penkalo

Hi,

Let me first share how I got on this forum.

I placed an order with Franklin-Christoph for the Sheaffer Legacy with custom acrylic barrel. However the extra fine nib was not available and FC informed me that they will source it from the person that ordered this project. This person turn out to be Mr. Jim Rouse. I googled his name and one of the top matches was a post on this forum about PCA board mentioning him and Mr. Ron Zorn - who just days ago sold me an admirable Touchdown set. So thanks to both gentlemen for the pens and for getting me on this forum.

Now an introduction and the story of my journey in the fountain pen world ...

Fountain pens became an object of magical attraction and passion when I was in elementary school (22 years ago) On art classes we used to work with India ink and writing with dip pen was captivating. Later in my 4th grade my teacher use a fountain pen exclusively, she was left handed. Still to this day she remains the only person in my country I have seen using a fountain pen. May be I am the only one with FP collection. During school days I used several fountain pens but they were of gift shop quality and simply did not last. On every special occasion when asked what would I like as present my answer was the same, fountain pen. My wish was granted only once before going to college I got a Parker Rialto from my aunt - it was almost a scandal in the family I pursued her to spent so much money on a pen.

Until 2011 my passion for fountain pens was suspended in limbo, limited to sporadically visiting FPH the only web store I know about, but the prices of pens I liked beyond my means.

After some distressing events in my life I decided to get the Aurora 88 big Nikargenta as this was the ultimate pen I was longing for. Actually I expected that this will satisfy my desire that was building up from childhood and story closed, but I was very wrong

Got the Aurora and the quest began to understand why is it not writing as expecting. I discovered all the amazing web sites and began to understand the ink, paper, nib interaction. Also found the Palmer Method and realized I do not know how to write cursive let alone with a fountain pen, so the effort to gradually reform my handwriting started.

Month later after Aurora the FPH catalog arrived and for my birthday I ordered the Sheaffer Legacy Heritage black palladium trim. And this is the pen that changed everything, the look of the nib has an addiction potency. But it was a bitter sweet experience, the line just too broad for my understanding of FINE, the nib tip not exactly cut into two mirroring hemispheres ... I will actually purchase additional 3 exactly same LH pens naively thinking that the original specimen was faulty. This was a very expensive lesson to realize that there is a manufacturing tolerance in nib cutting that is a bit more lax then my expectations. In the process learned about the sad reality of Sheaffer ending as BIC brand of Bock nibs; this was almost emotionally distressing after reading the W.A. Sheaffer autobiography.

Several other modern pens will follow but all ending on the shelf instead of my hand. May this year I was done, no more pens. But there was this Parker 75 early production with #65 nib listed on FPH vintage page, it stayed there for more then a month. So I decided if it is still available after another month it is an omen that it should be mine. And that is what happen, my first (not-so) vintage pen arrived and got my enthusiasm back especially after reading parker75.com page to page while waiting for the delivery.

Finally a pen writes close to expectations, this triggered the question where these expectations come from, is it just my imagination. On a visit to my parents I found the Blue fountain pen from my high school days, and with the Parker 75 to compare it was a pleasing moment of satisfaction that I was not chasing a dream. It was a very real memory of smooth writing experience producing an almost ballpoint fine line with tactile feedback of a pencil. The irony being that the Blue pen is a noname gift shop item, with still nib only inscribed "IRIDIUM POINT", but perfectly made.

With the Blue pen as a benchmark I got the courage to try perfect the Parker 75 nib. I had the necessary tools for nib grinding as leftover from my previous frustration with Legacy Heritage, almost ruined one of the nibs in my learn-by-mistake nib grinding. I took me several weekends and lot of despair in between but finally the #65 was perfectly adjusted, aligned and got the symmetrical iridium ball tip. But the writing experience was even worst then the original condition. So as self punishment I put the pen in my backpack for daily use so to remind me of my ambitious mistake. Then the miracle happen, after a week or so the pen started writing better and better. I am yet to completely understand what happened by it turns out that my nib work was omitting a critical step of cleaning and polishing the slit and the inner edges of the iridium tip which got deformed while equalizing the hemispheres. At the end the writing experience surpassed the Blue pen and a new personal standard is now in place

It was now obvious I must turn to Vintage pens to pursue my satisfaction, the major obstacle was resolved, if I don't like how they write I can fix that. The next purchase target was Sheaffer Snorkel, a pen I have never seen in person but description on Mr. Richard Binder site of the filling system mechanics was more the sufficient to trigger my engineering imagination. It arrived last week, purchased from Mr. David Nishimura, a early (c 1952) Clipper model with palladium nib and golden snorkel tube. Just yesterday evening I completed the polishing and smoothing of the steel cap and green barrel. Can not stop being amazed by the level of manufacturing quality, the gold filled trim is obviously thick enough to stand micromash 12000 polishing and now the pen looks as if it came out of Sheaffer factory 60 years ago.

The web site of Mr. David Nishimura was instrumental in changing my understanding of fountain pen collecting. It can be more then just flushing money and hoarding nice pens, it can be a sound investment as well. Both the Parker 75 and the Clipper where previously owned and fairly used pens, maybe outlasting their original owners. There is something captivating in nature of pens to carry on some anonymous memento of their owners while still being very personal to their current custodian. From my personal perspective the fountain pens represent an strive for excellence that is so much underappreciated today when almost everything is a disposable good. As Software Engineer I hope my professional field will evolve to match the level of quality and perseverance as the fountain pen industry has achieved with its products.

Happy Holidays and New Year,
KB