There is a Fountain

Scot McKnight is sick of Bic pens filling up our dumps, and has a great alternative: fountain pens.

Comments

[Scot McKnight]

Check out J. Steinberg, Fountain Pens, for a nice history of the pen.

[Kevin Cawley]

I love fountain pens. Expensive hobby brother. The only bummer for me is this-- they bleed pretty bad on some papers. For example-- moleskines. Perhaps if i wrote with a finer nib...I just always tell Katie she should thank God that I never got into collecting vinyl...

[Steve McCoy]

Kevin, I've had no luck with fountain + moleskine either. I use this on my moleskine. What do you use?

[Richard A. Bailey]

Steve, if I may join the conversation here, I prefer to use a Namiki Vanishing Point when it comes to fountain pens (it always elicits some comment), but for the moleskine I rely on my favorite felt tip, the Liquid Expresso Xtra Fine Point (maybe because it makes me think of coffee). As most of your readers likely know (since they might tend to be more culture than mine), Levenger tends to be a good place to find relatively inexpensive fountain pens from time to time.

[Kevin Cawley]

Levenger is a great place-- for two reasons: 1) they will put things on sale; 2) they have exclusive pens that you could never buy but only drool over. I check their outlet from time to time-- and it is always a big hit when the Levenger catalog comes to the house. OK, I am absolutely pathetic. Full of shame

[Steve McCoy]

Agreed on Levenger. My only fountain pen is a Levenger pen. It's just okay. I need a REAL pen. My birthday is coming. Anyone love me that much??? ;)

[Rick Bennett]

as I mentioned to Scott on his blog, this is yet another attempt by the right* to control the world in such as way that the left* has no say. Once again the right* is acting as if the left* does not exist because noone on the left* would use fountain pens.

I bet it never even crossed them minds of you Right Handers, did it?

*Right Handed and Left Handed.

[Kevin Cawley]

I'm a proud left hander. And I use a fountain pen.

[Steve McCoy]

Kevin, I didn't realize you were lefty.

My wife is already seeing my eyes twinkling with new fountain pen anticipation. I think if I buy her flowers, make the bed every day, and a few dozen other "little things" she may be primed for granting me a costly pen. But then I may be dreaming too.

Honey, if you are reading this...I love you sooooooooo much. You are the greatest ever and totally hot. I've never met such an incredible woman. Can I get a pen?

[Rick Bennett]

kevin,

do you have some of that special ink or are you one of those lefties that were taught to hold your hand in a convoluted fashion to decrease the inkage on your hand?

[Scot McKnight]

What is moleskin?

[Richard A. Bailey]

Moleskine, here.

[Richard A. Bailey]

Or here

[Kevin Cawley]

Ink all over my hand-- all the time (whether i write with fountain pen or not). no special ink. There was somebody (like Davinci or something, can't remember) that wrote backwards on the opposite side of a page because he was a leftie and didn't want to smear the ink from his fountain pen all over the page. so he flipped the paper over and read through it. I'll draw a picture if you need me to.

no leftie knows how to hold a pen. all of our teachers were right handed and they basically just left us alone in the corner with our husky pencils to figure it out alone. i do not happen to be one of those guys with "the claw"-- the writing position that requires one to dislocate their shoulder to take notes. actually, with a fountain pen, the way i position my nib almost looks like how righties hold a pen....ummm....ok, sorry Steve....I actually smear less when writing with my fountain pen. but i'm looking at the inky part of my hand right now.

[Steve McCoy]

Oh Scot, baptism into moleskine is a good thing.

[Rick Bennett]

I like the multiple conversations here, each ignoring the others that are going on.

Kevin, we are the few and noone understands our plight.

I actually write with pencils much of the time. talk about smearing.

[Scot McKnight]

First, what do you do with those moleskine things, and second, those whom they quote as having used them were all fountain pen users.
I've seen Hemingway's homes (all of them) and there are always mss and junk lying around with fountain pen ink -- some of it, no doubt (if you're inclined to read advertisers) on moleskine.

I got back at Rick Bennett's left handed silliness on my blog.