Ever since I spotted my first fountain pen in the late 70's, my mind was made up to learn how to use one. Back then, we were still using pencils and ball points in school and learning how to write the English language in cursive and print both. Oh how I disliked the pencil and it's scratchiness. The ballpoint, while it was a great invention and I didn't mind using it, they always seemed to hold such a limited supply of ink. Another throw away part of our society and adding to the heaps of garbage at the dump.
Before I had a chance to really play with fountain pens though, I wandered through my school years with the same old writing devices that we all did the last forty years. It wasn't until I had graduated high school and moved to Portland that I would see a fountain pen again.
In 1986 I went to work for the J.K. Gill company, an institution in the office and art supply business. The store I worked at was located on Hayden Island in Portland, aka Jantzen Beach. So much of this industry was new to me but I educated myself as much as possible with the many assorted devices used in the business world. Pens were among them, of course. People were still writing then, way before the laptop computer and other electronics would eventually take the place of such antiquarian actions. Email had not yet really gained a foothold in the media world and we sold pens and accessories to make writing not only easier, but a joy at the same time. People were still WRITING letters then!!! Yes, you read that correctly. Writing.
Alright, I'm being a bit flippant with my words but seriously, how many people do you know NOW that take time to sit down and compose a hand-written letter to someone? I would bet very few. And if you DO know of some, most are older folks who still value that personal touch of a written letter.
Not that all fountain pen users have died out or disappeared and gone over to the "dark side" of penmanship and writing utensils. We are still here!!!! And in larger numbers than once thought. I used to think the same way when I took this job at J.K.Gill and was introduced to the pen world again. But this time, my job was to take care of the pen case and all of those beauties that were usually only purchased by business men and women with a lot more money than most. Sure, there were ballpoints and roller ball pens that could get up there as regards price, but most of the fountain pens were expensive as they used 14K gold for the nibs and as they had fewer production quantities, they commanded premium prices. These were new pens, of course. Many great vintage pens were still out there and could be had for a really low price. But these new models were the envy of the business person. The brands I sold were Mont Blanc, Sheaffer, Parker, Cross and Waterman. These names are all popular for various pens but Mont Blanc and Waterman/Cross were the expensive models,especially the MB. I drooled over those pens every day, knowing it would cost me a month of wages for the lower priced line. So I waited. One day, they marked down the Sheaffer Targa to a price I could afford and I snapped it up! Beautiful pen !!!
No, this is NOT the most handsome of fountain pens on the market, but it was all MINE!!!! And now that I owned it, I bought some ink to go with it and was on my way to a slippery slope of fountain pen mania.I continued to manage the pen dept and moved on to supervisor and other departments, eventually adding a few inexpensive pens to my wee collection. Eventually my work there at that company stopped when they planned on closing it down in 1990. So I moved on to a lumberyard and spent the next two plus decades selling building materials to contractors. Sadly, I forgot about my pens and moved on to other hobbies as well.Then in 1999, I started to see pen magazines appear. Evidently mid and high end pens were becoming available and within my price range. As I had always kept a diary/journal since 1987, now might be a good time to back to trying my pens out. I dug out my Sheaffer and Parker pens and started to write again. At that time, I had no pen pals and nobody else to write to. Sheesh, when I think back now and the pens I used, I'm embarrassed. So NOW the pens I started to buy were higher end, from the $100 to $500 range. Used, of course. I became a member of Fountain Pen Network and started to learn so much!!! Made some great friends there and before long, had a full compliment of pen pals from around the globe. In a few years I went through more pens than you can imagine. At least a hundred pens in those years, trading up, down, with cash, without,etc. I eventually settled on a collection that I now have and use daily. And yes, I WRITE with them, not only let them sit there collecting dust as objects of art, which they could as they are beautiful! My favourite brands are Omas, Stipula, Conway Stewart, Visconti and Parker. And now THESE are what I write with:
While I no longer own the three in blue, green and red in the middle, the others get normal rotation in use. The Stipula Etruria at far right is my best pen!!!! Writes like a dream!!!!!!!
It is made of briar wood, which is rare in a pen.
And this delightful Mont Blanc 145 "Chopin" edition is my second favourite and most used. It was given to me by one of my bestest of friends, Jane. Thanks my dear!!!!
.jpg)
Those are just a few of the beauties I own and use. In addition to fountain pens, I also use dip pens for writing. These are usually older pens from the 1920's or could be made of glass.
They make my writing very enjoyable and an experience, more so
than uncapping a Bic or Papermate ball point . Give a fountain pen
or a dip pen a try!!!!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment