parker person ever since.

QM

[ampatb]

Back in the early 80's I bought a Waterman Sterling pen set (fp and bp) with some graduation $ and one of my first pay checks "in the real world." They are still in the pen case and I love them. Not many years ago I took the pens to work and my boss saw them and said, "I want those. Don't leave them in this office if you want to keep them." No way! He was kidding, I will never part with them and rarely take them out any more.

Edited January 11, 2008 by ampatb

[sph33r]

I've only recently become interested in fountain pens but it was spurred on by finding my old Parker Vector when I moved. So I guess I can blame the Vector although, back when I purchased it, I was interested in them or else I wouldn't have bought it.

[sandeep108]

I was gifted a gold dust ST Dupont pen a few years ago with a broad 18kt gold nib. It is a great smooth writer and I enjoy writing / signing with it. Now I recently (with my wife's indulgence) bought a Visconti Van Gogh Maxi with silver finish and medium nib - which is a great contrast to the Dupont. It is also a lovely pen and I am using turquoise blue ink in it and it has only further reinforced my love for fountain pens. I sometimes just write simply for the pleasure of using these pens.

 

I have now also asked around and dug out a few more old ones from friends and family and getting them fixed/cleaned.

[fatehbajwa]

Sheaffer NoNonsense FP

[Tom Pike]

It's a toss up between three pens:

 

1) Sheaffer School Pen; C/C; mid-1960's. We were allowed to use these in third grade when our cursive writing was deemed "good enough".

 

2) 1950's Wearever lever-filler in Mom's desk drawer - When I was 5 or 6, I couldn't figure out how you got the ink in through that "spout" on the side of the pen!

 

3) Mid-1940's Sheaffer Statesman in Marine Green (1000). Another one from Mom's desk drawer that fascinated me as a child. I own it now, and remember Mom every time I use it.

 

 

Cheers,

Tom