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San Francisco Pen Show - 2015 Update


FarmBoy

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As good as the Trader Day (Friday) was, the show really took off today! Manmanmanman, this is so much fun! Great people, lots of variety to the pens, a fantastic mix of old and new, bunches of inks via Andersons and Vanness, wow.


And the ink testing stations today! My gods, there were people all over them, and they seem to be working very well. 500 pens, inked up with 500 different inks (including a number of unobtanium inks). The displays are really cool: the cap is anchored into the base, and the pens unscrew out and lift up. Lots of paper on the tables, five tables with 100 pens each, and alphabetical listings of the inks on all the tables. Absolutely more fun than humans should be allowed to have...


http://i.imgur.com/IiYu3MA.jpg


After I get home at the beginning of the week I'll try to do a proper report. Suffice to say that the pens and the people are creating an environment that is joyful and exciting!


http://i.imgur.com/q0JuRIE.jpg

"When Men differ in Opinion, both Sides ought equally to have the Advantage of being heard by the Publick; and that when Truth and Error have fair Play, the former is always an overmatch for the latter."

~ Benjamin Franklin

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Please all do share your SFPS experiences with Us here!

 

The ink testing stations, what a creative idea to build overall enthusiasm.

Will we also see some unobtanium reviews here? I hope.

 

Now if i can ever finesse the sib's future west coast invite to coincide with the SFPS date.

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I am just home and un-packed from the show.

 

As great as last year's San Francisco Pen Show was, this year's topped it. I think Jon's reports conveyed the positive energy there. There were more vendors than last year. And the ink testing stations were very popular, although I found them a bit overwhelming. Anyway, I had recently bought a bunch of new inks and wasn't really looking for (many) more.

 

Not to take anything from any other vendor, but I was especially delighted to see Vanness at the SF Pen Show this year. They had scads of hard to find inks and some gorgeous rare pens I was happy to get to see and fondle. Ms. Vanness and the other woman staffing their tables, whose name I unfortunately failed to capture, knew their stuff and were both totally charming. (I am going to start believing all the nice things the Arkansans and others keep saying about the Vanness's and their shop.)

 

I bought just three pens - a Pelikan 400 with an OBB nib from Rick Propas. It writes a really interesting line! I bought a second Franklin Christoph Model 02, this one in ice and green with one of the new black music nibs. (Love those music nibs. They are the best for showing off inks that do interesting tricks.) And then, I bought one of Terri Morris's Indian pen bodies - one in a red and black wood grain resin, in a bamboo shape. It looks cool, and I think it will be very comfortable to use. I will fit it with one of the extra No. 6 JoWo nibs I have from Edison Pens and Franklin Christoph. Last, I picked up a bottle of Akkerman No. 9 (Indigo) from Vanness.

 

I saw some other very tempting pens, but I restored my Nakaya Shield at the cost of a substantial fraction of my annual pen budget the day before leaving for the pen show. (More about that before the end of the year, I hope.)

 

The principal objective for my show attendance was to have Mike Masuyama grind some more nibs for me. I got 5 ground over the three days I was there, and gave Michael a sixth to take back to LA and mail to me when he gets to it. That process is as delightful a social visit as it is great to use the pens after Michael has customized the nibs.

 

My second objective was to connect with other pen users from my city, none of whom I had ever met face-to-face, who were going to be attending the Pen show. That worked well, and we all want to get a Central California Pen Posse up and running.

 

I was also able to connect with FrankC, who had offered to bring his Conid Bulkfillers to the show for anyone interested to see. I found the pens very interesting as engineering marvels, and they wrote well. Somehow, they didn't float my boat. On the other hand, Frank and I had a great visit ... somewhat about pens. A lot about medicine.

 

I had wanted to talk with Deborah Basal about teaching calligraphy and about italic pens to recommend to college students. I was able to do that, and also to meet some other calligraphers who share my interest in formal and cursive italic writing.

 

As you probably figured out, the pens and inks and paraphernalia are certainly attractions, but the social interactions with other pen enthusiasts and the learning from talking to experts in many facets of this pen/ink/paper/writing world is even more rewarding, at least from my perspective.

 

It was a great show! And I overheard some conversations among the show organizers that suggests next year's show will be even more exciting.

 

David

Edited by dms525
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David, it was nice to spend more time with you this year after our briefer interactions last year. I agree with pretty much all you said about the show - I didn't expect it to take off like it did, but Saturday was phenomenal! Looking forward to next year already...

 

So, I've completed the 8 hour drive back to San Diego (better than the 10 hours it took to get there), so my show report will have to wait, but it will come in a day or two. Deb's Italic class this afternoon completely *rocked*, and gave me a lot of inspiration. It also reminded me how important punctuation is:

 

Not to take anything from any other vendor, but I was especially delighted to see Vanness at the SF Pen Show this year. They had scads of hard to find inks and some gorgeous rare pens I was happy to get to see and fondle. Ms. Vanness and the other woman staffing their tables, whose name I unfortunately failed to capture, knew their stuff and were both totally charming. (I am going to start believing all the nice things the Arkansans and others keep saying about the Vanness's and their shop.)

 

Wow. Never more were people thankful for a period, carefully placed! :)

 

BTW: One of the hilarious things, when going to pen shows and meeting people in public that use acronyms or 'other' names on forums, is you don't often know *who* they are. We had a couple conversations, and then Wendy, Lisa Vanness's partner at the booth, finally noticed my name, and started going on about how she knew me from FPN. "Who are YOU?" I asked:

 

Why, she's Esterbex!

Edited by JonSzanto

"When Men differ in Opinion, both Sides ought equally to have the Advantage of being heard by the Publick; and that when Truth and Error have fair Play, the former is always an overmatch for the latter."

~ Benjamin Franklin

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...

how important punctuation is:

 

Wow. Never more were people thankful for a period, carefully placed! :)

 

BTW: One of the hilarious things, when going to pen shows and meeting people in public that use acronyms or 'other' names on forums, is you don't often know *who* they are. We had a couple conversations, and then Wendy, Lisa Vanness's partner at the booth, finally noticed my name, and started going on about how she knew me from FPN. "Who are YOU?" I asked:

 

Why, she's Esterbex!

A bit of foot fondling might have been welcome.... ;)

God is seldom early, never late, and always on time.

~~Larry Brown

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Wow. Never more were people thankful for a period, carefully placed! :)

 

 

 

So true. I'm sure my high school English teacher would be proud of me. ... Not to mention Mr. Vanness, my wife and countless others.

 

Looking forward to your further remarks on the show, Jon.

 

David

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A bit of foot fondling might have been welcome.... ;)

 

Oh, man, foot rubs are a specialty. Next year. :) (and from now one, I'll spell the real-world name correctly...)

"When Men differ in Opinion, both Sides ought equally to have the Advantage of being heard by the Publick; and that when Truth and Error have fair Play, the former is always an overmatch for the latter."

~ Benjamin Franklin

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Ink testing station?? Oh, man. That's sounds amazing!

It was AMAZING!!!!! It blew me away. I spent about two hours there and got to meet some wonderful generous SF Pen Posse people. A lot of work went into this set up and it really was something to behold. Not only was it flawlessly functional, the stations were absolutely beautiful.

 

P R O F E S S I O N A L !

 

I have several pages of inks samples I took away. When all was said and done my favorite ink turned out to be a Japanese ink, Iroshizuku Fukagawa Nezu...which is not available to purchase anymore...but of course it's my uncanny ability to pick the most rare item in any group.

 

post-121404-0-69119400-1441049208_thumb.jpg

"You mustn’t be afraid to dream a little bigger darling.” "Forever optimistic with a theme and purpose." "My other pen is oblique and dippy."

 

 

 

 

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I wasn't able to make the SF pen show this year but I'm glad you guys had such a great experience. While it's nirvana to be surrounded by pens, inks and other ephemera, I agree with David that the high point of any show is meeting and interacting with other folks who have the same passion. It's fun to interact on FPN but truly awesome to meet in person.

 

And I agree...Mike and Lisa Vanness are awesome folks!

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There I was, sitting at an ink testing station just to rest my tired legs and partake in the conversation after Saturday's close. I was spent, as was my money, and sure all my purchases were complete after picking up a Franklin-Christoph Pocket 40 in the now famous coke bottle glass acrylic and a Pelikan 200.

 

I idly picked a pen out of the stand to doodle while we talked only to discover that I didn't know how really badly I needed a bottle of iroshizuku yama-budo. Fortunately, Sunday morning the delightful Esterbex, who happened to be wearing a shirt exactly matching that ink color, fixed me up. :)

Fred

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How rude of me. I got so excited about the pen station experience, I forgot to introduce myself. I was the mature woman hanging around the pen station on Sunday. Casey's the name. Art's is my game.

 

It was my first pen show and I have to say that the Pen Possie people I met, as well as the terrific venders, were so thoughtful and kindhearted it made the day one to remember fondly. I am now hoping to join the Possie group (how do I do that?) and return to the show every year!

 

I also took the Michael Sull Spencerian Seminar, which I will post thoughts on later.

 

Below is a photo of the Booty and Swag I managed to gather from my attendance. I only went $240 over the $200 cash I brought (non of which was spent on food). Is that within reason? I have not a clue, but my husband mentioned he hadn't seen or heard me that happy in a while, so I guess it was an overall triumph.

 

post-121404-0-02674300-1441061790_thumb.jpg

 

From left:

1 free bottle of Parker Ink with pen purchase

1 free bottle of Katchup to be used as an airplane ink carrier, compliments Pen Possie folks

1 free pen from China gifted by Gale form Pen Possie (it writes not bad and is small enough to throw in a purse) yes!

3 Pakistani Dollar pens (the ones used in the ink stations (remarkable little pen actually) purchased from Rick for $10

2 Michael Sull handcrafted flanges on both a turned wood and a plastic holder, the class was FANTASTIC

1 Sheaffer Crest (not sure actually) which I may have overpaid for but I liked the Amber color and it reminded me of my old Targa...a complete nail that I loved

1 Waterman's vintage pen with a full flex Ideal nib...never been used purchased from Susan Wirth (who I loved chatting with)

1 Michael Masuyama repair of my new Edison Nouveau Premiere which was shipped to me with a misaligned nib...what a nice couple and a good sport.

1 really great day at a really great show with some really great people

Edited by httpmom

"You mustn’t be afraid to dream a little bigger darling.” "Forever optimistic with a theme and purpose." "My other pen is oblique and dippy."

 

 

 

 

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How rude of me. I got so excited about the pen station experience, I forgot to introduce myself. I was the mature woman hanging around the pen station on Sunday. Casey's the name. Art's is my game.

 

It was my first pen show and I have to say that the Pen Possie people I met, as well as the terrific venders, were so thoughtful and kindhearted it made the day one to remember fondly. I am now hoping to join the Possie group (how do I do that?) and return to the show every year!

 

I just want you to know that I posted your initial comments, on the ink testing stations, to the Pen Posse Facebook group. They worked very hard to make that a success and your thoughts are going to make them feel very good. PM me and I'll get you information on how to get in touch with them.

 

And nice haul at the show!

 

I only went $240 over the $200 cash I brought (non of which was spent on food). Is that within reason? I have not a clue, but my husband mentioned he hadn't seen or heard me that happy in a while, so I guess it was an overall triumph.

 

Excuse me, but reason is not allowed anywhere NEAR a pen show. Piles of cash, that is the modus operandi.

Edited by JonSzanto

"When Men differ in Opinion, both Sides ought equally to have the Advantage of being heard by the Publick; and that when Truth and Error have fair Play, the former is always an overmatch for the latter."

~ Benjamin Franklin

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How rude of me. I got so excited about the pen station experience, I forgot to introduce myself. I was the mature woman hanging around the pen station on Sunday. Casey's the name. Art's is my game.

 

It was my first pen show and I have to say that the Pen Possie people I met, as well as the terrific venders, were so thoughtful and kindhearted it made the day one to remember fondly. I am now hoping to join the Possie group (how do I do that?) and return to the show every year!

 

Watch the clubs section for meeting announcements from the SF Pen Posse.

Sometimes the name is a little cryptic, but it is fun.

Normally the meets are held in Millbrae.

 

Update, next SF Pen Posse, post SF Pen Show, is this Sun Sept 6.

Peter's Cafe in Millbrae.

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/296295-pen-posse-post-sf-show-edition/

Edited by ac12

San Francisco Pen Show - August 28-30, 2020 - Redwood City, California

www.SFPenShow.com

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Aw, Frank was there to show off the bulk filler and I missed that. I so want to see it. Now, was that Francis or someone else named Frank?

 

I went to look and touch to maybe choose a Stylo Art. I figured it would be an easy choice of wood limited to those with a wooden clip... But, no! My instant fav was water buffalo horn with no clip! Turns out just before the end of the show a friend picked the one with a clip that I would have chosen. Stylo Art - great people, great products!

 

And I had decided to spend my money on classes to try to improve my writing. Sull cursive, Sull Spencerian, and Debbie's italic. Wow!

--

Glenn (love those pen posses)

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Aw, Frank was there to show off the bulk filler and I missed that. I so want to see it. Now, was that Francis or someone else named Frank?

 

That would be FPN member FrankC, not Francis. The pens are really something.

 

Dang. Were you in the front row of Deb's Italic class? Or the 2nd row? I wish we would have connected better!

"When Men differ in Opinion, both Sides ought equally to have the Advantage of being heard by the Publick; and that when Truth and Error have fair Play, the former is always an overmatch for the latter."

~ Benjamin Franklin

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Aw, Frank was there to show off the bulk filler and I missed that. I so want to see it. Now, was that Francis or someone else named Frank?

 

I went to look and touch to maybe choose a Stylo Art. I figured it would be an easy choice of wood limited to those with a wooden clip... But, no! My instant fav was water buffalo horn with no clip! Turns out just before the end of the show a friend picked the one with a clip that I would have chosen. Stylo Art - great people, great products!

 

And I had decided to spend my money on classes to try to improve my writing. Sull cursive, Sull Spencerian, and Debbie's italic. Wow!

http://youtu.be/ltG37Bbx1qk

MB JFK BB; 100th Anniversary M; Dumas M FP/BP/MP set; Fitzgerald M FP/BP/MP set; Jules Verne BB; Bernstein F; Shaw B; Schiller M; yellow gold/pearl Bohème Pirouette Lilas (custom MB-fitted EF); gold 744-N flexy OBB; 136 flexy OB; 236 flexy OBB; silver pinstripe Le Grand B; 149 F x2; 149 M; 147 F; 146 OB; 146 M; 146 F; 145P M; 162 RB
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http://i.imgur.com/IiYu3MA.jpg

Oh hey, I managed to sneak into that picture unintentionally. Was too busy trying out the inks at those glorious ink testing tables to look up and notice I was on Candid Camera. :D I'm glad other people took photos, I completely forgot to.

 

I sadly didn't socialize much at the show, as I've only been on FPN for a month now, so I didn't recognize anyone nor they me. Going to Pen Posse this Sunday might help rectify that problem.

 

I still had a great time! Lisa and Brian Anderson are swell people, Pendemonium had some interesting wares to be had (I completely forgot to get a bottle of Legal Lapis while they were there though. :headsmack:), and Mr. Sunny Koh from Strait Pens was super nice and very helpful! I got a trio of Noodler's inks from who I think was Vanness, but I got overwhelmed pretty fast and didn't notice a company sign or banner for a lot of the tables. For the same reasons I somehow managed to overlook Mr. Masuyama's table entirely too! I wanted to see him work his magic.

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Oh hey, I managed to sneak into that picture unintentionally. Was too busy trying out the inks at those glorious ink testing tables to look up and notice I was on Candid Camera. :D I'm glad other people took photos, I completely forgot to.

 

I sadly didn't socialize much at the show, as I've only been on FPN for a month now, so I didn't recognize anyone nor they me. Going to Pen Posse this Sunday might help rectify that problem.

 

I still had a great time! Lisa and Brian Anderson are swell people, Pendemonium had some interesting wares to be had (I completely forgot to get a bottle of Legal Lapis while they were there though. :headsmack:), and Mr. Sunny Koh from Strait Pens was super nice and very helpful! I got a trio of Noodler's inks from who I think was Vanness, but I got overwhelmed pretty fast and didn't notice a company sign or banner for a lot of the tables. For the same reasons I somehow managed to overlook Mr. Masuyama's table entirely too! I wanted to see him work his magic.

Masuyama's table was at the opposite side of the ballroom from where he was last year. Against a side wall this year as opposed to the windows in 2014.

 

I asked if he had poorer lighting this time but he said this was actually better for him to work. More controlled lights. Last year it was just too much uncontrolled light. Interesting.

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Dang. Were you in the front row of Deb's Italic class? Or the 2nd row? I wish we would have connected better!

Yep, front row of Deb's class. I wore Aloha shirts all three days.

--

Glenn (love those pen posses)

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