| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Alee |
Posted - Feb 21 2008 : 9:02:19 PM
I love pens. Pens are one of my "happy" things. If I find the perfect pen- it can make my day.
I love to write with old fashioned fountain pens. Some how they just make everything seem so much more special. And the newer models have these great ink refill cartridges that just pop right in.
I also love the "gel" pens, but get frustrated as they often don't work properly.
I love the smell of ink. It must be one of those Pavlovian responses from the days when I used to spend the day day-dreaming and writing fiction in notebook after notebook.
So do you have a special pen?
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
Please come visit Nora and I our our new blog:
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com |
| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| homesteaderbelle |
Posted - Jan 05 2009 : 10:47:38 PM
My special pens are my Scrapbooking pens, the ink just flows right out of them and my handwriting looks so much neater when I use them. I especially like the metalic set I have.
Belle
http://www.homesteaderbelle.blogspot.com/
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| Alee |
Posted - Dec 21 2008 : 4:23:20 PM
I bought a disposable fountain pen at the beginning of this last semester. Somehow it has disappeared. I need to find it again.
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
Please come visit Nora and me on our blog: www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
| Contrary Wife |
Posted - Dec 21 2008 : 3:08:39 PM
I think I agree with Alee, I love fountain pens too, I haven't used one in a while, maybe I'll have to find one or put it on my wish list. The gel pens are nice to, so smooth going on.
Teresa Sue
Farmgirl Sister #316
MJ's Heirloom Mavens Badgebadger
MJ's Heirloom Mavens Bookclub Coordinator
"Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly." The Dalai Lama |
| Alee |
Posted - Dec 14 2008 : 10:29:05 AM
Oh Good! I am so glad you came back! *hugs*
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
Please come visit Nora and me on our blog: www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
| NadKnitBlog |
Posted - Dec 14 2008 : 09:16:31 AM
Thank you Alee,
all is well now- or at least it will be soon-ish. :) I am really looking forward to some quiet time to sit and read or write again. And know what, the note you sent me a while back- that told me I had to come back here! I am so glad you sent it! :) Nad
quote:
Originally posted by Alee
Welcome Back Nadine! I have been thinking of you a lot and hoping all was well!
Nadine is Farmgirl Sister #262 (the only one in Europe so far!) and she blogs at http://nadsknittingblog.blogspot.com/ and knits on Ravelry as Nadknitblog and on Plurk she is NadKnitBlog too! |
| Neecerie |
Posted - Dec 14 2008 : 07:52:54 AM
I also collect and use fountain pens on a daily basis. I tend to use ones from Esterbrook, which is a vintage brand that was the 'everymans' pen of the time. The neat thing about Esterbrook pens is that the nibs are interchangable, so you can get one pen body and have nibs that let it write in different styles or thicknesses.
I have 'nicer' pens but for some reason, I tend to use the old faithfuls of Esterbrook.
The world's only Art Deco farmgirl? |
| Alee |
Posted - Dec 14 2008 : 07:11:38 AM
Welcome Back Nadine! I have been thinking of you a lot and hoping all was well!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
Please come visit Nora and me on our blog: www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
| NadKnitBlog |
Posted - Dec 14 2008 : 04:47:15 AM
Me too. Sadly I was just not in the letter-writing mode in the past couple of weeks, my rooms at home are still undergoing major renovations and the only time I picked up a pen.... it was for grading at work! I look forward to using a non-red pen soon! :)
Nadine is Farmgirl Sister #262 (the only one in Europe so far!) and she blogs at http://nadsknittingblog.blogspot.com/ and knits on Ravelry as Nadknitblog and on Plurk she is NadKnitBlog too! |
| Alee |
Posted - Sep 27 2008 : 06:16:15 AM
I love this thread!!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
Please come visit Nora and me on our blog: www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
| Rosemary |
Posted - Sep 25 2008 : 12:06:45 PM
[quote]Originally posted by K-Falls Farmgirl
WOW, Those pens remind me of penmanship classes in grade school.. Our desks had an ink bottle hole drilled in each one. Memories... I have just been lurking and read this discovery... Awesome!
Cheryl, we had those desks, too. I can't remember if we had the little glass inkwells that slipped into the holes, though; just the holes. Mostly, I remember those Skrip ink bottles ("Washable Blue") with the little reservoir inside where you would dip your fountain pen to fill it. I have an old bottle that I open now and then just for the wonderful fragrance.
"Reality has a well-known liberal bias." Stephen Colbert |
| Alee |
Posted - Sep 24 2008 : 9:06:35 PM
What a great memory, Cheryl! I hated penmanship classes when I was in grade school, but I sure wish I had practiced harder now!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
Please come visit Nora and me on our blog: www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
| K-Falls Farmgirl |
Posted - Sep 24 2008 : 8:08:55 PM
WOW, Those pens remind me of penmanship classes in grade school.. Our desks had an ink bottle hole drilled in each one. Memories... I have just been lurking and read this discovery... Awesome!
Cheryl #309
Farm girl sister
Keep life simple, to Simply live. Life is too short to worry about it. |
| Alee |
Posted - Aug 17 2008 : 06:01:09 AM
Thanks Rosemary! I appreciate it!:D
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
Please come visit Nora and me on our new blog:
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
| Rosemary |
Posted - Aug 16 2008 : 10:15:03 PM
Alee, you have to experiment, as if you were dipping a paint brush into a can of latex wall paint. Don't be afraid! Just dip the nib into the ink until it gets enough ink on it for you to write. Different sized nibs will pick up ink at different rates, so start with a shallow dip and see how that works for you.
When you're finished writing, you should rinse off the pen and any nibs you've used (plain likewarm tap water is fine), then blot them with paper towels or lint-free cloth and let them air-dry completely before you put them away. (This advice applies only to dippng pens and water-based inks.)
If you get ink stains on your fingers -- and I guarantee you will -- try cleaning up with Boraxo or one of two products made for this very purpose: Amodex or Ink-Nix. You might have to get them online. http://www.pendemonium.com is one source. Google the product names for others. |
| Alee |
Posted - Aug 16 2008 : 4:26:46 PM
Oh and I know this sounds like a really rookie question- but after dipping to you tap the nib on the inside of the ink well?
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
Please come visit Nora and me on our new blog:
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
| Alee |
Posted - Aug 16 2008 : 4:26:12 PM
Rosemary- How far do I dip the nib into the ink? All the way or just the tip?
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
Please come visit Nora and me on our new blog:
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
| Rosemary |
Posted - Aug 16 2008 : 3:47:03 PM
Nadine, your scents sound bewitching (especially Witch!) I've written with some inks made with very old recipes (the "iron gall" type used by our forefathers among them. I've also used the fine sand (called pounce) they used to speed the drying process. Very interesting experience. I'm sure you'll enjoy using these inks.
If you ever have cartridge-type pens that don't accept your converters, you know you can reuse the cartridges. You just need a hypodermic needle with a fairly large needle to rinse them clean and refill them from one of your jars of fountain-pen-friendly inks. You can get them from vet clinics. The drug store kind are usually too fine.
I can just imagine how much fun you're having with your new treats! |
| Rosemary |
Posted - Aug 16 2008 : 3:30:03 PM
Alee, I'm so glad you got your package. (Eavesdropping farmgirls, what we're talking about is a calligraphy set in a cool box, with Herbin inks and a dip pen with a variety of interchangeable nibs for calligraphy.)
There is no set rule for how long before dips. That's a matter of trial and discovery, part of the handmade fun of calligraphy. I recommend you visit your library for books on calligraphy. Our local Borders had one a whie ago that sold for only about $5 that I thought was pretty good.
To start your own discovery, I'd recommend you start with one of the fine-pointed nibs, rather than the broad ones. Open one of the bottles of ink, dip the pen point into it, and write your name. Let your hand provide varying degrees of pressure to see if this changes the look of the marks you make. Let your hand "swish" a bit as you write -- don't scrunch all up and try to write teeny-weeny. Dip and fountain pens are not like pencils or ball points. They can scratch and tear the paper if you pull them in directions they don't want to go, and this can damage the nibs, too.
Enjoy! |
| Alee |
Posted - Aug 16 2008 : 11:56:16 AM
Okay Ladies! Especially Rosemary(I got the package! Yay!)!
Can you give me a run down on how to write with dip ink pens? I have this set of dip-ink calligraphy pens from Rosemary. They are beautiful and the pen is so much fun!
How many inches of writing should I expect before re-dipping? How far into the ink should I dip? How do I prevent blots/ lots of ink coming all at once? What angle should I write at? Should I clean the nibs after writing? What do I clean them with?
Thanks!!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
Please come visit Nora and me on our new blog:
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
| NadKnitBlog |
Posted - Aug 16 2008 : 08:04:57 AM
Rosemary,
the inks I got are all by a company called De Atramentis. They make historical inks (not to be used in fountain pens! They clearly say so on the website though!) as well as a wide variety of scented and unscented inks for fountain pens. Some named after famous people, some for special purposes......
So I have the following scented ones:
Wood- brown- wood scent
Witch- black- incense
Vanilla- nearly black dark brown/purple- vanilla (doh!)
Coffee- brown
Chocolate- brown too
Teacher- red- lemony lavender
Green Tea- pale green
Jasmine- orange
and then there is Halloween ink- orange, Jane Austen- dark green and a special one- ink made from real wine- in my case from a Montepulciano red from Tuscany!
They work really well- along with the ink in pretty and heavy glass jars by the way, came converters for ALL my pens. Good bye cartridges.... And what a difference the converter barrels make- my cross pen was a pest really- tiny cartridges, empty in minutes it seemed. I like it so much better now. The new ones apparently always come with the converters but mine was on sale and did not come with one.
Nadine is Farmgirl Sister #262 (the only one in Europe so far!) and she blogs at http://nadsknittingblog.blogspot.com/ and knits on Ravelry as Nadknitblog and on Plurk she is NadKnitBlog too! |
| Alee |
Posted - Aug 15 2008 : 5:13:09 PM
Rosemary- I got the rest of the ingredients to make our trade items! I'll get those mixed up and out to you the first of next week!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
Please come visit Nora and me on our new blog:
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
| Rosemary |
Posted - Aug 15 2008 : 3:30:20 PM
Chelsey, I hope you will indeed get that pen out of mothballs! Pens deserve to be used! (And you deserve to feel special.) |
| Rosemary |
Posted - Aug 15 2008 : 3:29:18 PM
So Nadine, what inks did you get? I was just at the Washington DC Pen Supershow last weekend and picked up a few new colors made by trusted companies, so i havew ink on the mind (as well as on all my fingers :-) I'd love to hear about your scents, too. |
| NadKnitBlog |
Posted - Aug 15 2008 : 07:35:58 AM
My scented inks have come in and oh boy. I am in love. I bought converters for my fountain pens and I am so pleased with my selection. The non-scented ones are great too. I really enjoy them all.
Nadine is Farmgirl Sister #262 (the only one in Europe so far!) and she blogs at http://nadsknittingblog.blogspot.com/ and knits on Ravelry as Nadknitblog and on Plurk she is NadKnitBlog too! |
| lacisne88 |
Posted - Aug 10 2008 : 3:46:14 PM
I don't have a special pen, but when I was younger my Grandpa gave me an old style ink pen that came in a lovely wooden case. I still have it but it is stored away somewhere. This thread makes me want to dig it out and start using it again. It always made me feel special when I wrote with it.
Chelsey
Farmgirl Sister #283
http://farmgirlpleasures.blogspot.com/ |
