Most of the people I know care little about the objects of this blog. To them writing instruments are merely tools, and pedestrian ones at that. Any plastic pen, any paper, any type of ink suffices to write grocery lists, letters (increasingly rare in this day of email, cell phones, and text messaging), class notes, etc. But for a small minority of us, great pleasure is derived from using a quality pen or pencil to write on quality paper. The writing tools themselves enhance the whole writing experience, thus becoming more than tools but instead essential components of writing. Like nearly everyone today, I use email and do a lot of writing on the computer. Yet I still do a great deal of writing every day using pen or pencil and paper, and I do actually write letters by longhand.
But there is an even smaller number of people who take this a step further; for us acquiring and using pens, pencils, paper, and ink is both a hobby and a passion. We read online forums devoted to fountain pens, acquire more ink than we could ever use in a lifetime, and think about the next pen or the next journal we would like to try. We discuss the merits of different filling systems, repair vintage pens, mix different inks in an attempt to create the perfect brown or green ink. Yes, we are obsessed, but we consider our obsession to be relatively harmless: it hurts no one and gives us pleasure. It is fellow pen addicts to whom I address this blog; though I expect its readership will be small, I hope to enjoy writing it and to find a few people who enjoy reading it. I welcome your comments.
Let me close this opening post with a brief note about things you will not find discussed here. Though ballpoints, rollerballs, and gel pens are ubiquitous, though they are the only things most people think of when they hear the word "pen," I have no interest in them. I have on occasion found a rollerball that was not too bad, but my contempt for the ballpoint is total. The point or tip (I refuse to dignify it with the word "nib") of these horrors robs handwriting of any expressiveness, shading, or nuance. The gelatinous crud they lay down on paper (it would be an insult to centuries of ink used in Asian brush calligraphy, printing, and dip and fountain pens to use the word "ink" in this context) is antithetical to the idea of taking pleasure in writing. I would sooner write with the tip of a burnt match than with a ballpoint. After this diatribe, let us never speak of ballpoints again.
Today's tools of choice:
Cross Metropolis with a Fine nib and Visconti Blue ink
Namiki Vanishing Point (aka Pilot Capless) with a Fine nib and Noodler's Aircorp Blue-Black ink
But there is an even smaller number of people who take this a step further; for us acquiring and using pens, pencils, paper, and ink is both a hobby and a passion. We read online forums devoted to fountain pens, acquire more ink than we could ever use in a lifetime, and think about the next pen or the next journal we would like to try. We discuss the merits of different filling systems, repair vintage pens, mix different inks in an attempt to create the perfect brown or green ink. Yes, we are obsessed, but we consider our obsession to be relatively harmless: it hurts no one and gives us pleasure. It is fellow pen addicts to whom I address this blog; though I expect its readership will be small, I hope to enjoy writing it and to find a few people who enjoy reading it. I welcome your comments.
Let me close this opening post with a brief note about things you will not find discussed here. Though ballpoints, rollerballs, and gel pens are ubiquitous, though they are the only things most people think of when they hear the word "pen," I have no interest in them. I have on occasion found a rollerball that was not too bad, but my contempt for the ballpoint is total. The point or tip (I refuse to dignify it with the word "nib") of these horrors robs handwriting of any expressiveness, shading, or nuance. The gelatinous crud they lay down on paper (it would be an insult to centuries of ink used in Asian brush calligraphy, printing, and dip and fountain pens to use the word "ink" in this context) is antithetical to the idea of taking pleasure in writing. I would sooner write with the tip of a burnt match than with a ballpoint. After this diatribe, let us never speak of ballpoints again.
Today's tools of choice:
Cross Metropolis with a Fine nib and Visconti Blue ink
Namiki Vanishing Point (aka Pilot Capless) with a Fine nib and Noodler's Aircorp Blue-Black ink
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