OT: Fountain Pens [Was: RE: [TheForge] Re: Starting up]

[Andrew Vida]

Washington, Aubrey O. wrote:
> Andy,
> The one I use every day is a 1982 Sheaffer Slim Targa.

	Schaeffer makes a great pen.  I have a Balance II (the barrel of which 
has split twice now) and one from the 1930s.  They're the only 
(American?) company that still hand tunes their nibs.


> But, I also have 20 or 25 others dating from c. 1900>\\
 > through the 1940s in various stages of repair.

	I've about half dozen Parker 51s in the same condition.  Got them all 
for something like $2. :)  I'll send them to Jeff Berlin one day.

>I've heard lots of nice things about Pelicans, but I've never owned one.

	Pelikans are fabulously good pens, as writers.  Not as fancy as many 
others, but you can leave ink in one for six months, open it and it will 
wrtite as if you'd fillied it yesterday... not that one should do such a 
thing.  I love Schaeffers, Parkers, Namiki, S T DuPont, Auroras, and 
several others as well.  Never was an OMAS fan until I saw their 
titanium pen.  Writes well and is beautifully made, but I was too po' to 
spend $900, but had I had the cash I'dve been foolish and bought one.

 >  Over the past century, I think Sheaffer has made some of the
 > nicest nibs of any major American or European company.

	Still do.  My Balance is XF, and VERY flexible.  I can do some nice 
things with it.  The Namiki's nib is equally good in this respect.

	Ah... the things that make life worth living... good pens, cigars, 
whiskey, women, and blacksmithing equipment... not necessarily in any 
particular order.

	-ND