Fountain Pens & Pipes...

[idbowman]

As far as I can remember, I've never used a fountain pen in my life.

Suddenly, I feel like I'm missing out.

 

[PhilD]

I have several fountain pens. My favorites are a Faber Castell Coconut and a Namiki Vanishing Point. Smooth writing and flexible.

Phil

 

[PeterD]

...Thanks for your comments and observations...perhaps there are more of "us" out there than I thought!

 

[Harlock999]

I've collected Fountain Pens since around 1975 but am of a generation which learned to use 'em back in elementary school. Remember the old colored barrel Schaefer cartridge pens that leaked like a sieve ? My focus has been Parker Vacumatics, and 51s as well as post war German pens mostly MontBlank, Osmia, and Pelikan. I currently use a Mont Blanc 256 from 1954 and a Pelikan 100 from 1938 in striated Grey and a 1944 Parker Vac Maxima daily.

The collector in me loves a post like this! :cheers:

 

[i.keenum]

Bring part of the electronic age. Typing was taught in grade school to a much greater extent than penmanship . Wish I had handwriting nice enough to justify getting one.

 

[jefe1037]

Bring part of the electronic age. Typing was taught in grade school to a much greater extent than penmanship . Wish I had handwriting nice enough to justify getting one.

a handwritten note is something that is unmatched. I got embossed cards with my name on them for high school graduation (a good friends family ran a paper store -- i STILL havent hit the bottom of the box) you don't have to get something this fancy, but some nice quality cards and envelopes are a MUST. condolences, congratulations and thank yous have new meaning, and a nice pen classes them up a bit (at least a rolllerball pen, if you don't want to drop the dime on a fountain pen). you would be surprised how much this does for how others esteem you as a gentleman. on that note, A hand written thank you delivered to a sorority house when i was in college ended up with a feisty coed in my bed later that evening, so there are more immediate results as well...

 

[Kyle Weiss]

"Please clean the kitchen."

You're right, that hand-written note exudes class and respect, I was just afraid the fountain pen script might have made it come off a bit arrogant. :lol: Many arguments averted, for sure!

Thanks, fountain pen! 8)

 

[monbla256]

Bring part of the electronic age. Typing was taught in grade school to a much greater extent than penmanship . Wish I had handwriting nice enough to justify getting one.

Try getting a nice one with a gold (solid, not plated) nib and some nice 100% cotton rag paper and give handwritting a try. You might find your handwritting improves with some time And you don't need to learn to write in the old Spencerian script to use a fountain pen! (though it can be fun to try it as it will improve your handwritting )

 

[i.keenum]

they don't even teach cursive in grade school now. They touched on it when I was in school, my younger brother was never taught.

 

[monbla256]

they don't even teach cursive in grade school now. They touched on it when I was in school, my younger brother was never taught.

In today's electronic world, I'm sure there are available some instructional videos that teach "cursive" writting! When I was in school, mostly girls took typing, they were gonna be secretarys ya know :lol: , guys took shop classes, we were all gonna be carpenters and mechanics or bosses who hired secretarys to type :lol: , so I had to get a book from the library and teach myself to type. Try it , you might be surprised what you can teach yourself

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Almost any community college or vocational school will teach handwriting improvement, script or cursive. I was taught cursive, but I don't think I have ever once used it. My handwriting has always been terrible, but at 130+ wpm typing, I'm not worried about it. It's a good skill if I need to hand-write code, however. :lol:

 

[George Kaplan]

Bring part of the electronic age. Typing was taught in grade school to a much greater extent than penmanship . Wish I had handwriting nice enough to justify getting one.

Not to pick on you, Keenum, but considering your age, I'll bet you were never really taught "typing" in school, but rather "keyboarding". Until you've absent-mindedly slapped a computer keyboard onto the floor while hitting the return bar, you're not really typing.
I'm sure a lot of guys these days wouldn't even know what I mean by that, or why it's funny, but I did it plenty of times during the "transitional" years of the late 80s.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Because of my typewriters, I know how to type, incidentally. It's funny to watch younger guys try and type on a mechanical typewriter. Suddenly they go from Twitter Whiz to "WTF?" :lol: Computer keybeds are to synthesizer keys as are typewriters to a piano--its just a different approach.

I wanted to type out letters to my bombing victims last round, but I didn't have time. I have a 1952 Smith-Corona Sterling with a wonderful letter set.

 

[monbla256]

Bring part of the electronic age. Typing was taught in grade school to a much greater extent than penmanship . Wish I had handwriting nice enough to justify getting one.

Not to pick on you, Keenum, but considering your age, I'll bet you were never really taught "typing" in school, but rather "keyboarding". Until you've absent-mindedly slapped a computer keyboard onto the floor while hitting the return bar, you're not really typing.
I'm sure a lot of guys these days wouldn't even know what I mean by that, or why it's funny, but I did it plenty of times during the "transitional" years of the late 80s.

AAAAH that satisfying "zzzzzzzzzg/thunk as the carraige returned to start every time you finished a line !! I still have an IBM Selectric I use at times and have thre "type balls" for it! It's a big honker of a machine but sooooo smooth to use

 

[George Kaplan]

Here's a fun fact: did you know that the standard qwerty arrangement was actually designed to slow down typing? Early mechanical typewriters would jam up if you typed too fast.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Here's a fun fact: did you know that the standard qwerty arrangement was actually designed to slow down typing? Early mechanical typewriters would jam up if you typed too fast.

That's partly true. It was also more ergonomic (for the machine, not the typist) to space out the letters so that the most-used keys were at the center (home-row, as it later became known) and also at the center of U-shaped pivot the letter arms made it easier and less obstructive to hammer out the word. Early typewriter keys were also arranged in a U shape in a few models.

http://site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/tw-history.html <---- good resource page.

http://home.earthlink.net/~dcrehr/whyqwert.html <----- QWERTYbits

 

[George Kaplan]

That's partly true. It was also more ergonomic (for the machine, not the typist) to space out the letters so that the most-used keys were at the center (home-row, as it later became known)

They must have used a lot more semicolons in those days.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

That's partly true. It was also more ergonomic (for the machine, not the typist) to space out the letters so that the most-used keys were at the center (home-row, as it later became known)

They must have used a lot more semicolons in those days.

...and a lot less exclamation points!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <----(that would have taken some doing back then) :lol:

 

[PeterD]

...some of you have commented that schools don't teach handwriting/penmanship any more...That is true...and it is a vanishing art. Years ago, I re-taught myself how to write in cursive...bought a third grade writing tablet with the cursive letters, and just practiced. I rather enjoyed the challenge, and used my fountain pens, quill, glass tipped, even learning how to cut my own quill for use.

..also noted, there's nothing more appropriate than a hand written note to someone...especially thank you notes or congratulation notes. Every once in a while I pull the writing tablet out and see what improvements I need to make.

I've enjoyed your comments...Many Thanks!

 

[Buckshot]

Remember the old colored barrel Schaefer cartridge pens that leaked like a sieve ?

Does that ever bring back the memories! That type of pen is all I used through high school and into college. :lol: