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OK a slightly misleading title, but presently I am spending time going through my late father’s documents and making notes with my pens, rather than my laptop (who would have thought I have been working in IT for over 20 years, much of it hands on the technical side). With that in mind I’ve actually assembled a slightly different set of pens from normal, and these I’ve been carrying up to my mother’s for a few weeks now.
The carry case has been my Visconti 12 slot leather unit, something I had previously retired partly to reduce the number of pens I was taking to work and partly because I found the base finial of one of my Onotos had become scratched while in it. Debate is still open between trapped dirt and poor finish at the bottom of the folder.
A number of the pens are from both my work daily carry and my desk set, but also some are new and some have been brought back in to circulation.
Constellation88 Elements Moranges filled with Pilot Iroshizuku Yu-Yake. I’d been eyeing up this pen for months and finally took the plune in March, just as the world locked down. It took about five months to arrive through no fault of Constellation88 themselves. It is a summer pen with a summer ink.
Parker ‘New’ Duofold Senior filled with Parker Quink Black. This 1958 pen was my late father’s and almost certainly given to him when he became 21. There is a possibility that it could have been a going to university present instead, as this model was made between 1954 and 1958. It is interesting to note that I’ve found some recent correspondence from him obviously written with this pen as it has a large stub like nib. I’ve used this pen for signing documents where the large writing has not got in the way.
Platinum Curidas filled with Lamy Turmaline. This is an ideal pen for quick note taking and was used early on, however it has now been replaced by the last two in this list for reasons detailed below.
18111 Gold Dancing Feathers filled with Kyo-Iro Moonlight over Higashiyama. I’m not using this pen much but it’s always nice and calming to look at and in some respects was included for that reason.
Visconti Homo Sapiens Caput Mundi filled with Graf von Faber Castell India Red. The quick capping/uncapping action has meant resulted in it being used as a second colour when note taking phone calls.
Onoto Magna Classic filled with Diamine Earl Grey. I tend to use my Onotos for formal work and it is the same here. It is a very calming pen and where the nib on the Parker has just been too large to too stub like, this Onoto has been used instead.
Pilot Custom 823 filled with Akkerman/Diamine SBre Brown. I added this pen, partly because I had no browns with me (inks) and partly on a whim as it is my 823 with the FA nib. Now just to find someone who can neatly write with a flex nib …
Stipula Etruria Faceted Alter Ego filled with Franklin Christoph Sweet Maroon. Half my pens seem to contain red/orange/brown. Again this was added as much for it’s beauty as it’s writing experience.
rOtring Initial filled with Franklin Christoph Spanish Blue. This became the main note taker until recently. It was my father’s and more importantly it was a present to him from me about 12 years ago. He had used it a lot, but obviously not for a while as it did need a decent clean. It is a very nice writer and it feels highly appropriate to use at present for my ‘detective work’.
Den’s Pens Aequitas filled with Krishna Inks Christmas Eve. This was only added on my previous trip as I do need to review the pen, something I was in two minds about. This is because Den was still in his first year of pen making when I bought it at the March 2020 London Pen Show and I was reluctant to cover as any issues may well have been picked up and fixed on his new produce.
dapprman 
Great read. It’s fun to pull out some old favorites, right? I particularly like the first two, the Constellation 88 and the Parker Duofold that was your dad’s. Their styles are a study in contrast! That stubby, fat, beautifully bright yellow pen makes me happy just looking at it. As for the Duofold, it must make you think of your dad every time you use it, and that seems like a very nice thing. You’re also lucky to have the rOtring you gave him. It does seem totally appropriate to be using that pen to go through your dad’s documents. I hope you enjoy the process a little more because of those special pens.
I like when people display their favorite pens, even when some of them may not be one of my favorites. Pens are never mere objects; they are very personal, in-hand experiences. Yes they are visual too, but most pen people would probably not keep a handsome pen if they didn’t like the way it felt in their hand or it didn’t write well for them.
I very much like the Constellation 88 and the Parker Duofold, and the association with your father just makes them even more personal for you which is very nice.
I like the way many Visconti pens look, but my three separate experiences with Visconti pens were very disappointing. Each one had very a very problematic nib right out the box. I ordered replacement nibs for two of them, and those were very bad too.
Also, the nicest of the three came with a very obvious bent off-center clip, made even more glaring by the pen’s multi-faceted barrel. I had to carefully – and I do mean carefully – bend it back into center.
Frankly, all three should never have left the Visconti factory, and to me at least, it says a lot about their quality control standards. I will never buy another Visconti pen unless I have personally inspected and written with it in a retail pen shop. Your Visconti obviously looks and writes well – lucky you!