How long have you had your holder?

[Carina_I]

Hello all,

I'm not sure if this is the right category, but I have questions:what is the oldest penholder you have (as in which penholder have you had the longest) and do you have a favourite penholder?

Thanks for answering these diddledeedoop questions!

[evjo]

Here are my diddledeedoop answers:
The oldest penholder I have is a straight one that I got in college in the 1970s.  Ack!
My current favorite is an oblique that I bought from Chris Yoke last summer.  It has a slightly smaller diameter than my other pens, and I find it more comfortable.  It's a dark wood with a glossy finish.
I like all my pens though.  I have some from Michael Sull & a beautiful one from Chris Held.  & some of the more inexpensive ones from John Neal & I like them too.
I also have a straight penholder that I inherited; it was my grandmother's when she was in art school over 100 years ago.  I don't know if it is usable or not.  It needs cleaning.
I have the portable writing desk that belonged to my great-grandmother & I think it has a pen holder in it, but one that is too damaged to use.

[Carina_I]

Here are my diddledeedoop answers:
The oldest penholder I have is a straight one that I got in college in the 1970s.  Ack!
My current favorite is an oblique that I bought from Chris Yoke last summer.  It has a slightly smaller diameter than my other pens, and I find it more comfortable.  It's a dark wood with a glossy finish.
I like all my pens though.  I have some from Michael Sull & a beautiful one from Chris Held.  & some of the more inexpensive ones from John Neal & I like them too.
I also have a straight penholder that I inherited; it was my grandmother's when she was in art school over 100 years ago.  I don't know if it is usable or not.  It needs cleaning.
I have the portable writing desk that belonged to my great-grandmother & I think it has a pen holder in it, but one that is too damaged to use.

First off, thank you for your diddledeedoop answer, and second off, it seems that calligraphy has been in your family for a while. Is it like a family tradition? Also, I was under the impression that thicker pens are more comfortable to work with while smaller pens are less comfy because they encourage a 'death grip.' Or do I have it all completely backwards?

[evjo]

Hmm. . .  I think there is no rule about which size of pen is the best.  I have arthritis in my knuckles and was told by lots of people that a fatter pen would be better for me, but it is not.  I can still use it, but it isn't my favorite.

Pain from arthritis in the knuckles definitely helps prevent death grip.   But also sometimes any grip at all. 

My grandmother was sent to art school (California College of Arts & Crafts) in spite of wanting to be a mathematician.  Her grandmother believed that "ladies" should not be mathematicians.  Humbug.  My mother became an accomplished painter.  They both learned some broad pen basics, but did not get the calligraphy obsession.  Or should I say the calligraphy jones.  haha

[Heebs]

Grip size is all personal preference, larger size can definitely help relax a death grip but for some it's just uncomfortable. When you start building a lighter touch it's more pleasant to hold a smaller one in my experience.

My longest owned holders are a set of Unique Obliques (back when he still took custom orders) but the oldest holders I own were made 100+ years ago (Magnusso and Zanerian Fine Art Pen Holder among them).

[AAAndrew]

The ones I've had the longest are my plastic speedball holders from the late '70's. The oldest are a couple of wood holders, including a Palmer method from sometime in the first half of the 20th century.

[AndyT]

The one I've had longest is a straight holder with a built-in reservoir.  That may be the oldest too, but it's nothing fancy.  My first proper oblique was from Brian Smith a couple of years ago.

I don't care for bulky pens, but my strongest preference is for lightness.  Modern fountain pens are often dreadful in this regard, incidentally.  Perceived delicacy seems to discourage the death grip in my case - quills are generally thinner than a pencil but I have no problem holding them gently.

[Inked botanicals]

I bought my first holder 4-5 years ago in a set with some nibs and ink and started my calligraphy journey. At that time I though it was a super fancy thing to have on my desk. Now it is a plain straight wooden simple holder! 

The oldest holder I have is one from my mother's grandfather. It is a simple straight wood holder too but it came with an awesome intrincated metal inkwell!

My current favorites now, are one straight holder I bought at Shakespeare hometown in a beautiful shimmering coral color; and my wood century oblique from John Neal.

[prasad]

The oldest holder is the Speedball plastic that I first got in Feb of 2014 when I started Calligraphy. 
I make my own holders now, so obviously I have to say that my favourite are the ones I made

The only other holder I have bought is the PIA hourglass adjustable.

-Prasad

[Ken Fraser]

I don't care for bulky pens, but my strongest preference is for lightness.

Quills are generally thinner than a pencil but I have no problem holding them gently.

I have a dozen holders from various sources.
 
Like so many others, I started with a speedball plastic holder which I never liked. I quickly realised that the fixed plastic flange was a distinct disadvantage when I developed sufficient control, requiring a subtle change of flange angle to suit my hand.

I have four century-style holders from Paper Ink Arts which I like with no special preference. I also have a PIA Hourglass Adjustable which takes all sizes of nibs. In fact, I have this holder permanently fitted with a lead refill. I followed instructions on how to make this pencil holder via Dr Joe Vitolo on IAMPETH. I find that it's excellent for rapid pencil lettering to establish layout prior to lettering in ink.

I have tried quills from time to time but have to confess that they are just too narrow for me to use with sufficient control. A lightweight holder which tapers down to slightly thicker than a normal pencil at the flange, seems to suit me best.

When Brian Smith first started up his "Unique Obliques" business, I acquired four of his magnificent holders. This one in particular is a little lighter than the others, and has become my favourite (see below).  Like Andy, my preference is for lightness and I'm not particularly fond of bulky holders.

Brian used my Copperplate writing with one of his holders, for his banner heading and I am delighted to be associated with such a magnificent product.

I have no affiliation with Brian Smith, I just happen  to greatly admire the high quality of the work produced by a true craftsman/penmeister.