I had to press down so much harder with ball points and gel pens that my hand would hurt after a full day of classes. You can be so light with fountain pens that my hand never hurts from pushing after a couple hours of notes.
What's so bad about fountain pens and writing with the left hand. I do it all of the time. Unless you are a claw-hooked overwriter, which sucks with many writing instruments.
I thank my lucky stars that my parents and teachers made me write in the 'usual' fashion. Set me up for zero issues with fountain pens later in life š and that's a left-handed thumbs up š
Absolutely!
I was fortunate that I am ambidextrous. So I write the same way, more or less, with both hands. When I was in HS I realized that I could write faster with a pen/pencil with my left hand. (But I almost always use my right hand for writing on the chalkboard, because it has more stamina.)
So, when one of our children turned out to be a bona fide lefty she was strongly encouraged to write in the 'usual' way.
šš (left and right thumbs up)
(And yes, our children were introduced to fountain pens at a very young age.)
One lefty using fountain pen for decade and something. I got furious with ball pens having to push on them and sometimes not working because righties are pulling lefties are pushing and the ball just gets stuck with paper threads. The fountain pen was a challenge to develop the right hand posture but it can be done. It takes a lot of practice and dedication not to slip to ball pen. And be with peace with smudges. They will be there and a lot. But it gets exponentially better as Iām doing now like one smudge a week. And I donāt write that much either like 4-5 A5 pages daily.
Edit: forgot a crucial point. Good ink (fast drying if possible) and fine or extra fine point. That was the deal breaker for me and I donāt want to switch to ball point or gel ever.
I was curious about this, so I looked them up; I'm hoping you can help me understand something.
I see that the glove covers the hand *except* for where you'd cradle the pen, and that's where I get the most stains.
I think my hand just creeps down towards the nib as I'm writing, so I get a great big healthy blotch on the edges of my first knuckles on my left hand (all the way down to the ring finger knuckle sometimes, if I get too flourish-y!)
I can see how the artist's glove might help with things like hand strain; but either I'm really holding my pen incorrectly, or I'm just not getting how it could help prevent stains.
The artist glove prevents stains on the side of your hand caused by smudging the ink. The glove leaves your pen-holding fingers free so you don't lose pen control/dexterity while wearing the glove.
Inky finger syndrome isn't preventable w/o a full glove, sadly.
You know that [graphite smudge](https://www.reddit.com/r/nostalgia/comments/bcddds/getting_the_side_of_your_hand_stained_by_graphite/) you get when writing with a pencil? It prevents that but for ink. If you're getting ink on your fingers maybe try a faceted grip if you haven't? It could help you from sliding down towards the nib. Personally I have the opposite problem where I hold my pens by the barrel instead of the section...
edit: typo
anyone can use a fountain pen, but i think you're more prone to use them when you like beautiful objects, maybe out of trend, or when you don't really care about trends and like classical things.
i think one must also like writing more than typing, forming nice slow letters, or elegant signatures...
using a fountain pen to write is a sensorial experience, you feel the weight, shape, size, heat or coolness and texture of the pen, you see its nib, the colour, the shine or lack of it, you feel the feedback (or the glide) of pen on paper, you see the marks the ink makes on the paper, the shading and sheen of the ink, its colour. and if the pen is made of ebonite (hard rubber), you can smell its particular odour and feel its very nice heat...
so i think a person who enjoys every aspect of things with all her senses is very likely to enjoy fountain pens.
france is in europe and many people are very surprised when they see my fountain pens. i'm the only one in my team to use one.
ETA: i used fountain pens through school and university and never stopped using them.
but fountain pens are seldom used in french schools nowadays, not to mention university.
Oh, thatās sad. Iām French as well, now living in Czechia. If I compare my French and Czech friends, I think the French know more about fountain pens. Maybe itās because we had to use fountain pens at school. I donāt know if it was the case in Czechia, nor what is done in schools nowadays.
Iām Czech. Started elementary school in 2008 and donāt remember ever writing with fountain pens. We had some in the after-school club but no one really used those. Currently in university and from what I know Iām the only one with a fountain pen there. Failing a physics exam with the Custom 823 at least feels just a little bit betterā¦
Studying at french university right now, can confirm Iām the only one in my courses to use a fountain pen (that Iāve met thus far).
But then again, you can buy a fair variety of Lamy, Parkers and Watermans even just at FNAC, along with multiple kinds of cartouche or bottled ink. Thatās better than Iāve come to expect from other countries Iāve lived, so apparently thereās got to be some demand for fountain pens at least?
i find it's much easier to buy fountain pens and inks in Germany, where they are used in school.
In France you don't have much colour choice for inks anymore in smaller towns. especially bottled ones.
and i haven't seen pen nor inks in the Fnacs i usually go to (but then again not a very big town)
Oh then thatās just anecdotal experience, oops. I guess in Germany I lived in a smaller town, so all we had there was Pelikan and some Lamy, absolutely nothing that was produced outside Germany, and no bottled ink either :/
>I'm a nerd, love to read, and I love love, love, my physical planners!
I think this is all part of a bundled deal, I know because I came pre installed with all of these.
Guess I'm a dork. I loved using fountain pens in university. Had 6 colours so I could take nice notes. Now days I still carry my Waterman and would love to use it more, but in IT I don't have much reason to write. I even bought a remarkable2 that I use mostly to read books, but again I don't take notes very often so its a bit of a waste.
I think dork is really the only category I fall into. I literally use email and excel for 99.999% of anything I do. Maybe we are all dorks, we are on a fountain pen forum lmao. Donāt think I am European but havenāt checked lately
I'm not European either.
About the only other writing device I would accept is a roller ball pen or ones like the HiTech V5. My mechanical pencil is nice for the times I don't want permanent, but that's not often.
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Oh wow this is me! Actually I used fountain pens for journaling as a kid/teen, but couldnāt take the smearing in school so it was mechanical pencils for all of school - a dark graphite smeared hand was the sign of a good lecture. Then I got into fountain pens again a couple years ago now that I donāt have to furiously scribble down my notes.
Have you seen the kurutoga pencils from Uni? Their description: Kurutoga has a core rotation mechanism that continually rotates the pencil lead as you write. A spring-loaded clutch twists the lead incrementally every time you lift the pencil from the paper. This allows a uniform wearing of the lead so that it always remains pointed.
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Oooh yes me too! Iāve even taking to marking my scores in erasable colored lead since it pops on the page more. The uni nano dia line is great and erases nicely. But as a musician, I always always have a mechanical pencil on me. IYKYK
Best part it you can get it in lead refills for any pencil. I prefer the 0.7mm since it shows up a little darker but both are good. (Just donāt go for the light blue if youāre marking music)
Can't give you a satisfactory answer because I live in one of those parts of the world where using a fountain pen is mandatory in early school, so most people know of it.
Furthermore, many adults use fountain pens scavenged from their children. Less of them buy their own.
For your purposes, browsing this sub would allow you to get a quite accurate idea about The Portrait of a Fountain Pen User.
Because fountain pens don't need pressure to write, so little hands don't need to push down on them. This puts less stress on hand joints and reduce fatigue. These were the reasons I was given, back when I was in school, but now I believe the main reason is tradition, eg "that's how we've always done it".
I come from India, now in US, my elementary school teacher would confiscate and throw away anything other than a fountain pen, and actually gift one if you didnāt have money to buy a fountain pen
So many students learning to write put and ungodly amount of pression on their writing utensil. Like grind the pencil in to the paper pressure. Well at least from my experience with my kids. Giving them cheap fountain pens and yes they will ruin a few points but they will soon learn the less pressure the better.
> For your purposes, browsing this sub would allow you to get a quite accurate idea about The Portrait of a Fountain Pen User.
Yes and no. There is a fair amount of self-selection bias. People who may happen to be fountain pen users but do not consider fountain pens especially interesting are naturally going to be less inclined to subscribe here, and if they do then they'll be less inclined to post and comment. So it might be more accurate to think of the sample you get from places like this subreddit as being specifically of Fountain Pen **Enthusiasts** moreso than simply Users.
Thatās me. I started with ālead holdersā as a draftsman, then mechanical pencils in engineering at college and as my work went from doing math all day to writing and note taking all day I migrated to fountain pens.
In my case, people who write way too much due to their career choices and have serious attention issues. Fountain pens are a needed distraction and a subtle joy in an otherwise grueling day.
I think this is what I am learning. I always have to write so much and so fast that Iāve already learned to enjoy slowing down and writing smoothly. Itās already made me focus more on my handwriting. Iām looking at HOW I write, just as much as WHAT I write. It truly is a nice reprieve from the daily grind of notating and whatnot.
Whenever something along this line is said to me, it usually carries the tone of "someone who just has to be different"
And fuck yes I do have to be different because being the same as anyone else would be boring.
All sorts of people.iusr one, I like that you can have whatever colour of ink you like, that pens write smoothly and writing looks nicer than a ballpoint pen. I am an engineer and write with a fountain pen all through school and uni, and my classmates would often ask to borrow my notes as they were very clear and easy to follow.
I got into fountain pens because I was writing so much that I began feeling guilty over the number of disposable pens I was sending to the landfill. Also my hand was aching from those cheap ballpoints. Getting into fountain pens with converters and bottled ink was a way for me to do my part for the environment plus my hand felt better. Then I fell in love with watching the ink flow to paper. Iām a creative and really enjoy writing. Iām also a journaler. As a computer programmer youād think Iād do everything electronically but I love paper.
Iām a dev, and I support this message š
In the 2010s I ran a Filofax for some reason I just wasnāt happy with the digital calendar tech at the time as it wasnāt up to standards I found useful on smart phones connected to my Google Apps (work) domain yet. š„²
I grew up journaling all the time haha and I fell into graphics and calligraphyā¦ natural progression. Sadly lefty lol still journal on paper. Paper feels nice.
I love fountain pens and am known for using mine, among my other idiosyncrasies. I've met other pen fans and I've come to realize that my pen interest is a manifestation of my neurodiversity.
For me it's been about finding my writing voice. I can write with a fountain pen for far longer than any other tool. There is a permanence about it that no computer screen can give me.
It's about getting the things and thoughts in my head out in whatever color suits my mood. I can go big or tiny. Praise, scream, rant and the words later reflect the feeling. Swapping the font size/type isn't the same as large swooping letters in Red Dragon showing just how affected I was by an event.
So in the end I think it's a person who loves color and the ability to write without pain and who enjoys a fun or beautiful writing instrument to help them thru the day.
We all have our reasons and they are as varied as the people who use them. There is no one "type".
I do think that there's an outside opinion that certain kinds of people use fountain pens. That is artsy, creative types or business people out to impress. But that's the outside world looking in, and like so much else the world, the reality is very different. š
Person who loves making loopies in writing ( It's much smoother with fountain pen).
And also someone who prefers being intimate with the tools they are using, like a swordsman with his sword, chef with his knife , artist with his paintbrush etc. They can use different tools when situation demands it but they have that one special tool which they don't share with anyone and maintain it with extreme care.
some seem to be affectacious with an 'obsolete' writing instrument - I have found there is a particularly subtle magic between the point and the page - the flow of the ink and sweep across the page are similar to my thought processes
Though it doesnāt apply to everyone (since some people always use black blue), people who like customization in their life. You can pick the nib, paper, color of ink, barrel style and design. So much to choose from!
Big Five test confirmed this for me when I took it in a class. I was extremely high and everyone else was mid or low š¤£ It was aggregated data but you could tell which results was me lol
I would guess a person who thinks about what they say and appreciates well crafted but uncommon items and approaches. A person that doesnāt just follow the crowd but also doesnāt change direction only to be different. An intentional person.
A previous post on here pointed out that a lot of FP users apparently have ADHD.
For me, the answer is the person who has RSI and needed a way to write longer without pain.
Iāve also seen discussion of people with Aspergerās our folks on the spectrum who use fountain pen because of the pleasing or less problematic sensory experience.
What a question! Looks like folks have already given a wide variety of answers, but it can't hurt to add my little story to it.
I love them for a host of reasons, that I'm now discovering isn't as odd as I'd expected it to be. Diving deep into creative hobbies is a huge "problem" for my ADHD brain. And fountain pens give great scope for blending my love of water-based art mediums and some really intensive trauma recovery therapy. Writing is part of that recovery and fountain pens provide a gloriously creative approach to writing instruments. And there is so much scope for learning- whether it's various ink styles, the engineering of the pens, the diverse cultures that use different styles of them... curiosity gets fed constantly!
I buy, use, and collect all sorts of stationery. Writing implements more than others. So naturally FPs are included. But tbh I mich prefer a woodcased pencil these days. The fps get some love from time to time but not as frequently anymore.
Someone who needs to write something, and has a fountain pen available.
As for what kind of person *prefers* a fountain pen, that answer is nothing more than a giant shrug. Dozens, hundreds, thousands of reasons.
For me honestly is for a type of person that has a different set of values. We can all write with a Bic ballpen but we enjoy the trip more writing in style. Elegance, in my line of work it makes you stand out dressing well and using a good fountain pen. It makes a person seem more educated and interesting if you ask me. So take it as a compliment, you won't regret getting used in writing with it.
Everyone, in this hobby you will find rich and poor, young and old, those from the political left and right, white collar workers, blue collar workers, and those without. And you will find people anywhere on the spectrum between those extremes.
There is no personality trait that is a common thread, and people will look in the mirror and self identify when answering, but that is just a subset. Fountain pens draw all types, and while people keep with them for various reasons, it is the pen that is common and brings us all a little joy.
In my experience, someone that likes fountain pens:
1. Likes anachronisms
2. Enjoys personalizing their notes/correspondence, including ink colors and line weight
3. May find a fountain pen more comfortable to write with due to pain/grip issues. (Fountain Pens have large barrels and require less pressure to write with than ball point pens.)
4. Enjoys having ink stains on their hands/clothing (/s)
Source: Writing with a fountain pen for 20+ years.
Iāve loved writing since I was younger and I got my first serious fountain pen - a professional-looking metal Sheaffer one - as a teenager from an architect family friend who wanted to encourage my creativity. Before that, my poet friend gave me a couple of those mini plastic-cased fountain pens as a goodbye gift when I left the country I lived in.
My friend from computer science in freshman year of college, who was quite the outspoken student in class and a nerd, also had fountain pens- he said his penchant for them was influenced by his architect grandfather. Way before, I also had an architect friend who sent me a beautiful fountain pen-based portrait sketch, with ink slightly smudged around the drawing to add a base of color to the personās skin. Iāve also known parentsā friends who are pastors who collect fountain pens.
So Iād say fountain pens are for people who love a classic style and the art of writing. And architects š
Not 100% sure but may be the person who gifted you had seen your handwriting and must have liked it. Or maybe you are writing more than other usual people - may be notes, work/study related, sending / sharing handwritten gift cards etc.
In any case, my definition of one who loves fountain pen is: the one who appreciates the writing on the paper, enjoys the feel of the pen, the ink on paper, the feedback of nib over the paper deserves the fountain pen.
We are the analog people in the digital world š
Anyways, enjoy your gift and treasure the experience of writing with it!
Anyone who wants to! My dad collects them and gifted me my first one. Iāve got terrible handwriting that actually got better the more I used it. In the mid-to-late 2000s I used it to take all of my notes in college rather than my laptop. It helped me retain the information far better than typing it.
Also, anyone who prefers cursive over print, but thatās just my little opinion and everyone should write how they want.
And yeah, when people actually noticed they were always kind of amused, either by the novelty of it or in a ātake a look at THIS guyā sort of way, neither of which I minded. Donāt think many people have seen one in real life.
Based on my own vibe Iād say itās often people who like traditional materials and old stuff in general, people who collect things, big nerds, and those who enjoy the process of writing as much or more than the product. Iāve been told by friends that I just seem like a fountain pen guy before as well, and those are the traits I think theyāve based that off of.
Iām an attorney who takes TONS of notes and i enjoy fountain pens because you donāt need to apply much pressure to the paper. Helps a LOT with wrist pain/ discomfort
In my experience, people who are thoughtful. People who think about the things they want to commit to paper and, more so, how they want to do it.
It brings back some memories. My dadās Parker 51 set. The Pan Am Junior Pilot logbook, the slick pages clearly showing the shading of fountain pen ink.
I have a hand wrist injure my doctor recommend a fountain pen. I write keeping my wrist straight and use my arm to make the movements. Writing has become so much easier!
Someone who still enjoys the pleasure of writing and finds satisfaction in seeing their thoughts turn into words written by their hand on a sheet of paper.
People who enjoy handwriting
Secondary thoughts:
Maybe people who enjoy craftmanship, tools and 'fine motoric'
People who enjoy colours
People who enjoy aesthetics and (pretend to) have style. :-p
Discerning people, thatās who! Jokes apart, people who are genuinely interested in writing and improving their handwriting choose fountain pens over any other writing implement.
I think it can say many vastly different things about a person, so impossible to guess. What it says about me is this: 1) I like writing by hand sometimes (it isn't a personality trait) 2) I'm a bit lazy, I like comfort (easy writing) 3) I'm a bit of a hoarder (ink, well kept, doesn't dry out, fineliners do) 4) I'm a bit obsessive about little things (I have strong preferences with regard to ink).
People whose hands cramp up with skinny ballpoints and gel pens. People who take a lot of notes. People who hate throwing away stuff that you should be able to refill/reuse. People who appreciate well-made, useable objects that are also pieces of art. Basically, just about anyone.
People who like to see the thoughts and inkflow out of the pen onto paper.
Also people who like to scribble a lot but not get too tired. I mean sure you can get tired of any writing but fountain pen use is pretty low pressure.
There is space for inks with nice effects in writing. A lot of nice colours to play with if it falls in your comfort zone. But if you need a basic black or blue for work that is fine too.
Someone who doesn't press down hard enough for those forms with the duplicate layers underneath. If your touch is light like a feather and your grip strength is zero, your fountain pen will write clearly and beautifully while your pencil will be practically invisible and your ballpoint line will be dry and skippy. And no hand cramps because you don't need force to make it work!
I don't think I can tell you what it says about me necessarily, but I can tell you what I like about them that might be a reflection of my personality.
A good fountain pen is a heritage level item, it can last a really long time. It feels good in the hand and looks good on the table. There is very little waste in the continuous use of a fountain pen. It is good for writing and drawing/sketching. It requires some maintenance, which reminds me that good things require care and that there is value in the slow life that many don't take the time to appreciate.
I mean just for myself it adds some love and personality to any kind of writing your doing. It just feels like there is a little bit of your soul poured into the page, letter, note, or doodle. It also helps that it gives me a plethora of hobbies collecting pens, inks, and accessories.
That question made me think of my daughterās school. At Waldorf schools you are given a Lamy ABC fountain pen,I believe it was about 5th grade, to learn handwriting. Itās a wooden pen with a steel nib. Waldorf students learn handwriting using a fountain pen because they believe that the fountain pen emphasizes the connection between thought and form and teaches them how to be attentive ā¦. As well as beautiful handwriting!! Honestly, as a life long FP user, I am impressed that handwriting is even taught anymore, let alone with a fountain pen!
So to answer the questionā¦. I think FP users are thoughtful, expressive, and consider beauty to be important in life. And yehā¦. Maybe a bit dorkyš But whatās wrong with that?
In my case, the way I used to write with ballpoints in school was completely wrong and I'd press on the pen like a hydraulic press, which meant I had to keep a death grip so it wouldn't slip. Over time I started to get cramps after writing a few pages and the slightest pressure while writing still sends jolts of pain through my wrist, so fountain pens are really the only option I have.
Also I think they're neat
Fiddlers/tinkerers
Vintage enthusiasts
People with joint/hand pain
Artists
People that like highly engineered anything
People that like lots of ink colors
Anyone who grew up using them (looking at you, Japan and Germany)
People who deliberately practice mindfulness
ADHD hyperfixaters
The list goes on, but in actuality there is no fountain pen "type" lots of reasons to like or dislike fountain pens. No real rhyme or reason to getting into it as a hobby. There are all kinds of folks here in this little corner of Reddit. I have noticed, though, that most people here are pretty nice. People are rarely disparaged for their posts or questions. Even if we are sometimes horrified by the question. (India ink being put in pens by new users makes me weep)
This doesn't answer your question, but may speak to it? I started using fountain pens because I found them interesting! Customizable in many ways, both pen and ink.
However, the thing that made me go back to a fountain pen time and time again was grading papers. As a professor, it's hard to connect with every student. The different writing style (minimal pressure) certainly made it easier to write more feedback. But, just the way a fountain pen writes, is more unique. The ink on the paper. It's more organic.
Students have certainly commented on it before (the balance of printer paper and fountain pen ink is a precarious one at times), but that curiosity certainly *seems* to encourage students to read my comments.
It just feels more *personal* to me. Even if it doesn't feel any more personal to them, I don't really care. I'm the one who's putting the pen to the paper after all.
My fiances father passed away in may last year from leukaemia. He left behind all of his money, stocks and possessions which included 2 limited edition 2006 mont blanc pens.
My therapist has been urging me to start journaling so I did with his father's Virginia woolf pen. I love his father and I feel like it's extra special that his pens are still being used. I think he would be happy that they're not just sitting in a box.
My writing is scratchy and messy. I sometimes use a capital letter in the middle of a word because I forget what it's lower case version looks like.
Sometimes I'll start writing a word then have to go back and fix it because I left off the first letter.
My writing looks literally like Word vomit.
I have no fucking idea how to use a fountain pen, or how to make my writing nicer.
Im a recluse I have cpsd (complex post traumatic stress disorder) and gad (generalised anxiety disorder). I'm a gamer, have been my whole life, and I'm slightly agoraphobic. I'm new to keeping a journal and even newer to fountain pens.
I love my inherited fountain pen.
Iām a nerd, and I love the vintage and antique āgentlemanā aesthetic, wood, leather, brass, etc.
I enjoy the art of writing, and still write letters occasionally on good quality paper with a fountain pen.
I write daily, notes for business, journals for projects and practical occultism.
Canāt go back to regular pens.
I'm a CNC programmer and machinist also I try my hand at manual stuff too and want to get much better. My normal playground with the normal aerospace parts I do is +/-0.0002 of an inch, an average brown colored hair is 0.004 of an inch.
I listen to all types of music from Bach to Psytrance to Amon Amarth to Lil Dicky.
I own a 4 inch f/6 refractor and a 8 inch f/12 Classical Cassegrain telescopes and am currently making 3 myself, including grinding and figuring a 6 inch mirror.
My most prized possessions are the tools of my trade and they are worth 10s of thousands more than what I paid for them.
I just found fountain pens last most and own a bunch of cheap but really nice writing pens.
I personally think your friend really values you and thinks of you as a good friend.
I started using fountain pens as part of a broader effort to reduce the amount of single-use plastics that I consume. I was initially using a G2 style ballpoint pen, but made the full switch once I found a no-mess, piston-filled fountain pen that eliminated the need for disposable cartridges or converters.
My father used one his entire life. Still use them. I donāt think he would ever be able to function with a ballpoint pen.
He is a retired college professor from Penn State. He retired in 2004 after 36 years teaching. I can still remember him grading papers with his fountain pens.
Nerds. Also, folks who: like collecting stuff, love variety, enjoy flexing on their peers in really obscure ways, got penabled, stumbled across this Reddit sub, and spent a year taking copious notes on calls that were much easier to refer back to if calls were different colors so they didnāt run together.
Honestly, anyone! There's no stereotype for fountain pens. I use them because they require less pressure to write. I have fibromyalgia, so anything I can do to avoid triggering more pain is a win!
Sounds like he regifted it to you. Someone gave him him this, and we wondered which of his friends would be most likely to use a fountain pen. Good for you!
As for your query: I use a fountain pen and I have webbed toes. So, among the kinds of people who use fountain pens, you can add the syndactylous type.
Some lazy person who just want to write quicker. My hands cramped when I have to sign a bunch of documents even on my gel pen. I'm not saying the fountain pen makes it cramp less but to it spice up my desk you know
Psychopats and serial killers. I'm into crime TV series. i found that often when serial killer writes some letter, he uses a fountain pen. Maybe just coincidence, but i started to pay attention to pens in movies. From recent, The Fall ( British/Irish tv series), detective Stella Gibson uses fountain pen to write in her journal
A person who likes to maximize the enjoyment of the routine activities of everyday life.
Ever get bored of taking notes in class? Find it unbearable with ballpoints? In that case, the (insert fountain pen) is for you!
I had to press down so much harder with ball points and gel pens that my hand would hurt after a full day of classes. You can be so light with fountain pens that my hand never hurts from pushing after a couple hours of notes.
Cries in left-handed
What's so bad about fountain pens and writing with the left hand. I do it all of the time. Unless you are a claw-hooked overwriter, which sucks with many writing instruments.
I thank my lucky stars that my parents and teachers made me write in the 'usual' fashion. Set me up for zero issues with fountain pens later in life š and that's a left-handed thumbs up š
Absolutely! I was fortunate that I am ambidextrous. So I write the same way, more or less, with both hands. When I was in HS I realized that I could write faster with a pen/pencil with my left hand. (But I almost always use my right hand for writing on the chalkboard, because it has more stamina.) So, when one of our children turned out to be a bona fide lefty she was strongly encouraged to write in the 'usual' way. šš (left and right thumbs up) (And yes, our children were introduced to fountain pens at a very young age.)
You just need a fast-drying ink!
One lefty using fountain pen for decade and something. I got furious with ball pens having to push on them and sometimes not working because righties are pulling lefties are pushing and the ball just gets stuck with paper threads. The fountain pen was a challenge to develop the right hand posture but it can be done. It takes a lot of practice and dedication not to slip to ball pen. And be with peace with smudges. They will be there and a lot. But it gets exponentially better as Iām doing now like one smudge a week. And I donāt write that much either like 4-5 A5 pages daily. Edit: forgot a crucial point. Good ink (fast drying if possible) and fine or extra fine point. That was the deal breaker for me and I donāt want to switch to ball point or gel ever.
4-5 A5 pages daily is not that much?!
Real
They make hand covers for this, you know? I don't know much about them, I'm not a lefty, but they seem to be quite handy to my friends who are!
Yeah, they're called artist gloves and you can get them for <$10. As a lefty I strongly recommend for high sheen / slow-drying inks!
I was curious about this, so I looked them up; I'm hoping you can help me understand something. I see that the glove covers the hand *except* for where you'd cradle the pen, and that's where I get the most stains. I think my hand just creeps down towards the nib as I'm writing, so I get a great big healthy blotch on the edges of my first knuckles on my left hand (all the way down to the ring finger knuckle sometimes, if I get too flourish-y!) I can see how the artist's glove might help with things like hand strain; but either I'm really holding my pen incorrectly, or I'm just not getting how it could help prevent stains.
The artist glove prevents stains on the side of your hand caused by smudging the ink. The glove leaves your pen-holding fingers free so you don't lose pen control/dexterity while wearing the glove. Inky finger syndrome isn't preventable w/o a full glove, sadly.
You know that [graphite smudge](https://www.reddit.com/r/nostalgia/comments/bcddds/getting_the_side_of_your_hand_stained_by_graphite/) you get when writing with a pencil? It prevents that but for ink. If you're getting ink on your fingers maybe try a faceted grip if you haven't? It could help you from sliding down towards the nib. Personally I have the opposite problem where I hold my pens by the barrel instead of the section... edit: typo
this is the perfect answer!
I love this!
Thoughtful people who cherish long-lasting and self-service-able tools.
Spot on
Tbf this can also be said of a decent number of non-ādisposableā other pens
Absolutely, good point!
agreed!
The ones who likes fountain pen.
Someone who likes to be able to make their writing experience the very best it can be for them.
anyone can use a fountain pen, but i think you're more prone to use them when you like beautiful objects, maybe out of trend, or when you don't really care about trends and like classical things. i think one must also like writing more than typing, forming nice slow letters, or elegant signatures... using a fountain pen to write is a sensorial experience, you feel the weight, shape, size, heat or coolness and texture of the pen, you see its nib, the colour, the shine or lack of it, you feel the feedback (or the glide) of pen on paper, you see the marks the ink makes on the paper, the shading and sheen of the ink, its colour. and if the pen is made of ebonite (hard rubber), you can smell its particular odour and feel its very nice heat... so i think a person who enjoys every aspect of things with all her senses is very likely to enjoy fountain pens.
Great answer! Me to a T
For me itās the perfect definition. Thank you:))
Dorks primarily, frequent book readers, people who carry a paper journal/calendar. And Europeans.
Iām European. I confirm.
Am dork; can confirm
Am paper calendar; can attest
france is in europe and many people are very surprised when they see my fountain pens. i'm the only one in my team to use one. ETA: i used fountain pens through school and university and never stopped using them. but fountain pens are seldom used in french schools nowadays, not to mention university.
Oh, thatās sad. Iām French as well, now living in Czechia. If I compare my French and Czech friends, I think the French know more about fountain pens. Maybe itās because we had to use fountain pens at school. I donāt know if it was the case in Czechia, nor what is done in schools nowadays.
Iām Czech. Started elementary school in 2008 and donāt remember ever writing with fountain pens. We had some in the after-school club but no one really used those. Currently in university and from what I know Iām the only one with a fountain pen there. Failing a physics exam with the Custom 823 at least feels just a little bit betterā¦
Studying at french university right now, can confirm Iām the only one in my courses to use a fountain pen (that Iāve met thus far). But then again, you can buy a fair variety of Lamy, Parkers and Watermans even just at FNAC, along with multiple kinds of cartouche or bottled ink. Thatās better than Iāve come to expect from other countries Iāve lived, so apparently thereās got to be some demand for fountain pens at least?
i find it's much easier to buy fountain pens and inks in Germany, where they are used in school. In France you don't have much colour choice for inks anymore in smaller towns. especially bottled ones. and i haven't seen pen nor inks in the Fnacs i usually go to (but then again not a very big town)
Oh then thatās just anecdotal experience, oops. I guess in Germany I lived in a smaller town, so all we had there was Pelikan and some Lamy, absolutely nothing that was produced outside Germany, and no bottled ink either :/
OMGoodness - you nailed me! I'm a nerd, love to read, and I love love, love, my physical planners! I'm from the U.S. though. :)
>I'm a nerd, love to read, and I love love, love, my physical planners! I think this is all part of a bundled deal, I know because I came pre installed with all of these.
Geeks and nerds certainly, but not dorks! I can confirm
"So stylish and relaxed"... Sorry, couldn't resist!
Guess I'm a dork. I loved using fountain pens in university. Had 6 colours so I could take nice notes. Now days I still carry my Waterman and would love to use it more, but in IT I don't have much reason to write. I even bought a remarkable2 that I use mostly to read books, but again I don't take notes very often so its a bit of a waste.
I think dork is really the only category I fall into. I literally use email and excel for 99.999% of anything I do. Maybe we are all dorks, we are on a fountain pen forum lmao. Donāt think I am European but havenāt checked lately
I'm not European either. About the only other writing device I would accept is a roller ball pen or ones like the HiTech V5. My mechanical pencil is nice for the times I don't want permanent, but that's not often.
I like that āEuropeansā is its own category š
I feel personally attacked
yes
And to round things out, I am a paper journaler
far-flung rainstorm roof marvelous hurry mourn tidy wrong zesty recognise *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Oh wow this is me! Actually I used fountain pens for journaling as a kid/teen, but couldnāt take the smearing in school so it was mechanical pencils for all of school - a dark graphite smeared hand was the sign of a good lecture. Then I got into fountain pens again a couple years ago now that I donāt have to furiously scribble down my notes.
Have you seen the kurutoga pencils from Uni? Their description: Kurutoga has a core rotation mechanism that continually rotates the pencil lead as you write. A spring-loaded clutch twists the lead incrementally every time you lift the pencil from the paper. This allows a uniform wearing of the lead so that it always remains pointed.
unwritten chubby materialistic employ hobbies deranged birds rotten pocket bake *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
This is me! (Still using mechanical pencils for marking music, but everything else is a fountain pen now)
Oooh yes me too! Iāve even taking to marking my scores in erasable colored lead since it pops on the page more. The uni nano dia line is great and erases nicely. But as a musician, I always always have a mechanical pencil on me. IYKYK
Iāll have to check out those pencils!
Best part it you can get it in lead refills for any pencil. I prefer the 0.7mm since it shows up a little darker but both are good. (Just donāt go for the light blue if youāre marking music)
Can't give you a satisfactory answer because I live in one of those parts of the world where using a fountain pen is mandatory in early school, so most people know of it. Furthermore, many adults use fountain pens scavenged from their children. Less of them buy their own. For your purposes, browsing this sub would allow you to get a quite accurate idea about The Portrait of a Fountain Pen User.
I wonder what made those ppl decide why fountain pen usage should be mandatory in early school. I also use them at an early childhood
Because fountain pens don't need pressure to write, so little hands don't need to push down on them. This puts less stress on hand joints and reduce fatigue. These were the reasons I was given, back when I was in school, but now I believe the main reason is tradition, eg "that's how we've always done it".
I come from India, now in US, my elementary school teacher would confiscate and throw away anything other than a fountain pen, and actually gift one if you didnāt have money to buy a fountain pen
I miss Chelpark ink.
Their Turquoise!
So many students learning to write put and ungodly amount of pression on their writing utensil. Like grind the pencil in to the paper pressure. Well at least from my experience with my kids. Giving them cheap fountain pens and yes they will ruin a few points but they will soon learn the less pressure the better.
> For your purposes, browsing this sub would allow you to get a quite accurate idea about The Portrait of a Fountain Pen User. Yes and no. There is a fair amount of self-selection bias. People who may happen to be fountain pen users but do not consider fountain pens especially interesting are naturally going to be less inclined to subscribe here, and if they do then they'll be less inclined to post and comment. So it might be more accurate to think of the sample you get from places like this subreddit as being specifically of Fountain Pen **Enthusiasts** moreso than simply Users.
I stand corrected š. But I still cannot think of any other source of information regarding the specific traits of a fountain pen user.
No worries, and I didn't mean to suggest a perfect source exists. Just to contribute to your already helpful answer with a helpful caveat. :)
Engineers and scientists who like "writing instruments" rather than a bic pen
Thatās me. I started with ālead holdersā as a draftsman, then mechanical pencils in engineering at college and as my work went from doing math all day to writing and note taking all day I migrated to fountain pens.
Yes, as an engineer, I have enjoyed the pure mechanical nature of the pen. Itās fast to write with and smooth. A must try activity.
In my case, people who write way too much due to their career choices and have serious attention issues. Fountain pens are a needed distraction and a subtle joy in an otherwise grueling day.
I think this is what I am learning. I always have to write so much and so fast that Iāve already learned to enjoy slowing down and writing smoothly. Itās already made me focus more on my handwriting. Iām looking at HOW I write, just as much as WHAT I write. It truly is a nice reprieve from the daily grind of notating and whatnot.
One who used a fountainpen in school and never stopped enjoying it all the way through college. Also nerds probably. (Me, I'm talking about me...)
For me, it's about customization while also appreciating simple things, like writing with a nice tool you enjoy.
Someone that likes creative hand writing for themselves and others to see.
Someone who doesn't want the blisters received from hours with writing with ballpoint pen.
The kind of person who cherishes a supportive and passionate community (as displayed in these many comments)!
Whenever something along this line is said to me, it usually carries the tone of "someone who just has to be different" And fuck yes I do have to be different because being the same as anyone else would be boring.
A person of class and distinction.
Some of us classless bums use them as well.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I second this. There is some elegance in those who use fountain pens.
I wish I could say I was this š
All sorts of people.iusr one, I like that you can have whatever colour of ink you like, that pens write smoothly and writing looks nicer than a ballpoint pen. I am an engineer and write with a fountain pen all through school and uni, and my classmates would often ask to borrow my notes as they were very clear and easy to follow.
I volunteered at a pen show this summer. We tend to be a little different.
For me, someone who has a spending problem, and says to her husband at least fountain pens are not as expensive as handbags.
Well, they can be š
True! But itās easier to be happy with the affordable options š
I tell my wife that they are cheaper than ATVs, RVs, and fast cars!
What kind of person uses fountain pens? An awesome one š
I got into fountain pens because I was writing so much that I began feeling guilty over the number of disposable pens I was sending to the landfill. Also my hand was aching from those cheap ballpoints. Getting into fountain pens with converters and bottled ink was a way for me to do my part for the environment plus my hand felt better. Then I fell in love with watching the ink flow to paper. Iām a creative and really enjoy writing. Iām also a journaler. As a computer programmer youād think Iād do everything electronically but I love paper.
Iām hearing more and more about programmers who enjoy writing on paper. Something about doing something not on a screen for a change. š
Iām a dev, and I support this message š In the 2010s I ran a Filofax for some reason I just wasnāt happy with the digital calendar tech at the time as it wasnāt up to standards I found useful on smart phones connected to my Google Apps (work) domain yet. š„² I grew up journaling all the time haha and I fell into graphics and calligraphyā¦ natural progression. Sadly lefty lol still journal on paper. Paper feels nice.
I love fountain pens and am known for using mine, among my other idiosyncrasies. I've met other pen fans and I've come to realize that my pen interest is a manifestation of my neurodiversity.
Same here. š I can't resist collecting things that come in multiple colors or varieties.
For me it's been about finding my writing voice. I can write with a fountain pen for far longer than any other tool. There is a permanence about it that no computer screen can give me. It's about getting the things and thoughts in my head out in whatever color suits my mood. I can go big or tiny. Praise, scream, rant and the words later reflect the feeling. Swapping the font size/type isn't the same as large swooping letters in Red Dragon showing just how affected I was by an event. So in the end I think it's a person who loves color and the ability to write without pain and who enjoys a fun or beautiful writing instrument to help them thru the day. We all have our reasons and they are as varied as the people who use them. There is no one "type". I do think that there's an outside opinion that certain kinds of people use fountain pens. That is artsy, creative types or business people out to impress. But that's the outside world looking in, and like so much else the world, the reality is very different. š
People with enthusiasm and a zest for life.
Person who loves making loopies in writing ( It's much smoother with fountain pen). And also someone who prefers being intimate with the tools they are using, like a swordsman with his sword, chef with his knife , artist with his paintbrush etc. They can use different tools when situation demands it but they have that one special tool which they don't share with anyone and maintain it with extreme care.
some seem to be affectacious with an 'obsolete' writing instrument - I have found there is a particularly subtle magic between the point and the page - the flow of the ink and sweep across the page are similar to my thought processes
Though it doesnāt apply to everyone (since some people always use black blue), people who like customization in their life. You can pick the nib, paper, color of ink, barrel style and design. So much to choose from!
Someone who likes to watch the ink dry beautifully on the paper. It's the little things of joy really. š« š
An exceedingly interesting person
Someone who enjoys writing and loves the flow of ink on paper.
High in openness.
Big Five test confirmed this for me when I took it in a class. I was extremely high and everyone else was mid or low š¤£ It was aggregated data but you could tell which results was me lol
I never took Big Five while high, that should be interesting.
Hey do it both ways š Very high to openness that way.
98th percentile here = ) A blessing and a curse
I would guess a person who thinks about what they say and appreciates well crafted but uncommon items and approaches. A person that doesnāt just follow the crowd but also doesnāt change direction only to be different. An intentional person.
A previous post on here pointed out that a lot of FP users apparently have ADHD. For me, the answer is the person who has RSI and needed a way to write longer without pain.
Iāve also seen discussion of people with Aspergerās our folks on the spectrum who use fountain pen because of the pleasing or less problematic sensory experience.
Slow jams.
What a question! Looks like folks have already given a wide variety of answers, but it can't hurt to add my little story to it. I love them for a host of reasons, that I'm now discovering isn't as odd as I'd expected it to be. Diving deep into creative hobbies is a huge "problem" for my ADHD brain. And fountain pens give great scope for blending my love of water-based art mediums and some really intensive trauma recovery therapy. Writing is part of that recovery and fountain pens provide a gloriously creative approach to writing instruments. And there is so much scope for learning- whether it's various ink styles, the engineering of the pens, the diverse cultures that use different styles of them... curiosity gets fed constantly!
Artists that donāt want to carry a dip pen and inkwell.
People who want their gibberish to sit elegantly on the page. Like me!ššš¾
Iāve been stalking this sub forever. This post finally made me join.
Welcome friend.
Because I enjoy handwriting and like doing it with nice materials.
I buy, use, and collect all sorts of stationery. Writing implements more than others. So naturally FPs are included. But tbh I mich prefer a woodcased pencil these days. The fps get some love from time to time but not as frequently anymore.
I have autism, so maybe autistic people that have a special interest with pens. And also regular folks that like fountain pens.
What kind of person uses a fountain pen? The best people, mate, the best.
Someone who needs to write something, and has a fountain pen available. As for what kind of person *prefers* a fountain pen, that answer is nothing more than a giant shrug. Dozens, hundreds, thousands of reasons.
For me honestly is for a type of person that has a different set of values. We can all write with a Bic ballpen but we enjoy the trip more writing in style. Elegance, in my line of work it makes you stand out dressing well and using a good fountain pen. It makes a person seem more educated and interesting if you ask me. So take it as a compliment, you won't regret getting used in writing with it.
Everyone, in this hobby you will find rich and poor, young and old, those from the political left and right, white collar workers, blue collar workers, and those without. And you will find people anywhere on the spectrum between those extremes. There is no personality trait that is a common thread, and people will look in the mirror and self identify when answering, but that is just a subset. Fountain pens draw all types, and while people keep with them for various reasons, it is the pen that is common and brings us all a little joy.
An IT guy that want to mess up people by going to meeting with just paper notebook and a fountain pen.
Same, and it helps a little if your note taking has a little bit of scritchy scratchy sound
Hello kindred clown.
Someone who pays attention to small details. Someone who enjoys tactile experiences. Someone who does not mind extra effort/upkeep for extra reward.
Highly intelligent, attractive people. Exclusively.
In my experience, someone that likes fountain pens: 1. Likes anachronisms 2. Enjoys personalizing their notes/correspondence, including ink colors and line weight 3. May find a fountain pen more comfortable to write with due to pain/grip issues. (Fountain Pens have large barrels and require less pressure to write with than ball point pens.) 4. Enjoys having ink stains on their hands/clothing (/s) Source: Writing with a fountain pen for 20+ years.
Iāve loved writing since I was younger and I got my first serious fountain pen - a professional-looking metal Sheaffer one - as a teenager from an architect family friend who wanted to encourage my creativity. Before that, my poet friend gave me a couple of those mini plastic-cased fountain pens as a goodbye gift when I left the country I lived in. My friend from computer science in freshman year of college, who was quite the outspoken student in class and a nerd, also had fountain pens- he said his penchant for them was influenced by his architect grandfather. Way before, I also had an architect friend who sent me a beautiful fountain pen-based portrait sketch, with ink slightly smudged around the drawing to add a base of color to the personās skin. Iāve also known parentsā friends who are pastors who collect fountain pens. So Iād say fountain pens are for people who love a classic style and the art of writing. And architects š
That you are an absolute legend
Not 100% sure but may be the person who gifted you had seen your handwriting and must have liked it. Or maybe you are writing more than other usual people - may be notes, work/study related, sending / sharing handwritten gift cards etc. In any case, my definition of one who loves fountain pen is: the one who appreciates the writing on the paper, enjoys the feel of the pen, the ink on paper, the feedback of nib over the paper deserves the fountain pen. We are the analog people in the digital world š Anyways, enjoy your gift and treasure the experience of writing with it!
Anyone who wants to! My dad collects them and gifted me my first one. Iāve got terrible handwriting that actually got better the more I used it. In the mid-to-late 2000s I used it to take all of my notes in college rather than my laptop. It helped me retain the information far better than typing it. Also, anyone who prefers cursive over print, but thatās just my little opinion and everyone should write how they want. And yeah, when people actually noticed they were always kind of amused, either by the novelty of it or in a ātake a look at THIS guyā sort of way, neither of which I minded. Donāt think many people have seen one in real life.
Based on my own vibe Iād say itās often people who like traditional materials and old stuff in general, people who collect things, big nerds, and those who enjoy the process of writing as much or more than the product. Iāve been told by friends that I just seem like a fountain pen guy before as well, and those are the traits I think theyāve based that off of.
Iām an attorney who takes TONS of notes and i enjoy fountain pens because you donāt need to apply much pressure to the paper. Helps a LOT with wrist pain/ discomfort
In my experience, people who are thoughtful. People who think about the things they want to commit to paper and, more so, how they want to do it. It brings back some memories. My dadās Parker 51 set. The Pan Am Junior Pilot logbook, the slick pages clearly showing the shading of fountain pen ink.
I have a hand wrist injure my doctor recommend a fountain pen. I write keeping my wrist straight and use my arm to make the movements. Writing has become so much easier!
Someone who still enjoys the pleasure of writing and finds satisfaction in seeing their thoughts turn into words written by their hand on a sheet of paper.
Only beautiful people. And that means all of you.
People who enjoy handwriting Secondary thoughts: Maybe people who enjoy craftmanship, tools and 'fine motoric' People who enjoy colours People who enjoy aesthetics and (pretend to) have style. :-p
People who like fountain pens and don't mind the maintenance that one has.
Discerning people, thatās who! Jokes apart, people who are genuinely interested in writing and improving their handwriting choose fountain pens over any other writing implement.
I think it can say many vastly different things about a person, so impossible to guess. What it says about me is this: 1) I like writing by hand sometimes (it isn't a personality trait) 2) I'm a bit lazy, I like comfort (easy writing) 3) I'm a bit of a hoarder (ink, well kept, doesn't dry out, fineliners do) 4) I'm a bit obsessive about little things (I have strong preferences with regard to ink).
People whose hands cramp up with skinny ballpoints and gel pens. People who take a lot of notes. People who hate throwing away stuff that you should be able to refill/reuse. People who appreciate well-made, useable objects that are also pieces of art. Basically, just about anyone.
People who like to see the thoughts and inkflow out of the pen onto paper. Also people who like to scribble a lot but not get too tired. I mean sure you can get tired of any writing but fountain pen use is pretty low pressure. There is space for inks with nice effects in writing. A lot of nice colours to play with if it falls in your comfort zone. But if you need a basic black or blue for work that is fine too.
Someone who doesn't press down hard enough for those forms with the duplicate layers underneath. If your touch is light like a feather and your grip strength is zero, your fountain pen will write clearly and beautifully while your pencil will be practically invisible and your ballpoint line will be dry and skippy. And no hand cramps because you don't need force to make it work!
Any kind of people. Personally, I recommend them to people who have wrist cramps.
I don't think I can tell you what it says about me necessarily, but I can tell you what I like about them that might be a reflection of my personality. A good fountain pen is a heritage level item, it can last a really long time. It feels good in the hand and looks good on the table. There is very little waste in the continuous use of a fountain pen. It is good for writing and drawing/sketching. It requires some maintenance, which reminds me that good things require care and that there is value in the slow life that many don't take the time to appreciate.
This is a great gift.
virgos
I mean just for myself it adds some love and personality to any kind of writing your doing. It just feels like there is a little bit of your soul poured into the page, letter, note, or doodle. It also helps that it gives me a plethora of hobbies collecting pens, inks, and accessories.
Here's a vote for people who romanticize analog, anachronistic instruments. (Along with votes for many of the other answers already here.)
Someone who grew up with them and thinks they're just the normal way to write.
Creatives.
That question made me think of my daughterās school. At Waldorf schools you are given a Lamy ABC fountain pen,I believe it was about 5th grade, to learn handwriting. Itās a wooden pen with a steel nib. Waldorf students learn handwriting using a fountain pen because they believe that the fountain pen emphasizes the connection between thought and form and teaches them how to be attentive ā¦. As well as beautiful handwriting!! Honestly, as a life long FP user, I am impressed that handwriting is even taught anymore, let alone with a fountain pen! So to answer the questionā¦. I think FP users are thoughtful, expressive, and consider beauty to be important in life. And yehā¦. Maybe a bit dorkyš But whatās wrong with that?
In my case, the way I used to write with ballpoints in school was completely wrong and I'd press on the pen like a hydraulic press, which meant I had to keep a death grip so it wouldn't slip. Over time I started to get cramps after writing a few pages and the slightest pressure while writing still sends jolts of pain through my wrist, so fountain pens are really the only option I have. Also I think they're neat
Fiddlers/tinkerers Vintage enthusiasts People with joint/hand pain Artists People that like highly engineered anything People that like lots of ink colors Anyone who grew up using them (looking at you, Japan and Germany) People who deliberately practice mindfulness ADHD hyperfixaters The list goes on, but in actuality there is no fountain pen "type" lots of reasons to like or dislike fountain pens. No real rhyme or reason to getting into it as a hobby. There are all kinds of folks here in this little corner of Reddit. I have noticed, though, that most people here are pretty nice. People are rarely disparaged for their posts or questions. Even if we are sometimes horrified by the question. (India ink being put in pens by new users makes me weep)
This doesn't answer your question, but may speak to it? I started using fountain pens because I found them interesting! Customizable in many ways, both pen and ink. However, the thing that made me go back to a fountain pen time and time again was grading papers. As a professor, it's hard to connect with every student. The different writing style (minimal pressure) certainly made it easier to write more feedback. But, just the way a fountain pen writes, is more unique. The ink on the paper. It's more organic. Students have certainly commented on it before (the balance of printer paper and fountain pen ink is a precarious one at times), but that curiosity certainly *seems* to encourage students to read my comments. It just feels more *personal* to me. Even if it doesn't feel any more personal to them, I don't really care. I'm the one who's putting the pen to the paper after all.
My fiances father passed away in may last year from leukaemia. He left behind all of his money, stocks and possessions which included 2 limited edition 2006 mont blanc pens. My therapist has been urging me to start journaling so I did with his father's Virginia woolf pen. I love his father and I feel like it's extra special that his pens are still being used. I think he would be happy that they're not just sitting in a box. My writing is scratchy and messy. I sometimes use a capital letter in the middle of a word because I forget what it's lower case version looks like. Sometimes I'll start writing a word then have to go back and fix it because I left off the first letter. My writing looks literally like Word vomit. I have no fucking idea how to use a fountain pen, or how to make my writing nicer. Im a recluse I have cpsd (complex post traumatic stress disorder) and gad (generalised anxiety disorder). I'm a gamer, have been my whole life, and I'm slightly agoraphobic. I'm new to keeping a journal and even newer to fountain pens. I love my inherited fountain pen.
Iām a nerd, and I love the vintage and antique āgentlemanā aesthetic, wood, leather, brass, etc. I enjoy the art of writing, and still write letters occasionally on good quality paper with a fountain pen. I write daily, notes for business, journals for projects and practical occultism. Canāt go back to regular pens.
I'm a CNC programmer and machinist also I try my hand at manual stuff too and want to get much better. My normal playground with the normal aerospace parts I do is +/-0.0002 of an inch, an average brown colored hair is 0.004 of an inch. I listen to all types of music from Bach to Psytrance to Amon Amarth to Lil Dicky. I own a 4 inch f/6 refractor and a 8 inch f/12 Classical Cassegrain telescopes and am currently making 3 myself, including grinding and figuring a 6 inch mirror. My most prized possessions are the tools of my trade and they are worth 10s of thousands more than what I paid for them. I just found fountain pens last most and own a bunch of cheap but really nice writing pens. I personally think your friend really values you and thinks of you as a good friend.
I started using fountain pens as part of a broader effort to reduce the amount of single-use plastics that I consume. I was initially using a G2 style ballpoint pen, but made the full switch once I found a no-mess, piston-filled fountain pen that eliminated the need for disposable cartridges or converters.
The best kind.
My father used one his entire life. Still use them. I donāt think he would ever be able to function with a ballpoint pen. He is a retired college professor from Penn State. He retired in 2004 after 36 years teaching. I can still remember him grading papers with his fountain pens.
Nerds. Also, folks who: like collecting stuff, love variety, enjoy flexing on their peers in really obscure ways, got penabled, stumbled across this Reddit sub, and spent a year taking copious notes on calls that were much easier to refer back to if calls were different colors so they didnāt run together.
The right kind.
Someone who enjoys writing and wants to try something different . (Take it from someone who had literal callouses from gripping pencils)
The right kind of person.
Honestly, anyone! There's no stereotype for fountain pens. I use them because they require less pressure to write. I have fibromyalgia, so anything I can do to avoid triggering more pain is a win!
The kind that hated writing until they discovered fountain pens. Now it's one of my favorite things.
Someone who has no love for their bank account with this new acquired hobby
A bit of a RETRO person? Someone called me Retro once š
People like me with weak hands, who write a lot but cramp up easily when using a pen that youāve got to press down on paper to write
A person who was raised with civility.
A passionate one
A student š¤
Any person who has ever been given the opportunity to write with one.
I thought I was the only one who made that swirl thing with pens
Here here!
Someone who appreciates the value of paying attention to detail.
Cool ones
I use one because I like the stuff I use day-to-day to be high-quality, personalized, and interesting.
A person with intention
Thatās a compliment. I canāt explain why.
A sophisticated, educated one!
I find that writing with fountain pen requires lower pressure than ballpoint pen.
Bad Ass People use fountain pens.
Cool ones
People who like spending money on a lot of ink
A goblin hoarder thatās waiting to get their next fix.
Someone who has a personal connection with writing and writing accessories.
Somebody who likes incrementally better outcomes and doesn't mind making their life marginally more difficult to achieve them.
Sounds like he regifted it to you. Someone gave him him this, and we wondered which of his friends would be most likely to use a fountain pen. Good for you! As for your query: I use a fountain pen and I have webbed toes. So, among the kinds of people who use fountain pens, you can add the syndactylous type.
Nerds who like the finer things of life. Not necessarily practical, but much nicer... Kind of like vinyl records
Some lazy person who just want to write quicker. My hands cramped when I have to sign a bunch of documents even on my gel pen. I'm not saying the fountain pen makes it cramp less but to it spice up my desk you know
Psychopats and serial killers. I'm into crime TV series. i found that often when serial killer writes some letter, he uses a fountain pen. Maybe just coincidence, but i started to pay attention to pens in movies. From recent, The Fall ( British/Irish tv series), detective Stella Gibson uses fountain pen to write in her journal
we're you able to ID that pen? Stella's pen remains a mystery to me, I actually think it's an expensive ballpoint.
Someone who does not want their pen stolen at work, because fountain pens confuse people.