Flexnib who?

I was just thinking that I have not mentioned the flexnib in the name of this blog and what it refers to. It’s short for flexible nib, a type of nib that you used to be able to buy in fountain pens. They’re not made any more, I think because the flex nib was handmade and that sort of manufacture is just too expensive now. The flexible nib is a nib that bends and flexes and gives variation in the width of the line when you write. People who know how to use the flexible nib can produce really nice handwriting, but it takes skill and practice (I don’t have the skill, so I’m trying to practice). I have one pen that has a flex nib. It was made in 1927 and is a Wahl with a ring attached to the top of the cap, a so-called ladies’ pen meant for wearing with a ribbon or chain. Whenever I write with this pen, I wonder who owned it before me, and am amazed at how it’s survived over the years in excellent condition!
What do you do when you need to jot down a note? You just pick up whatever happens to be handy, and use it, right? I don’t think many people would think twice about the pen they use to write something down. I do – one of the things I do everyday before going to work is deciding which three pens I am going to take with me. And not only do I actually think about which pens they are going to be, but they are always fountain pens. I suppose you are wondering why I need to think about which pens they are? This is because I have a small collection of them – not sure exactly how many, but let’s say more than 30 pens. I have a few favourites.

• Lamy 2000
  
• Pelikan M200 I have the ‘amber demonstrator’ in the linked site.
• Pilot Vanishing Point
  This pen is unique in that its nib retracts, just like a clickable ballpoint!
• Parker 51 Considered by many pen collectors to be the ‘classic’ fountain pen.
• Parker Vacumatic I love my Vac cos it’s pretty 🙂

I keep buying pens because I want to try a particular brand, model, filling mechanism, nib, or because the pen looks interesting. I have only actively been collecting pens for a little over a year, and try to restrict myself to buying from one (or two) reputable dealers (mainly so that I don’t spend too much money on them! I could just keep buying them all the time if I let myself – eBay is baaaaad). Luckily M doesn’t mind all the pens arriving in the post. He is strictly a ballpoint user; I wish I could convert him but I will have to content myself with buying him the ballpoint versions instead. I think my workmates think I am a little strange!

Not many people still use fountain pens today, I guess because ballpoints are so easy to pick up and easy to use. I have always liked and used fountain pens. I just like the way the pen feels in my hand, the way the ink flows when it touches the paper, and the way my writing looks on the paper. When I use a ballpoint pen I find that the pressure I have to use to get the ink to flow makes my hand hurt. My hand is never sore when I use a fountain pen. And finally, I like the fact that I have to pause (and even think, sometimes 🙂 ) when I pick up a fountain pen to write.

[Note: according to the weather forecasters, the temperature is going to drop to 2 degrees Celsius overnight – that’s 35.6 degrees Fahrenheit – which is pretty chilly by West Australian standards. It’s going to be challenging tomorrow morning!]