Overheard at Philly: Three views on sharing pens at pen shows
I overheard three different views on sharing pens at a pen show. These three takes reflect on the nature of “after dark” hanging out. On what the purpose and function of sharing pens around a table is.
I’m waxing philosophic. Thinking deeply about the mundane. And relishing the rowdy parts of hanging with pen-loving folk.
View 1: It’s the people, not the pens. New to me pens. Familiar to me pens. They’re all icing. Pens are something to share and learn about while hanging with good people.
My feelings overlap strongly with this first perspective. I made a handful of new pen friends last weekend because they eagerly shared their collections with me. I shared their excitement as stories behind pens and inks and nibs were exchanged.
Great company makes even great stationery greater. Truth.
My scribbler’s vantage point
View 2: Expanded horizons. Trying new pens that are rare or outside one’s comfort price zone. Penabling others into nib styles and pen styles they might not otherwise try on. Sharing pens is spreading the stationery love.
I crossed paths with my pen friend Pier on Sunday. We sat at one of the large round tables on the mezzanine and handed pens back and forth for one another try. He is deep into the vintage pen well. I am similarly taken by modern pens.
Sharing pens together brought me out of my comfort zone. An early 1900’s Shaeffer that wears its history on its body is a beautiful writing companion. Thanks, Pier, for reminding me.
Some messes are worth it
Lastly, View 3: Conspicuous consumption. I also overheard a critique of sharing during shows. Showcasing exclusively expensive pens, this line of thought contends, highlights class divides. A steady stream of expensive, rare and custom pens is a means of performing one’s ability to purchase such expensive writers. A performance of economic means that is unlikely to be shared by most folks at the pen show after dark.
I understand this feeling — especially in moments where the table is awash in customized materials, soldered gold nibs and colorways that sport intricate handcrafted artistry. Think detailed raden and mouth-watering maki-e pens that take weeks or months to craft.
Upon reflection on Saturday night’s after dark shenanigans, I do recall excitement over folks sharing their favorites. One favorite pen was a Pilot Custom 74. Another was a fully custom Leonardo-turned pen. Yet another was a Pilot Prera. Shared excitement over all three.
Sharing pens seems, to me, to be sharing what makes me smile. And that, I feel, is always worthwhile.
This week’s Inked Tines update includes last week’s currently inked writing tools.
Toolset
Pens. The Nakaya Neostandard Heki-tamenuri is equipped with a M Naginata-Togi nib. I wrote this pair dry and then reinked it. A rarity in my writing habit. A moderately wet ink that shades prominently. Simply fun. I looked for excuses to use this combo: journaling, lesson plans, meeting notes, and reading notes. 9/10 (on a refill).
Pilot Prera Slate Gray (M) — Le empty. A neat, functional, sleek looking pocket carry. The fun snap-cap mechanism proved to be an entertaining fidget toy during long meetings. Pocket notes, scratch notes and lesson plans.
Karas Kustoms Decograph Winter Wonderland (EF) — 1/3. The MF width line ensured deep, legible mud-red and modest shading. Excellent for marking papers, editing manuscripts, reading notes, and some journaling. I also tapped this pen for lesson plans. A useful pairing work keeping around for another week.
Pelikan m805 Stresemann Anthracite (F CSI) — 1/2. This pair lived in my penvelope throughout the week. I shared the tolerant italic grind with folks at the pen show. The ink and pen work beautifully. Just wasn’t a draw. Notes here and there.
Montblanc 146 LeGrande Le Petit Prince & Fox (EF) — 4/5. The LeGrande threw up noticeable feedback, bordering on sharp. However, this pair wrote reliably, shaded amusingly, and darkened to a mid-toned grey as it dried. Completely usable for task management, meeting notes, and structuring lesson plans.
Able Snail Classic Large Powder Blue (B) — 4/5. I enjoy the ink. I enjoy the pen. They’ve grown a wet, deep brown after a full week in the B nib. The brown is easily readable against Matter. This pair worked well for journaling, lesson plans, and plenty of meeting notes.
Visconti Homo Sapiens Blizzard (EF) — ?? Hard starts after more than an hour capped. Wrote beautifully after two lines of scribbling. This pair lived in my penvelope after writing a lesson plan.
Notebooks. Work bujo. Odyssey Neptune 400 (A5). Another twelve pages grace the Tomoe River pages of my work bullet journal — pages 260 through 271. A two-page weekly spread for managing my tasks, five one-page lesson plan outlines, and five pages of meeting notes. Powerhouse.
I experimented with how the Montblanc and Visconti present Matter differently. The leftmost lesson plan outline in the image below is written with the Montblanc’s EF nib. Matter presents as a medium grey with gradient shading.
Montblanc to the left; Visconti to the right
The rightmost lesson plan is the result of my Visconti EF nib meeting sweet, sweet Tomoe River paper. Matter appears as a light grey with hard shading. Sharp breaks between Matter’s whispery light notes and darker mid-grey tones.
Both forms of Matter are legible. I find the darker Montblanc pairing best for quickly scanning pages. Sciencey.
Journal. Endless Recorder in Mountain Snow (A5). Twelve new pages were added to my personal journal last week. A week spent journaling outside of the proverbial box. Last week’s scribbling, jotting and reflecting brought a fresh dozen of pages, landing me on page 109. Deskside adventuring.
Two pages of lists are followed by eight pages of scribbles from a downpour of pens and inks throughout last weekend’s Philly Pen Show. Chaotic, brilliant scribbles testing out nib widths, how new-to-me pens feel in my hand, and reveling in the wild ink choices folks make.
Layers and layers of good times
Trying new pens and nib grinds and inks is one of my favorite parts of attending a pen show. I tried a Tohma for the first time. An enormous tree-branch of a pen equipped with a nib so large my palm doesn’t reach the page while writing.
Opposites attracted
My week’s journaling concludes with two single-page reflections. Traditional entries recording and unpacking my Saturday and Sunday. I split duties between the Nayaka and Able Snail on Saturday. The Nakaya’s Pluto and Beyond drove my reflection. The Snail carried my analysis. The wide, broad nib allowing my mind to focus on ideas — beyond focus on my writing angle.
Nib-tailored thought tinkering
I turned to the Karas Kustoms for Sunday’s entry. A generous EF ensured that Ume Murasaki’s shading was easily visible throughout the writing process.
Who knew Murasaki was talented and shady
Written dry. A tale of two pens. One emptied and reinked, a second emptied and set aside.
And both appreciated
The Nakaya ran empty on Friday evening. A third-fill empties quickly when a pen is used for journaling, work and prep for a pen show. I re-inked Friday night to ensure the Neostandard cold make a working appearance at Saturday’s pen show after dark.
The Prera saw regular and repeated use throughout the week. Scratch notes in my pocket notebook. Lesson plan outlines on the medieval inquisition. Meeting notes aplenty. And scribbles throughout the pen show weekend.
Jobs well done.
Newly inked. I stuck with my planned seven inked pens. Three yips for sticking to the plan.
I choose to discount my reinking of the Nakaya as it was one of my original seven. Feels honest.
The collection
Incoming / new orders. Two new Nahvalur Nautilus pens docked in my penvelope. Both are Philly Pen Show purchases. Both are limited editions. And both are fast favorites.
The Nahvalur Nautilus Caldera Sea is 190 of 500. The blue trim and nib anodization is charming. And the unsaturated blues and sand-browns of the ebonite are a shock of complexity in my penvelope.
J.J. Lax carefully ground the B nib into his special “BBG” grind. A stub right-side-up and an EF on the reverse. Multitasker nibs ahoy.
Playing photographer while Lax works
Then I bought a Nahvalur Nautilus in Primary Macchiato — number 164 of 320. The bronze trim and earth toned manipulation acrylic is fetching together. Smile on face.
I asked Damien at All in the Nib to grind a Mini Cutlass into the nib. His interpretation of on an architect writ small.
Not pictured: my cloud of friends all ooh-int and aah-ing
Then I rolled into a new 200 page Odyssey Notebook. I sought out the same color design as my current work bullet journal so that the two spines will match when stored in my bookshelf. Matching spines within each school year will make scanning for each year’s notes an easy proposition.
Outgoing / trades or sales. No outward movements last week.
Currently reading and listening
Fiction. The storm gathers. The final battle of Jordan’s Wheel of Time series approaches. And Rand continues to teeter on the brink of insanity — revealed from both outside and inside his head. Journeying into madness is a jarring experience.
I read 64 iPhone-sized pages, landing on page 738 of 1055. The storytelling is taking off. I suspect that Sanderson is taking over more and more as the book progresses.
Nonfiction. My nonfiction took place exclusively at my classroom desks. My TWA Edition Blackwing grows shorter. It’s the length of my pointer finger at the moment — one third left.
I first revisited Cullen Murphy’s argument on the medieval inquisition. 34 pages of reading.
Then I annotated a new-to-me transcript from a 1321 inquisition trial. The confessions of Alamande Guilabert. Purple Mildliner, Grey Mildliner and the trusty TWA Blackwing pencil drove my notetaking. Six pages of deep, careful reading.
Music. Daughter’s classic If You Leave album soundtracked my in-between moments at the show. And while packing. And while reading The Gathering Storm.
A dark, beautiful assortment of songs that put me into an introspective mindset. Atmospheric, rising arrangements support catchy, understated vocals. And the lyrics: muah.
Youth and Human will give you a sense of whether Daughter will be your cup o’ tea.
