Who uses a fountain pen?

[Terry Q]

I remember many years ago when Shaffer introduced the cartridge fountain pen. No fuss no mess just insert a cartridge and off you go. You could buy the pen with different coloured barrels to match up with the colour of ink you were using. I used them a daily through my school years. Now that I am retired I daily writing is no longer an issue so a roller ball is the pen I go to when needed. I would like to make and use a FP but worry about the tip drying up and having to fiddle with cleaning just to use it. How long can a FP stay capped without drying out?

How many of you use a FP instead of a ball point or roller ball?

 

[johnny5]

Me
Love using them.

 

[Phil Dart]

I use a fountain pen, but not all the time, so my experience is ideal for your purposes. On a day to day basis I use a ballpoint for most things, but I keep my fountain pen for writing on things that matter, like a compliment slip or a birthday card or a letter, so it gets used sporadically and may sit around for several days without use. I've never had a problem with drying out as long as the cap is replaced. Forget to replace the cap and it will dry up within a very few hours, but a quick twist of the converter to prime the nib seems to sort it out.

My wife uses a fountain pen all the time - so drying out never crosses her mind, and she only cleans it out, well hardly at all, and usually only if she wants to use a different ink.

Does that help?

 

[AllenN]

Me too. I use a fountain pen much of the time. I know it sounds daft but somehow I seem to think better with a fountain pen in my hand rather than a ball point or roller ball. If you don't use them they can dry out but it only takes a minute or so to free up I find.
Dont get me wrong, I do use ball points and rollers for some things and for convenience when travelling ( aircraft and fountain pens are not always a great combination) but for preference I will take a fountain pen every time. No ink cartridges either I like to use Watermans Ink from a glass bottle.
There now all my secrets are out.

 

[bassethound]

I would love to use one but whatever I use it looks like a spider has run over the paper with Inky boots on...

 

[Vic Perrin]

I started using a fountain pen on a regulat basis after making myself one a few years back. This was replaced with the pen that Jim sent me when we done the pen swap. For some reason I feel much better writing with a fountain pen, never had major problems with it drying up but it is easily remedied .

 

[Doug]

I vaguely remember having a go with a fountain pen at primary school but it was ballpoint through secondary & collage, pretty rare that I use a pen at all now a days other than signing my name which with modern methods of payment is getting less often.

 

[Buckeye]

I love writing with a fountain pen, I don't use it as much as I would like, but that is because I don't write as many letters now, all greeting cards are written with a fountain pen as well as their envelopes. I have never had it dry out on me and as long as you replace the cap when not in use, you should be fine even if it is only a couple of times a month. My wife uses her FP daily and goes through oodles of ink, no chance of hers drying up.

Peter

 

[Scots Bill]

Well Terry, for years I have used a cheapish fountain pen to write my daily diary. It, a Parker, uses the cartridges, never had a problem. The real pain in the rear end were those draftmens pens the Rotoring. When they dried out, even with the proper cleaning fluid, impossible to get going again I found. They were not cheap.

 

[GSteer]

I've been using them since my early school days and use one or more daily, the smoothness of a well tuned nib on decent paper with a shading ink is something special. It's what brought me over to the turning side, so many nice materials that custom pens were being made out from, I couldn't afford all of them so have invested the money in equipment instead. My spreadsheet currently lists 125 fountain pens from the 1920's through to modern items (excluding ones waiting repair) and roughly 100 inks, so I've a good frame of reference. I'm currently looking at around 12 inked on my desk although in fairness I've just returned from a holiday with my cousin who is also a bit FP nuts.

If dryout is your main concern I can recommend both TWSBI 580's which have decent o-ring seals and last for months with no dry out and any of the Platinum #3776 Century pens with their slip-n-seal caps, the blurb states up to two years capped with the ability to open and write. I can't quite attest to two years but have had at least one solidly inked for over a year with no issues, four of them make up my desk set of pens.

There are ways and means of cleaning pens from even the worst dry out but these days it shouldn't be a major issue as seals and inks have also evolved significantly, although there is a massive wide range with large differences over saturation, flow, lubrication, dry times etc.

 

[chas_41_uk]

Oh I remember fountain pens at school. Bl**dy awful things. Scratchy and leaving blots of ink all over the place
And I'm talking about 40 years ago when I was at school.

I hadn't even tried a fountain pen since those days until I started turning pens 2 years ago. WOW what a difference
Is till don't use one on a regular basis, but when I do it is this one


A Baron dressed in Red Mallee

 

[RodN]

When I was at school we HAD to use a dip pen. Ballpoint pens had been invented, but they were banned from school and I never had one. Later years in school my parents bought me a Conway Stewart fountain pen. By 1963 at college I graduated up to a Parker 57, which I used for years. Yes, I do use a ballpoint pen nowadays, but it is only used for quick notes..... and as a result I now have two different styles of handwriting. Scribble with the ballpoint, and for best I always use a fountain pen.

Using a fountain pen I slow down and write much more neatly. Whenever a greetings card needs to be written my wife brings me my fountain pen. I consider that there is something special about a fountain pen. A letter is much more personal, and the recipient can sense that too. Nowadays I have several fountain pens and they get rotated. (But on a whim, really).

Yesterday I made myself a brand new one. Brazilian rosewood.... the holy grail of woods :-)

Rod

 

[silver]

I use FP, not all the time as when on site filling in documents on a bully board i find its easier with BP.

I use the one Steven sent me on the pen swap currently..

Can't say that I really had a problem with ink drying.

 

[Penpal]

When I was at school we HAD to use a dip pen. Ballpoint pens had been invented, but they were banned from school and I never had one. Later years in school my parents bought me a Conway Stewart fountain pen. By 1963 at college I graduated up to a Parker 57, which I used for years. Yes, I do use a ballpoint pen nowadays, but it is only used for quick notes..... and as a result I now have two different styles of handwriting. Scribble with the ballpoint, and for best I always use a fountain pen.

Using a fountain pen I slow down and write much more neatly. Whenever a greetings card needs to be written my wife brings me my fountain pen. I consider that there is something special about a fountain pen. A letter is much more personal, and the recipient can sense that too. Nowadays I have several fountain pens and they get rotated. (But on a whim, really).

Yesterday I made myself a brand new one. Brazilian rosewood.... the holy grail of woods :-)

Rod

Love the pen agree with the sentiments.

Peter.

 

[Penpal]

With the erratic lifestyle of the real aged ball point is my chosen preference.

Peter.

 

[wm460]

I prefer a fountain pen but carry an elcheapo BP at work as I loose too many when I bend over.

 

[Dalboy]

Use pens I am still at the use pencil stage.

I use a BP for doodling when at the computer and need to write something but mostly use a pencil as I am in the workshop most of the time and as for paper a piece of wood is great.

 

[Terry Q]

Thank you all for your excellent comments. I have some Omegas already finished so going to pick one today and start using.