Looking for stuff for university 21/22 academic year / writing the few business plans to see if one is worth doing
Anyone can recommend me the following?
Fountain pen (preferably something from Japan as the nibs are smaller and I occasionally do indulge in writing in it so my handle on relative character size doesn’t die). I wouldn’t mind a British made one though !
Paper
Pencil case
Fountain pen holder
Some form of professional looking bag (something that goes over shoulder, maybe?)
Also as mentioned elsewhere I’m looking for cufflinks if anyone has any ideas on where to get them. Also very much interested in what a tie bar is, but I think I want one of those too. Along with a suit.
Also looking at where one would buy rather large ‘smart’ shoes (13UK)
If it isn’t obvious I’m trying to return to better days
Interesting post. I doubt my choice would be yours but could you give an indication of available budget? Just on shoes for instance there is a big differential between Loake, Jones or Churches and say M&S. R-
I love writing with fountain pens, but alas I’m left handed and so unless I take up Arabic I’m simply left with a giant black smudge across the entire page …so when I feel like being a bit fancy with my pens I’m stuck with Parker ballpoints.
I like to use a high GSM for anything important. This was what I used for college…
(90gsm)
There are much cheaper (and thinner) options available, but I find they feel like bus tickets.
I feel it obligatory to mention Katie Leamon every time someone wants to talk about Stationary. Primarily because they’re a more obscure small business, and I love their greeting cards. Their stuff looks absolutely exquisite too and they have a collection of fountain pens and holders and writing paper. Also offer a stationary subscription service.
Again, I only ever buy the cards, and don’t buy greeting cards anywhere else now.
There isn’t too much of a strict budget that I really have in mind, but I guess since I plan to not be working soon so I can write my dissertation without distractions, I guess it would be sensible to keep it to something that’s not like 10x M&S pricing
There’s rollerballs ! Montblanc sells them as well as Ohto does a very nice looking one for ~£20
Uses a liquid based ink (like a fountain pen) but you can’t really do much about line thickness & adding personality to your text
What I’d recommend though is getting an F/EF nib and then having a look at YouTube. Or you can do what US presidents used to do pre-ballpoint era: learn to write with your right hand
High-GSM or bust, no bleeding here
I’ll have a look ! Thank
I meant like a sleeve for in my bag/pencil case so it doesn’t get scuffed
Same, kind of. I’ve gotten better recently. I still get extra time for writing examinations but I think I probably don’t need it anymore haha
I seldom write, but I do like the Parker jotter monochrome black pen! It’s what I use when I have to sign something. Looks very sleek. My penmanship is dreadful, tiny, and takes me an incredibly long time to do! I’m by far the slowest writer I know.
I use stamps for birthday cards, saves time, looks nice, and most importantly I don’t wind up getting frustrated when my writing isn’t good enough for my own standards!
Why write when you can type, print, and stamp?
With all that said, if anyone knows of any techniques I could practice to improve both my writing speed, and quality/legibility, I’d be very grateful! There’s just something about the personal touch when it comes to handwritten things, that typing and stamping just detracts from.
I don’t think you are alone in that @N26throwaway. With the advent of the keyboard and now dictation my writing style has gone completely to pot! There are one or two people I like to send a handwritten note to but after about 10 lines it closely resembles the staggering gait of a drunken spider. R-
Perish the thought! Something I just don’t seem to do anymore. One of my few talents, since my early 20’s, I’m a professional touch typist, indeed I can out type some secretaries which isn’t bad for a 53 year old bloke with hands the size of a goal keeper.
Sadly I have the same problem with them as I do with fountain pens, due to the liquid based ink you mention. It has to be very fast drying (like a couple of seconds before my hand drags over it) so unfortunately I have to discount anything like that.
lol, thankfully I’m not that desperate to use fountain pens! …although in school there was one eccentric teacher who insisted that we all used fountain pens and those old fashioned wooden desks with ink wells (I think she was stuck in a different era). She got pissed off that my writing was a mess when I was using a fountain pen, and so I had to explain to her that not everyone is actually right handed.
While I do enjoy using a nice, reusable pen, I actually have the best handwriting and most comfortable experience when using these: