The fountain pen

What is it about a fountain pen that attracts us to writing with it? The ritual of preparation. Much like packing a pipe or preparing the perfect cup of tea or coffee it is an art form and a ritual. The final use or consumption is almost anti-climactic. You hold the pen and admire its beauty and weight, you fill it with ink (pneumatic, vacuum sac, cartridge…), you hold the nib against a crisp new piece of parchment and after the first few strokes the ink starts to form letters and words in a fluid motion across the page and your thoughts take shape in blues and blacks and reds.
So many fountain pens to choose from and these days with vintage collection more popular than ever you can experience what it felt like to write thirty, fifty and even a hundred years ago with a fountain pen.
Lewis Waterman patented the first practical fountain pen in 1884 (seemingly the first that was not plagued with leeks and other problems that self-containing fountain pens had experience since the late 1700's when they first came about) and ever since the production of the fountain pen has gone through many evolutions and improvements as new generations of pen makers have tinkered with the design to create that perfect balance and even ink flow.
The debates on the web amongst aficionados range from the perfect ink to the perfect material (for the nib, the body etc.) to the perfect brand. There really is no perfect brand or pen, but many fantastic creations to enjoy writing with, some from well-established (derogatively called “mainstream”) manufacturers others from artisan shops that create only a few handmade versions.
Not matter what your preference, there is nothing like opening the box of a new fountain pen and feeling the childish excitement as you prepare to write with it.