Welcome to The Baltimore-Washington International Pen Show!!!!! The Annual Baltimore-Washington International Pen Show was held March 2 – 4, 2018, at the Marriott Inner Harbor Camden Yards in Baltimore, MD. The show was run by Bert Oser and his staff from Bertram’s Inkwell of Rockville, MD. This was a new location for this show and it was the perfect venue. There were plenty of restaurant options with nearby parking and attractions if you needed to take a break from the show, but let’s be honest… why would you want to? This was my fourth year attending this show and I brought my father, Terry, with me. You could find everything from vintage to new pens, pencils, inks, papers, writing paraphernalia, classes, and accessories. There were also after-hours events, including a mini concert by Larry Ragland of Points of Distinction (the U.S. Diplomat importer). I want to bring you some of the sights from the show to help you feel like you were there. Arriving at the show… We parked at a nearby parking garage and after a brief but very cold walk, we arrived at the hotel. The hotel staff was very accommodating and helped direct us to the location […]
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Welcome to The Philadelphia Pen Show!!!!! The Annual Philadelphia Pen Show was held January 12th-14th at the Westin Hotel in Philadelphia, PA. This was my first year attending after hearing stories about how amazing it was. You could find everything from vintage pens to new, pencils, inks, papers, writing paraphernalia, classes, accessories, and the best find of all is the friendships and stories that you will take home with you. I want to bring you some of the sights from the show to help you feel like you were there. Arriving at the show… Upon arriving at the hotel, you could already feel the energy from the guests. Everywhere you looked, people were sharing their pen and ink collections, showing those amazing items they found at various seller tables, trading pens, and exchanging stories. There was a registration table to check in and a name tag station which Eric Orozco who was in charge of the show was helping at. The table across from the check in table was run by Pen World, offering subscriptions and giving out a free copy of Pen World. Entering the show… The main hallway had tables lining both walls with various vendors including: InkJournal, […]
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I love writing – the simple act of moving a pen over paper and seeing a line of ink appear. The process is magical and personal. I also love looking at other people’s handwriting. It’s a little piece of them, their energy and style. It doesn’t matter if it is the work of a calligraphy master or still looks like infant school print, it is that person’s own unique artistic expression. If you can put pen to paper and write, you are being creative! My own handwriting… I was super critical of my own handwriting until recently. Now I appreciate it and enjoy it. It makes me laugh that my daughter’s teachers at school commend it when my own teachers complained about it – my messy writing was always mentioned in my reports. In my mid-teens I suddenly got into pens and writing and upped my game. I haven’t stopped working on improving it since. Moving from ballpoint pens to fountain pens 15 years ago was, I suppose, a natural progression. It was around that time I started keeping a journal just as an excuse to write and use my fountain pens. So here are a few hints and tips […]
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Here’s a #noteworthyOFP post! There is a new and interesting Kickstarter up on the boards: the Wancher Dream Pen. Wancher Inc. is a company from Japan that specialises in writing products, since 1987. I have heard this name in the fountain pen world but have not really explored their pens, having been distracted by the big names of other Japanese pen makers. When Wancher approached me to share about their products, I got quite interested. They offered me an urushi pen to review and provide my comments. I was excited to review it, but as I received it quite recently, I wanted a little more time to try it out before officially putting up a review here. Hence, I offered to put up this feature post in support of their Kickstarter campaign. I offered to do so not because of the sponsorship – I would have done the same feature post without any sponsorship – it was because I like the way they are taking pen-making very seriously, and the way they call their Kickstarter the Dream Pen. So that’s my little disclaimer there. Moving on back to the main focus… When I said they are taking pen-making very seriously, […]
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My fountain pen story, like many others’, is a story of constant development, learning,fountain pens, and hopefully, this may well help you get a head-start on your fountain pen journey! Be sure to check out my own blog for more exclusive content! The Pen BoffinWe, The Pen Boffin love pens! Who doesn’t, right? We are a blog currently run by Ali Abbas Panju and Oliver Jack Bennett, and are committed to reviewing fountain pens, writing opinion pieces about fountain pens, and all other paraphernalia! Please check out our main blog for exclusive posts, and follow our social media to keep up to date! Feel free to contact us, and as always, write on. thepenboffin.wordpress.com/
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I blogged a few days ago that there was going to be a Pilot Pen Clinic in Singapore, and I had to miss it due to work trips. It was a rare event that I wish I could have attended, and met the Pen Doctor, Mr. Atsushi Takizawa, in person. It was really too bad that there was a schedule conflict! Nevertheless, Pilot Singapore and Mr. Takizawa have very kindly accommodated to my request of doing an email interview instead of a face-to-face one, so I am really appreciative of this opportunity to ask Mr. Takizawa a few questions. Mr. Atsushi Takizawa is Namiki’s nib specialist, with 14 years of expertise in mould designing for pens and jewellery before he specialized in nibs. He has been travelling globally to service Namiki pens since 2005. I was curious about some of his personal preferences and experience and was interested in his perspectives of nib choices. Here were the questions asked and the answers provided: Nibmeisters and a pen doctor like you are highly respected in the fountain pen community due to the high level of expertise you possess. It is certainly interesting for us to learn about your life as a pen doctor […]
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I recently received an invitation to the Pilot Pen Clinic in Singapore, but I am absolutely disappointed because… I WON’T BE AROUND AT THAT TIME TO ATTEND IT! Damn, why do such exciting events always clash with my business trips! The Pilot Pen Clinic will be held from 27-29 July 2016, and the esteemed Namiki Nib Specialist, Mr. Atushi Takizawa from Japan, will be present to “diagnose and heal” Namiki pens. Interestingly, he is also known as a “Pen Doctor”, since he specializes in servicing the pens. According to Pilot, a Pen Doctor is a “highly experienced nib specialist who will do his best to service your fountain pen to a reasonable condition within the allocated timeframe. Here is the background information about the Pen Doctor and Namiki Maki-e, (all information and the picture are from Pilot Singapore): A doctor of a different kind – A Pen Doctor, Mr Atushi Takizawa Mr Atushi Takizawa, Namiki’s Nib Specialist from Japan joined PILOT Corporation (formally called The PILOT PEN CO. LTD) in 1981. After 14 years of career in mould designing for fountain pens and jewellery, he joined the tip manufacturing section and has acquired vast knowledge and its technique. Since 2005, […]
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Click, click! Pilot introduces annually some new designs for their Capless retractable fountain pen, and this year they have just unveiled 3 new designs. Two of them are the Kasuri designs as seen above, in green and red. Kasuri refers to fabric that has been woven with dyed fibres that create specific patterns and motifs in the fabric, particularly in the 18th century. The two Pilot Capless Kasuri pens show a simple repeating pattern that is not too flashy, and is subtle enough for everyday use. I wonder why they chose these two colours – might there be some link to the Chinese traditional “red for male, green for female” symbolism? The Pilot Capless Kasuri pens have nibs that come in fine, medium and broad sizes, and are 18K rhodium plated, along with the trims of the pen. In addition, Pilot has also introduced a less traditional-looking, and more modern variant which is the Pilot Capless Midnight Blue. This pen boasts a striking blue colour, with matte black trims which fit the description of being a “Midnight Blue”. This pen looks a little more masculine and might attract those who enjoy a contemporary and sleek-looking pen. The blue barrel has a […]
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I bought the Montblanc Rouge et Noir ballpoint pen. Before any of you scream at me for buying a non-fountain pen – and a BALLPOINT PEN in fact, let me try to redeem myself by explaining why I bought it. 🙂 Truth be told, I do have a great many fountain pens, but how many do I actually use – and how many cartridges or converters do I actually finish using – in a year? Probably less than my fingers can count. It’s quite unfortunate that I don’t get to use fountain pens because pretty much the only time I get to use a pen would be at work, where I need to scribble in a designated laboratory book, of which the paper I wish I could burn. In fact, most of my time is spent at taking notes in this one and only book, so I never really got to use fountain pens that much at work. Outside of work, I don’t tend to write much. The only journal I keep is this website. I love my fountain pens, but I don’t get to use them enough. So 2 weeks ago, I went to the Montblanc anniversary private event in […]
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Being of Chinese descent, I always celebrate New Year’s day twice in quick succession. The first New Year is, of course, the one most people know of, which occurs on Jan 1. The second new year, usually occurring within 2 months from Jan 1, is the Lunar New Year. Old Chinese traditions follow the lunar calendar which places the turn of the year during the beckoning of spring. This year, the Lunar New Year falls on Feb 8 and both the 8th and the 9th are public holidays in Singapore. HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR, all of you out there who celebrate it! If you’re into Chinese zodiacs and all that, this year is ushered in by the Monkey. There are 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac and Monkey is the 9th animal. Unfortunately (or fortunately), the Monkey has not predicted anything related to fountain pens for me this year, so it’s up to me to set my own resolutions! Adjusting to my own lifestyle To be perfectly honest, I have had very few chances to use fountain pens on a daily basis over the past couple of years. Most of my chances of writing, if any at all, are when […]
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