Special Edition Ink Alert: Two Papier Plume Inks for the Chicago Pen Show

April 23, 2019

Every year, Papier Plume releases one or two special edition inks for the Chicago Pen Show. Building on last year’s Bootlegger’s Sacrament (a wine red) and “Da Blue,” (a Chicago Bears-inspired blue-black) this year’s inks include “Lake Michigan Winter,” (a turquoise/teal) and “Bad Bad Leroy Brown” (you guessed it).

Papier-Plume-Leroy-Brown-Lake-Michigan-Winter-Writing-Sample

For those of you attending the Chicago Pen Show from May 2-May 5, you’ll be able to purchase these inks at Papier Plume’s table, and from their website after the show. Most of the Chicago Pen Show inks have always sold out quickly, however, and Papier Plume typically only makes a single batch, so if you want to get your hands on either of these you’ll need to find someone attending the show to hook you up or quickly place an order afterwards.

Generally speaking, Papier Plume inks are unsaturated, so they play nice in most pens and offer good ink flow and shading. I’d compare them to Callifolio, Waterman, or standard (non-shimmer) Herbin, though the colors tend to have more pop than the Herbin inks. Papier Plume inks also offer good value, with the larger 30ml bottles costing $8 for the standard lineup of colors and $10 for special editions. You can also purchase smaller 15ml bottles of the standard colors for $5. Count me a fan!

Papier Plume also specializes in wax seals, an example of which you will find on the caps of their special edition inks.

Disclaimer: Papier Plume provided me with these two bottles of ink at no charge for review purposes. Many thanks!

“King of Pen? What King of Pen? What just happened to me?”

Recapping the 2019 Atlanta Pen Show

April 10, 2019

I don’t know where to begin with this 2019 Atlanta Pen Show Recap. Everyone always remarks that the Atlanta Pen Show “feels like family,” to the point where it seems cliched, but it’s not - that’s the best way to describe it. Alongside Baltimore, Atlanta puts on one of the friendliest, most open pen shows of the year, somehow managing to keep the physical size of the show relatively small while attracting a high-quality group of exhibitors and vendors. Be warned - this will be a lengthy recap. This year’s Atlanta Show had so much to offer in terms of new products and new vendors that I’m still not sure I managed to catch everything.

When I arrived late Thursday night, #penshowsafterdark was already in full swing!

By far one of the more anticipated releases at the 2019 Atlanta Pen Show were Pilot’s 100th Anniversary Iroshizuku Inks. Vanness had all of the Iroshizuku Inks and the Lamy Crystal inks at their table.

Show Setup and Venue

For as long as I’ve been attending, the Atlanta Pen Show has been held at the Wyndham Atlanta Galleria. The location is fine - the hotel is clean, outside the center of Atlanta so traffic is as much of a non-issue as it can be in Atlanta, and there is a reasonable variety of restaurants within walking distance or a short drive. The main drawback to this hotel is that the staff seems anywhere from indifferent to annoyed at big groups, which limits the after-hours activities somewhat because they always try to shut the bar down by 11 p.m. and this year even turned the lights off on everyone Saturday night to try to make them leave. Given this, and the fact that the show itself has now outgrown available ballroom space, I wouldn’t be surprised at a change in location over the next couple of years.

Jonathon Brooks and his new helper. If I had sold that many pens, I’d be in good spirits too!

The Leonardo Momento Zero: quite possibly my favorite pen on the market at the moment.

Top Five Takeaways from the Atlanta Pen Show

I’ll run a vendor-by-vendor breakdown later on in the recap, but while I was taking some time to collect my thoughts on Sunday night, I put together the following list of “show highlights,” which are, of course, highly subjective.

Leonardo Momento Zero. Dan Smith of The Nibsmith now carries Leonardo, and while the pens aren’t yet up on the website, I understand they’re coming soon. Dan basically had the entire line set up at his table, and I added yet another Momento Zero to my collection, this time in matte black. It’s early, but at Leonardo’s price point, this pen has the potential to kill the Sailor Pro Gear Imperial Black.
Pilot Iroshizuku Inks (100th Anniversary and Standard Colors). Much of the pre-show buzz focused on the release of two new series of inks: Pilot’s 100th Anniversary Iroshizuku colors, and the Lamy Crystal inks. I picked up two of the Iroshizukus (Hoteison, a dark green, and Bishmonten, a pinkish red), and one Lamy (Topaz) from Vanness Pens. Look for reviews of these inks soon.
Newton Pens. Shawn Newton has gotten me bad at these last two shows, Little Rock and Atlanta. Since he added some new machinery and lowered the price point on certain production-line pens, it’s become increasingly difficult to walk away from his table without buying something, and this show I acquired three (!?!?!) pens from Shawn: a Prospector in blue and gray ripple Japanese ebonite, and two Orvilles.
New (to me) Vendors Matthew C. Martin Custom Pens and Truphae. Matthew Martin’s machined metal pens are about to take off big time, and he was clearly the sleeper hit of the Atlanta Pen Show. And while I had heard of online retailer Truphae, mainly on account of their “Inkredible” subscription box, I had not seen their collaboration with Visconti on two gorgeous Opera Masters: Stardust (featuring ruthenium trim) and Corvina.
Conid. While Conid wasn’t officially present at the show, a group of enthusiasts who collectively (and maybe individually) owned ALL of the different models of the Bulkfiller set up tables to show them off and let people test the pens. Once again, I’m blown away by the generosity of the pen community, since I’ve been considering a Bulkfiller and these tables were incredibly helpful in deciding which one I want to order.

A few Shawn Newton Orvilles in some gorgeous custom acrylics that I had never seen before.

A Quintet of Conid Kingsize Bulkfillers (with a Conid Giraffe peeking out at the back).

Visconti Opera Masters from Truphae, with the Stardust pens on the left and the “Corvina” pens on the right.

Other new discoveries included PK Custom Goods pen cases and wraps, which you can purchase from their Etsy store. I picked up Star Wars and Harry Potter-themed versions, and you’ll see a review up on the site at some point in the future. Here’s a further run-down of some other things I saw at the show, by vendor:

Total Fine Writing/The Pen Show. Jimmy and Suzanne Dolive once again organized a great show, and they also attended as vendors with multiple tables that included one of the show’s largest selection of Montblanc limited edition pens and inks (as well as the Penlux Snake).
Papier Plume. Patrick always attends the show from New Orleans, with the full range of Papier Plume’s hand-mixed ink, wax seals and stamps, and fountain pens from brands such as Cleo-Skribent that you don’t see very often. I also picked up two bottles of the exclusive inks that Papier Plume always makes for the Chicago Pen Show, which I won’t reveal quite yet.
Nock Co. Instagram is on fire with pictures of the “Coleman” tall-boy cozy - I mean pen case. I’m not sure whether or not Brad and Jeff plan to make these available on the site or whether they will be show exclusives, but they sold well and I definitely saw dozens of them walking around (mostly used as actual pen cases).
Tactile Turn. Will and his team are now attending more pen shows, and he has, IMHO, perfected the design of the Gist fountain pen, now available not only in Titanium and Delrin, but in “fireblue” Titanium! Look for a review of the “Gist 2.0” soon.
Carolina Pen Company. Jonathon Brooks brought tons of pens turned from his “Primary Manipulation” acrylics, and they went fast. Somebody picked up the pen I had my eye on when I was taking an initial turn around the room - one of the perils of hesitating at a pen show!
Franklin-Christoph. It wouldn’t be a pen show without a mad dash to the Franklin-Christoph table first thing after opening to grab the latest prototype acrylics. This year I finally picked up a Penvelope 6 pen case, which was long overdue.
Dromgooles. These guys can cost you a LOT of money. Dromgoole’s brought an expansive selection of Danitrios, Graf von Faber-Castell Pens of the Year, Pelikan, and Montblanc, a few of which featured custom urushi and maki-e work by Studio Bokumondoh.
Vintage Pen Shop/Jessica Coles. Jesi was set up directly behind the Nock Co. table with her vintage Esterbrook pens and nib testing station. If you’re interested in testing the waters with Vintage Pens, Esterbrook is THE place to start, and Jesi has you covered.
Kenro Industries. Cary attended with samples of Esterbrook’s upcoming line of pen cases, as well as Loclen, a new line of machined metal pens out of Italy that feature a unique design incorporating an integrated converter/piston.
Luxury Brands. The distributors of Platinum, Noodlers Ink, and Benu Pens had a table, where a display of updated Platinum Mix-Free Ink bottles caught my eye. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, the Mix-Free Inks are designed to - wait for it - be mixed together to create your own ink colors. Apparently Platinum is releasing these inks in new bottles and as part of a set.

Look for this line of Esterbrook pen cases later this year!

Dromgoole’s always brings an unparalleled selection of high-end Japanese Pens, including custom urushi work from Studio Bokumondoh, Danitrio, Pilot, and more!

You rarely see Graf von Faber-Castell “Pen of the Year” editions, much less are you able to handle them. I love the size and balance of these pens, despite the fact that they are heavy, both figuratively and literally. (I’m not kidding when I say th… — You rarely see Graf von Faber-Castell “Pen of the Year” editions, much less are you able to handle them. I love the size and balance of these pens, despite the fact that they are heavy, both figuratively and literally. (I’m not kidding when I say that the Dromgoole’s table can do serious damage to your wallet.)

You know the industry is truly evolving when a pen case that doubles as a tall-boy cozy becomes a reality.

Look for Loclen pens soon at your favorite Kenro retailers!

The PK Custom Cases table on Sunday (minus the two I bought).

Other vendors included pen show staples Desiderata Pens (with Pierre’s Soubriquet pens!), Michael Sull, Nik Pang, Ryan Krusac, Bittner Pens, Toys from the Attic, and many more!

The second ballroom late Saturday afternoon. The Nock Co. table had already sold a bunch of cases!

Overall Impressions

I spent time at the show during all three days this year, and traffic seemed pretty steady in all three ballrooms, with most vendors reporting brisk sales skewed towards entry-level pens and inks. The friendly, open atmosphere of the Atlanta Show lends itself to beginners, and many people I met described how they were attending their first pen show. Their excitement is always contagious, and there was a lively after-hours crowd in the bar every night (at least until the hotel staff kicked us out by turning out the lights). You can bet I’ll be back next year!

Note: I missed the live podcast recording this year, since my family joined me in Atlanta and I spent some time with them on Saturday, visiting the Georgia Aquarium and going out to dinner that night. I did listen to the show afterwards, and you won’t want to miss this year’s special guests!

My preferred way to close out the Atlanta Pen Show.

Disclaimer: This post contains links to paid sponsors and affiliates.

The Damage From Atlanta: 2019 Show Haul

April 9, 2019

My recap from the Atlanta Pen Show is going to be a doozy, so I figured I’d break it out into a couple different posts. The first one is simple: a picture of my “show haul,” since I went a little crazy this year. (Hey, I’m not attending another show until D.C. in August, right?) Pictured here, clockwise from left: Penvelope 6 from Franklin-Christoph, Wax Seal Stamp from Papier Plume, Iroshizuku 100th Anniversary Hoteison (green black) and Bishmonten (a pinkish red) from Vanness, Lamy Crystal Topaz from Vanness, a Leonardo Momento Zero in Matte Black from Dan Smith (the Nibsmith), three pens from Shawn Newton (two Orvilles and a Prospector), and two hand-sewn pen cases from PK Custom Goods! More details to come via a full recap later this week.

Disclaimer: This post contains links to paid sponsors and affiliates.

What Makes a Pen Show "Great"? Takeaways from the 2019 Baltimore Pen Show

March 6, 2019

You often hear people saying: “It was good, but it could have been great” when discussing a recent pen show (or any other large public event, for that matter). What’s less common is attending a pen show that should have been “good,” or maybe even “meh,” but turned out to be fabulous. This year’s Baltimore Pen Show was one such event.

On paper, everything pointed to Baltimore being just an ”ok” show. The weekend started with snow and the Sunday forecasts were even nastier, which ordinarily translates into low turnout. The show was also set in a single ballroom, which typically signals a smaller show with fewer vendors. Finally, the Baltimore Pen Show is the second (and smaller) of two shows in the greater Baltimore-Washington area, with the other show being the “Supershow” held in August, which is a hard act to follow.

The Baltimore Pen Show ballroom from the back looking forward, early on Sunday morning. Note to other pen show organizers: wide aisles + good light + air conditioning = happy everybody.

None of this mattered. Organizer Bert Oser and his team, led by Corinne, did an exceptional job coordinating the weekend, and the entire show went off without a hitch. (And if there were any “hitches,” they weren’t visible to attendees or vendors.) So what made Baltimore such a good pen show?

Hotel and Location. Sure, it’s hard to get excited about an airport Marriott, but it’s also nice to have a shuttle running to/from the Airport, reducing transit time and expense for people coming in from out of town, which is especially important if you have dicey weather. Better yet, this hotel was well-ventilated with good air conditioning, so the ballroom wasn’t 1000 degrees, and the bar setup was pretty good with tables and a secondary sports bar attached to the hotel that stayed open later after the lobby bar closed. I’d definitely attend a show at this hotel again.
Ballroom Setup. Despite my initial hesitation, the single ballroom turned out to be one of the best things about this show. Baltimore isn’t the largest show in terms of number of vendors or attendees, but the mix and quality of the vendors was exceptional. More on that below. The ballroom was bright and easy to navigate, with wide aisles and plenty of room behind and between tables.
Events. Show organizer/promoter/hype-master Corinne described this show as “Pen Camp,” and it definitely had that vibe. All three days featured classes and workshops, with events at night. On Friday night, Brad Dowdy of The Pen Addict featured a “Meet the Makers” panel; Saturday night featured the obligatory “Pen Shows after Dark” meet and greet/show and tell in a commandeered conference room that we almost - but not quite - got tossed out of; and Sunday was your typical laid-back final day where vendors got a chance to breath and walk the show for themselves.
Friendly Attitude Among Vendors and Attendees. Baltimore had none of the near-hostility that can develop at larger, more crowded, and less well-managed shows like the D.C. Supershow and the L.A. Pen Show, which I wrote separately about last week. From what I could tell, everyone had a great time, and I had better conversations at this show than I’ve had in a long time, not to mention getting to try a ton of pens. Just check out the video from the “Pen Shows After Dark” meetup and spy all those pens on the table, just waiting to be shared!

Jonathon Brooks was next to Hugh Scher of the Kanilea Pen Company all weekend. You could lose a lot of money in that corner!

So What Did I See?

As I noted above, the Baltimore Show usually features a good mix of different vendors, both vintage and modern, as well as both custom and production-line writing instruments. This year’s list of exhibitors was OUTSTANDING, and included:

For custom and “small-batch” makers, Kanilea Pen Company, Carolina Pen Company (Jonathon Brooks), Desiderata Pens, Woodshed Pen Company, Herbert Pen Company, Additive Pens, Franklin-Christoph, and Ryan Krusac Studios.
For Nib Workers and Pen Restorers, Richard Binder, Ron Zorn, Martin Ferguson, Nibs on Point (JC Ament), and JJ Lax Pen Co. (who also had Yoshi Nakama pens in stock, and no, I still haven’t picked one up).
For general retailers, you had Vanness Pens (where I was working), Federalist Pens, Total Office Products, and Nock Co.
For vintage retailers, in addition to the typical traders, you had Paul Erano, Jessica Coles of The Vintage Pen Shop, and Nik Pang (who also set up for calligraphy).
For distributors and manufacturers, you had Coles of London (Visconti), Kenro Industries (Montegrappa, Esterbrook, and Aurora), and Private Reserve Ink.

FInally, the Baltimore show featured a number of local specialty shops, including Write Notepads, The Queen’s Ink, Drama Mama Bookshop, and Jinji Chocolate. It added a great local flair to what was already a top-notch show. I’m sure I’ve missed a ton of people, but I didn’t have much time to walk the entire show (plus I’m forgetful), so apologies in advance!

And I did forget someone! Story Supply Co. was there with all of their standard and special edition notebooks!

As always, Franklin-Christoph brought trays of prototypes, which went quickly each morning.

Jerry from Additive Pens brought a bunch of new models to test, including these “ribbon” and “inverted ribbon” models.

So What Did I Bring Home?

Baltimore wasn’t a huge show shopping-wise, but I did bring back a couple of interesting pens that you all will see up on the blog in the near future. In terms of pens, I purchased one of the “Double Helix” eyedroppers from Additive Pens, which I’m excited about reviewing. I also picked up a Parker 51 “Fantasy” by Nik Pang, which incorporates a classic Parker 51 nib and aerometric filling mechanism into a new body and cap. Finally, I took home a Spoke Pen Prototype and few bottles of ink from Vanness that I’ve been meaning to try.

From left: Additive Pens “Double-Helix” eyedropper, Spoke Pen Prototype, and my Parker 51 “Fantasy” from Nik Pang.

From Left: 3 Oysters Black Moss, Taccia Ebi, Taccia Uguisu, and Private Reserve Burgundy Mist, a former favorite of mine that’s recently been reformulated.

I can’t tell you how much time I killed at work playing with this Additive Pens eyedropper yesterday.

Takeaways and Final Thoughts on the Baltimore Pen Show

I definitely plan to come back to the Baltimore Pen Show next year. It might actually have become my favorite overall show on the circuit, though I’ve heard that the Philadelphia Pen Show has a similar vibe and I’m going to make a point of attending. Next stop for me is the Arkansas Pen Show in Little Rock next weekend, followed by Atlanta at the beginning of April. Then I’ll need a break…. until D.C.!

Disclaimer: This post contains links to paid sponsors and affiliates. Many thanks to Mike and Lisa Vanness for letting me tag along and work the Vanness table this weekend!

2019 Baltimore Pen Show: Friday Pictures!

March 2, 2019

The Baltimore Washington International Pen Show has grown into one of my favorite shows on “the circuit.” It’s a well-run, medium-sized pen show that may not be the largest out there but attracts a great group of vendors and attendees. I’m back behind the Vanness Pens table this weekend, winding towards the end of my insane February-March travel schedule, so come visit and get your hands on all the pens, ink, and paper we brought with us before it’s gone! The Vanness-Shawn Newton collaboration, the Pinnacle, is nearly sold out with only one or two pens remaining, and we very quickly sold out of certain colors of Akkerman ink. As is usual on pen show weekends, I’ll have a full recap with my thoughts on this show up on the blog next week.

The Vanness Table. We’re to the left against the wall as you enter the ballroom.

Vanness brought all sorts of Aurora pens to the show, including the last of the Minerali demonstrators, Optima Flex Pens, and some new limited editions!

What are you lookin’ at? Cary mans the Kenro table across the aisle from us.

The Joey Feldman/Rickshaw bags collaboration intended for the L.A. Pen Show is finally available for Baltimore! Come see these, they’re great!

And finally, we have the full range of Pilot Custom 74 demonstrators. These are excellent pens that don’t get the love they deserve, for some reason. The nibs are outstanding and the price point is excellent. Stop by and try one out!

Disclaimer: This post contains links to paid sponsors and affiliates.