What happened to fountain pens?

[DrearyLane]

When I was at secondary school, all work had to be in fountain pens. Ink everywhere, collection of those tiny plastic balls from the cartridges were seen as a “win” and it was a pain to write quickly. Whether to use a classic Parker (which your parents thought was posh but actually harder to find a cartridge in an emergency for) or a stationary box special - still remember my lovely green jungle themed one.

in the past 30 years (The time span between me leaving school and DS starting secondary) they’ve gone.. completely. He doesn’t even recognise what one is.

When did the tide turn? (I’m very grateful it did)

I used to love writing with a fountain pen! We didn’t use them in high school though, just year 5/6 (depending on when our handwriting was deemed good enough).

The only things I physically write now are birthday cards. Everything else is digital. I still might get myself one, just for writing swirly words.

I left school just over 30 years ago. We used biros all the way through school (pencils in primary). No fountain pens at all (although a few people used them be choice to do fancy writing 😀). Just asked my DH and he had to use a fountain pen though but he went to quire a posh grammar that had public school vibes.

I have a selection from cheap to expensive that I use regularly. But Mitsubishi eye gel pens are cheap and nice and great for school children

I use one every day. Have quite a few.

Oddly UK company Diamine produce Registrar Black ink for use by Registars for birth/marriage and death. Also they make for e.g. Treaties and accords.

That makes perfect sense. You want those things still to be readable in hundreds of years.

I was more thinking about business contracts, which need to last a while but not 100s of years but a lot of them are being done using secure software rather than physical signature. Even business letters which used to be printed and physically signed and posted- are now electronic signature and emailed

I bought myself an antique Schaefer about 20 years ago and still use it daily. My writing is so much better with a fountain pen.

I requested one for Christmas that I now use daily for my notes in my diary. A small daily pleasure at work.

I use one every day. I have two, one of them used to belong to my dad.

I have bottles of ink too which I find very satisfying.

I bought DS one when he started school. I think he lost it within a week.

You can get left handed nibs for fountain pens.

DD and I both use fountain pens, we love them.

My, things were different in Britain from here in Australia! I started secondary school in 1976 and never saw a fountain pen anywhere. It was biros all the way.

The issue is that English is written left to right. The ink from a fountain pen takes longer to dry and therefore, left handers struggle not to smudge it. Although there was also added nib issues as a lefty too, but the wet ink was the main problem.

Thank you OP I have just ordered myself a replacement fountain pen having lost my lovely one last year!

Am also left-handed. I was also the first person in my class at primary school to graduate from pencil to write with a fountain pen, a Parker initially, then a Waterman.

Love writing with them, still use one now.

They're fine if you've been taught you write with the right hand position, but not if you fell into the age bracket where they taught that over-the-top writing process.

@User373433
Good point, I'd forgotten about the ink - I'm right handed, as is my sister. My mum, dad & brother are all lefties. When my brother went to university he opened a student account with RBS specifically because they offered a left handed chequebook.

My children have to use them at school - primary COE school. Though they do need to get a pen licence first before being allowed to use ink.

I still use one, I find they make my handwriting look much nicer and I love trying different inks and nibs. When I was a child we worked in pencil but every girl would get a calligraphy set for Christmas at some point, it was great fun.

I'm left handed and never had a problem using a fountain pen.

They are used in schools in Germany to this day. But Germany lives in the past.

I tried a nib pen when I was learning calligraphy many years ago. I don't write in the over-the-top position some left-handers do, but I couldn't get the thick and thin strokes right - even with a left-handed nib.

I absolutely loved my fountain pen 🖋️ Tok all my exams with it up to masters level. So sad they’re not used anymore love how writing looks in proper ink.
That said, I love typewriters too. Love the sound of them and how the words look on the page. I was clearly born in the wrong era.

Depends how you hold the pen.

Barclays and Lloyds bank still do left handed cheque books. HSBC used to do but phased them out a few years ago when cheque books started to become obsolete.

Never a real problem though. I just used to tear the cheque out of the book before writing it and then would write the stub with the book upside down or on an angle. Some banks printed all cheque stubs vertically so could be written at 90 degrees.