A couple new pens should be turning up here soon. This week I received the Pilot Vanishing Point Guilloche (2016 LE) and just inked it up. I debated the purchase but the first impression is favorable. More this week.

Then Shawn Newton emailed me that he’s beginning to work on my pen. It’s a little earlier than expected but seeing the pictures of the work in progress has me excited.

As usual, starting with pen shows…

The Commonwealth Pen Show (Boston) is today (25th) from 9am to 5pm. Unfortunately I can’t attend this year but I’m hoping lots of people do so that a two day show is justified for next year.

The Colorado Pen Showis a couple weeks away, running from October 7th through 9th.

All US pen shows (at least that I know of) are listed here along with a schedule.

What’s Being Used & How

Best Fountain Pen Inks for Editing and Annotation — The Gentleman Stationer // I agree whole-heartily with his first choice. I have reservations about his second choice preferring a Montblanc ink, but I’m coming around. Yup, I left out colors and ink names. Read the article, good info.

A Pen by Ryan Krusac | Inkdependence! // This makes me want to ink up my own Ryan Krusac fountain pen

Unboxing Hobonichi 2017 | East…West…Everywhere // I’ve decided to take a break from the Hobonichi in 2017. I’m still using it this year, but it’s overkill for how I use it.

Brief Update On The Pilot Metropolitan | An Inkophile’s Blog // Change is good

Currently Inked: Loadout for Weekend in Philly — Pendora’s Box

Resources (on this site)

Index of my Ink Notes

Nib Workers, Pen Restorers and Fountain Pen Makers (recently updated)

Fountain Pen Clubs & Meetups

Not much time this weekend so I’ll get right to the links…

Starting with pen shows…

Two pen shows this coming weekend. The Commonwealth Pen Show (Boston) is on Sunday the 25th and the Dallas Pen Show is on the 24th & 25th.

The Colorado Pen Showis also less than a month away, running from October 7th through 9th.

All US pen shows (at least that I know of) are listed here along with a schedule.

Meetups

The 2016 Pelikan Hubs were this past Friday. Gourmet Pens wrote about the Pelikan Hub in Amsterdam. The Gentleman Stationer wrote about the Nashville Hub.

What’s Being Used & How

Why I don’t organise my notebooks. — The Ink Smudge // I don’t organize my notebooks either and do even less, just dating each page. I used to be good and remembering about when things happened and then finding it in the notebook. I’ve gotten less good lately but I need to go back less and less.

Currently Inked #13 | 15 September 2016 – Pen Habit // Video, with a guest this time

Pen Restoration: 1930’s Sheaffer’s Balance Premier Oversize Plunger Filler — Gorgeous.Ink // I love the look of these pens, and have a couple different colors. I’d love to be able to restore them.

Hobonichi Techo (2016 Edition) Review – Pens! Paper! Pencils!// I’m still using my 2016 Tech, but just barely. I decided not to get one for 2017. I love the paper and the size, but it’s just not for me.

Ink Review: Akkerman #28 (Hofkwartier Groen) — The Gentleman Stationer // While Akkerman inks have a cult following my reaction to the couple that I tried were mostly “meh”. This is the only Akkerman ink I’ve used that has elevated to “I like it” status, although it seems to prefer wider nibs. So it will be awhile before I empty the bottle.

Another Viewpoint: The Kaweco Sport Squeezable Converter | From the Pen Cup // Mary has a good experience with the new Kaweco squeeze converter.

Huy Hoang Dao Oblique Holder | The Passionate Penman // This would be a complete waste in my hand. But it’s cool.

Goulet Pens Blog: FP101: How To Write With A Flex Nib // Speaking of a complete waste in my hand, but fun to watch

At the end of this week’s Pen Addict podcast one of the AskTPA questions was about using a board or other had surface to write on in a chair. At the time I was sitting on the patio doing some writing on my Levenger Lap Desk. I think that’s what they called it. I checked Levenger’s website and it seems this specific design is no longer available. This one has a cushion attached to the bottom and rests on my lap while the current ones are bigger but must rest on the arms of the chair. It’s not the most stable writing surface so I wouldn’t use it for letters or anything that needed to look it’s best. I lost the elastic straps long ago, but otherwise it’s held up well over the years.

I mentioned it last week, but we’re two weeks (or less) away from two pen shows. The Commonwealth Pen Show (Boston) is on the 25th and the Dallas Pen Show is the 24th & 25th.

The Colorado Pen Showis also less than a month away, running from October 7th through 9th.

Joe Szanto posted a long recap of the 2016 San Francisco pen show: The 2016 San Francisco Pen Show: a personal perspective

I’ve added a pen show page to my resources (see 2017 shows already on the schedule), along with a page for pen clubs. These join pages for pen/nib workers long with a listing of other sites that I like to read.

What Others Are Using

Currently Inked #12 | 8 September 2016 – Pen Habit

1 Week, 1 Pen/Pencil Mini Series — The Finer Point

What Others Are Reviewing

Dip Pens were popular this week: Review: Kaweco Special Dip Pen – The Well-Appointed Desk and Pen Review: Kaweco Special Dip Pen — the desk of lori

Visconti Homo Sapiens London Fog: A Review — The Pen Addict // It’s becoming harder and harder to resist this pen.

Other Links of Interest

How to ask the right questions — The Ink Smudge

Time management Monday: What to write in your planner? – Quo Vadis Blog

Field Notes DIY: Changing Staples and Innards — Three Staples

Vintage Pen News: eBay and the Great Disintermediation

Letter gets there by hand-drawn map – BBC News

It’s been nearly four months, but with the unofficial end of summer here in the States I decided to resume Sunday Notes and Links, although it will be less notes and more links. And it may not even be every Sunday. It’s been awhile so some of these links are old but well worth reading if you missed them.

The Commonwealth Pen Show (aka Boston Pen Show) is later this month, It’s a Sunday only show that’s runs from 9am to 5pm on September 25, 2016. It’s a small show but is to be growing. There’s 23 exhibiters listed for this year and all the available tables are sold out. I’m hoping the show grows big enough to justify two days since Saturdays generally works better for me. Still, I am hoping to make it there sometime Sunday.

The Dallas Pen Show is September 23–24.

You can find European Pen Shows here. There’s a couple coming up Sept. 24th and 25th.

Speaking of pen shows…

My 2016 D.C. Pen Show Haul — The Gentleman Stationer

SF Pen Show: Day 3 and Wrap-Up – The Well-Appointed Desk (Day2) and Day 1

Reflections of a Fountain Pen Initiate — Gorgeous.Ink

In addition to shows there are clubs…

Appleton Wisconsin (Sept 15th): Appleton Pen Club – Vintage – Anderson PensAnderson Pens

Fountain Pens Australia (Facebook Group & monthly meetings): One Year of Fountain Pens Australia! — Pen Economics

What Others Are Using

Currently Inked: September 2016 — Pendora’s Box

Video: Currently Inked #11 | 2 September 2016 – Pen Habit

Monthly Load Out: September 2016 – Gorgeous.Ink

I like reading reviews for pens that have (or haven’t) stood the test of time. This time around two people revisited the same fountain pen,

Revisited: Pilot Vanishing Point — Alt. Haven and Review Redux – Four Years with the Pilot Vanishing Point Fountain Pen – edjelley.com – Fountain Pen, Ink, and Stationery Reviews

Misc Links

Notebooks designed to get you organized — Original Content Books via The Cramped

A Hobby: Fountain Pens | The Maddog Rag

Montblanc’s Augmented Paper digitizes rich people’s handwriting – The Verge

What Not To Do | From the Pen Cup

The “Metal” Stamp You Probably Don’t Know About « The Pelikan’s Perch

Introducing journal guides! | Leigh Reyes. My Life As a Verb.

Profile of John Twiss | United Inkdom // There’s a related giveaway but you’ll have to browse the site for it. The giveaway ends Sept. 10th.

I missed the Pilot Pen Clinic, but… – On Fountain Pens

Lastly, thanks to automation, most of what I read gets pushed out to Fountain Pen Links as a link even if it’s not in this post, so if you want a firehose of links you’ll find it there.

What I Used

It was another week without a clear favorite among my inked up fountain pens. In fact, I’ve been yearning to ink up several pens from the pen case. I suspect I’ll do just that by the end of today.

I am really enjoying the Lamy Safari with the new Lamy Dark Lilac ink, even though the pen has a medium nib. I really like the color and the wider nib helps show it off. Still, it’s a little wide for me to use as a daily writer.

What Others Are Using

Currently Inked: Trio of Franklin-Christoph Eye-Dropper Pens — Pendora’s Box // I know the F-C clear acrylics are hugely popular. I’m in the minority and while I love the F-C pens, their clear acrylics just down’t appeal to me, especially when I’ve had to clean them.

Video: Travelers Notebook Everyday Use — The Finer Point

Pen Shows & Other News

The Triangle Pen Show (Raleigh, NC) is June 2nd through 5th. You’ll need a weekend registration to attend Thursday or before 1PM on Friday.

The next European pen show is the Nuremberg Pen Show on May 21st.

Sunday Notes and Links Changes

The timing of the Sunday Notes has become a problem for me. I’m a creature of habit and I like the consistent time, but the posts both this week and last were thrown together at the last minute which I don’t like doing. I’ve been thinking about how to change things but I haven’t decided anything and will play it by ear to see what works. Because of my schedule I can pretty much guarantee that there won’t be a post this time on Sunday. Maybe later, maybe earlier, maybe I’ll take a week off to think about the changes. Things may be inconsistent through the next few months no matter what.

This will be quick post. It’s been a busy week but my pens haven’t gotten much use. So let’s move on to what other are using and doing…

Having a notebook on your desk — The Ink Smudge – Doesn’t everyone keep a notebook handy?

Hobonichi Techo Weeks | East…West…Everywhere

The Pen Shop profile | United Inkdom

April in the Midori Travelers Notebook — The Purl Bug

On geekdom and why I care about stationary. — The Ink Smudge

Currently Inked: May 2016 — Pendora’s Box

Pen Shows & Other News

Chicago Pen Show 2016 Recap — The Pen Addict

A Pen Show? Really? | Dead Reckoning

London Stationery Show report | United Inkdom

The Triangle Pen Show (Raleigh, NC) is June 2nd through 5th. You’ll need a weekend registration to attend Thursday or before 1PM on Friday.

The next European pen show is the Nuremberg Pen Show on May 21st.

What I Used

Last Sunday I didn’t have a favorite fountain pen & ink because I had barely used any of my pens. This past week was the polar opposite. I used all my inked fountain pens for extended period so there was plenty of competition. I wrote seven of them dry during the week. It all started with writing a few letters Sunday afternoon and continued right on during the week. The fountain pen & ink that rose above all the others was my Visconti Homo Sapien Bronze Age with its extra fine nib and Rohrer & Klingner Blau-Schwarz LE ink. Continuing the trend of the week it went dry while writing the draft of this article.

What Others Are Using and Doing

Tessa visits the London Stationery Show 2016

Bob at My Pen Needs Ink is forced to one pen and issues a One Pen Challenge. My response – No Way!

Ana at The Well-Appointed Desk picked up a couple of older Sheaffers. She also had a bad (failed) pen repair experience. Ana’s experience fits in with the question Dr. Deans asked (and answered) at The Pen Economist – Why Aren’t Vintage Pens Aren’t Popular?.

Gourmet Pens shows a Lamy Vista eyedropper conversion.

Ian from Pens! Paper! Pencils! met a pen maker.

Paul from Gorgeous Ink shares his monthly loadout which begins with a spring vacation for the family.

Inkophile found that Staples Sugarcane paper has declined in quality. I’m sorry to see this as I liked these notebooks.

Pen Shows & Other News

Goulet Pens has a video recap of the Atlanta Pen show.

The Chicago Pen Show is going on this weekend. The Triangle Pen Show (Raleigh, NC) is June 2nd through 5th. You’ll need a weekend registration to attend Thursday or before 1PM on Friday. Here’s some photos from the show via Inkdepenence.

The next European pen show is the Nuremberg Pen Show on May 21st.