Just a note, I’m not American or familiar with how professional standards organizations work in the US and I just quickly skimmed the committee’s report, so this is all broad strokes.

What the article missed is that the committee recommended that Clark’s punishment include Clark having to prove he is fit to practice law before Clark can be readmitted after the two year suspension, not an automatic reinstatement after two years has elapsed. In my opinion, this is a very serious omission on the part of the CNN writer that makes the recommendation sound lighter than it actually is.

If the disciplinary committee’s recommendation is implemented in full, Clark needs to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the state’s professional standards organization that he understands how badly he behaved as a lawyer, why he was punished as a result, and how he must behave in the future to meet the professional standards of a licensed lawyer. If the professional standards board members in the future are extremely strict and set an unreachable bar for Clark (which, in my opinion, would not be surprising given the international coverage of this entire disaster), this could essentially be a permanent loss of license.

How strict the professional standards organization would interpret “fitness to practice” in two year’s time or the correctness of the disciplinary board’s finding that Clark’s behaviour didn’t rise to the same level as Giuliani’s (partially because Clark wasn’t filing lawsuits over this matter) thus warranting a lighter punishment is up for debate. The less cynical and more optimistic side of me interprets this as a permanent loss in practice with a crack in the door that is the size of one atom if Clark can prove with absolute certainty he turned things around and spends his waking hours repenting for his misdeeds, is now an absolutely flawless example of how an ethical lawyer should behave, and uses any spare moment he has rescuing all the abandoned puppies and kittens in the world and finding them amazing forever homes. Realistically? Who knows. Two years is long enough that people forget and won’t be outraged if the organization’s requirements are low.

I think I will echo everyone else. A Platinum Preppy fine will be a great choice for a first time fountain pen user to decide whether a FP is right for them. $6 is not a big loss if it turns out you don’t like it. It seals incredibly well and the pen can last a long time if you aren’t too rough with it. It’s definitely not a pen you can throw at the bottom of a backpack then toss the bag around (compare to the Lamy Safari which can take a good bit more abuse.).

The fine might be a touch scratchier since a Japanese F is usually more like a western EF. If you using a lot of garbage paper, definitely go with the EF. If you’re working with paper that’s more liquid ink friendly, maybe consider M for a slightly smoother experience.

Definitely buy a bunch of samples and a blunt tipped needle to fill the cartridge that comes with it in that order. If you aren’t sure about 100% committing to FPs in that order, fill the rest of your cart for free shipping with stuff you could use otherwise. In terms of paper, I would say Rhodia and Clairefontaine are decent budget friendly paper. I am told Clairefontaine is dirt cheap in France. If you’re in the UK, I’m also told Optik paper from Oxford is widely available for a good price there. Maybe consider some pens or pencils if the retailer has them.

For people who don’t have anywhere to grab a single blunt nose syringe for a reasonable price, go to your local pharmacy and see if they can sell you a single syringe with a gauge of 23 or lower. I found larger pharmacies and ones attached to hospitals have a larger selection. When you get home, carefully grind down the sharp bit using a sharpening stone or a patio stone. Once that’s done, give it a rinse by running some dish soap and water through it and you are good to go. It might be a little awkward to ask for a single needle, but if it makes you feel better, you can always tell them you need a blunt nose syringe to transfer liquids into a small container and can’t find one so you’re making one yourself.

For people thinking about this 100% do not do this in the original bottle. Some inks have known to react with each other to form sludge and such. Non-absorbant surface is definitely the way to go.

I’ve been told De Atramentis Document Ink was designed to be safely mixed with each other. It might be something you would be interested in if you like mixing ink!

To add onto what has already been said:

Personally, my fountain pen on the go choices are durable or beater pens. I have done the TWSBI pens to school path and feel like it worsened my problems with cracking. I favour all metal pens, the nearly indestructible plastic ones like the Lamy Safari, or pens that I buy specifically to be a beater pen, like the Majohn A2.

It’s fine or extra fine all the way. In fact, western EF or smaller is probably the ideal, especially when paired with a well behaved ink that isn’t fussy about paper quality. When I was doing my undergraduate studies which required handwritten exams, my go to was a Platinum 3776 in EF nib with a well behaved and waterproof/resistant ink like a KWZI irongall or Sailor’s nano pigment ink. I would have a complete fill/top off before every exam, and then slowly use the remainder for journaling after exam season. Since it uses a slip and seal cap, I’m not really worried about KWZI iron gall being in a pen for more than a week. Doing this on a smaller budget, I would just use one of the cheaper pens in the Platinum line with a slip and seal cap, like the Plaisir. I knew I didn’t write enough in one exam to justify a piston filler and even stopped bringing a back up ink cartridge after a while.

What I am doing as an on the go pen factors into the choice of pen design. If it’s a pen I will be bringing to the office/school environment, then I will be more willing to carry a full sized pen like the Majohn A2 or the Lamy Safari as they both open and close quickly. There probably are some highly durable piston fillers out there, but I don’t have any in my collection that I would pass as beater pens.

If I’m specifically looking for a fountain pen to carry on me (bag or pocket) at all times to scribble quick notes in a pocket notebook, then it will be a pocket pen with a short international cartridge like the Kaweco Sport, the Ensso XS (my current favourite), or something of similar proportions. I am looking to minimize footprint.

To be perfectly honest though, I’ve mostly stopped EDCing a fountain pen unless I am going somewhere I know I’ll be doing some writing. I normally EDC a mini bolt action pen with a pressurized refill in my wallet and leave it at that. It’s just less of a hassle since I don’t have to worry about drying and is more flexible when it comes to signing heat-based receipt paper and carbon copy paper.

Pilot Cavalier is the way to go. The fountain pen version is a little girthier than the gel pen version, but mines still felt closer to a thicker Bic ballpoint than the common fountain pen widths.

I can’t say I was a fan of Quink washable blue, but I do like the black and blue-black quite a bit! I think the washable blue was about 3 shades too pale for my tastes

Reminds me of a quote I have always enjoyed:

“We know no spectacle so ridiculous as the British public in one of its periodical fits of morality.” Thomas B. MacCaulay