Courtesy Notice - change of ID

I have changed the settings (finally) and no longer carry the
offensive handle. During my old radio days I was known as "Moonstone"
and it is as good as any other, exception - **** magnet. Thank you all
for your tolerance.

Moonstone

On Wed, 31 May 2006 16:34:11 -0400, -Moonstone- wrote:

I have changed the settings (finally) and no longer carry the
offensive handle. During my old radio days I was known as "Moonstone"
and it is as good as any other, exception - **** magnet. Thank you all
for your tolerance.

At least your temporary moniker was accurate ;-)
--
Sem

"Semolina Pilchard" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 31 May 2006 16:34:11 -0400, -Moonstone- wrote:

I have changed the settings (finally) and no longer carry the
offensive handle. During my old radio days I was known as
"Moonstone"
and it is as good as any other, exception - **** magnet. Thank you
all
for your tolerance.

At least your temporary moniker was accurate ;-)
--
Sem

You've got that right... whew!

-Moonstone- a écrit :

"Semolina Pilchard" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 31 May 2006 16:34:11 -0400, -Moonstone- wrote:

I have changed the settings (finally) and no longer carry the
offensive handle. During my old radio days I was known as
"Moonstone"
and it is as good as any other, exception - **** magnet. Thank you
all
for your tolerance.

At least your temporary moniker was accurate ;-)
--
Sem

You've got that right... whew!

And people wonder why this board is so inactive. Perhaps its just
because there are too many jerks hanging around, eager to jump all over
anybody who says anything meaningful.

I think you've been more than a little abused by some of the people
here.It's rude for a dozen people to repeatedly disagree with one
person, especially a new-comer. It looks like ganging up, to me.Yes
indeed, your rather mild comments on Noodlers ink seem to have blown up
quite a tempest. But this is one of the pet enthusiasms of some here.
You have to understand that this ink was developped by a very popular,
nice guy who used to repair and sell pens, so you sort of hit a nerve,
through absolutely no fault of your own.

This board has tended to be taken over by the sellers of pens and ink.
There is nothing wrong with that, except... such people naturally take
dire offense when their products are criticized, even slightly. But the
main purpose of this board is, or was, to discuss pens and ink, not to
provide people with a free sales venue.

I myself use Noodlers for check-writing (in a cheapo Sheaffer) but find
it too expensive, and somewhat inferior to plain old Quink for everyday
usage. But if your pen will take it, doubtless the color range is
enticing.

I believe a few posters asserted that ink is ink, and just about any
pen will work more or less well with any ink. This is nonsense. Private
Reserve and Levenger and Osmiroid inks have clogged lots of my pens. A
soaking will restore them, but why bother with an ink that doesn't suit
your pen? There are even inks out there such as Diamine (I think that
was it's name) that will clog your pen very badly, and even leave
residues that a soaking won't remove. I had to throw away a pen once
for this very reason. Others have commented on such inks here before.
Your experience is far from unlikely or suspicious.

Finally, I think your original moniker was rather cute, and am sorry
people used this against you. At least you breathed life into this
almost defunct board, and I for one, will be sorry to see you driven
away.

I had an experience somewhat like this years ago, on a musical theory
list. I happen to like 19-tone equal temperament, and had studied it in
depth. I had the innocence to imagine that others would be interested
in a few of my findings. A few were, but the list was dominated by two
resident bullies, who proceeded to tear everything I said to pieces,
and finally claimed that I had stolen my ideas from them. A word to all
the lurkers: never post anything really useful on the net, unless you
also plan to eventually publish and SELL what you have to offer. You
will only be abused for your pains. But if you consider the net just as
a way to stir up interest in your work by offering a few intriguing
snippets for free, you will be left feeling good about your net
experience.

On 1 Jun 2006 15:50:56 -0700, virgiliopoeta wrote:

There are even inks out there such as Diamine (I think that
was it's name) that will clog your pen very badly, and even leave
residues that a soaking won't remove. I had to throw away a pen once
for this very reason.

You sound unsure as to whether or not it was Diamine. All I can say is
that Diamine is one of the longest-established fountain pen inks. I've
used it since I was a schoolboy - which was a regrettably long time ago -
and I haven't had any problems with it. I rather like it, in fact.

Mind you, I'm not so attached to it that I'll jump up and down with fury,
call you a troll or threaten legal action because you dared to traduce its
good name :-D
--
Sem

Semolina Pilchard wrote:

virgiliopoeta wrote:
There are even inks out there such as Diamine (I
think that was it's name) that will clog your pen
very badly, and even leave residues that a
soaking won't remove. I had to throw away a pen
once for this very reason.

You sound unsure as to whether or not it was
Diamine. All I can say is that Diamine is one of
the longest-established fountain pen inks. I've
used it since I was a schoolboy - which was a
regrettably long time ago - and I haven't had any
problems with it. I rather like it, in fact.

I agree with Sem, here. Diamine is a very mild ink, some might say
"washed out" even. I can't imagine its stain potential being that
great. -- B

"virgiliopoeta" wrote in message
ups.com...
-Moonstone- a écrit :

"Semolina Pilchard" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 31 May 2006 16:34:11 -0400, -Moonstone- wrote:

I have changed the settings (finally) and no longer carry the
offensive handle. During my old radio days I was known as
"Moonstone"
and it is as good as any other, exception - **** magnet. Thank
you
all
for your tolerance.

At least your temporary moniker was accurate ;-)
--
Sem

You've got that right... whew!

And people wonder why this board is so inactive. Perhaps its just
because there are too many jerks hanging around, eager to jump all
over
anybody who says anything meaningful.

I think you've been more than a little abused by some of the people
here.It's rude for a dozen people to repeatedly disagree with one
person, especially a new-comer. It looks like ganging up, to me.Yes
indeed, your rather mild comments on Noodlers ink seem to have blown
up
quite a tempest. But this is one of the pet enthusiasms of some here.
You have to understand that this ink was developped by a very popular,
nice guy who used to repair and sell pens, so you sort of hit a nerve,
through absolutely no fault of your own.

This board has tended to be taken over by the sellers of pens and ink.
There is nothing wrong with that, except... such people naturally take
dire offense when their products are criticized, even slightly. But
the
main purpose of this board is, or was, to discuss pens and ink, not to
provide people with a free sales venue.

I myself use Noodlers for check-writing (in a cheapo Sheaffer) but
find
it too expensive, and somewhat inferior to plain old Quink for
everyday
usage. But if your pen will take it, doubtless the color range is
enticing.

I believe a few posters asserted that ink is ink, and just about any
pen will work more or less well with any ink. This is nonsense.
Private
Reserve and Levenger and Osmiroid inks have clogged lots of my pens. A
soaking will restore them, but why bother with an ink that doesn't
suit
your pen? There are even inks out there such as Diamine (I think that
was it's name) that will clog your pen very badly, and even leave
residues that a soaking won't remove. I had to throw away a pen once
for this very reason. Others have commented on such inks here before.
Your experience is far from unlikely or suspicious.

Finally, I think your original moniker was rather cute, and am sorry
people used this against you. At least you breathed life into this
almost defunct board, and I for one, will be sorry to see you driven
away.

I had an experience somewhat like this years ago, on a musical theory
list. I happen to like 19-tone equal temperament, and had studied it
in
depth. I had the innocence to imagine that others would be interested
in a few of my findings. A few were, but the list was dominated by two
resident bullies, who proceeded to tear everything I said to pieces,
and finally claimed that I had stolen my ideas from them. A word to
all
the lurkers: never post anything really useful on the net, unless you
also plan to eventually publish and SELL what you have to offer. You
will only be abused for your pains. But if you consider the net just
as
a way to stir up interest in your work by offering a few intriguing
snippets for free, you will be left feeling good about your net
experience.

Hi Virgilopoeta - Excuse my delayed response. The reader had flagged
this thread as read and your response was hiding out. Anyway, I
appreciate your response.

Actually the moniker belongs to another user. There is one son and two
nephews that access the same system until some renovation is
completed. Rather than changing it, I really needed to give it back
since it is being actively used by a nephew. I'd hate to see his group
peers lambasting him for liking something as old-school as fountain
pens.

I understand what you mean about this group attempting to being taken
over by commercial interests. I noticed from another recent post that
not only is Noodler's being defended tooth and nail, but Private
Reserve is being almost as aggressively discouraged. I take it now
that PR is the big competition ink threat? Personally I wish all the
retailers would move on. Doing so might allow a more freedom of
expression climate to get re-rooted here once again. Naturally each
respective person with a vested interest in his/her product is going
to claim for fact that there's is the best or there's can do no wrong.
I came here to learn some facts, not be bombarded with clandestine
spam disguised as free unincumbered opinion.

In relating to Noodler's, I tried my best to be fair and openminded. I
may seem overly tenacious but [a] a pen expert warned me of a really
bad experience with the ink; [b] I had an unusual similar experience
myself with that same brand of ink; and [c] I conducted the
"bead/coat" test with this and 5 or 6 other brands. Given these three
facts, I have to remain open-minded about the ink. Based on other good
information, I'm at least willing to give the ink another chance under
certain conditions. I bought so much of it and considering it's huge
cost and the fact that I like its other attributes very much, and
giving it another chance is IMO the most prudent thing to do.

There are a lot of good people that hang-out here. I'm betting there
are more honest and knowledgable people than the few commercial
concerns and their henchmen. For this reason, wild horses couldn't
drive me away from this or any ng if there is useful info to be had. I
will continue to treat folks the way I like being treated and if not,
I have a good filtering system built into the reader. I wish some
people would use their filters more because if they can't accept
opinon that is genuine and candid, they're better off not reading what
I may have to say at all. One thing for certain, if I do or don't like
or disagree with something or someone, I'm offering it up freely
without motivation of personal gain. I also want to get good info from
persons that don't feel constrained or obligated to commercial
concerns. I've used FPs since 1954 but still I am no expert and there
is a wealth of information out there that I hope remains freely
available. As the result as groups such as this, imagine how many pens
have been spared the hot water assault on the bees wax!

Right now I'm excited about getting my Pelly M1000 back from the tweek
shop. There is a slight flow problem and I'm hoping they'll spend some
time with it and get it up to "perfection." I know if any pen has the
potential of being the "super ultimate" pen, Pelican has got to be one
of those. Soon I will also be looking for a vintage pen that is at
least 50 years old. Am even willing to put some work into one to bring
it up to snuff. What I really miss is the flexibilty of the older
nibs. Today's nibs are harder to destroy but this modern attribute
comes at a big sacrifice. Take care.

On Fri, 2 Jun 2006 07:19:54 -0400, "-Moonstone-"
wrote:

There are a lot of good people that hang-out here. I'm betting there
are more honest and knowledgable people than the few commercial
concerns and their henchmen.

Evidently you feel that you now have the right to cast aspersions on
anyone that took a position contrary to your expectations and the
expectations of a few others. I have had dealings with Chuck and his
staff and have never found them less than knowledgeable and honest,
not to mention quick to respond even when it had nothing to do with
their 'commercial concerns'.

Those of us that agreed with Chuck aren't henchmen - we happen to
agree with his position. His position was also one that you chose to
misread several times that built up much of the heat of the entire
thread. His challenge was to your hearsay condemnation of Noodlers
Ink.

I've been on this list either in lurk mode or participant for quite
awhile (as in years and always under my real name - like Chuck, BTW)
and I welcome the 'commercial concerns'. Most entered the business not
because of the great wealth it offers, but because they had the
interest first.

For the record, anyone that reacts harshly to hearsay on the Internet
that is damaging to someone else's reputation and livelihood is a good
guy as far as I am concerned. The reaction here was mild compared to
what some lists would have produced.

Curtis L. Russell
Odenton, MD (USA)
Just someone on two wheels...

"Curtis L. Russell" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 2 Jun 2006 07:19:54 -0400, "-Moonstone-"
wrote:

There are a lot of good people that hang-out here. I'm betting
there
are more honest and knowledgable people than the few commercial
concerns and their henchmen.

Evidently you feel that you now have the right to cast aspersions on
anyone that took a position contrary to your expectations and the
expectations of a few others. I have had dealings with Chuck and his
staff and have never found them less than knowledgeable and honest,
not to mention quick to respond even when it had nothing to do with
their 'commercial concerns'.

Those of us that agreed with Chuck aren't henchmen - we happen to
agree with his position. His position was also one that you chose to
misread several times that built up much of the heat of the entire
thread. His challenge was to your hearsay condemnation of Noodlers
Ink.

I've been on this list either in lurk mode or participant for quite
awhile (as in years and always under my real name - like Chuck, BTW)
and I welcome the 'commercial concerns'. Most entered the business
not
because of the great wealth it offers, but because they had the
interest first.

For the record, anyone that reacts harshly to hearsay on the
Internet
that is damaging to someone else's reputation and livelihood is a
good
guy as far as I am concerned. The reaction here was mild compared to
what some lists would have produced.

I believe that any person that unjustly attacks another people because
of his or her beliefs is a henchman ro one extent or another. This is
a public news group and I believe commecial use of such is contrary to
the rules and spirit of the concept. It's sort of like my running
commerical ads on citizens-band radio. You disagree with me but you
don't call me names or attack my character to try and make yourself
look better. I respect your position, and I believe you and others
have received outstanding service from Chuck Swisher. Had his tone not
been so hostile, it was quite possible I would have had a similar
pleasure dealing with him myself. I don't question your dealing with
anyone. I wasn't there so who am I to say. The only thing that I
maintain is that everything I said was try to fact and unless someone
out there was here, there is nothing they can say to dispute me.

It's not that I am anti-Chuck Swisher so much that I am
pen-user-advocate. It's just the way my empathy works. I'm trying, if
not even promoting the things I like about Noodler's ink. ITMT, I am
okay not dwelling on the subject and moving on to other products and
challenges. I have made my point by my being being clear as to why I
feel the way I do and eveyone else has subsequently either agreed or
disagreed. That's all good and I hope the environment continues to
allow for unconstrained freedom of expression. More people should
treat you as a roll model. You have been forthright with me without
calling me a troll or a crook.

Over half of the info available online is or has been hearsay in one
form or another. This is a public forum designed for an exchange of
free expression - not a court of law. The info that has been generated
by this thread alone has not been all that negative. If anything, it
addresses a possible problem but also suggest remediation for those
that may be overly concerned. Since there is a general consensus that
anything can happen with all the different variations of pens and
inks, maybe it will make us all more cognizant of our lax maintenance
habits. If Mr. Swisher or anyone else thinks this line of exchange can
jeopardize his reputation and livelihood, I would say the business
must have already been on "shakey ground" beyond my knowledge and/or
control. Although it may be true that the average American citizen is
naive and ill informed, I believe people attracted to certain ngs are
more intellegent and better informed than the average cross-section -
that you apparently do not give credit to. I understand the appeal to
one's heart by claiming the all the ramifications - dependent children
and aging parents starving as business goes under etc. Curtis, I think
some people will not see through the ploy and think I must really be a
"cold ass." Other's will see how arrogant and cut-thoat ugly business
has become. When you expect to make an 800 or 1200% profit on this or
that, you are assuming heavy scrutiny and criticism as the bitter of
the sweet territory.

In the short time I have been familiar with the group, I've
experienced some interesting persons and things. I've learned more
about pens in a month than I've learned during a previous span of 50
years. Imagine how much more info would be accessible if half the
users weren't being so overly careful of not stepping on someone
else's toes?

In your using your "given" name, it doesn't make you any more or less
credible than someone using an "nym" or "handle." I happen to have had
a lot of experience in amateur radio so I'm comfortable with a
selected name. The truth of the matter is I have a different name for
every different ng. It eliminates confusion when dealing with email
and in this day of a need to guard one's own identity, I'm happy not
publishing a mutitude of facets of myself that may incourage profile
scheming.

I'm not casting asperations=stones? (whatever that word means) toward
anyone except perhaps right back at those few that attacked me first.
Disagreement is a good sign. If everyone agreed with me, I'd begin to
suspect that people were kissing my behind for whatever reason. After
all, apparently I like you well enough to enjoy an exchange with you
Curtis aren't I? Even those that were rude will get a response
appropriate to the subject. Anyone can make a mistake and life is too
short and holding grudges is very bad for the blood pressure.

As for the few others that openly agreed with me, I believe there is
more than just a few. In a repressed environment, there is a formula
to estimate what any given consensus really is based on certain scale
ratings. In other words, in the fear of getting a head chopped off and
only two come out in support of the "unpopular" idea, there are X-X
times that number of two that keeps their unpopular opinion closeted.
I don't feel in the "minority" by any stretch of imagination. Take
care.

Semolina Pilchard a écrit :

On 1 Jun 2006 15:50:56 -0700, virgiliopoeta wrote:

There are even inks out there such as Diamine (I think that
was it's name) that will clog your pen very badly, and even leave
residues that a soaking won't remove. I had to throw away a pen once
for this very reason.

You sound unsure as to whether or not it was Diamine. All I can say is
that Diamine is one of the longest-established fountain pen inks. I've
used it since I was a schoolboy - which was a regrettably long time ago -
and I haven't had any problems with it. I rather like it, in fact.

Mind you, I'm not so attached to it that I'll jump up and down with fury,
call you a troll or threaten legal action because you dared to traduce its
good name :-D
--
Sem

Ha, ha! (holding head painfully) actually on advice of legal counsel, I
looked through some of my old ink bottles, and... the ink was Panache,
not Diamine. I used Diamine while I was in Europe many years ago
without problems (I think), and another brand ending in -ine (I think,
or hope, or guess) which was German-Austrian in origin, which clogged
one of my pens. But I still have a queasy feeling of imminent doom when
I think of Diamine ink - maybe I just didn't like their red, I'm not
sure.