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Snipers Hide Penmanship Classroom

I’ve used the meisterstuck series, but have settled on the Montblanc starwalker as my non poors pen.
 
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I learned cursive in school and only wrote in cursive till about 10-12 years ago. I don’t write much anymore other than notes for work. I do still fill out checks in cursive though that’s only a few times a year. Growing up my father was always gone on deployments and phones weren’t always available. He would send us post cards from different countries and towns he went through. I got lots of letters as well. All wrote in cursive. Even as a kid I always admired his penmanship and his way with words. A skill I never got very good at. Still have most of the letters and post cards.
Side note, hard to beat a good pen. I go back in forth from a fine to a wide tip.
Never was big into the felt pens but do admire what they do in the right hands.
 
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All cursive is useful for is signing your name. And since we all got electronic signatures, it's pretty useless nowadays. So yeah, I've very much cool with cursive being done away with in school curriculum. The days of ink wells and faggy looking feather or fountain pens are gone! :D
 
Is there a movement afoot to get us to do our range cards and terrain sketches in cursive?

With all this transgender crap going on, it wouldn’t surprise me to see them doing the range cards and terrain sketches with pastels.

I once had to learn Roman numerals in school! So it sure beats the heck out of me how the Romans erected feats of engineering with that number system.
 
I agree with those above that cursive really has no use these days beyond a signature.

However, it looks nice, and is a nice touch when doing correspondence. It’s also enjoyable to write it as the pen moves across the pad.

I don’t think anyone wants range cards to be written in cursive, lol.

A really good fountain pen for beginners, and general use, is the Pilot metropolitan.
 
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Computer class 8th grade we had these 5.25 inch floppy disk machines we had to "learn" on.

They gave us DOS commands to do shit and let us do a project of our own.

My chosen project was to light up the appropriate pixels to draw an MP40 sub gun. When you hit the enter key it would blast a line of pixels out the muzzle looking like it was firing.

The instructor, Mr Neil, an Art Garfunkel looking dude and kind of spacey, asked "Whats that?"

I told him "An MP-40"

His response "I had one of those in the war, great gun."

I lacked the balls to ask more and had another indication of how flawed I am.
We didn't have computers back then we had engineer rules and slide rules.
Our teachers name was Zeigler and he was 1st MarDiv 100% old corp.
He also doubled at a coach for our high school.
We were running for track and he used to run with us, in a rare moment he told a few of us what caused some of his scares.
I later in life found out that he was brutalized for 2 years, he had bamboo shoved up his fingers.

Thinking about this in what is the first time in over 40 years and it really pisses me off.
That man gave so much just for the youth of today to waste that currency sickens me
There is a shop in my town that repairs typewriters, old school ones.


He has some gorgeous machines in there and Im shocked at the affordability.

He does repairs/service for some high powered authors that wont work on anything but a mechanical typewriter. His parents crapped on him for wanting to do what he does but he is like the keymaker in the Matrix to typewriter people.

Thought of getting my kids one but it would pain me to hear them doing what I did to typewriters as a kid....that being hitting 7-8 keys at once and getting all the letter arms jammed up as well as other stupid shit.


Edit/Add - Fuck now i want to buy one of those typewriters just cause they look cool......would go sweet listening to my antique Hallcrafters SR-19 and typing the great American Porn/Rifle/USMC novel......"There I was in her foxhole......"
It's a lost art to find someone to work on the old machines.
Love that jacket
 
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I have several of their limited editions. They make nice fountain pens

Try a Namiki or Dupont as well
I'd recommend Pelikan. Especially the M800 or M1000. That being said I'm a huge Montblanc and Lamy fan
 
I’ve never used a DuPont or Namike, but have the Lamy.

That DuPont sword looks good! May have to try one out.

I liked the Lamy pen I had.

Pilot fountain pens are great writers for the price.
 
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Pilots are also great, same with Sailor. I use my Lamy 2000 as my note-taking pen.
 
Dont know how their prices are but this where I got my Retro 51 Corsair pen from....


They seem to carry a big inventory.

Dont expect much from my Corsair pen but I couldnt pass it up in those colors. If the nib is smooth and its made of sufficient metal to give it a solid weight Ill be fine. should be delivered to work Saturday according to tracking.....along with a new sheath for the EK Knife. I like the plastic blade cover on the EK sheath but dont like the belt loop attachment. I want on/off without undoing my belt.

In pens my first thought would have been more toward a black resin, classic business pen....the Sailor models look good but than I kind of say buy the real thing get a Mont Blanc.

Pretty sure the Jap surrender was signed by a Parker. I may seek a replica.
 
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Fountain pen people.......as I use mine infrequently whats the best attitude to leave the pen stored in?

On end....so ink drains into cartridge? Flat? Does it matter?

On end seems like a no brainer....like rifles muzzle down to keep oil out of the trigger/stock.
 
I store mine in their side, but I also use them daily.
 
I store mine in their side, but I also use them daily.


Maybe if I took some sweet maple, routed an edge on it, made some custom bores to stand my pen collection which I would probably limit to three - my current Cross, my Retro 51 and now I want a Parker Duofold "Big Red".......keep that thing loaded with my pens so that they are readily available for use rather than boxed and hidden away to the point its inconvenient to get them out and use them........just a thought.
 
Fountain pen people.......as I use mine infrequently whats the best attitude to leave the pen stored in?

On end....so ink drains into cartridge? Flat? Does it matter?

On end seems like a no brainer....like rifles muzzle down to keep oil out of the trigger/stock.
I keep mine horizontally, I wouldn't keep it nib down as I've seen some leak after a while. But if you use it too infrequently the ink may dry up a little or clog depending on the type of ink but a minute of starting it should bring it back to normal.
 
I keep mine horizontally, I wouldn't keep it nib down as I've seen some leak after a while. But if you use it too infrequently the ink may dry up a little or clog depending on the type of ink but a minute of starting it should bring it back to normal.

I keep mine flat, in its box, stored where its less convenient than "that drawer" in the kitchen filled with elastics, a couple screw drivers that fit nothing, some post its and a bunch of shitty pens.

Its dry when I go to use it and requires a cleaning to get it going again.

Ive got to make it a point to use them more.

Lot of fussin over pens here.

Im thinking of a barrel break in post just for the fuck of it.
 
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I keep mine flat, in its box, stored where its less convenient than "that drawer" in the kitchen filled with elastics, a couple screw drivers that fit nothing, some post its and a bunch of shitty pens.

Its dry when I go to use it and requires a cleaning to get it going again.

Ive got to make it a point to use them more.

Lot of fussin over pens here.

Im thinking of a barrel break in post just for the fuck of it.
For break in is it write one line then clean for the first five lines :).

I keep mine in a converted cigar box from Bama pens. But yeah they're more work to deal with but the writing is worth it.
 
For break in is it write one line then clean for the first five lines :).

I keep mine in a converted cigar box from Bama pens. But yeah they're more work to deal with but the writing is worth it.
I write one line, let cool, and then write another line for the first 5 lines.

Clean to a bare nib, and then write 10 lines with no cooling in between. Clean again to bare nib and you should be good to go after that. Helps if you have a bunch of gay body pillows for positional support when writing from barriers.

On a serious note, it’s a pen. Write with it! No need to have a special occasion to use a nice pen.
 
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I write one line, let cool, and then write another line for the first 5 lines.

Clean to a bare nib, and then write 10 lines with no cooling in between. Clean again to bare nib and you should be good to go after that. Helps if you have a bunch of gay body pillows for positional support when writing from barriers.

On a serious note, it’s a pen. Write with it! No need to have a special occasion to use a nice pen.
I agree 100% I use mine almost every time I need to write. The only times I don't are on bad paper. It's a pen and it should be used.
 
My cursive is atrocious. I started using block letters exclusively while writing in my early 30s.

My typing skills on the other hand are pretty decent. Had to take typing 101 (took 102 as well) as a prerequisite for the brand spanking new computer class. Best class I never thought I'd appreciate. Being able to type correctly is one of the most useful skills I have acquired in today's World. Naturally I prefer a keyboard to 'texting' or a touchscreen.



All that to post a pic of this kick ass penholder. 🤠

"Your pen, my good sir."
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A good fountain pen paper (any wet ink pen really) that is readily available is the Tru Red pads at Staples. Smooth, with no bleed through using a medium nib. No feathering either. I use the Tru Red for most of my daily writing tasks.

My field books are Rhodia.

My favorite letter writing paper is Clairefontaine Triomphe A4 size. It's a very high quality paper that feels great to write on.
 
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My handriting is a combination of print and cursive and looks like a 5 year old on acid got ahold of a pen.
Its not the lack fine motor skills as I can take apart mechanical watches, fabricate broken parts and reassemble them to run like new.
My grand father (born in 1898) had a sixth grade education but had learned penmanship in that time. He was a farmer in Comerce Georgia. He would sit down to write and would practice warm up routines before putting pen to paper. My mother had some notebooks where he would write the amount of what seed he needed, what the yield was and break it down by acre. He could look at a field, pace it off and tell how many pounds of seed and fertilizer was needed, all in his head.
I still have his Parker fountain pen with the converter that he used for years. I use it at my bench to write part numbers and jot notes to myself. I use it to draw parts and note the dimensions I need when making parts. I keep hoping to channel his writing style.
I have always envied those with neat penmanship. My wife hand wrote all of our wedding invitations by hand when we got married 30 years ago. We were too poor to afford invitations so she wrote them and painted flowers on them. We only had 20 or so people there so not too many but the invitations were amazing.
 
Pentel P207 mechanical pencil for the last 51 years printing drafting type letters.

Just tried to write cursive and half the letters are printed and half are cursive.

It's just old people secret code writing.

BugIn
 
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Since I rarely do any 'serious writing' I store my fountain pens 'empty' and horizontally. When there is the rare occasion that a fair amount of writing needs to take place, it only takes a few moments to fill up the pen-of-choice for the task.

I learned pretty-quickly that if it isn't going to be used for 'a spell', then best to drain it, wash it, leave it to dry. SO much easier than trying to 're-hydrate' dried/caked ink.

Thankfully though, I've never had one leak on me.

Most of mine are Waterman's, and I've given a fair number of them away over the years, too.
 
I keep mine flat, in its box, stored where its less convenient than "that drawer" in the kitchen filled with elastics, a couple screw drivers that fit nothing, some post its and a bunch of shitty pens.

Its dry when I go to use it and requires a cleaning to get it going again.

Ive got to make it a point to use them more.

Lot of fussin over pens here.

Im thinking of a barrel break in post just for the fuck of it.
You should clean it out every time there will be a delay to the next use. The ink dries and can clog things up
 
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Two pens. One cost $20, and one cost $325 at the time of purchase. Both write the same to me, but the Montblanc is more comfortable for longer sessions and I get more joy when I write with it. Both are fountain pens, both use cartridges.

What I’m saying is you don’t have to spend anywhere near the cost of the higher end pens, but you get more pride of ownership.
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Pentel P207 mechanical pencil for the last 51 years printing drafting type letters.

Just tried to write cursive and half the letters are printed and half are cursive.

It's just old people secret code writing.

BugIn


If you could only read what we write about you in plain view......
 
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I thought I was being tortured, at the time..... Now, looking back 55 years, I was blessed to learn drafting with pen and ink. Penmanship was an extension of drafting. After the drawing was completed, then the lettering and numbering started. White out was not allowed. Only perfection.

Getting a Rapidograph pen set was high tech.

Hobo
 

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I thought I was being tortured, at the time..... Now, looking back 55 years, I was blessed to learn drafting with pen and ink. Penmanship was an extension of drafting. After the drawing was completed, then the lettering and numbering started. White out was not allowed. Only perfection.

Getting a Rapidograph pen set was high tech.

Hobo
I’ve got all of that stuff, stuffed in some closet or other.
 
So should I store my fountain pen nib up, nib down or hrizontal? It usually only sits for two days, three for a long weekend. I was out for three months for surgery and when I returned to work the pen was a mess, dried out ink. Fortunately I could just disassemble it and put it in the ultrasonic tank for a few minutes and it was clean. Rinse it and led it dry overnight and good to go.
 
Ill be getting something like this.....

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That I can throw in my kitchen shit drawer and have my pens at the ready.

This will keep my "precious" pens safe......Im apparently more gentle with my pens than my rifles.

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This will allow me to have them at the ready for dumb notes like this morning letting my son know that the pan he used to make macaroni and cheese still has macaroni stuck in it and if he is going to cook a "second" dinner after I clean from the first one he can put his own shit away.......there is elegance in getting harangued in cursive writing formed with a fountain pen......

Ill actually use my pens more and not get one birthday card per cartridge as they dry out between uses.

Its useful leather unlike all those ball gags and other shit I buy....
 
Ill be getting something like this.....

View attachment 7600859

That I can throw in my kitchen shit drawer and have my pens at the ready.

This will keep my "precious" pens safe......Im apparently more gentle with my pens than my rifles.

View attachment 7600862

This will allow me to have them at the ready for dumb notes like this morning letting my son know that the pan he used to make macaroni and cheese still has macaroni stuck in it and if he is going to cook a "second" dinner after I clean from the first one he can put his own shit away.......there is elegance in getting harangued in cursive writing formed with a fountain pen......

Ill actually use my pens more and not get one birthday card per cartridge as they dry out between uses.

Its useful leather unlike all those ball gags and other shit I buy....
That would be pretty funny.
 
Took an overtime today....

Looks like I got my WWII VJ Day pen......

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Im lead to believe this was MacArthurs pen.....(or one like it)

The Duofold was available in a bright red/orange color that was considered daring in its day. It was also expensive, costing about $7.00 in the 1920s, which would be over $100 in 2020 dollars. Although the Duofold name continued in production until after the war, by 1933, the 1921 design was considered old fashioned and was replaced by the Vacumatic, a more streamlined Art Deco style. It was a bright red 1928 Duofold like the one pictured below that MacArthur used on September 2, 1945. (In fact, there were multiple pens used to sign the multiple copies of the "Japanese Instrument of Surrender" as it was officially called. All were standard black pens, except the Duofold. These pens were distributed as follows: one went to West Point, another two went to US General Jonathan Wainwright, who had surrendered the Philippines, and British LieutenantGeneral Arthur Percival, who had surrendered Singapore, each received a pen, and MacArthur gave the Duofold to his wife. Some writers believe that the pen actually belonged to his wife but at that time pen manufacturers made smaller pens marketed specifically for women so this maybe unlikely.)

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Anyone got any good ideas to lightly buff the permanite and remove some of the oxidation to shine up my new pen?
 
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Nice pen! I will someday get a nice Parker.

As to restoration, I’d bet that there are sites/groups that talk about that and can help. I wouldn’t want to make any uninformed suggestions that could possibly degrade it. Though I would would imagine that good quality automotive polishes would work pretty well.
 
A quick search found that there is lots of good info on restoring fountain pens.

Search on: ‘restoring old fountain pens’
 
Nice pen! I will someday get a nice Parker.

As to restoration, I’d bet that there are sites/groups that talk about that and can help. I wouldn’t want to make any uninformed suggestions that could possibly degrade it. Though I would would imagine that good quality automotive polishes would work pretty well.

Here is another one on Ebay, earlier, only a single gold band instead of two like the surrender pen.

I love that it has been polished...

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If I didnt win my auction i was just going to hit the buy it now on this one....my pocket is hot with OT money and the brain lacks sense.

I waited until 1 minute left in the auction and got nervous watching the bids go up but they didnt hit my $300 bid.

I think i actually got a deal.
 
Mineral oil is my friend, Polishing seems to be about $60 and they go through the pen. This one has already been rebuilt by seller. Messaged him to see if he can clean up the hazing.