He should have asked me first.

[Slivovitz]

My fountain pens don't get noticed much at work, as far as I could tell. Maybe two brief comments that I recall.

This morning, a coworker greeted me with "I notice you use fountain pens. I got one of these at Staples. Can't seem to get it to work. Any thoughts?" Or words to that effect.

Actually, he had the broad nibbed version. I tried it out and concluded that at best it was unsuited for normal writing. At worst it was a piece of...I forget what I was going to say.

If only he'd asked me first. I gave him one from my 7 pack of Pilot Varsities. At the end of the day, he told me that he'd been using it all day and loved it.

Tomorrow I plan to bring in maybe a Pilot FP78 G, and a Lamy Safari, with, I don't know, maybe some plain old Noodler's Black. I'm not just going to give them to him, but I'm not using them right now, and don't mind lending them indefinitely. He can keep the Varsity, of course.

I suggested that he not buy anything right away, but I'm sure he'll get something eventually. He says he won't spend more than $20. Poor guy.

Who have you enabled today?

 

[Blooze]

I bought a 3 pack of Varsity pens a while back as users for around the house. That's all my wife and daughter use now. My wife has a Kaweco Sport that I gave her to keep in her purse, but she likes the Varsity better. My daughter actually prefers one of my 78G's with the stub nib and she writes better than I do with it!!!

No one at work will get near my pens. Too afraid I guess. They just look at them and go Oooooo, but refuse to try them.

 

[The Nid Hog]

That wouldn't be such a bad purchase if you guys were copyists in a monastery or wrote wedding invitations for a living.

I've been giving pens to my students lately. Seems to be slowly taking root because they usually ask me where to buy ink after they run out.

 

[oc_in_fw]

He says he won't spend more than $20. YET

Okay, that looks more believable.

 

[badgerstate]

Who have you enabled today?

I recently renewed my relationship with FPs. I got a 10 pack of Chinese Hero 329s ( A Parker KO, $15 for all 10), one to my wife, another to a close friend, etc. Both liked them. Then I got the wife a Pilot 78 G, fine, the friend a 78G italic, which she loved. By now my wife is using only the FPs, so I got her a Sailor Sapporo to carry with her... She loves the Sailor and won't touch anything else, not the Jinhao, or my nice Baoer, or the Pilots. She says they "feel cheap". Well, yeah, but.... I've created a monster. The friend just loves the italic, and she was one of those girls with the great handwriting the teachers loved.

 

[badgerstate]

He says he won't spend more than $20. YET

Okay, that looks more believable.

He could be a closet ink freak and squander his fortune that way.....

 

[oc_in_fw]

He says he won't spend more than $20. YET


He could be a closet ink freak and squander his fortune that way.....

Nothing wrong with that. In shaving, I am a software guy.

 

[Slivovitz]

As an update, my friend disliked the look of the Safari, and wouldn't even try it. Too bad, as it was the best pen I'd brought in. He found the nib on the Pilot FP 78G too fine, but liked a Platinum Preppy, using the Blue-Black Quink I provided. And he really likes the Varsity, except for its cheap looks.

I'm sure he'll get something, but he wants to find a brick-and-mortar store. Maybe he'll find one I don't know about.

 

[DunEdinRanger]

Suddenly, I have an urge to visit Fountain Pen sites...

 

[badgerstate]

Suddenly, I have an urge to visit Fountain Pen sites...

I get that feeling too sometimes. I now have 57 pen related bookmarks. That is not counting the ebay (US and UK) Amazon and Craig's List options.... oh, and YouTube. Don't go near YouTube. Touch that tarbaby and you're stuck.

 

[MeanGene]

I am going to enable myself to pick up some new inks. Does that count?