10 ways to enjoy your fountain pens more in 2024 (without buying new stuff)

[@user-gl5ld9vm7i]

Staying away from KZbin pen reviews will also save you $$money$$...😂😂😂😂!!!!

[@cindylou2128]

Ha! That’s Reddit for me. I see the pens others have & want them all

[@yuklimka7251]

I used to watch a lot of pen reviews and jotted down the models thinking I'd eventually get around to buying them, but I find that waiting that itchy trigger finger out is quite useful. I'm pretty close to pen peace.

[@d.holder595]

👍🏽😂😂😂

[@DowntheBreatherHole]

Very true! Also stay away from Goulet Pens marketing emails!

[@DowntheBreatherHole]

Yes! Waiting is huge. There have been so many times where I've resisted the urge to buy a fountain pen, and later on I become glad I didn't buy. Other times, I decide to buy anyway. But I've saved a lot of money from simply waiting for the craving for new stuff to go away.

[@karma13612]

Bookbinding is the best!!!! Been doing it for years. I bind my own journals. And I also make some and donate them in little free library boxes.

[@DowntheBreatherHole]

That's awesome! Any bookbinding methods you could recommend?

[@xTeeak]

wheeehoo! donating made journals into library boxes is a genius idea! I am getting into bookbinding and I love it, but also I have found that I do not have enough use for all the things I make .. one can certainly gift them to loved ones and friends but then still this is a great option :)

[@avrilqueen6703]

​@@DowntheBreatherHole for beginner I recommend chinese / japanese - style bookbinding.

[@aurorajohansenwardigo]

I adore that idea! I have several little free library boxes around me. I might do this during my next surgery recovery.

[@zazaincalifornia]

I love being a pen pal, you learn new things you wouldn’t think of even learning and it’s a great way to play with many inks and Colors

[@DowntheBreatherHole]

Being a pen pal is fun!

[@barbloftus8524]

I recently started pen-paling. Gives me an outlet for my fountain pen writing as well as my card-making hobby!

[@SD-ff1je]

Is there a group for pen-paling?😊

[@mariatriesart8389]

I couldn't agree with you more! I have spent all day looking at pens to buy in colours that I don't have. Yet I have not been using my pens in weeks. The pull to stay online and use every social media platform to look for the "right" pen is very addictive. I was glad you made a number of suggestions. I am going to have to put myself on a clock timer. I sm indecisive, which makes me look at the same pens over and over again. I think a self- intervention is needed, as this has me unhappy.

[@kitgenz1114]

I feel like I could have written your comment. I just spent most of the day today looking at pens to buy too. I’m actually gonna go use my existing pens now!

[@DowntheBreatherHole]

App timers are very helpful! I use them for several of my apps to keep my screen time under control.

[@vwood2]

There’s so much wisdom in this video, and a great set of suggestions! Thank you 🙏🏼 I had to stop watching reviews for a couple of years after buying more pens than I could afford or enjoy. So I downsized my pens to my favourites, and adopted Drew’s suggestion of only inking 3 pens at a time. Now I sketch, and write in journal every day. I enjoy the pens I have inked, and I look forward to switching them out, and trying a different colour palette of ink. It’s fun to see all the nib and colour combinations on the completed pages. And now I’m able to enjoy pen channels without having to buy every pretty new pen I see.

[@DowntheBreatherHole]

Thanks for your comment! Like you, I've learned that I don't have to own a pen simply because it's cool/pretty. I've learned that I can enjoy some things from a distance without giving my money away to them.

[@xTeeak]

Drew´s 3 pens at a time saved my sanity around pens .. I do not own that many, but this definietly helps me to enjoy every single one so much more :)

[@reddiewip]

I really enjoy repeating interesting writing quirks from history. For example, cross writing is my fave thing to do now! I also copy loved ones handwriting and add anything I really like into my own writing style :)

[@queenbuzybee4074]

Great video! I did a no-spend January and it was harder than I thought it would be!

[@hmadrone]

Journaling, planning, haiku, drawing, English and Japanese calligraphy. Designing handwriting styles, like a hexagon-based Halloween style.

[@chrisjones6110]

Totally agree with the analogue vibe, that’s part of what I like about fountain pens and journals generally 👍🏻

[@DowntheBreatherHole]

Same! I'm hoping to make more analog changes in my life this year.

[@wendywander7]

I found fountain pens because I am a calligrapher. I purchased a few Shaffer NoNonsense italic fountain pens in the early 1980s and used them much more than my dip pens. Over time the line variation deteriorated because I didn't know anything about cleaning pens. 30+ years of writing gunks up nibs! I stumbled across a video about the Pilot Metropolitan fountain pen in 2015 while researching notebooks, and it wasn't long before I used fountain pens exclusively. I use them for my journal, correspondence, and nearly all of my italic calligraphy and cursive italic handwriting. I usually have around 25 pens inked, nearly all in daily use. I really enjoyed this list! Thanks for a great video.

[@DowntheBreatherHole]

Using that many fountain pens that often is impressive! I actually have an old Sheaffer No Nonsense pen calligraphy set, and I love it. My in-laws run a second-hand shop, and sometimes they come across things like that and pass them along to me.

[@wendywander7]

@@DowntheBreatherHole I'm glad you have one! In the early 2000's Shaffer changed the design by adding a Lamy-style ink window hole through the barrel. I found new ink cartridges would dry up in a matter of days, so I gave up on those. I still use my OG solid barrel pens, now that they're clean. Classic & reliable!

[@vigilante1202]

I really liked this video, you made a lot of good recommendations. In 2023 I committed to not buying a single fountain pen for 2024 and to use my current rotation all the more. Something I have been doing more is seeking analog ways to record thoughts by keeping a commonplace book and a reading journal.

[@pdtrubber]

Thanks for the reminder of using what I have. I kind of stepped over the wagon edge a little. Back to transcribing my favorite books.

[@DowntheBreatherHole]

In the fountain pen hobby, I think we all step over the wagon edge every now and then. It happens!

[@chuckkolb1270]

An interesting video as I had never thought in terms of focusing on expanding my fountain pen "hobby" through these ways. I used to write letters then cycled to technology. Now, its addressing hand made cards with consideration for stepping back to some letter writing especially shorter versions such as thank you notes. I so enjoy doodling, zentangles (even using different pens with different color ink to fill in the spaces I make creating more interesting patterns), haikus ( I have one purchased letter bound, handmade paper journal that I keep these writings in plus an occasional quote). Simply taking notes as I watch KZbin, jotting reminders, etc. uses lots of ink. Also I had an extensive fp collection at one time (I put it aside even giving the collection to my son to sell except for about 3 or 4 pens). And then a few years later I discovered the fp community on KZbin and love of fp re-ignited. I have an eight pen hold near my chair with a lap desk. All are inked waiting to be used which occurs numerous times daily even in one sitting. The fp industry seems more exciting now than it used to be with so many small companies and brands. I am 81 so I have experienced a lot. Irony: responding to this video via computer.

[@LewisLittle66]

I journal with my fountain pens; bullet journalling as well as daily pages and a commonplace book, so I use at least 2 pens every single day. I've made my own leather Travellers style covers in various sizes and made my own inserts to fit in them. I need to start drawing more with my pens, and using them (with waterproof ink) in conjunction with watercolour paints.

[@storge306]

Thank you so much for this helpful video! 😊 Some wonderful suggestions and some really important reminders. A great video to rewatch once a year.

[@DowntheBreatherHole]

Thanks for watching!

[@ceres090]

I play a lot of solo RPGs since I can't get a regular group together that works with my schedule. I have been using one of my least used fountain pen to take notes and essentially make a journal for my character when I play. I also took some of my lesser used inks and created a custom ink for the game as well. It makes the experience extra fun and has changed my opinion on this fountain pen. It also helps put me in the mindset of that character since I only use that pen and ink when I'm playing. I'm thinking of adding scrapbooking to the experience as well. I think it would be fun to add things like letters that couldn't be sent so they are stuffed between the pages.

[@DowntheBreatherHole]

I feel the pain of having to do things by yourself. I live in a rural area, so I don't get to connect with a lot of people face-to-face who are interested in the same things as I am.

[@iamthesoultender]

I draw and journal with my fountain pens! I make up reasons to write and that’s why I got into fountain pens, because I wanted more reasons to do tactile activities and less digital ones. I love to post what I make with my pens, but it’s way more fun and rewarding to use them than post about them. Thanks for sharing these tips!

[@DowntheBreatherHole]

Thanks for watching and commenting! Yay for tactile, analog experiences!

[@brigitteloranger8692]

I got into the fountain pens from drawing and urban sketching. Drawing (and doodling) is great fun. I you already journal, try little drawings in your journal

[@DowntheBreatherHole]

I do love drawing in my notebooks along with writing! It's lots of fun.

[@wadeevans8739]

Great Video! I have been writing with fountain pens much of my life. IThe first thing I did to go along with fountain pens was trying calligraphy. That led to buying books on ancient calligraphy and studying all the many styles. I never got very good at it,but had lots of fun. Another way to use your fountain pens is to buy collections of cross words puzzles an using one of your favorite pens to fill in the answers.

[@DowntheBreatherHole]

Thanks for sharing!

[@kimberlytelford7235]

This video popped up in my feed. Great suggestions and fun ideas (cereal box & pajamas!)! Thanks for the video I plan to look at more of them and maybe become a subscriber. Keep up the great work!

[@DowntheBreatherHole]

Thanks for stopping by my channel!

[@shutterchick79]

Journal writing, poetry/short story writing, hand-written letter writing.... I can think of a huge list of activities that can dovetail well with fountain pen collecting. It would be so cool to find or start a hand-written letter writing club. Members could be assigned a new partner every month, exchanging two letters per month, and it could be a rule that there's no modern pens allowed, only fountain pens and older.

[@eleanorjlh]

New to your channel but this is very timely as I'm trying to cut back on unnecessary pen purchases this year. (And ink! Ink is my Achilles heel.) One thing I'm doing is identifying particular activities and hobbies I do that involve a lot of writing/notetaking, and then dedicating specific pens and inks towards those; it's helping my pen collection feel more purposeful, instead of excessive.

[@C0raBr0wn]

Great video! It hasn't quite cured me from wanting more pens (and inks), but it makes me want to clean all those pens I haven't used in a while. Too many inked pens means I often use my clogged fountain pens as dip pens because I'm too lazy to clean them. My pens are for sketching and art journaling. I love water soluble inks because I can use a waterbrush to dissolve the lines for quick shading.

[@kolalde]

Pajamas and a cereal box. I love it!

[@ChrisSaenz13]

This video is really awesome ... it's like a prescription on how to enjoy fountain pens more without spending more $. I love it!!! 🌞✒️📚

[@DowntheBreatherHole]

Thanks! I could totally see you doing a video like this too!

[@LisaRSArt]

Great idea indeed. Thank you. ❤ I use my fountain pens to sketch trees & people or so plein air sketches or urban sketches. Highly recommend.

[@doc8125]

One of my favorite hobby combinations with fountain pens is wine/coffe/tea tastings. I work as a professional coffee roaster, so critical tasting is a thing I do almost daily, and not just for coffee. And there is something magical about sitting down with a glass of wine in my nice leather notebook, and writing with a pen I enjoy about that wine (or coffee, or tea, or food etc).

[@joancastillon8261]

As a newbie last year 😅😅😅 I'm guilty on this, spending money on fountain pens every month. I do really enjoy this topic as I try to focus on my health this year ❤❤❤

[@DowntheBreatherHole]

It is easy to buy a lot when you are new to fountain pens! And even when you're not new. Thanks for watching!

[@carolinafernandez-quintani9114]

Calligraphy is my side-by-side hobby! I enjoy different nibs: extrafine and fine for everyday writing in journal/planner, but then italic and stub nibs for broad-pen script hands (italic, uncial, foundational), flexible nibs (falcon) for copperplate style, coarse/broad nibs for rounder monoline letters... The possibilities are endless when you have a couple of books on calligraphy and lots of ink bottles to go through :) I really appreciate your suggestions to counter the buying addiction!!

[@DowntheBreatherHole]

Calligraphy is a lot of fun. If you check out my video on Private Reserve's Blue Suede fountain pen ink, my writing sample there showcases some of my calligraphy. I haven't done much, but what I have done has been rewarding.

[@Sonicman415]

I began using a Hobinichi planner, writing haiku’s and prose each day. I use a different color everyday. I love different nib grinds, so that keeps the writing fun. I also swap nibs out 🎉. It’s a very fun way to reintroduce a pen. I also collage. I cook. I journal. Bookbinding looks way cool.

[@DowntheBreatherHole]

A color a day is a fun idea!

[@bobbythompson263]

Your 10th's one was the best for me... Thanks to share that :)

[@StephanieChoo-r5t]

Thank you for this video! Some great ideas! Lately been journaling and writing letters with my pens.

[@DowntheBreatherHole]

Thanks for watching!

[@KendallW]

Just found your channel, new sub! Book binding, book covers, all kinds of cool ideas. Thanks!

[@DowntheBreatherHole]

Thanks for your support! I'll try to keep it interesting!

[@pointeplusplus]

I really like this video! I try to balance my desire to be more eco/consumer conscious and wanting to try all of the pens and inks. I’m the kind of person who likes to keep a bunch inked up but I find that my TWSBIs and Platinum slip n seal ones almost never dry out so I don’t have that problem too often (but for my other ones I only keep few inked at a time). For me getting to choose between all of the pens/inks and then only doing one thing with them doesn’t make me feel dissatisfied, but instead makes it all feel fresh since it may have been a bit since I used it For me two of my biggest pen-adjacent hobbies are planning and journaling. Who doesn’t love color coding their planner with fun fountain pen inks 🙃? I also like to journal and frequently choose colors based on the season One thing I did that was really fun was I brought in a bunch of inked up pens to work on National Fountain Pen Day and sent out a message that anyone who wanted to try out some fountain pens could stop by my desk! If I had more irl pen friends I would want to start an ink swap for samples (ink bottles are so huge!) or split bottles of ink with a friend and buy an empty bottle from Goulet Pens to put the other half of the ink. Maybe some day! A girl can dream

[@DowntheBreatherHole]

I also try to balance my hobby with my desire to not create more waste in the world. I also try to be careful about what pens I buy, because I want to minimize the risk of buying something that was made by children or underpaid workers.

[@rhedrion]

I have a few penpals that keep my pens in regular use, and i went through a phase where i had one pen and paper combo for each penpal lol. Watercolor w fountain pens! Just a water brush and the sketch book youve been working on for years, and you can have decent calligraphy practice or monochromatic watercolor doodles!! Started adding corner leaves and simple borders to my writings and letters ever since my fountain pen, to dip pen, to watercolor leap

[@DowntheBreatherHole]

Great ideas, thanks!

[@DowntheBreatherHole]

2/24/24 Update! I am giving away a luxurious Rhodia Webnotebook in the near future. For more information, follow me on Instagram here: instagram.com/downthebreatherhole/. I'll be posting details soon!

[@Shirley61581]

I just stumbled upon your channel today and really identified with so many of your comments. I appreciated your calm and encouraging voice. I also loved the creative aspect of making your own accessories… it really never occurred to me to make my own pen sleeve and besides fountain pens I love to sew - so I just added ‘make pen sleeve’ to my to-do list. Thank you for all the suggestions! New subscriber!😃 ✍️ 🖊️ 📖

[@DowntheBreatherHole]

Thanks for subscribing! That means a lot!

[@JoeyTrejo10]

This is such an awesome video, Brian! I just want to use my pens a lot more this year. The only issue I see with getting into another hobby is that sometimes you need additional equipment or materials that you might not want to spend more money on. Something that really helped me last year was having a planner and a journal that had fountain pen friendly paper. Now I am using my pens on a regular bases with these.

[@DowntheBreatherHole]

Thanks for watching! I totally get the concern of not wanting to buy more stuff to start a new hobby. Because I already have a lot of nice fountain pen paper lying around, I was able to get everything I needed for bookbinding for about $30, which has been worth it for me. My hobbies are generally fairly low-budget. But I like free even better.

[@graylingboysalisbury]

Great video . I'm trying to improve my handwriting, and I find a great way of practicing is copying a book. I am on 'Great expectations' at the moment, and I find not only do I take so much more of the story in by effectively reading in slow motion, but it also improves my grammar and punctuation. On top of that, Dickens is really funny.

[@DowntheBreatherHole]

Great idea!

[@21cormorants]

I’ll have to see if you did that “how to get more analog in 2024” video yet! Sounds cozy!!😊

[@DowntheBreatherHole]

Ugh, unfortunately I haven't yet made it. I'm not sure if I will at this point. But I do have a lot of interesting videos in the works. I hope they are cozy too!

[@davidanderson3425]

Wise words. Some great ideas.

[@DowntheBreatherHole]

Thanks for watching!

[@ProofByConundrum]

First time I've seen one of your videos, and I quite liked this one! Thanks. These are good ideas. I am also a freelance editor - hi! - and I lived in Portland for 12 years. I use my pens to journal, and sometimes to write letters to my friends. I'd like to do more of that.

[@DowntheBreatherHole]

Hello to a fellow editor!

[@toniogt]

About hobbies, one thing is learning a new language. There are a lot of digital tools that helps with it, because sometimes you need translation, context help with script and so on. But there are so many things pen and paper are great tools. Like writing down lyrics of songs you are learning, writing down variations of phrases to learn new aspects, especially grammar and vocabulary. Journaling in the language you're learning... So useful to do it with pen and paper and of course, using a fountain pen helps a lot, even with the experience of using certain pen or ink helps your brain on the learning, since you later might remember: I copied that poem in x language using this pen and that ink.

[@DowntheBreatherHole]

Yes! learning a language is a great companion hobby. I'm doing Spanish on Duolingo right now, but I'm sure I would learn much faster if I devoted some time to handwriting what I'm learning.

[@toniogt]

@@DowntheBreatherHole This video gives a cool idea when you get some words already going using pen and paper 🙂 kzbin.info/www/bejne/iV7KYpekg5eKea8si=4RiZfNnCtYa3WFFm

[@carolanne3017]

Pen pal hobby is a great way to use pens

[@irmal3799]

Hey thanks, you mede me so happy, so underdtood

[@DowntheBreatherHole]

Well I'm glad! More than talking about pens and paper, I want my channel to be something that helps make people's lives better.

[@GetReal521]

Great video Good advice.

[@DowntheBreatherHole]

Thanks! And thanks for watching!

[@ladyflimflam]

I only buy vintage Sheaffer pens and use them for writing everyday. Using only that brand of vintage pens cuts down on all the new pen shininess I see people falling into. And because I use vintage pens I also stay away from the fancy new inks that will eat vintage pens. That cuts down on the new ink shininess I see people falling for. My walmart had Southworth cotton writing paper clearanced last year so I bought all of it on the shelf and have bound a new tea journal out of it. Now I get to write and draw with my favorite pens on yummy paper about another of my hobbies on a daily basis, as well as using my pens in real life.

[@DowntheBreatherHole]

Vintage Sheaffer is a good way to go. I have a few basic ones.

[@Arclite2k3]

I recently started Postcrossing. You send a postcard and receive a postcard back from a random person somewhere in the world. Thats my new hobby ^^.

[@DowntheBreatherHole]

Very cool! That sounds fun!

[@skywriter9359]

Just bought pen holders from you!

[@ELECTRONICSANDGADGETS]

Great video. Hits home bro.

[@DowntheBreatherHole]

Thanks! And thanks for watching!

[@randomstuff625]

Thanks a lot man

[@putocuchinta]

This is a good point about unplugging. Lately I have been spending so much time on Reddit commenting on so many threads (including fountain pen related ones) just to get my karma up…. But I think instead of commenting out into the void with the hopes of building social capital, I will just write about them with my fountain pens instead! Including KZbin comments! What if this is my last public and digital KZbin comment??

[@DowntheBreatherHole]

If this is your last public comment, I would be honored. haha But I also wouldn't mind if you would keep commenting on my videos. ;)

[@ArjanD78]

I've got a tip as well to go along with a limited amount of inked pens: Don't fill them completely. You'll empty the pen sooner and use another pen. This is why I don't care for high ink capacity. I do have vac fillers etc, but lower capacity allows me to rotate between pens more

[@DowntheBreatherHole]

Interesting tip! Thanks for sharing!

[@ameliabuns4058]

do you have a link to the goblet videos? I love pens so much but I only journal half a page or a page a day!

[@DowntheBreatherHole]

I saw that video a long time ago, so I don't have the link. Sorry!

[@khk5723]

Learning to grind your own nibs is an excellent way of stop buying new fountain pens. Besides, in my opinion, your own "holy grail pen" is the one that you grind it yourself to suit your personal writing style instead of perpetually searching for "the one" and continuously buying.

[@DowntheBreatherHole]

Great idea! Grinding fountain pen nibs intimidates me greatly. Maybe I'll try it someday!

[@cdgarcia]

I’m 33 days clean without buying a fountain pen 🎉 I did it by saving my money for a grail pen 😅

[@intentionallyleftblank3016]

What is the pen you are saving for? 🖊

[@barryporter6993]

you can only write with 1 pen at a time, unless you are an ambidextrous writer :) but I do have 4 pens inked, 1 with "document"ink for checks, 1 purple, 1 blue and 1 black.

[@batman850800]

What’s your favorite pen to write long form with?

[@DowntheBreatherHole]

The Lamy Safari. I'm just super used to it. I have nicer pens, but I just keep coming back to the Safari.

[@wop130]

He’s such a cutie! 😍😍

[@DowntheBreatherHole]

uhhhhh thanks?

[@MelissaElsworth]

30 Inks 30 Days is wonderful for playing

[@DowntheBreatherHole]

That would be fun! Do I even have 30 inks? I guess with ink samples I do.

[@aysen_guney]

I only have one pen

[@DowntheBreatherHole]

Well, you found the loophole in my video. LOL But there's lots of fun to be had with just one fountain pen.

[@teresaharris-travelbybooks5564]

I see a lot about commonplace books, and I've watched videos on it, but in the videos, the books just look like journals or art ( junk ) journals. I have a planner, a journal for my thoughts and to record activities, and a reading journal. How is a commonplace book different?

[@C0raBr0wn]

JetPens has good video on setting up and using a commonplace book. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gXLUZ4Olbs6rZpYsi=A6-o7Qdw5G-WjCqG I have one dedicated to all things ink, typography, calligraphy and hand lettering.

[@DowntheBreatherHole]

My understanding is that a commonplace book is where a writer/artist keeps quotes, ideas, research, and other inspiring material they want to refer back to later.

[@pyrohedronthethornofthefla804]

Carve yourself a pen rest out of a wine cork friends! Thank me later.

[@DowntheBreatherHole]

Nice idea! I could see cork being great for fountain pens. It's soft, so it won't risk damaging your pens, and I'm guessing your pens won't wobble as much in it as they might in another kind of pen rest.

[@hemkeshyeole4630]

Well if your poor youtube and redit doesn't matter 😂😂

[@DowntheBreatherHole]

haha right!? A lot of my fountain pens and inks have come from winning Instagram giveaways over the past couple of years, and now my channel is big enough that companies are starting to send me stuff to review. If it wasn't for those things, my collection would be much, much smaller.

[@hemkeshyeole4630]

@@DowntheBreatherHole very happy for you , hope ur channel grows more and more