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WTB: Old fountain pens

Discussion in '[Classifieds] Misc. -Anything Goes' started by Jon Goodman, Jun 21, 2013.

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  1. Jun 26, 2013 #26
    pmargolis

    pmargolis Member

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    Now here's an interesting question: How many of us film users also write with fountain pens? I have several Parker 51s that I use in rotation.
    Paul
     
  2. Jun 26, 2013 #27
    TheFlyingCamera

    TheFlyingCamera Membership Council Council

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    I've got the aforementioned Montblanc, a couple Viscontis (including a demonstrator), several Deltas, a Waterman or two, and my pride and joys, My Omas and Montegrappa pens ( I have a 1993 Vespucci, a 360 and a Paragon all with flex nibs, a Hong Kong commemorative in sterling, a Montegrappa Exta in white, a Montegrappa Gothica in sterling, and a Harmony in faux tortiseshell). Oh, and a Parker Duofold in the Pearl & Black. I want one of the yellow 125th anniversary pens...
     
  3. Jun 27, 2013 #28
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    Jon Goodman

    Jon Goodman Member

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    I would not be surprised to find several did. You need patience and dedication in order to do both correctly. They're deliberate things as opposed to convenient things, yes?
    Jon
     
  4. Jul 27, 2013 #29
    hawkegihm

    hawkegihm Member

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    If you're looking at fountain pen design, how about Lamy? I own a couple that I use daily.
     
  5. Jul 28, 2013 #30
    PhotoJim

    PhotoJim Member

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    Tons of fountain pens here, everything from Hero 616s to a Mont Blanc 145. I like 'em a lot.
     
  6. Jul 29, 2013 #31
    E. von Hoegh

    E. von Hoegh Member

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    This one.:smile: Parker 51, a few Montblancs, a Parker Centennial, a small 1920s leverfill Schaeffer "Lifetime", and a Pelikan that I use almost constantly.
     
  7. Jul 29, 2013 #32
    Mustafa Umut Sarac

    Mustafa Umut Sarac Member

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    I think, Luigi Colani should have a fountain pen design. You can learn lots of things from his designs. What about Gaudi , He designed Casa Calvet Door Handles set with squeezing his hands in to wet clay and than brass casting. There are structural design method , Organic design method or reverse an linear design method like art deco. You can make thin , thick or massive designs from them. Danish design school have lots of papers on deciding on a form for designers. But I liked your laser cut idea , its cheap , fast . All depends on the selling price and market .
     
  8. Jul 31, 2013 #33
    JohnC

    JohnC Subscriber

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    A thin line....

    Perhaps others have noticed....this little contribution will be about # 32 in the list of replies on this thread - compared to an average of 3 to 5 replies to threads in the past 6 months. What does this tell us about APUGers ? Are we Luddites, or simply way ahead of our time, but in a different way.

    It worried me, back in the previous century, when friends would raise eyebrows and comment "... John always was a bit different...":sad:. Which must be why I have sometimes thought about reloading the square glass inkwells in what was my grandfather's pen and ink desk set that sits at the back of my desk.

    There are two; the right-hand one was for black ink - as the 100-year-old ink stains near it tell. It seems he was more careful with debits - the left-hand ink bottle has but a couple of tiny red dots near it.

    Yes ! Why not ! I think I've seen ink in my local stationer.
     
  9. Jul 31, 2013 #34
    AgX

    AgX Member

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    Colani did design several models of a ball-pen. One most characteristic.


    He also did at least one model of a fountain pen (very middle-of-the-road though):

    http://www.ruettinger-web.de/collani-set.jpg
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 31, 2013
  10. Sep 12, 2013 #35
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    Jon Goodman

    Jon Goodman Member

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    For an update on this, a few people have sent me some pens to study/use, and for that generosity I am very thankful. In addition to this I've bought some pens (both new and used), some different inks and at this point can tell you this:
    1. if you want a very cheap but very nice fountain pen, there are a few I'd suggest: Preppy by Platinum. Nice ink cartridge, easily refillable with a syringe and should last for decades. Pen body is not bad, but is not designed for heavy duty, so don't abuse it. Pilot Varsity (or V-Pen)...these are disposable, but you can refill them with a bit of work. Pilot Petit1 (mini-pen). These can be bought for $4 or less each. They're all very pleasant to use. In fact, you can write with the Preppy and Varsity for hours on end with no fatigue. The Petit1 is a finer point.
    2. if you want a nicer but still not expensive pen, you might want to look at the Noodler's Flex series. $14 to $20 will get you one, and it will be very nice to use. Added note: this pen will go dry sooner than the Preppy or the Varsity. It operates wetter and the top does not seem to seal nearly as well as the cheaper pens. It has a fairly aggressive feed.
    3. I've learned the feeds are very different between various makers. There's much more variation here than I expected. Some have dual top slots, some have slots on the top and bottom, some use a vented central feed line and some use pretty imaginative feed schemes. Some pens I've received no longer worked due to failure of the feeds...clogged, inserted wrong, slipped out, etc. I'd say this is the weakest link in old pens.
    4. Bamboo works ok as a nib, and it can be quite pleasant to use on a variety of papers. It is however fragile, shaping it is a slow process and I've not yet found an ideal feed scheme for it. It has the unique quality of absorption which means changing colors is not easy. Still of all the alternative materials I've tried so far, this is the most encouraging. It is in my opinion going to be best suited to use at a desk rather than carried around. But there are ways it may be improved. It is certainly eco-friendly.
    Jon
     
  11. Sep 13, 2013 #36
    Red Tractors

    Red Tractors Member

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    For a "Cheap" pen an old stock Parker "45" from the 60's or 70's is hard to beat.

    My favorite fountain is a 1945 Parker "51" I found at a tractor show for $10!
     
  12. Sep 13, 2013 #37
    Born2Late

    Born2Late Subscriber

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    Jon:

    You may want to look at Noodler's web site. He used to have instructions on how to adjust the in flow on his pens.

    Also, I believe that the Preppy can be converted to an eye dropper fill with the addition of an O-Ring and a little silicone grease. Noodler's used to supply them this way with some of their larger sizes of ink bottles. The only problem I've had with the Preppy is that the pocket clip tends to break off after a while.

    Doug B.
     
  13. Sep 13, 2013 #38
    semi-ambivalent

    semi-ambivalent Member

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    Jon,

    I believe a clogged pen can be unclogged by putting the nib assembly in an ultrasonic cleaner with non-sudsy ammonia for extended periods of time; several days maybe. Often works.

    And this contribution, circa 1972, from an OTR driver from Norcross, GA whose drawl was so thick I could barely understand him. (I'll just cut to the punchline):
    2nd woman: 'Better tell your man that drinking all that Coca-Cola will dry the ink in his pen.'
    1st woman: 'That's OK, he doesn't do all of my writing anyway.'

    Good luck.
     
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  15. Sep 13, 2013 #39
    lxdude

    lxdude Member

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    If they won't let you sling paint, you can sling ink! Or just give them a goose. That would surprise them.
     
  16. Sep 13, 2013 #40
    lxdude

    lxdude Member

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    That's where the "fountain" part comes from.:wink:
     
  17. Sep 14, 2013 #41
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    Jon Goodman

    Jon Goodman Member

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    Thanks for the comments. Cleaning the nibs and feed systems isn't really the problem. That's generally easy as the ink is water-soluble. The thing is some of the feed systems just don't work that well to begin with and I can't see that they ever could have. It is a design problem, and as I said the design variations are numerous. The most consistently bad feeds I've found have been the ones in the hooded Sheaffer's pens. The interesting thing is that you can not take them apart, so there is no hope of correcting them. They're molded in place. I've yet to see one which worked very well.
    Jon
     
  18. Sep 14, 2013 #42
    E. von Hoegh

    E. von Hoegh Member

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    I found mine at a porch sale about 1997. It cost a quarter, and I don't think it ever had ink in it. One of my favorites!
     
  19. Mar 8, 2018 #43
    Jens Hallfeldt

    Jens Hallfeldt Member

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    The Lamy 2000 is a design classic, I like mine a lot, great OM nib...
    Just discovered last year what wunderful pens Mabie Todd made under the "Swan" label in the 1930s in England, like my SM100/60 or the larger L245/60.

    Best
    Jens
     
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