ANOTHER new hobby, my first FP

Well, it's happened again...

I read a thread on EDC, I think, a few days ago about moleskines and FPs. I was intrigued. I've always had a pen fetish, but as a child in school my mother forbade me from getting a fountain pen. She was apparently convinced they exploded on their own and that I would dye the carpet and furniture in every room of the house black. Eventually I forgot about FPs and picked up some nice ballpoints and rollerballs. That thread the other day brought those desires of so many years ago right back, though.

After many days of research online, my wife and I went to the store today. I had decided to buy a Waterman Phileas, but the store had none. I had the clerk wrap a Lamy Safari up for me, but on the way to the register I stopped to see the clearance pens. Doh! After fondling nearly every fountain pen, I started to turn toward the register, when an orange FP caught my eye. A Libelle Vortex orange swirl, with only maybe 5% swirl (black and silver) and a chrome cap. Gorgeous pen, I couldn't resist! I also bought a pack of Private Reserve Blue Suede cartridges (the color I had planned to get for the Waterman when I walked in). I also had the clerk put the Lamy back (the CPF answer wasn't an option today...neither the wife or bank account would allow it!)

I picked up some stationary and post cards at the bookstore, loaded some Blue Suede, checked for function, and it joined my EDC today (Raw NS, SF 6P, PDA, and wallet...a light day by my standards!)

I wrote a few letters and cards when I got home, and I'm hooked. Plan to go back for their big pen show with factory reps in mid October...and I'm sure I'll get that Lamy, and probably others, along with some other inks I'd like to try (P.R. Burgundy Mist, Copper Burst, Chocolat, Noodler's Eternal Brown, Red-Black.)

Just when I thought I finally had my light fetish under control...it starts again!! (And we all know the light fetish is never-ending...regardless of what I told my wife...or even myself!)

Oh well...what good is a light collection if I can't keep track of it in style?! Now I just need to work on my penmanship....all these years of computers has done me no favors.

Fountain pen enthusiasts have their own forum over here. And there are some BBS-like messageboards too.

They have their own versions of DX and Kai, as well as well-respected US resellers with Lighthound-quick service.

As far as I can tell, their motto is exactly the same: "buy them all."

Just curious, how do you EDC a fountain pen? Doesn't it have a big feather on it? Excuse my ignorance, I know very little about them.

You are thinking of a quill pen, which needs to be periodically dipped into an inkwell. Fountain pens have a reservoir.

The Vanishing Point is a retractable (like a ballpoint) fountain pen. I suppose you could say it has a forward clicky!

bfg9000 said:

Fountain pen enthusiasts have their own forum over here. And there are some BBS-like messageboards too.

They have their own versions of DX and Kai, as well as well-respected US resellers with Lighthound-quick service.

As far as I can tell, their motto is exactly the same: "buy them all."

Click to expand...

FPN was indispensible when I was researching my choice. I also read about inks over at Pendemonium and some of the others. DX and Kai-type pen outlets, eh? Oh...you're going to get me in trouble.

I was hoping to get my pen, and just live with it. The more I read about them online, the more I'll want (which will turn into the more I "need"). But it's going to go that way anyway, so I may as well just educate myself as much as possible. Thanks much for the links!!

Soon you'll be hanging out with the modders (Richard Binder, Ron Zorn)

*sigh* Today was payday....so I found myself wandering through the pen shop this evening...imagine that! Ended up grabbing that Safari I was eyeing last time, a converter, and a bottle of Havana Brown (seemed appropriate, I was in one of my fine Cuban shirts...think Charlie Sheen).

Love it already. Great on high quality paper and the cheap stuff. No bleed through, minimal feathering on cheap notepads.

This is the last one...really. No, I swear it this time. Though, there IS going to be that pen show in town in a week and a half....