[stationery] this year I am going to the London (Autumn) Pen Show

[kaberett]

Last year I did not, but wrote a list of things I'd want to do if I were.

But, you see, Adam loaned one of his pens to someone at the last Admin event of the year, and I-know-not-how they mangled the nib on the poor thing way beyond my confidence to fix (tines both splayed and misaligned, both quite badly)... and the cheapest and easiest way to get it sorted is probably, actually, to take it to the local pen show, conveniently three days before my provisional surgery date, and therefore I am grimly planning AN TREET.

Of last year's list:

• I... acquired the Ocean Blue A5 zipfolio last year (and took some photos of it). It was probably inevitable. I am delighted with it and have (as of a month or so ago) sold the Forest Green one on to someone who loves and appreciates it, rather than leaving it sat in The Stash. (Having acquired the Traveler's Notebook set-up I should probably continue this one-in-one-out policy and also sell on the limited edition Nock Seed, because while I'm very fond of the colours the actual cover set-up just... does not work for me now, and is unlikely to work for me in future, and it's probably time to admit that.)

... but I actually haven't done any of the other things on the list. Huh. Okay.

So, given that, what do I think I want to do this time?

• Top priority is of course getting Adam's pen fixed, probably by Jose Munuera, 'coz he's taking walk-ups and I've interacted with him a bit in the Fountain Pens UK FB group and also one of my Treasures is nibwork by him.
• He's right next door to The Good Blue, so I'll definitely be browsing their pens (and maybe having a play with a flex nib if they've got pens out to play with...)
• Kyuseido will be there. I'm gonna touch a Kakari, and maybe even get to actually see what the faceted-cap variants look like, these apparently being a thing now. Pen Venture will also be there, which might give me a chance to admire the blue Gravitas models, and indeed get a better sense of Gravitas pens more generally...
• I will probably look at the Pineider table in passing, but I have long since convinced myself I'm not actually interested in their take on a resin barrel with incorporated ground-up rock and anyway I can't actually find any evidence they're still even making the Alchemist Kilauea Blue, so I am not going to intentionally spend much time there, put it that way.
• Will I manage to touch a Conid Bulkfiller? Probably only if the FPUK meetup has one present that's being passed around.
• Definitely going to go poke around the Cult Pens table. If I'm suitably un/lucky they might bring a Nahvalur Cosmic Grey, which I would definitely like to see in person. (This is still at "the extent to which I have a use for it is swapping a different nib into the body", so really it's an exercise in "do I actually think it's pretty and comfortable?") (Risk: apparently they routinely have a "slightly dinged-up packages" section of the table, at a steep discount...)
• This time last year I was apparently overcome with lust for Wearingeul Robinson Crusoe. There is now at least one helpful review, which I think demonstrates fairly compellingly that alas/hurrah this is an ink that in actual use exhibits exactly the kind of shading I hate most, and little to none of what would motivate me to actually buy it (i.e. the blue-green shading visible in large swatches).
• Sure I'll stop by Onoto and see what ridiculous special editions they have with. Again, nice to see in person but zero desire to actually buy. Am I treating this one pretty much like visiting the kind of art gallery where you can touch the sculpture? Yup.
• I'm definitely still mildly curious about looking at some of the materials people rave about (celluloid; some of the resins), but I am not expecting to be wowed.
• Am I gonna stop by Galen Leather? Probably. Am I mostly going to be looking at their washi tape dispensers, despite having concluded they're not actually quite what I want? Also probably.
• Oh!!! De Atramentis Document ink thinner!
• TN inserts! and possibly accessories.

There are also a bunch of names I don't recognise, and apparently at least some of them carry washi tape, so I will doubtless also rummage through those even though I am not hopeful that Exactly What I Want will manifest itself...

Comments

[lokifan]

Love this! A friend of mine's going, pens are their BIG special interest and have been for eighteen months or so. Have fun!

[lunabee34]

I'm so jealous. I've never been to a pen show. It's on my list to go to the Atlanta pen show this year.

[phi]

I'm jealous too! Although I have fallen out of the habit of handwriting and didn't even unpack any of my pens or inks at my last flat. But reading your enthusiasm makes me want to go dig out my pens and get back in the habit of using them.

[catyak]

Is a pen show where you go to buy the Write Stuff?