The 2021 summer pen show collection
I chose six pen and ink combinations in anticipation of the 2021 DC Pen Show. For the first time since starting this blog, my currently inked is more about sharing with others than about my own writing.
Six pens are prepped and ready to travel. I selected six because my Franklin-Christoph penvelope has six slots.
Locked. Loaded. Inked.
The fold on each side creates a “flex slot” which can hold any purchases I make at the show.
How to choose my six? There are many excellent approaches to choosing which pens and inks to bring to a pen show.
Three popular online approaches seem to be what I call: rarity-scarcity, visual variety, and use variety.
Rarity-scarcity — Bring pens and nibs that other attendees cannot easily buy or try. Interestingly, this option seems to consider pens moreso than inks.
Visual variety — Represent the breadth of your pen and/or ink collection. Scattershot compilations of materials, colors, ages, and sizes.
Use variety — Share the breadth of writing experiences in your collection. Diverse selection of nib grinds, line widths and after-market customizations.
I opted with a mixture of rarity-scarcity and use variety.
Five of this week’s six pens (83%) are limited runs or custom. The outlier, TWSBI, began as a limited run.
Three pens from large companies and three from small companies or independent makers.
The week’s nib choices reflect a cadre of extremes. Three broad nibs, two EF and a F. Three are ground italics: an EF SIG, a B SIG, and a CSI. One is Sailor’s factory-ground Zoom. The last two are rare round nibs. One EF, the other B. Hot.
Grey/Black
Mythic Aeschylus Black & Red (EF SIG, by Franklin-Christoph). Kala Nostalgia Spring Rain. A limited run acrylic from the increasingly well-respected Brad at Mythic Pen Company. Frankensteined to house an EF SIG ground by the late Jim Rouse. Ground EF nibs are uncommon — not least because they’re finicky to make write smoothly.
Nakaya Neostandard Heki-tamenuri (B). Jacques Herbin 1670 Gris Orage. A grail pen that is rare due to both its entry price and limited availability. Urushi lacquer and calligraphy show what the experts at Nakaya offer. Gris Orage’s gold shimmer brings out the pen’s Heki-tamenuri finish. The standard B nib shares the typical Nakaya writing experience. And by “typical” I mean “amazing.”
Blue/Teal
Franklin-Christoph 45 Blue Diamondcast (B SIG, by Franklin-Christoph). Waterman Mysterious Blue. The show-exclusive acrylic from my last pen show before the US locked down over a year ago. Fitted with a smooth B SIG ground by Franklin-Christoph’s own Audrey Matteson. Mysterious Blue’s excellent shading will emphasize the SIG’s generous line variation.
Montblanc 146 Le Petit Prince and Fox (EF). Monteverde 2019 DC Supershow Teal. A special edition run within the well-known 146 line. The 146 and 149 are grail pens for many. A factory Montblanc EF nib is uncommon in the wild. Monteverde’s limited run teal ink highlights the nib’s true EF line.
Earth Tones
TWSBI Vac700R Iris (F CSI, by Pen Realm). Diamine November Rain. The Iris finish was a limited run whose popularity led to TWSBI re-issuing this edition of their Vac700. The Vac is less-well-represented than the 580 and Eco lines. November Rain is a European exclusive sheen-monster. Rain brings out the purple of my particular pen’s finish. Kirk Speer’s brilliant cursive stub italic grind is well-worth sharing.
Wild Cards
Sailor Pro Gear Graphite Lighthouse (Z). Sailor Shikiori Yozakura. The Graphite Lighthouse is another extended limited run — initially a North America exclusive release. The bulbous Zoom nib is fun in theory but can intimidate as its line variation shows best when held at varying angles to the page. A Zoom nib needs to be tried first-hand to confirm it suits your handwriting. Yozakura is dry enough to emphasize the Z’s line variation.
