Fountain Pen for Grandson

There is a pen seller in Shewsbury who tells me that the most popular pen for children is the Lamy Safari, it is tough and if the nib gets bent the replacements are readily available and cheap. Also plenty of colour choices. You may need to buy a good supply of cartridges and take the time to explain that only Lamy cartridges will fit.

Grandma.jpg
 
There is a pen seller in Shewsbury who tells me that the most popular pen for children is the Lamy Safari, it is tough and if the nib gets bent the replacements are readily available and cheap. Also plenty of colour choices. You may need to buy a good supply of cartridges and take the time to explain that only Lamy cartridges will fit.

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I'm not surprised. I've got one, and it's withstood some hard use. The nibs are easy to replace, although they're pretty durable, but perhaps not up to carving initials on school desks (or whatever has replaced that nowadays). I see that they come in a dazzling range of colours as well.
 
I'm not surprised. I've got one, and it's withstood some hard use. The nibs are easy to replace, although they're pretty durable, but perhaps not up to carving initials on school desks (or whatever has replaced that nowadays). I see that they come in a dazzling range of colours as well.

It is the practice for school friends to buy pens in different colours, they swap caps to show that they are best friends.
 
I just looked at that one and decided to get one with a converter. Had to splash out on some more Registrars Ink as my bottle disappeared from work:(. The Preppy would have been ideal for my purposes if it was able to use a converter
Preppy and Plasir are great pens. The Plasir is nothing more than a Preppy with aluminium case. The nib unit is iterchangeable, as is the nib. The cartridges are big, so I refill them using a syringe with a blunt needle. That enables all colours to be used.
 
I am not a grandfather but in my quiet moments I can imagine younger grandchildren coming round and sitting at my dining table and teaching them handwriting, perhaps some drawing, showing them how pens work, playing board games and toys such as Jacks, dominoes and marbles and I would read to them and they to me. All wishfull thinking, perhaps I would enjoy this more than they.

I hope that they would have as much pleasure as I from the Charlie Makesy film. Amongst the best 30 minutes of the Christmas TV.
 
I am not a grandfather but in my quiet moments I can imagine younger grandchildren coming round and sitting at my dining table and teaching them handwriting, perhaps some drawing, showing them how pens work, playing board games and toys such as Jacks, dominoes and marbles and I would read to them and they to me. All wishfull thinking, perhaps I would enjoy this more than they.

I hope that they would have as much pleasure as I from the Charlie Makesy film. Amongst the best 30 minutes of the Christmas TV.
I am not a grandfather either, and I doubt I ever will be. I have 3 children classified as special needs. Since I'm 74 and my youngest is 19, I am in a similar position to a grandfather. All three are young for their age, in attitude and experience.
I dreamt of teaching my children all the things I knew so that they would have an advantage. It was not to be. All three are intelligent but refuse to learn from me because I am not a teacher. Teachers live in schools.
I am self-taught in everything I know, and understand how to teach. Can you imagine my frustration?
 
How frustrating and what a shame all that knowledge goes to waste on a literal interpretation of what a teacher is! Especially as so many cannot teach.
I went to a crap secondary modern school. When I left I taught myself music theory, read all the books that pop up in English Lit exams, took up calligraphy, electronics, poetry writing, songwriting. When computers came along I started making them. I like DIY and mending things.
You might wonder how I found the time for all these interests. Simple. I have never owned a television. I don't drink.
I love knowledge and sharing it - teaching. I used to do the cooking but my calorie-counting wife took the job from me.
Yes, frustrating. Thanks for your empathy.
 
I also eschew the idiot lantern, and have never owned one although grew up in a house where it took centre stage (precisely why I don't want one).

I throw myself into all sorts of hobbies and interests although this forum has become a bit too addictive and I spend far too much time looking on here! I was the primary cook (now the sole one unless you count the chippy over the road) but I have partaken of bevvies, though not particularly to excess.
 
I am not a grandfather but in my quiet moments I can imagine younger grandchildren coming round and sitting at my dining table and teaching them handwriting, perhaps some drawing, showing them how pens work, playing board games and toys such as Jacks, dominoes and marbles and I would read to them and they to me. All wishfull thinking, perhaps I would enjoy this more than they.

I hope that they would have as much pleasure as I from the Charlie Makesy film. Amongst the best 30 minutes of the Christmas TV.
You might need a time machine, most children these days are only interested in their iPad or gaming console and would much prefer Minecraft over marbles.
 
I also eschew the idiot lantern, and have never owned one although grew up in a house where it took centre stage (precisely why I don't want one).

I throw myself into all sorts of hobbies and interests although this forum has become a bit too addictive and I spend far too much time looking on here! I was the primary cook (now the sole one unless you count the chippy over the road) but I have partaken of bevvies, though not particularly to excess.
I gave up drink when I found cannabis, then I discovered it was another waste of time.
Yes, I also grew up in a TV dominated house. Nobody did anything but watch it. When I left home I never bothered with one again.
I agree that forums (fora) can waste time., although some good came from one. I was on a book site and met a fellow poet. We now have 2 volumes of 100 poems published on Amazon. It's great meeting like-minded people, but it doesn't happen often.
 
I am not a grandfather but in my quiet moments I can imagine younger grandchildren coming round and sitting at my dining table and teaching them handwriting, perhaps some drawing, showing them how pens work, playing board games and toys such as Jacks, dominoes and marbles and I would read to them and they to me. All wishfull thinking, perhaps I would enjoy this more than they.

I hope that they would have as much pleasure as I from the Charlie Makesy film. Amongst the best 30 minutes of the Christmas TV.
I have two grandsons, the elder of whom is interested in music (as a player), painting and drawing. I have been trying to encourage him in playing the melodeon, but he's more interested in stringed instruments. The younger is more keen on sports, especially football. Their parents do all they can to offer them interesting things, like Scouts, gardening, acting and theatre lessons, history, and especially nature and birdwatching.

When they come to see us, they play solitaire with marbles and a board, and other such things. I write letters to them (not so much lately, for obvious reasons), I write them cheques for birthdays and Christmas, and gave the elder a decent fountain pen. The other is a bit young and unruly, just yet.

It's an unfortunate thing that children nowadays are drawn too much into "technology", either by their peers, but also by schools and teachers. My son tries to restrict this as much as possible, and divert them into the activities I mention above, but I gather it's an uphill struggle.

When I was their age, and although I was incarcerated in boarding prep and public schools, I travelled abroad a lot (by BOAC Comet and Britannia airliners), in the holidays, as my father was in the oil business. At home, I had field sports, shooting, angling, yachting and such to enjoy, with enormous freedoms and little interference from anyone. All in all, life was much more spacious than nowadays, even if more disciplined in some respects, and probably mostly a thing of the past.
 
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