Talked a lot about pens and writing.
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Waterman is, I think, a French brand. They’re a quality brand. I lusted after a Waterman Carene for a while, but they’re impossibly expensive for my budget – – that’s gun or knife money for me. I do own a Waterman Charleston, which is no longer made, in “Mandarin Yellow” with an EF nib. Lovely pen.
Conklin is an old American brand, associated with Mark Twain, who had one of their crescent filler fountain pens. These are still made – – they are the pens seen in old cartoons, spraying ink for comic effect. I can afford these but don’t have one.
A bit of fountain pen snobbery that exists is to have two fountain pens on one’s person – – one is for writing, and the other exclusively for signatures. Typically the writing pen will have an M or F nib, while the signature pen has a B nib.
Cross is more famous for their ball points. They made a handsome fountain pen, though, the Century, that briefly came in sterling silver and which I lusted after but never actually acquired. The chrome version is cheaper, of course. If you want a fat pen, the Century is worth looking at. Other famous fat pens are the Parker Duofold and the Schaeffer Carene mentioned above.
A brand I like for the aesthetics is Recife (French); several of these are made with a chrome collar on the cap that I find very attractive. I have a fat black one that I dearly love.
Bottled ink is interesting itself, and many collect the bottle types. For filling a pen, the Mont Blanc design is very good. Parker’s Quink is quality ink (hence the portmanteau name). Waterman is also a fine choice, and the bottle is designed to be laid down at an angle to facilitate filling the pen, although I don’t trust the bottle not to tip. Pilot’s current ink bottle are lovely. You might search out old antique ink bottles, typically found in dumps; these come in both glass and stoneware – – some are shaped with pen rests. There are lots of “mudlarking” YouTube videos of people searching old dumps and along riversides for old ink bottles.