The Pen Obsession

Historical accounts, ancient scriptures, knowledge of the past, were all preserved through the pen. From pieces of bamboo, whittled away, to quills, to what we have today.

I have an obsession with pens, and the writing instrument I use matters.

After the obsoletion of the then standard dip pen (a metal nib and holder, dipped in ink), by the mid 1800s until the 1950s, fountain pens were the prominent and most convenient way to write, no need to carry around an inkwell (bottle of ink) and easy-ish to clean and care for - but they were unreliable, scratchy and resulted in a black stained shirt after it inevitably leaked.

Being the only option, out of sheer need, fountain pens for the good part of a century and a half got the TLC they needed, being developed to have incredibly smooth nibs of various shapes and widths, less leaky, less scratchy, and easier to clean and fill. People’s livelihoods became dependant sometimes on tuning and smoothening peoples nibs (nibmeisters - it’s a thing!). Until…

The ballpoint pen (biro, ball pen, whatever) came around in the 1940s, being more user friendly, and acted more like a utility than a hungry pet. It leaked less, lasted longer, was cheaper to manufacture, didn’t stain your chest pocket, and had a satisfying “clicky” noise. A win win, in every situation, each case you can possibly think of. Key word: “you”… As a calligraphy and writing enthusiast, and an avid fountain pen user, I felt an obligation to defend my people who currently remain in a minority (especially in the UK).

With the easy manufacture of plastic goods, fountain pens are no longer exclusively for the filthy rich, entry level ones being from £2-£10 at the time of writing (I know you think I’m crazy, ”Only entry level?!” but please let me carry on…) - These pens have now been fined tuned to prevent leaking, and if you can give it the care it deserves, it’ll serve you well. Your choices of inks are limitless (search up sheening inks if your curious, they’re mesmerising), the smoothness of the writing (with correct tuning) is unmatched, and the quality of a good fountain pen gives it a special place in your heart - phhh, image throwing away an empty pen, or having to buy ‘individual’ refills, what a waste…

Going back to your prized ‘flawless’ ballpoint pen… I found a few flaws, not with the pen, but with how we use it. The ballpoint promotes added pressure, an unnatural state to be writing in (especially for long periods of time) causing cramps, fatigue, and worst of all - DEATH GRIPS. The old methods of holding fountain pens were a loose tripod grip (three fingers, thumb and index around either side of the pen, with the pen resting on the side of the middle) and put minimal pressure on the page - it just wrote. The fingers would not move, as they’re weak and not durable enough for the situation, rather the wrist or forearm (or even better, shoulder, but it takes more practice than even I am willing to put in) would be moved instead, preventing cramping. The ballpoint also wrote best VERTICALLY?! That’s an orthopedically horrible way to hold the pen, and is very straining on the hand, rather, you should hold the pen at about a 45° angle to the page, with the side of the hand and pinky resting on the table. Your writing will become utterly rubbish at first, but with practice, control will be built up until you’ll have the writing stamina and quality of the past.

And now my final complaint (sorry I’ve been needing to get this out), the main surprise people have is the price of fountain pens, but in my view its justified. If you can spend £5 on a coffee, a few hundred on shoes or a watch, a phone (alright a phone is a bit more useful) or other such accessories, then £2-£xx(xx?) on a pen, a tool of utility as much as fashion, a tool of knowledge as much as pleasure, its perfectly fine if you can (though I NEVER see myself paying that much for a pen, I’m not crazy you know). Or you can simply stick to a ballpoint pen becau… NO.