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Fountain pen users, rejoice!
- Thread starter sk1wbw
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That is unexpected news.
This thread caught my attention. I've been using a Parker 25 fountain pen since my school days when I got it as a set with a ball point pen. The pic is of the fountain pen. I like the pen because it writes smoothly across paper.
![parker pen 25.jpg]( "parker pen 25.jpg")
Parker 25
I also have this one which I have also used a lot, a Parker 45 Harlequin. Again I like it because it moves effortlessly across paper and produces a nice flow of ink, just as the parker 25 does.
![Parker-Harlequin-Grey-Circlet.jpg]( "Parker-Harlequin-Grey-Circlet.jpg")
Parker 45 Harlequin
(Images are for illustration purposes only, they are not pictures of my actual pens but ones identical too them).
Before I got those two pens I would use other types of fountain pens and I hated the scratching noises the nibs made when moving across paper. Also more ink would come out of the nib causing blobs of ink to come out onto the paper.
Edit: Post edit to reflect change in pen from a parker 75 to a parker 45 which I found is the correct pen I own.
Parker 25
I also have this one which I have also used a lot, a Parker 45 Harlequin. Again I like it because it moves effortlessly across paper and produces a nice flow of ink, just as the parker 25 does.
Parker 45 Harlequin
(Images are for illustration purposes only, they are not pictures of my actual pens but ones identical too them).
Before I got those two pens I would use other types of fountain pens and I hated the scratching noises the nibs made when moving across paper. Also more ink would come out of the nib causing blobs of ink to come out onto the paper.
Edit: Post edit to reflect change in pen from a parker 75 to a parker 45 which I found is the correct pen I own.
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Isn't it?
Some reports allude to digital writing instruments a bit too much to my liking, but I guess we'll have to wait and see.
Had to edit my post because I found the other fountain pen and after some research found it is actually a Parker 45 Harlequin from the early 1980's. It was another fountain pen I used during my school days.
Do any of you remember this ink?
![quink ink.jpg]( "quink ink.jpg")
I used to carry a bottle of this around with me in my school bag. How I managed to never break it I'll never know because I was never one to handle my school bag with care.
I used to carry a bottle of this around with me in my school bag. How I managed to never break it I'll never know because I was never one to handle my school bag with care.
Yes, actually, I do.
And I used to use that ink, as well.
I carried a bottle of that 'Quink' ink in my briefcase, all through my undergrad career, when I was a student.
And no, it never broke, and I did handle my briefcase (and my schoolbag, earlier, when I was at school - for, I also wrote with a fountain pen in those days, as well), with some care.
Thanks for popping this forum up so that I noticed it. I almost only ever write with an Apple Pencil now but I’d think ill get my matt black LAMY out of the drawer and leave it on my desk so it gets a little use instead of the crappy hotel pens that always seem to be lying about.
I sure do, a classic. I still have a Quink black that I use to draw with my Lamy Vista.
What was your ink refill methods? I started off with one that had a lever on the side, you pulled out the lever, dipped the pen nib in the ink bottle, pulled the lever back and it sucked up the ink. I would make such a mess doing this. I eventually swapped this out for one that was the squeeze method. The refiller had a rubber tube inside it. You put the pen nib in the ink bottle, squeezed the rubber tube then released and it would suck up the ink. Again I would make such a mess of this that in the end I resorted to using ready filled ink cartridges. The only problem I had with these is not making sure I had enough of them in my pencil case and running out of ink mid classroom session and having to beg my classmates for an ink cartridge.
I'm saddened by the news about Lamy.
I've seen pictures online of vintage ink bottles that came with outer case (often Bakelite I'd guess) that could presumably protect the ink bottle when taking it out of the house.
I've never used Quink, but do recognize the name. I must have first heard it in the 1980s from a fountain pen using teacher I had.
A character in an Agatha Christie novel (Hickory Dickory Dock) runs out of ink, and mentions she'll need to buy a bottle of Quink.
I hear positive rumbles about Quink as available/good value. Although I wouldn't buy it as a "classic"--I strongly suspect the Quink of today is different than Parker's heyday.
I've seen pictures online of vintage ink bottles that came with outer case (often Bakelite I'd guess) that could presumably protect the ink bottle when taking it out of the house.
I've never used Quink, but do recognize the name. I must have first heard it in the 1980s from a fountain pen using teacher I had.
A character in an Agatha Christie novel (Hickory Dickory Dock) runs out of ink, and mentions she'll need to buy a bottle of Quink.
I hear positive rumbles about Quink as available/good value. Although I wouldn't buy it as a "classic"--I strongly suspect the Quink of today is different than Parker's heyday.
Last year, I bought my first fountain pen since the 1970s!
Reason was to help learn a language. I thought that writing down the words/sentences as I went through lessons would be a good idea. But doing so with a fountain open would actually be a particularly good choice as it would slow me down - at least compared against my usual rushed ball-point scrawl.
The pen I got has a particularly good filling mechanism and simply does not dry out. I know there are many others I could have chosen but the combination of reasonable price and working well has been a winner for me. It's never going to be an heirloom but it works every day, reliably, and has improved my language and writing hugely.
Chose an almost matching Diamine green/blue ink!
![Persian-Green_720x@2x.jpg]()
Reason was to help learn a language. I thought that writing down the words/sentences as I went through lessons would be a good idea. But doing so with a fountain open would actually be a particularly good choice as it would slow me down - at least compared against my usual rushed ball-point scrawl.
The pen I got has a particularly good filling mechanism and simply does not dry out. I know there are many others I could have chosen but the combination of reasonable price and working well has been a winner for me. It's never going to be an heirloom but it works every day, reliably, and has improved my language and writing hugely.
Chose an almost matching Diamine green/blue ink!
In the past, I used only Sheaffer ink, which back then had a little inkwell at the top of the bottle. That have might made filling easier. I can't remember for sure, but I think the three pens I used the most in the past had some squeeze filling system. That was definitely the case for a Sheaffer and a vintage Parker I used. I don't remember my 1990s Cross, but I'm guessing now if it was anything different, I'd remember it. No issues filling that I recall.
Despite my
above, I also used cartridges in one pen (a cheap Sheaffer cartridge pen), although that pen wasn't used much.When I started using a fountain pen again in late 2022, there was a period of using cartridges. Initially, I was figuring "cartridges aren't good value, but how much ink will I use?" Then it's easier finding cartridges in my area. Those pens still do use cartridges, but I now generally refill the cartridge with bottled ink. (Places selling pens sometimes have blunt syringes sold for this purpose. My father was the first to tell me about the idea back in the 1980s. I wouldn't be surprised if he hadn't had a Sheaffer student cartridge pen when he was young that he refilled this way.) I did, however, cough up a few bucks to get a convertor when I bought my Pilot Kakuno. It's a squeeze convertor--some don't like it (partly because you can't see ink level, unlike ohter convertors), but it makes me feel a bit nostalgic--it reminds me of filling the Sheaffer and the Parker I had years ago.
I remember some members talk about the weight of the fountain pen affecting their purchasing decisions. This was much the case for me because back in the days just before I was ready to start 'grown up' school I remember trying to write with a fountain pen my grandfather used which was his daily use at an aircraft factory he worked in, he was a design/installation engineer for Shorts aircraft manufacturer making the Short Sunderland flyboat airplane. Seeing and reading the posts in this thread brought back that memory of trying his fountain pen. It was a fat pen, all black and heavy. Yes I was a young child when first tried it but when in adulthood I was fortunate to try it again because my grandfather still had it when he retired and even as an adult I found his fountain pen to be heavy. That could be possibly due to having used the very light Parker 45 because yes that thing is extremely light in weight which is why I used it for all these years.
What I hated about cartridges is that you are somewhat pushed to fill when the cartridge is, or approaches, empty. It feels extremely wasteful to change cartridge before then. But there are circumstances where I want to be in control so I can go out, or start something, knowing the pen is full, so not need to carry ink - whether in a cartridge or a bottle.
In the past, I used only Sheaffer ink, which back then had a little inkwell at the top of the bottle. That have might made filling easier. I can't remember for sure, but I think the three pens I used the most in the past had some squeeze filling system. That was definitely the case for a Sheaffer and a vintage Parker I used. I don't remember my 1990s Cross, but I'm guessing now if it was anything different, I'd remember it. No issues filling that I recall.
Despite my
When I started using a fountain pen again in late 2022, there was a period of using cartridges. Initially, I was figuring "cartridges aren't good value, but how much ink will I use?" Then it's easier finding cartridges in my area. Those pens still do use cartridges, but I now generally refill the cartridge with bottled ink. (Places selling pens sometimes have blunt syringes sold for this purpose. My father was the first to tell me about the idea back in the 1980s. I wouldn't be surprised if he hadn't had a Sheaffer student cartridge pen when he was young that he refilled this way.) I did, however, cough up a few bucks to get a convertor when I bought my Pilot Kakuno. It's a squeeze convertor--some don't like it (partly because you can't see ink level, unlike ohter convertors), but it makes me feel a bit nostalgic--it reminds me of filling the Sheaffer and the Parker I had years ago.
Quite some years ago I was lucky enough to buy on eBay 5 bottles of PQ Permanent Blue Black with Solv-x for $12. I still have 2 1/2 bottles left. I find the Solv-x magic for cleaning out a clogged up pen.
Do you think the practice of receiving a silver plated or gold plated fountain pen as a retirement gift still goes on or is it something that has resigned itself to the history books? because I remember hearing my grandfather and my father talk about seeing people receive expensive fountain pens as a retirement gift.
I remember using a cheap cartridge fountain pen in my first job out of college. I was not going to use my nice parker pens incase they got damaged so cheap one it was. 4 days into the new job, pen in shirt pocket, the pen decided to leak and leak bad it did, blue in all over my shirt and my works jacket uniform. My employer was not happy seeing a large dark blue stain on the chest area of their works uniform. Never bought a cheap fountain pen again, I just stick with my parker pens, handling them with care, as one should
Do you have any solid reason for your suspicion ? Because I find Quink quite good, especially given the price.
TWSBI is a good "re-entrant" choice IMHO. I heard before about them not running dry. Enjoy!Last year, I bought my first fountain pen since the 1970s!
Reason was to help learn a language. I thought that writing down the words/sentences as I went through lessons would be a good idea. But doing so with a fountain open would actually be a particularly good choice as it would slow me down - at least compared against my usual rushed ball-point scrawl.
The pen I got has a particularly good filling mechanism and simply does not dry out. I know there are many others I could have chosen but the combination of reasonable price and working well has been a winner for me. It's never going to be an heirloom but it works every day, reliably, and has improved my language and writing hugely.
Chose an almost matching Diamine green/blue ink!
![Persian-Green_720x@2x.jpg]()
Curious to know if handwriting with fountain pen actually helps you in learning ;-)
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Fountain pens, watches... they used to be the traditional retirement gifts - at least where I live.
Nowadays, I think it's slim pickings in many workplaces.
Just out of interest, how was you taught to write using a fountain pen? At my school, we all had to start off writing using a pencil because we was not allowed to use ink based pens until we was taught how to use them and we did that in our English lessons (Literature and Language). The teacher would give us all a fountain pen to use and a bottle of ink. We was shown how to fill the pen with ink and then provide us with lined paper. On the blackboard the teacher had simulated the lines on the paper and using chalk would show how to write letters and words using the full height of the lines. Only certain letters used the full height of the lines such as when writing a capital letter and letters such as p and g and y had to be written so that only a specific amount of the letter was allowed under the line. I am not sure if this was supposed to be how one should write but the teacher used to say that writing words should be one fluid movement, basically the letters being joined up and this was done in a specific way. I love seeing how joined up writing it done, it looks so elegant but it is something I failed at badly at school. No matter how I tried I just could not do it.
Below is an example of lined paper we would use at school in being taught how to use a fountain pen and write letters with it. I can still remember it to this day having to write each letter of the alphabet in capital letters making sure we went from bottom of the line to the top of the line. If the teacher thought it looked messy we was told to stop and try again from the beginning.
![lined paper.jpg]( "lined paper.jpg")
Below is an example of lined paper we would use at school in being taught how to use a fountain pen and write letters with it. I can still remember it to this day having to write each letter of the alphabet in capital letters making sure we went from bottom of the line to the top of the line. If the teacher thought it looked messy we was told to stop and try again from the beginning.
My suspicion is just based on realities of changes with Parker over the years, with ownership changes, factories closing, etc. Maybe the ink stayed the same, but I'm guessing--and only guessing--that the formulation wouldn't be the same now as it was when Parker was an independent company.
I'm in the US, and grew up in the 70s and 80s. Fountain pens were long gone from my schools, except for one teacher I had who used a fountain pen.
In my school, we were limited to pencils through 4th grade (about age 10) for school work. In 5th grade, I had to have a pen for handwriting practice, because--as my teacher pointed out--it was penmanship. But pens we used were ballpoints. Pens were accepted for general work after that point, except for one teacher I had in 7th grade, who insisted on pencil, because he hated the look of crossed out mistakes.
I got my first fountain pen when I was about 11. I was given some basic directions on the use from my mother, who was old enough to have remembered when they were commonly used.