My afternoon at the 2012 Los Angeles International Pen Show

Today was my second visit to the Los Angeles International Pen Show. (Second ever, first this year.) Last year, I didn't have any idea what I was looking for, I just wanted to get a feel for the show. This year, I has some specific goals in mind, most of which I met, so it was a pretty good visit.

Remember that 30-year-old Mont Blanc my wife's uncle surprised me with at Christmas? It is now in the hands of a pen restorer, who will be working on removing some stains, evening out a dent in the cap, and making sure the pen is in good working order. I'll still need to send to off to a nibmeister later, though. From the same vendor, I picked up a set of shims for spacing nib tines, which will come in handy, and I also bought a lighted loupe. Now I won't have to use my wife's and get in trouble when I leave the light on and use up the battery in hers.

Speaking of wives and trouble, I thought this was a cute sign:

I wonder if it helped her sales?

Main display area

The show did not seem as crowded this year. It seemed a little easier to move through the aisles. But maybe I just had a more defined mission and moved better through the crowds.

I was hoping TWSBI's Speedy would be there again, since I wanted to buy some of their ink bottles and a couple of stub nibs, but I didn't see him (or anyone else from TWSBI).

I still don't know my way around vintage pens at all. Some vintage hard rubber pens at The Fountain Pen Store's display caught my eye, but not enough for me to buy one.

Mostly, I was on the prowl for some pens I'd been admiring on websites but had yet to see up close.

One was the Pelikan M625, which I have been lusting after for most of a year. But when I saw them at the show, they weren't as beautiful as they look on the website. Nice looking pens, but not as beautiful as I was expecting. The translucent barrels are so dark, it is hard to see the difference among the red, blue, and aubergine models without their caps on. 

The others were the Aurora Europa and Aurora America, which are basically limited editions of the Aurora Optima. These two pens looked even better up close than they do online, especially the America. I like the idea of an Italian pen that honors America. Still, a little pricey. If I ever buy one, it will probably be off of eBay, or perhaps when someone is trying to unload theirs on the Fountain Pen Network classifieds.

Still, I did not walk away empty handed. I was also looking for a deal on a Visconti Rembrandt Eco-Roller rollerball pen (which takes fountain pen ink), since no one seems to discount them online. Bittner gave me a great deal on one, which I'll review after trying out for a couple of weeks:

I came every close to buying A Diplomat Excellence Rhombus fountain pen with 14kt nib. This is a pen I saw for the first time at last year's show. It's gorgeous, the fine nib wrote smooth as silk (though writing on an R by Rhodia pad will undoubtedly make most nibs feel smooth), and it felt remarkably light in the hand for a metal pen. I already regret turning down the discounted price I was offered.

An afternoon just isn't enough time to fully explore the show. I could have spent all afternoon going down just one aisle. But all, in all, it was a fun afternoon, I got a great deal on a pen I wanted, and I managed to learn a little more about vintage pens in the process.

If you are a pen nut and a show is held within a few hours' drive from you, I highly recommend you make the trip!

My afternoon at the 2012 Los Angeles International Pen Show

A very TWSBI Fourth of July

OK, so the top one isn't actually white, but this is as close to red, white and blue as I could get with my pens — my three TWSBI Diamond 530s in red, clear, and blue:

To those of you wondering about using pens from Taiwan to commemorate American Independence Day, let me point out that fireworks were invented by the Chinese!

Happy fourth, everyone!

Image via Wikipedia

A very TWSBI Fourth of July

My trip to the L.A. Pen Show

I can't believe it's taken me so long to get this post up!

I went to the L.A. Pen Show Sunday and had a blast. I had never been to a pen show before, but I sure plan on going to more. There were some fun highlights, a disappointment or two, and some lessons learned to make my next pen show even better.

People Highlights

The first highlight had nothing to do with pens, oddly enough. I saw my favorite radio host, Dennis Prager, walking around and checking out pens. Would love to sit down for a beer with that guy.

One of the first tables I stopped at happened to be for The Write Shoppe in Annapolis, Maryland. Quite a coincidence, considering I went to school there (Canoe U) and I wasn't expecting to see a shopkeeper come all that way.

I was able to keep my promise to Karen of Exaclair to say hello on her behalf to Sam and Frank at the Pendemonium table.

I met Speedy of TWSBI. Impossible not to like him right away.

I had a chat with Brian Gray of Edison Pen Company (another nice guy) about the merits of steel nibs. (See his article, In Praise of Steel Nibs.)

Product Highlights

I'm still a relative pen newbie, so I'm sure there were a lot of fascinating things I overlooked. And what caught my attention might be mundane to a lot of people.

It was nice to see some products up close that I had previously seen only on the internet. In fact, the one pen I bought (that's right, just one!) caught my attention at the show because it looked so sharp, whereas it really hadn't done anything for me when I saw it on the website. That pen is the Monteverde Prima fountain pen, which I bought in the brown stripe pattern. I haven't found a picture online yet, including any at the Monteverde website, that does it justice.

It was also fun to discover new products. For example, I thought the Rosetta North Star and Rosetta Magellan were quite nice. Probably would have bought a North Star if I had not bought the Prima.

At the higher end of the spectrum, the fountain pen that really caught my eye was another one I hadn't seen anywhere before, including online: the Diplomat Excellence Rhomb. Love at first sight for me, but a little pricey for an impulse buy: $275 with a steel nib. It's on my wish list now. I know looks aren't everything, but they don't hurt.

The temptation of the day was the Visconti Homo Sapiens. I've been drooling over that one for a while, and a vendor offered it for only $395. (Are they selling that poorly? Retail is $595!)

Oh, then there was this novelty:

Quite a deal . . . if you like the ink!

If, for some odd reason, this picture does not satisfy your curiosity about the show, try Brian Gray's photo gallery and this FPN thread (that link also courtesy of Brian).

Disappointments

The show was not without its disappointments. It would have been nice if the show handed out a map or at least a list of exhibitors. Finding what you wanted was a little tough (but I would have browsed everything anyway). Also, there was very little in the way of pen-related products. For example, I looked for a loupe, without success (there were a few, but not the kind I was looking for).  I was also hoping for more stationery, but there were only a few displays, and they consisted mostly of the Rhodia and Clairefontaine products I'm already familiar with.

Now I want to go to the National Stationery Show. I'm beginning to think that's my last hope for locating some masculine stationery. Unfortunately, I can't justify a trip to New York just for the show. Anyone out that way need some California legal advice that would benefit from a face-to-face meeting?

Lessons Learned

I've got to brush up on vintage fountain pens. There was table after table of vintage pens, which I didn't spend much time at because there are so many contemporary pens I'm interested in. This means I missed out on about half the show.

Next year, I'm going earlier. This year, I only spent about four hours there. I was able to keep it that short because I wasn't checking out the vintage pens and I wasn't really shopping for a pen (but I bought one anyway). Next year, I'll probably be doing both, and I'll need more time.

See you there next year!

My trip to the L.A. Pen Show

Get thee to the Smithsonian this Saturday!

I don't know where the Smithsonian got the idea that anyone reads my blog, but I'll humor their illusion and, at the request of one of their employees, pass along the news that the National Postal Museum, in association with the Pen Collectors of America, will be hosting a special event this Saturday: Pens & the Post: Collect, Correspond, Celebrate!

Pens, postage, and mail have long gone hand-in-hand. Join the Postal Museum and the Pen Collectors of America for a day of fun activities exploring the history of pens and mail. Learn about letter writing past and present with many fun activities[.]

My favorite among the listed activities: "Take a fancy fountain pen for a spin at the 'Pen Petting Zoo' provided by Fahrney’s Pens." I never thought of it that way before, but "pen petting zoo" is a perfect way to describe it!

Special mini-workshops will encourage deeper exploration of special topics from the fun of pen collecting to improving your penmanship. Each workshop includes a hands-on activity, opportunities to ask questions, and the chance to learn from the experts! 

Click the link or the logo for details.

Get thee to the Smithsonian this Saturday!