Oh, the horror, the carnage, the ink stains !!

Seriously, I am glad you found something that can generate this much enthusiasm. Run with it.

You go, girl. :D
-----------------------------------
"I think the surest sign that there is intelligent life out there in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us." (Calvin and Hobbes/Bill Waterson)

I bought myself a Waterman Phileas fountain pen for Christmas. My first since middle school when I had one of those cheap leaky pens. The only thing I use mine for now is writing in my journal. I'm re-learning cursive and the fountain pen makes my handwriting almost look artistic.....no small feat! So far I'm only using the cartridges, but I have a converter and bottle of ink waiting for that day I have time to clean a major ink spill. :)

My current pen love affair is with gel pens. I love the smooth way the ink flows on every writing surface, especially notecards and Moleksine pages. I recently purchased a three pack of Uniball Signo's, and I love using them. I also have a supply of the Bic Ultra's scattered about. They're cheap and work great. My tried and true friend, the quad point pen I purchased from FC 10 years ago, is getting neglected lately.

--Bob

Here, I opened this thread, expecting (hoping almost) to read some horror story of how your daughter got ink everywhere, and how you were swearing off of fountain pens--only to discover that the only gushing going on was how wonderful fountain pens are!!! And I've been trying _so_ hard to resist getting myself one!!! They are _everywhere_ here in Krakow, and every time I go into a stationery store, I have to avert my eyes (thanks to you all!) and now you are making it even harder!!! :-D

-Jon

So glad to hear that you have found a potential new hobby! ((This site is great for finding new hobbies and fueling addictions))

A new art supply store opened not far from my house, soooooOOooo... I **HAD** to make a visit. I found Varsity fountain pens for $1.25 each!!! I bought three ... one black, blue, purple... ran home and now am in love!

Now I'll have to get my retro-parkers up and running ... My birthday is in July so maybe a bottle of ink will make a good list topper :D

I'll have to see what a Namika vanishing point pen is... sounds ... addictive! :D

my artwork | my blog

I have also discovered the joy of a quality fountain pen. Be sure and head over to www.fountainpennetwork.com to further feed this addiction! =)

I have to come out of lurkdom to say that I've been using a Namiki Vanishing Point for the last year and it is the most wonderful fountain pen! :) Because it's Japanese, the extra fine nib has a wonderful thin line for writing kanji. The nib retracts into the pen so you can keep it in your pocket or purse. It's expensive but worth it. I bought mine from Levenger, but not sure if they carry them anymore.

LINK look under Fountain pens

They look very nice... and Bic is one of my favorite pen brands because they last forEVER.

Anyone seen any or used any of these? ((says available in Europe))

my artwork | my blog

I adore my fountain pens. :D Gel pens are nice (and I have some), but I'm such a color junkie that I'm addicted to all the colors of inks that are available for my fountain pens. My current favorite is Wampum from Noodler's. :D

Re: the Namiki Vanishing Point - the one I have is the only size available (so far) in the US and it's fairly large. (I've seen pics of a to-die-for smaller version available in Japan.)

One problem that I have is that the pocket clip gets in the way of gripping the pen comfortably. The section (the part where your fingers hold the pen) is a bit chubbier than on most pens, so the combo of the size of the section plus the placement of the clip means I don't reach for it as often as I do others. If that's not an issue with you (and some adore theirs), it is a very nice writing pen. Nibs are nice and smooth, etc. The converters don't hold much ink, though. On the plus side, the nib unit is very easy to change out and some have had custom-ground nibs made (oblique, italic, etc.). See Richard Binder's site (www.richardspens.com) for more on that. (No affiliation, just a happy customer.)

There's nothing quite as scrumptious as writing on Clairefontaine paper with a smooth wet-writing fountain pen. It's just heaven! :D

Welcome to the addiction... uh, club. ;)

Btw, those Pilot Varsity pens can be refilled. Do a search over on www.fountainpennetwork.com to see how. (It's not hard at all.)

I pretty quickly upgraded from the Pilot Knight to a Lamy Studio (great looking clip and a wonderful non-scratchy nib). And just today I picked up one of the new Pelikan Pura pens. I fell in love with it. I spent at least 2 hours writing in my journal after buying it at lunch and it is fantastic. One trick I have played with myself is instead of buying every new pen I see, I have bought a couple of different coloured inks. Bit less expensive, and almost as much fun as a brand new pen. Have fun!

The VP is my everyday pen. It's smooth as glass, uses any ink I supply, and I don't have to use two hands to post it.

(Ah...er..."posting" refers to putting the cap on the back end of the pen while you write. It's a fountain pen aficionado’s term.)

To add your own ink to a VP you can use the cartridge converter but it doesn't hold as much ink as a cartridge.

So here's what I did:

1) bought a box of cartridges
2) when a cartridge become empty, I filled it with my Noodlers ink using a syringe purchased at your local Walmart.
3) I carry a spare store bought cartridge on trips.

By the way, if anyone is interested, I have an extra forest green VP with a medium point. The VPs have a slightly finer nib than the other fountain pens.

After writing with a quality fountain pen you will never look back.

The VPs never leak and even on a plane they write great.

...dave
insomnia cure

...you got me. ;) I had to go to the office supply store yesterday to have copies made, and I bought a Varsity. It writes gorgeously.

Now I'm considering getting a "real" fountain pen (the type designed to be refillable), but I'm wondering if most of them write like this one, or if most of them write like calligraphy pens. (I have found that my calligraphy pens do NOT write very consistently - they can be quite dry and scratchy.) I know nothing about fountain pens. Where is the best place to get started learning about what a converter is vs. a cartridge, what sizes are what, etc.? (I have drooled over the pens in the Levenger catalog, but I don't know what anything IS. lol)

This: http://www.thegardensbaskets.com/executive.htm (Scribe's Treasures) has been on my wish list for a while. *sigh* But it is definitely not in the budget anytime soon.

Be blessed!
~Rachel <><

Lots of places are trying to sell fountain pens via internet. A fountain pen cannot be bought over the internet or mail-order, one has to try the pen out. Every pen write different.