The pleasure of fountain pens.

[Bisquitlips]

I found this on the web and kept a copy. This just about says what needs to be said about the pleasure associated with writing with a fountain pen.

The pleasure of using a fountain pen must be experienced to be appreciated. Unlike ball*points and their kin, fountain pens glide effort*less*ly across the page because they don’t need to be pushed down to make them work. In fact, they don’t even like being pushed down — a fountain pen glides across the paper on a thin lubricating film of liquid ink, the way an ice skate glides over the ice on a film of water melted by the pressure of the skate blade. Sheaffer even used this com*parison in its advertising.

Cradle a fountain pen in your hand, don’t clutch it for dear life. A gentler grip means less stress; you won’t tire out or get writer’s cramp. When I was in elementary school, the teacher would walk around the classroom while we were doing our penmanship exercises, from time to time leaning over a shoulder to snatch a pupil’s pen backward. If your pen did not come away with virtually no resistance, you were clenching it too tightly.

Using a fountain pen the right way is a sensual experience; you can feel the paper. You can control the way the ink is applied and with the right nib even influence the line variations and the shades of the ink in each letter. Why would you ever write with anything else.


An ink review to exhibit shading: (not mine).







Some Victorian Penmanship:




When writing was valued as a joy:

[shandy]

I really enjoyed this thread Richard. I especially love the example of Victorian writing!

I am currently writing a book on Henry David Thoreau and so have been doing a great deal of research. One of the things I have been doing is reading copies of his Handwritten journals and manuscripts.
Here is an example, the image is from the pierpont Morgan library.


Here is the peice printed!

Feb 13th

Skated to Sudbury. A beautiful
summerlike day. The meadows
were frozen just enough
to bear-- -- Examined now the
fleets of ice flakes close at
hand. They are a very singu-
lar & interesting phenomenon
which I do not remember to
have seen I should say that
when the water was frozen about
as thick as pasteboard--a
violent gust had here & there
broken it up & while the
wind & waves held it up on
its edge--the increasing cold
froze it in firmly. So it
seemed for the flakes were
for the most part turned
one way--i.e. standing on
one side you saw only their
edges on another--the N E
or S W--their--sides-- They
were for the most part of a
triangular form--like a shoul-
der of mutton? sail slightly
scolloped--{drawing} like
shells They looked like a
fleeet of a thousand mack-
eral fishers under a press of

His handwriting can, at times be very hard to read, my eyesight is paying the price! But it is worth it, I am of course reading the printed versions of his journals but it really helps to read the actual writing, it really gives a greater feeling of the man. Of course he would have used a dip pen but I have yet to find out which make or nibs he used.

[Bisquitlips]

Originally Posted by shandy

I really enjoyed this thread Richard. I especially love the example of Victorian writing!

I am currently writing a book on Henry David Thoreau and so have been doing a great deal of research. One of the things I have been doing is reading copies of his Handwritten journals and manuscripts.
Here is an example, the image is from the pierpont Morgan library.


Here is the peice printed!

Feb 13th

Skated to Sudbury. A beautiful
summerlike day. The meadows
were frozen just enough
to bear-- -- Examined now the
fleets of ice flakes close at
hand. They are a very singu-
lar & interesting phenomenon
which I do not remember to
have seen I should say that
when the water was frozen about
as thick as pasteboard--a
violent gust had here & there
broken it up & while the
wind & waves held it up on
its edge--the increasing cold
froze it in firmly. So it
seemed for the flakes were
for the most part turned
one way--i.e. standing on
one side you saw only their
edges on another--the N E
or S W--their--sides-- They
were for the most part of a
triangular form--like a shoul-
der of mutton? sail slightly
scolloped--{drawing} like
shells They looked like a
fleeet of a thousand mack-
eral fishers under a press of

His handwriting can, at times be very hard to read, my eyesight is paying the price! But it is worth it, I am of course reading the printed versions of his journals but it really helps to read the actual writing, it really gives a greater feeling of the man. Of course he would have used a dip pen but I have yet to find out which make or nibs he used.

Very interesting and noble undertaking Ian! I will most definitely buy a copy of your book when it comes out. Do you have a release target date??

Have you seen this on eBay?? Kinda fits with what he was writing about in this script.

Original pencil signed etching by Joel Beckwith titled "Thoreau Waiting for the River Ice to Break".



http://cgi.ebay.com/Joel-Beckwith-or...item2c51c56654

[shandy]

Thank you for your kind words Richard, It is a labour of love for me!

I am fitting this project in with 7 other books that I am working on at the moment, though to be fair the Thoreau book is all my own and the other 7 are collaborations. I am looking at early 2011 as a publishing date (at least that is what I am telling the publisher!!).

The book is about how relevant Thoreau's ideas are in this day and age and how they can be applied with modern lives and with 21st century living.

The US has given us so many incredible authors but Thoreau is the closest to my heart.

On another note, how is Leah doing? Please give her my best.

Oh yes, thank you for the link, I think I might be tempted!

[Bisquitlips]

Originally Posted by shandy

Thank you for your kind words Richard, It is a labour of love for me!

I am fitting this project in with 7 other books that I am working on at the moment, though to be fair the Thoreau book is all my own and the other 7 are collaborations. I am looking at early 2011 as a publishing date (at least that is what I am telling the publisher!!).

The book is about how relevant Thoreau's ideas are in this day and age and how they can be applied with modern lives and with 21st century living.

The US has given us so many incredible authors but Thoreau is the closest to my heart.

On another note, how is Leah doing? Please give her my best.

Oh yes, thank you for the link, I think I might be tempted!

Leah is doing much better tonight. Thank you for asking.

That being an original pencil of him was quite nice I thought.

[Lol-x]

Great read Richard

The pleasure is real, you can't beat a fountain pen, good ink and paper to match

[sunburst]

Richard, great reading material.
I just picked up my 1st FP (Waterman Exception) which was a gift from our CFO.
I do not have any penmanship at all but I now understand the joy of writing with FP.
I think my handwriting has improved - maybe I'm putting more effort when I write with FP.

[Bisquitlips]

Originally Posted by sunburst

Richard, great reading material.
I just picked up my 1st FP (Waterman Exception) which was a gift from our CFO.
I do not have any penmanship at all but I now understand the joy of writing with FP.
I think my handwriting has improved - maybe I'm putting more effort when I write with FP.

It is true that your handwriting will improve with a FP. It's just not a physical struggle to write with one.

[Skullring]

Originally Posted by shandy

I really enjoyed this thread Richard. I especially love the example of Victorian writing!

I am currently writing a book on Henry David and so have been doing a great deal of research. One of the things I have been doing is reading copies of his Handwritten journals and manuscripts.
Here is an example, the image is from the pierpont Morgan library.


Here is the peice printed!

Feb 13th

Skated to Sudbury. A beautiful
summerlike day. The meadows
were frozen just enough
to bear-- -- Examined now the
fleets of ice flakes close at
hand. They are a very singu-
lar & interesting phenomenon
which I do not remember to
have seen I should say that
when the water was frozen about
as thick as pasteboard--a
violent gust had here & there
broken it up & while the
wind & waves held it up on
its edge--the increasing cold
froze it in firmly. So it
seemed for the flakes were
for the most part turned
one way--i.e. standing on
one side you saw only their
edges on another--the N E
or S W--their--sides-- They
were for the most part of a
triangular form--like a shoul-
der of mutton? sail slightly
scolloped--{drawing} like
shells They looked like a
fleeet of a thousand mack-
eral fishers under a press of

His handwriting can, at times be very hard to read, my eyesight is paying the price! But it is worth it, I am of course reading the printed versions of his journals but it really helps to read the actual writing, it really gives a greater feeling of the man. Of course he would have used a dip pen but I have yet to find out which make or nibs he used.

Shandy, Please let us all know when your book on Thoreau comes out. I would love to read it. It seems Mr. Thoreau's lesson of thrift is more sensible than ever in our current economy. Phil

[JBat]

Great thread! Shandy, I too would love to know when your book come out. Thoreau was one of my favorites in college.

[Taffi Abernathy]

Richard,

You provided such a wonderful, articulate description of what it is like to write with a fountain pen. Also, the writing on the page from the business college was absolutely breathtaking, it soared right beyond penmanship into a realm of real artistry. Yours was one terrific post. Faith

[Deep Sea]

Very interesting information, and wonderful looking writing. I have some old writings from around the turn of the 20th century, possibly the late 1800's. I ran across them a few months ago, so they're here in Mexico rather than in storage.

I'll see if I can find them tonight and scan them.

Thanks for the interesting post!

[purplepantman]

Here's a couple of examples of the writings of fellow Scot, Robert Burns...

I love his free-flowing style of writing.

I've tried to emulate it but it's impossible.





There's a few of his original manuscripts for sale on here...

http://adamshamilton.com/robert-burns-collection.html

Matt

[Bisquitlips]

Penmanship is such a lost art. I don't recall if I have ever seen anyone truly physically write, in person, anything that was memorable.

Can you imagine taking the time to write something like this?

[Deep Sea]

These are steamship licenses for mates and engineers, from the beginning of the 1900's. For being 100+ years old, they're still in pretty good shape.

There wasn't as much writing on these as I had originally thought, but there's still a little.

In my opinion, not bad writing for engineers.





This is the back of the one above:

[Omega_Precision]

I need to write something and have you guys rewrite it for me....

I have seen some of the penmanship on other threads and you guys rock!

[Lion]

Richard, I agree writing skills are a lost art along with drafting skills. When I do a landscape design and write out the plant and material lists it can take me 8 hours to complete the lists. When I'm done with a design it can be matted and hung like a painting!!!

[Bisquitlips]

Originally Posted by Lion

Richard, I agree writing skills are a lost art along with drafting skills. When I do a landscape design and write out the plant and material lists it can take me 8 hours to complete the lists. When I'm done with a design it can be matted and hung like a painting!!!

I would certainly love to see your work.

[vitix]

hey this is great thread, I have one of this great writing instrument, but I don't know much about it, my father gave it to me, who can help me out with it?

[Bisquitlips]

Originally Posted by vitix

hey this is great thread, I have one of this great writing instrument, but I don't know much about it, my father gave it to me, who can help me out with it?

Just post a photo and we will try.

[vitix]

Originally Posted by Bisquitlips

Just post a photo and we will try.

here it is

i want to know how to clean it, how to make it loos less ink.. and stuffs like that...

[Bisquitlips]

Originally Posted by vitix

here it is

i want to know how to clean it, how to make it loos less ink.. and stuffs like that...

That appears to be a MB 146.

You can clean it with lukewarm water in a glass with one drop of dish soap. Make sure you rinse it with clean water prior to filling it with ink.

As far as what you mean by losing ink, I am not sure. If it has a leak, send it to MB for repair.

Nice pen!

[Lol-x]

Another article on why YOU MUST use a fountain pen:
http://scheong.wordpress.com/2009/11...-fountain-pen/

[Numismatist]

Originally Posted by Lol-x

Another article on why YOU MUST use a fountain pen:
http://scheong.wordpress.com/2009/11...-fountain-pen/

That is a great article! The basic concept could easily apply to mechanical watches as well.

[Lol-x]

Originally Posted by Numismatist

That is a great article! The basic concept could easily apply to mechanical watches as well.

I never thought of that, but yes you are quite right.

[sunburst]

Originally Posted by Lol-x

Another article on why YOU MUST use a fountain pen:
http://scheong.wordpress.com/2009/11...-fountain-pen/

Steve, that's an excellent article and thanks for sharing.
I've never even thought that I'll be using a fountain pen.

[Bisquitlips]

Good add Steve!

[Shangas]

Originally Posted by Numismatist

That is a great article! The basic concept could easily apply to mechanical watches as well.

Oh thank you, Numismatist.

Allow me to introduce myself, if I may. My name is Shahan, writer of the abovementioned article, "Natural Inky Goodness: The Joy of the Fountain Pen". I hope you fellows have enjoyed reading it and check out some of the other pen-related articles on my blog.

I've had a look around your fine forum, and though I'm not a Rolex man, I do enjoy a nice, mechanical pocket watch, and I'm always on the lookout for more pen forums, so I thought I'd create a membership here for myself.

[sunburst]

Originally Posted by Shangas

Oh thank you, Numismatist.

Allow me to introduce myself, if I may. My name is Shahan, writer of the abovementioned article, "Natural Inky Goodness: The Joy of the Fountain Pen". I hope you fellows have enjoyed reading it and check out some of the other pen-related articles on my blog.

I've had a look around your fine forum, and though I'm not a Rolex man, I do enjoy a nice, mechanical pocket watch, and I'm always on the lookout for more pen forums, so I thought I'd create a membership here for myself.

Shahan, thanks for the great article and welcome to TRF.

[Shangas]

Hi Sunburst,

Thanks for the kind words. I'm pleased that you have all enjoyed my article. There is also another one here:

http://scheong.wordpress.com/2009/11...-fountain-pen/

Which may help to dispell some of the more common (and possibly mistaken) beliefs about fountain pens. Read it at your leisure.