What's your daily driver? (Pen or Pencil)

Discussion in 'The Chatterbox' started by Bookworm, Jan 24, 2018.

  1. Bookworm

    Bookworm Well-Known Member

    Lately I've been doing most of my time sheets with a Jinhao 599. I also carry a Parker Vector for doing invoices (It'll write through two part carbonless), and I'm trying to find a 'wet' enough ink for a Pilot Petite1 - currently using Camlin ink in the Pilot and Vector, and Mont Blanc black ink in the Jinhao.

    So, for those of you who do a lot of writing or notes, what do you carry around? No bias here. If you use a pink sparkly gel pen from the dollar store - that works.

    BW
     
  2. wristwatchb

    wristwatchb wristwatch "danger" b

    My EDC is a Zebra F-701 with black ink and medium point. I like the feel, diameter, and quality of the pen. It's also cheap enough that I wouldn't be too upset if I lost it. I'm a lefty, and the ink dries fast enough so that my writing hand doesn't smear it.
    f701.jpg

    I've had a gold filled Cross pen for close to 40 years, but the barrel is thinner than I'd like. It writes well, but it is not comfortable for me to use. It's a gift from my dear Sister, so I'll always keep it around.

    I'm a fan of the look and feel of Parker Jotter ballpoints, but my writing hand almost always smears the ink. I've tried them off-and-on since the 1970s with different ink refills. I recently tried one of the newer gel cartridges in my all stainless Jotter, but the ink leaked out and made an incredible mess. If I could find an ink refill that doesn't smear or leak, I'd probably carry this one.

    I'm also a fan of the 0.5 mm Pentel Mechanical Pencil. I've done a lot of cipherin' with one like this. Blue is my color, though. My drafting triangle set was fluorescent orange, but I'll save that for another thread. :)
    P205A_1_1.png

    I've also carried 173,292 el cheapo pens of every kind you can imagine. Sometimes I'll throw an el cheapo in my carry on luggage rather than try to carry an all stainless pen through TSA.
     
    Last edited: Jan 24, 2018
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  3. Bookworm

    Bookworm Well-Known Member

    If it helps, there are a couple of fast drying fountain pen inks for lefties. I don't know about jotter refills. I think most of the ones I've run across are slow drying standard oil based ink. I have a Jotter in one of my desk pen cans.
     
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  4. jar

    jar Well-Known Member

    Today it is one of my Danitrios.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Jan 25, 2018
  5. Kilgore Trout

    Kilgore Trout The Smart Bunny

    I am pretty much in the whatever is laying around the office camp. I got into fountain pens for awhile, but I found them impractical, messy, and labor intensive.
     
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  6. Bookworm

    Bookworm Well-Known Member

    Interesting. I don't find them labor intensive or that messy unless I'm playing with mixing ink. (impractical is a personal thing). I wonder why they were for you. I won't push them.

    So you don't have a preferred writing device at all? Not even a brand?
     
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  7. Eeyore

    Eeyore Well-Known Member

    Sonnet forever

    [​IMG]

    --
    Pitralon forever - Real pens have a nib - If it doesn't tick, it's not a watch.
     
  8. Bookworm

    Bookworm Well-Known Member

    I'd like one, but I can't justify it until I sell some off :)
     
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  9. Eeyore

    Eeyore Well-Known Member

    I bought this in 2001 or so, I believe, and I have used it almost daily ever since. So it has not been expensive for me at all.

    It would have even been cheaper if it had cured my desire for more pens

    --
    Pitralon forever - Real pens have a nib - If it doesn't tick, it's not a watch.
     
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  10. Kilgore Trout

    Kilgore Trout The Smart Bunny

    I believe they didn't work well for me mostly due to my profession(tractor trailer driver). I suppose Bic is pretty reliable as far as a brand. I must admit, the Fisher Space Pen was a great workhorse.
     
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  11. Bookworm

    Bookworm Well-Known Member

    I could see that. There are a few fountain pens that would work better in that situation, but if it bounces onto the floor and around the cab a lot, that would get messy. I'd probably end up using a pencil if I didn't keep the pen in my pocket (I spend a lot of time driving as well)
     
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  12. jimjo1031

    jimjo1031 never bloomed myself

    Same pencil I use for sketching when loaded with soft lead.
     
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  13. Kilgore Trout

    Kilgore Trout The Smart Bunny

    The Pilot Metropolitan seemed to hold up the best when using cartridges, but I think the temperature extremes and the bouncing made it difficult along with the 'bleeding' on the invoices and log books. I should have read your original post more carefully, as I definitely interjected my bias while you clearly did not. For my lack of attention to detail, I apologize.
     
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  14. MR41

    MR41 Well-Known Member

    Papermate Flair tip. I can see it, better than other tips.
     
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  15. Bookworm

    Bookworm Well-Known Member

    No apology is necessary - I wasn't offended at all. Why is as fun as why not. Sometimes more.

    Yes - I use a Parker Vector on my invoice books (two part carbonless). It doesn't bleed, but it's been described as 'writing with a nail'. They still make them, thirty years on, but only in India. (cost about $10-12 shipped) Not suggesting you get one, because you obviously have what you need for your kind of work. One of mine had the cap break. Dagnabit, I only used it for twenty years!

    @MR41 - felt tip? You're the second person I've met that uses those as a daily driver.
     
  16. RaZorBurn123

    RaZorBurn123 waiting hardily...............

    I have such horrible handwriting I'm much better off typing. Great looking goods.
     
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  17. jimjo1031

    jimjo1031 never bloomed myself

    I usually use roller ball pens of various types for daily use. But ever since junior high, I like to have fountain pens around. I have a bunch of Jinhao 599 fountain pens, which I won at a very good price a while back on Ebay, and they are smooth writers. My favorite for many years has been a Parker Vector of various types. My current one has a matte black finish loaded with black ink using an ink converter.

    20180125_123433_preview.jpg
     
    Last edited: Jan 25, 2018
  18. wristwatchb

    wristwatchb wristwatch "danger" b

    That's a beautiful pen! I write left handed, and I sometimes have trouble smearing the ink with my writing hand before it dries. @Bookworm mentioned some fast drying inks for fountain pens. I would be interested to know which ink(s) you experienced fountain pen users would recommend.

    I'm also interested to know how a fountain pen ink cartridge is refilled. How likely is it to spill the ink? How often do you find yourself needing to refill the cartridge? Does the ink tend to dry up if you are not using the pen for a few days or weeks?

    Thanks!
     
    Last edited: Jan 25, 2018
  19. Bookworm

    Bookworm Well-Known Member

    https://www.jetpens.com/blog/pens-writing-supplies-for-the-left-handed/pt/891

    There's a bunch of information there, including pens and inks for left handers.

    If you use a bottle of ink, then the messy part is when you're cleaning, or when you're loading. I just refill a cartridge, most of the time (magnum cartridges are great). I use a syringe from an inkjet refill kit, pull in ink, and squirt it into the cartridge. Excess goes back in the bottle, and I clean out the syringe with water. Usually not messy at all. put the cartridge back in.

    If you put the whole pen in the ink, and use a converter or pump to fill it, it can be messy when you go to wipe it back off again.

    If you use straight cartridges, the only point it can be messy is if it gets jostled a lot,and you end up with some ink by the nib, on the finger grip (the 'section'. )

    There's lots more information on www.fountainpennetwork.com, but frankly, unless you're REALLY into it, you can be pretty overwhelmed. Just like here or 'the other forum'.
     
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  20. Preacher

    Preacher Well-Known Member

    I use whatever is handy. Years ago I had a Wateman Expert II fountain pen that I really liked. I may purchase another one seeing as how I do like to have a nice writing instrument.
     

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