At lunch one Wednesday with two new and very enjoyable friends one observed my fountain pen, which he recognized as a Pelikan (the recognition of which is immediate friendship for me), we had a few moments to share the feel of three nice pens.
Great article…. And timely…rooting around in my box of stuff from my great grandfathers desk (which i have had for 40 years) i found two beautiful fountain pens from the early 1900’s… they are now on the way the Pen Hospital in New York City for a an evaluation and maintenance…. Looking forward to using them soon…. Oh yeah…and dona Elba cigars from Granada Nicaragua are the best!!
Thanks Scot - fun article and true! My first fountain pen was in third grade when we were being taught cursive writing — yes, they really did teach that in school! Over time I moved away from fountain pens but never found a pen that suited me quite like a fountain pen for writing notes and journaling. Some years ago I began the quest for a fountain pen that would be my lifelong companion. I have a small collection now. Some serve well for fancier purposes like lettering and calligraphy. But my two favorites for writing are my Parker with a fine nib and my father’s Parker51 that his mother gave him when he graduated from college. His pen not only writes well, it is a legacy from my dad that warms my heart each time I use it. Nothing beats a fountain pen for journaling your thoughts or your deepest encounters with God and others. I encourage everyone to give one a try!
I'm a third grade teacher, and my school still teaches cursive! My students also know I love "fancy" pens, and they are encouraged to try my fountain pens. I'm doing my best to keep the love of writing and penmanship alive!
First, I am glad they just used the just the quill—got a laugh out of your joke. I read this to Doug between his charts/messages. He stopped and pulled out his collection, not surprising to me. He has one from his grandfather, Le Boeuf. He was in WE 1. It has the bladder filler with a side lever to pump the ink. He also has an Esterbrook but it’s not working. This Christmas he got a Levennger fountain pen with a couple bottles of ink. He likes the feel of his new one because it’s easier to hold. He can’t use them at work because medicine is often about efficiency and not the quality or longevity of pen (or dare I say pen holder).
Now I have totally distracted him and he is looking at all his fountain pens.
Doug said to tell you “amen and amen!”
I used to do calligraphy and the nibs and holding the pen at a 45 degree angle make calligraphy and penmanship an art.
I’ve purchased a couple of Parker Jotters, I thought at your recommendation. They are ballpoints, very sleek and simple little pens. I love to write with them. The refills are mostly steel, so I suppose this fact ameliorates the transgression a bit.
I’d actually never considered that ballpoints are a contributor to landfill waste…definitely giving that some serious thought now. I’ll be using this post and comments to pursue some fountain options!
I confess: I’ve never owned a fountain pen, but held a similar obsession with Pilot Precise v5 and v7 colored pens in college and in your seminary classes.
Black, red, blue, green, and purple. I had a deeply ingrained color coding method in college; it became less rigid 20 years later when I started seminary, but those pens were always an ever present help in trouble, therefore I did not fear, though Greek verbs had to be conjugated, and the five elements of biblical kingdom had to be delineated; though professors pontificated, and expounded, and my brain exploded to pieces, there was a river whose ink made glad the pages of my notebooks, holy places where I learned to love God with my mind.
I would never have graduated either level with those Pilot pens.
Now that I’m a professor myself, though, maybe I should graduate my pens as well. Heck, a student referred to me as “Doc Godsey” the other day, so maybe it’s a sign from the Lord…
Can I ask: how did your color coding system work? I used to have a four color system (no purple), but it required quick changes mid-note, and was more burden than helpful.
Yeah, it was a little cumbersome in the moment, but it helped me when going back to study. I used black as the base note taking color; used red for Scripture references; blue, green, and purple for various additional categories of notes as I was going. The different colors helped things to stand out when I would go back to review.
I wonder if it’s a coincidence that my reading this morning came from Isaiah 8:1 and read, “The LORD said to me, ‘Take a large scroll and write on it with an ordinary pen…’” 😳🤣
Well, I don't (yet) have a fountain pen... but this article made me laugh out loud. [see parenthetical comment on Calvin] Thanks for the grin this morning.
my favorite is a Koh-I-Noor Rapidograph with all it's scratchy accuracy. I do believe, in terms of global access that the BIC pen is a matter of God's justice, even with all the non-recyclable designs that need fixing. As a frequent mission traveler in East Africa, a quality fountain pen is way out of the budget of everyone but the richest 3%. In terms of carbon footprint, disposable plastic and metal pens are WAY down the list. Running your heat at 69 in the winter instead of 65 and wearing warmer clothes or running all the family clothes through a tumble dryer are MUCH larger problems for Creation Care than our boutique pen choices. But, I do love that Rapidograph!
Great article…. And timely…rooting around in my box of stuff from my great grandfathers desk (which i have had for 40 years) i found two beautiful fountain pens from the early 1900’s… they are now on the way the Pen Hospital in New York City for a an evaluation and maintenance…. Looking forward to using them soon…. Oh yeah…and dona Elba cigars from Granada Nicaragua are the best!!
I have a Lamy 2000. Lovely writing instrument. And you can find many of these used.
You have inspired my husband Jason with this, and he has asked for a fountain pen for his birthday!
Thanks Scot - fun article and true! My first fountain pen was in third grade when we were being taught cursive writing — yes, they really did teach that in school! Over time I moved away from fountain pens but never found a pen that suited me quite like a fountain pen for writing notes and journaling. Some years ago I began the quest for a fountain pen that would be my lifelong companion. I have a small collection now. Some serve well for fancier purposes like lettering and calligraphy. But my two favorites for writing are my Parker with a fine nib and my father’s Parker51 that his mother gave him when he graduated from college. His pen not only writes well, it is a legacy from my dad that warms my heart each time I use it. Nothing beats a fountain pen for journaling your thoughts or your deepest encounters with God and others. I encourage everyone to give one a try!
I'm a third grade teacher, and my school still teaches cursive! My students also know I love "fancy" pens, and they are encouraged to try my fountain pens. I'm doing my best to keep the love of writing and penmanship alive!
First, I am glad they just used the just the quill—got a laugh out of your joke. I read this to Doug between his charts/messages. He stopped and pulled out his collection, not surprising to me. He has one from his grandfather, Le Boeuf. He was in WE 1. It has the bladder filler with a side lever to pump the ink. He also has an Esterbrook but it’s not working. This Christmas he got a Levennger fountain pen with a couple bottles of ink. He likes the feel of his new one because it’s easier to hold. He can’t use them at work because medicine is often about efficiency and not the quality or longevity of pen (or dare I say pen holder).
Now I have totally distracted him and he is looking at all his fountain pens.
Doug said to tell you “amen and amen!”
I used to do calligraphy and the nibs and holding the pen at a 45 degree angle make calligraphy and penmanship an art.
I’ve purchased a couple of Parker Jotters, I thought at your recommendation. They are ballpoints, very sleek and simple little pens. I love to write with them. The refills are mostly steel, so I suppose this fact ameliorates the transgression a bit.
I’d actually never considered that ballpoints are a contributor to landfill waste…definitely giving that some serious thought now. I’ll be using this post and comments to pursue some fountain options!
Absolutely! I’ve been using one for years and received a Mont Blanc from my family upon seminary graduation.
Montblanc starwalker. After reading this, I'm going to try and find a converter that fits!
Nothing wrong with cigars.
Otherwise, a wonderful and delightful read!
I have been using fountain pens for years. I love the feel and the inks. But I don't like paper that bleeds the ink!
I confess: I’ve never owned a fountain pen, but held a similar obsession with Pilot Precise v5 and v7 colored pens in college and in your seminary classes.
Black, red, blue, green, and purple. I had a deeply ingrained color coding method in college; it became less rigid 20 years later when I started seminary, but those pens were always an ever present help in trouble, therefore I did not fear, though Greek verbs had to be conjugated, and the five elements of biblical kingdom had to be delineated; though professors pontificated, and expounded, and my brain exploded to pieces, there was a river whose ink made glad the pages of my notebooks, holy places where I learned to love God with my mind.
I would never have graduated either level with those Pilot pens.
Now that I’m a professor myself, though, maybe I should graduate my pens as well. Heck, a student referred to me as “Doc Godsey” the other day, so maybe it’s a sign from the Lord…
Can I ask: how did your color coding system work? I used to have a four color system (no purple), but it required quick changes mid-note, and was more burden than helpful.
Yeah, it was a little cumbersome in the moment, but it helped me when going back to study. I used black as the base note taking color; used red for Scripture references; blue, green, and purple for various additional categories of notes as I was going. The different colors helped things to stand out when I would go back to review.
I wonder if it’s a coincidence that my reading this morning came from Isaiah 8:1 and read, “The LORD said to me, ‘Take a large scroll and write on it with an ordinary pen…’” 😳🤣
Well, I don't (yet) have a fountain pen... but this article made me laugh out loud. [see parenthetical comment on Calvin] Thanks for the grin this morning.
my favorite is a Koh-I-Noor Rapidograph with all it's scratchy accuracy. I do believe, in terms of global access that the BIC pen is a matter of God's justice, even with all the non-recyclable designs that need fixing. As a frequent mission traveler in East Africa, a quality fountain pen is way out of the budget of everyone but the richest 3%. In terms of carbon footprint, disposable plastic and metal pens are WAY down the list. Running your heat at 69 in the winter instead of 65 and wearing warmer clothes or running all the family clothes through a tumble dryer are MUCH larger problems for Creation Care than our boutique pen choices. But, I do love that Rapidograph!
I have two that I love: an Esterbrook RenewPoint and an old level filler Waterman's with a nib that is mostly hidden behind a shroud.