In groups dealing with writing instruments, the ballpoint pen is often said to have no „soul.” Does that mean the fountain pen does?
1. More than 40 years ago, I was a university student, and fountain pens were already out of fashion then. Ballpoint pens had almost completely pushed them out.
2. When I took notes as a freshman with the first fountain pen I bought myself (a Pilot Birdie), I didn't feel like I was being looked at as a weirdo, but looking back, I don't recall anyone among my classmates using a fountain pen.
4. To an outside observer, using a fountain pen is cumbersome. It needs to be refilled, and not infrequently. At that point, everything from your hand to the table, and possibly even your clothing, will get ink on it.
6. A fountain pen is not rocket science.
7. The fountain pen is not only cumbersome for the outside observer but also for the user, especially if they maintain their fountain pens properly to prevent them from drying out. And if the pen falls (and of course, like a buttered slice of bread, it always falls on the buttered side), the fountain pen naturally falls on its nib. The consequence is often a difficult-to-repair bend or break. 8. There are fewer and fewer repair masters. and there is less and less of it.
11. What explains the renaissance of fountain pens? Why are there more and more new or old (vintage) fountain pens appearing in stores and on eBay? For years, decades, we have had less and less free time, yet a fountain pen requires attention. You cannot, or perhaps better said, it is not suitable to write hastily with a fountain pen and then throw it into a drawer, forgetting about it for days or weeks.
12. Without conversations, it is difficult to learn others' opinions about fountain pens. It is unknown what motivates each person. A fountain pen (as it is sometimes said) does not use rocket science. Although its construction may not be as simple as a wooden stick. Very superficially examined, it must have an ink reservoir, a corresponding tube through which the ink reaches the nib and leaves a mark on the paper. Ultimately, a ballpoint pen looks similar. An ink reservoir, filled with ink, and a tube that directs the ink to the ball at the end of the refill.
14. What can fountain pens „do”?
15. We can also phrase the question: what can a ballpoint pen not do? Is it worth comparing these at all? Hay with straw? I wouldn't venture to do so. I am sure that both „worlds” have their enthusiasts, and perhaps there is often overlap among the enthusiasts of these two „worlds.”.
16. The fountain pen makes contact with the paper through its nib. This is perhaps what most defines the mood of writing with a fountain pen. Amid my wandering thoughts, I managed to arrive at the point I had planned from the very beginning: the nib.
17. The nib is usually made of two types of materials: steel and various (14, 18, sometimes 21) karat gold. The allure of gold is well known. Its color, its weight. But mainly its value is what makes it used as jewelry. These are certainly not negligible in this case either. Many perhaps consider fountain pens with gold nibs to be more special, better.
19. I confess, I held onto this for a long time as well. If I had the option to choose, I tried to support a fountain pen that had a gold nib, and if possible, I looked for the higher karat ones, as I believed they were more flexible, and I thought manufacturers applied more refined solutions in fountain pens with gold nibs.
20. According to my initial experiences, steel nibs were stiff and inflexible. I did not enjoy writing with them. Speaking of enjoyment... Can we talk about enjoyment in the case of writing as an activity? Acknowledging that many will not agree with me, my opinion is that if we take our time, try to shape the letters, write the stems of the letters at the same angle, and practice regularly, a kind of momentum in guiding the pen develops, which is well recognizable in the writing. This is most visible, perhaps, in the so-called flex and semi-flex nibs.
It is not easy to achieve this variable thickness, eye-catching writing with a ballpoint pen. Therefore, I believe that the process of handwriting can be enjoyable.
What defines a fountain pen nib?
It would be easy to say everything. However, when holding a pen, often even before starting to write, one can feel whether the pen fits in our hand. There are „head-heavy” pens, aptly called signature pens. It is not easy to take notes or write continuously in smaller letters with them. I think a Waterman Edson ballpoint pen is an example of this. The relatively light barrel is paired with a seriously heavy upper part, which makes it difficult to hold and keep the pen close to the paper, as it almost tips out of the hand. Yet the pen itself looks special at first glance. A striking, valuable piece.
Similarly, one can feel with a very light pen if it is not suitable for us. It wobbles almost weightlessly in the user's hand, making it difficult to control the pen.
Reluctantly, but unfortunately, I have to include a writing instrument that is dear to me. The fountain pen is made by Vendex and has a Bock nib. No matter where I try to hold it, it just flutters in my hand...
Imagining that moment when someone finds a fountain pen that fits their hand well in size and balance, and that is ideal in form, material, and not least aesthetically, plus it flows as much ink as desired, and finally, the nib is also comfortable to hold (it glides, not scratches), from that point on, they only wait for the opportunity to take it out and write with it. It is even hard to account for everything that had to come together for this to happen.
Which one is the real one?
We have not yet talked about two important components, although both can be included here: ink and paper. They not only belong together but are also closely related to the fountain pen and its user. If we try to list whose work was needed for this ideal state, it turns out that we are talking about such a complex writing instrument, the production of which many have contributed their all, or more elegantly put, their hearts, souls…
As a closing note (closing image), I will show the fountain pen that is closest to me. I would love to write that images flew through my head for long minutes before I found the right one, but in reality, it took more than a day. I could not substantiate my choice meaningfully. It was a bit worn (I bought it used), but I told myself that its previous owner surely loved this one the most, it was in daily use until they left this world, and their grandchild deemed it good to advertise it in a night auction many years ago. I was the first applicant…
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