Uncharacteristically, I have been using vintage fountain pens a lot this week. I just had four Sheaffers (3 Snorkels and a Craftsman) restored by Danny Fudge, and I enthusiastically filled all four with different inks upon their arrival. All told, I have 8 vintage fountain pens (Parkers and Sheaffers) that used to belong to relatives (great-grand parents, grand parents, aunt and dad). Six of these pens are engraved with the original owner's name, so these were likely gifts. These pens comprise the bulk of my vintage fountain pen collection.
I have been thinking about the condition these pens were in when I found them at my Grandmother's house several years ago, and I'm developing nostalgic feelings for an era I am far too young to have experienced. I'm in my mid thirties. None of these pens were working, and they all had dried ink in them. Did these pens all fail at some point and get thrown in a drawer with the intention of being restored later? Did they get shelved in favor of a newfangled ballpoint pen? Three of the Parkers are nice 51s and the other is a laminated celluloid Vac. Even when these pens were made, I doubt they were cheap to buy. They were an investment. A commitment. That's why most folks stop losing pens after they spend a bunch of money on one. A nice fountain pen has value, and as such, demands care and attention.
I keep wondering about the relationship between these pens and their owners. I never knew three of my vintage pens' owners, but I need to ask my aunt and dad about their old Sheaffers. Were these cherished items? Were they gifts that were used briefly? They weren't thrown away, so they must have meant something to someone.
My aunt's Sheaffer has teeth marks on the knob that is turned to operate the touchdown filler, so clearly that was problematic at some point. My dad swears old Sheaffers never worked properly, although I like the five I have. Surely these pens came with care and feeding instructions. I can see how their useful lifetimes likely ended about the same time as more convenient writing implements became widely available.
These fountain pens would have experienced much more daily use than I give them today. They were probably filled repeatedly without every being flushed/cleaned. I make short notes and lists at work, and I write the occasional letter to a friend or relative. I journal infrequently. Everything was handwritten during these pens' heydays, and I'm guessing they would have been returned to the manufacturer for restoration if anyone bothered.
I wonder if there were fountain pen repair folks around like there are today. Enthusiastic hobbyists who refused to stop using fountain pens. I imagine such individuals would have been difficult to find without the internet if one wished to have a pen repaired. Maybe some of the older B&B members can speak to this. One of the Sheaffer's I sent in for restoration required a new barrel because someone destroyed part of the inside of the original barrel while trying to fix the pen. This may have been an in-house job by an inexperienced relative.
All this makes me think of the transitional period when fountain pens were being set aside as newer writing implements were hitting the market. These necessary items that were likely used on a daily basis ended up stashed in a drawer as relics of an old-fashioned time when people didn't have ballpoints or felt-tip pens. These pens would have been icons of modern design at one point. I suppose nearly everything humans make travels the path of innovation to obsolescence. I enjoy fountain pens because I consider them to be timeless, useful tools, however. They are the very antithesis of our disposable modern society.
Anyway, I'm discovering the joys of writing with vintage fountain pens. The nibs are unique, and the filling systems are interesting. I don't see myself collecting vintage fountain pens, but they sure do carry a lot of history with them, which is, in my opinion, worth stopping to wonder about for a few moments during a busy work day.
-Andy
I have been thinking about the condition these pens were in when I found them at my Grandmother's house several years ago, and I'm developing nostalgic feelings for an era I am far too young to have experienced. I'm in my mid thirties. None of these pens were working, and they all had dried ink in them. Did these pens all fail at some point and get thrown in a drawer with the intention of being restored later? Did they get shelved in favor of a newfangled ballpoint pen? Three of the Parkers are nice 51s and the other is a laminated celluloid Vac. Even when these pens were made, I doubt they were cheap to buy. They were an investment. A commitment. That's why most folks stop losing pens after they spend a bunch of money on one. A nice fountain pen has value, and as such, demands care and attention.
I keep wondering about the relationship between these pens and their owners. I never knew three of my vintage pens' owners, but I need to ask my aunt and dad about their old Sheaffers. Were these cherished items? Were they gifts that were used briefly? They weren't thrown away, so they must have meant something to someone.
My aunt's Sheaffer has teeth marks on the knob that is turned to operate the touchdown filler, so clearly that was problematic at some point. My dad swears old Sheaffers never worked properly, although I like the five I have. Surely these pens came with care and feeding instructions. I can see how their useful lifetimes likely ended about the same time as more convenient writing implements became widely available.
These fountain pens would have experienced much more daily use than I give them today. They were probably filled repeatedly without every being flushed/cleaned. I make short notes and lists at work, and I write the occasional letter to a friend or relative. I journal infrequently. Everything was handwritten during these pens' heydays, and I'm guessing they would have been returned to the manufacturer for restoration if anyone bothered.
I wonder if there were fountain pen repair folks around like there are today. Enthusiastic hobbyists who refused to stop using fountain pens. I imagine such individuals would have been difficult to find without the internet if one wished to have a pen repaired. Maybe some of the older B&B members can speak to this. One of the Sheaffer's I sent in for restoration required a new barrel because someone destroyed part of the inside of the original barrel while trying to fix the pen. This may have been an in-house job by an inexperienced relative.
All this makes me think of the transitional period when fountain pens were being set aside as newer writing implements were hitting the market. These necessary items that were likely used on a daily basis ended up stashed in a drawer as relics of an old-fashioned time when people didn't have ballpoints or felt-tip pens. These pens would have been icons of modern design at one point. I suppose nearly everything humans make travels the path of innovation to obsolescence. I enjoy fountain pens because I consider them to be timeless, useful tools, however. They are the very antithesis of our disposable modern society.
Anyway, I'm discovering the joys of writing with vintage fountain pens. The nibs are unique, and the filling systems are interesting. I don't see myself collecting vintage fountain pens, but they sure do carry a lot of history with them, which is, in my opinion, worth stopping to wonder about for a few moments during a busy work day.
-Andy
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