Fountain pens

Having read all this thread...... I now badly want a fountain pen! Haven't used one since school though, so maybe not a good idea after all.

Well yes. Even today there are many people who would prefer fountain pens over any other pens just because of its clarity

True JessM but trademarking is expensive and no one wants others passing off their products as their own. And nobody says "I've got to Dyson the stairs" do they?

do they still exist absent? Hoover damaged themselves irreparably when they did that holiday offer in which they got it wildly wrong and getting expensive holidays that exceeded the value of the product they bought. Possibly the single biggest marketing cock up of all time. And then Dyson came on the scene...

annodomini Hoover used to employ someone – and probably still does – to check all published references to Hoover to ensure that its trademark has a capital H and does not degenerate into a generic term.

I was thrilled with a purple ball point I bought in France a few years ago. I spent some happy months writing in purple until it ran out. I've never managed to find one here. (Pretentious? Moi?)

Thank you so much everyone for your suggestions. I'd never heard of a Lamy before but looking on the web they seem quite popular. I'll certainly be investigating further. So pleased my request also gave ideas for a present! I do fancy purple ink - perhaps in my 'prime' I've become (more?) pretentious .

I too remember ink wells and blotting paper at school - and being 'ink monitor'. I've still got a couple of my exercise books complete with splodges.

As a left hander, when I first used a fountain pen, my hand would smudge whatever I had written. I had to develop a whole new way of writing.

Conway Stewart and Watermans were the pens to have when I was a teenager. I wonder what happened to the ones I managed not to lose.

I desperately wanted a Conway Stewart fountain pen when I was at school, but they were way out of our league. I made do with a succession of cheap ones from the newsagent (deprived child emoticon) The other must have was a 9 carat gold nib, which I also never managed.
If I'm in a department store nowadays I always have a quick look at the Mont Blancs.

I used a Parker Duofold until I lost it a few years back. I went to John Lewis in order to source another and procrastinated as to whether to buy another or a rollerball, too much choice on offer. Some months later I decided on another Duofold and returned to John Lewis only to be told they sold all their Duofolds off at around £60 each so had to do without. I have since bought another Parker fountain pen however and a Cross Thompson Gold/Chrome rollerball which I tend to use more and more as the new Parker is just not the same as my old, well used Duofold.
I do remember my father presenting me with a Watermans fountain pen when I first went to 'big boys' School. Sadly I had lost that within the first few months.

The Pen Shop is 14 Stramongate, Kendal and the man's name is Alan Lloyd. I think he trades as A.B.C.Lloyd and you will easily find him on Google!!

I was given a Parker 51 when I started at the High School and loved it. I too used turquoise ink, brown ink but we had to use Quink Royal Blue washable. When I was at university though I used black!! (rebel)
A few years ago I went to that lovely vintage pen shop in Kendal (is it still there? ) and decided to treat myself to another Parker 51 to replace the one I had been given 50 years before as I prefer the slughtly chunky barrel. The only one he had was in maroon - just as mine had been and I was super-chuffed with it!
When I came home - guess what I found lurking in the back of a desk drawer?? Yes, my original pen!
The man in the shop wouldn't recommend Quink however as he said it is not good for fountain pens and I had to buy something else (the name of which I have now totally forgotten)
All of which reminds me of dip pens and nibs. My Granny had a paper and stationery shop in the Borders and I can remember little tins of nibs with the inscription on the lid:
"They come as a boon and a blessing to men, the Pickwick, the Owl and the Waverley pen"

When I was 15, I had a beautiful Conway Stewart fountain pen bought me, but only used it at home, didn`t want to lose it at school, so used the old one there. Then one day a friend? asked me if I could lend her a pen, I lent her the lovely new one, and never saw it again. AND I got it in the neck from my auntie for losing it!

anno thanks it is

ga thank you I will check out Lamey.

This one looks reasonably chunky, but then, so is the price!

www.wheelersluxurygifts.com/shop/item/510/14845/montblanc-fountain-pen---meisterst--ck-signature-for-good-classique/?utm_source=google-base&utm_medium=google-base&utm_campaign=google-base&gclid=CJK-labmm7sCFbMPtAodSHEACA

We were taught calligraphy at school and in later years I attended a class to perfect my work. I have various inks and nibs just for the enjoyment of seeing the different forms of lettering I can use for a variety of reasons.

Sook, isn't 'biro' one of those words like 'hoover' that can be used as a generic term for all of its kind?

I'm another Lamy user too and John Lewis does have a great selection of thick and thin pens across the price range. And you can try them out there which is a benefit. I bought a very expensive pen on line only to find that it really doesn't feel comfortable in my hand so I'd say that would be worth considering when choosing And lots of pens, including Lamy, can be converted to ink from cartridge, mine is converted and it works well.

I'm so glad to see so many people still using pen and ink and paper! I thought it was a dying art!

DH has a Mont Blanc which I use sometimes. To see the finished result of using a fountain pen gives me pleasure.

Used to put a few drops of coloured ink into white pearlised nail polish in the 60's. This was long before a selection of colours appeared on the shelves.

I use a waterman fountain pen if I want to write "proper"
My writing is slightly more legible with it! but then! what do you expect with my background?

sook Lamy do a left handed fountain pen.

I meant ballpoint not biro the word escaped me

Biros are quick and easy to write but combined with typing emails my once beautiful handwriting has suffered. I have been thinking about buying a fountain pen for a while. I think my last fountain pen was an Osmoroid I'm left-handed and prefer a curved nib, must have a look around for one.

Reading through some of my old University notes and essays, I was aghast at the sometimes turquoise and sometimes purple ink I used. How pretentious! I still have the fountain pen (Parker 51) that my sisters gave me for my 21st. The last time I used a fountain pen was for an OU French exam, about 15 years ago, using another Parker pen, given to me by DS2. It brought me luck!