I started using fountain pens two years ago, in the first six months I've already got around 50 pens, mostly cheap Indian and Chinese pens, not to mention another 50 plus bottles of inks I acquired. Now I only use 16 pens for journaling, 3 brass fountain pens for EDC (planners in my Traveler's Notebook and go to or jot down whatever using Tomoe River pocket book I made myself). I write journal everyday, usually 5 pages sometimes more than 10 pages a day. I have used 22 A5 notebooks, 17 of them are Midori MDs. So this is how I use them; I numbered the 16 pens, and I change pen every 3 pages and I also numbered the inks. Thus I can easily track down which inks in use and what ink is going for the next empty fountain pen. Now I trimmed down the the bottle of inks to 32 bottles since I realized that I don't like sheeny and high saturated inks anymore. And now I kinda know what inks suit the fountain pens I use, for example my CH912 FA nib only behaves well with Iroshizukus. This system keeps the hobby very interesting and I'm so happy with this, I don't plan to get more fountain pens (hopefully) at least until the end of this year.
A well thought out discussion. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. For me, I don’t think that I will get bored and that’s because I have several interests. I may focus on FPs for a while, and then get more involved in fly fishing , or take out my guitar and polish up my rusty skills. It’s not so much that I get bored with one as it is that I’m drawn to another. In gestalt terms, one interest moves into the foreground and others shift to the background for a while, but none of them disappear. Using the squirrel metaphor, the squirrel may exploit acorns for a while, then hickory nuts catch its attention and it goes through the explore/exploit phases with hickory nuts until an old friend reminds the squirrel of a beech tree they used to visit, and so on.
Stephen, thanks again for a very insightful post. One way I try and keep this hobby interesting is by working on my cursive writing, I used different pen / ink / paper combinations and each one brings a new experience. By the way, love these posts as they always make me think.
Thank you for posting your thoughts on this! You are so right about creating a group in your area. I always thought there wasn't anyone in my area (SE Florida) who'd share this hobby, but we put out feelers, found a place to meet monthly, and have 20 -25 people who meet, with nearly 200 on our email list! We have a wonderful, diverse group and I love the easy interaction between members, young and old. Its been a bit over three years, and I still marvel at it.
Pretty good video, but I'd argue that the "exploitive" stage isn't as exciting than the "exploration" stage of things. So trying to keep it in "Exploration" is useful to help keep up. Here's some options to help with the "Exploration" stage: 1) If you can't afford the pen you really want, then save money for it. Set aside a special fund that you allocate a little bit of money, each month, into. Then, when you save up the money, then buy a pen you really like. Cap it to a pen or two a year, max. Focus on quality vs quantity. 2) Tie in other hobbies related to the pens. Ever try journaling? Ever try calligraphy? How about drawing/sketching? Dot Journal? In other words, find ways of *using* what you own already. 3) Similar to what the video said - but look at other nib options. For example, a Lamy has the ability to have nibs swapped at relative cheapness. Noodlers too (but lamy has a great option set). Point is, try different nibs, learn to write with each, modify nibs you have extra of (add smoothness, flex, etc). We had a similar kinda topic hit Reddit, and it relates here. The idea is, when we start into fountain pens, we collect a lot. If you have pens sitting around, not being used, that's a good indication that you have too many pens and it's time to stop buying new ones til the old ones are either sold or given away. Quality > Quantity in this case. If you have a few duplicate pens, of ones you really like, then having one or two in storage makes sense if you want to avoid being without the pen incase something happens to the current one. But, if you have a diverse collection, try thinking about pruning it a bit and saving up for new, higher quality, pens.
It is very useful. Your point is well taken. I’m an exploiter, and I am in the process of getting a legacy pen for each of my grandchildren. At this point I have 9 with one more coming next year. So that’s 10. I expect to be around 15 or 16 pens (I live in Utah) I love your story of getting into fountain pens. What my hope is long after I’m gone my glorious grandkids will keep their pen from me, in a place of honor. They will always remember Papa and his pens. A couple may even turn into fountain pen lovers too.
Thank you. That was very enlightening. I have widened my range of fountain pen use. I looked for the perfect planner that had fountain pen friendly paper (InkWell Press). Then I began to get into travelers notebooks, and set up quite a few for topics I'm interested in, and of course, I use my fountain pens in all of them. That involved finding the best paper too, and I began making my own inserts. I got interested in flex pens and sheening inks. I have used the inks to paint with and have gotten amazing effects. My latest interest is in other forms of art. I have learned all about colored pencils, watercolors, etc. I recently bought some lovely metallic water colors to paint with, and I'm experimenting using them on black paper. Amazing what they can do. I am glad that fountain pens, which I still love, have lead me to all of these other new hobbies and interests.
I may be a couple days late on this one, but THANKS for another analytical one Doctor Brown! It's hard to relay just how much I appreciate this side of your videos. They are thoughtful, thought provoking, and facilitate understanding, not only of myself but of other reviewers and commenters as well. Please continue these so-called ramblings. They're wonderful.
Very helpful and thoughtful video! One of my favorite ways to keep the hobby interesting is pen pal letter writing! When I first started back in fountain pens I overwhelmed myself with pens, inks, papers, etc. but now I'm really starting to see what I like best and "specializing" or exploiting I guess. LOL There is always something fun to explore too! Lovely video - thank you!!!!!!
Like Peter, I love these posts because they make me think. I've collected over 30 pens and almost as many inks in the last year. What you said, Stephen, resonated with me because I, too, was interested in collecting and exploring different brands of pens and different nibs during the early phase of my collecting. Now, what resonated with me, is that I've lost the passion of exploring and now I'm just exploiting the pens and inks I have, and enjoying the ones I like the most. For example, I used to switch my pens everyday. Now, in my rotation, if I come upon one of my favorites, I use it for a couple days instead of just one. And, through my exploring, I've found some inks work better in some pens than others. So instead of having a different ink for each pen, I'm exploiting a single, reliable ink for more than one pen. But I've found this makes my hobby that much more enjoyable, because the pens I love, with the inks that work best in them, make me even happier now. Thank you, Stephen, for validating the cessation of my craving for new pens and inks and my love for the ones I already have.
I have recently decided that I must use what I have. That can be challenging in the workplace. Exploitation/exploration consists of TWSBI and various stub nibs between 0.5 and 1 mm and exploiting Nibgrinder and Diamine. Good times ahead.
I think it is in general much better and healthier to focus on what you have and appreciate it than trying to get the next new big thing over and over again. You don't need a million pens, find a few that make you happy and focus on them. A pen that sits in the cupboard because you have too many to use them is very sad. Plus, it costs less money this way. I'm not saying that collectors are wrong, do what makes you happy, but people should try it. Sometimes less is more. Thanks for the video, I really like these "discussion" type videos which are not about specific pens but general ideas about this amazing hobby.
"Focus on what you have and appreciate it." "Find a few that makes you happy and focus on them." Well said. Goes with the idea of buying tools more for their utility than their novelty (though the occasional shiny/sparkly pen is exciting).
hehehe, sounds like some people are thinking the grass is always greener over the next mountain (might be a more USA/Canadian thing because exploration is relatively recent historically). Your advice of exploiting and exploring niche areas is perfect Dr. Brown, but that is to be expected from someone from your profession. Thanks for another spot on post about not only pens but our thoughts and incites .
Thank you for a very interesting video with some very useful points made. I am still at the exploration stage but don't really have the money for exploring... I keep an ink journal which I find really helpful as it can remind me of the fact that I really don't need another green ink as I already possess 22 shades of green ink! I also keep a pen journal and I write lots of letters to my pen-pals using my various fountain pens.My pen-pals use fountain pens too and sometimes they use an ink I have been lusting after and I look at it and go "Meh" and realise that it's not the colour for me. We also send each other ink samples so we can try out different inks. Writing letters is a good way to find your favourite pens, inks and paper. If a pen isn't comfortable enough or reliable enough to write a letter with then it goes. I also journal and bullet journal and do silly sketches in my journals with whatever pen I am writing with. My sketching is at the level of a 5 year old but I don't mind because it reminds me of an important event or something funny. Looking back at journals from up to 7 years ago is entertaining, although then they were written in gel pen and coloured pencil. Using my fountain pens to write down my thoughts and ideas helps me to gain more from my days and my experiences. Writing with a fountain pen has allowed me to slow down and engage with life in the way that scribbling with gel pens and felt-tip pens didn't. Fountain pens have rituals, the process of sucking ink up with a piston-filler or converter and the process of cleaning them in order to try out a different ink. I find the use of fountain pens to be both magical and therapeutic: my own version of mindfulness.
Dr. Brown, thanks for yet another few minutes well spent. The restaurant analogy struck me in particular since I am a chef by trade. :) I've been using fountain pens as my primary writing instrument for a longtime now, maybe 20 years? Not quite sure. And when I first started it was "simply" because I had gotten tired of all the cheap plastic pens I'd been discarding. A fountain pen seemed to me to be a better use of materials since I could just refill the pen and keep using it. And, for a long time that was enough for me. More recently--4 or 5 years back--I started to get interested in pens as more than just tools and started to try to learn about them and to try as many different ones as I could. And that was a blast! Bought a lot of pens, some pretty cheap and some a bit pricey. And have loved what I've learned from that. I now have a very good idea about what I want in a pen which has, for me, two primary effects: one is that I'm not buying a pen on the chance that I will enjoy it, my decisions are more informed now. The othe effect is that I don't get surprised as often. That is both a good and bad thing; while I'm not as often disappointed by a pen, I also am not as often happily surprised by a pen. To combat that a little I am, occasionally, deliberately choosing to buy a pen that is as different from my usual preferences as I can. That may mean something as simple as buying a brand I am not interested in nor knowledgeable of, or a nib size/style that isn't my preferred "M" nib (which was why I bought, for example, a TWSBI Eco with an architect grind) or some other way of pushing the edges of what I "need" to have in a pen. As you say, the exploration in the exploitation seems to be a good balance. Thank you again, kind sir! (Oh, you did use "found" correctly. :) )
Truly appreciate your thoughtful remarks. I have converged on a set of pens and inks that I enjoy using. I was not sure if I was supposed to feel guilty when viewing posts of others who seem to acquire a new pen every time there is a sale or discount? I am feeling much better now that you have explained the concept of exploration, exploitation and "focused exploration". Thank you.
We men love pidgeonholes to keep our stuff organized and separated. Thinking of a single pursuit in this way allows us to split a single pursuit into three, and move easily between them.
Whenever I purchase something not consumable, I think of the space it will take in my life and whether it justifies the purchase. Although pens are small, twenty of them begin to occupy space and become clutter. So I tend to make the most of the ones I have, with very occasional additions. Also, getting into nib tuning extends the hobby and means that a cheap pen can become an excellent writer. This is now a major part of owning fountain pens for me.
Thanks Stephen for those wise words. I am fortunate perhaps in that i never have lost interest or become bored with the hobby, i find it just as appealing now as i did in the beginning and that was a long time ago (over 40 years ago) .
I really enjoy your "just talking" videos. You always add a lot to the conversation about the pen collecting/using hobby. I have taken a similar route in my collecting as well. At its largest my collection was over 80 pens both modern and vintage. I have been gradually selling off the less used or "exploited" pens in my collection and focusing on specific styles and brands that I really enjoy. I have some pens in my collection that I was sent for reviews that really impressed me and have stayed in for the time being, but they may be parted with in the future. As you said previously, there is a difference between collecting and just hoarding. I find the best part of this hobby is interacting with other enthusiasts. Either at shows, online, or just in stores. Everyone has a different reason for being in this hobby and the stories and motivations are always fascinating to hear.
Great video. I unexpectedly settled into my exploitation phase three years ago. Even more surprisingly, my pen of choice is one I had zero interest in when I was exploring. One night I bought a Lamy 2000 on impulse from eBay, and that was it for me. Everything clicked. Now I have four in varying nibs, finishes, and vintage plus pencil and ballpoint. I still have a handful of my other pens, but I rarely use them.
What I try exploring is use cases for fountain pens. I've started sending a lot of postcards and recently journaling. I haven't had enough time to learn proper calligraphy, so I learn just one interesting way to draw a certain letter at a time. Your computer has a lot of fonts, just imagine how many different fonts can you learn to make your handwriting interesting :) All these can keep me busy for a while :)
As a new subscriber I am continually fascinated by the topics you pursue, and probably more importantly, why! May I compare and contrast for a moment? I am new to this Fountain Pen Hobby. I have spent the last 8 months exploring and exploiting the Color pencil world. As a new "Colorist" in these short 8 months I have amassed over 12 different sets of colored pencils -- Marco Renoir from France, Faber-Castell from Germany, Huang Hui from China, Schpirerr-Farben from Germany, etc. to total over 1,300 colored pencils! So, yes, I have shifted my approach now in regard to colored pencils. This shift topic that you addressed is very timely for me! It will help me so much in my new found Fountain Pen Hobby. Never would have thought that I needed a paradigm shift in my hobby as a Colorist! Thank you for this, Steve!
To be honest; I find it weird when people talk about "the fountain pen hobby". In my mind that makes about as much sense as referring to weightlifting as the "dumb- and bar-bell hobby" or to painting as the "easel hobby". Hobbies are activities and "fountain pen" is not an activity. Colleting them is, tinkering with them is, nerding out about them is, using them for writing or drawing is. I guess "the fountain-pen hobby" might work as a collective term for all fountain-pen-related activities. People who are losing interest could ask themselves which of the fountain-pen related activities it was that drew them in, why it lost its charm and whether one of the other activities migh appeal to them. But ultimately; losing interest in a hobby is only a bad thing if you stick to it no matter what, because then it becomes a chore. Hobbies are not about some goal, they're about the fun you have while you practice them, and if they stop being fun, do something else.
Mmm. Is this a hobby or just a preference for better tools? How many pens is fussy? How many is just weird? Sometimes I think there's a lot of us just testing pens x inks x paper and never writing much more than shopping and to do lists. We see Oooh shiny! and dive down another branch of the rabbit hole and it never ends. There are worse obsessions, but as I get older, I don't think there's anyone who wants to inherit my hoard.
Exploring within exploitation- I love the concept. I really enjoy videos like this where you pontificate on assorted things related to the hobby. Thanks for still delivering great videos after so many years!
I love and appreciated your sentiments, I love your exploring within exploitation concept. It is mine also. I can only agree the same for myself throughout my career when using my beloved fountain pen. My fountain pen 'hobby' is maintained by writing in my black and gold embossed Nocturnelle Journal, Grande with my Visconti Homo Sapiens that I have owned for nearly 11 years. I'm a head librarian and writer, and I thank you for your splendid thoughts and video presentation.
Build your taste in fountain pens, by building on your depth of knowledge, activities, and relationships around the hobby. It always the journey that excites, not the hoards of pens, ink, and supplies acquired. I'm approaching there myself.
Excellent "rant" and definitely not a waste of anyone's time, in my humble opinion. My handwriting has not "improved" as far as I am concerned, but its character and individuality increases every time I pick one of my fountain pens and put that nib to paper. When you said "zen-like" I was saying the words at the exact same time. I had to laugh! So of course, she says "What are you laughing at?" and my reply was "You wouldn't understand?". I've tried to get her to venture into the fountain pen world with me but to no avail. That doesn't mean I'm going to stop trying. Ever. Keep up the good work with these videos. Peace out.
Greetings from Malaysia, I am very taken by what you said, "enjoy what you have"... so much so, I keep in mind whatever is mine to use, not only from fountain pens but to whatever I have... tq
With the advent of very affordable Chinese manufacturing, you rarely run out of things to explore that will not break your bank. I just got onto Aliexpress and saw dozens of inks for example, some supposedly hand mixed, some not. Some with funny names, maybe an INK branded ink. Maybe an ink that comes in a glass medicine bottle and you are like 'what the sticks is this?'. But I already know that Waterman Serenity Blue or Parker Blue-Black are my work inks for every occasion.. But you know, it can be fun to every month put an order online for 5 dollars for a handful of inks or pens you know nothing about. That can end up in tears or honestly surprising.
Thanks' Doc, well spoken. I think, key word here is experience(s). We do hobby, because of experiences. No matter, if these are positive or not. Of course we are looking positive ones, but negative ones gives us content to hobby as well. As long we get experiences out of hobby, it will keep us interested. Experiences can be looking for new items, making comparisons, searching (background) information, purchasing, selling, having discussion, taking apart to net community, making reviews, keeping blog etc. It's not buying either having a lot of fountain pens nor using them or making reviews of them, it's what you get out of it, - experiences. Learning new related to your hobby, no matter how, good or bad gives you experiences. As Doc said, we can look wide respect or you can dig deep into one topic, but the issue is that we get something, experiences out of it. This is how I see keeping hobby interested.
Great video - love these musings. Another thing that people could do is take a more active relationship with fountain pens: perhaps learning how to grind nibs, or repairing vintage pens, or mixing inks to create one's own colors. This is what I am beginning to consider.
Dear Mr.Brown, you just spoke my heart. I too am going through the same struggle. I have 24 pens, and I don't get time to enjoy all of it. I have a beautiful Lamy Al star that I haven't touched in 4 months. Makes me kinda sad. Though I really want to try a gold nib , I real can't afford it. It was really getting boring and then you spoke your mind today. Thank you very much.
Peter Puleo Thank you very much. :) But again, $ 135 is a huge amount for me right now. But in future, I'll definitely buy it. And I've decided that my first gold nib would be Platinum 3776. :) :)
I'm newer to fountain pens and a student (meaning very little pen $). I can't do much exploring because of that but I think exploiting in this case is also helpful. Also on the bright side, my exploring time will last longer.
How to keep it interesting.... Get into calligraphy and get some pens with corresponding nibs? Experiment with different inks. Every fountain pen lover should have an ink book. But, I'm down to about one dozen pens that once I have them, something truly special will have to come along for me to add to my collection. Even someone who has fallen far down the rabbit-hole eventually realizes that having a small army or steel, and gold #6 Jowo nibs in Fine point on numerous pens is a tad bit much. (To put it mildly.) I'm currently on specialty nibs. A Sailor 1911 with the Zoom nib is on my short list. And earlier today I pulled the trigger on a Conklin Duragraph with an Omniflex nib. I also have my eye on a Franklin Christoph pen with a 14k needlepoint nib. Not really into vintage pens, but after acquiring a 2nd Tier pen (Diamond Standard from the 1920s restored only with a new sac), I'm starting to see the appeal of such pens. Would like to get a Parker 51 in Very Good to Excellent condition. Along with a nice vintage Sheaffer from the '20s or '30s. (Back when the white dot actually meant something.) Another idea is exotic materials. Though the world of independent hand-turners from existing kits in which they can work with differing exotic materials.... Not one a novice collector should immediately jump into. I have a gorgeous fountain pen made from a kit, but the young man used malachite for the barrel and cap. Another individual who was supposed to make me an embellished cocobolo pen, failed to deliver, is ignoring my e-mails, and forced me to do a credit card charge back for me to get my money back. But exotic materials is another way to keep things interesting. I mean at some point in time, no matter how far we fall down the rabbit-hole of this hobby, eventually we're going to hit the bottom. Happens to all of us.
Thank you Stephen.. I also enjoy the philosophical chats that you do.. it's nice to know what another person is thinking about this process. I do indeed find myself now years deeply into my enjoyment of fountain pens beginning to come back to my own new.. not so new, but not used for a while, pens. That has reinvigorated my passion for this world. One question that still puzzles me:🤔how does the squirrel use the fountain pens? Best to you both! Frank from Boulder, Colorado
Thank you for another thought provoking video. As you put it. I have been in the exploitation phase for many years now. I have always put it that I am a fountain pen user not collector. I have a handful of pens I love. Sure I have a short list of pens I would enjoy owning. At this point I am not sure morally I can justify spending the the 2 or so thousand dollars when I have already invested substantially into this hobby. So I write l, carry, and admire my beautiful pens.
Great vid ... I think what got me into it more than anything was the enthusiastic reviewers and distributors like Brian Goulet and your TH-cam channel .
I’ve thought of hand writing different sections of the Bible in different color inks with different color pens. Would be a good way to relax and really get my money out of the pens and ink.
Terrific application. I find writing and repitition the only way to memorizing passages that are then always with me. The writing keeps the pens in the mix.
You are such a sweetheart. Most people do not expose themselves in terms of their feelings. I find your musings abstract but also affective as educators like to jargonize (took a noun and made it a verb-what fun). Sending this video to my very intellect oriented son who I may have indoctrinated into the joys of fountain pens.
Absolutely fascinating, Stephen. Personally, I’ve committed to not keeping more pens than I can fit in a 12-pen case (you can do the math on how many pens I’m allowed to have). And right now I’m at 12 with a pen on order. So by law, my exploration phase (which sure *seemed* like 20 pens in 2 months) is basically over. Not that I don’t watch new videos and peruse newsletters, but I know that if I want something new, I have to give up something else. I ended up with mostly Viscontis, plus one of several other brands, and they are all great. So for me, it’s just using them, cleaning and re-inking them, and admiring them that keeps up my interest up. By the way, nice Johnny Cash reference! I’m a metal head, but Johnny was the man. 🤘
Fantastic Video, as always. I've mentioned it before in posts that you got me into the Amazing World of Kaweco. I love those little pens and they work so well. I have a few other really nice and Expensive Branded pens as well and I'm continuing with expanding my collection but EDC and cant stop smiling and using my Kaweco's I've bought so many and want all the Nibs and finishes and I've even moved onto the Ballpoints and Rollerballs that Kaweco make. Including the Pencil's and pencil variants. I only buy the ones i actually plan to keep. I still have a Holly Grail category i/e a Visconti, Mont Blanc 149 and a few others and one day i will have some. In the meantime I still have the Bug for pens and collecting them but my Favorite are the Kaweco mini fountain pens. I thank you and your enthusiasm and all your videos you've made and continue to make. My bucket list has something very big to me on it and that is to Meet you and share my pen collection with you one day. It may never happen but there it is. oh and last thing holly grail SBRE BROWN ink and Pen Combo is a must have as well one day!!!
The way I have kept it interesting is restraint. In the past I’ve had trouble with other things I got into, but I never allowed myself to get carried away with pens and give in on the impulse to buy every pen out there. I buy carefully, I do a lot of research first, which is half the fun, and buy mostly based on performance - not because I want every color, for example, of every Twsbi ever made, or those “indie” pens that come in so many colors but all have the same basic nibs. I’ve been pretty good at staying out of that rabbit hole. Also, I do NOT got to pen shows, because it’s a lot easier to talk myself out of a particularly beautiful pen I see online than it would be if I saw it in person. It’s been four years since I bought my first fountain pen, and I still have under 30, which is think is awesome for an impulsive person like myself.
Stephen, you described my pen life exactly. I am in the exploitation mode and I have discovered what I really like. I plan to sell a lot of my pens and USE the ones I really love. I do have a collection interest which is not with expensive pens so I will collect those and widdle down the others. Same with ink too. I can't keep up with it all (financially or otherwise)... I do know what inks I like now and I don't mind sticking to them. Such a very encouraging video and not hyped out to SELL...SELL... SELL (This has been a problem too.. running around the circle of social media and buying with show and tell) Really thank you!!
Good advise for beginners like me, who waste a lot of time and money, exploring all the different models of fountain pens. For me it's a good idea to explore and exploit, after earning money again start explore and exploit. But it's very difficult to control exploring 😁
I think I have finally completed my exploration phase. I was looking for good pens to draw with. I had an epiphany one day not long ago: the quality of my drawings is unaffected by the quality of the pen (For you writers, a similar consideration would be, does your writing look better or even any different with each of your pens?). For the time being, at least, I am focussed on results, not process. So my exploration has ended with finding the ideal pen for me: the Pilot Petit1. It reliably makes a nice mark, it doesn't take up much space, and it costs NOTHING ($3.25). Now I gotta go back to the drawing board and exploit.
Or you can start grinding your nibs. Move from user / collector to creator. New things to learn and do will keep things interesting for a while. Or ask someone with a lathe, get an acrylic blank and try to turn it. Craftsmanship will keep your interest for a _long_ time.
Ive been through a bunch of pens, and I finally have a "perfect" collection, (for my taste) the most notable being the Lamy 2000 and the Matte Black VP.
Very nice. For some also it is the entry point to creating or modifying pens to meet a need or desire. (I'd like to say I'm in this group, but I'm notably short on action.)
"at that point it's very easy to be pulled into a hobby" = falling down the rabbit hole? (As Brian Goulet would say it :D ) I'm by the way one foot into this rabbit hole... And there is a really nice fluffy grey-blue rabbit!
Nice change of pace, Mr. Brown. :^) Liking fountain pens doesn't need to be a destination. One's identity doesn't need to hang on it. I realize your _TH-cam_ identity has, so far, hung on it, but that could change. You have interesting insights & a point of view - and an interesting personal presence in video. If your pen fetish has waned a bit, there's no reason your channel couldn't branch out to other topics or activities. Personally I'd welcome it! Don't let yourself be cornered by any limited pursuit or identity, life's too short. And honestly, you're capable of contributing, on broader issues.
I've reduced how many I have inked now, after buying 26 pens my "go to" is actually my first pen, a Parker Frontier because of sentimental reasons, went through college and love letters with it. My interest now is in penpals who only use fountain pens, and maybe I need to find a watering hole to find more like minded people to keep the embers glowing. FP evangelism will always fan your interests into flames. Great video, thank you.
I wish I could take this approach and, for example, just collect and use Sailor Pro Gears. But it's hard to not be tempted by every reasonably priced new release, or every limited edition colour of Safari.
Hi! I am new to this hobby so I am in both exploration and exploitation phase. You mentioned you are a scientist, if you do wet lab, can you recommend an ink that is good for a lab book ? Other that lightfastness and water resistance, is there any thing else I should keep in mind ? I find writing with fp much gentler on the hand with all the writing, typing and pipetting that I do :)
Dr Brown was quite emphatic there, and sticking with penmakers own inks like Mont Blanc and Waterman rarely gets you into trouble, like with any ink containing iron gall, I have a couple recommendations for trouble free blacks: The Document Black and Archival black from de Atramentis I have thoroughly tested for my own use in very average pens, Pilot Metropolitans, and after months of being inked, the pens just started writing, and cleaned up without special techniques. The de Atramentis inks are not cheap at $20/ 35 ml, but they are bulletproof. For a slightly less bulletproof ink in blue that can be had in a PINT size on Amazon for $20, I offer Pilot Namiki Blue, the same ink Pilot puts in their blue cartridges. There is no mention in company literature about water resistance, but I tested it after another reviewer mentioned that they were shocked by its water resistance. It comes in 60cc bottles commoml for about $11, but from Amazon sources in 90, 120, and the pint, or 240cc sizes. That last one is the cheapest ink per ounce I've ever seen, and I think it might make it into great grandchildren's inheritance! It is VERY water resistant.
Frank L Parker thank you so so much for all of your suggestions... I will be looking into de atraments since I can get them quite a bit cheaper here in Germany. I was going to get the Rohrer und klin iron gall ink but then discovered that it rusts the pens if not properly cleaned so I opted for others :)
"most of us don't run to the shop and buy 50 pens in 2 weeks"....ha. speak for yourself. I'm not addicted, it's normal.I stepped down the rabbit hole and popped out in Australia"
So interesting! Things become interesting partly due to themselves and partly due to circumstances. When I started using fountain pens 65 years ago, things in India were quite interesting. We had access to all British and many American brands- at very affordable prices. ( colonial policy had made imports cheap; Parker was a very affordable, EDC pen, not a snobbish luxury item) Government of Independent India became socialistic, and import of pens ( and of musical instruments like Hohner's mouth organ, sports goods or even basic cameras like Kodak Brownie, and simple mechanical Swiss watches like Favre Leuba or Roamer) was banned. But smuggling flourished and it was interesting to get these smuggled items, beating the system! Then, some enterprising Indians manufactured pens locally imitating famous models- eg. Parker 51 was rendered in an imitated version , named "Wilson". It wrote as well as the Parker, and we could even fit a gold nib. We could get smuggled Japanese Pilot pens. So it was interesting to engage the system and defeat it! In the late 70s and 80s, the fountain pen declined due to cheap ball pens. But then I discovered the world of hand made ebonite pens. There was not much variety, but we could make them interesting at our end by changing the nibs, mixing the inks and making our own new colours, etc. As our pen stock increased we found new ways to use many pens- like using a pen and colour for a subject or one note book or one day of the week! There was a bit of interesting astrological element there to the colours associated with the planets, or day of the week or one's own birth star! [ eg. Red for Sunday and Tuesday, Green for Wednesday, Yellowish saffron for Thursday, Black for Saturday, etc. ] So, there are ever so many ways of making this hobby interesting!
Very interesting video. I guess I have explored different style pens to the point where now I exploit certain models. And I explore within those exploited models. This was so very interesting! And I am still exploring inks. But I really love my fountain pens. This sounds oh so sad, but I think of many of them as friends. They are always there for me and never let me down. Dr. Brown, do you think I need some more therapy??? Ha, ha.
I think I've plateaued as ive been less than triggered with the new pens being launched or added ... I'm not sure why but I've found that quite a few times the price charged seems far in excess of what the pen is. I'm swerving towards custom pens, the challenge being the process of creation of the pen itself... As you mentioned .. I have what I wanted now, so where do I go from here?
How to keep the pen hobby interesting you say? Well... The way I do it... is by sleeping on it. Where does the spark exist? Every interest has a spark. Sometimes it is in the engineering and innovation of the pen (to name an example). Something we wish a pen would have that it doesn't... We may find a missing quality in pen we love that another wouldn't have and vice versa. Each one is like a friend, they all have their own personality and although sometimes they may share the same traits they aren't always "the same." Anyway I rant... though I did dreamed that one day someone will make a Legend of Zelda fountain pen with a gold nib that has the Triforce log on it and the Master Sword as a clip (innovative dream right?)... I've settled for the iridium point LOZ FP that comes in a set at game stop. Anyway... Sleep.. sleep is good.. dreams? Yes. Dreams are good too... zZzzzZZzzZZzzz
Is that a box of Honore De Balzac back there? How on earth can you still have some of that liquid gold left? #Jealous if that's the case. Great videos man!
Goedemiddag Stephan, bedankt voor al je filmpjes. Ik kijk er graag naar.Ook zoals je ziet oudere. Sorry dat ik reageer op een You Tube filmpje van 8 maanden terug. Ik wil graag gebruik maken vandaag je Nederlands bent en misschien mij advies kan geven. Bestaat er in Nederland ook een groep(en) van vulpen liefhebbers? Ik weet inmiddels dat er in november een penbijeenkomst wordt gehouden in Tilburg. Wat en waar kan ik gelijkgestemde vinden?. Ja, in al de pennenspeciaalzaken. Appelboom, La couronne du Compte, Roos en natuurlijk Akkerman Den Haag ( en een klein beetje Akkerman Amsterdam), maar dat is wel ook gericht op kopen. Dus nogmaals sorry dat ik je "gebruik" voor mijn vraag. Nog een prettige maandag en bedankt voor het lezen en antwoord geven. www.jokado.nl Groetjes uit Amsterdam Osdorp. Jolanda van der Veen.
I started using fountain pens two years ago, in the first six months I've already got around 50 pens, mostly cheap Indian and Chinese pens, not to mention another 50 plus bottles of inks I acquired. Now I only use 16 pens for journaling, 3 brass fountain pens for EDC (planners in my Traveler's Notebook and go to or jot down whatever using Tomoe River pocket book I made myself). I write journal everyday, usually 5 pages sometimes more than 10 pages a day. I have used 22 A5 notebooks, 17 of them are Midori MDs. So this is how I use them; I numbered the 16 pens, and I change pen every 3 pages and I also numbered the inks. Thus I can easily track down which inks in use and what ink is going for the next empty fountain pen. Now I trimmed down the the bottle of inks to 32 bottles since I realized that I don't like sheeny and high saturated inks anymore. And now I kinda know what inks suit the fountain pens I use, for example my CH912 FA nib only behaves well with Iroshizukus. This system keeps the hobby very interesting and I'm so happy with this, I don't plan to get more fountain pens (hopefully) at least until the end of this year.
I'm watching your videos since 2012. I didnt always liked your progression, but this one is clearely a favourite.
A well thought out discussion. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. For me, I don’t think that I will get bored and that’s because I have several interests. I may focus on FPs for a while, and then get more involved in fly fishing , or take out my guitar and polish up my rusty skills. It’s not so much that I get bored with one as it is that I’m drawn to another. In gestalt terms, one interest moves into the foreground and others shift to the background for a while, but none of them disappear.
Using the squirrel metaphor, the squirrel may exploit acorns for a while, then hickory nuts catch its attention and it goes through the explore/exploit phases with hickory nuts until an old friend reminds the squirrel of a beech tree they used to visit, and so on.
Stephen, thanks again for a very insightful post. One way I try and keep this hobby interesting is by working on my cursive writing, I used different pen / ink / paper combinations and each one brings a new experience.
By the way, love these posts as they always make me think.
Thank you for posting your thoughts on this! You are so right about creating a group in your area. I always thought there wasn't anyone in my area (SE Florida) who'd share this hobby, but we put out feelers, found a place to meet monthly, and have 20 -25 people who meet, with nearly 200 on our email list! We have a wonderful, diverse group and I love the easy interaction between members, young and old. Its been a bit over three years, and I still marvel at it.
Pretty good video, but I'd argue that the "exploitive" stage isn't as exciting than the "exploration" stage of things. So trying to keep it in "Exploration" is useful to help keep up.
Here's some options to help with the "Exploration" stage:
1) If you can't afford the pen you really want, then save money for it. Set aside a special fund that you allocate a little bit of money, each month, into. Then, when you save up the money, then buy a pen you really like. Cap it to a pen or two a year, max. Focus on quality vs quantity.
2) Tie in other hobbies related to the pens. Ever try journaling? Ever try calligraphy? How about drawing/sketching? Dot Journal? In other words, find ways of *using* what you own already.
3) Similar to what the video said - but look at other nib options. For example, a Lamy has the ability to have nibs swapped at relative cheapness. Noodlers too (but lamy has a great option set). Point is, try different nibs, learn to write with each, modify nibs you have extra of (add smoothness, flex, etc).
We had a similar kinda topic hit Reddit, and it relates here. The idea is, when we start into fountain pens, we collect a lot. If you have pens sitting around, not being used, that's a good indication that you have too many pens and it's time to stop buying new ones til the old ones are either sold or given away. Quality > Quantity in this case. If you have a few duplicate pens, of ones you really like, then having one or two in storage makes sense if you want to avoid being without the pen incase something happens to the current one. But, if you have a diverse collection, try thinking about pruning it a bit and saving up for new, higher quality, pens.
It is very useful. Your point is well taken. I’m an exploiter, and I am in the process of getting a legacy pen for each of my grandchildren. At this point I have 9 with one more coming next year. So that’s 10. I expect to be around 15 or 16 pens (I live in Utah) I love your story of getting into fountain pens. What my hope is long after I’m gone my glorious grandkids will keep their pen from me, in a place of honor. They will always remember Papa and his pens. A couple may even turn into fountain pen lovers too.
Excellent video Stephen and very timely for me. I really enjoy your “talk” videos. They’re insightful and thought-provoking. Thank you.
Thank you. That was very enlightening. I have widened my range of fountain pen use. I looked for the perfect planner that had fountain pen friendly paper (InkWell Press). Then I began to get into travelers notebooks, and set up quite a few for topics I'm interested in, and of course, I use my fountain pens in all of them. That involved finding the best paper too, and I began making my own inserts. I got interested in flex pens and sheening inks. I have used the inks to paint with and have gotten amazing effects. My latest interest is in other forms of art. I have learned all about colored pencils, watercolors, etc. I recently bought some lovely metallic water colors to paint with, and I'm experimenting using them on black paper. Amazing what they can do. I am glad that fountain pens, which I still love, have lead me to all of these other new hobbies and interests.
How wonderful! That’s an awesome story and great tips as well.
I may be a couple days late on this one, but THANKS for another analytical one Doctor Brown! It's hard to relay just how much I appreciate this side of your videos. They are thoughtful, thought provoking, and facilitate understanding, not only of myself but of other reviewers and commenters as well. Please continue these so-called ramblings. They're wonderful.
Very helpful and thoughtful video! One of my favorite ways to keep the hobby interesting is pen pal letter writing! When I first started back in fountain pens I overwhelmed myself with pens, inks, papers, etc. but now I'm really starting to see what I like best and "specializing" or exploiting I guess. LOL There is always something fun to explore too! Lovely video - thank you!!!!!!
Like Peter, I love these posts because they make me think. I've collected over 30 pens and almost as many inks in the last year. What you said, Stephen, resonated with me because I, too, was interested in collecting and exploring different brands of pens and different nibs during the early phase of my collecting. Now, what resonated with me, is that I've lost the passion of exploring and now I'm just exploiting the pens and inks I have, and enjoying the ones I like the most. For example, I used to switch my pens everyday. Now, in my rotation, if I come upon one of my favorites, I use it for a couple days instead of just one. And, through my exploring, I've found some inks work better in some pens than others. So instead of having a different ink for each pen, I'm exploiting a single, reliable ink for more than one pen. But I've found this makes my hobby that much more enjoyable, because the pens I love, with the inks that work best in them, make me even happier now. Thank you, Stephen, for validating the cessation of my craving for new pens and inks and my love for the ones I already have.
I have recently decided that I must use what I have. That can be challenging in the workplace. Exploitation/exploration consists of TWSBI and various stub nibs between 0.5 and 1 mm and exploiting Nibgrinder and Diamine. Good times ahead.
I think it is in general much better and healthier to focus on what you have and appreciate it than trying to get the next new big thing over and over again.
You don't need a million pens, find a few that make you happy and focus on them. A pen that sits in the cupboard because you have too many to use them is very sad.
Plus, it costs less money this way.
I'm not saying that collectors are wrong, do what makes you happy, but people should try it. Sometimes less is more.
Thanks for the video, I really like these "discussion" type videos which are not about specific pens but general ideas about this amazing hobby.
"Focus on what you have and appreciate it."
"Find a few that makes you happy and focus on them."
Well said.
Goes with the idea of buying tools more for their utility than their novelty (though the occasional shiny/sparkly pen is exciting).
hehehe, sounds like some people are thinking the grass is always greener over the next mountain (might be a more USA/Canadian thing because exploration is relatively recent historically). Your advice of exploiting and exploring niche areas is perfect Dr. Brown, but that is to be expected from someone from your profession. Thanks for another spot on post about not only pens but our thoughts and incites .
Thank you for a very interesting video with some very useful points made. I am still at the exploration stage but don't really have the money for exploring... I keep an ink journal which I find really helpful as it can remind me of the fact that I really don't need another green ink as I already possess 22 shades of green ink! I also keep a pen journal and I write lots of letters to my pen-pals using my various fountain pens.My pen-pals use fountain pens too and sometimes they use an ink I have been lusting after and I look at it and go "Meh" and realise that it's not the colour for me. We also send each other ink samples so we can try out different inks. Writing letters is a good way to find your favourite pens, inks and paper. If a pen isn't comfortable enough or reliable enough to write a letter with then it goes.
I also journal and bullet journal and do silly sketches in my journals with whatever pen I am writing with. My sketching is at the level of a 5 year old but I don't mind because it reminds me of an important event or something funny. Looking back at journals from up to 7 years ago is entertaining, although then they were written in gel pen and coloured pencil. Using my fountain pens to write down my thoughts and ideas helps me to gain more from my days and my experiences. Writing with a fountain pen has allowed me to slow down and engage with life in the way that scribbling with gel pens and felt-tip pens didn't. Fountain pens have rituals, the process of sucking ink up with a piston-filler or converter and the process of cleaning them in order to try out a different ink. I find the use of fountain pens to be both magical and therapeutic: my own version of mindfulness.
Dr. Brown, thanks for yet another few minutes well spent. The restaurant analogy struck me in particular since I am a chef by trade. :)
I've been using fountain pens as my primary writing instrument for a longtime now, maybe 20 years? Not quite sure. And when I first started it was "simply" because I had gotten tired of all the cheap plastic pens I'd been discarding. A fountain pen seemed to me to be a better use of materials since I could just refill the pen and keep using it. And, for a long time that was enough for me. More recently--4 or 5 years back--I started to get interested in pens as more than just tools and started to try to learn about them and to try as many different ones as I could. And that was a blast! Bought a lot of pens, some pretty cheap and some a bit pricey. And have loved what I've learned from that. I now have a very good idea about what I want in a pen which has, for me, two primary effects: one is that I'm not buying a pen on the chance that I will enjoy it, my decisions are more informed now. The othe effect is that I don't get surprised as often. That is both a good and bad thing; while I'm not as often disappointed by a pen, I also am not as often happily surprised by a pen. To combat that a little I am, occasionally, deliberately choosing to buy a pen that is as different from my usual preferences as I can. That may mean something as simple as buying a brand I am not interested in nor knowledgeable of, or a nib size/style that isn't my preferred "M" nib (which was why I bought, for example, a TWSBI Eco with an architect grind) or some other way of pushing the edges of what I "need" to have in a pen. As you say, the exploration in the exploitation seems to be a good balance.
Thank you again, kind sir!
(Oh, you did use "found" correctly. :) )
Small reminder that even with pens life is not a bed of roses. I thought hard and then got a TWSBI Eco with architect grind, like you. I hate it.
Truly appreciate your thoughtful remarks. I have converged on a set of pens and inks that I enjoy using. I was not sure if I was supposed to feel guilty when viewing posts of others who seem to acquire a new pen every time there is a sale or discount? I am feeling much better now that you have explained the concept of exploration, exploitation and "focused exploration". Thank you.
We men love pidgeonholes to keep our stuff organized and separated. Thinking of a single pursuit in this way allows us to split a single pursuit into three, and move easily between them.
Whenever I purchase something not consumable, I think of the space it will take in my life and whether it justifies the purchase. Although pens are small, twenty of them begin to occupy space and become clutter. So I tend to make the most of the ones I have, with very occasional additions.
Also, getting into nib tuning extends the hobby and means that a cheap pen can become an excellent writer. This is now a major part of owning fountain pens for me.
My way is to keep writing with my pens almost everyday. No matter 10 mins or 30.
Thanks Stephen for those wise words. I am fortunate perhaps in that i never have lost interest or become bored with the hobby, i find it just as appealing now as i did in the beginning and that was a long time ago (over 40 years ago) .
You are a superb teacher Stephan! We need more like this.
I really enjoy your "just talking" videos. You always add a lot to the conversation about the pen collecting/using hobby. I have taken a similar route in my collecting as well. At its largest my collection was over 80 pens both modern and vintage. I have been gradually selling off the less used or "exploited" pens in my collection and focusing on specific styles and brands that I really enjoy. I have some pens in my collection that I was sent for reviews that really impressed me and have stayed in for the time being, but they may be parted with in the future. As you said previously, there is a difference between collecting and just hoarding. I find the best part of this hobby is interacting with other enthusiasts. Either at shows, online, or just in stores. Everyone has a different reason for being in this hobby and the stories and motivations are always fascinating to hear.
Great video. I unexpectedly settled into my exploitation phase three years ago. Even more surprisingly, my pen of choice is one I had zero interest in when I was exploring. One night I bought a Lamy 2000 on impulse from eBay, and that was it for me. Everything clicked. Now I have four in varying nibs, finishes, and vintage plus pencil and ballpoint. I still have a handful of my other pens, but I rarely use them.
What I try exploring is use cases for fountain pens. I've started sending a lot of postcards and recently journaling. I haven't had enough time to learn proper calligraphy, so I learn just one interesting way to draw a certain letter at a time. Your computer has a lot of fonts, just imagine how many different fonts can you learn to make your handwriting interesting :) All these can keep me busy for a while :)
As a new subscriber I am continually fascinated by the topics you pursue, and probably more importantly, why! May I compare and contrast for a moment? I am new to this Fountain Pen Hobby. I have spent the last 8 months exploring and exploiting the Color pencil world. As a new "Colorist" in these short 8 months I have amassed over 12 different sets of colored pencils -- Marco Renoir from France, Faber-Castell from Germany, Huang Hui from China, Schpirerr-Farben from Germany, etc. to total over 1,300 colored pencils! So, yes, I have shifted my approach now in regard to colored pencils. This shift topic that you addressed is very timely for me! It will help me so much in my new found Fountain Pen Hobby. Never would have thought that I needed a paradigm shift in my hobby as a Colorist! Thank you for this, Steve!
Lyra Polycolor for the win.
To be honest; I find it weird when people talk about "the fountain pen hobby". In my mind that makes about as much sense as referring to weightlifting as the "dumb- and bar-bell hobby" or to painting as the "easel hobby". Hobbies are activities and "fountain pen" is not an activity. Colleting them is, tinkering with them is, nerding out about them is, using them for writing or drawing is. I guess "the fountain-pen hobby" might work as a collective term for all fountain-pen-related activities.
People who are losing interest could ask themselves which of the fountain-pen related activities it was that drew them in, why it lost its charm and whether one of the other activities migh appeal to them. But ultimately; losing interest in a hobby is only a bad thing if you stick to it no matter what, because then it becomes a chore. Hobbies are not about some goal, they're about the fun you have while you practice them, and if they stop being fun, do something else.
MrAranton I think they mean "collecting fountain pens" is the hobby. And collecting definitely gets boring after a while.
Mmm. Is this a hobby or just a preference for better tools? How many pens is fussy? How many is just weird? Sometimes I think there's a lot of us just testing pens x inks x paper and never writing much more than shopping and to do lists. We see Oooh shiny! and dive down another branch of the rabbit hole and it never ends. There are worse obsessions, but as I get older, I don't think there's anyone who wants to inherit my hoard.
Exploring within exploitation- I love the concept. I really enjoy videos like this where you pontificate on assorted things related to the hobby. Thanks for still delivering great videos after so many years!
ive began to write a book, its a great way to put all of my pens ink and paper to use
I love and appreciated your sentiments, I love your exploring within exploitation concept. It is mine also. I can only agree the same for myself throughout my career when using my beloved fountain pen. My fountain pen 'hobby' is maintained by writing in my black and gold embossed Nocturnelle Journal, Grande with my Visconti Homo Sapiens that I have owned for nearly 11 years. I'm a head librarian and writer, and I thank you for your splendid thoughts and video presentation.
Build your taste in fountain pens, by building on your depth of knowledge, activities, and relationships around the hobby. It always the journey that excites, not the hoards of pens, ink, and supplies acquired. I'm approaching there myself.
Incredibly well thought out! Thank you for the excellent insights to apply to my collection.
Brian’s channel got me into using and collecting fountain pens as well. Just found your channel and am enjoying it very much!
Excellent "rant" and definitely not a waste of anyone's time, in my humble opinion. My handwriting has not "improved" as far as I am concerned, but its character and individuality increases every time I pick one of my fountain pens and put that nib to paper. When you said "zen-like" I was saying the words at the exact same time. I had to laugh! So of course, she says "What are you laughing at?" and my reply was "You wouldn't understand?". I've tried to get her to venture into the fountain pen world with me but to no avail. That doesn't mean I'm going to stop trying. Ever. Keep up the good work with these videos. Peace out.
Greetings from Malaysia, I am very taken by what you said, "enjoy what you have"... so much so, I keep in mind whatever is mine to use, not only from fountain pens but to whatever I have... tq
Great video. Puts things in perspective. Thanks.
With the advent of very affordable Chinese manufacturing, you rarely run out of things to explore that will not break your bank. I just got onto Aliexpress and saw dozens of inks for example, some supposedly hand mixed, some not. Some with funny names, maybe an INK branded ink. Maybe an ink that comes in a glass medicine bottle and you are like 'what the sticks is this?'. But I already know that Waterman Serenity Blue or Parker Blue-Black are my work inks for every occasion..
But you know, it can be fun to every month put an order online for 5 dollars for a handful of inks or pens you know nothing about. That can end up in tears or honestly surprising.
Thanks' Doc, well spoken. I think, key word here is experience(s). We do hobby, because of experiences. No matter, if these are positive or not. Of course we are looking positive ones, but negative ones gives us content to hobby as well. As long we get experiences out of hobby, it will keep us interested. Experiences can be looking for new items, making comparisons, searching (background) information, purchasing, selling, having discussion, taking apart to net community, making reviews, keeping blog etc. It's not buying either having a lot of fountain pens nor using them or making reviews of them, it's what you get out of it, - experiences. Learning new related to your hobby, no matter how, good or bad gives you experiences. As Doc said, we can look wide respect or you can dig deep into one topic, but the issue is that we get something, experiences out of it. This is how I see keeping hobby interested.
You could carry over what you said into any collecting hobby. Coins, stamps, etc.
Great video - love these musings. Another thing that people could do is take a more active relationship with fountain pens: perhaps learning how to grind nibs, or repairing vintage pens, or mixing inks to create one's own colors. This is what I am beginning to consider.
Dear Mr.Brown, you just spoke my heart. I too am going through the same struggle. I have 24 pens, and I don't get time to enjoy all of it. I have a beautiful Lamy Al star that I haven't touched in 4 months. Makes me kinda sad. Though I really want to try a gold nib , I real can't afford it. It was really getting boring and then you spoke your mind today.
Thank you very much.
Platinum 3776 is 14K gold nib and can be bought for about $135. direct from Japan. Great pen.
Peter Puleo Thank you very much. :)
But again, $ 135 is a huge amount for me right now. But in future, I'll definitely buy it. And I've decided that my first gold nib would be Platinum 3776. :) :)
Thank you for this, Stephen. Excellent video.
I'm newer to fountain pens and a student (meaning very little pen $). I can't do much exploring because of that but I think exploiting in this case is also helpful. Also on the bright side, my exploring time will last longer.
I enjoyed the thoughtful video, it made me reflect on not only my hobbies, but some of my life’s pursuits. Thank you Dr. Brown.
3:01
everybody: I'm no scientist but...
sbrebrown: I'm a scientist!
lol
Just send me a bill, Dr Brown for this wonderful life consultation. It was very useful, as you had hoped it would be when you signed off.
Have a great week my friend.
How to keep it interesting.... Get into calligraphy and get some pens with corresponding nibs? Experiment with different inks. Every fountain pen lover should have an ink book. But, I'm down to about one dozen pens that once I have them, something truly special will have to come along for me to add to my collection. Even someone who has fallen far down the rabbit-hole eventually realizes that having a small army or steel, and gold #6 Jowo nibs in Fine point on numerous pens is a tad bit much. (To put it mildly.)
I'm currently on specialty nibs. A Sailor 1911 with the Zoom nib is on my short list. And earlier today I pulled the trigger on a Conklin Duragraph with an Omniflex nib. I also have my eye on a Franklin Christoph pen with a 14k needlepoint nib. Not really into vintage pens, but after acquiring a 2nd Tier pen (Diamond Standard from the 1920s restored only with a new sac), I'm starting to see the appeal of such pens. Would like to get a Parker 51 in Very Good to Excellent condition. Along with a nice vintage Sheaffer from the '20s or '30s. (Back when the white dot actually meant something.)
Another idea is exotic materials. Though the world of independent hand-turners from existing kits in which they can work with differing exotic materials.... Not one a novice collector should immediately jump into. I have a gorgeous fountain pen made from a kit, but the young man used malachite for the barrel and cap. Another individual who was supposed to make me an embellished cocobolo pen, failed to deliver, is ignoring my e-mails, and forced me to do a credit card charge back for me to get my money back. But exotic materials is another way to keep things interesting. I mean at some point in time, no matter how far we fall down the rabbit-hole of this hobby, eventually we're going to hit the bottom. Happens to all of us.
Thank you Stephen.. I also enjoy the philosophical chats that you do.. it's nice to know what another person is thinking about this process. I do indeed find myself now years deeply into my enjoyment of fountain pens beginning to come back to my own new.. not so new, but not used for a while, pens. That has reinvigorated my passion for this world. One question that still puzzles me:🤔how does the squirrel use the fountain pens?
Best to you both!
Frank from Boulder, Colorado
Thank you for another thought provoking video. As you put it. I have been in the exploitation phase for many years now. I have always put it that I am a fountain pen user not collector. I have a handful of pens I love. Sure I have a short list of pens I would enjoy owning. At this point I am not sure morally I can justify spending the the 2 or so thousand dollars when I have already invested substantially into this hobby. So I write l, carry, and admire my beautiful pens.
Great vid ... I think what got me into it more than anything was the enthusiastic reviewers and distributors like Brian Goulet and your TH-cam channel .
i like your approach, thank you for sharing
I’ve thought of hand writing different sections of the Bible in different color inks with different color pens. Would be a good way to relax and really get my money out of the pens and ink.
Terrific application. I find writing and repitition the only way to memorizing passages that are then always with me. The writing keeps the pens in the mix.
You are such a sweetheart. Most people do not expose themselves in terms of their feelings. I find your musings abstract but also affective as educators like to jargonize (took a noun and made it a verb-what fun). Sending this video to my very intellect oriented son who I may have indoctrinated into the joys of fountain pens.
Absolutely fascinating, Stephen. Personally, I’ve committed to not keeping more pens than I can fit in a 12-pen case (you can do the math on how many pens I’m allowed to have). And right now I’m at 12 with a pen on order. So by law, my exploration phase (which sure *seemed* like 20 pens in 2 months) is basically over. Not that I don’t watch new videos and peruse newsletters, but I know that if I want something new, I have to give up something else. I ended up with mostly Viscontis, plus one of several other brands, and they are all great. So for me, it’s just using them, cleaning and re-inking them, and admiring them that keeps up my interest up. By the way, nice Johnny Cash reference! I’m a metal head, but Johnny was the man. 🤘
Thank you, Stephen!
That is exactly IT!
Fantastic Video, as always. I've mentioned it before in posts that you got me into the Amazing World of Kaweco. I love those little pens and they work so well. I have a few other really nice and Expensive Branded pens as well and I'm continuing with expanding my collection but EDC and cant stop smiling and using my Kaweco's I've bought so many and want all the Nibs and finishes and I've even moved onto the Ballpoints and Rollerballs that Kaweco make. Including the Pencil's and pencil variants. I only buy the ones i actually plan to keep. I still have a Holly Grail category
i/e a Visconti, Mont Blanc 149 and a few others and one day i will have some. In the meantime I still have the Bug for pens and collecting them but my Favorite are the Kaweco mini fountain pens. I thank you and your enthusiasm and all your videos you've made and continue to make. My bucket list has something very big to me on it and that is to Meet you and share my pen collection with you one day. It may never happen but there it is. oh and last thing holly grail SBRE BROWN ink and Pen Combo is a must have as well one day!!!
The way I have kept it interesting is restraint. In the past I’ve had trouble with other things I got into, but I never allowed myself to get carried away with pens and give in on the impulse to buy every pen out there. I buy carefully, I do a lot of research first, which is half the fun, and buy mostly based on performance - not because I want every color, for example, of every Twsbi ever made, or those “indie” pens that come in so many colors but all have the same basic nibs. I’ve been pretty good at staying out of that rabbit hole. Also, I do NOT got to pen shows, because it’s a lot easier to talk myself out of a particularly beautiful pen I see online than it would be if I saw it in person.
It’s been four years since I bought my first fountain pen, and I still have under 30, which is think is awesome for an impulsive person like myself.
Stephen, you described my pen life exactly. I am in the exploitation mode and I have discovered what I really like. I plan to sell a lot of my pens and USE the ones I really love. I do have a collection interest which is not with expensive pens so I will collect those and widdle down the others. Same with ink too. I can't keep up with it all (financially or otherwise)... I do know what inks I like now and I don't mind sticking to them. Such a very encouraging video and not hyped out to SELL...SELL... SELL (This has been a problem too.. running around the circle of social media and buying with show and tell) Really thank you!!
Wish I’d watched this video 200 pens ago. 🙂
Good advise for beginners like me, who waste a lot of time and money, exploring all the different models of fountain pens. For me it's a good idea to explore and exploit, after earning money again start explore and exploit. But it's very difficult to control exploring 😁
I think I have finally completed my exploration phase. I was looking for good pens to draw with. I had an epiphany one day not long ago: the quality of my drawings is unaffected by the quality of the pen (For you writers, a similar consideration would be, does your writing look better or even any different with each of your pens?). For the time being, at least, I am focussed on results, not process. So my exploration has ended with finding the ideal pen for me: the Pilot Petit1. It reliably makes a nice mark, it doesn't take up much space, and it costs NOTHING ($3.25). Now I gotta go back to the drawing board and exploit.
And my grail pen currently is the Rotring 600. I'm nothing if not inconsistent.
Well said. Thanks!
Or you can start grinding your nibs. Move from user / collector to creator. New things to learn and do will keep things interesting for a while. Or ask someone with a lathe, get an acrylic blank and try to turn it. Craftsmanship will keep your interest for a _long_ time.
This was a very interesting and useful video, Stephen. Are you Dutch, by the way?
I am
Great video :-) let me know if you ever get tired of the Akkerman Duofold. Lol
Ive been through a bunch of pens, and I finally have a "perfect" collection, (for my taste) the most notable being the Lamy 2000 and the Matte Black VP.
Very nice. For some also it is the entry point to creating or modifying pens to meet a need or desire. (I'd like to say I'm in this group, but I'm notably short on action.)
"at that point it's very easy to be pulled into a hobby" = falling down the rabbit hole? (As Brian Goulet would say it :D )
I'm by the way one foot into this rabbit hole... And there is a really nice fluffy grey-blue rabbit!
Nice change of pace, Mr. Brown. :^)
Liking fountain pens doesn't need to be a destination. One's identity doesn't need to hang on it. I realize your _TH-cam_ identity has, so far, hung on it, but that could change. You have interesting insights & a point of view - and an interesting personal presence in video. If your pen fetish has waned a bit, there's no reason your channel couldn't branch out to other topics or activities. Personally I'd welcome it! Don't let yourself be cornered by any limited pursuit or identity, life's too short. And honestly, you're capable of contributing, on broader issues.
I've reduced how many I have inked now, after buying 26 pens my "go to" is actually my first pen, a Parker Frontier because of sentimental reasons, went through college and love letters with it. My interest now is in penpals who only use fountain pens, and maybe I need to find a watering hole to find more like minded people to keep the embers glowing. FP evangelism will always fan your interests into flames. Great video, thank you.
Hi Stephen. I found what you said really interesting, and also very helpful. Many thanks. Martin
I wish I could take this approach and, for example, just collect and use Sailor Pro Gears. But it's hard to not be tempted by every reasonably priced new release, or every limited edition colour of Safari.
Love your musings
Hi Stephen. Will you give a tour of your collection, your desk and all the interesting things in the background?
Well said.
Hi! I am new to this hobby so I am in both exploration and exploitation phase. You mentioned you are a scientist, if you do wet lab, can you recommend an ink that is good for a lab book ? Other that lightfastness and water resistance, is there any thing else I should keep in mind ? I find writing with fp much gentler on the hand with all the writing, typing and pipetting that I do :)
Montblanc Permanent Blue!
sbrebrown thank you :)
Dr Brown was quite emphatic there, and sticking with penmakers own inks like Mont Blanc and Waterman rarely gets you into trouble, like with any ink containing iron gall, I have a couple recommendations for trouble free blacks: The Document Black and Archival black from de Atramentis I have thoroughly tested for my own use in very average pens, Pilot Metropolitans, and after months of being inked, the pens just started writing, and cleaned up without special techniques. The de Atramentis inks are not cheap at $20/ 35 ml, but they are bulletproof.
For a slightly less bulletproof ink in blue that can be had in a PINT size on Amazon for $20, I offer Pilot Namiki Blue, the same ink Pilot puts in their blue cartridges. There is no mention in company literature about water resistance, but I tested it after another reviewer mentioned that they were shocked by its water resistance. It comes in 60cc bottles commoml for about $11, but from Amazon sources in 90, 120, and the pint, or 240cc sizes. That last one is the cheapest ink per ounce I've ever seen, and I think it might make it into great grandchildren's inheritance! It is VERY water resistant.
Frank L Parker thank you so so much for all of your suggestions... I will be looking into de atraments since I can get them quite a bit cheaper here in Germany. I was going to get the Rohrer und klin iron gall ink but then discovered that it rusts the pens if not properly cleaned so I opted for others :)
Nice one sbrebrown!
Thank you, Stephen.
I really enjoyed this. You have some really good points.
"most of us don't run to the shop and buy 50 pens in 2 weeks"....ha. speak for yourself. I'm not addicted, it's normal.I stepped down the rabbit hole and popped out in Australia"
N English -- thanks for the laugh. The best laughs are those that hit so close to the target!! :D
Not boring. Very much interesting and really educational💖💖💖
Nice video! I would substitute "enjoyment" for "exploitation". Have fun and have a good day.
Very nicely put.
So interesting! Things become interesting partly due to themselves and partly due to circumstances. When I started using fountain pens 65 years ago, things in India were quite interesting. We had access to all British and many American brands- at very affordable prices. ( colonial policy had made imports cheap; Parker was a very affordable, EDC pen, not a snobbish luxury item) Government of Independent India became socialistic, and import of pens ( and of musical instruments like Hohner's mouth organ, sports goods or even basic cameras like Kodak Brownie, and simple mechanical Swiss watches like Favre Leuba or Roamer) was banned. But smuggling flourished and it was interesting to get these smuggled items, beating the system! Then, some enterprising Indians manufactured pens locally imitating famous models- eg. Parker 51 was rendered in an imitated version , named "Wilson". It wrote as well as the Parker, and we could even fit a gold nib. We could get smuggled Japanese Pilot pens. So it was interesting to engage the system and defeat it! In the late 70s and 80s, the fountain pen declined due to cheap ball pens. But then I discovered the world of hand made ebonite pens. There was not much variety, but we could make them interesting at our end by changing the nibs, mixing the inks and making our own new colours, etc. As our pen stock increased we found new ways to use many pens- like using a pen and colour for a subject or one note book or one day of the week! There was a bit of interesting astrological element there to the colours associated with the planets, or day of the week or one's own birth star! [ eg. Red for Sunday and Tuesday, Green for Wednesday, Yellowish saffron for Thursday, Black for Saturday, etc. ] So, there are ever so many ways of making this hobby interesting!
Thank you for the great post Stephen :)
Very interesting video. I guess I have explored different style pens to the point where now I exploit certain models. And I explore within those exploited models. This was so very interesting! And I am still exploring inks. But I really love my fountain pens. This sounds oh so sad, but I think of many of them as friends. They are always there for me and never let me down. Dr. Brown, do you think I need some more therapy??? Ha, ha.
that new video intro sounds awfully similar to the one Chef John from "Food wishes" uses on his videos...
Cool haircut
Good
I think I've plateaued as ive been less than triggered with the new pens being launched or added ... I'm not sure why but I've found that quite a few times the price charged seems far in excess of what the pen is. I'm swerving towards custom pens, the challenge being the process of creation of the pen itself... As you mentioned .. I have what I wanted now, so where do I go from here?
Tell people to write letters or books or in journals.
I notice you have a mastersword behind you, do you by any chance play zelda?
Great video
I like your talk videos
Do you sell pens on ebay?
No, only through my website
Thank you.
Wondering if you are a Machine Learning/ Reinforcement Learning practitioner by any chance? :-)
Another excellent video!!! TGIF ALL!!!!
How to keep the pen hobby interesting you say? Well... The way I do it... is by sleeping on it. Where does the spark exist? Every interest has a spark. Sometimes it is in the engineering and innovation of the pen (to name an example). Something we wish a pen would have that it doesn't... We may find a missing quality in pen we love that another wouldn't have and vice versa. Each one is like a friend, they all have their own personality and although sometimes they may share the same traits they aren't always "the same." Anyway I rant... though I did dreamed that one day someone will make a Legend of Zelda fountain pen with a gold nib that has the Triforce log on it and the Master Sword as a clip (innovative dream right?)... I've settled for the iridium point LOZ FP that comes in a set at game stop. Anyway... Sleep.. sleep is good.. dreams? Yes. Dreams are good too... zZzzzZZzzZZzzz
Is that a box of Honore De Balzac back there? How on earth can you still have some of that liquid gold left? #Jealous if that's the case. Great videos man!
Or that's UNICEF isn't it? It's a beautiful ink too.
Goedemiddag Stephan, bedankt voor al je filmpjes. Ik kijk er graag naar.Ook zoals je ziet oudere. Sorry dat ik reageer op een You Tube filmpje van 8 maanden terug. Ik wil graag gebruik maken vandaag je Nederlands bent en misschien mij advies kan geven.
Bestaat er in Nederland ook een groep(en) van vulpen liefhebbers? Ik weet inmiddels dat er in november een penbijeenkomst wordt gehouden in Tilburg.
Wat en waar kan ik gelijkgestemde vinden?. Ja, in al de pennenspeciaalzaken. Appelboom, La couronne du Compte, Roos en natuurlijk Akkerman Den Haag ( en een klein beetje Akkerman Amsterdam), maar dat is wel ook gericht op kopen. Dus nogmaals sorry dat ik je "gebruik" voor mijn vraag. Nog een prettige maandag en bedankt voor het lezen en antwoord geven. www.jokado.nl Groetjes uit Amsterdam Osdorp. Jolanda van der Veen.