How it started...again.

My interest in fountain pens started and ended the first time in the mid 80’s. I bought a cheap cartridge pen. It was like writing with a mechanical pencil with no lead in it. I didn't know it could be better so I gave up. I had not given it another thought until this last summer. During a presentation of a pen to the departing president of the university where I work, I saw something interesting. I saw a twinkle in his eye that is usually reserved for small children on Christmas morning! Having been a small boy myself, it made me wonder how such a mundane object as a pen could create such a stir. These days with the internet you can become an “expert” on a subject in a matter of hours and that opened the doors to the good and the bad in fountain pens. If I had known then what I know now about pens, I would have continued down this path the fist time. So the story begins now….. and I have a lot to learn.

Technology being central in my vocation makes it hard to get really jazzed about something new. I am constantly bombarded by the “New” the “Bigger”, and the “Faster”. New is old to me. Ironically I like old things because it is usually new to me. I have an old and car. (67 Mustang) I ride an old motorcycle. (86 zx900 – If you’ve seen “Top Gun” you know my bike) I can look at the parts and see how it works. In fact I do most of my own repairs, and enjoy the work!

When I started looking at fountain pens, I found a whole history of innovation and change. It’s fun to look at the history of companies that don’t exist anymore except in the products you find in the back of a drawer, an antique shop, or eBay.

Though I am a fan of the modern fountain pen, my budget does not allow for it. Instead I get to delve into the colorful past and hunt in the draws and shops for treasures.