Tuesday, August 6, 2013

The Finer Points in Life

After thirty six years as an automotive technician, I have made a career move and now have a desk job. Oh I still fix cars for a living, but instead of using wrenches and screwdrivers I now use a computer and a phone. I provide tech support for dealership technicians. I still get to work on cars occasionally so I guess I can keep my name Greasemonkeyhands though these days most auto techs wear gloves and keep our hands in fair shape.

 That said I now can play with fountain pens more often at work at "my desk"...still sounds so weird to say that. When I receive a call, I write and keep notes in a notebook, and using a fountain pen does create challenges with bleed through when using medium or broader nibs. And I'm not willing to spend a lot of money for fountain pen friendly notebooks, I'll use the cheap lined ones.


Oh I love fat juicy nibs or fine flex nibs for handwritten correspondence on good paper, but this is different. I don't want to use a ballpoint pen because it can be so, blah! I'm going to try fine non flexible nibs which I have never pursued before. Today I did a test using my Pilot Prera fine, Pilot Justus fine adjustable set at the hard setting, and a ballpoint pen.


 So it may work out using a fine nib fountain pen and I bet ink makes a difference too. I do have two other fine nib pens at home, a Sheaffer I purchased at a closeout sale, and a new old Mont Blanc Meistersutck that someone gave to me though it needs some TLC.

If a fountain pen just does not work out though, there are some very nice ballpoint pens out there that are aesthetically pleasing and fit well in your hand still making writing enjoyable.

Oh and as you can see I'm not writing in cursive or script as most people expect from me, and believe me it gets a lot sloppier than that. When I get a call I have to write fast, very fast! I cannot worry about my handwriting at least at this time. Maybe because of this when I do sit down to write a letter or note, I will slow down, savour and enjoy the experience...

...and that enjoyment will be conveyed to the recipient of the letter.
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2 comments:

  1. ShangchingAugust 6, 2013 at 7:57 PM

    I do similar things at work, do what I can to satisfy my fountain pen crave, but won't be so picky on feathering, bleedthrough and such. My writing at work is close to atrocious and illegible because the objective is not enjoyment as much as joggin down ideas to perform certain task. Nothing is wrong with ballpoing or gel pen, they too are writing instruments!

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  2. GreasemonkeyhandsAugust 7, 2013 at 4:18 PM

    Hi and thank you for you comment. For me bleed through is important because it makes the back of the page unreadable. I like writing with a FP because IMO it's kind of a unique thing, plus you get to use ink colors not available to ballpoints and other non refillable pens. But yes there is nothing wrong with those pens in fact, I'm getting slammed at work today, and I grab the easiest pen to use...my clicker ballpoint! ;)

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