From the Beginning: A Journal from the Start

[beengone]

I decided to start a big of a journal akin to my shave journal. Here I'll document, as best I can and am willing to, my fountain pen (FP) and handwriting progress.

Prologue
My penmanship is dreadful. I can usually make it out with some moderate amount of work, but only by context clues. I learned cursive somewhere in elementary school--in the 80's for those keeping score (I was born in 1980). I tried for a while, but couldn't improve without doubling or tripling the time I took to write. Come middle school I was again allowed to write in block letters. This was an improvement, but nearly indiscernible to others. In high school I adopted block caps out of necessity. Still, to write legibly I had to slow to a crawl as I concentrate to carefully draw my letters. Here we are 15 or so years later and I certainly have distinguishable handwriting marked by a few real letter gems. But it's still mostly illegible. Oh, and I always write small.

Moving forward, I joined B&B in late 2011 in hopes of learning to be able to shave more than twice per week. I saw this goofy forum called "The Nib" over-and-over, but curiosity really stayed at bay for a long while. Then it happened. Long story made a bit shorter, I became curious about FPs as I've only used a couple pens I cared for and almost exclusively use mechanical pencils (.5mm). Writing in block caps I lift the pencil multiple times per character, so most ball pens skip for me. A pen without a ball intrigued me.

Jumping In
I posted a thread that got me going and learned a bunch about pens. I wanted to know pretty much all the basics like where to try an FP, which to buy for almost nothing, what are the pros and cons compared to other writing instruments, etc. Of course, members obliged. I also asked about improving my penmanship. Here are some especially helpful answers and links from others (I've cut, edited, and spliced quotes in hopes of providing concise information. If anyone feels I've missed this aim and butchered your quote, please let me know.)

Q: What are the advantages and disadvantages of a fountain pen?

Disadvantages; can leak, run out of ink unexpectantly, lead to an expensive AD
Advantages; fun, great writing, fun, easier on hand/ less fatigue, more ink options than you could imagine

Advantages:

• Much smoother writing than almost any ballpoint. Good for writing at great length.
• More chances for line variation than a rollerball.
• Wide variety of nibs for different purposes.
• The ink tends to look better on paper.
• Wider variety of inks.

Disadvantages:

• Requires more maintenance.
• Loading can sometimes get messy.
• Initial cost usually higher (the Varsity is an exception) than a decent rollerball. The cost over time is probably higher than a ballpoint, and possibly even than a rollerball, although this is hard to demonstrate, and some would disagree. This is not taking into account the temptation to spend a lot of money by trying out different pens and inks, or buying the ones that are ridiculously expensive by any normal standard.
• You have to take more care to keep it from drying out.
• Fountain pens can be fussy about what paper they will write on, which can be inconvenient when you need to write something down on whatever piece of paper comes to hand.

Another advantage of a fountain pen, at least for me, is that it not tiring to write with. Since you don't put any pressure (sound familiar!)on the nib, unlike with a ball point or even some rollerballs, you don't need a death grip on the pen. That tends to cause muscle fatigue after a very short time.

If properly maintained, I have never had a pen leak in my pocket in over 30 years. I had a Waterman and Montblanc leak into the cap due to a cracked section, and I've had converters leak so there was a mess when I opened the pen, but it was always contained.

The thing that no one has mentioned. They just look cool. It sets you apart from most other people in a meeting, and is often a conversation starter. If you simply want to melt into the crowd, then it probably isn't worth the effort. But then, none of us are here because we want to blend in with everyone else!

I found this to be especially helpful as a full-on intro video. This helped answer a ton of my questions right off the bat.

[video]http://www.inknouveau.com/2010/04/episode-24-fountain-pen-101.html[/video]

Q: What are good pens for a low cost?
I'll just summarize this one instead of quoting.
- Pilot Varsity. It's a disposable FP and can be had for $2-4.
- Platinum Preppy. Can be converted and runs around $4-8.
- Pilot 78G. Can find it for $10 shipped on eBay sometimes.
- Lamy Safari. ~$25
- Duokun recommended: If you want to try a nice, easy to use Vintage pen, te Esterbrook J is a great pen and can be found on eBay for around $30-$40 in restored condition.

Penmanship
I asked about improving my penmanship and here's what I found.

Google Kate Gladstone. She helped me a lot. Also, the book, "Write Now". And, just practice. Journaling, etc.

The site it takes you to is not really that helpful, but she has some services you can purchase and I've heard good things from more than just Rick.

I also found this article (bold because I think it's that useful). which opened my eyes to how some of my poor penmanship was bad form and incorrect procedure. If I had to pick two resources, they would be this and the video link above. I learned not to use my wrist and hand to draw my letters, but to use my shoulder instead. The part about the chalkboard rang true. I practiced a bit that night and my shoulder tired more than I expected, but I did notice an immediate improvement without slowing my writing as much as I expected. Still, muscle memory is hard to overcome.

Here ends the intro post. I'm going to continue this as a journal, documenting some of what I learn along the way. I'll try to include pictures of some of my progress once in a while as well.

 

[beengone]

I'm working on writing from the shoulder. Tonight I had some time waiting for the dishwasher to finish so I could go to bed and wrote. (then I stayed up typing out this thread. Bad idea as I need sleep.)

I hope to fill the Preppy tomorrow and test it out.



Quick notes.
- I tried my hand at cursive and remembered most of the letters but many are completely unnatural at this point. Don't know that I want to write cursive, but will keep testing.
- I blocked out some signature practice. It's a bit different from the shoulder, but not something I really want in the wild.
- Off to a decent start. The top two lines are writing as I normally do, but this time with the 78G.
- The second page contains me going back-and-forth between writing from the shoulder and not.
- Smudges on the top-right are me trying to wipe the face of the nib off. It doesn't work. Question about this at the end.
- This is a very fine pen (width). I like it.

Questions
- How do I wipe off the front (?) face of the nib without just getting more-and-more ink out?
- I'm told carrying the pen nib up is a good idea and that some say you should store it that way always. Then some say laying it flat is fine. Any thoughts?
- What's the best link to learn how to clean these?
- What makes a more expensive pen different?

 

[oc_in_fw]

I can give the first two questions a go:

Wiping the nib is tricky. I find a quick daub usually works better. Play around a bit and you will find what works for you.

As to pen storage, I leave mine laying down in a drawer. I now have seven pens, and rotate through them. So far, all the ones I have (Cross Century, two Ahabs, Parker Reflex, Gui Guan 10, Lamy Al-Star and Lamy Studio) all start as soon as I pick them up. On the Studio I am making an assumption, as I just got it today. I would imagine the craftsmanship that went into the Al-Star is present in the Studio. I have stored them nib up in a cup, too, with no problems.

 

[Snargle]

Hi, Dan. Glad to see you trying out another new obsession! Fountain pens are almost as much fun as shaving gear (and there are some that might argue that it's more!)

My penmanship is pretty abysmal...my experiences parallel yours except for being 25 years earlier. One thing that's helped me improve is keeping a journal. I don't get to it every day, but I try. It doesn't have to be a literary masterpiece or even anything relevant...just scribble a few notes about what happened in your day, maybe a few ideas of things you want to work on, etc. Get yourself a nice notebook and give it a try. I've been using an inexpensive Staples "Sustainable Earth" 9 1/2" x 6" notebook and it's very fountain pen friendly paper.

Looking forward to tracking your progress!

 

[beengone]

Grabbed some straws today to fill the Preppy and found out Dave already put grease on the threads and installed the O-ring, so I can move forward. I thought I'd have to wait another day to try it. Can't decide now between the blue or black ink. I never write in blue, but really want to try it. I think I'll refill the 78G with blue when it runs out, but fill the Preppy (black cap and clip) with black.

 

[beengone]

Lunch time. I'm sitting here eating at my desk, so it was a good time to load up the Preppy. I used a single-barrel coffee straw that worked alright. The first transfer went very well, after that it would only suck up 1-2 drops each time. I didn't want to put much in anyway because I want to make sure if it leaks or does anything odd there isn't much damage. Glad I used the black as it looks good in this clear body pen.

Writes very well. It's much wider than the 78G and I plan to use one of these to take notes in an interview today.

Also, in two partial fillings I still have no ink on me. Bonus.

 

[hugh4]

Lunch time. I'm sitting here eating at my desk, so it was a good time to load up the Preppy. I used a single-barrel coffee straw that worked alright. The first transfer went very well, after that it would only suck up 1-2 drops each time. I didn't want to put much in anyway because I want to make sure if it leaks or does anything odd there isn't much damage. Glad I used the black as it looks good in this clear body pen.

Writes very well. It's much wider than the 78G and I plan to use one of these to take notes in an interview today.

Also, in two partial fillings I still have no ink on me. Bonus.

Glad things are working out well for you, Dan. I flushed my Fuliwen last night and I was not so lucky. I look like I lost a fight with a blue marker last night.

Tip: be careful when cleaning off the nib after filling. I was not paying attention and my thumb and pointer finger started rubbing up against the fins on the feed and my fingers are gonna be blue, really really really blue for a few days.

 

[Dave258]

Sounds like you are off and running! Glad you are enjoying the pens.

 

[duokun]

Sounds like you are off to a good start!

Ill be keeping an eye on this journal.

 

[NexlevMM]

Thanks for doing this dude, I'm just getting into this as well, and it's almost like having a buddy I can learn from and keep pace with. Keep on it!

 

[dfollett_98]

Dan:

From what I can see from what you wrote your penmanship is not as bad as you may think. I find it easy to read and your legibility is very good.

I'm a "vintage" southpaw whose teachers always made me try to switch to writing with my right hand which made it easier for them. Needless to say it did not work and my scrawl was almost impossible to read. I also had to sit sideways in those little desks with the small writing surfaces which did not help a lot. After being forced to block print for my 32-year career, I am now also working on relearning the fine art of cursive writing with some Italics thrown in for fun. I have been journaling for several years and practicing my penmanship daily with good results. My advice to you is continue to practice, practice and practice. Your legibility will improve with time.

Take a look at some of the penmanship books that are available on Amazon. I purchased the following two:

1. "Improve your handwriting. You can FIX IT WRITE" by Nan Jay Barchowsky

2. "Write Now" by Barbara Getty and Inga Dubay

Both books have been very helpful. Good luck to you in your quest and enjoy your writing!

Don

 

[crowdog]

Good job, and if you don't have ink on your fingers, you aren't doing it right I use three different styles of writing. I don't use cursive a lot but I have been practicing. I also use block letters, and since I have been using fountain pens, italic. That has really helped me to be more legible.

Marty

 

[beengone]

Thanks all. Going to bales a week before I can even see my FPs again. Moving my family far away this week and will return for a month or so before I join them. FPs will remain in Jersey waiting for me.

Don, thanks. I'll look into this books and appreciate your encouragement. What you see there is writing from my shoulder instead of my fingers and wrist. Huge improvement with only a small degradation of speed. Practice should improve it all.

 

[mark the shoeshine boy]

Writing from the shoulder....I am one of those that the article talked about, being one of the "last" to be taught this way. I even had a father who painted signs for extra cash. He had all of these Speedball lettering books, that I sat around and copied just for fun. I was fascinated by the old department store show cards for sales and etc. Until good printers came out, I could print a sign better than a HP !!!! But alas, the computer and I get along great because I put both of those skills together.

Unless you are sitting down in a proper place, it can be very hard to "write from the shoulder". Think about it, you're a server taking orders, walking through an inspection taking notes, even taking a few notes in church during the sermon, this all tend to make us "draw" our letters and in time, that becomes a habit. Even if you are taught the "correct way" with three points of contact, the elbows, the wrist and the pen tip, you can slip away from good form in no time. Now you just want to jot down a note in a readable form, just to communicate with someone, your letters start becoming a new style of cuneiform.

(When I started using a keyboard on a computer, my 70's typing skills went out the window, too)

Both those of you who will actually sit down and practice the exercises of drawing the circles and lines, your patience will be rewarded. The biggest issue most of you will have, is not opening your letters large enough. Your letter "o" or number "8" will look anorexic. It will fell uncomfortable at first, but once you start making those big bottomed letters and numbers, you will have a smile on your face. That in itself will make start your writing to become different.

Btw, I also love to draw cartoons. Guess how they taught you to use your pen....yep....circles and lines....and opening up those spaces.

I would love to read some of the above books that was forementioned as a refresher. Actually I still have my father's 1955 Speedball lettering guide in my files.

I really encourage eveyone of you to write, not only for better penmanship but the writing of a journal does many good things for you and above all, enjoyment.