POTD: What pen/pencil are you using today?

[kronos9]

Pelikan M800 medium nib, Waterman Phileas stub.

[Rufus]

A vintage Eversharp Skyline fountain pen and a Taccia Imperial Portuguese fountain pen.

[ShadowsDad]

Nothing fancy. When it comes to work with pencil I have a Koh-I-Noor .7mm mechanical pencil on my keyboard with HB lead in it.
My latest and most favored pen at the moment are the BIC "Velocity" types. The one on my keyboard has a 1.6 ball and uses "regular" ink. It is the smoothest writing pen I have every used. The other day I picked up another pack of Velocity pens but with gel ink and a much finer tip. I haven't used those very much, but they appear to be fine. The only problem I have with the Velocity is that it appears to allow too much ink out and it can be a bit messy. That's why I'm trying the gel ink type.

[brothers]

A Cross or a Bic Stic. I'm only going to need to post this one time. I've been using the same pen now for around 20 years. I carry it in my shirt pocket at work every day. This one was a gift from my late mother-in-law to replace the previous pen of the same make except it was gold instead of blue. Also shown below is the only other pen I use (generic representation, not the specific pen) when I'm not at work, or even when I am at work and can't find my regular pen or maybe I'm not carrying it because I forgot it, or maybe it's casual Friday and I'm wearing a sweater or some such without a pocket. My wife gave me the first one as a gift when I first started in my current line of work. I lost it on a trip to a grocery store after about 10 or 12 years. About 8 or 10 years ago I had to send the blue pen to the factory for repair under the lifetime warranty when the mechanism froze up.

There was an earlier time in my life when I was strongly into fountain pens and inks, etc., and I did enjoy the time I spent on that area of interest. I can't recall when or why I drifted away, but I suspect it had to do with "life happening". School, work, wife, war, kids, more school, more work, blah blah. I would like to make myself a pen one of these days, and I have spent some time browsing the WoodCraft store and catalog. I don't do wood turning because I don't have a lathe. Maybe I'll hand carve one or something crazy, who knows. Bottom line - I enjoy seeing and reading about the pens and accessories posted here and elsewhere, I just enjoy it vicariously.

[jww]

Picked up a Staedtler graphite 760 .7mm. I have this thing for quality drafting tools and yet am not a craftsman, nor it's my penmanship any good. I've owned some rotring drafting and design pens which were gorgeous to use. Got rid of them many years ago. Need to replace them someday.

[smoothshaver]

Thanks for the interesting replies.
Not much actual writing today. I carried for part of the day, but barely used, the red Esterbrook I mentioned yesterday. I also had a blue transitional J in my pocket. I just changed its nib from a wet medium to a drier one. That pen is filled with Pilot Iroshizuku tsuyu kusa (blue) ink.
Also getting a bit of use was a Waterman ballpoint - I expected I might do some writing on seriously fp-unfriendly paper while I was out.

[Araner]

I'm a bit old school: the Tombow 2558 "B"



regards,
Mike

[Squire]

My son, the engineering student, has developed a fondness for traditional wooden pencils and says he feels sorry for me because when I was a kid way back when we must've been limited to slate boards and a piece of chalk.

[brothers]

My son, the engineering student, has developed a fondness for traditional wooden pencils and says he feels sorry for me because when I was a kid way back when we must've been limited to slate boards and a piece of chalk.

When I read this I had a flashback from a long time ago when I was just starting school. We had big fat pencils, if I recall. I can't remember what grade it was when we got to graduate to real yellow number 2 pencils with erasers.

[smoothshaver]

I'm a bit old school: the Tombow 2558 "B"



regards,
Mike

Ah, yes. I went through many a wooden pencil while studying math and science. I remember a black cylindrical one I liked called, IIRC, the "Black Warrior". I don't recall who made it. It did like to roll off desks if given the chance.

Used the red Esterbrook FP again today. The blue one stopped writing . It seemed empty, so I tried filling it again in case I didn't do it so well the last time. That's a preferable option to others that come to mind.

[kronos9]

I remember as a teeny kid using large diameter blue pencils. Don't see them in the schools anymore.

#2 pencils are okay but barely. I look for darker leads.

[smoothshaver]

I'm carrying the red Esterbrook J again today. The blue one wrote briefly, but has quit again.

The last couple days have seen an inexpensive Pelikan bp in use at my desk (I know it's a Pelikan 'cause it says so below the clip). No idea what model; I got it at an office supply store years ago.

I also unclogged a Pilot decimo - its flowing but I haven't used it for more than a few squiggles.

[Julius_Rodman]

Parker 51 fountain pen with a broad nib, Cross capless rollerball, Blackwing pearl pencils

[Squire]

For years I carried a Mont Blanc rollerball for a backup. No, I didn't write with it, rather would hand it to anyone who asked to borrow my pen.

[smoothshaver]

Today I've used a few pens a tiny bit. The pen I used the most so far is a black Pilot G-2, 0.7 mm (I think that's the fine point).

[smoothshaver]

The pen I used most over the weekend was the Pelikan ballpoint, model unknown. I also wrote a few lines with a blue Pilot decimo, filled with Pilot blue ink.

Carried the red Esterbrook J, F nib, again today, but didn't use it much. The PR tanzanite ink does give a bit wider line. The blue transitional J has stopped writing again.

[Rufus]

Currently using my Bexley Scheherazade fountainpen.

[Kyle76]

I carry a Montblanc LeGrand rollerball and have a Montblanc Diplomat fountain pen in a desk stand that I use for hand-written notes, letters and signatures. The fp has a medium nib that was custom ground to a semi-italic shape when I had the ink flow adjusted several years ago. Looks great on my desk, but sometimes a client will grab it to write something, and I cringe a little.

[Squire]

Exactly, often accompanied by a comment such as "my Dad used to have one of those things".

[Kyle76]

Exactly, often accompanied by a comment such as "my Dad used to have one of those things".

Yes, as they proceed to bear down like a ballpoint. I try to have an alternative at the ready to quickly hand them instead.