Fountain Pens: An Argentine Perspective

Is El Ateneo the most beautiful book store in the world?

(This is a guest post from Robert E. Zink, who has spent the past few years living and working in Argentina.)

Like you, I remember my first fountain pen. Even today, the feel of a classic writing instrument in my hand still induces an experience that no other tool can produce. What I did not realize at the time was that defining myself as a fountain pen user would identify me as part of a unique worldwide community; soon, I realized just how worldwide. Seven years later and I now live in Argentina, an initial move that brought a question: Can my fountain pen life continue in this new place?

Latin culture rarely invokes images or descriptions of fine writing instruments. However, Argentina is unique among those Latin countries, which is prominently displayed in its fountain pen community. It’s yet an additional characteristic that exposes the European influence. Unfortunately, for someone like me, who lives in a rural part of the country, the fountain pen community primarily exists in Buenos Aires. It makes sense; the majority of the population and wealth inhabit the 13th largest city in the world. Thankfully, online merchandise gives the rest of the country access to this community, although minimally (because few shops sell online).

Visit the city, and you’ll find the typical brands such as Pelikan, Montblanc, Lamy, or Cross. Are you a stationery enthusiast? If so, here’s what you can expect to find:

• Pens: I’m not sure why, but Lamy occupies a prominent position. However, many of the major brands are represented in both pens and ink.
• Pencils: You won’t find many elite pencil brands, but sketching generates a presence for Staedtler. Faber-Castell also maintains immense recognition because of the popularity of their lower-end products with school children.
• Paper: Quality paper is another story. There are some beautiful handmade journals if you want a nice souvenir. But if your hope is to find something with fountain pen friendly paper, unless you’re looking for a Moleskine, your expectations are too high.

While there are a few well-known shops and collectors, the best finds come from simply walking the streets in the central area. Check out the Recoleta area (where Evita is laid to rest) on your way to my favorite bookstore in the world, El Ateneo. Enjoy your new acquisitions there while you sip a cup of espresso on the stage of this former opera house. The environment invites writing.

Ultimately, culture defines availability. Because Argentina is a land of beef, it is also a land of leather, but that craft has not worked its way into the stationery industry as much as I would like. I do have a beautiful leather folder that elicits attention wherever I go. If you are fortunate enough to visit, these make a wonderful souvenir. Generally, finding notebook covers that meet my needs or pen cases is non-existent. Cost is the biggest defining factor. A fledgling economy with 50% inflation places fountain pens into the luxury item category. Additionally, high import fees push the cost higher, out of reach for most Argentines. In an era of technology, though, Argentina is a land where pen and paper still reign.

Many people are surprised to note a thriving fountain pen community here. Overall, the average user will likely find himself/herself content. However, participation in it does mean adjusting expectations in the following ways:

• Expect to Search More: A committed enthusiast will expend a lot of energy searching for pen, ink, and paper. I once stumbled on a Visconti Van Gogh on an unknown side street only because I got lost.
• Expect to See Less: Your requests cannot be too specific, as options here are limited, especially at the higher price points.
• Expect to Pay More: Finally, expect to pay more. A non-special edition Lamy Safari will set you back about $38 USD (about $9 more than the typical price). Many of the common brands of ink also run about $4 more per bottle.

The country was in the middle of a significant economic downturn when the COVID-19 crisis hit. It will be interesting to see what the fountain pen industry will look like afterward, assuming it will survive.

The Pen of Jeopardy

(Diane L. is a renegade physicist, engineer, photographer and writer, and was gracious enough to write this geust post for The Pen Addict.)

I was over a thousand points ahead and each of my two opponents had just provided a wrong answer to the final question. I knew I had given the right answer, so I was poised to win Pen Addict Jeopardy at the Baltimore / Washington International Pen Show 2020. What could possibly go wrong? But just as the show master Brad Dowdy prepared to read out my answer, it dawned on me that I had committed the most egregious mistake a Jeopardy player could make. I covered my head in my hands as Brad announced, “she said ‘shoes!’” and then repeated in horror “wait, she said ‘shoes…’” and turned in consternation to the other judges, Ana Reinert and Corinne Litchfield …

The Thomas Point Lighthouse Pen by Greg Hardy of Hardy Penwrights is a one-of-a-kind custom pen made to be a prize for a competition at the show.

To quote from the pen’s Instagram page, “The barrels of this pen feature a custom pour by McKenzie Penworks in DiamondCast Ocean Blue and Clear resin. It was chosen to fit the theme of the pen which highlights the Thomas Point Lighthouse located on the Chesapeake. The idea for the metal work came up in a brainstorming session with fellow pen maker Tom Gauntt of Chesapeake Pen Co., and is constructed of nickel silver and bronze – a dozen separate pieces in total.”

And that metalwork, forming the roll stop, is a replica of the Chesapeake Bay’s iconic Thomas Point Shoal Light.

What literally sparks joy about this pen at a first glance is the presence of tiny flakes of mica and real diamond dust which recreate both the sparkle of the sun on the waves and the twinkling stars in the night sky behind the lighthouse. The swirls of deep blue in the translucent material move like waves as you rotate the barrel.

The lighthouse theme is also a personal favorite.

The pen came with an easy-going Jowo #6 F nib, which I chose to keep although an exchange was offered. As a lifelong extra-fine enthusiast recently getting into architect and flex nibs, I’m happy to just write with this pen without expending any mental effort on alignment and form - and I can always swap it for another of my Jowo #6’s if I change my mind. In terms of construction, the cap has a slightly conical, nearly flat top and a rounded end. The cap takes just over 2 turns to open or close, and the triple threads on the barrel are barely perceptible to the touch as well as being out of contact when I grip the comfortable, slightly flared section.

The pen came with a name-branded Schmidt converter which fits reliably. Although I often go for a contrast color when inking pens, in this case I decided to go matchy-matchy with Organics Studio Glycine.

As mentioned above, this pen is one of a kind. However, Greg Hardy is a custom pen manufacturer working from a variety of inspirations including Arthurian legend, Celtic knotwork, nature and astronomy. He has a variety of pens available for sale in gorgeous colors with handmade metal clips and roll stops, and invites suggestions for concept pens.

So how did I win Pen Addict Jeopardy? As I was called up to join the game in round 2, I muttered “this won’t go well,” because I have never watched an episode of Jeopardy. As a spectator during the first round, I had learned the importance of stating the answer in the form of a question. I carefully drilled myself to think before I spoke and always speak the question; for example in response to “this pen company makes the Soubriquet?” one would have to reply “What is the Desiderata Pen Company?” rather than just “Desiderata.” Unfortunately, having trained myself to do this when I spoke, I forgot to do so in writing for the last question: instead of turning in something like “what are shoes” in answer to “Jim Rouse was selling this when he met Bert Oser,” I simply wrote “shoes.” So despite being correct, this answer was wrong, and I lost my bet.

However, rather than betting the entire farm on my answer as my two opponents had done, I bet a conservative 600 points, and so even though I lost the question, I still won the game. Winning was such a rush that I completely forgot there were prizes. I was given a gift bag containing a bottle of Pilot Iroshizuku Take-Sumi and a plain black pen box. When I opened it, I was in disbelief that I was the new owner of the beautiful pen within. The next day I was able to meet and thank the maker, Greg Hardy, hear the story of how the pen came to be, and see more of his wonderful creations.

With many thanks to Bert Oser for another fantastic BWI pen show, Brad for being the Pen Addict Jeopardy show master, Ana and Corinne for judging, to the other competitors, especially runner-up Meghan,> and to the spirit of the late Jim Rouse, who would surely have been entertained by the turn of events at the end of the game.

(I didn’t pay for this pen. I won it in a game of Pen Addict Jeopardy!)

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Currently Inked with Aeon Timeline

The people are the best part of any pen show.

I talk about this all the time, and it is the truth. There were shining examples of amazing people in Washington D.C. from the moment I arrived until the moment I left.

Meeting Diane was a highlight for me, and what she has done here for all of us is nothing short of amazing. She showed me how she tracks her pen collection using a product called Aeon Timeline, and the results knocked my socks off. I asked if she would be interested in writing a guest post about her setup for The Pen Addict. Little did I know what would arrive in my inbox only days later.

Diane describes herself as "a renegade physicist, engineer, photographer and writer," and you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram. I describe her as amazing, and generous. So much so, that I am posting her article in it's full glory as a downloadable .pdf. The time and effort she put into this is unmatched, and I would hate to butcher it when reformatting for the blog.

Download Currently Inked with Aeon Timeline (4.4 MB .pdf)

I'm out of superlatives for what Diane has created here and shared with us all, so thank you Diane! If you find this useful, or end up creating your own Currently Inked database please let me know, and let Diane know how fantastic this information is.