Ballpoint Pen Rant

[Texas Star]

Have you tried to find refills for ballpoint pens at the druggist or places like Target? I have to go to an office supply, and they don't always have what I want.

I went this week to one and found Cross refills, but no Parkers. They did have a store brand (Foray) to fit Parker ball pens, so I got a refill. When I need it, I'll see how it performs. The card says it's made in Switzerland, not China or Taiwan, thank goodness.

We have a new generation that may never have used a refillable pen. I think I posted here awhile back about a waitress who is smart and a university student. But she'd never seen a refillable ball pen until she saw me using one.

I got her a Parker T-Ball Jotter, their famous basic pen, with a refill. It's getting to where I hope she can find the next refill on her own.

Needess to say, fountain pen ink is also hard to locate. I've pretty much stored my fountain pens.

I think I've seen real changes in my lifetime, and I am hardly ancient. But stuff like this makes me aware that things have really altered in my lifetime, and not all for the good. I really like using a fine pen, not a throwaway, which is awkward to carry, anyway.

Are others here having trouble finding ballpoint refills? Can you easily find the plastic ink refills for fountain pens? The store said they could order a jar of Parker Quink ink, but had no way to get the plastic refill units.

 

[TACC1]

A good writing instrument is a joy to use. Staples and Walmart
carry Parker refills. For Sheaffer's, I either use E-bay, or "Colorado
Pen Direct". Colorado Pen Direct carries good quality products, pens
and refills. Hope this helps. TACC1
By the way, Staples is carrying the new slim-line Sheaffer ball-point.

 

[oldman45]

I love fountain pens. The youth of today do not know what they are missing with the al but total demise of the fountain pen. I have some really nice ones that I still use.

When I was in my senior year of high school, all our work had to be turned in using foutain pens. Ball point pens were out but not popular. Leaks were more common with the ball point than with the fountain pen.

Disposable items such as ball point pens are the reason for the lack of quality refills. A good refill for a Cross, Parker or such will cost more than an entire pack of Bic pens. Again, modern tastes is causing the finer things in life to disappear.

 

[Marshwheeling]

In the '70s and '80s I used fountain pens. The plastic ink refills were readily available. Don't see them any more. Somewhere, I have a nice Mont Blanc fountain pen. I haven't thought about it in years.

 

[Simmer down]

I sometimes use a fountain pen but its high maintenance compared to a bic. Wipe the nib. Start the ink flow, Check the amount of ink before I leave home.

A lot of the paper doesn't take this sort of ink where the bics will write on everything.

My back up pen is a bic

 

[Herknav]

I was once given a fountain pen. I don't use it because it has leaked on a couple of my uniforms.

I use the black click-to-open/close Skillcraft pens that say "Department of Defense" on the side. I made my supply guy go out and get some for the office because they a) fit in a flight suit pocket b) write on just about anything and c) I won't be upset if I lose it.

I have a couple of Cross pens I will probably default to when I retire.

 

[gunlovingirl]

I have one that I've used for years. The generic refills, when you can even find those, aren't as good as the originals. The need for a good pen, or any pen, has diminished. Except to sign a receipt or other document occasionally, everything is done electronically. Few people write letters any more. It's email now. Even signing checks is becoming a thing of the past. It's an electronic, plastic, and throw away society now.

 

[VAdoublegunner]

I've collected and restored vintage fountain pens for a long time. Especially like those from the golden era of the 20s and 30s. I even have a few of the earliest ballpoints from the 1940s (most people don't realize it, but ballpoints were not all that successful nor common until the late 50s eventhough they became more widely available in the late 40s) but you can forget restoring refills for those without some extreme effort.

It is difficult to find fountain pen ink locally unless you have a decent pen store in the area. I know Office Depot here carries Parker Quink, and few of the big box office supply stores have Mont Blanc ink. Most decent stationery stores have ink if they sell fountain pens, as well as a good assortment of ballpoint refills. The key for those kinds of items is to get away from the big boxes and look for a real stationary of small office supply store. There are lots of online retailers for fountain pen ink and refills.

The best deal I ever got on fountain pen ink was an old general store in the area that had been closed for decades, with a lot of original stock in storage. The heirs re-opened it as a 'antique' store and sold off a lot of the stuff. I bought 3 NIB quart bottles of Sheaffer Skrip Permanent blue-black ink ($10/ea) and a couple of pints of Skrip Permanent red ($5/ea) from the 40s. One of the best inks ever made, still good to go!!

If you use cartridges and have trouble locating new ones, a common trick is to take the empty cartridges you have, assuming they still seal well, and fill them from bottled ink using a syringe. You can also get cartridge convertors from a dealer specializing in fountain pens, but not all models of cartridge fillers can use the convertors. There are several kinds, either twist fill mechanism or aerometric types, and while many were specific to a line of pens one or the other can usually be made serviceable for most pens. If your pens are of recent manufacture, most can be used with a convertor if they take cartridges. Convertors have been in use since cartridges were introduced in the late 50s. Those for Sheaffer and Parker pens are easy to find and work well in many models.

 

[Faulkner]

I have an engraved black Crossman that I carry everyday, and I have an engraved Quill with the department badge in the endcap that I keep in my class A pocket. I don't allow anyone else to use them for fear of not getting them back, so I always keep a couple of disposable pens in my clipboard.

 

[Alpo]

The fountain pen cartridges are available at Office Depot. 6 pack for either 1.99 or 2.99 (don't remember).

I used Sheaffer cartridge fountain pens in Jr. High, back in the late 60s. Cost around a buck each. I found one, a year or so back, in a cigar box with my old junk. Went looking for new cartridges. Finally found some (yay). Went looking for new pens. My God, they are 40 and 50 dollars.

Been thinking about getting a converter. Can get ink off Amazon.

 

[mkk41]

A pen is a pen.

.25 cents or 25 dollars , it won't improve my my horrible handwriting!

 

[bobcat]

My local Wal Mart doesn't carry any refills, except for the G-2 pens. I've been trying to find a refill for a Shaeffer I got as a gift years ago, and finally ordered a couple from Amazon, 2 refills, 10 bucks!! I liked to fainted, used to be you could get refills for anything for a buck. I can't even find Papermate refills anymore, guess I'll have to keep the internet busy. Yea, it's a disposable society, I like my nice pens.

 

[mg357]

I use Pilot brand G-2 07 blue ink pens and the refills are available at my local walmart for an inexpensive price.

 

[30-30remchester]

I studied ball point pens, trying to find the best quality availabe. I wanted it to be produced in the USA and made of metal not plastic. While I thought this an impossible task, I was wrong. Fisher space pens are made in Nevada. They are made of metal, write at any angle, writes underwater, on oily surfaces, writes on photographs, wont leak, wont dry out, will write at 250 degreeze or as low as 30 below zero, can be had in many colors, can be operated with one hand, will write continually for nearly 2 miles before running out of ink and can be bought online for as low as $11 including shipping! All my pen needs were filled with the purchase of a handfull of these along with a few refills , which only cost a couple dollars. Now my pen needs have been met I can concentrate on other needs.

 

[johngalt]

I received a fountain pen as a gift a couple years ago, been using it ever since. It is annoying that almost no one sells bottle ink locally, but it is easy to get online. A bottle lasts a long time too.

I haven't found it to be maintenance heavy at all. When it runs low, fill it up from the bottle and its ready to go. Starts every time without any trouble, which is more than I can say about most of the ball points I've used.

 

[Penmon]

The pen can be mightier than the sword unless you are out of ink

For the last 20 years I have been in the Fountain Pen business, for 16 years I owed a pen store in Baltimore and for the last 4 I have worked for the Importer/manufacture for Waterford, Wedgwood, Online of Germany and until recently Sheaffer pens. I attend 10 pen shows a year, very much like gun shows, I fact I will be in San Francisco at the Holiday Inn in Dublin on Oct. 13, 14, and 15, this is a new and collector show open to the public.

The pen business, fountain, rollerballs, pencils and ballpoints are still alive but with only 50 pen stores that carry exclusively pens and maybe another 100 or so stores that carry better pens along with other things it has become increasing difficult to find refills. Most but not all pen stores are located in the northeastern US.

In my opinion the Germany Company Schmidt who makes the Parker refills are the best in terms of longevity, and ease of locating. Schmidt's designation for the Parker style Ballpoint is P900 but in many cases they will have the stores or a company brand on them. I also like the Fisher Refill used by the Military and NASA; they also can be used in a Parker style Ballpoint with the supplied adapter. However they tend to blot, but will write upside down, underwater (and yes they make waterproof paper) over grease and oil and in outer space.

My favorite writing instrument is a good Fountain pen normally I prefer a fine size gold nib, out of the 1000's of those I prefer the Aurora Optimum from Italy, and the Pelikan of Germany 800 series, both of these sell in the $400.00 to $500.00 range.

Good sources for refills are,
Bertram's Inkwell in Rockville MD, Parker, Cross, Fisher and Sheaffer style refills
Montblanc & Mont Blanc fountain pens, Parker Pens, Waterman pens

Levenger in Florida
Levenger - Lap Desks, Totes, Business Card Holders, Leather Briefcases, Fountain Pens, Portfolios, Wallets, Desk Accessories, Organizers, Journal

Private Reserve one of the two imported of Schmidt refills in the US
Private Reserve Ink | Fountain Pen Ink | Wholesale Ink

Yafa in California the second and largest refill supplier in the US of Schmidt refills, this link is for their refill ID guide
Yafa - Promotional Pens, Fountain pens, Imprinted Pens, Pen Refills, Ink Pens

Both guns and pens appeal to me, I feel I am able to collect living history, that I can shoot or write with not to mention the intestering mechanical mechanism of the two.
Penmon aka Jim

 

[ohiobuckeye]

The horse and buggy, the crosscut saw, spats, player pianos, and now pen refills....where will this lunacy end?...

 

[G.T. Smith]

Hmmmm, fountain pens, Oh yeah I remember those.
Well, please excuse me, I have to go out and change the points and condenser on my truck. I hate the way those Jumbo rolls of toilet paper fit in my oil filter though. The last time I changed it, I dribbled oil all over my new white walls. I lost a fender skirt the other day. I wonder if Target has them? I'm still looking for some red dots for my tail lights and ain't been having any luck.
I always loved the way a fountain pen felt against the paper, especially those tablets Mom bought us for back to school. I think they were Big Chief, red, with kind of off white paper that still had little slivers of wood in it. Remember? I guess that could be called an i pad, but the "i" stood for Indian, right?
I also like the look of something written with a good pencil. Makes for good doodles too.
My Wife and Son are always bringing different kinds of pens home from their jobs and they just don't write very long or very well, (the pens). You can almost get a calligraphy effect with a fountain pen if I remember right. You can also "flick" the pen an give the student behind you a flecked look.
Oh well, you know what they say, "the more things change, the worse they suck".
Pray for our war fighters,
Gordon

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

Fountain pens-shades of my youth (I am 62). Actually they were old fashioned even then.
Ball points? The Bic Round Stic and the PaperMate Write Brothers are my favorites. Always seems to work, and if you loan or lose one, you are out only $0.15-.20 vs. the Good Cross Pen you won in school or your grandfather gave you.

 

[handejector]

I still use a turkey quill.
My handwriting looks like Thomas Jefferson's.
Easy to replace- I'm never short of turkeys around here.