Comments on: My First Fountain Pen…the Parker 51

By: Dave

Dave — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 20:18:06 +0000

Who, having used a 51 would ever want to go back to a ballpoint – a device, which , if used properly interposes the hand between the eye and the paper. The 51 strokes the paper and a line appears, without effort, and the eye follows it accurately. Having said that, I did find some Chinese ballpoints, many years ago, which had a useful curve on the tip, allowing them to be used at the same angle as an ink pen, with the same amount of control. The downside for the 51 is that known possession of one of these immediatly makes one a target. I have now had four 51s stolen from me. I hate pen thieves with a loathing that can barely be expressed. Learning to write in early school years was a ‘dipper’ time, with inkwells, ink monitors and horrible scratchy steel nibs which could leave the paper a mess of blots, splatters and holes. A fountain pen was a distant dream then, with realisation of the dream being the culmination of hours of research, and many many more hours of pedalling the paper round. But, but … there is still something missing. Writing could then have an additional dimension of expression, where a nicely set up nib could produce a line of widely varying width, so that every sentence could reflect emotions like a well played musical instrument. – Solve that one Parker pen company ! A parker pen with a nib as flexible as my Osmiroid music writer nib.
Dave

By: The Pen Warrior

The Pen Warrior — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 13:22:49 +0000

Thanks for commenting Greg “a strung out imbiber” now there is a phrase that you don’t hear every day. It’s a good point about the pen being an extension of the person; I never considered the output of the internal when writing the post. I am delighted that you like the blog; we try to keep it fresh and different.

By: GregT

GregT — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 10:10:03 +0000

Well,I must admit I share the passion for pens. I sense you are a strung out imbiber of “all things pen”. While the Parker 51 sounds excellent,I always attached the human manipulation of the pen as the two fold ingredient that stirs my blood.
People I have admired,either for their organization, or brilliance, or just their neatness in record keeping, has prompted me to focused on their use of certain pens.
I would bet that those individuals who invested in the Parker 51, were skilled in ways that demanded their choice of a quality instrument. Of course like most instruments they are extensions of a person, the output of the internal.
Thanks for sharing and confirming that I made a good choice of following you on twitter. While I find less use for pens in today’s world, your website speaks to something beyond the obvious….GregT

By: The Pen Warrior

The Pen Warrior — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 20:10:43 +0000

Edith thanks for sharing with us about the nibs on the 65 being more flexible. I am still a novice and have a lot to learn about using different pens, nibs & inks but that’s all part of the fun.

By: The Pen Warrior

The Pen Warrior — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 20:05:22 +0000

Hi Mary thanks for leaving a comment. I think it would be a good thing if it were compulsory for children to be taught how to use a fountain pen in schools. It sounds like your Easterbrook SJ has been a lifelong friend and today’s youth is missing out on this.

By: The Pen Warrior

The Pen Warrior — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 19:52:28 +0000

Thanks Julie your passion for fountain pens shows in abundance on your blog “Whatever” and the photography is stunning. I highly recommend to anyone who’s reading this to take a few minutes out and go and have a look if you haven’t already done so, you will not be disappointed.

By: Edith

Edith — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 14:00:52 +0000

The 51 is a good pen, but my favourite is the 65 – a more flexible nib, which I think allows for greater more expressive handwriting!

By: MaryMG

MaryMG — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 12:26:37 +0000

Unlike you, we were required to use a fountain pen in school from 3rd grade on. The pen they gave us was an Esterbrook SJ. I’ve used a fountain pen ever since. While the Parker 51 is my favorite pen, I often find myself using my old Esterbrooks. Great blog post.

By: Julie (Okami)

Julie (Okami) — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 09:43:33 +0000

I love the way you describe how you came to love fountain pens. I can remember using fountain pens as a kid, but the passion began a few years ago. It was originally a quest for more freedom with available ink colors, but as you so deftly noted in a prior post, it quickly blossomed into a full blown addiction.