Issue number 10 - we’re in the double digits folks!

Today we have BentNib going on a bit of a rant, Nandini’s Doodle and a couple of interesting FP things. I’m also in the process of pulling out a few old favourite pens from storage - maybe some of them will make an appearance in upcoming issues!

Imagine you’re buying a new car, or a TV. What would be operational questions you ask when buying it? We might all have our own set of questions, but here are a few questions I am pretty sure none of us would ask.

For the car, it’s difficult to imagine someone asking these questions: Would the engine from my current car fit in it? How about using an alternative fuel? Can I swap out the tyres with my running shoes? Where can I get it for half the price? What is the customs rate if I got it shipped from Mars?

For the TV: Can I swap out the screen with the silver screen from my great-grandfather’s movie theater? Can I run it on just one button cell? Can I watch all the shows just on my remote instead of the TV? Can I watch six shows at the same time? Where can I get it for half the price? What is the customs rate if I got it shipped from Uranus?

However, these kind of questions seem to be de rigueur for the average Indian fountain pen group. No sooner than anyone mentions a pen, and there are sixteen gentlemen with sixteen questions each, most of them of the abovementioned variety. I get that tinkering is a large part of the fountain pen ownership experience.

I also get that many enthusiasts want to try everything in the first week of fountain pen ownership, and not everyone fights the strong urge to become a nibmeister in the first quarter, pen designer in the second quarter and pen manufacturer in the third quarter after buying their first Bril fountain pen.

However, sometimes it just gets a bit too exhausting. I marvel at the patience and fortitude with which those with decades of experience and expertise in fountain pens deal with the barrage of such questions. Merely watching the questions fly makes me stressed. That is when I quietly leave my phone aside, pick up my fountain pen and notebook and head to my writing table!

The Deccan Advocate came out this week. This pen is the most visible of the Hyderabad-made pens, and the model is made by several penmakers. Typically a large pen of about six and a half inches, it is usually flat-topped, and makes a statement if you pull it out to sign something. As the name suggests, it was apparently very popular with members of the legal profession at some point in its history.

I got mine from Deccan Pens about six or seven years ago. I keep it in rotation every now and then. I love the way the bulky ebonite feels in hand, and in spite of its large size, it’s quite comfortable to write with. It is to be noted that this was also my first Hyderabadi pen - so there’s a bit of sentiment attached to it as well.

In addition, this week’s work pens were the Sailors. Both are never out of rotation, and did duty for work and play this past week.

I came across #21PenQuestions written by Ana over at The Well-Appointed Desk. A fun list of questions, if a bit intense. Maybe one of these days I will get around to answering them. If you answer them, do share - I’d love to showcase it on FP Weekly.

Something that made me go, “What the F… ountain pen?” was the Visconti Iopenna. Now that I have seen it and can never unsee it, I present it to you for your viewing (dis)pleasure. I dare not put the picture here - so you’ll have to click over and check it out for yourself. I am not responsible for anything that happens after you click that link!

Share your take on fountain pens and related things in one (or more!) of our upcoming issues.

Any and all content you share will belong to you and will be credited to your name (or a pen name of your choice) and linked to any of your online profiles. Ideal content would be a write-up between 200 and 400 words with 1 to 5 images.

Here are a few things that can go in the Fountain Pen Weekly:

• Pen / ink / paper ownership experience

• Favorites in FP, ink, paper etc.

• Your social handles with your FP content - Insta, FB, Twitter, Reddit

• Any FP-related content you want to call out - articles, podcasts, videos.

If you have any other ideas as well, do share, and I will be happy to think about it.

That’s all from me this week.

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