Spreading the Word on Fountain Pens

[@Otrain82]

So many laugh out loud moments in this video. Your impersonations of others people are hilarious. Great video. Happy Holidays.

[@WaskiSquirrel]

Glad you enjoyed. This was fun to make!

[@paulherman5822]

When I found my first Esterbrook (my perennial favorite to this day) my school didn't use pens in the least (around 1983.) ACE ("School of Tomorrow" still from Texas and abysmal for schools still. Accelerated Christian Education back then.) Only supervisors (their version of teachers that usually had absolutely no accreditation. My high school teacher was the only one who was certified even...) used BIC multipens. Why red was for needing correction and green was for teacher "official use." My Esterbrook J was one I think was my dad's, and I got my first fountain pen ink from my local store, Sheaffer Skrip blue-black. My dad switched to the Papermate Flair probably when he got their first ones, so I'm fortunate to find my first Esterbrook J (gray, 2668 firm medium nib.) Was in a drawer in our barn. Fun fact: Esterbrook 2668 was very common for government work even well into the Johnson presidency. He used them for about half of the documents he signed... Then, to the pen I got my neice about 6 months ago. The Parker 45. Last one I restored, currently...

[@WaskiSquirrel]

ACE is an interesting rabbit hole to go down. Needless to say, I'm not a fan of that at all! I need to pull out my Esterbook J pens again. My collection is 2, plus a transitional model. I remember talking about presidential pens on a livestream, but I didn't go back as far as Johnson. That's not I would have expected for the president! Parker 45 is a good pen. I hope your neice is enjoying it.

[@paulherman5822]

@WaskiSquirrel my next I'm going to work on is another Parker 45, and I'll try to find a medium gold nib for it, for a multiple combat veteran nephew. 4 tours, including the easiest in the US Navy, ship's historian on the USS Constitution. Combat veteran in Bosnia is Afghanistan, 3 full tours. Army in Bosnia, a few years off, then ship's historian on the USS Constitution, then in Germany then rerouted to Afghanistan, getting decorated there. His son is a a Marine currently.

[@paulherman5822]

And Esterbrook started with Abraham Lincoln, as dip pens. 😉

[@impish22]

fun and crazy video, thanks for sharing Waski !!

[@WaskiSquirrel]

I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@fountainpeninsanity3344]

This was so excellent! Great points and imitations. I loved it! Merry Christmas!

[@WaskiSquirrel]

Thank you so much, and Merry Christmas to you as well!

[@archivist17]

Feeling unwell on Christmas Day, this video was very welcome light relief! 😄 Squirrel humour unleashed!

[@WaskiSquirrel]

Glad I could bring some relief!

[@13noman1]

Happy Holidays! Enjoyable! I've used some of those openings -- and dip into my (growing) stash of "gift" pens that I can then igft to that person (usually folks I know, have a chance to see again). Some folks get the bug, others appreciate the thought and decide it's not for them -- either is a win!

[@WaskiSquirrel]

I don't share it widely, but I do keep a stash of giveaway pens in my desk at school for those who have a sincere interest.

[@nicksg3002]

You really made my day like literally. You may not be interested, but I will write it anyways my mom is in the hospital with pneumonia I got a speed traffic ticket and my husband gifted me a Fountain Pen that turned out to be a roller pen with my name engraved... Mary damn Christmas to me.

[@WaskiSquirrel]

Sometimes those awful days happen. I'm glad my little video could be a bright spot in it!

[@davidmcguigan5497]

🤣!!! The wonderful word about squirrels!

[@WaskiSquirrel]

What else on this channel?

[@impish22]

Looking forward to the New Year's Eve Livestream !!

[@WaskiSquirrel]

I'm hoping it's good!

[@honeybee4423]

Dear Mr Waski....what a brilliant video....I just cannot stop laughing right now which is kind of difficult and painful as I have an abscess in my mouth ( on antibiotics) I just came along to say Happy Christmas/ holidays and all that. I have been a little awol of late but I hope to be back to watching my fav YT's again soon. Take good care now...Sweet Blessings Mand XOXO

[@WaskiSquirrel]

Sorry to hear you're in pain. I am glad I could make you laugh, even if it hurts. Happy Holidays to you as well, and I hope you're healing quickly!

[@Calcprof]

Happy Issac Newton's Birthday Teach by doing! Yes yes yes.

[@WaskiSquirrel]

Thank you! And Happy Isaac Newton's Birthday to you as well!

[@themisterchristie]

Early 2024 I got a co-worker interested in fountain pens because she saw me using one and I then let her use one that I wasn't worried about. I then gave her a couple. Both she and her fiance recently bought a couple of Pilot Kakunos. one of their dogs chewed on her fiance's pen, destroying it. 😅

[@WaskiSquirrel]

Glad you could help them discover these wonderful pens! You'll have to have a word with their dog, though...

[@RainmanP99]

Loved the Wheel of Time reference!

[@WaskiSquirrel]

I hoped a few people would catch that!

[@MrAndrew1953]

I’ll have to google Rand Althor. In prep we wrote with pencils until our teachers thought we were good enough to write with a fountain pen ( never a ballpoint). Any snow outside? Maybe gift a ballpoint then the one before a fountain pen.

[@WaskiSquirrel]

I didn't want to mock a religion, so I picked Rand Al'Thor out because he's a fictional character from the "Wheel of Time" series. The only snow left outside right now is in the low spots.

[@edwardstaats4935]

The one true tool. Ok?

[@WaskiSquirrel]

My precious....

[@jeffroberts532]

Quite the passive-aggressive vid, especially the opening. Do you not see the irony of a public school teacher rebuking missionaries? Set aside the subject, and the two professions are essentially equal, except that the teacher has a captive audience of impressionable young minds who must submit. It’s also no coincidence, I think, that you have chosen Christmas Day as the time to release this vid. The day set aside specifically to acknowledge & celebrate the Advent. The greatest gift to ever be given!

[@archivist17]

Srsly?

[@WaskiSquirrel]

I feel like you may have missed the point of the video.

[@jeffroberts532]

@@WaskiSquirrel then explain it to me. You specifically stated “do not be a missionary.” You follow it up by providing examples of bad gift giving (giving and expecting something in return, or holding the receiver to some unwritten contract), or bad receiving (being critical & unappreciative of a gift that has been given in good faith without the aforementioned strings attached). You just happen to use fountain pens as the tie-in. But this was definitely a philosophical post. A sermon with the main themes being “do not preach” and “do not give or receive gifts in a wrong spirit”. The irony is astounding.

[@mumalogue]

Personally I think calling teachers missionaries is just disrespectful to the people who invest themselves in our children. Kids show up to school knowing that they will be taught. Missionaries typically seize upon non-consenting subjects. There is a lot more ignorance and hypocrisy that I will leave alone as you must be having a bad day. Hope it gets merrier.

[@fountainpeninsanity3344]

I think this was a perfect way to celebrate Christmas.