Sixth Annual Commonwealth Pen Show - Sunday, September 15Th

[christinaofvermont]

I went. It was an interesting day. My first show, after years of really wanting to go to one and having no real opportunity before.

 

I brought a pen for a nib customization, but assessed early on that it wasn't going to happen. There were some 30 names on the Binders' list when I checked. JJ Lax's list was also long, and the overflow line from the Noodler's table made it hard to get closer to ask. Still, I didn't get down too much about it. I had the feeling even if we were lined up at the door at the opening that I would have missed out.

 

Thank you to the gentleman that permitted me the chance to write with the Parker Duofold Centennial in stunning Pearl and Black with the very nice #98 nib. Internet photos do not do that one justice. I'm sorry I was such a social clod I did not introduce myself nor ask your name. Yes, your price was very reasonable. I meant to work my way back around the room to your table, but spent most of my show fund on a Pelikan Mt Everest with an 18K OM nib, and my significant other and I went on to the Naval Yard to look at ships...

 

Thank you to the other gentleman who offered me his loupe so I could have a closer look at that Pelikan OM nib. I hope you found a pen equally delightful.

 

Thank you to the lady who put up with my confusing question concerning the Pelikan 4001 Blue-Black ink and which formulation it was...like I said before, I'm a clod.

 

Thank you to my significant other for doing some really splendid driving getting us in and out of the city.

 

Looking forward to next year!

[eharriett]

I went. It was an interesting day. My first show, after years of really wanting to go to one and having no real opportunity before.

 

I brought a pen for a nib customization, but assessed early on that it wasn't going to happen. There were some 30 names on the Binders' list when I checked. JJ Lax's list was also long, and the overflow line from the Noodler's table made it hard to get closer to ask. Still, I didn't get down too much about it. I had the feeling even if we were lined up at the door at the opening that I would have missed out.

 

 

 

Thank you to the lady who put up with my confusing question concerning the Pelikan 4001 Blue-Black ink and which formulation it was...like I said before, I'm a clod.

 

!

 

There’s a trick to the lines. Get your name on the list as soon as you are able. Then, during spots on the day, go back. You’d be amazed how many people put their names down and leave. I was Binder’s last person at 33 and the person that was there before me was 28. They’ll take whoever is next in the order of the list based on who is there.

 

Pelikan Blue Black: weird, huh? Still can get, but not as easy as it once was.

[christinaofvermont]

There’s a trick to the lines. Get your name on the list as soon as you are able. Then, during spots on the day, go back. You’d be amazed how many people put their names down and leave. I was Binder’s last person at 33 and the person that was there before me was 28.

 

Very good that you were able to make it to the front of the queue!

 

Barbara did tell me there might be no-shows, and I toyed with the idea of putting my name on the list and hanging around. I decided not to as I had a prior agreement with my partner to split the day between the show and the Navy Yard, which was about a 30 to 40-minute walk from the hotel.

 

All in all, we both had a great day. My partner liked meeting pen people, and I was glad to finally see Old Ironsides.

[Intensity]

I had 3 pens worked on, and I did it by getting in the queue line before the event opened. 20 minutes to 9am there was already a good 20-30-people queue, which I joined, and it continued growing from there. Made a beeline for Richard Binder's table and then JJ Lax's table (then again at JJ Lax's table). Still took over 3 hours or somewhat aimless roaming around to get to my turn at Binder's table and then my last pen at JJ Lax's table. Extremely grateful for the work that was done on my nibs, turning them into absolutely dreamy crisp cursive italic (almost formal italic) writers. That was 90% of my goal for the visit. My other goal was to visit Jay Potter's "Paper For Fountain Pens" table for his wonderful Tomoe River journals, but I was told he was invited but was MIA from this show and also did not come to the previous one. I know my own e-mails to his site have gone unanswered, so I hope he is well and is just on a commercial communication break.

 

The Noodler's table had a loooong queue that started immediately at the opening of the show! First it was blocking other vendors tables, and then thankfully the queue changed direction by extending out of the rear entrance onto the parking lot outside. Fun to see both of the UV glow translucent Noodler's inks set up in a black-light-lit display, and also the new anti-feather inks + Triple Tail pen. The Triple Tail is a very easily flexing pen indeed, almost like a paintbrush but with fairly good snap back. The baseline width is about a western medium, but it flexes to a very broad stroke. Definitely great for larger art or poster headline calligraphy. I didn't buy one, thought it was tempting, as I would also prefer it in a colored barrel rather than completely transparent. Some people love clear demonstrator pens, I don't. Considered "Harold's Hearse" ink, but did not get one, because I already have a couple of olive-yellow-leaning inks that look similar enough, like Stipula Musk Green. Confirmed with Nathan that Noodler's Army's latest (for a long time) formula is a yellow-olive color, somewhat similar to Harold's Hearse, in case anyone feels sad about missing out on H.'s H.

 

Did get Anti-Feather Bulletproof Brown called "Claire Lee Chennault". It's an interesting terracotta color that can shift more to orange or yellow-brown or red depending on stroke density. Nathan said the goal for these inks was to not feather on airplane napkins! (Speaking of, finally got a chance to ask Nathan some questions about his inks; was very interesting to meet him in person. He was very nice and easygoing.)

 

My other exciting purchase was getting a custom ASA "Kheffshma"(?) teal ebonite fountain pen body from JJ Lax that works for #6 JoWo screw-in nib units. It's small in size and diameter compared to other ASA pens, very well polished, and has a clever mechanism of unscrewing the section to access the reservoir or to use a converter that is seamless with the body of the pen. I bought this pen for use with a FlexibleNibFactory custom ebonite feed in a JoWo housing that works with Zebra-G nibs. The cap is just deep enough to allow for the long Zebra-G nibs. Now I have a beautiful and highly budget-friendly pen that uses swappable Zebra-G nibs and can be used with a Jowo converter or filled as an eyedropper. Thumbs up! I'll make a separate thread on that pen.

 

And of course there was the educational part of looking at things we THINK we want and comparing our expectations with reality. The show was excellent for that!

 

I really wanted to look at Pilot pens, Visconti Homo Sapiens models that everyone raves about, and GvFC pens. Pilot pens: was underwhelmed with the new Pilot Custom demonstrator pens in turquoise and a kind of translucent cherry color. Didn't really care for the nibs or overall pens. Good, crossed off my wish list. Loved all the Pilot full size VP/Capless pens -- good, have one on the way. Was disappointed with Visconti Homo Sapiens, and especially the red Magma version. I was under the incorrect assumption that the lava material would be somehow warmer and rougher. Instead it's almost a soft-touch finish that does feel different from plastic but not what I hoped it would be like. Did not like the flashy "Homo Sapiens" etching or the cap locking grooves. Crossed out from my wish list, thankfully. GVfC pens: only got to handle one and liked it a lot. Bob Slate Stationer table had an ink tester journal I referenced and made some notes on inks I thought I wanted but turned out to look different (like GVfC Olive Green turns out to be more grayed than I had hoped). Was underwhelmed by Pelikan M600 in Turquoise stripes and Purple/Lavender stripes -- also great for my wallet.

 

Overall I feel like there were significantly more people attending the show than on my last visit two years ago. Perhaps the popularity is picking up, which is great. I wish I knew any of you regular posters there to come and say Hi, but I did a few look-around and quickly realized it was a hopeless enterprise to try any guessing.

Edited September 16, 2019 by Intensity

[markofp]

At the show, a number of people told me that next year's will be larger, adding an additional ballroom. I hope so, it seemed cramped to me.

[Intensity]

Definitely very cramped! Good plan with additional space.

[inkstainedruth]

There’s a trick to the lines. Get your name on the list as soon as you are able. Then, during spots on the day, go back. You’d be amazed how many people put their names down and leave. I was Binder’s last person at 33 and the person that was there before me was 28. They’ll take whoever is next in the order of the list based on who is there.

 

True. I had a pen with a scratchy nib. Went to Richard Binder's table pretty much as soon as I got through the Noodler's line, and saw the length of the signup list and basically went "Yikes!" So Richard suggested the JJ Laxx table, which -- while there was definitely a wait list -- I asked Josh how fast he was going through peoples' stuff and said he was doing about six an hour on average. So I signed up there, and then later on he came up to me and said some of the people signed up before me hadn't showed. So I went right over, and he worked on the pen for me and in about 5 minutes of him opening up the tines a little the pen wrote much smoother (it was the Forest Green 51 with an EF nib I'd gotten last year for cheap at an estate sale).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

edited for typos

Edited September 17, 2019 by inkstainedruth

[inkstainedruth]

At the show, a number of people told me that next year's will be larger, adding an additional ballroom. I hope so, it seemed cramped to me.

 

Later in the day it was less crowded -- but when I got there (around 10:30 AM) the line for the Noodler's table was indeed all the way to outside. And after that I found it easier to to to the outer perimeter of the room at first because of the crowds.

About the time I was leaving, the kid working the door was very excited that they'd had 400 attendees at that point. Two more would have tied the record for the show, and three would have set a new one. Definitely more crowded than 3 years ago when they only had 17 vendors, and I was in and out in a couple of hours because I'd seen everything I'd wanted to see, and talked to everyone I needed to talk to.

I didn't buy any pens, but I did end up with bottles of Diamine Earl Grey, J Herbin Bleu des Profundeurs, and Noodler's Winston Churchill (the new blue anti-feathering ink), as well as the freebie bottle of the show ink, Noodler's Eye of the Porbeagle. Didn't get one of the new Noodler's Triple Tail pen because I'm not a great fan of demonstrators -- but I did get to try one, and when they come out in other colors I'm likely to buy one -- the nib was very nice.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[christinaofvermont]

At the show, a number of people told me that next year's will be larger, adding an additional ballroom. I hope so, it seemed cramped to me.

 

 

Definitely very cramped! Good plan with additional space.

 

Yes! I kept wondering, "Is it supposed to be like this?" Being my first show, I had no frame of reference. I found it very hard to navigate around the room or look over people's shoulders to see what vendors' tables were all about.

[christinaofvermont]

I thought the give-away ink, Noodler's "Boston Brahmin" was very nice, a light blue black. Too bad it's only one ounce, I could see myself using this. What happens with these "show special inks" when someone wants more?

 

I get the impression these never make it to the regular lineup. Maybe a local store could get it as an exclusive? Just an idea. Also, some of his dyes/ingredients seem to have availability issues. I do not know if that would be the case for this one. Anyhow, I seem to recall Nathan saying in one of the pre-show videos that he was trying for a washable blue with this ink because this is what he was asked for. Great label artwork.

[christinaofvermont]

 

Pelikan Blue Black: weird, huh? Still can get, but not as easy as it once was.

 

Yes. I saw from afar that this particular table had some Pelikan Edelstein boxes on display. I went looking for the Tanzanite, which is my staple ink and I feel anxious about having enough of, but on inquiry found they didn't have it. I glanced and saw there were a couple of 30 mL 4001 Blau-Schwartz on the table. The vendor I believe said she brought them back from Germany, and that they were the iron gall formulation. On impulse, I thought it would be good to have for future reference, though I have no plans to use it immediately. I added in a box of Pilot Blue-Black cartridges for my Vanishing Point on the purchase and felt quite pleased.

[eharriett]

I get the impression these never make it to the regular lineup. Maybe a local store could get it as an exclusive? Just an idea. Also, some of his dyes/ingredients seem to have availability issues. I do not know if that would be the case for this one. Anyhow, I seem to recall Nathan saying in one of the pre-show videos that he was trying for a washable blue with this ink because this is what he was asked for. Great label artwork.

 

I think you are right. I have a Boston Brahmin Blue from the “New England pen show 2005.” I think he does these special for this show and that’s it. I will say the 2005 one is really, really nice. I got mine at the DC show in 2017. It was sold used and is mostly completely full

[Intensity]

It is an annual ink for the Commonwealth Pen Show. I got one with the entrance fee two years ago and same this year.

[inkstainedruth]

I think you are right. I have a Boston Brahmin Blue from the “New England pen show 2005.” I think he does these special for this show and that’s it. I will say the 2005 one is really, really nice. I got mine at the DC show in 2017. It was sold used and is mostly completely full

 

I had a bottle of Boston Brahmin Washable Blue from a previous (last year's?) Commonwealth Show. It didn't wow me because it looked too much like ballpoint ink, especially in a fine nib. I gave my bottle away in an ink swap awhile back at my local pen club.

Still trying to make up my mind about Eye of the Porbeagle. It's an odd color. I haven't had a chance to watch the long video (I spent much of yesterday and a good bit of today on the road), so I don't know what special properties it's supposed to have.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Intensity]

Based on Nathan's video in advance of the show, I think it's supposed to be just a simple highly washable blue.

[Lloyd]

 

, so I don't know what special properties it's supposed to have.

Jim requested of Nathan that the show ink be a blueblack that is extremely washable...the opposite of Nathan's favorite properties. Nathan agreed but, as extreme washability is not what he likes in an ink, he has no plans to sell it.