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Reactionary


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In the past there have been a few topics on Soviet (Russian) fountain pens on Lion and Pen and on the FPN.

 

Perhaps we can start a new discussion here, and maybe some interesting information will surface.

 

Are there people around here who have first hand knowledge of Soviet pens?

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pavlosh


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Reactionary wrote:

Are there people around here who have first hand knowledge of Soviet pens?


Well, exact answer depends on what type of knowledge youre interested in? ;)



-- Edited by pavlosh at 17:56, 2009-03-11

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Pavlo,

Great to see you here!

Well you gave lots of information on this subject on the Lion and Pen forum, and I really enjoyed it.

Last week I read the book by Robert Cullen about the life and crimes of Andrei Chikatilo, the Rostov Ripper. I wonder what the police used when writing their notes and reports. Did they use pencils? Perhaps Soviet ballpoints or even FP's?

Thanks,

Johan

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Hi Johan,


Yes, it's great to meet again.

About your interest: Chikatilo... oh my God...

OK, so police writing equipment (in USSR/Russia that times):


It can't be pencils (except some personal, meaning non-official notes) as nothing written/signed by pencil could have power of official document here because of belief that it can be easily falsified.

It can't be FPs as they were copmpletely out of wide use here by that time already.

So the only logical conclusion is ballpoints. My (thanks God! ;) ) rare visits to local police stations confirm that.



-- Edited by pavlosh at 04:32, 2009-03-12

-- Edited by pavlosh at 04:33, 2009-03-12

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Hi Pavlo,

So file writing was done in ballpoint? That must have been the Soviet ballpoints then; I guess they were rather horrible...

About Chikatilo; It is amazing that a cultured, intellectual man could commit such atrocious crimes.

What also strikes me is the state of Soviet society at the time; it was in complete decline.

What job dit you have in the 70's en 80's?

Best,

Johan

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Welcome to the forum Pavlo!

Sounds like you have some interesting stories......


It's hard to believe that FP's are not really used in Russia!
Are there any stationary stores (B & M's) that sell FP's?

Frank

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i've been after a soyuz pen for sometime now, they intrigue me. i don't have any dough now, but it's in my sights.

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pavlosh


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Frank wrote:

Welcome to the forum Pavlo!

Sounds like you have some interesting stories......


It's hard to believe that FP's are not really used in Russia!
Are there any stationary stores (B & M's) that sell FP's?

Frank


Hi Frank,

Thanks for your warm welcome!


OK, it seems to me that words like "It's hard to believe that FP's are not really used in XXX country" means opening a can with worms. I mean that according to FPN estimations (if Im not mistaken in understanding) no more that 3% of USA population are FP users now. Does it mean that FP are really used in USA?

Then: situation with FP usage in USSR was very much different in following periods:

-before late 60s-70s (in pre-ballpoint era);

-from 70s until late 90s;

-from late 90s;

For first period (from our point of view) main thing was domination of FPs, mainly locally-made (like Soyuz mentioned above plus 3-4 other plants) with some Chinese ones and very rare western original FPs (like Parkers).

During second period FPs just disappeared from use (in favor of ballpoints obviously) except schools, where their use was mandatory (what was and in many cases still is common for Europe).

During third period FPs made some comeback as status symbol for reach people to be occasionally used for contracts etc signing.

So now we do have several shops with FPs on sale but mainly they are purchased as gifts (see above about status symbols).

Hope that helps a bit and please do not hesitate to ask more (now I have to run for business ;) ).

Pavlo in Kyiv, Ukraine



-- Edited by pavlosh on Friday 13th of March 2009 03:21:37 PM

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Hi Johan,

Yes Soviet-made ballpoints were rather horrible (they leaked a lot first of all) but Soviet-made FP were sooo... horrible that they became hands down loosers in competition with said ballpoints smile.gif

I graduated from polytechnic university in 1979 and became the developer of simulation software. We simulated space missions etc. Believe you or not but that software was on par (I hope I used proper expression :) )  with best simulation sofware developed worlwide (though computers were not already). I was developer of such software until early 90's.

In general you're right - that was decline and USSR dissapeared (as we know already). But I doubt that Chikatilo (as well as any case like "a cultured, intellectual man could commit such atrocious crimes") could be used as correct sign of decline - intellect does not mean high human standars in any country in any period of time.


Pavlo in Kyiv, Ukraine

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Hi Pavlo,

Thank you for your interesting reply!

I was perhaps a bit vague about Chikatilo. I did not mean that his personality was a sign of the decline of the USSR, but his case shows so many interesting of Soviet society in the '70's and '80's. For example the economic problems, the lax labour attitude, the social problems like alcoholism and prostitution etc...

When did ballpoint arrive on the Soviet scene? The Soviet pencils, where they also of low quality?

Best,

Johan

 

 

 

 



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pavlosh


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Hi Johan,

Ballpoints appeared here from late 60's (I guess I'm able to find more precise dates if you will need them) in two waves. One was not real success as that was attempt to have refillable ball points meaning not changing of disposable unit (what is well known for BPs) but special shops where owner was able to refill that unit what is disposable normally. I don't remember that personally, but older people claim that it happenned :) Second wave was (relatively) success as that was "normal" BPs- at least in competition with locally made FPs.

Pencil were also not really good. Main weeknesses:
- bad wood, what create problems in sharpening.
- low (or better to say too narrow) choice of leads hardness grades;
- different pencils with same hardness grade (marked on the body) were of different grade in practice.
MPs - same story.
So Koh-i-Noor pencils (both wooden and MPs) were extremely valuable gift (or purchase if you was lucky).

Pavlo in Kyiv, Ukraine


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Hi Pavlo,

As you know ballpoints can be very cheap in Europe; a regular worker has to work about 25 seconds to buy a stick pen. What were the prices in the USSR? Were they also very cheap or more expensive?

best,

Johan

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pavlosh


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Hi Johan,

Local ballpoints were very cheap (though I never calculate that in seconds of working time). The explanation was lack of real market economy: all prices were artificially set in order to imitate prosperity.

Pavlo in Kyiv, Ukraine


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Hi Pavlo,

The artificial price does make sense; these things were also doen in the German Democratic Republic, where milk and bread were kept very cheap, while in reality they were thrice as expensive to produce.confuse

thanks,

Johan



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Man is what he eats

Ludwig Feuerbach

Vice and virtue are products like vitriol and sugar

Hippolyte Taine

pavlosh


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Reactionary wrote:

 

Hi Pavlo,

The artificial price does make sense; these things were also doen in the German Democratic Republic, where milk and bread were kept very cheap, while in reality they were thrice as expensive to produce.confuse

thanks,

Johan

 


Hi Johan,

You're right and now it's... well... obvious: where is that GDR now? Same place where USSR is? :)

Best regards,
Pavlo in Kyiv, Ukraine

 



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