Maybe I Don't Need a New Pen

[Raissermesser]

It started while outlining a book. Never tried that before, and was using a 50 cent fine tip felt tip, used the Metropolitan, then thought of my Sheaffer school pens. Put a cartridge in a fine point, and it was just a little bigger than the felt tip. Alternated between the two, and noticed the cap didn't fit as tight as I wanted. Found another fine point in my collection with a tighter cap, but the modern refills are just tight enough that they stick in the barrel, and I decided to use this pen until it ran out. That didn't happen while outlining (that's interesting - I used to carry a spare when I used these things in High School), but that had me thinking of a Sheaffer No Nonsense ballpoint I used to have.

Of course, that meant I had to look for one. IIRC, the No Nonsense slightly predated the 1920s nostalgia craze, but remember an ad that played up to that and that's firmly fixed in my mind. Big and fat and with a screw cap. While I was thinking of picking up one, remembered that they're big and fat and I've come to prefer slim in my shirt pocket. Plus, it didn't match my initial idea: a thin and cheap fountain pen that I wouldn't mind losing, for outlining and such.

What's wrong with the Metropolitan for that? Not a thing. A good pen, and I like mine. There's a ring on it that can feel uncomfortable at times. And it's a bit heavy. I use mine for journaling and as a dress pen.

Ended up looking at Chinese pens - and reading reviews. Um... Then I looked at the Lamy Safari, a good, plastic, pen, but more expensive than a Metropolitan. Then I thought about my school pens again, then thought of how they are hard to find now, and...

Sigh.

Maybe I don't need a new pen after all.

 

[tankerjohn]

Sounds like you need a new pen to me!

Regards,
Your Friendly Neighborhood Enabler

 

[Raissermesser]

Have an embarrassingly obvious solution: The Pilot Preppy. Nice, cheap, fountain pens, a rough equivalent of the Sheaffer School Pen of days past. Easily replaceable if lost or damaged. That's how I realized the solution was staring me in the face the whole time: I had placed an order for a Hero 9296, and remembered I needed to replace a cracked Preppy. That's when it hit me: I can get a Preppy in a 0.03 mm nib. That's what the cracked one was. Then I found I can get one in a 0.02 mm nib. They're cheap, so guess what? Got one of each, plus convertors. Might can salvage the converter that was in the cracked Preppy, but won't count on it.

Of course, I decided to order the Hero 9296 anyway. Been wanting to try it for a while.

 

[nemo]

... I found I can get one in a 0.02 mm nib. They're cheap, so guess what?

I think you slipped a digit, in my experience a 0.2mm is a really super duper fine nib.

0.02 is so small my $1000 vernier caliper would have trouble measuring it. Hypodermic ...

Have fun with the new pens!

 

[REV579]

Esterbrook, 9550 nib is pretty fine and a firm nib.

 

[Raissermesser]

I think you slipped a digit, in my experience a 0.2mm is a really super duper fine nib.

Guilty as charged.

 

[Doc4]

Maybe I don't need a new pen ... so I'll order three.

Guilty as charged.

 

[Raissermesser]

Maybe I don't need a new pen ... so I'll order three.

Make it four and a pencil. I found one I want to try for EDC and a matching mechanical pencil. It started innocently enough, looking for mechanical pencil eraser refills that had cleaning rods and a replacement eraser for a Sheaffer lead pencil, and I happened to remember the Zebra 701 series ballpoint have an all metal barrel now. I like my EDC pen and pencil set of stainless steel Jotter ballpoint and mechanical pencil, except the grip gets slick if you use it for long periods. The 701 has a knurled grip, and the ballpoint now has a metal barrel instead of a thin metal sleeve atop plastic. Zebra ballpoint ink seems to fade, so may read more on putting a Spacepen refill in it. That's what I did with the Jotter.