When I was in the 9th grade, back in the early 60s, I had an English teacher who insisted everyone in her class was to use only a fountain pen for all the writing we did. Back then, a student grade Shaeffer fountain pen cost about $1.00, and a pack of 5 plastic ink cartridges cost about .35¢.
After I left her class, I quit using my fountain pen. I used a Bic, just like everyone else, but never liked them. Eventually, I preferred a fiber tip disposable pen, but problem with the fiber tips was the tip always spread out with wear, creating a messy and too-broad line. That was ok for drawing, but not for writing. So I went through a lot of half used-up pens.
When the rollerball pens, which use a water based liquid ink, I switched. The ink looked darker and richer on the page, but my hand still cramped up when I needed to write something that took a long time, and the rollerballs tend to feed the ink in globs, not smooth lines, as they are used. By then, I was writing a lot.
In 1989, at Christmas, my mother surprised me with a gift of a Parker Duofold fountain pen, an expensive fountain pen. They look impressive, and they write very well. I began to keep a journal, mostly to justify the cost of such an expensive gift.
Journal #1 began in January, 1990. I am now in #57. I became a fountain pen junkie along the way. We call ourselves "pen heads". I commonly write for an hour or more with no pain, no strain, and no impediment to my thoughts, 3-4 times a week, creating 500 or more words at a time.
I've carried a cheaper fountain around for many years and found most people today have never used one. When I let someone try mine, almost all are totally flummoxed. The rollerball dominates.
But, as all pen heads know, the fountain pen is the best and most versatile writing tool ever invented. A good pen filled with the right ink can write on a paper napkin, at -20º, and produce a document that is forgery proof and archival. With no struggle.
If you like to write, or want to write by hand more, or want to learn cursive writing, or if you have ever wondered why professional writers still use fountain pens so much, read on.
Here's a short primer, along with some unexpected environmental stuff that comes from using a fountain pen. It's all just below the calligrapher's rose, done first with a pen and ink, below.
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