Fountain pen/ink starter kit

Steve Bowles said:
If your penmanship sucks the rest is irrelevant. How many of us can reproduce the exquisite handwriting of 150 years ago?
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Although my handwriting has got worse as I get older (in my sixties), I can still manage a reasonable italic hand. Although I hated it, I was educated at boarding schools from the age of six, where great emphasis was placed on handwriting with dip and fountain pens, and writing was something I really did enjoy.
I always carry a fountain pen, and it was my great pleasure yesterday to put my name to someone's Police Commissioner papers, where my hand was alone in a sea of Biro scrawls.
My favourites at the moment are the Italix Churchmans Prescriptor and Parsons Essential pens, in medium and broad italic nibs. In the £40-£50 range, they're not "starter" pens, but I'd recommend them as the next step up.
 
I never had formal training in pen & ink script, but I had a journalism professor in college (1968) who got me hooked on italics. It was very English to my 19-year-old-mind. If I thought I had a chance in hell to perfect it at 66, and (more importantly) had something to write longhand, I'd take it up again.
 
Steve Bowles said:
I never had formal training in pen & ink script, but I had a journalism professor in college (1968) who got me hooked on italics. It was very English to my 19-year-old-mind. If I thought I had a chance in hell to perfect it at 66, and (more importantly) had something to write longhand, I'd take it up again.
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That's very interesting, and similar to my own feelings and experience.
We're the same age, and, for me in kindergarten, the foundation of writing was the work by https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marion_Richardson. I still have the textbooks, and my lined school books with my efforts.
That then provided the basis on which to develop my own style. My mother (b. 1924), had a very fine italic hand, and I think I copied her, whether consciously or not I couldn't now say. I went to art school in the 60's, to paint, and I certainly spent a lot of time perfecting my writing, at least to my own satisfaction, and that of the girls I wrote to (one of whom I married). Steel italic nib dip pens were the means, and I have them to this day (the top one with agate handle is my favourite). Sometimes, when the ink bottle is open, I may take one and use it.
As with you, I loved the Englishness of the hand, especially that of the 18th Century. At one point I affected the "long ess" that looks like an "f", but gave that up when I started work, and people commented unfavourably on it.
I just write anything I can - notes, letters, whatever - whenever I can. My main hope is that my small grandsons will learn a fair hand, but I'm not too optimistic.
PS
It's never too late to learn!
 

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I loved the quality of the writing that a dip pen produced. I, too, did the long ess for a while, but in Texas it's not something you do very often, or with glowing admiration from your peers. My mother used to tell me how she had penmanship classes in school as a child (also b. 1924), and it's something my American generation (and every generation) could employ to their benefit. Unfortunately, the keyboard and texts have ruined any hope for legible handwriting, much less a form that aspires to calligraphy.
 
Steve Bowles said:
I loved the quality of the writing that a dip pen produced. I, too, did the long ess for a while, but in Texas it's not something you do very often, or with glowing admiration from your peers. My mother used to tell me how she had penmanship classes in school as a child (also b. 1924), and it's something my American generation (and every generation) could employ to their benefit. Unfortunately, the keyboard and texts have ruined any hope for legible handwriting, much less a form that aspires to calligraphy.
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How very true. Electricity and technology have been a great benefit, but have also changed many things in ways not for the better. In the UK we are often warned of an apocalyptic time coming when power will be short or non-existent, and I wonder how people will get on without it, in the absence of many manual skills.
 
My Pilot Metropolitan arrived the other day and I'm really enjoying it.
Feels great in my hand, and comfortable to write with.
I got the fine nib (by mistake :rolleyes: meant to get the medium) but it seems ok, perhaps a tad too fine but nevermind.

Now I want another fountain pen!
 
Ferrum said:
My favourites at the moment are the Italix Churchmans Prescriptor and Parsons Essential pens, in medium and broad italic nibs. In the £40-£50 range, they're not "starter" pens, but I'd recommend them as the next step up.
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Might I ask for your opinion of the Parson's Essential? I've had my eye on one for a while, but have yet to order one.
 
Pen arrived time to pick paper to practice on got some old leftover inkjet paper somewhere in the basement maybe a better choice than the stuff currently in laser printer. (And of course I had to Google Parson's Essential, nice pen :))
 
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chrisbell said:
Might I ask for your opinion of the Parson's Essential? I've had my eye on one for a while, but have yet to order one.
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Sorry to be so slow, but I've just seen your post.
It's a lovely pen. Well-made, medium italic nib first class. It's also a reasonable size, as the Churchmans Prescriptor is pretty hefty for a pocket pen.
I can't fault it.
 
By the way considering a Lamy Vista Extra Fine as my second pen and some ink in a fancy glass bottle and a notebook or two recommended on a forum :)
 
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Ugh, I've fallen down the fountain pen rabbit hole a little bit.

After the Pilot Metropolitan I have also bought:
Schneider ID
Parker 25 (I firmly blame @Darkbulb for this)
Dollar 717i (which was stupid cheap but writes pretty well)
Platignum Varsity Pressmatic (eBay bargain)

Plus a load of Diamine inks in various colours.
The Scheider ID is so big it doesn't fit into the Diamine bottles unfortunately :(

I also dug out a Parker Frontier I've had for a while, but it still leaks like crazy so I might have to bin it.

Good fun :)
 
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