Hello!
I'm a 17 year old guy from Michigan who has recently become enamored with fountain pens. I recently mustered up enough cash to buy two LAMY Safari's, a Joy, and a bottle of PR Avacado. Since I picked up the first pen, I couldn't stop writing. I actually enjoy taking notes now, and my handwriting has improved significantly.
I really like saturated inks from what I've seen and love colors that are strong but subtle. If anyone had any suggestions of inks please let me know! (And if anyone would be willing to send me a few samples or anything, I would be ecstatic...if not I won't be disappointed.)
I've been eyeing the TWSBI mini and Pilot Prera, and am currently saving up enough to buy them. (I'm 1/10th of the way there..wooo).
Merry Christmas!
Kind regards,
JDP
Some older school pens are available at Lamy Safari prices, or better, and are better pens. I used a Parker 45 all from 7th grade until my first year in college. EBay has them for about $25. Some sellers have begun to list P45s at $40 or $50 "buy it now", but that seems a silly price. About three years ago, a 45 did not sell for much more than $15, and often did not sell at $5, except for the all brushed steel (?) "flighter" model.
The 45 is a cartridge/converter pen, and was among the first pens that could be taken apart by its owner...every part unscrews and can be replaced. A nib from a 1995 45 will fit the section of a 1970 P45. And so on.
Incidentally, I used to refill the converter every morning, just as suggested above. That's one reason I dislike "bulletproof" inks: I am much more likely to spill a drop on myself, my clothes, or a rug during a refill, than to spill a pail of water on something I have written.
This is really a great place. Many of the people who post are the best pen restorers; others are some of the most dedicated pen collectors. The suprising thing is that the experts will share knowledge generously. I work in computers, and it is not uncommon to meet a techie who thinks he knows everything but who sneers and laughs at someone who asks a question.
Pen people seem to be the reverse: those who know the most are most eager to share what they know. And "those who know the most" are here.
(And, no, David I did NOT pay me to write this...but he did once sell me a marbled Parker Vacumatic that exactly matched a pen my mother saved and saved to give to my father when Dad was sent to the Pacific during WW2. I smashed that pen when I was two or three. Dad teared up when I gave him the replacement.)