London Writing Equipment Show 2016

[bbs]

Honey was sold out by 10:30 don't beat yourself up.

Sound like you had s successful day.

Congratulations!

Oh, it was a great day! And the wonderful Mishka has very kindly offered to send me a sample to keep me going until Bureau Direct restocks - thank you so much Mishka!!!

 

John made me a pen from some CS canary yellow, with a special nib worked on by Oxonian. I am delighted with it, and I am sure you will enjoy yours (no affiliation just a satisfied customer etc etc).

I had a great day. Caught up with a bunch of people I haven't seen since Lichfield. Met Werner and Johann from CONID (of course how could I not buy a pen from them!), spent sometime with Henry aka Trufflefinder, left a pen with Oxonian (big queue, problem nib!) and finally picked a cheap Duofold from Tom W had discussed various Goldfink pens with him. Sarj and Ray had tables full of goodies but I managed to resist (a first time for everything!!). Picked up a bottle of Diamine anniversary blue black from Write Now (missed out on the sample size Shin-Kai - drat).

Interesting to see more Europen sellers at the show this time, as well as Bureau Direct and Pure Pens. The balance tipped towards modern pens at this show, and it was good to see a hugely improved selection of ink and paper available.

Happy day

That all sounds wonderful. Yes, can't wait till my pens are ready - John said they might be in time to make my Christmas! Conid is on my wish list for the future, hope you enjoy yours.

 

I was delighted to see so much ink too, not just for sale in their boxes and bottles but set free in pens for people to try out.

 

Much respect to KWZ inks for filling a shedload of Preppys and Pluminixs with their ink and to the fabulous Niche Pens for their gazillion Ahabs filled with Dimine and Noodlers loveliness.

 

THANK YOU.

It made my show.

Happy day indeed.

Yes, this was such a good and generous idea. Many thanks to both companies.

[Diplomaat]

It was my first pen show and as such I am still overwhelmed. I'll try to post something tomorrow with pics!

 

However I had a lot of fun. Got to meet Tas, plus Konrad and Agniezka, the ladies from The Pen & Inkwell and lots of nice people!

 

Oxonian helped me both in my technique and solving my issues with two pens plus giving my Kaweco chequered M pen a bit of a cursive italic.

 

I left with a Pelikan M800 burnt orange, a Noodlers Ahab for me and another for my wife and a TWSBI 1.1 580 on the pens side. Ink-wise, KWZ IG turquoise, Caroube de Chypre, Noodlers Mary I, Apache Sunset, Monkey Hanger and EL Lawrence. Not a bad haul!

Edited October 3, 2016 by Diplomaat

[Inkwellpens]

I had a great time on Sunday. Good to meet up with old friends, all three Johns and David and make new ones. Also great to meet some viewers. I agree it was also good to see a large handful of young pen enthusiasts.

So many great stands .. Sarj with a wonderful display, a show in itself. The team at Yard O Led, Mike Owen of Visconti, Purepens, Bureau Direct, Twiss, Hamilton, William Hannah, John Sorowka and Write Here. Good to see more modern pens, inks and notebooks on display.

I came home with the blue demonstrator m205, a Sheaffer Legacy and a Lamy 2000 at last. I also brought home 3 new inks KWZ Gummiberry and Brown Pink and Diamine Shimmer Blue Lightening.

My daughter also did very well with a Yellow Capless, a M200 Green Marble and a collection of Diplomat pens.

A great day was had by all.... thanks to all for the warm welcome.

[sandy101]

I went along to the London Show.

 

It was my first pen show - and I used the advice from this site - set a budget, cash not cards (which also prevents overspending) and set a goal. I'd set my heart on some kind of MB with a broad nib - and having checked out some prices with reputable sellers on e-bay (and the MB forum here) worked out a budget. I think an error was not to give myself enough time, as I had booked myself a ticket to the V&A's Records & Rebellion exhibition at 3 o'clock, so I didn't much time to relax.

 

To be honest, I didn't expect to be so overwhelmed. Getting into that large room with all those tables full of pens and stuff - after 30 minutes every pen started to look the same. However, since I knew what I wanted, perhaps that made it easier, as I knew the brand and nib choice - it meant a lot of stuff simply wasn't on my radar. The Onto selection looked wonderful, and there were ranges of Italian pens I'd never heard of, but that looked quite beautiful. Being focused probably meant that there was a heap of stuff I didn't notice, but it seems like the world is not going to run out of Parker 51's for a while.

 

It was a different experience from shopping on e-bay, and it wasn't necessarily more expensive - in fact it was probably cheaper. The fact that you could handle the pens, look at the condition (note for next time - take a loupe and you can have a good look at the nib and it adds to the experience.) and see what else the dealer had was nice. in fact, my advice to anyone close to London who uses e-bay is to perhaps plan on going to a pen show instead. Make your list of wants, and the cash and you will probably come away a pen in a better condition and at a slightly better price.

 

There were pens for every budget - a seller had some boxes with any pen for £10 or something like that anyway - most of them vintage.

 

Thing is there was so much going on, I didn't actually know who everyone was, and not all of the dealers had labels saying who they were - was there a map or a programme? I didn't see one, but it might be useful - especially if customers, or prospective customers want to do business later on - it might be an idea to have a directory with some contact details.

 

I made my way through the stalls, and eventually found what I was looking for - by asking dealers (I know, it sounds obvious, but I'm coming at this from a Noobs perspective). At first I spent a while looking around, but I found searching through all the stalls rather overwhelming. So I started asking - Do you have something MB, with a broad nib. Most nibs were Medium & Fine, but eventually a 254 turns up with a 3BB stub nib. I'd seen them on e-bay, but not in real life and it looked really dinky when compared to the 146. However, I got to hold it and worked out it was comfortable enough to hold. It was above my budget, but when I said what my budget was (which was not a million miles away) and a deal was made. However, I don't actually know who the dealer was. It was the dealer at the back (far end) of the room with a plethora of P51s. A husband and wife team - maybe someone can help. Anyway - thank you for the beautiful pen.

 

 

 

 

 

A note for next time - give myself a bit more time - not just to shop, but to relax and chat. Stop buying on e-bay. If there is another pen I want to buy, save it for the pen show. It can wait. Take a pen loupe - if nothing else for the experience of seeing some of this beautiful

 

 

 

Deal done, I had to rush to get to the V&A for 3pm (pre-booked timed ticket). I must say their Rebels & Records exhibition is something special. It covers the culture of the period from 66-70 with posters, artwork and music from the times. Do put the headphones on, as they give you a soundtrack as you wander through the gallery of music, quotations and sound effects which are triggers as you walk. In fact, the V&A itself is worth a visit on its own (and its free).

[CasmiUK]

It was my first pen show and as such I am still overwhelmed. I'll try to post something tomorrow with pics!

So glad you enjoyed your first show! (I was the woman on the front desk with the pink hair.) Now for the important questions:

 

1. Which pen did you ink first?

2. Which ink did you use?

3. Which whisky did you dip while deciding? [grin]

 

Casmi

[Inkwellpens]

It was my first pen show and as such I am still overwhelmed. I'll try to post something tomorrow with pics!

 

However I had a lot of fun. Got to meet Tas, plus Konrad and Agniezka, the ladies from The Pen & Inkwell and lots of nice people!

 

Oxonian helped me both in my technique and solving my issues with two pens plus giving my Kaweco chequered M pen a bit of a cursive italic.

 

I left with a Pelikan M800 burnt orange, a Noodlers Ahab for me and another for my wife and a TWSBI 1.1 580 on the pens side. Ink-wise, KWZ IG turquoise, Caroube de Chypre, Noodlers Mary I, Apache Sunset, Monkey Hanger and EL Lawrence. Not a bad haul!

Great meeting you. A fantastic haul.

[Tas]

It was my first pen show and as such I am still overwhelmed. I'll try to post something tomorrow with pics!

 

However I had a lot of fun. Got to meet Tas, plus Konrad and Agniezka, the ladies from The Pen & Inkwell and lots of nice people!

 

Oxonian helped me both in my technique and solving my issues with two pens plus giving my Kaweco chequered M pen a bit of a cursive italic.

 

I left with a Pelikan M800 burnt orange, a Noodlers Ahab for me and another for my wife and a TWSBI 1.1 580 on the pens side. Ink-wise, KWZ IG turquoise, Caroube de Chypre, Noodlers Mary I, Apache Sunset, Monkey Hanger and EL Lawrence. Not a bad haul!

 

I so knew you were going to buy that Pelikan. You had "I'm buying" written all over your happy face !

Lovely to meet you. PM me that photo of us with Konrad when you get a chance. I want to show a friend that Pen Shows are not just for the over 70s.

Inkwellpens, I was 90% sure it was you at some table, I thought I recognised your nails but was too shy to say hello in case I'd got it hopelessly wrong.

 

Casmi, thank you for a warm welcome and goodbye . . . and for kindly allowing me to stash my rucksack.

 

Ian, I hope you had more than just one beer. Lovely to meet you too, finally.

 

Sandy101, I totally understand the pen blindness thing. At the end of the day I just wander about, not so much looking but "sensing"out for a pen that's calling my name. That MB looks fab.

 

As for KWZ IG Blue #1 . . . mmmm. Expect an ink rambling very soon. Loving this ink.

[niunia]

KWZI team has just came back home We had a fantastic time at the show, thank you so much! It was great to meet in person many people known online only and share the enthusiasm for nice pens and inks We stayed in London until Monday evening to do some sightseeing and we certainly have to visit the city againin future We're also tempted to visit Cambridge in March for its show as well, so who knows...

Best wishes - Agnieszka

[bbs]

Oh yes, please do go to Cambridge, it would encourage me to make my first trip to that show! Cambridge is a lovely city too ....

 

Also Casmi, I realise you're the person I have to thank for letting my partner dash in and drag me away to a talk for an hour. Not that the talk was that interesting, but he interrupted me mid discussion with John Twiss about the pens I was ordering, and sitting in that talk gave me time to really consider what I wanted

[twdpens]

Sorry we couldn't go this year. It looks like it was a great Show with much fun had by all!

 

Hopefully see you next year.

 

Martin

[mongrelnomad]

So sad I didn't make it. By all reports (and I was getting live updates), it was an excellent show.

 

As an aside: did any old-timers notice a shift in the visitors? A close friend said he was surprised...

[sandy101]

I found out about it through Fountain Pen Network. I probably would not have gone, had the members here not described it in such wonderful terms.

 

Yep - so it's not my fault. They made me do it.

 

Al least, that's what I'll tell my bank manager.

[View from the Loft]

Sorry we couldn't go this year. It looks like it was a great Show with much fun had by all!

 

Hopefully see you next year.

 

Martin

All of you were missed. Hope your shoulder is recovering.

[Tas]

All of you were missed. Hope your shoulder is recovering.

 

Indeed.

I'll place an order with you soon to make up for it.

[anderl]

 

However, I don't actually know who the dealer was. It was the dealer at the back (far end) of the room with a plethora of P51s. A husband and wife team - maybe someone can help.

 

The seller at one end (the end opposite to where Oxonian sat) was Graham Jasper, based in Hove. I bought a P51 from him and got a card with his contact details.

[pollandakuma]

I had a great time on Sunday. Good to meet up with old friends, all three Johns and David and make new ones. Also great to meet some viewers. I agree it was also good to see a large handful of young pen enthusiasts.

So many great stands .. Sarj with a wonderful display, a show in itself. The team at Yard O Led, Mike Owen of Visconti, Purepens, Bureau Direct, Twiss, Hamilton, William Hannah, John Sorowka and Write Here. Good to see more modern pens, inks and notebooks on display.

I came home with the blue demonstrator m205, a Sheaffer Legacy and a Lamy 2000 at last. I also brought home 3 new inks KWZ Gummiberry and Brown Pink and Diamine Shimmer Blue Lightening.

My daughter also did very well with a Yellow Capless, a M200 Green Marble and a collection of Diplomat pens.

A great day was had by all.... thanks to all for the warm welcome.

 

Oh yeah, I think we met Your daughter's really nice

[sandy101]

 

The seller at one end (the end opposite to where Oxonian sat) was Graham Jasper, based in Hove. I bought a P51 from him and got a card with his contact details.

 

It was the stall to the right of the chap in the corner selling (personalised) leather bound journals. He had that wooden bookstand/shelf thing.

[anderl]

 

It was the stall to the right of the chap in the corner selling (personalised) leather bound journals. He had that wooden bookstand/shelf thing.

 

I think that was the stall I meant. But if I recall correctly, earlier in this thread Ian Williamson offered to email seating plans, which might help to pin the name down.

[CasmiUK]

Also Casmi, I realise you're the person I have to thank for letting my partner dash in and drag me away to a talk for an hour. Not that the talk was that interesting, but he interrupted me mid discussion with John Twiss about the pens I was ordering, and sitting in that talk gave me time to really consider what I wanted

LOL

 

Oh dear.

 

When I stop and consider what I'm getting from John Twiss, I usually end up with an additional one. I'm up to 9 now.....

[Kenlowe]

One of the highlights of the show was the Jack Row stand, unsurpassed workmanship and beuatiful and stunning pens.

 

Something very, very special.

 

http://www.jackrow.com/