Why Fountain pens?

Why pens? Why Fountain pens? 

There are many reasons.

One of those reasons is the link of fountain pens to history. Fountain pens still do what they were invented to do: they write. Yes, so do biro's (ballpoints); so do rollerballs, and so do keyboards (OK, the people holding them, or using them). All those other forms of writing instruments however, evolved from one: the fountain pen. The fountain pen is a slim but poignant link to people in another time and place, holding the same form of instrument in their hands. This, for me, is an extraordinarily powerful attraction. Perhaps this too is one of the reasons that vintage fountain pens continue to be handed down from generation to generation; and that collectors value many vintage pens over modern examples. For me, there is so much enjoyment holding in my hand a pen that was created thirty years before I was born. Who has held this pen before? What did they write with it? How did they live? Where did they live? These thoughts also lead to the manufacture of the pens themselves. Many fountain pens are extraordinary examples of artisan work. Celluloid, silver, gold, hard rubber and ebonite creations in many shapes, combinations and sizes that serve their owners in one task: the art of communicating.

 A letter or note takes time. There's a stamp, an envelope, the address. It's all part of a ritual that demonstrates we've thought about this; that YOU are important enough for us to take the time. 

Another part of that attraction is the almost radical thought that I might write to someone rather than text or email! (It's OK, you can pick yourself up off the floor now!) But it's more than that. Have you recently received a hand written note or letter. What does a person's handwriting tell you about them? Yes, there is a little of our personality hidden in our handwriting. Large loops and ostentatious twirls, tiny letters in fine script, cursive, all capitals, copperplate. Every letter is an individual statement that tells us more about the letter-writer or their mood than the letter alone may reveal. For many, writing in pen and ink is an opportunity to be expressive in a way a keyboard never can.

(nothing too extraordinary about my handwriting - but I'm working on it!)

This is clearly why the pen manufacturers invented nibs. Vintage nibs especially ( usually gold) still maintain their flex today and provide opportunities for so much variation in line. The art that exists in the writing of many stylophiles is just extraordinary.

Extraordinary too, and intriguing, is the similarity in handwriting within families. You haven't noticed that? Just test it out and let me know through comments on this blog what you find out. I'm still waiting for my first comments :)

A link to history; an ongoing communication tool that continues to inform in both its content and its structure; a work of art, or many works in many words, that communicates as much by its existence as by its substance. So much potential. So much fun.

A Private Reserve look at inks

I said I wasn't especially an ink aficionado, but in this blog I explore a few inks I'm either fond of or trying out.

What I love about some ink brands is their names. This one is 'Private Reserve'. It sounds more like a wine cellar than an ink (although I would recommend against drinking them). Other names like 'Noodlers' and 'Diamine' sound similarly playful or pretentious. Nevertheless, they all carry out their stated aim: they're inks. You write with them.

Private Reserve Avacado (not my preferred spelling but the spelling on the bottle) is one of my favourite ink colours. Here, I've used it in my Omas Green Arco which has a lovely Mottishaw cursive Italic nib. 'What's a Mottishaw?' I hear you ask. All will be revealed in the fullness of time :-) The "Arco" refers to the colour of the celluloid in this pen, which is a sort of silver and green shimmer effect - a lovely looking colour.

The second is Private Reserve Lake Placid Blue, using a Radius Comet in Red Arco. Radius is another Italian brand that emerged in the first half of the 1930s. The comet model was a relatively inexpensive line introduced some time after the war. But this one is a lovely piston filler with ink view window and great coloured celluloid. The ink is quite a wet one (ie. it drys slowly) and I'm still deciding whether I like it or not. My blue of preference is a little more purple in hue than this one (I'll show that on another day).

The final ink is Private Reserve Tanzanite. This is a purple ink. A little hard to see in the pic (which is just an iPhone pic) mostly because the nib on the Pilot Vanishing point pen is quite fine. This is an ink I think I'm going to enjoy playing with. The pen, called the 'Stealth' because...... (wait for it) it's black! is still a fabulous modern Japanese pen. Vanishing point fountain pens (VP) are a lot like ballpoint pens except they're not. They have a click mechanism that urges the nib out of its shell (like a ballpoint), and therefore do not dry out nor need a cap. Their disadvantage is that they have a small ink capacity; and some people complain about the location of the clip (although I have no problem with that).

So, another day has reached its zenith and another blog has reached its close.

Until next tine...

Delta Pens

A new day, a new blog (not that this is going to happen daily - but a nice start considering it's a weekend).

Today is about a pen; this one:

It's a Delta Blue Jay Limited Edition (LE).

This is a truly lovely pen. See formal pics here: 

In my own pic, I've placed it on my Rhodia grid pad (writing paper of choice), next to a coffee mug with a drawing of the Australian Blue Wren (the closest we Australians have to the Blue Jay).

My nib here is fine, perhaps a little too fine for me; but the pen is nonetheless a joy to hold and write with.  

Filling system is piston (my preferred filling system) which is found by unscrewing the blind cap on the bottom of the pen to reveal a silver piston that you turn when the nib is happily swimming in an ink of some sort.

Not sure if it's clear from the picture, but the other nice feature is the ink window between the front section (where the nib is) and the main body. This helps you to see if the pen is running out of ink - handy if you're running into a meeting (although I prefer to always carry a few spare pens - which also allows for mood changes and colour variations ... also fun for boring meetings).

Delta is a relatively new Italian brand (started in 1982). More and more their fountain pens are coming up better and better. The quality is excellent. The designs innovative; and the quality top-notch. I have a few Deltas. The Fusion 82 is a brilliant pen (more another time or look here ). And many of their Limited editions are just beautiful pens.

So, here endeth another titbit from my eclectic annals.

Until next tine...

Second blog, same day (no life!)

To mix it up a bit, this one is just a random pic taken with my iPhone (5).

It was a hot air balloon flying about our house in the morning, a sunkissed sky and the clarity button pressed on the Camera+ app.

The first pen blog

Number 1. My first blog. Here it is. Here I am. Maybe here WE are. And what on earth are we doing wasting our time like this?

This blog is a work in progress and I'm not quite sure what direction it will take. Nevertheless, at this point it is going to be primarily a blog about my obsession with pens  - fountain pens. 

If you are starting to see from where you are sitting an "L" shape appearing on my brow, now is the time to move to another site (if you needed my permission).

I'll be playing with adding images and videos. Throw in an occasional review, poem or thought, and then we'll see where we go from there. 

Feedback would be appreciated, and will help me hone my skills.

The bulk of my pen porn will be Italian, and celluloid - both my preferences. But there will be some Japanese eagerly inserting itself into the conversation. Pens will be both vintage and modern; but will have a particular bias towards Omas, my favourite brand, and flex, my favourite writing.

I'm not a real ink aficionado, but there will be a few colours (I like colours).

And we'll be varying from:

(Nakaya Decapod & Omas Arlecchino)

to:

(Pelikan Twist)

and lots of places in between.

So stay tuned and let's see where the ink flows :)

Thanks for reading.